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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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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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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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Barking Up the Wrong Tree review

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the super cute Gone to the Dogs Mysteries being written by Janice Thompson and Kathleen Y’Barbo. According to Goodreads, it looks as if there’re at least two more books coming. The fourth book shows April as the publication date, but this book was originally set to publish January 1, 2023 and it published today. I just happened to see another blogger reviewing it and found out that way. It’s still listed as January 1 on both Goodreads and NetGalley. But it was definitely no chore to bump it ahead and read it since I’ve really grown to like these vet clinic characters a lot, and Grandma Peach, well, she’s just a hoot and a half, lol.

My Goodreads review:

Barking up the Wrong Tree by Janice Thompson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw this was releasing sooner than the date that showed in NetGalley, I hoped I could get it done in time, but no worries there. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop! It was great to read about the vet/office team at Lone Star clinic especially when they were sleuthing. And while I’m all about cozy murder mysteries, I’ve never minded that this series doesn’t have that. I get so wrapped up in the characters and how they’re going about solving the mystery, it just never seems to matter if it’s a murder or a swapped-out dog.

I love how there’s always a couple of side stories about the friends doing some positive things and goodwill gestures for some of the neighbors like Mr. Robbins finally adopting a dog or Mr. Flores getting some much-needed house and yardwork help. But the ones who aren’t the good guys never get away with it–that you can count on! It was great how the crew flushed out the missing dog.

Grandma’s wedding was awesome especially what happened at the reception! Super sweet and just fun to visit with these characters again. I enjoyed this book being from Kristin’s viewpoint too!

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

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Sleuthing in Stilettos review

December 3, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the Resale Boutique Mysteries by a fave cozy author of mine, Debra Sennefelder. I’ve followed Kelly’s adventures since the first book and even read the in-between one. I hope Kelly’s got many more stories to tell because the girl does deserve some happiness (as long as she’s not accusing someone of murder!). The friendships and characters in this series always make me feel like I’m returning to some good book pals.

My Goodreads review:

Sleuthing in Stilettos by Debra Sennefelder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And just like that, Kelly seemed to grow up after this mystery was solved. Just when it appeared she’d never be anything but a kind-hearted, question-spouting, self-centered fashionista, the last couple weeks in her life really caused her to seem more mature by the end of the book. Kelly’s definitely someone you’d want for a friend even though she’s got this unbelievable way of making people mad by accusing them of murder. But her heart’s always in the right place and somehow she ends up forgiven. Nothing mattered more to Kelly than her family and friends as you’ll see when you read about their Thanksgiving.

Boy was that an exciting showdown! I was so happy Kelly had reconciled with her buddy Ariel and I’ll just say it was a good thing she came along! I liked where this ended with Kelly and Nate in a very nice place in a relationship as well as Kelly being completely happy now that she was where she belonged. Don’t miss this latest installment when it releases Tuesday, December 6, 2022.

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

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A Streetcar Named Murder review

December 1, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series called A New Orleans Mystery by T.G. Herren, a new-to-me author. I enjoyed meeting Valerie and her two besties, one of which was crazy, the fun kinda crazy though. That was Lorna who’d pretty much say or do anything to help someone out, and boy was she good at telling people how it was gonna be, lol. But in a nice way, of course. I think Valerie would’ve loved her friend’s gift of schmooze!

My Goodreads review:

A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the whole premise of Valerie inheriting a business and not having known her husband’s uncle and I liked the key characters a lot. Her friend Lorna cracked me up! Who wouldn’t love a bestie like her, right? Dee was a good character too and she made for a nice workplace companion for Valerie. Val’s sons were such characters, they were so funny in places.

I did feel in parts of the book that it got overly wordy and maybe a bit too descriptive of past events to the point that I had to hunt for the dialogue that was presently going on. Then I found a few name discrepancies and minor plot discrepancies, none of which I made a note of and none of which terribly affected the outcome or my enjoyment. But it’s something I felt I needed to point out. Maybe it was just to set the tone for this first book and give tons of backstory. The description of the town and shops was just about right, and I could almost feel like I was right there in NOLA. And that’s my favorite way to travel, by reading. 🙂

I was right about something that turned out to be a good plot twist. There were a few people I didn’t want to be the killer, so I was happy at that outcome but the person I guessed wasn’t right. That was one hairy showdown with Lorna right there in the thick of it with Val, so they both succeeded in outsmarting the perp. The book releases Dec. 6, 2022.

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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Death in the Margins review

December 1, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the seventh book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries by Victoria Gilbert, and I’ve loved this series since its very beginning. Amy and Richard getting married a couple books ago just sweetened the whole thing even more. These characters are like going back home and hanging with friends.

I was thrilled when I first found out there’d be a book 8 and 9. I tracked that post down so I could leave you guys a link to it. Anyone who follows the author probably knows this, but her blog’s article called New Book News is linked to that little announcement so you can read it at her own blog and sign up for updates.

My Goodreads review:

Death in the Margins by Victoria Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was definitely a mystery with lots of twists and turns along with some good action. Richard even got in on the showdown with Amy, and not from the standpoint he’s usually at which is with the reinforcements coming to assist said showdown. He was in the thick of it right along with her. And he’ll have even more of a reason to worry about her sleuthing in the near future. 😉

I was never really sure whodunit and kept changing my mind. I didn’t trust any of those suspects, lol. After a couple incidents that Amy took as a personal threat, she could tell she was getting close. That was one exciting showdown that was fairly lengthy but I couldn’t read fast enough! A gorgeous horse got to be the hero (I LOVE when that happens!) and got some sweet revenge along with it. You’ll find out what all that means when you read this latest installment in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. I’m super happy that the author was contracted to do books 8 and 9! Yay, more time with Amy, Richard, Aunt Lydia and all these people I call my book friends in Taylorsford, Virginia. Don’t miss this book coming out on December 6, 2022!

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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Through the Liquor Glass review

November 29, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the fifth book in the Literary Pub Mysteries by cozy author Sarah Fox. I’ve been reading this series since the beginning and each one’s always made me eager for the next, so this book was no exception to that. If anything, I’m more eager for another book. You might need to start this early in the day ’cause you won’t wanna put it down!

My Goodreads review:

Through the Liquor Glass by Sarah Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really had a hard time putting this down, and the sleuthing Grayson and Sadie did was definitely page-turning! I think I was as worried about Grayson as Sadie was when he went into hiding after the murder of a woman he had some bad history with when he was a private investigator. It was cool that some of the characters that in the past hadn’t had all that much page time got their little moments to shine, especially during the showdown! Jason, Joey and Cordelia were characters I hadn’t remembered reading much about but they got quite a bit of mentioning in this case.

I never guessed whodunit and it was a great showdown. The whole mystery was well-explained in great detail after the perp was hauled away. I love that Sadie’s mom finally got to come see Sadie’s new town and eventually got to meet Grayson…and who wouldn’t love that guy, right? Can’t wait for 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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