amateur sleuths – Page 12 – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Bayou Book Thief review

June 2, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a new series, Vintage Cookbook Mysteries by popular cozy mystery author, Ellen Byron. Score! While getting the link for the series page, I ran into the second book for this series due out next year, Wined and Dined in New Orleans. With a little luck, I can get that ARC when it’s out too! It sure sounds like it’ll be another good one!

Speaking of good books, this is one series you have to start if you’re a fan of the Cajun Country series and missing it like I was. Even if you never read that series, you’re still gonna love this one! I know I can rely on this author to provide the sights and smells of NOLA and surrounding areas right from the comfort of my reading chair. I wouldn’t mind visiting NOLA someday, but I’ve never been one much for crowds so that’s why cozies are great armchair vacations for me, lol.

#BerkleyPublishing #EllenByron

My Goodreads review:

Bayou Book Thief by Ellen Byron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, this series is just what I was hoping for that helps fill the void left when the author ended her Cajun Country series! I absolutely loved all these regular characters and the whole Louisiana/Cajun food vibe that I used to love in the other series. I gotta admit, it was a little harder warming up to Ricki than it had been Maggie, but she finally worked her way into my heart along with the others.

I just love Madame’s character, and I really liked Eugenia the minute I met her. I could tell she was going to be one of the “proper” locals from a good family but still fair enough to her employees that they were all on a first name basis with her–and the lady knew a good idea when it was presented to her. That Cookie was a great comic relief character, and I loved Zellah as a new bestie for Ricki. The ladies made for a fun work trio, and Lydia wasn’t so bad either, just a little bit harried from being mom to a crazy teen.

The overall camaraderie of the Bon Vee crew was pretty awesome, and I thought it was so cool how they all gathered at their favorite place, Bayou Backyard for just hanging out or going over the case. Maybe I enjoyed it even more because of the comparisons I could make between the two series since I thought about the BB as being a lot like JJ’s place only with an outside part to it.

I sure never saw the whodunit coming but in the explanation at the end, it made a lot of sense. The dinner Eugenia treated them all to was a lot of fun and really cemented these characters for me. The next day was even better, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what fun happened then. I liked that the epilogue added a bit of intrigue to hopefully the next book. I gotta admit I’d toyed with the idea put out there a few times while reading! If you loved Cajun Country Mysteries, you won’t wanna miss this series! I absolutely can’t wait for the next one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. This book releases June 7, 2022.

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The Diva Says Cheesecake! review

May 28, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the fifteenth book in the Domestic Diva Mysteries, a long-running series by one of my fave cozy authors, Krista Davis. It’s always great to visit Old Town Alexandria and hang out with Sophie and her crew of assorted faithful friends and all their pets. She’s got the best network of friends and it seems like there’s someone for any job that needs done or any problem that needs solved by talking to one (or all) of said friends. I love when they all convene at Sophie’s house and talk about the case. It’s always fun to hear their opinions and theories as to whodunit.

As always, I can’t wait till the next book and wish it was sooner than a year. But if I need my fix from this author, she’s still got two more new releases for this year with her other cozy series.

#KensingtonCozies #KristaDavis

My Goodreads review:

The Diva Says Cheesecake! by Krista Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great visiting with Sophie and her crew of friends again. I loved how she and Nina did a lot of the sleuthing together that involved dog walking, but Soph still went out on her own enough to keep her friends worried about her. Sophie’s got an amazing network of awesome friends and I love that she’s got a good relationship with her ex as well.

Sophie’s also a smart lady who only ends up in weird situations because she’s so driven to get to the truth. She’s actually the only main character in a cozy that I haven’t wanted to fix up with one of the guys because Mars, Bernie and Wolf already are there for her. She had her dating spree with Wolf and stayed friends with him too which turned out great for her.

I had my eye on someone I thought whodunit from fairly early and just kinda watched it play out trying to stick to my choice, and it ended up being right! This mystery was so good and full of twists that I could picture it as a light-hearted mystery movie. I’ve really come to like Natasha’s mom, Wanda, Charlene and Griselda who’s Wanda’s business partner. Poor ole Natasha just can’t win though, lol and she honestly without trying does provide a lot of the comedy relief. Don’t miss this fun and sometimes funny fifteenth installment of the Domestic Diva series for sale this coming Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

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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Fatal Flowers review

May 24, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Flower House Mysteries by Jess Dylan who cozy readers might know better as Jennifer David Hesse. As Jess, she’s been writing this series, and I gotta say, it’s just getting better. Maybe it helped me to read book 2 with this book immediately after. That way, the characters were fresh in my mind, and I had more of a vested interest in seeing what their next adventure was. The books can easily be read alone, but for complete enjoyment and character/relationship development, definitely start with the first book. You’ll see what I mean about it just getting better.

I love that little Corgi Gus and how he seems to have a sense of when his momma’s in danger or needs him. Maybe he’s like Granny Mae!

#St.MartinsPaperbacks #JessDylan

My Goodreads review:

Fatal Flowers: A Flower House Mystery by Jess Dylan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I literally just finished this book on the heels of reading book 2 in the series, and I’m really in love with the characters at this point. Book three was just the sweet spot that had Sierra, Deena and Calvin all working together along with Sierra’s brother Rocky who likes Deena and seems like he’d do anything for her, lol.

This was a crazy case with all sorts of things going wrong. Basically, if it could go wrong for planning a wedding, it did. Someone with a side hustle of something illegal was lurking around and Sierra wondered which one of the wedding vendors it was. She was tired of being terrorized by a guy on a motor scooter and just kept on sleuthing no matter what. I love Calvin for how he’s pretty much game for anything she wants to do–and I’m always proud of her when she takes someone along with her whether it’s Cal, Deena or her dog Gus. Sierra tries very hard not to do stupid things, but sometimes she’s still pretty impulsive, and that’s enough to get a person killed!

I had two people in mind for whodunit, but as the book progressed and hidden clues showed up, I settled on one and was right. It was pretty exciting to see how the perp was caught too, then the ending was everyone gathered for Sierra’s birthday. I’m super eager now to read the next book! It was a lot of fun going directly from book 2 to this one and made me get to know the characters a lot better.

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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Buried in a Good Book review

May 24, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a new series, By the Book Mysteries by Tamara Berry, and I really enjoyed it so much! The author did a great job of combining humor and a little cozy suspense into the story. I could tell Tess really liked the sheriff, so I hope there’s some sort of future in store for them even if it starts out slowly and builds. Tess’s daughter Gertie was such a great character! I really liked her a lot more than I thought I would when the book started. I’m eager to see what kinds of adventures they get into next.

Hey look what I found when I went to the series page, the next book’s coming in November! It’s called On Spine of Death.

#PoisonedPenPress #TamaraBerry

My Goodreads review:

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked Tess and Gertie’s characters, well at first I wasn’t so sure about Gertie, but she sure made one heck of a good sleuth and surprisingly enough, she took to the remote life better than I ever thought a teen her age would. Nicki was a pretty awesome character too, and later on that was even truer! Tess met a wannabe author in Deputy Ivy from the sheriff’s department and was surprised to find out that the lady was really a good author.

There were some fun cozy mystery creepy parts but not super creepy, and I wasn’t sure who all could be trusted, but once I was pretty sure of it, I just followed as Tess and Gertie with the help of their new friends solved the case. I hadn’t quite guessed the killer until Tess did. She cracked me up with how she compared the real life sheriff to the detective character she wrote in her books. And it was even funnier that he was a fan of the books as were some of the people in town who also thought he reminded them of the fictional Detective Gonzales.

After an exciting, planned showdown, all was explained and wrapped up. There’d been some other hinky stuff going on as a side mystery, so that was looking like it’d be an ongoing mystery or investigation. Now I’m really eager to read the next book!

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

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Three Tainted Tea review

April 22, 2022April 22, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the third in the newer Kitchen Witch Mysteries by another of my fave cozy authors, Lynn Cahoon. I love her other cozy series and have read something in all of them. Actually the only one I’m not caught up in is the Tourist Trap Mysteries. I’ve always found her characters to be like old friends I want to go back and visit when I read one their books. Mia and her crew are definitely like that!

#KensingtonCozies #LynnCahoon

My Goodreads review:

Three Tainted Teas by Lynn Cahoon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mia had her hands really full this time having to step in as a wedding planner (she couldn’t refuse the huge payment she was being offered, who could?) then become a person of interest in a murder.

When Christina’s character was first introduced, I sure never expected to like her as much as I do! She’s just the best when it comes to Mia and the business as well as being a good friend to her. Like Mia, I dread the day when she’s out of culinary school and possibly ready to move on. Or hopefully Mia’s business might do so well, she’ll be able to entice her stay.

Trent’s mom, Abigail’s such a great character! I enjoyed learning more about her and having her in the storyline a lot more than usual. She really saved the day when it came to the wedding cake, and I’m looking forward to her maybe being someone Gran can hang out with. And it sure never hurts for Mia to get to know and work with her sweetie’s mom! 😉

The takedown of the perp was a crazy one! I hadn’t suspected whodunit at first, but the closer it got to the end, I started wondering about this person. As long as Mia picks and chooses her weddings carefully, maybe she really should go into planning weddings for the extra income, who knows? I’m always eager to read the next book and see what new adventures Mia and her friends/crew get into.

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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Mining for Murder review

April 6, 2022April 6, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Happy Camper Mystery series by Mary Angela (author of the Professor Prather cozy mysteries), and it’s quickly become a favorite series. I just love all the key players and pets. Zo’s cat George cracks me up sometimes, and now that Max has a sweet but not-really-controlled rescue German Shepherd named Scout, George learned to avoid and just hiss at Scout who’d just like to be friends. Scout might not be too trained to stay off people aka obnoxiously friendly and stop kissing them, but she sure knew what to do with a perp. I absolutely can’t wait for more books in this series!

My Goodreads review:

Mining for Murder by Mary Angela
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Who killed the book collector and why was the question at hand after Zo and Hattie found a body at the bottom of the cliff. In this book, Brady the police chief seemed quite a bit more agreeable working with Max than he ever did before. He got in his usual snark about why didn’t Max go back to his forest and stuff like that, but there was more of an actual teamwork going on which I liked a lot better than the previous tension between them.

One of the side stories was always that of Zo’s parentage, and I was so happy to see she got some good closure in that respect. She and Max always made for a great sleuthing team. I guess he figured he’d be better off joining her than trying to talk her out of investigating lol.

The whodunit was a surprise for me, and it was just a good thing Max’s dog Scout was along for the showdown because she was super helpful. I liked Brady’s reaction after seeing the dog in action too! The very ending was really sweet, and now I’m more eager than ever to read the next book!

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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Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake review

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the Death by Chocolate series by Sarah Graves, and I gotta say, it’s my favorite so far! It was seriously addicting to keep reading just to see what was happening next at the creepy house where Jake and Ellie had a catering gig. One of the side stories was the girls crunching numbers to try and keep the Moose open all winter and coming up with new, enticing items to keep the locals interested. Once Mika got into making Ellie’s idea of chocolate pizza, it was like there was no stopping her. There was one scene at Cliff House that just cracked me up involving chocolate pizza and the stealing of said chocolate pizza. You’ll have to read and see which scene I was laughing at. This whole book was just awesome and the perfect cozy-spooky adventure.

My Goodreads review:

Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake by Sarah Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow was this ever an adventure! I think it’s probably been Jake and Ellie’s most exciting one so far from the creepy old house where they were doing a dessert catering gig to the narrow and spooky escapes they managed to execute. Someone in that house was leaving a pile of bodies as they went, so I didn’t blame Jake and Ellie one bit for trying to figure it out by leaving first. That is, if they didn’t die trying! Loved every minute of it and I couldn’t put it down!

There were so many great twists and turns it was a little hard at times to keep up, but it was the good kind of trying to keep up. Very nail biting in a good way too and as always, they wrapped everything up at the end explaining any hanging threads. I loved how Jake’s dad even got in on the action up at Cliff House to try and help.

At times I felt like the characters might be getting some closure, but I haven’t heard anything about the series ending, so I do hope it continues, although I have to admit it’d be hard to write another adventure that’s more hair-raising than this one was!

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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Cheddar Off Dead review

April 4, 2022April 4, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new cozy series, The Cheese Shop Mysteries by new cozy author, Korina Moss. I think she did a great job on her first book and was really happy to see we don’t have to wait a whole year for another book. Gone for Gouda releases September 27, 2022, and I know I’m pretty excited to read more about these characters I’m already thinking of as friends.

My Goodreads review:

Cheddar Off Dead: A Cheese Shop Mystery by Korina Moss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this new cozy author’s first book offering! I did make a point of reading a short cozy mystery she wrote that was in an anthology, and I really liked her writing in that, so I knew I’d enjoy this book. The characters grabbed me from the beginning, and I just loved how Willa and her three new friends sleuthed together. It was especially fun to read about her and Baz sleuthing together. He apparently reminded her of her brother. Baz was protective of her just like her brother would’ve been if he lived there.

I found the book hard to put down at times and just kept reading. To me it didn’t seem to drag or go too slow. There were just the right amount of details and description, although I gotta admit I’m not really interested in the ins and outs of the cheese biz, but that was easy to skim through. I’m really invested in these characters though. They make me smile!

The showdown was an exciting one, and I didn’t really know until Willa did whodunit. It’s amazing how an inanimate object can help in a showdown, lol. I absolutely can’t wait for the next book!

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

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Caramel Pecan Roll Murder review

February 21, 2022February 21, 2022 Tari Hann

This is book 28 in the very long running Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke who’s no stranger to cozy mystery fans. Moishe in reality should be 22 years old, but I’m glad he’s more of a timeless character and doesn’t seem to age. As always, there was an abundance of scrumptious-sounding dessert recipes included in the book. This one ended in such a way that I’m really hoping the next new book comes out sooner than a year!

My Goodreads review:

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With all the recipes in this book, I was hungrier than ever for the different items, lol. Not only did the caramel pecan rolls sound yummy, but there were some lemon desserts that sounded…killer-yeah, pun intended since this is a mystery book.

The action took place mostly around the Lake Eden Inn and lake where Hannah and Andrea were filling in for Sally’s pastry/dessert chef during a fishing tournament. Andrea’s become quite the kitchen helper and was even able by now to make some simple recipes. I think it’s kinda cool how she wanted to start learning more about baking, and I really like it when the sisters sleuth together. Hannah can be very blunt with her questions or blurts, but Andrea’s the type everyone wants to talk to. Maybe they just sense she’s a real estate seller and used to talking a lot. Although, Hannah had a couple of sessions where her questioning method would’ve made Mike proud.

I was so sure I knew whodunit because of what I realize now was a clever red herring, but wasn’t super surprised at the real perp once who I thought was cleared. Hannah again had a close call, but thanks to Andrea paying attention while boating/fishing with Bill, well she got a good part in the take down. Someone dropped a real bombshell at the very end, and now I’m so curious and eager for the next book to come out! Gonna be a long year or however long it takes! I just hope the next book is just that, an actual new book and not another compilation of already published books like we’ve seen before.

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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A Fatal Glow review

February 19, 2022February 19, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Odessa Jones Mysteries by Valerie Wilson Wesley, and I like it even better than the first book. Dessa’s one of the most likable main characters I’ve met, and I just love her Aunt Phoenix, what a hoot! I thought it was sweet how Dessa let Loella’s little girl come over and bake with her. She even took the murdered guy’s teen boy under her wing for a while.

#KensingtonCozies #NetGalley

My Goodreads review:

A Fatal Glow by Valerie Wilson Wesley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Dessa’s character in the first book, and this book was even better. Dessa’s one character who’d be the most awesome friend a person could have. She’s taken the coworkers from a job she doesn’t like and turned them into her family which is probably why she feels like she can’t leave that job even though she’s not doing that great selling properties and enjoys catering much more.

What a crazy dysfunctional bunch of people Dessa got mixed up with when she agreed to take on a catering job as a favor to boss Tanya. But as always, she made the most of it, and with Harley and Louella’s help was able to pull it off…until the host died. I was never sure who to trust except for Dessa and her friends. I hadn’t guessed the killer but it made total sense once the reveal happened.

I really like it when Dessa can spend time with Lennox at the restaurant and can totally see those two being happy together someday. Until she’s ready though, I’m just glad she’s got someone like him to hang out with. Don’t miss this book when it releases next Tuesday, February 22.

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

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