The Diva Hosts a Murderer by Krista Davis

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “ The Diva Hosts a Murderer” the 19th instalment in the Domestic Diva Mystery series by Krista Davis.

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Old Town Virginia’s entertaining guru and occasional sleuth Sophie Winston – a young Martha Stewart in the making – juggles Fourth of July fireworks, a houseful of guests, and homicide in the latest Domestic Diva culinary mystery from New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis.

With a big crowd descending on her Northern Virginia home, it’s a good thing event planner Sophie Winston is an expert at entertaining. Whipping up patriotic pastries is as easy as pie for her, though meeting the man her widowed Aunt Melly just impulsively married in Las Vegas is a little more awkward. Especially when Melly’s longtime, now-heartbroken secret admirer is there too, which could lead to some fireworks.

But the house party really gets explosive when Sophie’s favorite tour guide falls victim to a killer—and evidence points to Sophie’s own father. Will DNA really incriminate her dad? And what’s the real story with her new uncle-by-marriage and the mysterious pal he’s brought along with him? Some of the secrets Sophie’s discovering are raising flags—and while the police department casts suspicion on her father, she has to declare her independence as a detective to find the real culprit, and serve justice along with her red, white, and blue cupcakes . . .

Includes delicious recipes, fabulous decorating tips, and easy entertaining hacks!

I really enjoy this series! This time we have Sofie's family visiting for the 4th of July, but the house party really gets explosive when Sophie’s favorite tour guide falls victim to a killer—and evidence points to Sophie’s own father.   I really like Sophie, she is relatable, interesting and I love her relationship with her BFF Nina and her ex Mars as well as several other residents of Old Town. I liked how the characters were there for each other, no matter what was happening.

The mystery itself was interesting, full of twists and turns, red herrings all of which completely drew me into the story.   I didn’t want to put the book down and read it till the wee hours.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy 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,

The Chowder House Murder by Lee Hollis

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “ The Chowder House Murder” by Lee Hollis the first instalment in A Downeast Maine Mystery series.

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The first in a brand new, multi-generational cozy mystery series introduces three generations of strong, no-nonsense women who head the Holbrook family seafood dynasty in Downeast Maine…and a murder the Holbrook matriarch and her granddaughter must solve, even as it entangles them in a web of small-town secrets, and a Hatfields and McCoys-level chowder rivalry.

Ever since Halibut Cove’s popular eatery, The Chowder House, started serving matriarch Maggie Holbrook’s famous clam chowder it’s been in high demand. Cooked up at the restaurant by Maggie’s ambitious 19-year-old granddaughter, Audrey, the dish even has a regular nightly customer, retiree Chips Hogan. . . . Until one fateful Sunday night.

After serving Chips his chowder, Audrey rushes off to Maggie’s hilltop home for the weekly family dinner with the rest of the Holbrooks—her three uncles, and her mom, Jill. But before the meal’s end, Jill, a police chief, gets an alarming call. Chips has been found in the street—dead. Jill races out to investigate . . . and is shocked to learn Chips’ chowder was poisoned.

When a Chowder House server recalls seeing local diner cook Waldo Duggan in the alley that same evening, he becomes a suspect. And when it’s uncovered that Waldo bitterly believed the Holbrooks stole the lucrative chowder recipe from the Duggans in the 1930’s, he’s only further implicated . . .

Despite everything, Maggie can’t believe Waldo would murder anyone. For fair-minded Maggie, to keep an innocent man out of jail, and to ease Audrey’s guilt over serving the chowder, there’s no choice but to team-up to crime solve. Soon grandmother and granddaughter are immersed in a stew of rivalries, long held feuds, and looming threats. Because beneath the surface, even a pretty town has its ugly side . 

What a great start to a new series from one of my favorite authors. The stories always catch my attention and pull me in right away.  This instalment was no different I read over a five hours period.

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. 

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

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy 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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The Body in the Kitchen Garden by Paula Sutton

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Body in the Kitchen Garden ” the 2nd instalment in A Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery series by Paula Sutton set in Pudding Corner, a Norfolk hamlet full of quintessentially English charm.   

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Pudding Corner is abuzz: the enigmatic Lord Hugh Darlington has returned to his crumbling ancestral home after years away. With his fiancée, he plans to revive the grand Darlington Hall—and who better to help than antique-hunting Daphne Brewster?

Daphne is enchanted by the estate’s stained-glass windows, regal turrets, and sprawling kitchen garden. But amidst the overgrown greenery, she stumbles upon something far less picturesque: a body. A body that no one can identify.

As the shocking murder rocks the village, Daphne dusts off her sleuthing skills—despite the local PC's warnings to stay out of trouble. When Lord Darlington is attacked and a string of burglaries shakes Pudding Corner, it's clear that no one is safe.

With secrets buried deep and loyalties more tangled than ivy, Daphne must unearth the truth . . . before the killer strikes again.

Wickedly witty and brimming with twists as sharp as a pair of antique shears, The Body in the Kitchen Garden is a cozy crime page-turner that will keep you guessing until the very last clue is uncovered.

I enjoyed this story.  What a great follow up to book one! This time around Daphne is helping Lord Darlington and his fiancée revive the grand Darlington Hall. Daphne is enchanted by the estate’s stained-glass windows, regal turrets, and sprawling kitchen garden. But amidst the overgrown greenery, she stumbles upon something far less picturesque: a body. A body that no one can identify.  With secrets buried deep and loyalties more tangled than ivy, Daphne must unearth the truth . . . before the killer strikes again.

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

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends. I can’t wait for book two!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and 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,

Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing  "Ode to the Bones" by Carolyn Haines the 30th instalment in the "A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery" series which releases on May 26th.   I absolutely love this series!

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The next novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.

Private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney returns to her Mississippi Delta roots, hoping that long drives through cotton fields and the companionship of her dogs will ease her restless spirit. Instead, she’s confronted by a ghostly vision of a woman in white on the Tallahatchie Bridge, who disappears before Sarah Booth can investigate further.

When the local bank president hires her to find a missing farmer, Danny Anderson, Sarah Booth is forced to shift her focus back to the land of the—hopefully—still living. Danny is about to lose his family’s generational farm to foreclosure and is rumored to be entangled in a secret affair with a preacher’s wife. As Sarah Booth and her feisty partner Tinkie dig deeper, they uncover a web of gossip, ghost sightings, and a shadowy land buyer snapping up vulnerable farms.

With the help of her resident ghost-turned-spiritual-guide, Jitty, and her own unrelenting instincts, Sarah Booth must unravel the mystery of Danny’s disappearance, confront a town full of half-truths, and decipher the cryptic clues left behind—including those wrapped in lyrics and riverwater. But someone is watching her every move, and if she isn’t careful, she may be the next body swept away by the Tallahatchie’s current.

I always enjoy visiting with Sarah and Tinkie it’s like coming home to old friends.  I always learn something, this time Sarah Booth and Tinkie investigate Danny Andersons disappearance, confront a town full of half-truths, and decipher the cryptic clues left behind—including those wrapped in lyrics and riverwater. But someone is watching her every move, and if she isn’t careful, she may be the next body swept away by the Tallahatchie’s current.

There were plenty of twists and turns and lots to keep you intrigued.  I found this book to be a real page-turner, and reading in one day. 

I’m looking forward to the next instalment 

 
I highly recommend this book and series to all my cozy mystery friends. 

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,

A Gift In Time by Shaen Layle

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "A Gift In Time by Shaen Layle” the first instalment in A Gift Shop Mystery series by Shaen Layle set in the Port Huron.  What a great start to a new series.

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It’s opening day of Sarah Morgan’s gifts and curiosities shop, Heavenly Presents. Not only are her family and friends there to support her new business, but a local television crew is on-site to interview her. Sarah decides her latest acquisition, an antique music box that supposedly belonged to Thomas Edison, is the perfect item to show off on television. They’ve only heard a few notes in the strange melody when an onlooker claims her great-grandmother used to play that same tune on the piano but was secretive about its origins. 

When Sarah discovers a hidden drawer on the box that requires a key to open, she is determined to unlock the box’s secrets. 

Meanwhile, someone in the Port Huron community is also determined…to see Sarah’s business fail. 

Can Sarah find out who is behind the troublemaking, or will she be forced to close the doors on her dream forever?   

This is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more from her.   A Gift in Time by Shaen Layle is a charming cozy mystery with a pleasant, steady pace. Unlike many cozies, there’s no murder here. Instead, it weaves together a historical mystery with a modern-day one.

The plot centers on Sarah buying a music box that may have belonged to Thomas Edison, and trying to prove its origin. Chapters set in the past help fill in the music box’s backstory.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and liked main character Sarah Morgan as she opens Heavenly Presents in her hometown of Port Huron.

3.5 stars

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and 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,

Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place by Linda Reilly

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Between a Roquefort and a Hard Place” the 7th instalment in A Grilled Cheese Mystery series by Linda Reilly set in the town of Balsam Dell, Vermont. This is definitely one of my favourite series.

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Restaurant owner Carly Hale Mitchell has to get her husband off the hook when he’s implicated in the suspicious death of a crooked coworker . . .

When the elderly owner of a historic mansion asks Carly to come visit and make one of her famous grilled cheese sandwiches, Carly can hardly say no. She loves spending time inside the fabled home, and she knows her husband will be at the grand old manse too, rewiring the electrical as part of larger renovations. But sparks fly when he gets into a shoving match with the contractor overseeing the project, and that puts him at the top of the suspect list when the contractor later falls to his death from the roof amid signs of foul play.

Desperate to clear her husband’s good name, Carly puts her restaurant work on the back burner while she tries to track down the real culprit. Thinking it must be someone on the renovation crew or an employee at the mansion, she begins grilling the suspects, only to learn that the victim had enemies throughout the community. Then another dead body is discovered at the mansion, and Carly has to approach the case from a whole new angle—just as the killer is angling to make her the next victim on their list . . .

Includes mouthwatering grilled-cheese sandwich recipes!

I really like the characters in this series and they are what have made me fall in love with it. Especially the Protagonist Carly, her bff Gina, and her co-workers Suzanne, Valerie, Nina and Don and now Ari's sister and Quinne.   This time Carly must clear her husband's name after he winds up at the top of the suspect list in a crooked contractor's suspicious death.

The mystery was interesting and there are plenty of red herrings, and  twists to keep you wanting to find out what will happen next. 

I read the book in one day, but you will crave a grilled cheese while reading the book, I know I did. Luckily there are recipes at the back.

I cant wait for the 8th instalment to see what happens next.  I highly recommend this to cozy lovers.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Beyond the Page 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