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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Mums and Mayhem, by Amanda Flower

Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower 

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

Book 3 in the series.

I think this one is my favorite in the series so far, even though it moved a bit slowly.

I liked getting to see more of Fiona's family (and can see why both she and her sister were happy to move thousands of miles away to an entirely different country, haha.) At times I felt like her parents were gaslighting Fi a bit, making her into the bad guy because she wanted to know more about her birth and the circumstances/relationship behind it.

I loved that the garden featured more in this book, as Fiona had to figure out how to save it, and I love that she's opened the garden to everyone. It has always felt like a lovely place that more than just Fiona and Hamish should share.

The one thing that drives me nuts about this series though, is Fiona's sister. She's young, in "luuuuuurve," and selfish, and really annoying because of it. Less Isla and more garden, please.

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



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Booked For Death, by Victoria Gilbert

Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert
 

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

Book 1 in a series.

I wanted to like it. Once again, the premise of a booklover's vacation excited me, but failed to live up to the idea for me. I didn't really connect with the main character, Charlotte, or her pack of zany associates. Add in, without spoiling too much, the outlandish background of Charlotte's deceased aunt and next door neighbor and this book is a pale shadow of the Book Retreat cozy series, (which ended up utterly out there, but at least the characters were likeable.)

This series is a "One and done," for me.

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


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The Falcon Always Wings Twice, by Donna Andrews

The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews

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

Book 27 in the series.

Donna Andrews is one of my go to authors when I need something to make me laugh. The entire Meg Langslow series is laugh out loud funny, and this one did not disappoint.

Biscuit Mountain has been turned into a Ren Faire on weekends, complete with a falconer, jousting, games, turkey legs, and mead and ale. And of course, crafts people, like Meg and Faulk. It's wonderful to see all of our favorite characters again, and for the most part they're all having a grand time. Apart from one bothersome actor with an affinity for mean-spirited pranks, anyway.

The entire Ren Faire storyline was amusing and I would love to see Donna Andrews return there again some time.

If you're looking at picking up this book without having read any of the others in the series, it's a stand alone story, but do yourself a favor and start from the beginning, it's such a fun series you'll be glad you did.

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



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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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