Tag: small town washington state

Death by a Thousand Sips review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in the Witches’ Brew Mysteries by Gretchen Rue. I really enjoyed the first one and was definitely not disappointed in this second book. Things were looking up for Phoebe, even the town meanie was being nice to her (later in the book), but first you gotta have the murder case. She had her old friend Rich to work on it with since this time she wasn’t suspecting him of murder, lol. I’m happy to see those two were getting closer together, ’cause hey, Bob the cat approves of Rich. And that’s saying a lot! This book releases September 5, 2023.

#NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #GretchenRue

My Goodreads review:

Death by a Thousand Sips (Witches' Brew Mystery #2)Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness, this was an awesome second book and I loved that Phoebe and Rich were getting close again. Phoebe’s employees are so awesome and I just love Amy and Honey, her neighboring shop friends. Honey’s really special since she can give Phoebe witchy advice no one else can.

There was one thing in the story that made me suspect something but it went away from my brain and resurfaced later. I had absolutely no idea of whodunit and that was some exciting showdown too! Thanks to Phoebe’s quick thinking, she didn’t have to end up as fish food or worse. The side story of opening a cate adoption center was starting to be a reality and Phoebe was really hoping she could talk their favorite older customer into adopting a nice cat from the shelter. Bob the cat as usual played a great part from when he sniffed out the dead body to when he inspired cat adoption. Ginger cats are pawsome! Don’t miss this book when it releases on September 5, 2023.

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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Murder Off the Books review

Tari Hann

This is the third book in the By the Book Mysteries by cozy mystery author Tamara Berry. I’ve enjoyed this series from its beginning and am really eager for another book to come along. There’s always some comedy and funny antics going on, but Tess’s visiting mom put that way over the top. I really enjoyed her character, kinda reminded me of Castle’s mom, Martha! I wouldn’t mind if she moved closer and was able to hang out with Gertie more often. After an exciting showdown and very satisfying ending, I can only imagine what the next book might bring!

#NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress #TamaraBerry

My Goodreads review:

Murder Off the Books (By the Book Mysteries, #3)Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fun and wild adventure in Washington state and this time Tess had her mom to contend with along with her usual entourage. I’ve always loved Gertie’s character–she’s like fifteen going on twenty-five, lol. She might’ve had to share the comedy spotlight with her Grandma Bee this time but I’m pretty sure Gert didn’t mind. The two got along pretty well and even Tess managed to put up with her mom’s spontaneous visit, so the last thing Tess needed was for her mom to be the prime suspect in a guy’s murder. And he happened to be the much younger guy Bee was seeing along with being a probable multi-killer.

The showdown was a crazy one and Tess had help from a very unexpected person, but together they defeated Zorg, I mean the perp. 😉 I’ve always known Tess would’ve liked to date the sheriff but she wasn’t real sure how he felt. There was a cute but kinda sad side story that Victor’s sister told Tess, although everything worked out nicely and I was beyond happy with the ending! I’m excited for the next book now!

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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On Spine of Death review

Tari Hann

This is the second book in the By the Book Mysteries by Tamara Berry, and I loved it as much as the first. She’s got a great way of creating characters readers care about and start to like right away, and this was no different. By the time the book was heading toward its close, I couldn’t read fast enough! What a showdown! While it’s probably not necessary to read the first book in the series, I recommend reading it first for better enjoyment of this book since you’ll know the characters and some of their stories already. Can’t wait for the next book!

My Goodreads review:

On Spine of Death (By the Book #2)On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow was this good! Probably as exciting as one of main character Tess’s books, without any gore of course! As with the first book, this one grabbed by the arm right away and pulled me right on in. Some interesting new characters came onto the scene and it’ll be even more interesting to see which if any gets to stay on in the next book, which incidentally I can’t wait for!

I absolutely love that Gertie! She’s such a crazy, fun kid and incredibly wise for her fifteen years. She really cracks me up sometimes! There were some good comic scenes in this from various characters just to relieve any tension going on.

The showdown was epic with a good twist at the end. It took me most of the book but I did figure out the killer right before Tess did. I’m not sure I’m a fan of the ending since Victor and Tess weren’t on the best terms, but I’m optimistic for 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.

View all my reviews