Ink and Shadows, by Ellery Adams

Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 4 in the series.

I really like this series and the main characters with all their faults and character. I had a harder time with some of the the townspeople and their family values crap and witch hunt mentality. But Nora and The Secret, Book, & Scone Society stood up to it, and prevailed.

All in all, a pleasant, fast, read.

I look forward to more!

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


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One Poison Pie, by Lynn Cahoon

One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon 

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

Book one in the series, though it was introduced by a novella length story previously.

I like the characters, and I like the potential. There's some character building and world building to be done yet, but that's pretty typical for "First in the series," books.

One thing I didn't like though, was the "cliffhanger"ish foreshadowing. I'm going to read the next book, you don't need to leave me in suspense as to what evil might be lurking in the shadows, like some 70s tv show.

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


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Death Bee Comes Her, by Nancy CoCo

Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy CoCo
My rating: 1 of 5 stars, did not finish.

Book one in the series.

This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't get in to it at all, despite trying multiple times. I finally just gave it up and DNFed it.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by 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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Bait and Witch, by Angela M. Sanders

Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders 

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

First in the series.

A cute, quick, and very light read, without a lot of serious substance. A typical first in the series, and getting to know the main characters.

I like that it was set in an old Victorian building turned in to a library. Some of the back story was a bit over the top, but I could overlook that.

I look forward to book 2

*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 Crime of a Different Stripe, by Sally Goldenbaum

A Crime of a Different Stripe by Sally Goldenbaum 

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

Book 15 in the series (book 4 with a new publisher)

I always love visiting with the core Seaside Knitters, but I do feel the cast of characters has grow a bit unwieldy as the series continues. I found myself having to reread bits trying to figure out who was talking/being talked about. If you're new to the series, please don't start here.

It is lovely to see Cass happy, with a baby on the way and all the knitters doting on her, haha. I'd have liked to see more of that, with just the original couples focused on a bit more.

I will continue to read the series, because I am absolutely invested in the main characters now.

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


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Murder at an Irish Christmas, by Carlene O'Connor

Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O'Connor 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, Did not finish.

Book 6 of the series.

This series has really been hit or miss for me. I have really enjoyed some of the books, and others, not at all.

Unfortunately, this one was a miss. I just couldn't get into it, at all. After finding myself putting it down for something else multiple times, I finally decided to called it DNF.

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

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Have Yourself a Fudgey Little Christmas, by Nancy CoCo

Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas by Nancy CoCo 

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

Book 8 in the series.

I love Mackinac Island, but I am not loving Allie lately. In this book she's whiney, and I am absolutely over her love life, or lack thereof. Being in a relationship just seems too important in this series. I thought the stupid love triangle was wrapped up and now we find out it imploded instead (although I do kind of find it ironic that the guy Allie "picked" is now involved again with his ex, Allie played him, then she got played).

There was a lot of repetition in this book too, like almost the same conversation, repeated with another character. The whole thing felt a bit wordy. Like the author was trying to draw it out and hit word count.

After the previous book I was rethinking my commitment to this series, and this time I really think I am done.


*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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Candy Slain Murder, by Maddie Day

Candy Slain Murder by Maddie Day 

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

Book 8 in the series.

It's Christmas time in South Lick.

I really like this series. For one thing, Robbie actually spends time at her business, not just snooping around. And Robbie is likeable, and a down to earth person who genuinely cares for her friends.

This book had an old murder, a new murder and a mysterious stranger too. All in all, it had an interesting plot, and I was really hoping that the stranger turned out to have honest motives, so I wasn't disappointed.

My one complaint is the amount of local slang used. Do people in Indiana really talk like this all the time? I grew up in the Midwest and we might have had some local slang, but for the most part just talked like normal. This quirky addition kind of makes all the local folks feel a bit too "local yokel" and I find it distracts from the story.

All in all, I liked it and I look forward to seeing Robbie and South Lick again soon.

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

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Death on the Green, by Catie Murphy

Death on the Green by Catie Murphy
My rating: 1 of 5 stars, I was disappointed with this book and the series.

Book 2 in the series.

This series has been a huge disappointment. I love the author's Urban Fantasy series, but this just left me bored to tears. It's a shame too, because there's not a lot of LGBTQ+ represented in the Cozy genre, so Megan could have been ground breaking, instead she was just blah. And some of the situations she was placed in were actually bordering on icky. Dressing up so a client can oogle you? She's a limo driver, not a sex worker.

It took me days to finish this book as I kept putting it down for something else every time I got bored or annoyed with the characters/plot.

I gave both books in the series a try, but I think I'm done. I'll stick with re-reading the author's Urban Shaman series instead.

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


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Little Bookshop of Murder, by Maggie Blackburn

Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars. The author put me off almost immediately. DNF.

Book 1 in the series.

This book had all kinds of good things going for it, a bookstore at the beach? I'm there.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. The main character was kind of a condescending ass, (and frankly, by extension, the author as well) going so far as to mention that she teaches "real literature" and that most other books are just fluff. Umm, that's why we're reading your new cozy, author. We like fluff and we don't need you to talk down to us through your main character!

I pretty much put the book down right after that and called it DNF.

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

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Murder in a Bayou Boneyard, by Ellen Byron

Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book 6 in the series.

It's Halloween in Pelican, y'all! The Crozats are doing Halloween right with several other plantation B&Bs, celebrating Pelican's spooky past, in an effort to drum up business. What they don't plan on is a rougarou terrorizing tourists and locals alike.

There's a lot going on in this book, from a visit from long lost Crozat family members to a business stealing vacation rental app to wedding planning for a double wedding. Throw in several murders and the action doesn't ever stop. This was a fast, fun, read and I didn't put it down again until I finished.

As usual, Maggie and the rest of the Crozat crew are super fun to visit and really make me want to visit Cajun county in person if the world ever returns to "normal." Until then, I will look forward to visiting virtually with more Cajun Country mysteries!

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


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Checked Out For Murder, by Allison Brook

Checked Out for Murder by Allison Brook 

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

Book 4 in the series.

This series has everything I would normally love, a library, a ghost, a cat and a mystery. Unfortunately, it also has characters I don't love. The main character, Carrie, was especially annoying in this book, and the mystery was quite slow to unwind.

This may be the last book I read in this series.

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



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For Whom the Book Tolls, by Laura Gail Black

For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black 

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

Book 1 in a new series.

In a typical first, we meet the main character, Jenna, as she stumbles upon a murder. We learn about her as the book goes on. I had trouble connecting with Jenna, she doesn't come off as super likeable. And the bully police detective didn't help me like the book any more. Too bad, because I love bookstores and this should be a wonderful series.

I'm going to chalk most of the issues up to being first in the series and hope that subsequent books are more likeable.

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

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Murder, Take Two, by Carol Perry

 

Murder, Take Two by Carol J. Perry 

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

Book 10 in the series.

This was probably my favorite of the series, purely because they staged a live CLUE game, haha. As always Leigh and Aunt Libby are fun characters, and of course O'Ryan is always fantastic. Add in the setting of Salem, and I love these books.

Leigh seems to be getting more and more comfortable with her gift with each book, and I love that Pete accepts her and her paranormally obtained information.

This was a little bit of a slower read, but still had an interesting mystery and a fun ending. I always look forward to more in the series.

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

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15 Minutes of Flame, by Christin Brecher

15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher 

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

Book 3 in the series.

I somehow missed book 2, but that's okay, I was able to read this is a stand alone story.

This one was a Halloween story, so right up my avenue, since that's my favorite holiday. It was fittingly a bit creepy, but also a little kooky, with a touch of cheese, haha. My only concern is that Stella seems a bit harder in this book than she did in the first one. Did something big happen in book two that I missed? She was almost a b%$& at times.

I'd definitely like to see Stella go back the way she was in book 1. Also, my pet peeve with most cozies is that the main character rarely spends much time at their job, so I'd like to see more of Stella's candlemaking business.

That said, I loved the setting of Nantucket and island life, and I am looking forward to more.

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

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Chili Cauldron Curse, by Lynn Cahoon

 

Chili Cauldron Curse by Lynn Cahoon 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay, but too short to really judge.

A short, quick introduction to the new series. This book really was just a quick intro that didn't have a lot of depth and moved quite fast. Mostly a glimpse of what the series may be.

I'm looking forward to the first full length book to hopefully answer questions and fill things in.

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



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