Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Murder at an Irish Christmas" is the 6th instalment in the Irish Village Mystery series by Carlene O’Connor.  I love this series and was excited to be able to read an arc of it.

The O'Sullivan clan of County Cork, Ireland, are back to investigate another case of murder--this time at Christmas!

Garda Siobhán O'Sullivan's holiday plans hit a sour note when murder rearranges the Yuletide carols into unexpected eulogies...

This December in Kilbane, if you're planning to warm up with a cuppa tea at Naomi's Bistro, you may have a bit of a wait--the entire O'Sullivan brood has gone off to West Cork to spend the holidays with brother James' fiancée Elise's family, including her grandfather, the famous orchestral conductor Enda Elliot. Siobhán is so happy for James and Elise but also quietly disappointed that she must put her own wedding to fellow garda Macdara Flannery on hold. Mac will have to join them later, so he can spend part of the holidays with his mam.

When the O'Sullivans learn everyone will choose a name from a hat to buy a music-related Christmas gift for someone else at the gathering, it seems like their greatest concern--until the cantankerous conductor is discovered crushed under a ninety-pound harp in a local concert hall.

With the extended family--including Enda's much-younger new wife Leah, a virtuoso violinist--suspected in his murder, it's up to Siobhán to ensure the guilty party faces the music. But as a snowstorm strands both families in a lavish farmhouse on a cliff, Siobhán had better pick up the tempo--before the killer orchestrates another untimely demise...

I really enjoyed this story, and it has made me want to catch up on the series.  I have several of the earlier books in my TBR pile.  I loved visiting West Cork and the remote coastal village where Elise grew up.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. Getting to know Elise’s family was a challenge as everyone had secrets but in the end you grow to like them.

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 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,

The Malt in Our Stars by Sarah Fox

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Malt in Our Stars" the 3rd instalment in the "A Literary Pub" Mystery series by Sarah Fox.  I am a huge fan girl of Sarah's and love both her Cozy Mystery sesries and bonus she is a fellow Canadian! 

here''s some shady business in Shady Creek, Vermont, this spring—in the third mystery by USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox featuring pub owner and amateur sleuth Sadie Coleman . . .
 

Sadie is delighted to have booked famous romantic suspense novelist Linnea Bliss for an event at The Inkwell, her literary-themed pub, housed in a renovated grist mill. The author and her personal assistant Marcie are staying at Shady Creek Manor, a grand historical hotel that was once a private mansion and is rumored to still hold hidden treasure somewhere within its walls. 

 

But the hotel''s storied past is nothing compared to its tragic present when Marcie plummets to her death from an open window on the third floor. After Sadie discovers signs of a struggle in the room, it''s clear that someone assisted the assistant out the window. But Marcie is new in town—who would have a motive to kill her?

 

In between pulling pints and naming literary-themed cocktails, Sadie takes it on herself to solve the case, wondering if the crime is connected to the vandalized vehicles of a film crew in town to do a feature on local brewer Grayson Blake, with whom Sadie shares a strong flirtation. Or could the poor woman''s defenestration have anything to do with the legendary treasure? As Shady Creek Manor prepares for a May Day masquerade ball, Sadie is determined to unmask the killer—but when she uncorks a whole lot of trouble, will she meet a bitter end?

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed.  I love Sadie and the whole setting of Shady Creek.  It made me want to live there and walk the green just like Sadie. 

I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.  I did not figure it out till the reveal and was a bit surprised.   I really look forward to reading more about Sadie and her friends.

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 the author. 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,

Murder at the PTA by Lee Hollis

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Murder at the PTA" the first instalment in the "A Maya and Sandra Mystery" by Lee Hollis.

Desperate Housewives meets Murder, She Wrote, in Lee Hollis’s new mystery series, where a housewife and a female private eye solve murders together in their small Maine town!

 
Someone is trying to turn Portland High into a school for scandal with a gossipy website called Dirty Laundry. The latest target of ruinous rumors is newly elected PTA president Sandra Wallage. After a heated meeting with outraged parents, Sandra runs into fellow school mom and private investigator Maya Kendrick, who's discovered the person behind the website. But when the women storm into the venomous gossip columnist’s office they find a lifeless body—along with a confession.
 
Although the police rule the death a suicide, Maya suspects an injured party hung the Dirty Laundry creator out to dry. Maya already has a PI partner—but she's pregnant, and sonograms and stakeouts tend to conflict. So when Sandra volunteers for a crash course in sleuthing, Maya accepts the help. But as these unlikely partners study the clues, a killer plans to teach them a lesson . . .

I really enjoy the Hayley Powell cozy mysteries by Lee Hollis so couldn’t wait to read this book. First in a series can be a mine of information as we get to know the main characters but I really liked getting to know Maya, a private investigator, and Sandra, a housewife whose husband is a Senator.  

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, 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 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,

Checked Out for Murder by Allison Brook

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Checked Out for Murder" the 4th instalment in the A Haunted Library Mystery series by Allison Brook.

Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook's fourth Haunted Library mystery.

Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on. 

The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne's brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie's overbearing mother hits town. Mom's much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that's lensing locally, and she's there to keep an eye on him: Tom's costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there's no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead. 

Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne's mean ex-husband? Carrie's sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?

I still have not read the first two books in the series but I did not have any trouble following along as the author did a wonderful job of retelling things without overloading you with the past books.

The protagonist Carrie is one of the librarians and Evelyn (ghost) was also before her untimely death.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. I also loved the inclusion of the library cat, Smokey Joe into the story.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself right to the very end. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Crooked Lane 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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Broadcast 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Broadcast 4 Murder" the 7th instalment in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series by J.C. Eaton. 

In J.C. Eaton's seventh Sophie Kimball Mystery, Sophie's kooky mother, Harriet, is gearing up to become Arizona's newest radio star as the host of the Booked 4 Murder Mystery Hour. But when she ends up broadcasting herself discovering a dead body live on air, it's up to the reluctant sleuth Sophie to find the killer...

Phee's mother Harriet is going to be a star! At least, that's how the Sun City West retiree describes her chance to host a live radio program of her book club's Booked 4 Murder Mystery Hour on Arizona's KSCW. But instead of chatting about charming cozies, Harriet ends up screaming bloody murder over the airwaves after discovering the body of Howard Buell, the station's programming director, in a closet--with a pair of sewing shears shoved into his chest.

The number one suspect is Howard's ex-girlfriend Sylvia Strattlemeyer who believed she was going to host a sewing talk show before Harriet was offered the spot. But not only do the fingerprints found on the scissors not match Sylvia's, they belong to a woman who passed away twenty years ago at the age of ninety-seven. Now, with the whole town on pins and needles, it's up to Phee to stitch together enough clues from the past to uncover the identity of a killer in the present...

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in almost one sitting. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. 

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved 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.  There were two mysteries to solve and even with the red herrings Sophie is able to put the pieces together . 

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,

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The Smoking Bun by Chelsea Thomas

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “The Smoking Bun“ book 10 in the ”Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery” series by Chelsea Thomas. I love spending time in Pine Grove, NY. with Miss May, Chelsea and Teeny!

All it took was one gooey cinnamon bun...

...to change Pine Grove forever

Yeah, murders can be sticky. But this killing was unlike anything the girls had investigated before.

It's a small-town, so everyone knows everyone else, and every window sill has a fresh baked pie waiting to cool. But that doesn't mean nothing bad ever happens.

Lucky for Pine Grove, Miss May, Teeny and Chelsea are sharper than ever.

Cinnamon buns are delicious. No one disputes that fact. But this murder wasn't soft and fluffy. So the girls need to roll up their sleeves and get to work...

...because it's up to them to find the smoking bun.

Get it now.m

I enjoyed this latest instalment in the series, the characters are well-developed and we continue to learn a little bit more about each of them. My favourites are still Teeny, aunt May and Chelsea.  There is still a love triangle with Germany and Wayne wanting Chelsea’s affection but could this be ending ...

The mystery has so many twists and red hearings that you are kept guessing until the very end. I continue to enjoy this cozy mystery series. I find them to be entertaining and the plot moves at a steady pace that keeps you engaged.  Also Steve the dog continues to dig hole's for Chelsea and what has he dug up this time .... 

I can’t wait for the next instalment to find out!

I highly recommend this book/series. It can easily stand alone but I recommend you read the series from the beginning.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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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Dead and Breakfast by Lily Webb

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Dead and Breakfast" the first instalment in Lily Webb's new Paranormal Cozy Mystery series. I am a huge fan of Lily’s other paranormal cozy series so was super excited to read her new one, and I wasn’t disappointed!

You made your bed, now die in it…

Bored barista Selena Smith’s life is so normal it hurts — until an eccentric old woman claiming to be her aunt appears in the cafe. She insists on Selena coming to work at the Kindred Spirits Inn, her remote bed-and-breakfast. The only problem? The inn and its guests are anything but normal.

When Selena arrives at Kindred Spirits, she discovers magic radiating from the inn's every surface, paranormal patrons prowling its halls, and an inexplicable new ability to see flashes of the past.

But Selena’s newfound powers aren't spiriting away all the guests. Someone — or something — lurking in Kindred Spirits is desperate to exorcise her from the inn before she exposes all the skeletons hanging in the closet of Room 666.

Will Selena’s psychic sleuthing lead her to the truth? Or will the killer make sure she checks out for good?

I loved this instalment, Selena and her BFF Jadis are delightful and I loved aunt Blair.  Like I have said with respect to her other books Lily is very talented in her descriptive writing and because of this your pulled into the story right away.  I read in about 4 hours, on Halloween which was fitting as the story ends on Halloween night.

There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing on who the culprit was. Overall this was a great paranormal cozy and I hope there will be plenty more to come.

I highly recommend this series to all my friends.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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

Hugs, 

Hollyberry Homicide by Sharon Farrow

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Hollyberry Homicide" the 5th instalment in the "A Berry Basket Mystery" series by Sharon Farrow.  This can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading in order.   I found it to be a fun and entertaining Christmas read.

A cold wind is blowing off Lake Michigan, and murder is scaring the dickens out of everyone . . .

 
Considering her name, Marlee Jacob is an obvious choice for the role of Jacob Marley in Oriole Point’s production of A Christmas Carol. It’s just sad that the role has opened up because of the death of the elderly actor who’d originally been cast.
 
But Marlee, the proprietor of The Berry Basket, will do her best to keep spirits high—that is, until clues start mounting that there’s danger behind the scenes. There are accidents on set, the tree in the village square topples over, and worst of all, a body is found with a sprig of holly draped over it. If Marlee can’t wrap up the case, she may not have a berry merry Christmas . . .
 
Includes Berry Recipes!

I really enjoyed this story, and it has made me want to catch up on the series.  I have several books in my TBR pile. I loved all the Christmas cheer and the friendships between the main characters.

The mystery was interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed.
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 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,

A Garland of Bones by Carolyn Haines

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing  "A Garland of Bones" by Carolyn Haines the 22nd instalment in the "A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery" series. I really enjoy this series.

Spunky southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney tackles a string of strange accidents while celebrating the holiday season in Carolyn Haines's cozy A Garland of Bones

Sarah Booth has traded in hosting this Christmas season for a road trip with her besties. Each little Delta town has a special Christmas activity, and Sarah Booth’s bff and detective partner, Tinkie, has arranged to rent a limo for the gang and drive to Columbus, MS, to stay in a B&B. Visions of Christmas shopping, parade floats, and romantic rendezvous are already dancing in their heads.

But Christmas cheer soon turns to Christmas fear when, at one event after another, people keep getting hurt. Christmas karaoke gets ugly when one singer’s microphone gives her an electric shock. A party during a historic home tour ends with a fall down the stairs for one of Columbus’s most disreputable “players.” And when the woman who hires Sarah Booth to find the villain behind the so-called accidents is nearly killed with an arrow during a holiday mumming, Sarah Booth knows something more sinister is at work.

The Christmas bells are ringing hauntingly in Columbus this year, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie—with a little help from hunky Sheriff Coleman Peters, of course—are determined to catch the wrong-doers and ensure they receive nothing but coal in their stockings.

I enjoyed taking a trip to Columbus, MS, to stay in a B&B with Sarah and the gang. Sarah Booth is a strong and intelligent protagonist and all the characters are fully developed. I loved that Sarah Booth and her friends took a trip away before the christmas holidays.  We were able to get a better glimpse into the personal dynamics of each relationship.  The inclusion of her haint (Dahlia House's ghost Jetty) always brings a chuckle as i can imagine what Sarah looks like talking to herself.

There were plenty of twists and turns and lots of suspects to choose from to keep you intrigued.  I found this book to be a real page-turner, suspenseful, read that had me second guessing up till the end. 

 
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.

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

Hugs,

Veiled in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Veiled in Death” the 6th instalment in the "Wedding Planner" Mystery series by Stephanie Blackmoore.   I have read only two other books previously and this can be read as a stand alone but you will want to read in order.

Wedding planner Mallory Shepard doesn't have time to organize her own nuptials--because right now she's engaged in solving a murder . . . 

When Mallory discovers some old lace at a Port Quincy antique shop, she knows it'll make a perfect headpiece. But she's barely gotten it out of the store before Helene Pierce tears it from her hands. Helene claims it's a family heirloom that went missing when her late husband died in a hit-and-run twenty-five years ago.

The conflict gets more complicated when the veil is attributed to none other than famed seamstress Betsy Ross. Mallory may have a genuine museum piece on her hands, but meanwhile Independence Day is right around the corner and she has to host the town's Revolutionary War re-enactment. Then it becomes clear there's a bigger mystery behind all this history when a local woman is murdered with a musket--and Mallory's investigation could set off some fireworks . . . 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish, there was so much happening re-enactments, history, Mallory’s wedding and a little murder. There was more than one mystery to solve and I liked how it was all woven together so neatly that nothing seemed out of place. We got to know the characters their feelings, relationships and care about the outcome.  Amongst all this there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing on the identity of the killer.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series and book 7 when it comes out.

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,

Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing "Booked for Death" the 1st instalment in the "A Booklover's B&B Mystery" series by Victoria Gilbert. I think this is a great start to a new series.

From the critically acclaimed author of SIBA Okra Pick A Murder for the Books, Victoria Gilbert embarks with a new series for perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Juliet Blackwell.

A book lover's B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder--and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth.

Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader's paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It's the perfect literary retreat--until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey.

The victim's daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises.

Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt's name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer's death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer--or end up writing her own final chapter.

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in almost one sitting. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises.  I did guess the killer before Charlotte but I still found this to be a fun easy read.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters of Ellen, and the Sandberg sisters and I think Charlotte and her BFF Julie will grow on me as the series unfolds.  

I can’t wait to read the next book and see how things are at Chapters B&B in Beaufort, North Carolina.

I highly recommend this book 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,