Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Eggs on Ice–review

April 16, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the eighth book in the Cackleberry Club series by Laura Childs. I had never read any in the series before, but I think someone could easily pick up this or maybe any of the other books and not be lost. It would be nice to know the back stories of the characters, so I definitely plan to start reading this series from the beginning. I felt like I could the main characters by friends by the time the book was finished. I love the idea that the Cackleberry Club diner has an adjoining book store and a yarn shop too.

My Goodreads review:

Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even though this was the first in the series that I have read, I felt like I was quickly able to know who was who among the regular characters, and definitely by the time the book ended, I felt like I knew them and wanted to visit again. I definitely want to start reading from the beginning, but this shiny, new copy at the library just tempted me so much, I had to borrow it. The Cackleberry Club diner and its adjoining book store and knitting store sound so cool!

I actually did figure out who the killer was, but when that happens (few and far between lol), I enjoy reading along and seeing how soon the characters will pick up on it. The showdown was really good. Toni’s husband Junior had lost his trailer in a fire and was storing all his tools in Suzanne’s car. I think Suzanne was probably very thankful she still had those tools in her car when it came to confronting the killer. This was a Christmas themed book, but I can read about Christmas any time of the year. Kindred sounds like a fun place to be at Christmas, minus the murders of course!

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Murder Once Removed–review

April 15, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the brand new series released in March by S.C. Perkins. It’s called the Ancestry Detective series, and after reading what all is involved in completely tracing someone’s family history, I do agree that the genealogist has to be part detective. This took place in Texas, so of course the two families at odds with each other reminded me of the Ewings and the Barnes families from TV’s old Dallas series. I’m anxious to read the next one.

My Goodreads review:

Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an exciting beginning for the Ancestry Detective series. While I don’t do genealogy myself, I can appreciate when someone looks up family trees and ancestors. I definitely had no idea just how much work was entailed. It was interesting to see how Lucy went about her research and when she got interested in the death of a man in 1849, I definitely wanted to know how that connected to the current day conflicts between two families, one of which was a senator’s family. The other was her wealthy client. I could see how her loyalty could be torn between the two as she worked to find out the truth behind the 1849 man Seth’s murder. The two battling families reminded me a little bit of the Ewings and the Barnes families in the old Dallas show. Gus definitely made me think of J.R. and the senator could easily have been good ole Cliff Barnes.

The showdown with the killer was kind of a nail biter, because I didn’t really see how Lucy could get herself out of this mess. Her condo manager’s cat NPH (Neil Patrick Housecat who became dubbed Herocat) had something cool to do with it as well as Lucy’s own quick thinking. I liked how her annoyance with FBI Agent Ben Turner turned to a sort of friendship and maybe even more than that in coming books. He did seem to tolerate her fairly well, even though just like every amateur sleuth she had her too-daring moments that made him worry. I’m anxious to keep reading in this series!

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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Lending a Paw–review

April 8, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Bookmobile Cat series by Laurie Cass and published in 2013. I was glad to hear that a new one coming out later this year, although I won’t be surprised if I’m not caught up by then. I really enjoyed this first book and plan to continue the series. The characters are all interesting, but I hope we get a little more fleshed-out versions of them in future books. I’m sure we will, although at this point, I can’t really say I know any of them well enough yet to want to be friends. Well, except for Eddie the cat, lol. He is really the star of the book, so I guess it makes sense that he’s the one I feel closest to at this point. I love the idea of a bookmobile cat, and I sure hope that Minnie’s grouchy boss doesn’t find out!

My Goodreads review:

Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m so glad I finally started this series that I’ve heard so much about. I’ve fallen head over heels for Eddie the bookmobile cat. He definitely has a way with people, and his intuition came in handy a few times for his human, Minnie Hamilton. Minnie is an awesome and interesting character. She lives on a houseboat and drives a bookmobile three days a week. Eddie stowed away the first time, and the people at the book stops loved him so much, Minnie couldn’t disappoint them by leaving him behind the next time.

When the murder of the library’s most generous donor rocked the community, Minnie felt she needed to bring closure to this, because even though Stan was known in the town as a miser, he was always nice and generous to the library and had purchased the bookmobile for them. There were plenty of suspects, and I had no idea who was the killer until the clues started falling into place, and Minnie had a good idea of who it was too. There wasn’t really a showdown, just an escape from an old musty barn, but Minnie lived to tell the story and was thanked for her tip she’d given the police. Even though Stan’s money that he wanted to leave to the library would be tied up indefinitely, a couple of new donors came through. I would never have thought either of these people would donate from how they were at first. It’ll be interesting to know what kind of adventure Minnie and Eddie get into next–and if her boss ever finds out about Eddie!

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A Pattern for Murder–review

April 5, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Bait & Stitch series by Ann Yost, which centers around the Finnish-American community life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan aka the Yooper, specifically a peninsula known as Keweenaw, which is actually a real place. I always turn my inner search nerd on when I come across a place that’s a real vacation destination in a book. I found more info on Keweenaw Peninsula on the official Michigan vacation site. When we visited Mackinac Island last September, we thought it would be fun to go even farther north. Maybe Keweenaw needs to be soon on our vacation list.

My Goodreads review:

A Pattern for Murder by Ann Yost

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a nice start for the series. I’ve had this book and been meaning to read it since it came out. Even though some of the names aren’t easy to pronounce, I thought it was cool that the people on the peninsula were of Finnish descent and continued some of their ancestors’ traditions. That was what made Hatti, the main character, decide that she wanted to open a knitting store inside her stepdad’s bait shop. Since he and her mom were away on a second honeymoon, I’m guessing that the shop will open in the next book.

As a couple of the characters mentioned, this book did seem like “And Then There Were None.” Was someone killing off the older people who lived in the Lighthouse Retirement Home? The first body was the man whose mother had left the lighthouse and a trust fund to the county for taking care of the older lower-income residents. How many more would die before Hatti and her friends could figure this mystery out? I actually did guess the killer fairly early on and kept wondering when the people–especially Hatti– would realize–then I had to remember that I’m a reader of these mysteries and the main character was new at all of this mystery-solving. Of course she might end up trusting the wrong people. 😉 I really liked all the main characters and definitely found myself caring about what happens to them next, so I do plan to read on in the series.

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Cat Got Your Crown–review

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Kitty Couture series by Julie Chase, who is also known as Julie Lindsey and Bree Baker. I hadn’t read the other three books, since I got this as an ARC, and at the time I thought for sure I’d be caught up. Nope. But it wasn’t a problem, because this book can work as a standalone. There are no spoilers to worry about, in fact, I’m kinda happy about what I know now when I’ll go back and start reading the series from the beginning. 😉

The San Fermin pic I found was from searching licensed for reuse pictures and it’s from Wikimedia Commons.

My Goodreads review:

Cat Got Your Crown: A Kitty Couture Mystery by Julie Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I’ve read in this series and now I am definitely making a point of reading from the beginning. I love books about New Orleans anyway, because it just seems like a magical and fun place. I think I’ll enjoy knowing some of the things I know now from this book when I start the series 😉

The murder of the Pet Pageant MC had Lacy investigating, getting threats, almost run down by bulls and nearly killed during the showdown with the killer. I had briefly thought about the person who was the killer, but I dismissed it. I was really surprised at the reveal, but I’m not sure who else I would have come up with. I was just reading and having fun watching it unfold. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with these characters, especially who Lacy ends up with. Imogene was a hoot–I thought it was sweet of Lacy’s former nanny to be working for her at her pet boutique now. All along Lacy was trying to make time to hire an employee, and during her big party at the end, the perfect person was revealed. I’m really looking forward to more books in the series, but I do want to have some time to get caught up with the first three books. This book did work as a standalone, since no spoilers were given for any of the other mysteries.

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

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Plotting for Murder–review

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 Tari Hann

This was the first book in the brand new Cozy Mystery Bookshop series by Tamra Bauman whose bio says she’s normally a romance writer. I liked how she handled the romance in her first cozy, very nice job! I was undecided on which guy to root for, but by the end, I think I had an idea of what way this might go. But then again, who knows, the next book may surprise me.

I am anxious to read the next book, however I really hope that the author stops using present tense. It did make it a bit harder to read smoothly, but I will say that the rest of the book helped make up for it. The dialogue is some of the best and most normal-sounding (not stilted and too formal, like some I’ve read) that I’ve read. Oh, I can’t not mention little Cooper! That pup has won my heart, he got to be a hero, but over the course of the book, he was helping his mommy’s heart heal.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book via NetGalley, and my opinions are completely my own.

My Goodreads review:

Plotting for Murder by Tamra Baumann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great mystery, awesome characters and one of the cutest dogs I’ve read about in awhile. I’ll say upfront that I wasn’t a fan of the present tense style and can’t quite figure out why it was used, unless it was supposed to be like Sawyer looking back and writing her memoirs. But even then, it’s kind of annoying, but honestly, I’m glad I didn’t let it stop me from enjoying a great story. The riddle, clues and puzzle aspect really kept me intrigued.

Other than the constant present tense, it was well-written as far as vocabulary, and the dialogue was actually believable–and real-sounding. The author did a great job of painting the nasty uncle as a total snake, because I absolutely couldn’t stand him–am I awful to wish he’d been offed? But then they’d have thought Sawyer did it lol. At first, I wasn’t sure about Brittany, the store employee, but she grew on me more and more. I just love what good thing happened for her eventually! I liked the romance aspect a lot. It was just the right amount. At first I was one team, but by the end of the book I was ready to switch teams. I won’t say, so I don’t spoil it 😉 The other supporting character of Madge was a lot of fun! I got such a kick out of how she and Sawyer would compare case notes, but Dylan the sheriff knew what they were doing all along. Renee, Sawyer’s best friend was a hoot! She was a happy-go-lucky free spirit and dated a new guy almost every week

I can’t leave out the sweet Admiral! Every mystery needs a fun and quirky character. The author nailed it with the Admiral. I hope he’s around for a very long time! (Can I help it if I pictured him as the famous white-haired star of the old Diagnosis Murder series?) 😉 As far as the killer, I was going back and forth on that one, so it was a little bit of a surprise. But it led to an awesome showdown where little Cooper the mini Goldendoodle got to be a hero, and his mommy wasn’t too shabby either! The sheriff showed up just as my nerves were giving out lol. I thought the ending was satisfying as far as the main mystery, but it was kind of fun to leave a couple of little threads dangling. I’m definitely enticed to read the next book!

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The Hidden Corpse–review

March 27, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Food Blogger series started last year by Debra Sennefelder, who interestingly used to be a food blogger herself. You can tell she’s no stranger to the world of blogging and promotion. There are some recipes at the end of the book that actually sound doable and seriously yummy!

I read a paperback ARC of this book from #Kensington Publishing, but that didn’t influence what type of review I would give. After my wrists got a little sore from holding the paperback, I got the ARC from NetGalley as well. But…I did buy a digital copy of the book, since I like to show up as a verified review on the big A whenever I can. 😉

My Goodreads review:

The Hidden Corpse by Debra Sennefelder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great to return to Jefferson, CT and visit with Hope, her sister Claire (she is such a hoot!), her bestie, reporter Drew, police chief Ethan and of course friends like Merrifield Inn owners, Jane and Sally Merrifield. I especially like Jane of two, because she was a mystery writer and still thinks like one. She never discourages Hope from investigating and might even be an enabler sometimes. I would like to see her go back to writing sometime in the series. She makes a good sleuthing buddy or at least sounding board for Hope.

Hope had her hands full with her sister running for mayor, having to contribute five recipes to a cookbook, still working on remodeling her house, training her dog, and now a neighbor was dead making Hope feel responsible. As the body count increased, Hope was trying to stay a step ahead of the killer, so that she wouldn’t become one of the bodies. The showdown was a nail biter, but everything worked out great, and I hadn’t guessed the killer. I liked how there was plenty of closure and explanation-giving before the book ended. The actual ending was very sweet, and I don’t think I could have wished for better! I’m anxious to see what the next book brings.

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The Pomeranian Always Barks Twice–review

March 26, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the brand new series called Furever Pets by Bookshop Cafe series author Alex Erickson. I really like his bookshop cafe series, so I knew I’d be wanting to read this one as well. The book is available exclusively at Barnes & Noble for a year, then I understand it’ll be available at other booksellers.

I found the cute Pom picture under the licensed for reuse section of Google and thought that maybe Stewie looked something like this, since the dog has a little frostiness in its face, and Stewie was an older pup.

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

My Goodreads review:

The Pomeranian Always Barks Twice by Alex Erickson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun start to what looks like it should be a great series. I love the idea of the pet adoption agency. Right away I could tell Liz was in this because she genuinely loved pets, but her competitor Courtney was all about the money. Liz was an awesome character. I liked that she’s a bit older than the usual protagonist, meaning she’s got a grown son and a college-age daughter. She doesn’t always make the best or safest decisions, but honestly, what amateur sleuth does, right? 😉 Little Wheels the cat was a great character too! I’ve mainly only heard of dogs needing wheels for their back legs, particularly dachshunds because of their long bodies being susceptible to disc disease. But sweet little Wheels had been born with useless back legs. With her wheels, she could zip around faster than any of the pets staying with Liz. Wheels was Liz’s own cat, and she thought sometimes about adopting a permanent buddy for her.

I really enjoyed the mystery which had some good red herrings. Just as I’d like one person for the murder, I’d switch to someone else. I was completely surprised by the reveal, which came after a pretty cool stakeout and showdown. I loved that Liz’s daughter Amelia ended up helping her in the investigation. They made a really nice team. Ben and Manny were good father/son characters. This was just a nice little family, which is a pleasant break from the usual pattern of cozy mysteries having the main character just having broken up with someone and ending up with a triangle, or more, of people they like. (I still like any cozy pattern-minus the triangle lol–but different is good too!) I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a paperback ARC provided to me by Kensington Publishing. My opinions are my own and were not swayed by receiving the book.

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Something Read, Something Dead–review

March 25, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, which is a pen name for Vicki Delany who some know best for her Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series. In fact, there was a cool little reference to that series, see if you can find it!

I just love Charles, the library cat. It was hilarious how he showed an unwelcome library visitor that he wasn’t welcome. I found this picture on Google under licensed for reuse, and I think Charles might look something like this.

My Goodreads review:

Something Read, Something Dead by Eva Gates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was even better than the last book, and I really liked that one a lot. While this is only the second book I’ve read in the series (I seriously do need to start it at the beginning), I’m never lost, because the character relationships and previous happenings are referenced or explained, and…I like that there are never any spoilers.

Josie and Jake’s wedding was coming up soon and when the “Louisiana Mafia” as Josie called her Grandma Gloria, aunt and cousins on her dad’s side, showed up, Josie was nearly tempted to grab Jake and elope. One of the cousins died after eating a dessert at Josie’s shower at the lighthouse, and since the dessert was made by Josie, her bakery was closed for the investigation, and she was the main person of interest. Sam Watson who was the usual detective had to step to the side and allow the state detective to take over, and it wasn’t easy for Lucy to investigate without him getting angry.

There was an awesome twist toward the end that I never saw coming, and I hadn’t really figured out the killer. I had it down to two people, but no particular reason, so it was fun to watch it play out. I especially liked that Lucy had all the suspects and both detectives gathered at her aunt Ellen’s house and was able to do her big reveal there, like in so many TV shows and older mysteries.

The side story of the library desperately needing $100K for emergency repairs was interesting and even had a little drama of its own, when someone spread rumors that the donations would revert to the town’s operating fund if the library didn’t raise the total (which was a total lie). In the end, everything worked out great and I was very pleased with the book’s ending as well. While I’m anxious for the next book, I hope I can get caught up with the first three before it comes out!

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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A Fitting End–review

March 23, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Magic Dressmaking series by Melissa Bourbon. I read the first one back in January, and I was ready to visit Bliss, TX again and see what everyone was up to.

My Goodreads review:

A Fitting End by Melissa Bourbon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started this series earlier this year and I’m really loving this story line! Both of the books have been well-written and plotted. There were so many good suspects and red herrings in this one that I didn’t guess the killer, in fact I was super surprised when it was revealed. Just the surprise of that alone made the somewhat non-exciting showdown seem ok.

I love how Will and his daughter Gracie’s story is evolving. Gracie is such a nice character, and I was glad to see her have more of a role in this book. I also like Mrs. James, even though at first she does come off as a little too high-society. Josie, who isn’t quite Harlow’s bestie but they became closer after Harlow made her wedding gown in the first book, took a little bit of a backseat to the action in this book, which was fine. But there’s a sweet surprise in store for her, at least that’s Harlow told her. I like how the story line itself is developing, a little more at a time, bits and pieces come together in each book. I’m sure there will be even more to learn after this one, and I’m anxious to keep reading the series.

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