small town georgia – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Eat, Drink and Drop Dead review

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new series, Tiffany Austin Food Blogger (sorry, Goodreads doesn’t have a series page up for it so no link for that) by established cozy mystery author, T.C. LoTempio. Her longest running and probably most well-known is the Nick & Nora Mysteries. I still need to start the Nick & Nora series and probably have most of them in some form or another. This lady always writes an awesome mystery with adorable pets!

#NetGalley #SevernHouse #TCLoTempio

My Goodreads review:

Eat, Drink and Drop Dead by T.C. LoTempio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anything I’ve read by this author always has characters you’d like to have as friends and storylines that pull me in right away. And this book didn’t disappoint in either of those things. I really enjoyed meeting Tiffany and her coworkers at the magazine. Hilary was such an awesome bestie. I don’t think there’s anything that girl wouldn’t do for her buddy, Tiff as you’ll read when they go sleuthing. And Hilary was very good when it came to enabling Tiff on dating a certain handsome detective. Dale was the kind of boss anybody would just love to have. He was fair and easy to get along with…and he didn’t mind hybrid employees as long as they came to the staff meetings.

The mystery was a good one and I was stumped until a clue came along toward the end of the book. Then I knew exactly whodunit possibly a little sooner than Tiffany did. That was one good showdown too, and the ending was super sweet. I can’t wait for more in this series!

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

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Crime for the Books review

October 13, 2022October 13, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mysteries by Kate Young, and I especially liked this mystery since it was fun Halloween month reading. I’ve always loved Lyla’s Gran’s character! She’s such a hoot and a real force to be reckoned with. It’s so cool how she always seems to know just when Lyla needs her around. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next book in the series!

#CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

My Goodreads review:

Crime for the Books by Kate Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was crazy good with its combo of Halloween creepy and a twisty, compelling murder mystery. At times I wasn’t sure who to trust, but there were definitely a couple people on my radar, and I was right about one of them. When it got to be over halfway through the book, I couldn’t read quick enough as the clues and theories started coming fast and furious.

I absolutely love it when a group of friends orchestrates a trap with the police, so to me, this showdown was pretty darn epic. And who doesn’t love it when a wily killer gets bested right? And busted too. 😉

The dynamics of the book club ladies and their camaraderie is just awesome. There’s really nothing these girls wouldn’t do for each other since they all feel like sisters who can discuss or do anything. From commiserating over breakups to breaking down a killer to confessing, these ladies were unstoppable! The side story of Amelia and her hubby adopting a little girl was so sweet! I liked the fast-forward at the very end to include their new addition as well as a super comprehensive wrap-up of the case. Can’t wait for the next installment!

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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Murder Out of Character review

September 13, 2022September 13, 2022 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Peach Coast Library Mysteries by Olivia Matthews who wrote a couple other cozy series as well before working on this one for Hallmark Publishing. I sure hope they want her to do more because I’m more than ready to keep reading about these characters! They just really pulled me in extra hard in this second book.

I love the closeness Marvey has with her parents even though they’re still living in New York while she’s in Georgia. And her friends are just so amazing with how they’ve welcomed her into their various circles. It’s cool how she’s got her close circle of friends (Jo, Nolan and Spence) for sleuthing, but she can also call on her librarian friends for some after-hours sleuthing as well. What an awesome entourage, right? I know they’ve gotta have plenty more stories to tell! (Oh and a total side note: there’s no way I’d be able to only enjoy Anna May’s peach cobbler once a week! I admire Marvey’s self-control!)

#HallmarkPublishing #OliviaMatthews

My Goodreads review:

Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this so much better than the first book, and I liked the first book a lot. The characters drew me in but in this book it was just different. Somehow it just all came together and these characters became friends I was visiting. The mystery did seem more compelling in this book too, and at times I had a hard time putting my Kindle down. I couldn’t read fast enough toward the end lol. A clever clue led me to guessing the killer.

The book had probably my most favorite type of showdowns (meaning it was fairly safe for all involved), and I sure hope there’s another book because it’s about high time that Jo lets Nolan know how much she likes him. And Marvey needs to do the same with Spence. There at least were some better hints toward that as the book progressed and especially at the end. I really loved how everyone gathered at the end for a sort of debriefing then a party to see Marvey’s folks off which was actually a little bit more than just that! I really hope Hallmark Publishing wants more of this series!

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

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Reading Between the Crimes review

September 7, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mysteries that started last year. I’m really enjoying getting to know the characters, and you definitely get to know some of the characters a lot better in this book! I couldn’t help thinking the murder had a whole Clue vibe going…”Mr. Richardson in the library with the candlestick.” Except Mr. R was the one who was offed. There was a lot of intrigue and mysterious things happening. As I said in my Goodreads review, I can’t really say a whole lot for fear of spoiling something. Just read and enjoy!

My Goodreads review:

Reading Between the Crimes by Kate Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow what a mystery! A lot of it was more low-key and not tons of action going on, but just when I thought it was getting quiet, pow! Lyla learned something about her mom’s past that was pretty unsettling, but it did explain quite a bit of her recent behavior. I don’t want to go into details too much, because there’s a possibility of spoiling something no matter what I mention.

I’m glad to see that Lyla was still with Brad Jones and at least Quinn her ex was treating her fairly well regarding the investigation. Lots of surprises came out, and the showdown was kind of a show stopper. Very well written with little surprises popping up here and there. I definitely can recommend this series. This book seems more geared toward not having had to read the first one, although I always recommend starting the beginning. I admit to not always having done that myself when ARCs looked tempting though! 😉

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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Peaches and Schemes review

May 17, 2021May 17, 2021 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Georgia B&B series by Anna Gerard who cozy fans also know as Diane A.S. Stuckart and Ali Brandon. I’ve loved this series since it first came out a couple years ago, and it just keeps getting better. Nina and her housemate Harry have grown a lot in how they treat one another and may be developing more than just tolerance and tossing around fun-loving insults at each other. I’m really excited to see what the next book will bring! At one point toward the end, I was a little sad, but the next chapter fixed that right up! You’ll see when you read it, and as my review below suggests, maybe a few tissues for those happy tears would come in handy!

My Goodreads review:

Peaches and Schemes by Anna Gerard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I love this book the best so far in the series! I never in a million years thought I’d come to love Harry’s character so much when I first met him in book one. But he went above and beyond to prove that maybe sometimes he’s really got a good heart that’s not scheming something.

Harry happened to be back staying at the B&B, and Nina was surprised to run into him at a trade show. I had to laugh at his new venture, a hired plus one. And boy did he get in over his head with his first and only job! Nina’s friend was murdered at a wedding expo fashion show, and she was going to stop at nothing to bring her justice and also prove that an older lady who was the woman’s biz partner wasn’t a killer. Nina was worried about a stalker being the killer and was trying to avoid a certain car. The dead woman’s dog Gus was so darn sweet, I was hoping Nina would get to keep him, since he was already Mattie’s playdate buddy. But Gus did get a good ending.

This showdown was absolutely epic and kind of typically Harry. But it took all the ingenuity of the parties involved to pull it off successfully. Luckily, it worked out and two people got a surprise happily ever after, while two more people were starting to realize something good. What a sweet and fitting ending! Have a few tissues handy for the happy kind of eye-leakage!

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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On Borrowed Crime review

October 22, 2020 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a new series by Kate Young called The Jane Doe Book Club, and it looks like it’s off to a really nice start. I enjoyed the book club ladies for the most part. Patsy was a bit of a downer at times, but I guess since she’d just become a mom, she was losing interest in murder mysteries. I liked the excitement of when Lyla was sleuthing and would actually get away with something–usually sleuths are stopped in their tracks. I’m really anxious to read the next book.

My Goodreads review:

On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the beginning of this new series and the idea of a book club. It was super creepy (but not overly) in some places like the texting perp who killed one of their members had inside intel somewhere in town, but where were they getting it? Uncle Calvin was pretty cool, and I really hope he stays around town long enough in the next book to get to know him and maybe find out a little more about his background with his sister, Lyla’s mom Francis. I just loved Gran, what a hoot! She added the fun touch when Francis was going off on some social tangent or harping at Lyla that she’d make them look bad by being interested in solving crimes.

I was completely surprised by who the perp was, as I’d been leaning toward someone else for most of the last part of the book, but I was glad it wasn’t who I thought it was. I hope that Lyla grows on me just a little more. She seemed level-headed enough most of the time, but sometimes she came off as immature and stubborn just for stubbornness’ sake. I did have some issues with the ARC’s formatting which I hope got fixed in the final copy. And at times, I was rereading dialogue to figure out which character was speaking–I can’t say the formatting was totally responsible for that. I can appreciate the idea of not repeating the same old “he said, she said, I replied” type of thing, but sometimes I just needed more of a clue as to which person was speaking. Again, maybe that was taken care of in the final copy. I’ll definitely be interested in reading the next book.

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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Peachy Scream review

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the newer series Georgia B&B by Anna Gerard, also known in cozy mystery circles as Ali Brandon and Diane A.S. Stuckart. I love the setting for this series and the fellow small businesses in Nina’s town. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn’t annoyed by the character of Harry this time around. I got a big kick out of him hauling the Yorick skull prop around for the Hamlet production. It was even at the breakfast table lol.

My Goodreads review:

Peachy Scream by Anna Gerard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d really liked the first book in this series when I read it last year, and this one was a great follow-up. It was set not very long after the first one, and when Nina’s nemesis Harry showed up, I was all ready to be upset with him and wish he’d go away. But he surprised Nina (and me!) by acting fairly normal, well for Harry anyway. It does help if you read the first book first. Then it’ll be easy to understand just why Nina wasn’t a fan of Harry’s and wasn’t happy to see him back.

Once again, they made good sleuthing buddies. I got a kick out of his nickname for their little operation of looking into the death of one of the Shakespeare players. I think eventually Nina decided to cut Harry a little slack. I do like them a lot better when they’re getting along, and who knows, she might even fall for him. 😉

The mystery was sort of a premises mystery with only the people in the troupe as logical suspects. I wasn’t surprised by who did it, but I’d had someone else in mind most of the time. I really enjoyed the showdown, because staged ones are so much more fun and tricky. It’ll be interesting to see what old Wild Hare (Harry’s tour company) Harry gets into in the next book. I’m sure whatever it is, Nina’s going to be right in the thick of it with him!

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Peach Clobbered review

July 23, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new series released earlier this month. It’s written by Anna Gerard and called Georgia B&B. If this first book is any indication, I hope we’re in for a nice long series! I really enjoyed the character of Nina and even Harry, as well as the various people in town, not to mention the nuns who were the first guests at Nina’s new B&B. I’m really anxious to read the next book!

My Goodreads review:

Peach Clobbered: A Georgia B&B Mystery by Anna Gerard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this brand new series first so much! It was funny in places and really kept my interest as far as wanting to see what happened next. I mean a group of nuns in a town where the murder was being referred to as the Penguin Suit murder just made me chuckle. Just like Nina, I grew pretty fond of all those sisters when they moved into the B&B. Despite their similar names (each was Sister Mary something), they did each have their own quirks or personalities and I hoped that they wouldn’t have to leave anytime soon. Even though I didn’t want to like Harry at first (he showed up claiming that Nina’s house-now-B&B was promised to him by his great aunt, but she never lived to revise her will), I couldn’t help but find him likable eventually. Nina found herself softening toward him as well, possibly the influence of living with the good sisters, or maybe she just thought he was hot. 😉

I hadn’t guessed the killer and after the happy ending that everyone got, I’m anxious to see what the author has in store next for Nina, Mattie-pup and their friends.

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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Read on Arrival–review

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Bookmobile Mystery series by Nora Page. I just love the idea of an old school bus refurbished into a bookmobile and had read the first book last year. I loved both of the books and can definitely say that Cleo and Henry are two of my favorite cozy couples. Mary-Rose is a great bestie. She’s not quite the ride-along type of sidekick some besties are, but she keeps Cleo informed. Gabby the deputy and Cleo’s favorite neighbor is a sweetheart, who wouldn’t love her for a neighbor? I had a great time reading this one and just like before, I’m really looking forward to the next book!

My Goodreads review:

Read on Arrival by Nora Page

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just loved this book! Cleo and Henry have got to be the most adorable couple, and Cleo is the most loyal and brave friend that anyone could want. The library’s grand opening was coming soon when the library board president brought in a lady named Belle with crazy and outrageous ideas–like that books were clutter (this woman really bugged me, I was hoping she’d be offed or the perp lol). I’d say the author did her job well, because I could not stand Belle and her Airstream flashing-lights bookless-mobile. When the town diva and the patron with the longest overdue book was found dead in her home by Cleo and Henry, Cleo was one of the suspects. She did manage to get to the bottom of everything and restore her good name. I guessed the killer because of cleverly-placed clues by the author, but it was a lot of fun to see Cleo track the perp down. I have to hand it to Cleo, because she doesn’t do anything alone, and she’s very good about alerting the local deputy, who happens to be her neighbor, Gabby. I can’t wait for the next book!

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Rosemary and Crime–review

July 9, 2018July 9, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in the Spice Shop series written by Gail Oust. I had heard of this series but when I was browsing the Libby app (powered by Overture, the library app) on my iPad yesterday, I ran across the first in this series and thought, why not? I’ve been curious about it anyway. I was so glad I borrowed this book, it was really good. Check out my Goodreads review!

My Goodreads review:

Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d been curious about this series since a new one had recently come out but it was such a long-running series, I decided to start at the beginning and read this one when I found it on the Overdrive library app. I quickly became engrossed in this little Georgia town with all its quirky, gossipy characters. It was definitely a well-written, well-thought out plot and I didn’t guess the killer until the author started the reveal. The showdown was pretty exciting.

Piper Prescott had just gotten divorced from her husband who was now dating a girl who was 24 years old. CJ and Piper shared a son, Chad, and a high school freshman, Lindsey. They were on fairly good terms but Piper had no patience for the girl CJ was dating who was nearly half her own age…and his.

Piper’s new shop, Spice It Up!, was slowly becoming popular in the small town and she was hoping that a local chef named Mario would come and do a recipe demonstration to help tell people about spices she had available. When she found an injured puppy, it led her to eventually going into Mario’s restaurant and finding his very dead body. New police chief McBride seemed obsessed with wanting to charge Piper with the crime, so she and her bestie, Reba Mae (who honestly made me think of the singer with the same first name) started investigating the others who would have a reason to want Mario out of the picture.

There were a lot of characters in the book but as I read, some of them were minor players and I found out the more major ones weren’t really hard to keep track of after all. I just loved Reba Mae, Piper’s best friend! What’s not to love about a sassy Southerner for a best friend? Being a hairdresser gave her access to all the town’s best gossip and sometimes it even came in handy. I really liked Dr. Doug Winters, the local veterinarian who patched up the injured puppy that Piper ended up adopting. They seem like a cute couple…but then there is also something interesting developing between Piper and the police chief, once he figured out she wasn’t guilty, that is.

I know I want to keep reading this series. Melly, CJ’s mom was such a hoot! She could be a snooty woman of wealth but I loved that she was willing to watch the store for Piper whenever she needed her. I think that Piper made a lot of headway with her daughter, Lindsey, too and that despite being a teen spoiled by her rich daddy, Lindsey will turn out just fine.

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