cozy mystery – Page 41 – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Seven Year Witch review

August 25, 2021August 25, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the second book in a newer series called Witch Way Librarian by Angela M. Sanders whose other two series are Vintage Clothing Mysteries and Booster Club Mysteries. When I read the first book in Witch Way last year, I loved it and knew this was going to be a new favorite series (to add to my MANY favorite series lol). It was fun getting to know the characters in town even better this time, and I liked that Josie’s seems to have a good friend in Lalena. They made a good sleuthing duo, although Josie was on her own most of the time. I just wish we didn’t have to wait a whole year for the next in series!

My Goodreads review:

Seven-Year Witch by Angela M. Sanders
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was great visiting with Josie and all her new friends in Wilfred, OR again. I’d forgotten how Josie could go check things out using her mind but in her cat Rodney’s body which was so cool!

This was a mystery I definitely couldn’t figure out, so I just went along for the ride and enjoyed the process. Josie was learning a lot from her grandma’s letter she’d left her, and I was happy to see how far she’d come as far as her powers went. I’ve hoped since the first book that Josie and Sam could get together, and they might be one step closer to that by the end of the book. I loved how the whole town pulled together at the end. The showdown with the killer was scary for two different reasons-you’ll see when you read it. I really wish the next one could come out sooner instead of having to wait another year!

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Mrs. Morris and the Vampire review

August 24, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the fifth in the Salem B&B series by Traci Wilton, a pen name for the writing team of of authors Traci Hall and Patrice Wilton. I feel like they’ve really come up with a great series concept after having followed this series from its start. I hope there are lots of adventures left for Charlene, Jack and Sam. I’m just happy the books have been coming out more often than once a year!

As an added note, I thought the tunnel aspect of Salem, MA sounded pretty fascinating and found the book on Amazon that was referenced in this book! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be brave enough to go down there even if they did do legal tours!

My Goodreads review:

Mrs. Morris and the Vampire by Traci Wilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun and spooky visit to Salem at Halloween time that started with a Halloween ball. Charlene knew her two witch friends were real, but how ’bout those self-professed vampires huh? Charlene had to juggle keeping Sam off her back for doing her usual snooping and keeping herself out of the killer’s crosshairs.

We got to learn a little more about Brandy and her daughter Serenity, since Serenity was part of the focus of the story. Charlene and Brandy had a rocky start, and I still wouldn’t call her exactly a friendly friend, but Brandy definitely came in handy at the end. Even Sam believed a dream she’d had (would’ve been pretty bad if he hadn’t!). Meanwhile, I love how Jack was learning to do more and more things in his ghostly existence. He’s really become quite the computer research wizard. If I was Charlene, I know I’d be so torn between the two men she’s crazy about! Although sometimes I lean toward Jack just because he’s so darn sweet! I’m always looking forward to the next in this awesome 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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No Grater Crime review

August 23, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the ninth book in the Country Store series by Maddie Day who’s actually Edith Maxwell. She writes the Country Store and Cozy Capers Book Group under the Maddie Day name. I can’t believe Robbie and her friends have had nine adventures so far. It seems like I just started reading them, but it was actually in 2017 that I was really getting into cozy mysteries and had discovered this series. I always loved Adele’s friend Vera, and we got to have a visit from her in this book.

This book to me was so well-done that it had that first magic that drew me into the series from the beginning. I got that same warm feeling reading it that I did when I first met Robbie and crew. I enjoyed reading acknowledgements in a book to find out if some of the characters were named for real people or if real places were used. I was happy to find out there was a little of both again in this book. It’s just fun when authors do that if they happen to be friends with the people or had a great meal somewhere.

My Goodreads review:

No Grater Crime by Maddie Day
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so pleased with this latest installment of the series! For some reason, the last couple or so hadn’t been the same to me as always, but this book was right on point and took me back to the reason I fell in love with this series in the very first book.

Wow what a wild mystery! I’d have been so mad at that darn woman opening up a food truck in front of my place if I was Robbie. She has much better control than I do, lol. Although with Robbie’s past track record, she does have to tread lightly or look like a killer. I had to giggle when she said she was trying harder not to do too-stupid-to-live moves. I do recall a few of those she’s had in the past, lol. But she’s definitely learned a lot over the past nine books! Now if only that darn phone of hers wouldn’t sprout legs and run back to her car! 😉

I had a feeling of who was behind everything, but to me the fun of the whole thing was proving it and finding out the why and who else might’ve been involved. There was one small sad moment, then there’s another moment you might want a tissue or two, but for a very happy occasion!

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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The Secret Staircase review

August 21, 2021August 25, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the third and final book in the Victorian Village by Sheila Connolly. It was finished out by her daughter Julie Williams and is being published posthumously on August 24, 2021. I was so sad when Sheila passed last April after having read numerous blog posts by and about her. I’d just been getting started reading her other cozies once I’d read the first two Victorian Village and became a fan of her writing. Since she wrote quite a few books, I know I’ll have lots of happy reading for a long time.

Edith Maxwell, another of my favorite writers was gracious enough to let me use her quote from the Jungle Red Writers’ blog on June 10: “Sheila Connolly’s daughter, Julie Williams, did extensive edits on her mom’s last book (The Secret Staircase is out in August!), and wrote the Author’s Note. I think Sheila might have completed the first draft but it was pretty rough. I don’t think Julie expected to have to do that work, but I got to read an ARC and she did a fabulous job.”

Thanks so much for letting me use your quote, Edith! I’ve included the link for the blog post so anyone who wants to read the whole thing and other comments can do so.

My Goodreads review:

The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this final book in the series as well as the final book that author Sheila Connolly ever worked on before her death last year. I’d read that her daughter finished the book for her, but it was very seamless to me and was just as if Sheila herself was writing every word. In other words, I think her daughter did an excellent job with however much or little she found she needed to do. I would never have known had I not seen a comment on a blog about this.

I was glad to see that Kate and the town were making some good headway with the Barton mansion. The body that was found was an unexpected small delay, but later some other findings would hopefully lead to who this was and why the person was hidden there. I hadn’t guessed the killer of the present day murder, and I loved the flash forward to Christmastime for the end of the book.

I have no idea if this was truly supposed to be the last book, but Sheila and her daughter did a great job of wrapping things up and giving the characters and storyline a good closure. I’ll miss seeing anything new from Sheila Connolly, but since I’d only recently started reading her work (meaning this series is the first of her writing I ever read before I read the first Orchard and first County Cork), I have tons of great reading ahead of me!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. This book releases August 24, 2021.

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Hemlock for the Holidays review

August 19, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Fine Arts Mysteries by Paula Darnell. I really love the camaraderie that the town, neighbors and gallery vendors all have for each other. Someone apparently didn’t believe in that kind of friendship when they convolutedly poisoned a man via goodies sold at a craft fair. I’ve enjoyed watching Amanda adapt to her new town and make friends since the first book, and now I’m looking forward to the next adventure for her, Laddie and Mona Lisa!

My Goodreads review:

Hemlock for the Holidays by Paula Darnell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this Christmas mystery with Amanda having settled in her new town. Belle and Dennis are such awesome neighbors and gave her the most amazing Christmas gift-she had just as nice of a gift for them too. There’s always a good mystery with this series and plenty of small town camaraderie as well.

The killer came as a complete surprise to me, and the showdown was awesome thanks to Mona Lisa kitty. She got to dig into the killer just in time! Once the murder was solved, Amanda and Emma could finally settle into a good winter break, and Amanda managed to finally get a good sale once she branched out a bit. I always enjoy catching up with Amanda and her gallery friends as well as her sweet neighbors.

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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Danger at the Cove review

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Island Sisters series by Hannah Dennison who also wrote the Honeychurch Hall mysteries. I’m enjoying getting to know the variety of characters from the Scilly Islands and Tregarrick Rock Hotel. I think Patty, the detective inspector is one of my favorites along with Dennis who’s in charge of the main desk. Patty cracks me up when she shows up for an investigation and stages it like a tea party. She’s tough but fair and has an off-the-wall but effective method of getting info from people. I love that Mister Tig, the hotel’s cat is a big part of the promotion of the place. Now that the hotel’s in business, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of mystery and mayhem happen in the next book!

My Goodreads review:

Danger at the Cove: A Mystery by Hannah Dennison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a real rollercoaster ride of a murder mystery with lots of twists and unexpected happenings. I was never sure who to trust, but there was one person from the start that I definitely didn’t trust. I didn’t guess whodunit, but I enjoyed finding the path to finding out.

I’m liking Margot a little bit better toward the end than I did to start with. Kim was a fun new character with her mad hashtag skills, and once again I got a big kick out of Patty the detective inspector and how she was able to worm information out of people. You just can’t not like this lady, lol. After all the murder and madness, the Tregarrick Rock hotel was able to do its grand opening, and I know if I was in Evie’s shoes, I’d have been breathing a huge sigh of relief!

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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Cajun Kiss of Death review

August 8, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the seventh and sadly the final book in the Cajun Country series by Ellen Byron that’s been a real favorite of mine since the very beginning. But I think the author did a really amazing job of giving all my favorite friends aka characters the sendoff most fitting. I kinda like to compare it to reading the epilogue in Harry Potter. I got some leaky eyes but found myself smiling at everything as I read. It was perfect, and I just need to say, thank you Ellen Byron for doing such an awesome job with all the books and giving the characters the best closure possible!

When a favorite TV show goes off the air, I’m always the one who thinks, “Oooo reunion movie!” or “Spin off!” Who knows, maybe Ms. Byron will do something like that! I do like her Catering Hall series, but it’d never surprise me if she has some good surprises up her sleeve along the way that might include friends from Pelican, Louisiana.

My Goodreads review:

Cajun Kiss of Death: A Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Weddings, murder and beyond that, oh my! This book was really bittersweet especially when it came to the ending. I loved the three weddings we got to celebrate in the beginning with more things being celebrated at the end. Everything was just wrapped up really well.

I had no idea who the killer was and thought Maggie’s idea for the reveal was pretty clever. Bo must have too, because it worked out. I have to say I guessed one of the little secrets that came out at the end! 😉

Since some of the other reviews have mentioned the epilogue, I guess it’s fair game to say the series is ending with this book. I was really sad to read that last chapter and see that there’s an epilogue. But I honestly loved the epilogue as much as I did the one in Harry Potter. The author did a great job of showing us our favorites from this series and what they’d be up to twenty years down the road. Again, very bittersweet, but I’m still smiling despite having leaky eyes from reading!

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

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One for the Hooks review

August 5, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the fourteenth book in the Crochet Mysteries series by Betty Hechtman who also writes the Yarn Retreat Mysteries. I’ve read probably the last four of the Crochet Mysteries as ARCs, but I did eventually go back and read the first book to find out how all the friends got together and what Molly’s history was with Barry the police detective. Adele continues to crack me up. It seems like she’s come a long way from being jealous over Molly getting a job she thought she should have. I can’t quite think of them as actual friends, but they do at least get along. Dinah’s an awesome bestie for Molly. I love their Sherlock Holmes game when they’re talking about a case.

My Goodreads review:

One for the Hooks: A Crochet Mystery by Betty Hechtman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the cover of this book to the very end, I enjoyed it all. This book cover just cracks me up with the crazy expression on the sweet little dog’s face! That’s one thing I jadmire about Molly, the love she has for dogs (and for her kids as you’ll see in this installment). It looks like another dog joined the family eventually in this book.

Since this series only comes out once a year, it’s kinda hard to remember just when Molly started seeing Mason instead of Barry, but it’s pretty clear that Barry never got over her. I’m sure I was Team Barry when that happened, but Mason was so darn nice to her.

This was a real puzzler having a death by drone situation and trying to figure out if the person killed was really the target, and if they were, what was the reason and which of the cul-de-sac neighbors did it? Molly was again working with Barry, so sometimes she made me crazy how she’d beat around the bush to give her info to him, but I guess that’s just part of her charm. She’s got lots of other more endearing qualities though, so that’s not a make or break, lol.

The showdown was pretty creepy, but luckily Molly got things under control right before backup arrived. I gotta admit, I was happy with the way things turned out at the end.

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 Scone of Contention review

August 2, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the eleventh book in the long-running Key West Food Critic series by Lucy Burdette. You can always count on lots and lots of food and great recipes in these books, and Hayley was like a kid in a candy store with being able to go and eat Scottish food in this book.

I found myself really fascinated reading about the Falkirk Wheel in the book. Even though a death in the book occurred here, the author graciously pointed out in her Acknowledgments that this was just something from her own imagination. But I got curious about the Wheel and watched a couple of videos because my brain needed a demo of it, lol. Nothing like armchair travel and learning something new this way! Thanks to the author, I found something cool to research and was able to picture it even better as I read.

My Goodreads review:

A Scone of Contention: A Key West Food Critic Mystery by Lucy Burdette
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scotland was the perfect chance for a foodie and food writer like Hayley to eat her way through a few towns and still do her job while on her supposed-honeymoon. That part was sort of a laugh, and they all joked about it since Miss Gloria was along, and Nathan’s mom informed that she was coming. I did actually start to like Nathan’s mom Helen a little better from reading the last book when she and Hayley had their grand adventure.

From a poisoning to a guy falling from the Falkirk Wheel, this mystery unfolded and seemed like it didn’t make a lot of sense at first. Eventually, Hayley and Miss G put the clues together. Miss G always loved armchair sleuthing with Hayley and had her chance to do this firsthand now as well as see some of the places her ancestors would have fought at or been buried in, some of which were pretty troubling to her.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like Vera and William, but they grew on me especially toward the end when William was so kind to Miss Gloria. I had to giggle at Nathan’s last line in the book, but it’s so true!

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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Murder, She Edited review

August 1, 2021August 1, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Deadly Edits series by Kaitlyn Dunnett who also writes the Liss MacCrimmon series. I haven’t read any of that series, but I’ve been following this one from the beginning reading the ARCs. I really like Mikki Lincoln’s character. She can be a tough softie, lol. At one point in this book she said she didn’t know if she should be flattered or insulted by the Jessica Fletcher comment Luke made. But I always tend to think of her in the persona of Jess who was a real fave with how tough but sweet she could be, kinda like Mikki! 😉 I’m always eager for the next book to see what Mikki gets herself into.

My Goodreads review:

Murder, She Edited by Kaitlyn Dunnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mikki’s always getting into the most interesting predicaments or jobs. When she was told she’d have to find and publish some diaries as specified, it did look like she wasn’t going to have any luck finding them. Fortunately, Mikki has never been anyone’s victim or patsy if she has anything to say about it. I love how her relationship with her cousin Luke has grown, and Luke’s own relationship with Officer Ellen has really been coming along.

The murder in the book was an old one that was unsolved, but leave it to Mikki to dig around until she found out the truth. I was a little surprised to even get that killer fingered after all this time. There was also the problem with her new property being used to store stolen goods and recently burned down. She sniffed out the arsonist as well then celebrated with Luke and Ellen. There’d been a side story of a very annoying woman who kept bugging Mikki after she admitted she was friends with the woman’s favorite author who in reality was Mikki’s friend Lenora. Her crazy stalker problem was taken care of at the end as well. Life with Mikki Lincoln is, well definitely never dull!

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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