A Tale of Two Cookies By Eve Calder

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “A Tale of Two Cookies” by Eve Calder the 3rd instalment in the "A Cookie House Mystery" series.  I loved this book and totally need to read previous books, which I bought last week!

In A Tale of Two Cookies, a cozy mystery from Eve Calder, it’s nothing but sugar and spice at The Cookie House, but elsewhere on Coral Cay everything isn’t so nice.

Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts—especially her cookies—life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.

But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.

As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.

Even though this was first book in series I read I was able to follow along easily.  I really enjoyed visiting Coral Cay, Florida , and the Cookie House. I love the island setting and Kate and her BFF Maxie.  I was surprised by what happened and drawn in for the ride of finding out what happened to the groom.  Kate turns out to be a great friend to Desiree by never doubting her and enrolling everyone to help find Judd and figure out what happened. 

I found myself so engrossed in the story that I  read it in one day. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Kate did.  plus all the descriptions of the cookies made my mouth water.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 4 to come out!

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St.Martins Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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Whole Latte Murder by Lena Gregory

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Whole Latte Murder" the 5th instalment in the "All Day Breakfast Cafe" Mystery series by Lena Gregory.   I love this series and was so glad to see book 5 was coming out and that there is a book 6 in the works.

Ex-New Yorker and local diner owner Gia Morelli is still getting used to the sweltering Florida sun. But this summer she'll have to deal with a more dangerous kind of heat—when she's hot on the trail of another murderer . . .

Summer in Boggy Creek has arrived, and Gia's best friend, successful real estate agent Savannah, is getting hitched. Now she's enlisted Gia's sleuthing talents in a desperate search for the perfect wedding dress. But when Savannah mysteriously vanishes after showing a mansion to a bigwig client, Gia investigates the house Savannah was trying to sell. The first clue she finds is Savannah's car in the driveway. Inside the house, they stumble on Savannah's potential buyer—dead. Someone had apparently closed the deal—with a two by four full of nails to the client's head. Soon afterward, a woman's body is fished from the lake near the same house. The townsfolk are now sweating bullets over the murders, and the heat comes down on poor Gia to find her missing friend, and track down the killer . . .

Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

Each book seems better than the last, I enjoy how the relationships are progressing and that Gia adopted one of the kittens Thor rescued in the last book.. 

The story pulled me in straight away and held my attention till the very end. There were plenty of twists and turns, and enough intrigue to keep you reading throughout and per usual with this series I read in one sitting.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “ Southern Sass and a Battered Bride“ by Kate Young the 3rd instalment in the "A Marygene Brown Mystery" series.  I love this series so much!

At a murder mystery-themed wedding reception on Georgia's picturesque Peach Cove Island, the bride is doing an awfully good job playing dead...

Marygene Brown always figured she'd marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up--although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn't have to hold her peace--especially since only Marygene can hear her mother's ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride's body simply vanishes, it's up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery--with a little help from Mama's sassy spirit...

I really enjoy visiting Peace Cove Island, Georgia and the Peach Diner. I love the island setting and Marygene and her diner family. The story is filled with quirky characters, like Betsy and Aunt Vi they are such a hoot!  I was surprised by what happened and drawn in for the ride of finding out what happened to the bride. 

I found myself so engrossed in the story that I  read it in one sitting. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Marygene did.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 4 to come out!

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Summer Kisses at Mermaids Point

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Summer Kisses at Mermaids Point" by Sarah Bennett.  What can I say other than I loved it and read in one day.  Who doesn’t want to escape to a small village by the sea...

Laurie Morgan runs a café in the small seaside community of Mermaids Point, named after the beauties rumoured to live in the waters a few miles off the top of the point. When a hazy image is posted online of what appears to be a mermaid, the café and the village are soon full to bursting with curious sightseers.

The most eye-catching of the new arrivals is handsome author, Jake Smith, who has rented a cottage for the summer while he works on his new book. Or so he says. In fact, he is a journalist, burned out and disillusioned with life, whose editor has sent him on a crack-pot hunt for mermaids...

Jake quickly finds himself drawn to village life, and to the gorgeous woman who runs the local café. But he soon suspects there’s trouble lurking beneath the idyllic façade, and when it looks like Laurie’s family might be involved, Jake faces a difficult choice. Pursue the truth, or protect the woman he’s beginning to fall in love with…

Warm, escapist, feel-good and altogether brilliant story-telling from bestselling author Sarah Bennett. Perfect for all fans of Trisha Ashley and Milly Johnson.

The setting of a tiny village called Mermaid Point sounded breathtaking, I could picture it especially as I have visited small villages along the coast of England.  It had everything you could want in a story love, family, community and second chances.

I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. There were multiple sub-plots like the mermaid sighting to keep you engaged and interested in the outcome. I must admit I choked up a bit at the end, and was glad this is a series and I'll get to meet the characters again because I wanted to know more and what would happen next. It’s a great start to a new series, and I can’t wait to pick up Nerissa’s story in the next book!

I will definitely read other books by this author.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Boldwood Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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Buried by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Buried by the Sea” the 5th instalment in the (A by the Sea Mysteries Series) by Kathleen Bridge. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I do plan on reading the first 3 books in the series shortly.  Even though it can be read as a standalone I do recommend reading in order.  

At her family’s hotel on a Florida barrier island, sleuthing novelist Liz Holt is shocked by a hidden treasure—and a buried body . . .

A team of archaeologists is staying at Indialantic by the Sea to study the days of the Spanish explorers, and they’ve stumbled upon a stunning and valuable find at the dig site, but before they can unearth it one of the archeologists finds himself buried in the sand and pierced with diving spear tipped with poison.

The local sheriff’s department accuses the owner of the neighboring property, Liz’s elderly reclusive friend and naturalist, Birdman, of the crime. Liz is sure—well, pretty sure—he is innocent and sets her sights on the remaining four archeologists.

With the help of her PI boyfriend and an octogenarian hotel resident, and two mischievous pet parrots, Liz must dig into the mystery of who buried the scientist and absconded with the artifacts he’d promised would put him in Florida history books—before she becomes history herself . . .

Recipes included!

Even though this is only the second book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily and having the character list in the beginning really helped.  I really enjoyed it and I love aunt Amelia and her eccentric ways, plus Barnacle Bob has a love interest Carmen, too cute.

The protagonist Liz is really likeable and her reclusive neighbour Birdman is a wonderful side character. The barrier island of Melbourne Beach, Florida and the Indialantic seemed fun and an interesting place to visit or even live.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. I did find the pace a little slower than previous book, and only reason I gave it 4.5 stars.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends, and fans of Kathleen Bridge’s A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery series.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Paddlers, Promises & Poison By Tonya Kappes

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Paddlers, Promises & Poison" the 16th instalment in the "Camper & Criminals “ Mystery series by Tonya Kappes.  I love this series, can’t get enough of Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies.

REALTOR Chelsea O’Connell is found dead in a model home of the new development in Normal. She was not popular in the small tourist town located in the Daniel Boone National Park because the last thing this town wants is for more development to come in to take away anymore of the forest.

Detective Hank Sharp has his own hands full instead of worrying about his girlfriend Mae West and her nosey set of friend, The Laundry Club Ladies, now that he found out cuts are coming the Normal Sheriff’s department.

Rumors are swirling around about the Sheriff’s department doing some outsourcing and Hank’s job is one of them. Mae finds herself at a crossroads, does she put on her sleuthing cap to help out a friend who is the number one suspect on Hank’s list, or does she let Hank solve the murder by himself so he can prove how valuable his position is to the department?

I really enjoyed this instalment in the Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery series. I love Mae and the small town of Normal Kentucky.  What a great escape, it’s like visiting old friends or family for a few hours.  

This mystery had a few suspects with a motive but which one is the killer ... There were just enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed in the story.  But that ending!!!   I was like WHAT... I’m on the edge of my seat here and now Book 17 can’t come out fast enough!

If your looking for a fun, southern mystery then this is your book!

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Bodies and Bows by Elizabeth Penney

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Bodies and Bows” the 3rd instalment in The Apron Shop Mystery series by Elizabeth Penney set in Blueberry Cove, Maine. I own the previous books but I read this instalment first so it can totally be read as a standalone but I wish I had read in order. What a great series!

Bodies & Bows is the third in the charming cozy Iris Buckley mystery series set in an apron shop in Maine—Elizabeth Penney will have you on pins and needles…

Iris Buckley is hoping for a bit of rest and relaxation now that the summertime rush is winding down in Blueberry Cove, Maine. Her apron shop Ruffles & Bows has been a huge success, her friendships are stronger than ever, and now she’s ready for all of the end of summer cookouts on the beach that she can handle.

But before Iris can even turn on the grill, Bella’s latest fling, former Olympian sailor and gorgeous bad boy Lance Pederson is killed in a hit and run while jogging at dawn—and all the evidence points to Bella herself.

Suddenly the month of August isn’t looking so restful, since now Iris has been roped into the Lighthouse Rehabilitation Committee, helping her friend Sophie plan a wedding, and—most importantly of all—tracking down a killer and clearing Bella’s good name before everything unravels.

I really enjoyed this story, and it has made me want to read book 1 and 2 right away. I really like the bond these five woman have and their friendship.  They just felt real and the way they talk to each other felt organic.  Makes you wish you were part of their gang.  I really liked the story of the lighthouse keepers and how Iris found something in an apron which started a side story that made my heart swell.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.  I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.     

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from St. Martins Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “The Sign of Death” by Callie Hutton the 2nd instalment in the " Victorian Book Club Mystery". What an amazing follow up to book one, I think this is my favourite historical mystery series.

USA Today bestselling author Callie Hutton returns with her second Victorian Book Club mystery, in which Lady Amy and Lord William sleuth the death of a teetotaler who took a fatal dunk in the drink.

Bath, England, 1891. Mr. James Harding was a lot of things--businessman, well-to-do, probable scoundrel--but a drinker he most assuredly was not. So when Harding is believed to have drunkenly fallen to his death into the icy River Avon, Lord William Wethington is immediately suspicious. Finding Lord William's name on a letter in the victim's pocket, the local constabulary summons William to identify the victim. Police detectives learn that William had been one of Harding's business clients--and undoubtedly not the only client the dead man had cheated. 

William entreats Lady Amy Lovell, a fellow member of the Mystery Book Club of Bath, to help him deduce what really happened to the late Mr. Harding. Lady Amy, a celebrated mystery author herself, once called on William to help her solve a real-life mystery, and now she fully intends to return the favor. But it won't be easy. 

Practically every one of Harding's many clients had ample reason to want to do him in. And there's precious little time to narrow down the list: William and Amy soon become prime suspects themselves when the police discover them ruffling through files in Harding's house. Lady Amy will have to be as clever as her characters if she's to save William from the gallows...and herself from Harding's real killer.

The story pulled me in right away, I was so engrossed in it that I read in one sitting.  I found myself becoming invested in what happened to lady Amy and William as they are likeable characters that work well together plus the budding romance between them you can’t help but be happy.  

I like how there were several stories woven into this mystery but they flowed seamlessly together. It enabled us to get more background on some of the book club members The mystery itself was well plotted, entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises at the end.

I can’t wait for the next instalment!

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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A Sprinkle of Sabotage by Fiona Leitch

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "A Sprinkle of Sabotage” the 3rd instalment in The Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery series by Fiona Leitch.  

A film company is coming to the Cornish village of Penstowan, and the whole village turn up to be cast as extras, even Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker. Determined to join in with the fun and ignore any dramas, Jodie is going to make the most of this time with her mum and daughter and of the potential to see their name in lights… or really small writing on the credits page.

But right on cue, the company’s caterer is sabotaged and Jodie must step up. As other small accidents begin to happen, it becomes clear that the filming is being sabotaged. With actors behaving out of character and the house literally being brought down, breaking a leg is the least of their worries.

Can Jodie save the day once again, or will it be their final curtain call?

The third book in the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker cosy mystery series. Can be read as a standalone. A humorous cosy mystery with a British female sleuth in a small village. Includes one of Jodie's Tried and Tested Recipes! Written in British English. Mild profanity and peril.

I love visiting Cornwall and the village of Penstowan along with Jodie, Daisy, Tony and Nathan.  This go around a film company has come to town and needs extras so everyone applies, but this start to go wrong little accidents which set off Jodies spidey sense... 

Plus things come to a head with respect to Nathan and Tony and Jodies true feelings... I won’t say anything else as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. 

The mystery was really interesting, well plotted, and had just enough twists to keep you engrossed and wanting to know what happens next.   I really hope there will be a book 4 coming out soon, as I can’t get enough of this series.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Harper Collins UK.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

Deadly Editions By Paige Shelton

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Deadly Editions” the 6th instalment in the "Scottish Bookshop Mystery” series by Paige Shelton. 

A treasure hunt through Edinburgh gives way to a search for a villain terrorizing the city in Paige Shelton's Deadly Editions, the sixth Scottish Bookshop Mystery.

Bookseller Delaney Nichols receives a mysterious cloaked visitor one evening at the Cracked Spine Bookshop. He presents to her an even more perplexing note: an invitation to an exclusive treasure hunt hosted by eccentric socialite Shelaigh O'Connor. Delaney is intrigued, but also cautious: Shelaigh, while charming in person, has a reputation for her hijinks as a wealthy young woman in the '70s. She was even once suspected for the murder of a former boyfriend, though ultimately cleared of all charges.

But Delaney is enticed by the grand prize at the end of the treasure hunt: a highly valuable first edition copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The winner is also to receive the contents of Shelaigh's vast library, and an unspecified sum of cash.

The night after the first meeting of the treasure hunters, however, several homes in Edinburgh are robbed in a manner reminiscent of Shelaigh's old tricks. And when a man connected to Shelaigh is killed, suspicion builds. Except Sheilagh herself has disappeared from her home, seemingly kidnapped by the villain.

Terror mounts throughout the city as Delaney attempts to solve the mystery, while trying to stay out of the killer's clutches. For she, it seems, is his next target. 

I loved visiting Edinburgh, Scotland and the Cracked Spine book shop again. The story is full of quirky characters, a beautiful setting, and an interesting plot. I liked how this time we were exploring the tale of Jekyll and Hyde as well as a treasure hunt.

There were several possible suspects, and kept me guessing for quite a while. I was drawn into this story right away and did not want to put it down. 

Overall, I found it to be a very entertaining read that made me long to visit Scotland and read more about author Robert Louis Stevenson.

I highly  recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,