South of the Buttonwood Tree, by Heather Webber

South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars I REALLY liked it.

I absolutely adored this book. It had a touch of magic and a whole lot of family secrets! I will admit, it took me a bit longer to get into this one then it did for me to get into Midnight at the Blackbird Café, but it was still a fantastic read. I loved the growth of Blue and Sarah Grace's friendship, as well as the growth of each woman individually. I've actually read it twice now, once when I first got it and again, just before publication date!

There's so much love in this book, so much charm and a dash of mystery too, and I just couldn't put it down.

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




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RomeAntically Challenged, by Marina Adair

Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair

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

Ugh. The blurb sounded so cute, but the love interest was such an ass, I really couldn't get in to the book. There were tons of distracting errors too. It was all too annoying for me, so I just moved on to the next book on my reading list.

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

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The Black Cat Breaks a Mirror, by Kay Finch

 

The Black Cat Breaks a Mirror by Kay Finch

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

Book 5 in the series, and probably my favorite so far.

Hitchcock is back! I love Hitchcock, with his ability to show up where and when least expected. Sabrina feels fully fleshed out now, and likeable. And I adore Aunt Rowe, though I feel like this book kind of portrayed her as a bit naive, rather than the smart business woman she is.

The mystery was well written and I ended up reading this in one long reading session, rather than putting it down and going to bed like I should have, haha.

Looking forward to more.

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


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Read or Alive, by Nora Page

Read or Alive by Nora Page
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Book 3 in the series.

I'm sorry to say, I just can't seem to get in to this series. I don't connect with the main character at all. After multiple starts and stops, I finally gave up and put it down for good.

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

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A Spell for Trouble, by Esme Addison

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars, It was okay. Sort of.

Book 1 in a new series.

I had a hard time getting in to this one. For someone in Risk Management, the main character sure took a lot of stupid risks. But the biggest problem with this book was that it was utterly forgettable. I put it down for awhile (there's a love triangle that really turned me off) and forgot all about until I saw it in my NetGalley list.

The premise is a good one, and I will likely look up the next book in the series, in hopes that it's better having established characters. But it will definitely be a library read. And please, resolve the love triangle!

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

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A Design to Die For, by Kathleen Bridge

A Design to Die For by Kathleen Bridge 

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

Book 5 in the series.

This series just gets better.

The plot was fun and fast moving, though I did find the secondary plot a bit of a distraction (and the character name of the leader of the ghost hunters, could the author have been any more obvious in her choice? Mac Zagan/Zak Bagans? Haha)

The wrap up was a bit of a surprise, though I did rather suspect who the real murderer was before then.

All in all, this is probably my favorite of the series. I honestly didn't want to put it down until the end. I'm looking forward to more Montauk and Meg.

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

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Nacho Average Murder, by Maddie Day

Nacho Average Murder by Maddie Day

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

Book 7 in the series.

I have to be honest, one thing I love about this series is South Lick and Robbie's friends and acquaintances. So the setting of this book in Robbie's old home town just wasn't really where I wanted to be.

Part of that may be my own feelings about class reunions. I don't ever want to go to one, so I don't really get why anyone else would, either, haha. But my main issue with this book was Robbie sticking her nose into the murder of someone that she had met briefly, for the slightest of reasons. It felt a little forced. And Robbie also had a few too stupid to live moments. She at least acknowledges her stupidity, (I hate my cell phone, but I still would never leave it in my vehicle, and I'm not even an amateur sleuth poking my nose in a murder!) so there's that.

Fortunately, we don't have long to wait before Robbie returns to South Lick and Pans N' Pancakes in book 8! (On my TBR list as well, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley).

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

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A Sprinkling of Murder, by Daryl Wood Gerber

A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber

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

Book 1 in a new series.

Not my favorite by this author. Probably won't read anymore. I like a touch of the paranormal but this one was a bit too much. The whole getting people to talk by having a fairy spell them into it, just reads bad karma to me and... icky.

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

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Still Knife Painting, by Cheryl Hollon

Still Knife Painting by Cheryl Hollon

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

Book 1 in a new series.

This book just wasn't really my cup of 'shine. I couldn't get into the story and ended up skipping large chunks. It still took me ages to get though, because I kept going to read something else. In the end, it was okay, but not anything I will search out in the future.

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


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Murder in a Scottish Shire

 

Murder in a Scottish Shire by Traci Hall 

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

Book 1 in a new series.

Sadly, this book just wasn't for me. The setting and storyline had potential, but I found it hard to get into. In was slow moving, and I really had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, which was too bad. I put it down to read other things for a bit and then I ended up skipping to the end about halfway through.

I'm not sure if I would give book 2 a try.


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

 

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Murder in Waiting, by Lynn Cahoon

Murder in Waiting by Lynn Cahoon

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

Book #11 in the series.

I always love visiting South Cove and this book was no exception. It was a fast, fun read. I love that Jill is so human, faults and all. My favorite part of the entire book was the end. Without spoiling anything, I can just say I love Aunt Jackie.

That said, this book was pretty heavy on Bridezillas and wedding stuff, and the mystery almost feels like an afterthought.

As always, I am looking forward to more from Lynn Cahoon.

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


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Witch Hunt, by Cate Conte

Witch Hunt by Cate Conte

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

Book 1 in a new series.

I've come to the conclusion that this author is just not for me. Unfinished.

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

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Crushing It, By Lorelei Parker

Crushing It by Lorelei Parker

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

As a gamer, I wanted to like it. But it bored me from the beginning and I finally gave up. Sierra was too freaking gullible and Tristan was an Ass. The author's writing was fine, I just couldn't get behind the characters.

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


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Snowed Under, by Mary Feliz

Snowed Under by Mary Feliz

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

Book 6 in the series.

Maggie and friends are always fun to hang out with for an afternoon.

Living in Colorado, I've been unfortunate enough to have to drive in similar circumstances to the opening of this book, so it had me literally on the edge of my seat. The book continued to hold my attention all the way to the end. It was a nice afternoon read.

My only reason for only giving it three stars is the number of characters. I spent way too much time trying to back track a bit and figure out who was who. I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep track of everyone.

I always look forward to the next book in the series.

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

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Killing Time, by Suzanne Trauth

Killing Time by Suzanne M. Trauth

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

Book 6 in the series.

This is a fun series, about a collaboration between a restaurant and a community theatre. Dodie always ends up right in the middle of murder.

This one was a light, quick read, set at my favorite time of the year, Halloween. My only complaint about this one was that Dodie had more than the usual too stupid moments that got her quite banged up in the end.

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

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Breakfast at the Honeycreek Cafe, by Jodi Thomas

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café by Jodi Thomas

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

First book in a new series.

This was the first book I've read by this author and it was an okay read. The town is the typical charming small town, but I felt like the author tackled too much in featuring 4 main characters and their stories. There didn't seem to be a lot of character growth, and frankly the plot lines were slooow for most of the book and then way too fast for some things. All the characters falling in love in a week felt like a stretch.

It's an okay book for a series start, I guess, but not anything special.

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

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Grave Consequences, by Lena Gregory

Grave Consequences by Lena Gregory

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

Book 5 in the series.

After the previous book, I did go back and read the rest of the series, so I was happy to see this one listed on NetGalley.

Sadly, this one was kind of boring. The Whodunit was kind of obvious and the rest of the story filled with tedious details as filler. It took me several days to get my disinterest and to the last few chapters. In the end, it turned out to be an okay read, but nothing fantastic.

Less dog and people feeding, please, haha.

Still, I am looking forward to the next book.

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

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Murder in the Storybook Cottage, by Ellery Adams

Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams

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

Book 5 in the series.

I enjoyed this one much more than the previous one. It's not nearly so over the top and out there, now that they're slowly supposed to be dismantling the collection. I still find the Edward storyline silly, but at least it's a bit minimized in this one.

All in all, I love the setting, the town, and the idea of the series, I'm just still a bit hesitant about the practice, haha.

Hoping this leads in to a bit more "normal" stories, instead of cozyish spy tales.

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

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Shredding the Evidence, by Daryl Wood Gerber

Shredding the Evidence by Daryl Wood Gerber

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, this one wasn't for me.

Book 9 in the series.

I wanted to like it. I've enjoyed previous books in the series. But this one was boring. The quirky characters I liked were just blah. And it felt a little mean. Like, fat shaming mean. I finally gave up on it and put it down 2/3 of the way through.

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

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A Bad Day for Sunshine, by Darynda Jones

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones

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

Book 1 in a new series.

I originally really liked Darynda Jones' previous series (it started to go a bit too off the rails for me after several books, but that's another blog post), so when I saw she had a new series coming out I decided to request it.

I'm glad I did. I liked Sunshine immediately. Her relationship with her daughter is fun, but still mostly realistic and they're both sharp, capable females. In fact, this book has numerous independent, tough, funny, sexy, smart females and I loved that.

The plot kept me entertained and laughing out loud, while waiting to see what would happen next. I can't wait for the next book (And I really want Sunny to take that *itch of a blackmailing mayor down! You know it's coming, she threatened Sunny's daughter!).

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

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