Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Wined and Died in New Orleans review

February 7, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Vintage Cookbooks Mysteries by one of my all-time fave cozy authors, Ellen Byron who wrote the hugely successful Cajun Country series that I was so sad to see come to an end. But she started writing this series and it’s an awesome alternative to it, so I do hope it goes as long or even longer than the other one. The same sense of family and friendship is there in both the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, and I hope there’re lots more stories to tell with this set of amazing and dynamic characters.

I love Ricki and Virgil’s dogs so much and little Thor holds a special place in my heart since my friend always had chihuahuas, so I found a picture to represent Thor.

#BerkleyPublishing #EllenByron

My Goodreads review:

Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m absolutely loving this series and this book might’ve been better than the first! Poor Eugenia seemed to have relatives coming out from every woodwork wanting to contest Aunt Vee’s will. One might be the real deal, but are the others fakes? And one relative wasn’t even interested in the will, just having a little shell shock at the moment.

Speaking of relatives (legit ones that is!) I just loved Olivia’s character as Eugenia’s granddaughter and hope she hangs around for the rest of the series (which I hope is at least as long as Cajun Country was). She’s fresh and funny and even taught Ricki and her Grams a thing or two. It’s hard to not spill secrets while I gush over loving this book, so I’ll just say to let the good times roll and read this awesome book to learn some fun secrets. It’s super satisfying when the ones set out to do wrong get what they deserve! In true NOLA style, family and friends celebrated with all their fave foods and drinks.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Cheddar Late Than Dead review

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries by cozy mystery author Linda Reilly who also wrote the Cat Lady mysteries as well as the older Deep Fried Mysteries. Carly hadn’t been widowed too long when the series first started, so I’m happy she’s got someone like Ari who’s willing to take things slow. She’s a strong lady, but even strong people need someone sometimes. I just love her little Havarti pup! He’s adorable and I think he knows it! 😉 I can wait to read the next book whenever it’s out. Look for this book today, January 31, 2023.

#PoisonedPenPress #LindaReilly

My Goodreads review:

Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great visiting with Carly and all her friends again-and still wishing her shop was real, lol. Carly had an almost locked door type murder mystery on her hands but thanks to her pestering, er I mean tenacity in getting a videographer to show her the murder day footage more than once, she finally came up with something. Hopefully it wasn’t too late! You’ll just have to read and find out but the showdown was pretty epic! Go Carly!

The side mystery of a missing person definitely tied in so I won’t give any details on that but just wanted to say I did suspect the right person fairly early and for the right reasons. There was something else I’d thought of that wasn’t even part of it though. Another side mystery concerned Carly’s new manager, but that ended up having an awesome ending too. And I love where Carly and Ari are in their relationship. Hopefully it’ll lead to much more eventually.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. It’s available today, January 31, 2023.

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Four Leaf Cleaver review

January 25, 2023January 25, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the eleventh book in the long-running Country Store Mysteries by Maddie Day aka Edith Maxwell. I’ve read this series from the beginning, and the characters are like old friends to me. I especially like Buck Bird–he’s such a good ole boy and turns a super colorful phrase. I got a good chuckle when Robbie and Abe were trying to one-up on how hungry they were by coming up with Buck-isms, lol. Too much fun! There’re a couple really fun things that happen after the perp’s hauled away, but you’ll need to read for yourself!

#KensingtonCozies #MaddieDay

My Goodreads review:

Four Leaf Cleaver by Maddie Day
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At least this death in her building didn’t force Robbie to close the restaurant and shop part of her business, but her sleuthing kicked in and even old Oscar might’ve admitted she could be helpful. Well, except for when she’d fending off a killer and needs some backup.

I loved the family moments with Robbie and Sean. She even came up with a nickname for him that he approved of. He’s really grown into a super nice older teen, but he’d always been a pretty nice kid since he’s Abe’s son. Sean’ll make a good sleuthing buddy someday but for now it was safer to have him do online research. I did feel so sorry for Robbie who seemed to be surrounded by women with either new babies or babies on the way. I definitely was in her shoes at one point a long time ago.

Good news was celebrated by all at the end with all the pieces of the case fitting in and being explained. I’m eager to see what the next book brings!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Against the Currant review

January 24, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new series by Olivia Matthews who’s known for her Sister Lou and Peach Coast Library cozy mysteries. If you want to take a peek at her actual picture and info, her main bio can be found at Patricia Sargeant. Unfortunately, the way the book listing was done on Goodreads, somehow the series name wasn’t included as a link, but Amazon’s showing the second book for this series which comes out in May. Here’s Hard Dough Homicide in its Amazon listing. I’m not an affiliate and this is just the product link.

#St.MartinsPaperbacks #OliviaMatthews

My Goodreads review:

Against the Currant: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery by Olivia Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved meeting Lyndsay and her big, awesome family. Her Granny just cracked me up–she was definitely my fave character! All the characters and descriptions really helped me feel like I was there in that section of Brooklyn even though I’ve never been shopping there. (My only quick Brooklyn experience included eating at Junior’s and seeing the house used for the exterior of Blue Bloods lol). Aside from the mean guy who was dead, most of these people were so amazing in how they protected each other and came together as family/good friends to support Lyndsay.

I was definitely surprised by the whodunit since I had someone else in mind all together. That was a great showdown and I was cheering the whole time as Lyndsay kicked some serious behind. She was more grateful than ever for the kickboxing she’d done since age thirteen. The ending was my favorite type with food, family and friends along with everything being explained completely. I’m eager to see what other kinds of adventures my new book friends come up with in the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Gone but Not for Garden review

January 24, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Goddess of Greene St. Mysteries by Kate Collins who wrote the Abby Knight Flower Shop that became a Hallmark movie series. And speaking of our pal, Abby, she got to guest star in this book and solve the mystery along with Athena and Case which was lotsa great book fun.

#KensingtonCozies #KateCollins

My Goodreads review:

Gone But Not for Garden by Kate Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was so much fun to see both this author’s main characters actually working on case together as Abby Salvare came to get Athena and Case’s help clearing her cousin of murder. What a crazy case with lots of secrets coming to light.

I could so commiserate with Athena about going to fairs! I’m definitely not a fan and don’t like those crowds either lol, but she did what she had to for family and for the case at hand. Speaking of Case, I liked how close Athena and Case were now. They seemed to be in a nice, comfortable spot in their relationship but I could tell Athena wasn’t too wild about PDA. But she did get to see how cute Marco and Abby were together and probably kinda wished that for her and Case.

That was some showdown but Abby and Athena proved themselves totally capable. I hadn’t really settled on a whodunit, so I just let the girls and Case take the lead lol. Little Oscar the raccoon did get to play a role in the showdown, and now Athena was grateful that Nico had taught the little guy how to play ball. Abby and Jillian got a big, happy Greek sendoff when they left, but I’d love to see these two ladies work together again. Even Lila was on her A-game this time, so it was definitely a team effort to solve the case.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Irish Coffee Murder review

January 23, 2023 Tari Hann

This book’s coming out just in time for St. Patrick’s Day this year, a little switch-up from the usual Halloween or Christmas anthology by some favorite Kensington cozy authors. I love the central theme and how the authors used it in their stories. It’ll be available to everyone tomorrow, January 24, 2023.

My Goodreads review:

Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was pretty cool getting a collection of short stories for St. Paddy’s Day. We usually see a collection around Halloween or Christmas, so this gave the stories a different spin. The main theme was Irish coffee having something to do with murder, but I liked how Barbara Ross differently incorporated it into her mystery. She has a little about that and some other interesting things in her acknowledgements at the. end. We even got a couple of Sergio-isms in the Hayley Powell story, so that was an added plus especially for a novella! Overall a fun way to celebrate your Irish or someone else’s this coming St. Paddy’s Day.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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2023 NetGalley/Edelweiss Challenge

January 7, 2023December 28, 2023 Tari Hann

UPDATE: This’ll serve as my wrap-up post for 2023 as well, 93 done for this year, so I fell short 7 of my Diamond goal.

January—8
1. The Game Is a Footnote—Vicki Delany
2. Snuffed Out—Valona Jones
3. Irish Coffee Murder—Meier, Hollis and Ross
4. Gone but Not for Garden—Kate Collins
5. Against the Currant—Olivia Matthews
6. Four Leaf Cleaver—Maddie Day
7. Cozy Case Files Volume 17—various authors
8. Cheddar Late Than Dead—Linda Reilly

February—4
1. Wined and Died in New Orleans—Ellen Byron
2. A Killer Unleashed—Jackie Layton
3. In Farm’s Way—Amanda Flower
4. Primer and Punishment—Diane Kelly

March—5
1. The Raven Thief—Gigi Pandian
2. Strike Out 4 Murder—J.C. Eaton
3. Curds of Prey—Korina Moss
4. A Flicker of a Doubt—Daryl Wood Gerber
5. Witch Way Out—Cate Conte

April–11
1. Four Parties and a Murder—Maria DiRico
2. The Bark of Zorro—Kathleen Y’Barbo
3. Eat, Drink and Drop Dead—T.C. LoTempio
4. No Small Murder—Lena Gregory
5. Paper Cuts—Ellery Adams
6. Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust—Mindy Quigley
7. Mother of the Bride Murder—Leslie Meier
8. Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie—Sarah Graves
9. Cinnamon Twisted—Ginger Bolton
10. Dedication to Murder—Lauren Elliott
11. Poaching Is Puzzling—Daryl Wood Gerber

May—9
1. Tell-Tale Bones—Carolyn Haines
2. Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star—Lee Hollis
3. Flat White Fatality—Emmaline Duncan
4. Witch Upon a Star—Angela M. Sanders
5. The Diva Delivers on a Promise—Krista Davis
6. Hard Dough Homicide—Olivia Matthews
7. Give Fudge a Chance—Nancy Coco
8. Blueberry Blunder—Amanda Flower
9. Murder Off the Books—Tamara Berry

June—7
1. Death Knells and Wedding Bells—Eva Gates
2. Songs of Wine and Murder—Lynn Cahoon
3. How the Murder Crumbles—Debra Sennefelder
4. Murder is a Piece of Cake—Valerie Burns
5. A Murder of Aspic Proportions—Amy Lillard
6. Fatal Fudge Swirl—Meri Allen
7. Death Steals the Spotlight—T.C. LoTempio

July—12
1. Every Dog Has His Day—Janice Thompson
2. Macarons Can Be Murder—Rose Betancourt
3. Take the Honey and Run—Jennie Marts
4. A Fatal Groove—Olivia Blacke
5. All That Glitters Isn’t Gold—Gabby Allan
6. Mischief Nights are Murder—Libby Klein
7. Pink Lemonade Murder—Joanne Fluke
8. A Shimmer of Red—Valerie Wilson Wesley
9. Steeped in Malice—Vicki Delany
10. Death of a Clam Digger—Lee Hollis
11. Murder at the Book Lover’s Loft—Ellery Adams
12. Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant—Darci Hannah

August—7
1. A Sense of Murder—Leslie Karst
2. A Clue in the Crumbs—Lucy Burdette
3. Nine Lives and Alibis—Cate Conte
4. Catch Me If You Candy—Ellie Alexander
5. Halloween Cupcake Murder—O’Connor, Ireland, Perry
6. Mrs. Morris and the Wolfman—Traci Wilton
7. Murder at a Cape Bookstore—Maddie Day

September—6
1. Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas—Vicki Delany
2. Having a Fudgy Christmas Time—Nancy Coco
3. Case of the Bleus—Korina Moss
4. Hanging by a Thread—Dorothy Howell
5. Killer Hooks—Betty Hechtman
6. Christmas Mittens Murder—Hollis, Cahoon and Day

October—12
1. New Leash on Life—Kathleen Y’Barbo
2. Caught on the Book—Laura Gail Black
3. Murders of a Feather—Eileen Brady
4. Overdue or Die—Allison Brook
5. Murder by the Seashore—Samara Yew
6. A Nutcracker Nightmare—Christina Romeril
7. In the Wick of Time—Valona Jones
8. Stalking Around the Christmas Tree—Jacqueline Frost
9. The Fatal Folio—Elizabeth Penney
10. Snow Place for Murder—Diane Kelly
11. A Parfait Crime—Maya Corrigan
12. Murder Uncorked—Maddie Day

November—7
1. Syrup to No Good—Catherine Bruns
2. Spoon to Be Dead—Dana Mentink
3. Murder Checks Out—Victoria Gilbert
4. Trotting Into Trouble—Amber Camp
5. Murder on Tour—VM Burns
6. A Twisted Skein—Sally Goldenbaum
7. Murder by the Cup—Lauren Elliott

December—5 (93 for the year)
1. Death by Demo—Callie Carpenter
2. Deep Fried Death—Maddie Day
3. Irish Milkshake Murder
4. Coconut Drop Dead—Olivia Matthews
5. Public Anchovy #1—Mindy Quigley

SIGN UP POST FOR 2023: I’m a little late as always, lol, but I’m doing the NetGalley and Edelweiss challenge at Yvonne/Socrates’ site again and will do the same as last year and post the final list at the end of the year. In 2022, I made Diamond level like I was hoping to, so I’ll go for that again this year.

Here’s the wrap up for 2022 if anyone’s interested in seeing the books as a list: My 2022 NetGalley and Edelweiss challenge.

The Game Is a Footnote review

January 7, 2023 Tari Hann

Happy 2023 to all! Glad to be back with my first review of 2023, the eighth book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mysteries by Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates who writes Lighthouse Library series.) This one was a fun puzzler for sure! Gemma got her sleuthing game on and even got a little assistance from her visiting sister. There were some crazy and seemingly unexplainable things going on at the museum, so grab the book when it’s released this coming Tuesday and enjoy!

#CrookedLaneBooks #VickiDelany

My Goodreads review:

The Game Is a Footnote by Vicki Delany
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Readers who enjoyed the spooky-ish elements in this author’s Lighthouse Library series she writes as Eva Gates will love the idea of a haunted museum…or is it haunted by a flesh and blood perp? I also loved the little nod to the Lighthouse Library given in the text of the book–see if you can spot it!

Gemma sure had her hands full with Jayne’s mom begging her to help out with the supposed haunting and ever-patient Gemma went along with it while attempting to explain she wasn’t a ghost chaser. When an innocent bystander was killer, it was pretty clear that someone was trying to get rid of the museum people, and Gemma’s always-inquisitive mind wouldn’t rest until it was solved. I enjoyed how Gemma’s sister somehow got involved in the case and the fun innuendos around who her esteemed boss was. It was a sweet nod.

There was a good side story featuring Gemma’s shop assistant Ashleigh which slightly tied in with the main mystery. I liked the outcome and how Ashleigh handled things. I wasn’t too surprised at the whodunit for the main mystery and as always, explanations were shared with friends and food, a super fun way to end the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Rum and Choke review

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mysteries by Sherry Harris, and I’ve followed this series from its beginning. I love the setting and all the town characters that helped make Chloe’s transition to Florida a little nicer for her. Vivi’s even come around a lot in the four books and is more like a friend as well as a business partner. Joachim always cracks me up, and I love the pairing of Chloe with Rip. They’re such a cute couple! Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

My Goodreads review:

Rum and Choke by Sherry Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great going back to Emerald Cove to hang out with Chloe and her friends. She and Vivi have come a really long way in their strange friendship since book 1 at least. At least Vivi knows how much Chloe thought of her grandson and that she’d been grieving almost as much as Vivi had. Chloe had her plate full with training for the Barback Games as well as going with the mysterious Ann Williams. We got to see a lot more of Ann in this book than before. She was actually a main person of interest when she found a body, but I think Chloe found out that she could definitely trust this security-minded woman with her life even though she did have pirate ancestors lol.

I hadn’t really seen the whodunit coming and I can see why Ann and Chloe could consider this a gray area. The very ending was so darn sweet and just what I’d been waiting for!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Vinyl Resting Place review

December 19, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Record Shop Mysteries by newer cozy mystery author, Olivia Blacke who’s got another cozy mystery series that came out in 2021. Now I’d like to read that series too. And I randomly stumbled onto the second book in the Record Shop series on Goodreads. It’s due out July 25, and it’s called A Fatal Groove. Isn’t that a great cover? You can see Daffy the cat even better on that second book’s cover! Unfortunately, there’s no description for it yet, but that makes it more exciting to wait for, right? At least it’s not a super long wait. In the meantime, enjoy this book and maybe even give the author’s other series a try.

#StMartinsPress #OliviaBlacke

My Goodreads review:

Vinyl Resting Place by Olivia Blacke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun new offering by a a newer cozy mystery author, and it looks super promising. I love the idea of three sisters working together. Their teasing banter is lotsa fun, but you can still tell they’d each do anything for the other sisters. After the murder, most of the book was spent chasing or trying to locate rascally Uncle Calvin. Having a record store with a coffee shop in it was a fun place to center the action what with the renewed interest in records with the younger crowd and some of the boomers and older who loved it–and pretty much everyone loves a good cuppa something. The names of the coffee or tea offerings were too much fun! And Juni was just an overall fun character! We could be mother/daughter with how I totally am all about her comfortable way of wanting to dress and not dress up, lol.

After a well-placed clue, I was pretty sure I knew whodunit, and I was right! The showdown was a good one with plenty of incriminations going on, but at the very end, I loved what definitively nailed the perp! Calvin and his ex-business partner/buddy Samuel were two old curmudgeons, but I could tell the girls loved them a lot, so it’ll be interesting to see what this sleuthing bunch gets into next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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