small town scotland – Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery

Mums and Mayhem review

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020 Tari Hann

This is the third book in the Magical Garden series by Amanda Flower, one of my favorite authors who happens to live here in Ohio. I enjoy all her series, but her magical series like this one and Magical Bookshop are really special! By the time this book ended, it had confirmed something that I’d been hoping for. No peeking at the end though! It’s better if you read it all.

My Goodreads review:

Mums and Mayhem by Amanda Flower

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was just so good! When I got done with it, I didn’t want it to end. Fiona and Isla got the dreaded visit from their parents, but despite a murder and some family secrets coming out once and for all, it ended up being a good visit for all of them.

It was nice to get to know Fiona’s parents a little bit better and some of her dad’s backstory. The side story about the garden helped wrap things up once the killer was caught. I hadn’t really guessed who that was. I was mainly just enjoying the story itself and watching it unfold. I absolutely loved the ending and how things turned out. If I say too much, it’ll give things away that are more fun if you read them firsthand! I’m enjoying this series more and more as each new book comes out, and I think Uncle Ian was pleased with how Fi was being a responsible Keeper for the magical garden.

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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Died in the Wool by Melinda Mullet

June 21, 2019 Tari Hann

This is the fourth book in the Whisky Business series by Melinda Mullet. When I first started reading it, I wasn’t sure if I’d take to it or not. I know nothing about whisky and honestly have no interest in learning. But I soon found out that these books are about a lot more than just the whisky business. The author does an excellent job of not overwhelming readers with details about whisky and all its variations.

The main characters of Abi, Patrick, Grant, Cam, Hunter and Louisa became like old friends that I get to go visit in Scotland whenever a new book comes out. I get a kick out of Abi’s dog Liam. He’s so sweet and takes his job of herding her geriatric sheep very seriously. Liam got to be a support dog for a little girl needing a special friend in this book. I’m really anxious for the next book after reading this one!

My Goodreads review:

Died in the Wool by Melinda Mullet

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was another intriguing visit to Scotland Abi and all her friends, which have become like old friends to me. I just love the older guy Hunter that comes and takes care of the house and kind of acts like a butler sometimes. Abi joined the board of a women’s shelter in Edinburgh and soon found out that all kinds of underhanded things were going on, especially after one of the shelter guests turned up dead and their housekeeper/cook went missing. Abi’s whisky business partner Grant was still recovering from an injury he received in the last book and putting up with his former girlfriend Brenna. It was good to see him break away from that and go sleuthing with Abi and Patrick–and it made him feel useful again. In retrospect, going where they did may not have been the best idea, but at least Abi and Grant might have realized by working together that they’d been missing being together. It seemed like Abi was happy to be able to use her time and some of Ben’s money that he’d left her to help out a good cause like the women’s shelter, and she made some new friends in the process.

I liked how everything wrapped up and was explained as well as telling what some of the women at the shelter were now going to do with their lives. With the rest of the nice ending this book got, I’m very anxious to read the next one!

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Flowers and Foul Play–review

June 4, 2018June 4, 2018 Tari Hann

This is the first book in a brand new series released on May 18 by Ohio-based author, Amanda Flower. I just love her Magical Bookshop series and was happy to find that this book has a lot of those same types of elements, even two pets that are at times at odds. Her caretaker has a pet squirrel that has a cute little personalty, sometimes a little stinker too since he likes to tease the cat, Ivanhoe.

I’m excited to read the next one in the series and was happy when I got approved by NetGalley to do that. I’m so tempted to start it soon but I do have a few I need to read first. Stay tuned!

My Goodreads review:

Flowers and Foul Play by Amanda Flower

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book! It has the elements that I enjoyed so much in the Magical Bookshop series but it was set in beautiful Scotland near the sea.

Fiona Knox’s uncle and godfather Ian MacCallister had left her his cottage and grounds. After a disastrous folding of her flower shop in Nashville, TN and losing her fiance to their cake decorator, Fiona had nothing left to lose. She packed herself up and went to Scotland only to find her uncle’s dead lawyer in the garden and the handsome chief inspector looking at the elderly caretaker as a person of interest. Fiona had to learn about the garden as well since a letter outlining everything from Ian was somehow lost in the mail or was living at her parents’ house. Trying to get police attention away from Hamish, take care of the magic garden which thrived beautifully now that she was there and questioning possible suspects took most of her first few days in Scotland.

I had suspected the person behind it but definitely didn’t know the motive behind it. The showdown was pretty exciting and the ending was very satisfying and sweet. I loved the last couple of sentences and had leaky eyes even though I had suspected that all along. I won’t spoil it, you’ll just have to read it and see! My favorite characters were Fiona of course, Hamish and Neil Craig, the chief inspector. Hamish had a few secrets but I also knew down deep he was a good man.

I’m hoping something definitely develops between Neil and Fiona. He really seemed to care about her as he gave her the usual warnings about investigating. I think he honestly was worried about her more than worried that she’d mess up his case. The character of the police chief was kind of a comic relief, at least to me. He was a volunteer and seemed so ridiculous I had to giggle at him once when he stormed into the pub saying if he’d been in charge of this murder, it would have been solved. I kind of pictured Constable George’s character on the Murdoch Mysteries, only with a little more bravery to his voice lol.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley. I’m anxious to read the next book and am happy to have been approved by the publisher to read and review it as well.

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