Murder in an Irish Cottage, by Carlene O'Connor

Murder in an Irish Cottage by Carlene O'Connor

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

Book 5 in the series.

I'd read the first two books, and the novella in Christmas Cocoa Murder and man, there's a huge jump in relationships from 4.5 to book 5! To the point where I was a bit baffled, because I'm obviously missing a whole heck of a lot of the story.
[I mean, in 4.5 Mac and Siobhán aren't together, with Mac lurking around watching her in an almost creepy way, and here they are, engaged and setting a wedding date! (hide spoiler)]

The story itself was fun, and I enjoyed the mystery, but I really wish there'd been another book or at least another novella in between to explain how we got here, unless something else is explained in books 3 or 4. Anyway, I'm going to go back and read them, in case I missed something.

Do yourself a favor, and don't start here! There's a lot of characters to keep straight, and some back story that left me feeling a bit lost.

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

View all my reviews

The Book of Candlelight, by Ellery Adams

The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars, I LOVED it!

Book 3 in the series.

This is my favorite of the series so far! I loved the ladies of the Secret, Book & Scone Society, but I think adding Sheldon to the mix is wonderful. I absolutely adore him and his attitude even in the face of debilitating chronic pain. Even when he's "cranky," he's likable and easy to relate to. As in the previous books, Nora and her friends, are well fleshed out and interesting. They each have secrets and emotions and aren't always likable or smart because of that, just like real people.

I loved the touch of Native American folklore, and the storyline moved quickly. I devoured the book in one night, not wanting to put it down. I hope this series continues for many more books!

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

View all my reviews

A View to a Kilt, by Kaitlyn Dunnett

A View to a Kilt by Kaitlyn Dunnett

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

Book 13 in the series.

This one took me some time to get into, which is weird, because it started off with a bang, and had two of my favorite characters in it (Dandy and Dondi!). But it really just had a slow pace after that. And Liss' mother is annoying as all get out.

In the end, it all wrapped up nicely and it was an okay story.

I like this series, and I will continue to read it, but this one is definitely not one of my favorites.

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

View all my reviews

A Field Guide to Homicide, by Lynn Cahoon

A Field Guide to Homicide by Lynn Cahoon

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

Book 6 in the series.

This one was not my favorite. I had a hard time getting in to it, and I found myself really not liking Seth for much of the book. And really, I am getting tired of Cat's ex being dragged in all the time. I thought we were finished with him.

Throw in all the food descriptions, eating and an over-use of dialog versus action, and the whole book was weak. As Elvis once said, "A little less conversation, a little more action, please."

Hopefully this book was just a fluke and the next one will be back to normal.

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

View all my reviews

Mortal Music, by Ann Parker

Mortal Music by Ann Parker

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

Book 7 in the series.

This is the first book I've read in the series, but it absolutely is a stand alone story. It's also not really a cozy mystery, but more of a historical mystery.

I'm a huge western history buff, so this was right up my alley. Yes, it's historical fiction, but Ms. Parker has obviously done her research on the area and time period.

Her main character is interesting and likable, intelligent and strong. The plot was full of twists and turns and now I really want to go back and read the previous books in the series!

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



View all my reviews

Fatal Roots, by Sheila Connolly

Fatal Roots by Sheila Connolly

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

Book 8 in the series.

I've enjoyed this series from the beginning, but this one just felt like the weakest of the lot. On one hand, it was nice to get to meet Maura's half sister, on the other hand, the mystery was kind of boring and the victim wasn't super likable and no one really seemed to care about him other than his gang-like family.

And the college student part of the plot kind of felt like half that story had been cut out, as we never really got an explanation of why the kid disappeared, or what he was doing when he was gone.

I still like the characters, and will continue to read the series, but please, finish the kitchen already! And if Ms. Connolly could bring back some of the music again, instead of just talking about it, that'd be good too.

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

View all my reviews

Dead in Dublin, by Catie Murphy

Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy

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

Book 1 in a new series.

I wanted to love this book. It's by one of my favorite Urban Fantasy authors (C.E. Murphy), so when I saw it on NetGalley, I snapped it up.

For some reason, it just didn't hold my interest until about halfway in. I found myself putting it down and reading other things, a lot. In the end, it was okay. And I will definitely read the next in the series. In fact, with her Urban Shaman series, the books just got better and after the first one, so I am hoping for the same here.

The series has a lot going for it, interesting setting, a different career for the protagonist. And I liked Megan. I know some people were upset about a bit of cursing, but that doesn't bother me a bit.

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

View all my reviews

Verse and Vengeance, by Amanda Flower

Verse and Vengeance by Amanda Flower

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

Book 4 in the series.

Thankfully, this book is a big improvement from the previous one in the series and actually kept my attention all the way through.

Emerson and Faulkner are, as always, a fun addition to the story, but I have to say, enough Walt Whitman! Dialogue can be a bit cheesy, but that's part of what makes it fun, haha.

All in all, the mystery was decent, and Violet and the magical bookshop are always fun to visit.


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

View all my reviews

Potions are for Pushovers, by Tamara Berry

Potions Are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry

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

Book 2 in the series.

I loved this book as much as the first one in the series. The pace was quick and I read it in one sitting.

The entire cast of characters is a bit kooky. The main character, Eleanor, is not a physic at all, but previously pretended to be one to make a living and support her sister. Now, she creates herbal potions as the town witch. Despite the fact that at heart, Ellie is a con artist, she's still incredibly likable and funny.

She's also smart, independent and capable. And did I mention funny? I had several laugh out loud moments with this book.

Ellie seems to have found her place in the village in this book, settling in and making friends outside of the Hartford family.

I absolutely love this series and can't wait 'til the next one.

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

View all my reviews

Cobblered to Death, by Rosemarie Ross

Cobblered to Death by Rosemarie Ross

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

Book 1 in a new series.

The setting was interesting, but Courtney feels a bit one dimensional and the mystery was a bit blah, with most of the action happening at the very end. All in all, it's a decent first, but hopefully the author tightens things up a bit and develops Courtney a lot in the next book.

I'd like to read the next in the series, but it's not going to the top of my TBR pile just yet.

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


View all my reviews

Memories and Murder, by Lynn Cahoon

Memories and Murder by Lynn Cahoon

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

Book 10 in the series.

It was good to finally get a full length story in this series again, and one that answered the questions from the previous book. The novellas published in between all took place before book 9, and just left me annoyed that I still didn't know what was going on with Aunt Jackie!

This time I enjoyed my visit to South Cove, and the mysteries Jill decides to get involved in.

More full length books, please!

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

View all my reviews

Hounds of the Basket Stitch, by Anne Canadeo

Hounds of the Basket Stitch by Anne Canadeo

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

Book 11 in the series.

I love the Black Sheep Knitters, the characters are all well written and for the most part, realistic. The ladies and their friendship is really what brings me back to this series again and again.

There was a lot going on in this book, but it never felt overwhelming.

I do recommend you start at the beginning of the series, just because of the number of characters involved in the series, it might be easier to get to know them all from the start.

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

View all my reviews

Read and Buried, by Eva Gates

Read and Buried by Eva Gates

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

Book 6 in the series.

I loved this series, but honestly, I feel like the Lucy/Louise Jane drama has been overplayed. I've always been of the opinion that Louise Jane needs to fall down a well. She's become a major distraction from the story. There's not one single thing I can find to like about her, she's just flat out nasty. It'd be one thing if she were a minor player, but she's not.

Every time I think Louise Jane has hit the ultimate low, she does something worse in the next book.
It's to the point when LJ shows up I roll my eyes and put the book down for a bit. She makes Lucy look like a doormat, and I think I am done.

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

View all my reviews

Late Checkout, by Carol J. Perry

Late Checkout by Carol J. Perry

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

Book 8 in the series.

It's always fun to visit Salem, Lee, O'Ryan and Aunt Ibby. This one was fun all the way to the end, though I felt like Lee's visions were kind of a waste of time this time.

I have to admit, though, I miss the pre-WICH-TV setting, when Lee was teaching reporting instead of actually doing the reporting. I will still look forward to the next book.

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

View all my reviews

Beyond a Reaspnable Stout, by Ellie Alexander

Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander

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

Book 3 in the series.

When I realized this was the 3rd book in the series, I quickly got the first two from my library. I wasn't super enthused about this series once I started reading. I think that can easily be traced to the fact that I don't like beer at all. So despite living in an area very well known for its microbreweries, I just don't know much (or care to know much) about making beer. There's A LOT of detail about the craft, and it was just too much for me.

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

View all my reviews

Christmas Cocoa Murder, by Carlene O'Connor, Maddie Day and Alex Erickson

Christmas Cocoa Murder by Carlene O'Connor

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

I honestly got this book for the Maddie Day story. I enjoyed it very much. It's always fun to visit South Lick, IN and Robbie's Country Store.

The Carlene O'Connor story actually made me want to go back and read some more of her series. I'd only read the first few before this short story. Now I want to know more about Siobhán and her family, though the whole Macdara thing at the end was slightly baffling.

The most surprising story was Alex Erickson's. I've not been able to really get into his series, so the fact that I really liked this literally locked room mystery was a bonus, since I almost didn't even bother to read it!

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

View all my reviews

Fudge Bites, by Nancy CoCo

Fudge Bites by Nancy CoCo

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

Book 7 in the series.

I was so looking forward to this book. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations. I couldn't stay interested for long, and ended up putting it down for different books multiple times. Some of the plot aspects seemed a little preposterous, and Allie spent too much time feeling sorry for herself.

My biggest complaint is still about the love triangle aspect of the story. It's old, and annoys the crud out of me. Seven books in and that should have been wrapped up.

I'm not sure if I would read another in the series at this point.

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

View all my reviews

A Cup of Holiday Fear, by Ellie Alexander

A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander

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

Book 10 in the series.

It's always nice to visit Ashland and Torte Bakery. Jules and the bakery gang are fun and likable. There seems to be more Christmas cheer than mystery in this book, with the murder occurring in between holiday happenings. Even with that, it still started off as one of the better books in the series, but kind of lost steam towards the end.

My biggest complaint about the series is the Jules/Carlos drama. I'd like to see that settled once and for all. As a result of the long, drawn out, relationship angst, I really can't give it more than 3 stars.

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

View all my reviews

The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm, by Richard Estep and Robert Graves

The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm: Unraveling the History & Hauntings of a Serial Killer's Home by Richard Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a combination of true crime book and ghost story and it's hard to say which bit was creepier, the parts that are 100% proven (the serial killer targeting gay males in Indiana) or recounting of the haunting of the home where the crimes are supposed to have occurred.

The book starts with the history of the home and the horrors of an alleged serial killer and his crimes. It then goes in to the story of the next owner of the property and finally, into the paranormal investigation of the property by Richard Estep and his team.

I found the entire book utterly fascinating and didn't want to put it down.

I received an uncorrected ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and my biggest complaint is that the version I started to read had missing letters that made it annoying/hard to read. I finally borrowed the final version from my library, which didn't have the same issue. That's the only reason it took me so long to finish. I actually read the hard copy version in one sitting.

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

View all my reviews

Last Pen Standing, by Vivian Conroy

Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy

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

First in the series.

This one just wasn't for me. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, and most of the other characters didn't really appeal to me either. I found myself putting this down often and reading other things instead. I finally skimmed to the end.


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

View all my reviews