Dec 31, 2021

Cozy Mystery New Releases for January 2022

Hello my cozy friends,

Below is a list of the January Cozy Mystery New Releases I was able to find.  I have read several as arcs and you have lots to look forward to.

Jan. 1st
  • Three Doorways Dark by Keith Donnelly (Donald Youngblood #8) 
  • Magic in the Weave by Alys Clare (A Gabriel Tavener Mystery Book 4)
Jan. 2nd
  • Selling Sabotage by CeeCee James (Flamingo Realty #9)
  • Red Velvet Villainy by Molly Maple (Cupcake Crimes #7)
Jan. 3rd
  • Bushwhacked In The Outback by Nancy Raven Smith (Land Sharks #2)
Jan. 4th
  • The Big Steep by Sandra Balzo (Maggy Thorsen #14)
  • Wickedness and Waffles by Constance Barker (Mad Egg Diner #3)
  • Fatal Family Feast by Lynn Cahoon (Farm-to-Fork #6)
  • Spirits and Sourdough by Bailey Cates (Magical Bakery #10)
  • A Deadly Affair by Agatha Christie
  • A Killer Sundae by Abby Collette (Ice Cream Parlor #3)
  • Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman
  • Death in Cornwall by G.M. Malliet (St. Just #4)
  • Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay
  • Villany in Venice by Kelly Oliver (Fiona Figg #3)
  • Gone Missin’ by Peggy O’Neal Peden (Nashville #2)
  • Dangers and Empty Mangers by Trixie Silvertale (Mitzy Moon #17)
  • The Twist and Shout Murder by Teresa Trent (Swinging Sixties) *new series*
  • The Librarian Always Rings Twice by Marty Wingate (First Edition Library #3)
Jan. 6th
  • Mystery at Magpie Lodge by Clare Chase (Eve Mallow #7)
Jan. 7th
  • Bake My Breath Away by Wendy Meadows (Twin Berry Bakery #7)
  • Two Time Loser by Kristi Rose (Samantha True #5)
  • Littered with Trouble by Eryn Scott (Whiskers and Words) *new series*
Jan. 9th
  • Airy Allies and Enemies by Anne R. Tan (Raina Sun #11)
Jan.  11th
  • Find Me by Alafair Burke
  • The Girl on the Shore by Ann Cleeves (Detective Matthew Venn Short Story)
  • A Three Book Problem by Vicki Delany (Sherlock Holmes Bookshop #7)
  • Crimes and Covers by Amanda Flower (Magical Bookshop #5)
  • The Mystery of Albert E. Finch by Callie Hutton (Victorian Bookclub #3)
  • Murder at the Mansions by Sara Rosett (High Society Lady Detective #7)
  • Tailing Trouble by Laura Scott (Furry Friends #2)
  • Fatal Fantasy by Jane Tesh (Grace Street #8)
  • Hush Hush by Gabriel Valjan (Shane Cleary #3)
Jan. 12th
  • Mainely Angst by Matt Cost (Goff Landgon #4)
  • A Pain in the Tuchis by Mark Reutlinger (Mrs. Kaplan #3)
Jan. 13th
  • Kiss My Ash by Annabel Chase (Bloomin’ Psychic #4)
Jan. 14th
  • Dead Messages by Kristen Brand (Texts From Beyond) *new series*
  • A Deception Most Deadly by Genevieve Essig (Cassie Gwynne) *new series*
Jan. 16th
  • Pumpkin Spice & Deadly Heist by Tanya R. Taylor (Nosy Paralegal) *new series*
Jan. 17th
  • Body in the Shop by Wendy Cartmell (Muddlebay #5)
Jan. 18th
  • Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins (Spenser #50)
  • Capers and Carnage by Constance Barker (Myrtle Lake #3)
  • The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellowes (Mitford Murders #5)
  • One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (Frankie Elkin #2)
  • Where There’s a Will by Sulari Gentill (Rowland Sinclair WWII #10)
  • The Other Family by Wendy Corsi Staub
  • A Fair Isle Murder by Ann Yost (Bait & Stitch #3)
Jan. 19th
  • Gifts of the Ghost by Molly Fitz (Meowing Medium #2)
  • Bicycles, Barking & Murder by Kathy Manos Penn (Dickens & Christie #6)
Jan. 21st
  • Mount Hood Murder by Clementine Moore (Maggie Hopps #4)
Jan. 24th
  • Death And The Diva by Sam Cheever (Grave Theatrics #2)
Jan. 25th
  • Show Me the Bunny by Laurien Berenson (Melanie Travis #29)
  • Sewn At The Crime by ACF Bookens (Stitches In Crime #6)
  • Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien (Noodle Shop #8)
  • Now and Then by Kathi Daley (Resort at Castaway Bay #4)
  • Something’s Guava Give by Carrie Doyle (Trouble in Paradise #2)
  • Death Sends A Message by Kate Flora (Thea Kozak #11)
  • Murder at a Scottish Social by Traci Hall (Scottish Shire #3)
  • The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz
  • Easter Bonnet Murder by Leslie Meier (Lucy Stone #28)
  • Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese) *new series*
  • Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schaffhausen (Ellery Hathaway Mystery #5)
Jan. 27th
  • Framed for Murder by Suzanne Bolden (Parker Photography #7)
Jan. 28th
  • Tabby or Not Tabby by Eryn Scott (Whiskers and Words #2)
Jan. 31st
  • Silent Night, Unholy Bites by Ruth Baker (Ivy Creek #4)
  • Going, Going, Dead by Kirsten Weiss (Paranormal Museum #6)

*list compiled from NetGalley, Authors, Dru’s Musings blog , Cozy Mystery.com as well as just word of mouth.  If you are an author and have new releases in 2022; message me to make sure your on the list 

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

Dec 30, 2021

Doggone Deadly by Deborah Blake

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Doggone Deadly” the 2nd instalment in Catskill Pet Rescue Mystery series by Deborah Blake set in the Catskill town of Lakeview.  What a great series!


Kari Stuart is roped into helping out at a dog show—but soon finds she’s bitten off more than she can chew when her best friend is framed for murder in this new Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery.

When the woman running the big regional dog show calls out sick, dog groomer Suz Holden is asked to take over. But it’s too much for her to handle by herself— considering the president of the kennel club, Olivia Weiner, criticizes her at every turn—so she calls in her best friend, Kari Stuart, for help.
A long, stressful day goes from bad to worse when a local breeder is found dead, and the murder weapon seems to incriminate Suz. 

While Kari knows her friend isn’t guilty, the police aren’t so sure, especially after a second murder points to Suz again. But trying to run a dog show and investigate a murder at the same time is like herding cats, and Kari will have to rely on the rest of the Serenity Sanctuary staff to keep things running smoothly while she—and her beloved and clever kitten, Queenie—sniff out the truth.
I have read other books by Deborah Blake and just had to try this series. I'm very glad that I did. The book was well-written with wonderful characters, some of  them you'll like a lot (Kari and Suz) and others you won't like at all!
 
I love Queenie the black kitten especially as she chose Kari to be her mum not the other way around.  It was that way for me when I walked into the shelter 21 yrs ago with Abigail.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.   
I'm really looking forwards  to the next book Claws for Suspicion available May 2022.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.
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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Dec 17, 2021

Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Bake, Borrow, and Steal" the 12th instalment in the A Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. It releases on December 28th 

Ellie Alexander's Bake, Borrow, and Steal, the most delicious installment yet in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, Oregon! 

As the autumnal hues of November fall over the Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, Jules and her team at Torte are working on their biggest event ever. They’ve been invited to create chocolate showpieces for the gala opening of a new exhibit, Shakespeare’s Lost Pages at SOMA. The museum, located on the campus of Southern Oregon University, is getting ready to unveil the Bard’s lost manuscript, Double Falsehood, which is being touted as the greatest artistic discovery of modern times. In addition to molding luscious, silky chocolate into magnificent structures, Torte will be serving an authentic Elizabethan feast straight from the pages of a sixteenth century cookbook featuring Lardy cakes, Frangipane tarts, and jellies with chestnut cream.

Jules has underestimated the amount of work required to pull off such a culinary feat. She finds herself in the strange position of feeling frazzled and stressed as the day of the gala approaches. However, her team rallies around her and once the massive works of chocolate art are safely installed at the museum, she can finally let out a sigh of relief and revel in the excitement of the grand celebration. But her relief is short-lived. Right before the unveiling, news quickly begins to spread that Shakespeare’s lost manuscript is missing. Not only that, but the security guard tasked with keeping the priceless artifact safe has been killed. Is this a case of a heist gone terribly wrong? Or could it be that a killer is lurking in the museum archives?
I really enjoyed this story, with Thanksgiving looming, and a Shakespeare exhibit to get through beforehand then throw in a murder… what’s not to like!  I also liked that we had a lot of tension among the museum board, and  a lost manuscript to muddy the waters. 

I’m happy that Carlos and Jules are making a go of their marriage. Torte seems like the ideal place to work and Ashland a perfect place to live.  Jules has found her place, home and family of friends and now with Carlos there it’s perfect.  Needless to say I cant wait for the next book. 

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there were just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.   Don’t get me started on the descriptions of all the desserts, drinks and food , I think I gained weight just thinking about them. I like that recipes are included in back of the book too 

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St. Martin's 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,


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Dec 16, 2021

Spoonful of Murder by Tonya Kappes

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Spoonful of Murder" the10th instalment in the A Killer Coffee Mystery Series by Tonya Kappes.  I was so happy to visit Honey Springs Kentucky again, been way to long as I love this series.

Welcome to the Bean Hive Coffeehouse where the coffee and gossip are HOT!

Sure, Honey Springs, Kentucky is a destination for summer time visitors but our annual Christmas Festival, which includes a PAW-rade (mmhmmm for furry friends) is giving the summer tourist season a run for its money quickly becoming a tourist favorite!

Aunt Maxi is hosting a progressive supper for the community to raise funds for Pet Palace, our local SPCA. You'd think it would be GREAT for the tourists and it is but when Aunt Maxi literally has a hissy fit with a tail on it after she finds out Loretta Bebe's involvement...things turn south.

A dead body appears during the appetizers, Aunt Maxi and Loretta are suspects, and it's all she wrote from there.

Lordy bee...let's hope this things wrapped up in a nice little package with a bow on top so Santa doesn't have to make a stop at the local jail!
This go around it’s the night of the progressive dinner on the Boardwalk to raise money for the Pet Palace. Medlum ensues when Babette can’t do the appetizers portion due to an injury.  Enter Low-retta with her cheese balls … pretty soon aunt Maxi is in a tizzy and thinking of ways to stop Low-etta from inserting herself into her event.  Roxy has a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach but she didn’t expect someone to be murdered again …

As always a Tonya’s stories are filled with humour, wonderful characters and a mystery to solve.  I love visiting Honey Springs and the Bee Hive and this time we have a cute little puppy from the Pet Palace to love up on.  Plus it looks like there will be some exciting things happening in future instalments...

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, I did figure it out before the reveal but that didn’t stop me from going along for the ride. I loved the interaction with Roxy, Birdie, and Bunny in this instalment. I also like the inclusion of fur-babies into the story, this time there is a rescue puppy and a senior cat. 

The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down thus I finished it in a few hours.  Please note you could read as a stand alone, but you will want to read them all.

I cant wait to take another trip to Honey Springs, Kentucky, to see whats new with Roxy and her friends. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading cozy mysteries.



I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


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

Hugs,

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Dec 13, 2021

Eyelet Witness by Julie Anne Lindsey

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Eyelet Witness” book 4 in the Bonnie & Clyde Mysteries by Julie Anne Lindsey. I love this series! 

Bonnie and Clyde play chicken with a killer in their zaniest adventure yet!

Bonnie Balfour is busy tuning shabby into chic after a local entrepreneur asks for help decorating a soufflé-stand startup on a shoestring budget. The client’s budding egg enterprise and blue-ribbon hen, Thelma, are sure to boost revenue to the new business, especially with Bonnie’s customizing touch on the design.

Unfortunately, feathers begin to fly when the client’s ex-boyfriend launches a dispute over Thelma’s legal custody, only hours before the hen goes missing. And Detective Wright suspects fowl play when the ex’s body turns up in a local lake before sundown.

Now Bonnie and Clyde are pecking on doors and scratching for clues to prove their friend’s innocence, but a series of anonymous attacks threaten to scramble the newly hatched plan. Can Bonnie and Clyde crack the case in time? Or is this sleuthing duo finally out of cluck?

I loved this latest instalment in the Bonnie & Clyde series!  I enjoyed getting to know Thelma and Luisa more as well as learn more about Meadowbrook.  The mystery is well-written and plotted. There are several red herrings and twists to keep the reader engaged.  

I’m anxiously awaiting book 5 in the series as fun things are sure to happen but even better i cant wait for book 1 in the spin off series! 

I look forward to reading all the books in the series and highly recommend to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

I voluntarily agreed to read a digital copy of this book supplied by the Author. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

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

Hugs, 

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Dec 11, 2021

Crimes and Covers by Amanda Flower

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing Crimes and Covers the 5th instalment in the A Magical Bookshop Mysteries by Amanda Flower.   It can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading in order.


Violet Waverly sleuths a Thoreau-ly puzzling Christmastime murder in Agatha Award-winning, USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower's fifth Magical Bookshop mystery.

Christmas is coming to the Western New York village of Cascade Springs, and so is the long-awaited wedding of Charming Books proprietor Violet Waverly and police chief David Rainwater. Grandma Daisy and Violet's best friend, Sadie, go all out to make the nuptials the event of the season--whether Violet likes it or not. But the reception becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons when a woman's dead body floats by on the frigid Niagara River.

Violet is shocked to recognize the deceased as a mysterious woman who visited Charming Books two days before the wedding, toting a rare first edition of Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Well aware that a mint condition copy could be worth more than $14,000, Violet told the woman she would have to have the book appraised before she could consider buying it. Most displeased, the woman tucked the precious tome under her arm and stormed out of the shop. Now she's dead, and an enigmatic message scrawled in pen upon her palm reads, "They stole my book."

It's a confounding case, indeed. But fortunately, Violet can draw on the resources of her bookshop's magical consciousness, which communicates clues to Violet via quotes from Walden. With Emerson the tuxedo cat and Faulkner the crow at her side, Violet sets out to recover the priceless book by solving a murder most transcendental.

This is the 5th book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series. This series is set in the quaint village of Cascade Springs, New York.  This series also has a nice hint of the paranormal that runs throughout each story. I don't think it is overpowering and I enjoy how the bookshop sends Violet hints on what she needs to solve a mystery.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and I finished in a couple nights. 

The mystery was well written and carries through the entire story. There were a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming which added to the mystery. I did suspect the identity of the killer early on but then changed my mind and I think readers will be surprised who the culprit is.

I really enjoyed this story, and I can’t wait for the next instalment! 


I voluntarily read a digital ARC provided to me by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above 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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Dec 6, 2021

The Mystery of Albert E. Finch by Callie Hutton

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “The Mystery of Albert E. Finch by Callie Hutton the 3rd instalment in the " Victorian Book Club Mystery". What an amazing follow up to book two, This is my favourite historical mystery series. Book releases on January 11, 2022

Bath, England, 1892. Celebrated mystery author Lady Amy Lovell is set to tie the knot with Lord William Wethington, a fellow member of the Mystery Book Club of Bath. Amy's great-aunt, Lady Priscilla Granville, has offered to host their wedding at her stately Derby Manor House. But on the eve of the ceremony, the festive air in the drawing room is marred by Mrs. Alice Finch's argument with her husband, Albert, in another room. The next morning at the wedding breakfast, Alice falls face-first into her breakfast—dead.

When Amy and William's favorite detectives are summoned to the house, they see two champagne glasses in front of Mrs. Finch and none in front of her husband. Did Albert give his wife a poisoned drink? Always looking for the easiest solution, the detectives charge Albert with the murder.

But Lady Amy is not convinced that Albert is guilty. There are too many things that don't add up. In the hopes of being able to leave Bath and begin their honeymoon, Amy and William once again take things into their own hands. Suspects begin to pop up, but nothing takes them more by surprise than the discovery of a second body.

Stuck in Bath until the whole poisonous predicament is solved, Amy and William are anxious to collar the perfidious poisoner and be on their way to their honeymoon. If they can't catch the killer, not only is their newlywed bliss under threat, but they may not live to see happily-ever-after at all.
The story pulled me in right away, I was so engrossed in it that I read in one night.  

I like how there were several stories woven into this mystery but they flowed seamlessly together.  I liked the inclusion of the disappearing parrot, Aunt Margaret’s Othello, and Amy’s dog, Persephone, that added some tension to the already on edge household.  Plus what’s happening with Michael and Eloise …

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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Dec 5, 2021

Cozy Mystery Premieres for December

Hello my cozy friends,

I had the privilege to read an advanced readers copy of some new cozy mystery series that are coming this December. Here is a list of the ones I could find.

  • A Plus One for Murder (A Friend for Hire) Mysteries by  Laura Bradford
  • How To Book A Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Starlit Bookshop) 
  • A Nose for Mischief by K.T. Lee (Riverbend K-9s) 
  • Mistletoe Malarkey by Stella Bixby (Shayla Murphy) 
  • Pride, Prejudice, and Peril by Katie Oliver (Jane Austen Tea Society) 
  • Murder at the Seaview Hotel by Glenda Young (Helen Dexter) 
  • The Case of the Sugar Plum Shenanigans by Pamela Sue DuMond (Cheesehead Lodge) 
  • Patricia Fisher Ship’s Detective by Steve Higgs (Patricia Fisher) 
  • Pumpkin Spice & Deadly Heist by Tanya R. Taylor (Nosy Paralegal)
  • Murder at the Opera House by Dawn Brookes (Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe) 

Hope you will check out these books, I will try to highlight more upcoming new series in the future as I focus more on my blogging.

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


Hugs,

Dec 2, 2021

Witch Trial by Cate Conte

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing ”Witch Trial” the 2nd instalment in the Full Moon Mystery series by Cate Conte. I hadn’t read book 1 at time of requesting and had no problem following along, but might be wise to read in order.


In the second installment of Cate Conte’s charming new series featuring crystal shop owner and witch Violet Mooney, the murder of one of her customers launches her into a case that conjures up both supernatural and mortal enemies...


Double, double toil and trouble,
A witch’s life is quite a muddle.

The Full Moon crystal shop in North Harbor, Connecticut, offers healing stones for all sorts of ailments. Unfortunately, there’s nothing among the gems that can help owner Violet Mooney learn how to wield the magick she inherited from both sides of her family—the legendary Ravenstar and Moonstone clans. As if being an apprentice witch weren’t difficult enough, Violet’s tutors are her estranged mother Fiona, a sister she never knew she had named Zoe, and a familiar in the form of a black cat, Xander.

Between learning spells, Violet is being investigated by the Magickal Council. A reporter out to debunk spiritualists was “genied”—her soul imprisoned inside a bottle—in Violet’s shop, and she can’t prove she didn’t do it. Meanwhile, her non-magickal life has become complicated when one of her crystal shop customers, Nicole St. James, goes missing and turns up dead, a victim of murder.

Determined to solve both crimes, Violet taps into powers she doesn’t understand, much less control—and finds herself conjuring up both supernatural and mortal enemies…

Rating: 3.5 stars

Crystal shop owner and witch Violet Mooney, the murder of one of her customers launches her into a case that conjures up both supernatural and mortal enemies...

The characters were engaging and I loved her 2 cats one normal and one magical. The setting and overall story was good, but I am struggling on how I want to rate it as I feel the main mystery wasn’t solved (but it was a continuation from book 1) maybe that was what author wanted as it will be resolved in book 3. With that said I do want to read book 3 to find out what happens next for Violet.
I requested and received an Advanced Reader Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


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

Hugs, 


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Lights, Camera, Bones by Carolyn Haines

Hello my cozy friends,  Today I am reviewing  "Lights, Camera, Bones" by Carolyn Haines   the 27th instalment in  the " A Sar...