Cover Image: Renovated to Death

Renovated to Death

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Member Reviews

I can't make up my mind about this book. But despite some problems and quirks, overall, I had fun reading it, so I'm still giving it four stars. The characters were cute. It was funny. Overall, this book was very cozy and provided a good escape at a time when reality was just getting horrible.

But if you do pick it up, keep in mind that despite being a murder mystery, the murder and investigation happen pretty late. The twist is foreshadowed in a heavy handed way that makes it predictable. It gets a bit corny at times, and there really aren't many women in this book.

But if you're willing to overlook the above, it was a fun read!

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Set in Detroit, two partners in life and business - Pete and JP are doing home renovations for a show on HGTV. They find the perfect home which is Terry and Tom - twins. The home is the childhood home of the twins that they inherited. While one wants to sell and the other one does not. However, one of them ends up dead and Pete and JP start sleuthing.

I can’t say this was my favorite cozy mystery it dragged on in spots and just didn’t grab my attention.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

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After a successful first season of Domestic Partners chronicling the renovation of their historic home, Peter and JP are taking on a renovation of another local home, that has remained untouched since the 1930s.
Owned by twins Tom & Terry Cash, there is some initial resistance from one of the brothers to the idea of renovating it and when the other is found dead at the foot of the stairs, it seems as though this job may not happen …

The story is mostly told from the point of view of Peter (PJ) and there is quite a large cast of characters & none of them were developed enough to have distinctive personalities which made it hard at times to keep them straight in my mind. Several of the gay men seemed to be portrayed in very stereotypical ways.

The writing is fairly poor, it felt immature and there were a lot of repeated phrases and too many irrelevant descriptions – how many times do we need “handsome older man” or “cute”?
The beginning of the story dragged (we didn’t get a body until 30% in) and whilst the descriptions of the original features of the property were very descriptive & evocative, there was a lot of detail that was just completely irrelevant – did we need to know the flavour profile of a beer? and unless you really know your niche brands there were time when it felt like the author was just name dropping … he looked at his watch would suffice, we don’t need to know it’s a Shinola Guardian watch (I had to look it up, apparently a luxury brand, local to Detroit) or that the furniture was Stickley (investment pieces that hold their value).


10% into the book: This is a book about a gay couple. We have gay neighbours who live down the street.
20% into the book: Have we told you that we are GAY?! Did you know that gay people can get married now? We want to adopt a dog.
30% in: Nothing ever happens in this cute place we live called Pleasant woods. Oh, a dead body! (maybe we can start this mystery story now …)
40% in: Police think it was accidental death. The owner of the phone found at the scene didn’t do it. By the way, we are 2 gay men in a relationship, have we told you that?
50% in: Somebody else suspects that it wasn’t an accidental death.
60% in: Lets go to a gay bar to see a drag act
70% in: Oooh, maybe we can adopt that dog after all! Did one of the suspects lie?
80% in: Lets have a chat with our friend the police officer about our theories – though he won’t really listen because “People don’t get murdered in Pleasant woods, Michigan”
90% in: We’ve worked out who did it – it’s obvious … oh dear I’m going to be the next victim!
95% in – we have a “twist”, albeit one I’d worked out about half a book ago! Lets now rush to get to the end …

Overall, it was good to see some gay characters in a cosy mystery. There was a promising plot idea & one I could see working very well, but it was executed poorly here. It is not a series I will be reaching for again.

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Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito is a cozy mystery featuring a gay couple who works together fixing up houses for a reality show called Domestic Partners. This was a really fun read and there were so many aspects to the story that felt unique and unlike anything I've read before in a cozy mystery. I'll be honest. I had a good idea who the murderer was, but there were so many interesting side characters with their own reasons for why they would be frustrated or angry with the deceased that it was difficult to confidently make a definitive guess.

Here are a few things I liked about this story.

The main couple (JP and PJ) are very different from each other but they work really well as a couple, which makes sense since they host a TV show together. I liked how they mostly were always on the same page and worked together to prep for their show, as well as figure out if Tom Cash's death was truly murder or not.

I liked their group of friends. Cam especially made me laugh and I really hope he's featured in the next book as well. He cracked me up with some of his observations and I loved that he was so invested in his rescue dog Snoop.

And speaking of rescues, it warmed my heart that a side plot of the story was about how JP and PJ were planning to rescue a dog of their own. So sweet. I loved when they had their home visit with the woman from the pet rescue and wound up killing two birds with one stone, after she wound up revealing a lot of information that would prove to be useful as they continued to try to figure out if Tom's death was an accident or not.

Is there anything I could have done without?

Yes. Personally, I felt like there were way too many physical descriptions in this story. Maybe it's just how the main character was supposed to be, but I felt like every time a character was described it felt... weird. Like the description was describing their attractiveness or whatever. It just didn't sit right with me.

I also wasn't a huge fan of how every character was described as first name/last name. It felt very formal. Or like when the main character would refer to his fiance as his partner or Cam as his bestie. It just felt overly descriptive. because it was done over and over again. Just say their name sometimes! It sounds too repetitive to always use a title when referring to them.

But those are just small things and in the grand scheme of things, I did really enjoy this story. Such a fun group of characters and I really liked the small town setting, with cool restaurants and a fun gay club. I hope that the next book features even more drag queen karaoke!

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Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. I was really excited to read a mystery with some home reno and queer rep, but I just couldn't get into the writing style. There were just phrasing and descriptions that rubbed my brain the wrong way and as much as I was hopeful for this book I just couldn't get fully into it as much as I wanted. I think this could be a favourite book for someone else, I just wasn't the right audience for it.

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Release Date: May 31, 2022

📖📖📖

PJ and JP are partners in life and in business. They recently started a reality show where the well known author (PJ) and the actor (JP) renovate homes. They had success with season one which chronicled them renovating their own home. Season two is going to be tackling the inherited home of Tom and terry cash. Thing go awry when the couple discovers Tom dead. Now to keep on they need to solve the whodunnit and make sure this is a renovation that they DONT die for.

I was excited to read a LGBTQIA cozy mystery as I haven’t seen many of those in the genre. There were certain areas of the book that felt pandering instead of empowering. I fully acknowledge that I am a cis white female so I have authority to make declarations of what is and isn’t acceptable. I appreciate the attempt of inclusion but it felt like it was written from someone who didn’t really understand. For example PJ struggles with how to address his friend in drag appropriately (out loud and in his thoughts), which is weird. There is so much talk about pronouns…why wouldn’t he just ask? #normalizepronouns. The author also mentions an event in the past by calling it "LGBT... Long before they tagged on the Q, the I, and the A." Which felt derogatory to me. I would recommend this book but I also hope the author does better in the future. As a society I feel like we’ve come further than what this book portrays.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#renovatedtodeath #domesticpartners #domesticpartnersincrime #homerenovation #cozymystery #bookstagram #cozymysteryseries #netgalleyreads #bookstagram #instareads #frankanthonypolito #kensingtonbooks

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Renovated to Death is a cozy mystery set in Metro Detroit. When couple PJ (Peter) and JP (John Paul) agree to renovate the childhood home of the twins Cash, they are excited to get their hands on the lovely 1920s project. Until one of the twins winds up dead, a tragedy in and of itself that also puts their fledgling deal in jeopardy. The second season of their reality TV series is set to start filming soon, and if the death isn't put to rest quickly, their livelihood will be in jeopardy. Their investigation isn't outrageous and unbelievable like some in the genre. It largely involves PJ and JP gathering gossip from their neighbors, which seems realistic enough behavior. The reveal of information also offered an interesting approach. Instead of a quick murder followed by amateur detecting, we get to see many points of view in the buildup to the crime in question and as secrets are uncovered. We see through the eyes of the victim, the brother disagreeing about the preservation of the family inheritance, the lover fearing he will soon be jilted, and a witness to the death, among others. It's an engaging way to share details and show a range of emotions. This is one of the most chill cozies I've read with even the ultimate showdown coming across as fairly sedate. And honestly, it worked for me.

This book makes me excited for more cozies with a queer cast. The strongest feature of this book for me is steeping the story in queer culture and language with a particular focus on a community of gay men. This is not an example of books that just label a character as gay and then tell the same old type of story with no consideration of broader culture and bonds between queer people. My only complaint is that this is definitely focused on one segment of the rainbow. PJ struggles with how to address his friend in drag appropriately (out loud and in his thoughts), which is weird. And a comment reminiscing about a gay event in the past mentions "LGBT... Long before they tagged on the Q, the I, and the A." Which was a bit of a stab in the back to those of us who were apparently tacked on as an afterthought to the acronym. That doesn't erase the value of what this book offers in terms of representation; just know it's not fully inclusive.

Another nice aspect was seeing a cozy with a committed couple as detectives, meaning we don't have to suffer a half-assed romantic side plot. Instead, we get brunch on weekends, banter, and dog adoption. The level of puppy love (as in love for a literal puppy) was the exact correct level of over-the-top for this dedicated millennial dog mom. They are the best, sweetest, goodest babies and they deserve the world. I was also personally attached to the Michigan setting, from the craft beer and neighborhoods to the twins, one in a Sparty hat and the other a hat of a team-that-shall-not-be-named. Unfortunately, there was a comment about how someone "couldn't even get into State," which soured things for this alumna to a significant degree.

There were some other aspects I didn't care for. The book starts with a major infodump of backstory; the clunky delivery meant I didn't retain much and had to relearn who was who as the story continued. Another writing issue was the repetitive use of certain phrases that became irritating (i.e. always using the same descriptions for the main cast of characters). Another minor disappointment was the lack of actual home renovation compared to what the premise promised. While the couple's past projects are mentioned, this story all takes place before their next season starts filming. On a deeper level, a constant issue in mysteries is the approach to law enforcement. In this one, a police presence is considered nice and neighborhoods are labeled safe and unsafe. It seems uninformed at best. Luckily the story doesn't delve deeper into that mindset, but know that the stench of white privilege is about. Finally, the major twist is not that thrilling. I had it figured out from the victim's funeral a third of the way in, making all the other little clues that follow glaringly obvious instead of clever and sneaky.

So. If you think cozy mysteries should be more gay, check this one out. Thanks to Kensington for my copy to read and review.

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If you're looking for a quozy (queer cozy) mystery, this is the perfect book for you! I'm a huge fan of HGTV, DIY, queer stories and mysteries and I'm so in love with the fact that this book has them all. I'm excited to read the rest of the books in this series!

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It was just an ok read for me , which means even though i love cozy Mysteries this is one series i won't be going on with .

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Here is my review of a new cozy mystery, which hopefully will be a long-lived series, Renovated To Death by Frank Anthony Polito. When it comes to the first book in a new Cozy Mystery series it can be a little overwhelming for the reader who is meeting a whole cast of characters and looking for clues to solve a murder. That being said I always cut the writers some slack when evaluating their first books.

What makes Renovated to Death stand apart from most cozies is that this book is that our amateur is a gay man. In my experience, most cozies are from a straight female perspective. This book takes place in Michigan and the local gay community is integral to the story. At first, I thought the characters were a bit on the stereotypical side, but then I realized this is a cozy with a healthy dose of humor. If you read this book, now you know going in to see the humor!

If you like home DIY and are a fan of HGTV, you'll really appreciate the home renovation talk in this book. The main character PJ and his husband JP (ah, cute couple names!) are hosts of a home renovation show and there is lots of talk about home renovation projects and restoration.

I found this to be a fun, fresh take on the genre and I look forward to future adventures with PJ and JP.

4 stars!

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Although this was a cute novel, it didn’t really do much for me! I loved the gay couple for a mystery because i haven’t read one like this before and it was really nice to see and read about.

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Renovated to Death was a fun Murder mystery starting a couple JP and PJ whose design show gets complicated when the owner of the house they are renovating dies in the house. Is it an accident or more?

I enjoyed this book and was drawn in by the renovation angle however almost no renovation happened in this book.

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I just didn't care for the writing style and the main character and his boyfriend having similar initials seemed kind of goofy. Some of the clichés perpetuated in just the first few pages were irritating. I love reno shows but I don't think I'd watch PJ's. Too bad I had high hopes for this one.

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Lighthearted, but impactful. Cozy, but underlaid by a foundation of seriousness. A lot of fun to be had by both characters and readers, yet with an awareness of the potential dark side. RENOVATED TO DEATH is a strongly Gay cosy mystery, Book 1 in the Domestic Partners in Crime Series. PJ and JP are life partners, and hard-working stars of the Domestic Partners home renovation reality show, heading into its second season. Homeowners in a beautiful historic suburb of Detroit, life is rocking until the newest renovation client dies in a fall on the Stairs of the house they are to renovate. Seems simple: a weak step, an accidental fall with tragic consequences. But writer of high school mysteries PJ and former tv cop Series actor JP view it differently, and they intend to uncover the truth.

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Ooof. This was... not good.

From a plot standpoint, it takes 30% of the book to get any murder mystery - at one point, we get a whole rehash of a previous chapter at the beginning of the next, as though the character whose POV we were in wasn't there for everything happened. That was weird! And the murder is pretty easy to solve, even if the motivation is shoved in there at 97%.

But the writing... good lord the writing. Everyone is either a "handsome older man" or a " cute young boy" - like, the former phrase occurs 26 times in the book. That's too many! If you did a shot every time someone was described as "handsome," you'd be hospitalized after the first chapter. And in three consecutive paragraphs, the latter phrase shows up four times. I had an ARC, but if this made it into the final book, someone needs to have a sit down with the copy editor.

There are a million weird asides through the book, too, and so very few of them are relevant. How JP's parents died, the name of the place they got their seat cushions from, PJ's dad's commitment to car culture (and PJ's implied superiority for rejecting it), the marital status (confirmed or assumed) of various characters we see once in the whole book, the flavor profile of a Bell's Two-Hearted... what is the point? Why do we need all this? Why couldn't we do more murder mysterying?

And, of course, we can't forget the names of a few side characters, specifically the real estate agent Cheri Maison and local Detective Nick Paczki. Yes, the real estate agent's name is essentially house and the detective is essentially Detective Donut. I almost put the book down for that second reveal.

Anyways, I think this was poorly plotted and even more poorly written, but if neither of those things bother you, it's not NOT a decently fun read.

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This was a fun, quick, easy read. I enjoyed the characters although they did seem a little cliche. If you are looking for a book to read in one sitting, with detailed interior design, and has LGBTQ main characters this is for you!

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***I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Here it is...***

I am DNFing this book at about 50%. I am a big fan of cozy mysteries, just not this one. I don't know if I'm just not the intended audience, but I just can't get into it. Everything about it feels over-the-top, drawn-out, and too much. I know this is a home renovation cozy, but I found myself going glassy-eyed over the descriptions of the homes. The cast of characters feels cheesy and super extra, enough that I'm not connecting with any of them. I'm not liking this book and would rather spend my time reading something that I can get into.

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Dollycas’s Thoughts

Bestselling mystery author Peter “PJ” Penwell and actor JP Broadway are real-life partners who have come together to star in and produce Domestic Partners, a hot reality home renovation show. They are getting ready for their second season and have plans to renovate another house in Pleasant Woods, Michigan. Twin brothers Terry and Tom Cash inherited the family home and have let it fall to disrepair. PJ and JP have plans to breathe some life into the home so it can be sold for a pretty penny in this elite Detroit suburb.

Everything is in place to start filming in a few days when JP and PJ discover Tom Cash dead at the foot of the stairs of their project. The staircase is pretty rickety and that leads the police to rule the death accidental. Later when more information comes to light they declare the event a homicide. Tom ruffled plenty of feathers over the years so there are plenty of suspects including his twin brother Terry. The mystery writer skills in PJ start to kick in as do things actor JP learned playing a cop. They know the killer needs to be found quickly or their new reno project could hit the skids and more people could end up dead.

I was excited to review this book because I love that cozies are getting more diverse and this one is truly testing the waters with the cast almost entirely made up of gay men.

The author took a lot of time to introduce the characters which I really appreciate for the first book in a new series but I felt I really didn’t get to know enough. They just felt a little flat. It may be just me but I started out getting really confused between the two main characters PJ and JP. I finally got it in my head to translate the initials with the characters’ last names, Penwell – Author, Broadway – Actor. When I did that the story flowed much better. I did like the characters and that is what kept me reading and not throwing the book at the wall.

We did meet several other characters that were all connected to Tom and Terry. I deal with a set of twins in our family and understand it can be hard to tell them apart which is why I really focused on the differences between Tom and Terry. Who wore what hat? Who had a space between their teeth? Who was more outgoing and who was more passive? Who was enthusiastic about renovating their parent’s home and who wanted it left as is? I really tuned in to how each brother reacted to the people around them too. They may have been identical in looks but different in every other way. It made them very interesting to me and felt they were very well developed.

Mr. Polito penned a very good mystery but I think because I was ultra-focused on the twins I cataloged each clue dropped in a way that had me solving the mystery almost as soon as the death occurred. There were some great twists but they just firmed up my theories.

Something that really struck my heart was PJ and JP trying to adopt a dog. We were disappointed by the pet adoption process ourselves a few years ago and went through some of the same feelings the characters had. Things worked out for us in the long run. You will have to read the book to find out what happens with the Domestic Partners.

I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the homes in Pleasant Woods and that one was turned into a wonderful restaurant. I had hoped for more renovations in this book but the house the stars had previously renovated was mentioned a lot as to what they had done there. I am sure there will be more in the next book.

Renovated to Death lays a good foundation for this series. I am looking forward to more character development of Penwell and Broadway and them getting involved in a more complicated mystery. I am also looking forward to more about their television show including the filming and them actually doing some renovations.

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This book didn't work for me. I loved the idea and it was well written, even funny in parts, but I could not get into it at all. I found the mystery aspect of it lacking and a lot of the book just seemed boring.

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Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! This book contained many elements of cozy mysteries that I enjoy like an occasional alternate pov and flashbacks. While I was able to figure out the main twist, it was still SO SATISFYING to read because the author tied everything together so nicely.

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