Cast in Eternity, by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara

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

"A little less conversation, a little more action, please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark." -Elvis

Yet another book in the series with a heck of a lot of discussion and very little action that finally takes place at the end. (view spoiler)[And even that I skimmed through, as Kaylin once again attempted to find the true name of the baddie, because most of the search seemed to have little to do with anything. (hide spoiler)] Ms. Sagara is quite adept at using 30 words where three will do, I will give her that.

I waited and waited for this book from my library. My actual library still hasn't gotten their copies, despite it having released over a month ago. I finally ended up getting an inter-library loan, because I wanted it NOW, but no way was I going to buy it after the last book. And it's such a difference from the first several books that I would race through and re-read the previous books before the new one came out. This one took me almost a week to finish, and like the last book, I can't see re-reading it, ever.

I'm vested in the damned characters, so I will continue to read, but I will settle for waiting for them from a library.

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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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A Haunted History of Women, by Leanna Hieber and Andrea James

A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America's Ghosts by Leanna Renee Hieber 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, DNF.

Sigh. Another book that I thought would be interesting because I love ghost stories and history and a well told tale. Plus, spooky season is here, so yay!

But this book was anything but well told. It was dry, boring and highly judgemental. It felt like the driest of college course lectures on Women's Studies. Apparently the authors give ghost tours. Those must be just a ton of fun! Or not.

Did not finish.

Also absolutely stunned that Amazon has limited who can review this book to Verified Purchases "Amazon has noticed unusual reviewing activity on this product. Due to this activity, we have limited this product to verified purchase reviews." Apparently multiple poor reviews are unusual? So yeah, no Amazon review for this one.

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

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Gently Haunted, by Corrine Kenner

Gently Haunted: True Stories from the Haunted Antique Shop by Corrine Kenner 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, DNF.

Honestly, this was not at all what I thought it would be. I read this, "Unlike a typical collection of ghost stories, Gently Haunted recounts uplifting and inspiring spiritual encounters," and thought it sounded interesting. What it was was boring. I couldn't get through it. The worst thing about it, it was just one big advertisement for the author's antique shop.

Did not finish. Not a good start to spooky season :(

*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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Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, by Mazey Eddings

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, DNF.

The premise sounded cute, but the book itself just wasn't for me. I didn't like Lizzie, at all. I know people with ADHD, and yes, it sucks, but Lizzie uses it as an excuse for EVERYTHING instead of trying to do something, anything about it. Yes, it's exhausting, but you still have to take responsibility for your actions instead of just passing it off as, "Oops, I have ADHD."

And in the wake of the Roe v Wade reversal, Rake's attitude feels icky and the whole, "Lizzie is the good girl who chose to keep her baby vs. the Evil Ex who had an abortion," really didn't sit well. STOP SHAMING WOMEN FOR MAKING THEIR OWN CHOICES!

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

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Six Feet Deep Dish, by Mindy Quigley

Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley 

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

First in a new series, but last for me.

I had a really hard time getting in to this book. The main character just wasn't super likeable. Wow, a chef with anger issues? And she actually thinks that is a good thing! Add in that a lot of the descriptions of things (characters' weight and relationships with food, etc.) were really off-putting. Other descriptions were just dumb. I mean, please stop describing the man's lips as "pillowy."

This series is not 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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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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Elements of a Haunting, by Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari

Elements of a Haunting: Connecting History with Science to Uncover the Greatest Ghost Stories Ever Told by Brandon Alvis 

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

I love ghost stories. Books, TV shows, you name it, I consume it. Unfortunately, I decided a long time ago that I didn't trust Grant Wilson and by proxy, I didn't really trust his new team of Ghost Hunters. What few episodes I did watch, I didn't really care for any of the team, and now in their book, they come off as annoying and none of their "greatest ghost stories," are really all that great.

Also, might I suggest hiring someone who actually writes for a living to write anything else for you? Rambling sentences, cliches, and some really poor phrasing just annoyed the crud out of me.

I couldn't make myself finish it.

*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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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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No Grater Crime, by Maddie Day

No Grater Crime by Maddie Day 

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

Book 9 in the series.

I love this series, but I really had a hard time getting in to this one. The story line felt a bit convoluted and in the end, I just felt sorry for one of the bad guys for having such an f ed up family, haha. There was a lot going on, and Robbie really had a too stupid to live moment, which annoyed me (Hello, Ted Bundy!) It took a while to get through, since I kept switching to other books instead.

I will keep reading, because I normally enjoy the series, but I could have happily skipped this one.

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

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Murder in Connemara, by Carlene O'Connor

Murder in Connemara by Carlene O'Connor 

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

Book two in the series.

This one was just okay. I didn't realize this wasn't book one, but I didn't feel like I missed anything. I had a hard time liking the protagonist, Tara Meehan, and the whole thing felt a bit slow. I'm not sure I would read the next one, since it wasn't anything that really stood out.

*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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Organize Your Corpses, by Mary Jane Maffini

Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, DNF.

Re-release of book 1 in a 5 book series.

Ugh. I didn't find ANY of the characters likeable, not even the dogs. I got to the discovery of the body and lo and behold, the main characters favorite pen under the body, rolled my eyes hard and closed the book on my Kindle.

Life is too short to waste on books you don't enjoy.

*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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Murder in the Cookbook Nook, by Ellery Adams

Murder in the Cookbook Nook by Ellery Adams

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

Book 7 in the series.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.* I mention this early, because there were A LOT of typos/errors in the version I read, and they really distracted me from the story.

Errors aside, I honestly can't put my finger on one single thing that I didn't like, I just couldn't focus on the story. I think maybe I am growing out of cozy mysteries or I am in a reading slump, because I've had a hard time with a lot of books lately.

BUT, I am still having issues with the whole Edwin relationship and his "real" profession. Stick in an "influencer" and I just found myself annoyed.

It's too bad, because I loved Bake Off and thought the idea for this was fun. Add in a surprise appearance of a crossover character from a defunct series and I should have loved it.

I think I may take a break from cozies for a bit.

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Wining and Dying, by Daryl Wood Gerber

Wining and Dying by Daryl Wood Gerber

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

Book 10 in the series.

An improvement over the previous book, but not by a lot. I was at least able to finish this one. The last several books just don't quite have the charm of the previous ones, and Jenna has become the Too Stupid to Live heroine a few too many times, so that's frustrating.

I think I might be done with this series. It just really doesn't "spark joy," for me any longer.

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

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