Rating: 
Summary: Offbeat but a little off....
Review: Bubbles is trouble and a "laugh-and-a-half". Almost a Lucy Ricardo type. I've read all her books and totally enjoy them and the quirky corner of Pennsylvania, where the stories are located.
However, this one, "Ablaze" never set off the fire for me. First of all, this part of Pennsylvania is rather depressing - and economically depressed - (I've visited there) so its a little hard to make light of. I read half the book and put it aside for a few months before I could get into it again. But now I am totally confused with so many characters, subplots - like is Strohmeyer and/or Bubbles in a manic state or something? I felt the writing was just rushing one from one detail to another character to whatever was next. A little Lithium here, please!! Still, I love Bubbles and will stick with her no matter what, though I wish she's get out of Slagville. How about a little visit south to Bucks County for some relief?
Rating: 
Summary: Cute and sassy--a fun read
Review: Bubbles Yablonsky just wants a weekend of sin and sex with her boyfriend Steve Stiletto. When she gets a fax from her newspaper boss telling her to pursue a murder, she wants to blow it off--but Stiletto hasn't shown and Bubbles is a reporter, willing to do whatever it takes to get the story. The fax was a fraud, but the murder was real--real enough that the killer nearly got Bubbles and Stiletto with the same mine disaster. Now Bubbles needs to track down the truth--and write the kick-ass story that will get her byline in major press. But everyone seems anxious to keep her away from the story and everything seems to conspire to keep her from ever getting Stiletto in the sack. Bubbles Yablonsky, combination reporter/hair stylist, is a charming character--a woman who loves her daughter but wouldn't be caught dead without the right makeup and high-heeled shoes. Her quest for the truth in a world where women have perfected the nag and feed spell to keep their men under control, where the police chief is bugging all the town's phones, and where everyone seems related and knows everyone's business is funny and sympathetic. Author Sara Strohmeyer delivers the goods in this fast-paced comic mystery. Between the Celtic ruins of Pennsylvania, references to the Molly McGuire gang of the 19th century, and the ever-burning coal fire deep in the mineshafts under Limbo, PA, Strohmeyer's offers a fascinating world that has enough nuggets of truth to compell interest. Although Bubbles sometimes comes off as purely silly, her concern for her family (especially too-smart for her own good daughter Jane), jealous affection toward Stiletto, and love for her odd mother and cousin, make the reader identify and sympathize. A few research error crop do crop up--I am still trying to picture how Stiletto fit in the back seat of a Miata. They don't have back seats. Trust me, you won't care. Still, I'm not sure I'm ready to try out any of Bubbles's beauty secrets.
Rating:
Summary: Ok, but not her best
Review: I have read all the Bubbles books and enjoyed them all. This one was not as good as the others. SPOILER Don't read farther if you don't to have the end given away: The "bad" guy was not even a character introduced in this book. One reason to read a mystery is to figure out who did it and why. This plot seemed to be cheating. Any book in a series should be able to stand alone, but if you never read the last Bubbles book you wouldn't even know who this character was. I also had a difficult time believing that Silletto loves Bubbles as much as he seems to claim when he keeps leaving her when she needs him. And allows the beautiful reporter he is working with to imply there is more going on. example: "Come on Loverboy, we will miss the party" As he is leaving Bubbles after someone tried to kill them??? It is time for the relationship to move ahead, with Steve showing he loves her, saying it doesn't make it true. I will give Bubbles one more chance, but if the next mystery pulls another fast one, I will just have to re-read Stephanie Plums adventures.
Rating:
Summary: This One "Bubbles" Along - A Beach Read
Review: I see that some here think Bubbles is going to give Stephanie Plum a run for her money. Maybe, but I doubt it. There is a lot of similarity between the two "heroines". They have some nutty relations, they are having problems with their love life, someone is often trying to hurt them and there is always a mystery or two that needs solving. Bubbles is a hairdresser/reporterette rather than a PI, but the stories are similar. I found this to be an entertaining but light read. If you like this kind of fare, you will probably enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Always so much fun!
Review: It's been a while since I've read about Bubbles, with her wacky antics and home-made recipes that always bring a smile to my face. If you like reading about Bubble's adventures, you will not be disappointed with her latest.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Great
Review: Not only was the book filled with way too much detail about coal mining and its history, but there were way too many characters to keep straight, way too many subplots going on, and having the culprit turn out to be someone who wasn't even involved in the story, and didn't show up until the end of the book, just to tie it to the previous book, was a complete letdown.
I see the next book is also tied to this person. I hope it's not totally out of left field too or I'll be done with this series, which is definitely not on par with Stephanie Plum.
Rating:
Summary: With a name like Bubbles, it's got to be good!
Review: Sarah Strohmeyer excels at funny names, from her heroine Bubbles to Bubbles' boyfriend Steve Stiletto, to a cousin named Stinky. In this third book of the series Bubbles is looking forward to a romantic getaway with Stiletto at the Passion Peak Resort. Before Steve arrives, however, Bubbles receives a fax from her editor directing her to cover a story at an abandoned mine. She finds an injured Steve and the body of another man. There is an explosion and from there on the action is non-stop. Strohmeyer populates her books with crazy characters, including Bubbles' mother and her cousin Stinky. There are inevitable comparisons between the writing of Sarah Strohmeyer and Janet Evanovich but surely there is room for two comical heroines who manage to solve the mystery and catch the bad guy at the end of a fun-filled tale. Keep us laughing, ladies!
Rating:
Summary: With a name like Bubbles, it's got to be good!
Review: Sarah Strohmeyer excels at funny names, from her heroine Bubbles to Bubbles' boyfriend Steve Stiletto, to a cousin named Stinky. In this third book of the series Bubbles is looking forward to a romantic getaway with Stiletto at the Passion Peak Resort. Before Steve arrives, however, Bubbles receives a fax from her editor directing her to cover a story at an abandoned mine. She finds an injured Steve and the body of another man. There is an explosion and from there on the action is non-stop. Strohmeyer populates her books with crazy characters, including Bubbles' mother and her cousin Stinky. There are inevitable comparisons between the writing of Sarah Strohmeyer and Janet Evanovich but surely there is room for two comical heroines who manage to solve the mystery and catch the bad guy at the end of a fun-filled tale. Keep us laughing, ladies!
Rating:
Summary: Ok, but not her best
Review: This book was funny, easy, fast and a delight to read. Bubbles is a hairdresser/ journalist who finds her self caught between an exciting man and a deadly mystery. The coal mines of a small Pennsylvania town are burning and appear to be worthless. The mystery begins when people are murdered in order to keep interest away from a specific mine. When the plan backfires and peoples lives are on the line, the mystery deepens.
When the coal miners wives begin to work together, and Bubbles begins to investigate, things heat up!!!
Rating:
Summary: A must-buy--great fun reading!
Review: This is the third in the Bubbles series, one of the few series of books that I buy instead of waiting to get them from the library. If you're a fan of authors like Crusie, Evanovich, Heller, Bartholomew, Hayter, etc., you'll love these books. I love this genre--the humorous romantic mystery-and am always on the lookout for new authors to read, and was happy to discover Bubbles a couple of years ago. I totally recommend Bubbles books (Bubbles Unbound, Bubbles in Trouble, and now Bubbles Ablaze) to anyone looking for a fun read.
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