Pleading the Fish by Bree Baker

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing Pleading the Fish the 7th and final instalment in the A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series by Bree Baker.  It was bittersweet reading as I knew there wouldn’t be another, which could be why it took me longer to read as I just did not want it to end. I’m so glad the author knew in advance so she could wrap up the series for us, with no loose ends.  

In the seventh and final book of Bree Baker's critically acclaimed Seaside Café Mystery series, Pleading the Fish, Everly Swan's wedding plans are upended by a dead body. She'll have to run her teashop, find a dress, and catch a murderer all before she can walk down the aisle!

Hitting all the sweet-tea spots, this series is:A delightful Tea Shop and Café Culinary MysteryThe ideal cozy beach readPerfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle

Café owner and amateur sleuth Everly Swan, like every Swan woman before her, is cursed in love. The only problem? Her fiancé Detective Grady Hayes has something to say about it—he doesn't believe in magic and is determined to prove the curse wrong so they can spend their lives together. Everly wishes it could be so simple!

It feels like a sign when a historian looking into Swan history is found dead in an antique wishing well, and Everly fears the curse is spreading. Grady takes the case, looking to find justice and prove the curse wrong, while Everly does a bit of investigating on her own. Big change is coming for Everly and her friends, but with mysterious strangers lurking about and someone leaving increasingly threatening messages for the happy couple, Everly's not sure she'll get her happily-ever-after!

INCLUDES DELICIOUS FOOD AND DRINK RECIPES

As I have said so many times before one of my favourite things about the books is the sense of family, friendship and how the community comes together. This time was no different as Everly's wedding approaches.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with enough twists to keep you interested.  I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.   I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Poison Pen 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,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Saddled Up 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Saddled Up 4 Murder" the 9th instalment in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series by J.C. Eaton. 

With a killer on the loose and horse thieves plaguing the area, it’s up to Sophie “Phee” Kimball to corral the clues and bring an outlaw to justice . . .

Spring is in the air as Sun City West gears up for its annual Bye Bye Birdie festivities, when residents bid a fond farewell to the snowbirds and happily reclaim the town for themselves. But planning comes to a screeching halt when the town curmudgeon plummets to her death from the library bell tower and sheriff’s deputies suspect foul play. With the celebration on hold—and Phee’s mother worried that she won’t get her moment in the spotlight on a local TV show slated to cover the event—Phee is thrust into the role of sleuth once again to find the killer.

As Phee soon discovers, there’s no love lost between the town and the unfortunate victim, and with the clock ticking and virtually everyone a potential suspect, she’s got her work cut out for her. Then a passel of horseflesh goes missing, and Phee starts to think the two crimes might be connected. With the town on edge and high noon approaching, she’ll have to wrangle with a band of daring desperados and lasso a lawbreaker who’s dead set on sending her to boot hill . . .

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in almost one day. I love the characters which are well developed. There is plenty of humour, too with Harriet and Streetman her Chiweenie and the rest of her crew from the Sun City Retirement Community.  

The mystery is interesting, well plotted as well as full of twists and turns.  Always an entertaining, fun read. This is one of my favourite series and I always buy in Paperback as I know I will read again.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving 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,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake By Sarah Graves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake” the first instalment in the "Death By Chocolate" mystery series by Sarah Graves.  

Did you know this is actually a continuation of Sarah's other series "A Home Repair Is Homicide" I think I read them but just to be sure i will freshen up on it as it will tell you how the characters came to be together.

Murder is the guiltiest pleasure at a Down East Maine bakeshop in this cozy mystery series debut by the author of the Home Repair is Homicide novels.

 

Life gets a little sweeter in the island fishing village of Eastport, Maine, when Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie open a chocolate-themed bakeshop, the Chocolate Moose. They expect to make plenty of dough this Fourth of July weekend, and having family home for the holiday only sweetens the deal for Jake—until an early-season hurricane sours her plans. But an empty bakeshop and a ruined reunion are a piece of cake compare to murder . . .

 

When health inspector Matt Muldoon is found dead in the kitchen of The Chocolate Moose, Ellie is suspected of indulging in revenge. She made no secret of her distaste for Matt, who had been raining on their parade with bogus health code violations. Now, with no alibi for the night of the murder, she’s in a sticky situation—and it’s up to Jake to catch the real killer and keep Ellie living in the land of the free.

 

Includes an irresistible recipe!

I enjoy stories set in coastal locations, and the village of Eastport, Maine is a perfect setting from the description of harbor, the shops, the people.  The protagonist Jake and her BFF Ellie have a wonderful friendship, always got each other’s back, and in this story they really need to have each others backs!

I had read a later installment so it was nice to go back and read book one for a group discussion this week.  It was like visiting old friends and there were a few hair raising moments throughout the book. 

There were a handful of suspects and lots of twists and turns to keep me wanting to find out what will happen next. I did suspect the killer early on but then second guessed myself.  

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy 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, 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Wedding Bell Blues by Lynn Cahoon

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Wedding Bell Blues" the 13th instalment in the "Tourist Trap” Mystery series by Lynn Cahoon. This is one of my favourite cozy mystery series! 

In the California coastal town of South Cove, Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, becomes more engaged in sleuthing than wedding preparations when there’s a murder in a dress shop . . .

Jill couldn’t love police chief Greg King more—so why does that engagement ring still feel funny on her finger? At least she’ll have a chance to show it off this Saturday at their engagement party. Just in time for the event, a new dress shop has opened in town, Exquisite Gowns for You, specializing in designer wedding gowns and other custom-fit dresses.

But Jill’s excitement turns to shock when she comes by to pick up her dress for the party and discovers a dead body in the shop. New owner Harper Sanchez is behaving strangely and becoming more mysterious than anyone expected. Despite Greg’s warnings to leave the case to him, Jill can’t help looking into the murder. Somebody in South Cove is dressed to kill—and if Jill’s not careful, she may not live to wear her wedding gown . . .

As always I love visiting South Cove, California and Coffee, Books & More, this story was really good.  I love the main set of characters Jill, Amy, Aunt Jackie, Greg, Toby and now we have Deek and Evie as part of the CBM family.   Deek is a budding writer and I hope we see more of this development in future books.  

As for the mystery I found it to be well plotted and it moved along at a steady pace. There were only a few suspects for the murder but you still find yourself second guessing on who the murderer can be. Overall I found this to be a great story and I loved the surprise ending! 

I can’t wait for the next instalment to come out.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy 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, 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Murder on an Irish Farm by Carlene O'Connor

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Murder on an Irish Farm” the 8th instalment in the "Irish Village" Mystery series by Carlene O’Connor.  This is one of my many favourite cozy series and I loved this story!

In USA Today bestselling author Carlene O’Connor’s eighth Irish Village Mystery, the long-engaged garda of County Cork, Ireland, Siobhán O’Sullivan and Macdaras Flannery, are about to get married at last. But just as the rowdy O’Sullivan brood and all the regulars of the local bistro have gathered at the church, the nuptials come to an abrupt halt when the discovery of an unidentified skeleton puts the wedding on pause…

If only her mother could be here! The entire O’Sullivan brood—not to mention the regulars from Naomi’s Bistro—have gathered at St. Mary’s Church for the wedding of Siobhán and Macdara. It’s not every day you see two garda marrying each other. Only Siobhán’s brother James is missing. They can’t start without him.

 

But when James finally comes racing in, he’s covered in dirt and babbling he’s found a human skeleton in the old slurry pit at the farmhouse. What farmhouse? Macdara sheepishly admits he was saving it as a wedding surprise: he purchased an abandoned dairy farm. Duty calls, so the engaged garda decide to put the wedding on hold to investigate.

 

James leads them to a skeleton clothed in rags that resemble a tattered tuxedo. As an elderly neighbor approaches, she cries out that these must be the remains of her one true love who never showed up on their wedding day, fifty years ago. The garda have a cold case on their hands, which heats up the following day when a fresh corpse appears on top of the bridegroom’s bones. With a killer at large, they need to watch their backs—or the nearly wedded couple may be parted by death before they’ve even taken their vows. . .

 
“Fans of charming Irish mysteries will delight in the ways this convoluted case ensnares the heroine and her supporting cast.”— Kirkus Reviews

 I always love visiting the village of Kilbane in County Cork and the O'Sullivan Six. Siobhán is getting married to Macdara finally but best man James hasn’t shown up yet.  Now Siobhan is worrying what could of happened to him as he wouldn’t miss her big day.  I love the characters which are well developed, plus we were introduced to her new neighbours the O’Learys.   

The mystery is super interesting and well plotted, and loaded with red herrings.   I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. 

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy loving 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,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Batten Down the Belfry A House-Flipper Mystery by Diane Kelly

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing Batten Down the Belfry the 4th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly. This is 2nd book I have read in the series, and it can be read as a standalone.

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee—where the real estate market is to die for.

Here is the church, here is the steeple…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?

Open the doors, and see all the trouble.

The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?

The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker?

The characters of Whitney, Sawdust (cat), Buck, Collin and Collette are ones I have really come to love. I also enjoy the setting of Nashville, Tennessee. 

This time around they are flipping an abandoned church and the concept they come up with is really cool and somewhere I would want to go to.  I also like where the characters are heading in their personal lives. Overall I really like this series and it’s on my must read list.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. I had no idea who the killer was till Whitney did. 

I highly recommend to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Batter Off Dead by Maddie Day

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Batter Off Dead” the 10th book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day. I just love this series! 

In Agatha Award-winning author Maddie Day’s tenth Country Store Mystery, Pans “N Pancakes owner and part-time sleuth Robbie Jordan must untangle the clues to find the killer of a knitting circle member...

In South Lick, Indiana, fine foods and classic cookware can be found at Robbie Jordan’s Pans ’N Pancakes. Unfortunately, her country store also seems to stock up on murder…

 

Robbie and her new husband Abe O’Neill are enjoying a summer evening in the park with fellow townsfolk excited for some Friday night fireworks. In attendance are senior residents from Jupiter Springs Assisted Living including Grant Bird, father to South Lick’s very own Police Lieutenant Buck Bird. Despite his blindness, Grant is a member of his group home’s knitting circle, spending quality time with some lovely ladies.

 

But when the lightshow ends, one of the knitters who sat with Grant is found dead, a puncture wound in her neck. The poor woman’s death echoes that of Buck’s mother and Grant’s wife—an unsolved homicide. To help find the killer, Robbie’s going to have to untangle the knotty relationships deep in the victim’s past…

I love the setting of South Lick, Indiana and I love Robbie and her staff at Pans N Pancakes they are like one big family. We learned more about Buck and what happened to his mother, and meet a bunch of seniors from Jupiter Springs assisted living.  I loved how Robbie was so good with Grant, Simone, and Melissa.

There were enough twists to keep me intrigued and wanting to know how it ends. The plot and story were good and seemed to flow at a good pace.  

I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a cozy filled with down home characters and a small town atmosphere.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington 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,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Antique Auctions Are Murder by Libby Klein

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Antique Auctions Are Murder" the 7th instalment in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series by Libby Klein. I love this series and I think this was best one yet!

B&B owner and gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister, along with her saucy Aunt Ginny, is on the case at the annual Cold Spring Village antique show in Libby Klein’s seventh deliciously witty, paleo-themed Poppy McAllister Mystery.

 

When vintage items go up for auction, gluten-free baker and B&B owner Poppy McAllister discovers some people will pay the ultimate price...

 

It’s peak summer season at the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, with tourists fluttering in and out and wreaking enough havoc to rival a Jersey Shore hurricane. Also back in town is Courtney Whipple and his family of antique dealers for the annual Cold Spring Village antique show. Courtney’s son Auggie has a unique piece he believes will fetch them a fortune if he can get it authenticated in time—a piece rival dealer Grover Prickle insists was stolen from his store.

 

Poppy and her Aunt Ginny attend the auction, hoping to bid on an armoire for the B&B, and discover a veritable armory for sale—everything from ancient blades and nineteenth century guns to such potential killing devices as knitting needles and a blacksmith hammer. Strangely, they don’t see either Auggie or Grover—or the mysterious item they both claim to own. Then during the auction, a body falls out of the very armoire Poppy was hoping to acquire, stabbed through the heart. Now, surrounded by competitive dealers and makeshift weapons, she must find out who turned the auction house into a slaughterhouse…

 

I love visiting the Jersey Shore and Poppy, Gia, Aunt Ginny, and the "Biddies"! Plus we cant forget about her mischievous cat, Figuro! This time around we are at an Antique Auction and Poppy really wants an armoire but a dead body falls out of it!  

From a houseful of quirky guests, disappearing wine, cheese and mysterious midnight deliveries Poppy has her work cut out for her this go around. At the B&B - enter two cat guests a young black kitty named Cleo and a huge Maine Coon named  Svetlana joins in the chaos and try to capture Figuro’s heart.

I found the mystery was well written and paced with lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing to the end. I can’t wait till the next instalment comes out and finding out what Poppy does next! 

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,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin