Canter With a Killer, by Amber Camp

Canter With a Killer by Amber Camp 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was just okay.

Book one in a new series.

As a life-long Horse Girl, I saw this book on NetGalley and immediately requested it.

Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my hopes for the series. The idea behind it, of giving up your grind of a job and bad marriage to start an animal rescue, is a good one, but Mallory kind of annoyed me. She came off as naive and way too trusting of a handsome face. First rule of any murder mystery should be don't trust anyone, followed by don't immediately start dating a family member of the victim, duh.

I'm willing to give book two a try, but it's definitely on my library list and not on my "purchase" list.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book, provided by the publishers, via NetGalley.*

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Steeped to Death, by Gretchen Rue

Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 1 in a new series.

A good start to a new series. It was a fast, fun read. I really like Phoebe, and of course, Bob the Cat is adorable. It was a bit formulaic, but I kind of expect that from the first book in a series, introducing us to the characters. MC and her cat, local nemesis, helpful neighbors and of course the love interest. But the touch of magic made it more fun, and though I'm more of a coffee fan than a tea fan, the teas and recipes sounded wonderful.

I'm looking forward to more in the series.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Bound by Murder, by Laura Gail Black

Bound by Murder by Laura Gail Black 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, left unfinished.

Book 3 in the series.

I gave all three books in the series a try, and I still don't really care for Jenna. This series just isn't for me. It's too bad, because I do love a good bookshop mystery, but I just couldn't stay interested in this series. No more for me.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Death by Beach Read, by Eva Gates

Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, almost a DNF.

Book 9 in the series.

Honestly, this was my least favorite of the whole series. It was slow paced, and Lucy was almost unlikable in this one! She was snobby and I got tired of all the "white" lies she told. The storyline was very predictable.

It makes it on to the Read shelf, but barely. I finally skipped to the end just to see if I was correct in my deduction. Yep.

This series has been very up and down for me, some I have absolutely enjoyed and others just dragged and didn't entertain me at all for various reasons. I keep saying I am done with the series and then one shows up on NetGalley and I request it. Time to stop, for real this time.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Live, Local, and Dead, by Nikki Knight

Live, Local, and Dead by Nikki Knight 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book 1 in the series.

This was a strong debut for the series. I really enjoyed most of the characters, and the plot. The main character seemed like a smart, strong, likeable person who cared a lot about her family, her job and her town. Unlike a lot of cozies mysteries, she didn't leave her job to someone else and go haring off, sticking her nose in dangerous situations, which made me like the book all the more!

The only bit that annoyed me was the hand feeding candy to a wild moose. I live in CO, we have all sorts of wildlife. Wild animals are WILD, and experience has shown me that humans are stupid. They don't need encouragement to do dumb things to wild animals. Moose are amazing animals best enjoyed from a distance, just like all wildlife.

Aside from that, I enjoyed the book and look forward to more in the series.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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A Three Book Problem, by Vicki Delany

A Three Book Problem by Vicki Delany 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I quite liked it.

Book 7 in the series.

I quite liked this one, Gemma has grown on me through the last few books, and I liked the setting. My only complaint was I felt the mystery was too simple, as I figured out who the murderer was early on in the book and why.

But it was still a quick, entertaining, read.

I truly hope to see more of Gemma.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Crimes and Covers, by Amanda Flower

Crimes and Covers by Amanda Flower 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was just okay.

Book 5 and the final book in the series.

I've read every book in this series and enjoyed them. But this one, let's just say the series went out with a whimper instead of a bang.

I found it to be super repetitive and strangely stilted. It also didn't help that my personal opinion of Thoreau is that he'd never have really survived in solitude, since everything was done for him by family members and he was really a weanie, haha.

The plot seemed to plod along, with way too much wedding minutia and not enough mystery. In fact, for once, I picked out the killer right away. And darn it, I'd have liked to have seen more of Emerson and Faulkner! I adore the cat and crow.

All in all, it was a disappointing end to a series I loved.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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How to Book a Murder, by Cynthia Kuhn

How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, it's a DNF for me.

Book one in a new series.

I wanted to like it. It had a bookstore and it was set in Colorado. The mean girl from high school trope is starting to get on my nerves, and the whole thing dragged. Emma needs to grow a backbone, because the client is NOT always right. I finally gave up and walked away. I started reading this in JULY, and tried again in December, closer to the pub date. Still a NOPE for me.

This is just one of a string of cozies that didn't hold my interest. I find myself thinking that maybe, I am growing out of cozy mysteries?

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Slashing Through the Snow, by Jacqueline Frost

Slashing Through the Snow by Jacqueline Frost 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, I didn't care for it.

Book 3 in the series.

I'm not sure what happened to the main character after the first book, but I wanted to slap Holly multiple times. She was too stupid to live way too often in this book, and I get really tired of books where the amateur sleuth completely ignores their day job to nose around. And in this case, it's a brand new business and Holly is supposedly worried about a bad review from the person who ends up the murder victim. Honey, you need to be worrying about all your guests, because you're a terrible innkeeper!

This book just didn't sit well with me. And I don't understand why Holly's boyfriend, Sheriff Evan, puts up with her. She's turned into a nosy old biddy, and was truly insufferable.

I don't think I will read anymore in the series, if there are anymore to come.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Once Upon a Seaside Murder, by Maggie Blackburn

Once Upon a Seaside Murder by Maggie Blackburn 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, Did Not Finish, I'd give it Zero stars if I could.

Book 2 in the series.

I didn't finish the first book in the series, but I thought I'd give it a second chance.

Unfortunately, the main character is still condescending, rude, and absolutely unlikable, and adding a bunch of new characters doesn't help me get past that.

It's too bad, because the idea should have been fun. But I read to have a good time, not be talked down to by the main character.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Murder by the Bookend, by Laura Gail Black

Murder by the Bookend by Laura Gail Black 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay, but....

Book 2 in the series.

I still had a hard time liking Jenna in this book. It didn't help that she absolutely had a too stupid to live moment, and it made me want to scream. My favorite character in the book was the victim's dog! So while the story was okay, I just don't think the series is for me.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*


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Cajun Kiss of Death, by Ellen Byron

Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, it was an okay read, with a nice wrap up to the series.

Book 7 and the last of the series. As the last in the series, it's not a great starting point for new readers.

I didn't go into this book knowing it was the last one, but as I read I very much got the idea that it was the end of the road for the series. The author was tying everything up. The mystery actually felt like it was taking a back seat to all of the wrapping up.

As a series long reader, I am glad to see it, and the big occasion that the books have been leading towards, but I'd have liked a stronger mystery. The dead man wasn't very likeable, and I didn't much care who offed him.

I'm sad to see this end though, I very much enjoyed my visits to Cajun Country and Crozat, along with Maggie's slightly crazy family.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*


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Dogged by Death, by Laura Scott

Dogged by Death by Laura Scott 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book one in a new series.

It was a decent start to a new series, but some things were a bit too unbelievable. They characters could use some more development. Allie comes off as a total dingbat, and because of it, not super likeable.

Hopefully the next book in the series will be better.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*


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Reserved For Murder, by Victoria Gilbert

Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, Unfinished.

Book 2 in the series.

I saw this on NetGalley, and even though I didn't care for the first book, I thought I would give it another chance.

Unfortunately, I didn't like it anymore than I liked the first, so it goes unfinished and on my NOPE list.


*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*


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Deadly Ever After, by Eva Gates

Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 8 in the series.

Honestly, I keep saying I am done with this series, because I haven't really liked one and the character of Louise Jane distracts and annoys me. There's just something about the series that keeps dragging me back. That said, I actually enjoyed this one.

The whodunnit was a bit obvious, and LJ is still a pill who just got massively rewarded for her bad behavior, so that was annoying, but it was nice to see Lucy and Connor happy.

However, I kind of wonder if this is the end for the series, since Lucy will be moving out of the lighthouse. And what happens to Charles the Cat? Lucy isn't leaving him to LJ, I hope. He's honestly my favorite character. If there are more in the series, Lucy needs to take Charles with her and cart him back and forth to the library each day.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*


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Peaches and Schemes, by Anna Gerard

Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, I couldn't get in to it.

Book 3 in the series.

Honestly, I think Covid has killed my cozy vibe. I'm just not really liking any lately. I couldn't concentrate long enough to finish this one.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley

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A Curious Incident, by Vicki Delany

A Curious Incident by Vicki Delany 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it!

Book 6 in the series.

A very pleasant surprise!

I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan when I read the first book, and really only asked for this one because I quite frankly didn't realize it was part of that series until I started reading. But right away, my biggest complaint was made moot. Gemma is much more likeable in this book than she was in the first, and her first interaction with a child made me smile. She still comes off as unsympathetic sometimes, but at least it's tempered by other things.

The small mystery at the beginning was cute, and the main mystery was interesting and well plotted out.

I actually look forward to more books in this series, now.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Grounds for Murder, by Tara Lush

Grounds for Murder by Tara Lush 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, Did not like, didn't finish.

Book 1 in a new series.

I just couldn't make myself care about any of the characters in the book. The main character was pretty pathetic, and the murder victim was a jerk. I finally skipped to the end, just to see who won the barista contest. (view spoiler)[It was Lana, of course. (hide spoiler)]

After literal months of leaving this book on a back burner, I had to actually go read the blurb again, because nothing about it stuck with me. And when I did, I thought,"Oh yeah, that book. DNF."

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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A Death Long Overdue, by Eva Gates

A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book 7 in the series.

I love this series, but there were too many characters to keep track of in this outing, and honestly, I still despise Mean Girl Louise Jane! Seriously, I hate that the Mean Girl has become such a common trope in cozies now. I don't want to spoil anything, but I feel like they are constantly rewarding Louise Jane's crappy behaviour.

I will continue to read the series, because it is fun

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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On Borrowed Crime, by Kate Young

On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was an okay start to a new series.

First in the series.

A decent start to a new series. I love that the main character 1. Works for a PI and 2. runs a True Crime book club, it gives the run of the mill cozy a bit of a different twist.

What I don't like:
1. The main character's mean girl cousin. Can we just do away with the mean girl trope? It's starting to rank right up there with love triangles as my least favorite thing in cozies.
2. The overbearing parent/immature adult child. Lyla needs to grow the freak up, and Mom needs to back off.

I enjoyed the mysteries, and look forward to seeing how the characters and series develop.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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