Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Three Widows and a Corpse review

November 6, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Food Blogger series by Debra Sennefelder who used to be a food blogger herself. It’s quickly become a new favorite series of mine, and I was happy to return for a late summer visit to Jefferson, CT and visit with some of my favorite cozy characters. Drew always cracks me up! He’s like Hope’s pesky little brother, but he’s really a true friend, and she’s one to him as well. Hope and Claire got some sister moments in. I won’t spoil the second book if you haven’t read it, but Claire had an epiphany about her career future.

My Goodreads review:

Three Widows and a Corpse by Debra Sennefelder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stumbling onto another dead body again put Hope in the cross hairs of a killer, but she wasn’t going to let that or Det. Reid stop her from investigating. The case was a crazy one with three women claiming to be the dead guy’s wives. I liked the side story of Claire coming to a decision about a new career path and Hope attempting to help guide her. But like all sisters, they usually managed to disagree where good sense was concerned sometimes. It’s a good thing that Claire was at Hope’s house at the particular time she was though!

Another enjoyable side story was Hope’s assignment working at a magazine that was collaborating with her blog. There was a definite connection to the case though. I love that Hope and Ethan’s relationship has grown and gotten better, and even though he stayed fairly busy with the investigation in this book, he took time out to come and see her. Since this book has it heading toward Labor Day and fall, I’m really hoping to see a Christmas season book out next. I have no idea what the next book in the author’s mind is, but I’d sure love it if it was a Thanksgiving-into-Christmas and covered both seasons. I could picture Hope doing some pretty awesome Christmas trees in her old house!

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Christmas Sweets review

November 3, 2019 Tari Hann

This is a fun Christmasy collection of mysteries, one of which is a murder. The other two were such enjoyable mysteries that the lack of a murder to solve didn’t bother me at all. I found out that I really love the characters of Jaine Austen and her hilarious cat, Prozac. I definitely need to get to that soon, maybe in the new year.

My Goodreads review:

Christmas Sweets by Joanne Fluke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first compiled short Christmas stories volume that I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. It didn’t seem to matter where a person was in the series. Each book just fit in well.

In the Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke, we met Matt and Julie a couple of love-struck teachers who volunteered to stay with some kids at boarding school over Christmas. There was no murder, but it was a fun little mystery that Hannah got involved in, since she was baking cookies and desserts for the kids and the two teachers. I enjoyed all these short story characters a lot!

After reading Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine, I was laughing so much that I just knew I wanted to start reading the Jaine Austen series soon. Oh my goodness, the descriptions of some of the funny scenes had me laughing out loud, especially when Jaine’s cat Prozac got loose at the mall. This was a good murder mystery. There weren’t a lot of suspects and I was a little suspicious of who ended up being the killer.

The third story, The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier focused on Elizabeth Stone, Lucy’s daughter that we don’t really read much about in the books that are about their daily lives. I just knew that Lucy would come to her rescue when poor Elizabeth was accused of being in on the theft of a mega-valuable jewel collection at the hotel where she worked. Miss Tilley came along (I just love this lady!) and the 90-something’s computer skills definitely came in handy in sifting out a perp. Elizabeth got a very happy ending out of the little story!

These three stories just showed how very different Christmas celebrations can be, but the main thing with people is being around those they love, or in Jaine’s case, a pet she loves. Despite Prozac being crazy-kitty-from-Elm Street sometimes, she loves the little bugger a lot!

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Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder review

October 28, 2019 Tari Hann

When I saw this book on NetGalley and that it took place in a bookshop, I just had to request it to review. It’s set in a fun little town in Mississippi with some great new characters. The book club ladies made me laugh with their sleuthing plans and antics. It was amazing what a former teacher could say to get a favor from a former student who happens to be police chief. 😉 I’m anxious to read more in this series!

Photo was found searching on Google under “licensed for reuse.” This is the book that the ladies were supposed to be discussing but wanted to talk about the murder instead.

My Goodreads review:

Can’t Judge a Book By Its Murder by Amy Lillard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really enjoyable bunch of new characters, and I got such a kick out of the book club ladies wanting to do their sleuthing in such a way that Arlo must have felt like she was herding cats trying to keep them under control and out of danger. I liked Arlo and her bestie Chloe. They worked well together at their business, and Arlo was a fierce and faithful friend when Chloe was charged with murder. She was relentless at trying to prove her best friend’s innocence, and I know Chloe and her little boy truly appreciated it. Mads, not so much, but he seemed to have an incredibly large amount of patience with Arlo–possibly because they dated in high school, but maybe because he’s just a nice guy to begin with. I also enjoyed the character of Frances, the seventy-something woman who worked the desk at the police station. She was a great source of info and gossip.

I loved how when Arlo realized who the killer was, she raced to where she needed to be but managed to get Sam to call the police for backup. Both men who liked Arlo were her exes from high school, and for once I’m a little stumped as to which guy I like for her, although I always tend to lean toward the law enforcement officials in a case like this. Not sure why, but I don’t get tired of that theme of the sleuth liking the cop. Sam does seem nice, and he’s well-liked by the book club ladies. I’ll definitely be interested in reading more in this series and visiting this sweet southern town again.

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

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Monthly Motif Reading Challenge 2020

October 27, 2019October 27, 2019 Tari Hann

This one will be a new one for me. It’s run by Kim and Tanya of Girlxoxo, and this is their Montly Motif Reading Challenge 2020 sign-up link.

NOTE: Image is from the Girl xoxo site and created by Kim and Tanya.

Hopefully books I pick for other challenges will fit in here too. This is the list of monthly motifs, and when it’s closer to the beginning of the year, I hope to have a tentative list of books I hope to read for it:

MOTIFS (THEMES) FOR EACH MONTH

JANUARY- Winter Wonderland

Focusing on ‘wonderland’, read a book set in a truly wonderful place- somewhere you’ve always thought was beautiful, somewhere with a wonderfully rich culture, a snowy setting, or maybe even a magical realm. It’s your interpretation, so have fun with it.

FEBRUARY- Seeing Red

Read a book with the word ‘red’ in the title OR a book with a red-ish cover. Bonus if it has both.

MARCH- Sub-Genre Sound Off

Choose a sub-genre of your favorite genre and read a book from it. Make sure you mention the sub genre you chose in your review. (Ex. Sub Genres of Fantasy could be Magical Realism, Fairytale Retellings, or Epic Fantasy to name just a few.)

APRIL- Classics or Currents

Read a book published before the year you were born (classic-ish) OR a book published between April 2019 and April 2020 (current.)

MAY- Author Introduction

Read a book written by an author who you’ve never read anything by. Bonus if its been on your TBR for more than a year.

JUNE- Name or Number

Read a book in which a name OR a number is part of the title. Bonus if the title includes both a name and a number.

JULY- Around or Out of this World

Read a book set in a country other than the one you live in OR written by an author who is from a country other than your own OR read a book that takes place in space or on another planet.

AUGUST- Creature Feature

Read a book that includes a creature of some kind on the cover or in the story. Cat, dog, dragon, werewolf – mythical or real – find a book that features a creature.

SEPTEMBER- When Text Just Isn’t Enough

Read a book that includes more than just text. Maybe it’s a map, a family tree, illustrations, documents like emails or letters- something else that helps to paint the picture.

OCTOBER- Thrills and Chills

Ghost stories, haunted houses, true crime, murder mysteries, a thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat- it’s up to you!

NOVEMBER- Dynamic Duos

Read a book with a couple of characters that make the perfect pair whether in business or in love. (Ex. Sherlock & Holmes, Elizabeth & Darcy)

DECEMBER- Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice

Holiday or winter themed reads, love stories and romances, happy cries, comedies; round out your year with a truly feel good read.

Here’s the sign-up post at Kim and Tanya’s blog again. Have fun if you decide to join us!

Monthly Key Word Challenge 2020

October 27, 2019October 27, 2019 Tari Hann

Last year was my first year to do this challenge, and I’ve had fun finding books to go with the words. Bev from My Reader’s Block ran it last year and the year before, but now Kim and Tanya of Girl xoxo who originated the challenge are hosting it once again. The link I used was Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge 2020 by Girl xoxo.

NOTE: The image above was found on My Reader’s Block, may have been made by Girlxoxo, and I’m only using it since I couldn’t find any other image to use for this challenge.

To read all the details and rules, please use the link above as there’s no point in copy and pasting everything already on Kim and Tanya’s site. The main thing is to read one book with one or more of the keywords in the title. Variations of words can be used, or synonyms can be used (the example on the Girl xoxo site is that “cinder” or “ashes” could be used for a keyword of “fire.”)

For more details, if you have questions or want to sign up, the link again is: Girl xoxo’s Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge 2020.

Here’s the keyword list we’ll be using this year and if/when I choose books ahead of time, I’ll post those closer to the beginning of the new year:

MONTHLY KEY WORDS

JANUARY – Water, This, Hello, Sun, New, Six

FEBRUARY – Girl, Any, Love, Red, Note, Throne

MARCH – Dream, Day, In, House, Luck, Friend

APRIL – Lost, Below, City, Jewel, Night, My

MAY – Sky, Name, Blue, Book, Enchant, Is

JUNE – And, Beach, Number, Wish, Down, Word

JULY – Boy, Last, Day, Into, Dear, Summer

AUGUST – Kiss, Flower, When, Happy, North, Right

SEPTEMBER – Star, Cry, She, Window, Forever, Eye

OCTOBER – Haunt, Around, Shadow, Grave, Murder, Deep

NOVEMBER – Look, Forest, Out, Color, Lock, Now

DECEMBER – Sword, Magic, Fly, Of, Silver, Crown

Calendar of Crime Challenge 2020

October 26, 2019January 13, 2020 Tari Hann

This was a fun challenge this year (yes, I still need to update the blog page, but I’ll do that when my craft shows are done), so I am happy to join Bev at My Reader’s Block once again for the Calendar of Crime Challenge for next year.

If you want to join the fun, visit the link highlighted above and fill out the form. You don’t need a blog, so if you don’t have one or yours isn’t a book one, you can easily keep track on Goodreads.

Instead of copy and pasting all the details here, I’ll just send you right over to Bev’s and let you read everything there from the challenge leader herself. Here’s the link again to sign up for the Calendar of Crime for 2020 at My Reader’s Block. Have fun! This challenge definitely gave me the push I needed to get some fun cozies read. If you end up with any questions, just ask Bev on that page.

January book: Jammed by Deany Ray, prompt #7, starts with J

Deadly Ride by Jody Holford review

October 24, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the newer Britton Bay series by Jody Holford, and it’s quickly become a favorite series with a sweet town and familiar, comfortable characters. I like the addition of Sarah who has the art shop in town as Chris’s girlfriend now. I think Sam may have felt like he was being left out, since Sam and Molly are so close. Sam was definitely in his element in this book with the mystery surrounding a car show that his garage was sponsoring. I really hope there’s a Christmas book in store for this series!

(photo found on Google search, courtest of Wikimedia Commons, came up under licensed for reuse).

My Goodreads review:

Deadly Ride by Jody Holford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another very sweet installment in one of my favorite new cozy mystery series! I love how Molly and Sam are growing closer in each book, but it doesn’t take anything away from the mystery to hear about their romance. I can definitely handle this type of romance along with my cozy mysteries.

I had a feeling of whodunit, but as usual, I had no idea why other than an obvious reason, which all of the suspects had obvious reasons for wanting the car show co-owner dead. Molly has always been very impulsive and doesn’t do well listening to authority, so it’s a good thing that Chris the detective is also a friend of Sam’s. I think that gives him a higher tolerance of her. Chris did give her a cute birthday gift at the end. I enjoyed the part where Sam went with Molly to stake out Sarah’s art shop. She’d been having some break-ins, but barely anything had gone missing. Sam was so sweet to tag along and not ask a million questions. I’m hoping that before too long we get to hear some wedding bells for these two sleuths!

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Read and Buried review

October 7, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the sixth book in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates who is also known as Vicki Delaney, author of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series as well as the Year Round Christmas series. The latter series just had a new release this summer. I made it my goal to have the Lighthouse Library caught up by the time this book was coming out, and I’m happy to say that it did happen. I had read Spook in the Stacks and Something Read, Something Dead as ARCs but only in that order, so I had definitely wanted to start at the beginning. I hope there are many more books in this series, because I have a feeling there’s still a ton of historical and book connections that could be made to upcoming mysteries.

My Goodreads review:

Read and Buried by Eva Gates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m completely caught up in this series after reading this book and as always, I’m really anxious for another book in the series. It’s always fun how the book that the library book club is reading goes along with the mystery, and there’s some type of Outer Banks historical tie-in as well. This book had all of the above as well as a happy historical ending for the family that it affected.

The showdown was pretty exciting and oddly enough it was out among everyone at the Settlers’ Day event. Lucy found out that sometimes the biggest pests can come in handy by saving a person’s life. The whole story had revolved around a mysterious map and page of lettering that had been found under the library, so it was interesting to see everyone working together toward the end to decipher the code and find out what exactly had been hidden there for 150 years. Charles the cat may not have caught himself a killer this time, but he was very useful in getting rid of a library intruder. I really hope that another book in the series will be coming now that the series has a new publisher home.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. This book publishes on October 15, 2019.

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Hounds of the Basket Stitch review

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the third in the renamed Black Sheep Knitting series, which is now called Black Sheep & Company. The author had to switch publishers, but the series had eight books published as Black Sheep Knitting. No worries, it’s the same great characters you knew in the original books, and they’re just as good in these later books. I’m not nearly caught up, but I’ve read the first two in the Black Sheep Knitting and can never resist getting an ARC of the latest Black Sheep book coming out.

You’ll enjoy this mystery a lot. Each book has seemed to focus one one of the core characters, and this was Dana’s turn. Dana is one of the knitters who definitely joined Maggie’s group as a stress release, because she’s a psychologist. What I love most about the group is their camaraderie in good times and bad. There’s always food, fellowship and of course, knitting! Pick it up at your favorite book dealer or ask your library to get it for you. It comes out on October 29.

My Goodreads review:

Hounds of the Basket Stitch by Anne Canadeo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hadn’t read a book in this series since last December and couldn’t resist going ahead with this ARC copy even though it doesn’t publish until October 29. I hadn’t realized how much I missed visiting Plum Harbor and the Black Sheep knitting friends. I really enjoyed the characters of Rose and Holly and hope that they show up in another book. This mystery was a bit different with the murder happening much later, but the actions toward the beginning were a little more important than the later murder, since it was an attack on Dana’s goddaughter who spent a lot of the book in the hospital. I always love how these characters, as different as their personalities are, always work great together especially when it comes to solving murders.

There were some great plot twists, and I was really surprised at the showdown which was short but great. Everything was wrapped up just right as usual and ended with the friends being together. One of them even welcomed a cute furry pup into their family.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, and my opinions are my own.

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Beyond a Reasonable Stout review

October 2, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Sloan Krause series by Ellie Alexander who also writes the Bakeshop series. The Sloan Krause series is set in the picturesque Bavarian style village of Leavenworth, Washington, and ever since I started reading this series, I thought this would be a fun place to visit. Until that happens for real, I’m enjoying reading this series. Sloan’s had a tough life so far, but she doesn’t let it get her down. She’s kind and always willing to help someone. Sloan’s search for her birth parents is the side mystery in this series, sort of how in the Pacific Northwest series (by Ellie’s other name, Kate Dyer-Seeley) Meg Reed was searching for information on her father’s death. A side mystery with a bit of a cliffhanger is kind of fun, and it definitely makes me look forward to the next book.

My Goodreads review:

Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s been over a year since I read the second book in this series, so I was really ready to go back to Leavenworth, WA and see what Sloan and her friends were up to. An incumbent city council member was going around saying that when he got re-elected, the town was going to become dry. Everyone was up in arms at that, because beer was their livelihood, so they were happy that a woman named Valerie was running against him and from the looks of popular opinion, would win. When the town’s most pesky woman, real estate agent April, was arrested for the murder, Sloan couldn’t believe that April could murder anyone. Pester them to death maybe, but not literally kill someone. Before she knew it, she was involved with another case, but like before, Chief Meyers asked for her input. I like the chief and that she has been recognizing that Sloan’s people skills can be useful.

I had a sneaky feeling early on that I knew who the culprit was going to be, but I didn’t know why of course, so I had fun reading along and letting myself be pulled in by the red herrings. The showdown and take down were quick, but it was definitely satisfying to see the killer in custody. Sloan’s own little mystery about her birth parents intensified some more, and there is a bit of a cliff hanger on that subject, so I’m very anxious for the next book. Each of these books has had a little something similar at the end, and it reminds me a lot of the ongoing side mystery that was in the Pacific Northwest series that this author wrote under another name.

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