Murder at the Blarney Bash by Darci Hannah

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “Murder at the Blarney Bash” by Darci Hannah the 5th instalment in the "A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery" series.  I loved visiting Beacon Harbor, Michigan again and still really want to go to Michigan now …Brandi M here I come!

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Follow the aroma of shamrock sugar cookies to the Beacon Bakeshop, a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan where amateur sleuth Lindsey Bakewell is busy preparing for Beacon Harbor’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities – with a little help from her adorable Newfoundland, Wellington, of course!

Lindsey is baking up a storm—shamrock sugar cookies, Guinness chocolate cupcakes, Irish soda bread—for the well-timed grand opening of the Irish import gift shop, the Blarney Stone, owned by her boyfriend’s uncle, Finnigan O’Connor, recently relocated from the Emerald Isle.

But it’s Uncle Finn himself who seems full of blarney when he gleefully reveals a pot of real gold he claims he stole from an actual leprechaun. And Finn’s fortune takes a turn for the worse when he’s arrested for the bludgeoning of a small unidentified man dressed as a leprechaun—the murder weapon alleged to be his now-missing shillelagh.

Eccentric Uncle Finn may enjoy believing he’s outwitted a leprechaun, but he would never be so deluded as to clobber one with his walking stick. Now Lindsey will need more than the luck of the Irish to seize a golden opportunity to catch the real killer . . .

I absolutely love this series,  Lindsey, Rory, Kennedy, Tuck, and her co-workers at the Beacon Bakeshop are lots of fun to hang out with and now we have uncle Finn and Colleen from Ireland.   I enjoyed seeing how the characters of Lindsey, Rory and Kennedy have progressed since the last book and am glad she came back to Beacon Harbor.

I love Wellington the big Newfie who loves everyone and now Bailey the Great Pyrenees .  I also love the idea of living along the lakeshore in a haunted lighthouse where the ghost is watching over you and seems to have your back.  

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Lindsey did.  Plus all the descriptions of the Irish themed baked goods made my mouth water. ( recipes included in back of book)

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 6

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Kensington 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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Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “ Deadly to the Core” by Joyce Tremel the 1st instalment in the "A  Cider House Mystery" series.  I enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for book 2!

Perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Julie Anne Lindsey, when Kate Mulligan inherits her great uncle’s fruit orchard, she quickly realizes that apples aren’t the only thing that can have rotten cores.

After losing her husband in a terrible car crash, thirty-five-year-old Kate is left to pick up the pieces of her life alone. Although she has physically recovered, she worries her spirit never will. But when she learns that she has inherited a fruit orchard in a small town just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, from her great uncle Stan, she takes this as an opportunity ripe for the picking. Kate knew immediately what to do with it: open a cider house. Her hopeful plans fall far from the tree when she finds the body of the orchard manager, Carl Randolph, leaving her to figure out who is at the core of this murder.

She had been in correspondence with Carl, who had agreed with her brilliant idea of opening a cider house. But not everyone is so quick to buy what she was selling—Uncle Stan’s lawyer, Robert Larabee, paints a less rosy financial outlook of the orchard’s past, present, and future. 

Kate discovers that Carl had large, unexplained deposits to his bank account and it becomes clear that either he was blackmailing someone, or someone was paying him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kate and her neighbors receive offers to buy their property from a mysterious buyer. And there’s more than meets the eye with the neighboring orchard owner, Daniel Martinez, although Kate can’t quite put her finger on if it’s sweet or sour.

Will she be able to pick out the bad apple among the bunch before it’s too late?

I found the story to be a promising start to a new series. I liked Kate and her childhood friends, and it will be interesting to see how things develop in book 2.

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Kate did. 

I recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Crooked Lane 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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The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “The Sign of Four Spirits” the 9th instalment in "A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop" Mystery series by Vicki Delany. It can easily be read as a standalone but I recommend reading in order.  

Gemma Doyle won’t be spooked when a body shows up at the psychic fair in bestselling author Vicki Delany’s ninth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

When a psychic fair arrives in West London, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, wants nothing to do with it. But somehow, at the urging of Donald Morris, an enthusiastic Sherlockian, she finds herself talked into attending a séance, along with baker and best friend Jayne Wilson, store assistant, Ashleigh, and former pop star Bunny Leigh.

But to her surprise, Gemma finds herself banned from the séance and shown the door. Curious, she listens in from outside the room. The medium informs a disappointed Donald that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will not be able to make it tonight. Then, Gemma hears a voice cut off, a cry for help, a scream. Gemma bursts into the library to see that someone has collapsed on the table--dead. The windows are all locked, and Gemma was guarding the only door. Someone in this room is a murderer. But who?

The game is once again afoot for Gemma Doyle, as she hunts a killer. But, this time, is the killer of flesh and blood or had the medium summoned doom from beyond the veil?

I enjoyed this mystery, thought it flowed well and kept my attention.  The setting of West London in Cape Cod is idyllic and this time the action is centred around a seance. 

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 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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Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Murder at a Scottish Castle” the 5th instalment in the Scottish Shire Mystery series by Traci Hall.  This has become one of my favourite Scottish cozy mysteries!  I absolutely loved this instalment and can’t wait for book 6

Sweater shop owner Paislee Shaw never feels more at home in Scotland than when she hears the bagpipes. But a murderer is about to introduce a sour note . . .

With the summer days getting shorter in the seaside village of Nairn, the annual bagpiping competition at Ramsey Castle promises to be quite the end-of-season blowout. Paisley has snagged a special invitation from the dowager countess, who wants to showcase her cashmere goods in the castle gift shop, and she’s brought her son Brody, Grandpa, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace.

There’s a fierce rivalry between Robert Grant, the Earl of Lyon, and last year’s winner Jory Baxter, with Grant loudly vowing to show up the blowhard Baxter and claim clan bragging rights. But the reigning champion has barely put the reed to his lips when he turns red and collapses, soon to take his dying breath. DI Zeffer suspects foul play.

With a possible murderer in their midst, the rest of Nairn won’t breathe easy until Paisley applies her sleuthing skills to make sure justice is served and the killer pays the piper . . .

I find the characters to be wonderful, full of Scottish pride and small village life, I wouldn’t mind living there myself and attending the Sip and Stitch.  I love visiting Nairn and Paislee, her son Brody, grandpa Angus and of course Wallace the dog. 

The mystery is interesting, well plotted, full of lots of twists and kept me guessing on whodunnit right to the reveal.

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

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Publishing 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,

Deep Fried Death by Maddie Day

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Deep Fried Death” the 12th book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day. I just love this series! 

In the latest Country Store Mystery by Agatha and Macavity Award-winning author Maddie Day, a killer strikes - with a cast iron skillet - during South Lick, Indiana's annual Outhouse Race festivities, landing Pans 'N Pancakes-owner Robbie Jordan on the suspect list...

Many residents of South Lick, Indiana, claim the Outhouse Race, in which competitors push old-timey outhouse replicas on wheels at the annual Abe Martin Festival on Memorial Day, is the best thing since indoor plumbing. Just because country store and restaurant owner Robbie Jordan has too much to do managing her new deep fryer as well as an old lover reappearing, she’s not going to miss out on the fun. Plus, it’s good for business.

But when a dead body and a cast-iron skillet tumble out of the Pans ’N Pancakes outhouse entry on the race route, it seems someone is trying to frame Robbie—in a most unconventional way. Now she’ll need to be privy to the townsfolks’ secrets as she races to flush out a killer . . .

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. Now that she’s pregnant and been married to Abe for a year what could go wrong …

But when a dead body and a cast-iron skillet tumble out of the Pans ’N Pancakes outhouse entry on the race route, it seems someone is trying to frame Robbie—in a most unconventional way. Now she’ll need to be privy to the townsfolks’ secrets as she races to flush out a killer . . .

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,

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Love Letters on Hazel Lane by Jennifer Page

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Love Letters on Hazel Lane” by Jennifer Page.  This is the second book I’ve read by this author and what can I say other than I loved it and read in one day. 

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Scrabble fan Jo always seems to pick the wrong guys. Now she’s moved to the Yorkshire village of Hebbleswick, and decided to give dating one last chance. This time, there’s a catch: she will only date men whose names would score highly in her beloved word game.

After Tarquin (16 points) proves just as disappointing as the rest, she meets low-scoring local doctor Ras (3 points). Her rules mean she can’t date him – but when he asks her to organise a Scrabble festival with him, she can’t say no.

As the event draws nearer and Jo and Ras grow closer, will Jo ignore her rule and let true love blossom over the triple letter scores?

The setting of a tiny village called Hebbleswick sounded like just my cup of tea, I could picture it especially as I have visited small villages in England.  It had everything you could want in a story friendship, community and love. I adored Razz and how he seemed to really like Jo but they both had insecurities getting in the way. 

I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. It’s a great follow up to The Boardgame Cafe , and I can’t wait to pick up the authors next book! 

I will definitely read other books by this author.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Aria 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, 

Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs' Home by Sarah Hope

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Chasing Dreams at Wagging Tails Dogs' Home" by Sarah Hope.  What can I say other than I enjoyed it and read in one day.  Who doesn’t want to escape to a small Cornish village by the sea and a dog rescue…

The Cornish sea air, old friends, and cuddles with a cute pup...

Sometimes you're just where you need to be...

After a difficult break-up, Poppy is keen to put the past behind her and what’s better than some relaxing time with her aunt in the picturesque Cornish village of West Par?

But life at her aunt Flora’s Dogs’ Home is anything but relaxing. When a poor little pup is stranded at the gates, Poppy takes them for a check up at the local vet, hoping against hope they'll be fine.

And there she meets Mack: the vet who is so charming and experienced with the dogs, but selfish and – dare she say it – money-grabbing with his clients.

But underneath that cold exterior, she's sure there's more to the story. If only she could convince him to open up. Because without him, the future of Wagging Tails isn't so assured...

The setting of a tiny village called West Par 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 Mr Thomas’ dogs and the fate of the rescue to keep you engaged and interested in the outcome. 

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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