Tag: Cozy

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Murder in an Irish Bookshop by Carlene O’Connor

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I can’t get enough of Siobhan and Macdara and the O’Sullivan Six and Kilbane. This series is definitely a favorite and I really want to go back and read the first few books that I haven’t yet picked up.

Murder in an Irish Bookshop has SUCH a fun murder to solve – when a visiting author is found dead in a newly opened bookshop, Siobhan has a long list of suspects to sort through (this author was…prickly. She made a lot of enemies.)

The investigation and reveal is SO clever – O’Connor’s ability to outline an elaborate and interesting murder never fails to amaze me.

Thank you Bibliolifestyle and Kensington Books!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Murder With a View by Diane Kelly

Aimeeeliz

I have a tendency to jump in to cozy mystery series in the middle, and this is no exception. Murder With a View is the third book in the House-Flipper mysteries, but the first one i’ve read. And it’s ADORABLE.

The most notable thing about this book (and, I assume, the series as a whole) is the characters. The characters are lovely and hilarious and you can’t help but cheer for them every step of the way. Sawdust the cat is a delight. Although I wasn’t ALWAYS on board with the short chapters from his purr-spective, I found myself appreciating them more towards the end of the book.

This mystery had me stumped for the majority of the book, and the inevitable “showdown” between our main character, Whitney, and the murderer was pretty thrilling (and also a little terrifying!)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the NetGalley ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – A Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott

Aimeeeliz

A Page Marked for Murder was a great continuation of the Beyond the Page Bookstore mysteries! I loved going back to Greyborne Harbor to spend time with Addie and her friends. The mystery in this was interesting and fun (not too easy!) to solve. I loved the addition of Pippi (an ADORABLE dog that Addie ends up pet-sitting for most of the book) and, as always, Elliott was able to connect Addie’s passion for rare books in with the overall story.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Bookmarked for Murder by VM Burns

Aimeeeliz

I had so much fun reading this cozy – Samantha (owner of a mystery bookshop!) has spent the past few days in Chicago with her grandmother doing some post-Christmas shopping. When a passenger on their bus ride home ends up murdered, Sam, her grandmother and her grandmother’s crew of hilarious friends team up to solve the murder.

Sam is a lovely character and her grandmother (and friends!) are absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud a few times while reading this book, and it was the perfect read during my long holiday break.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders

Aimeeeliz

This book was such a pleasant surprise! Josie is new to Wilfred, Oregon, and she’s on the run after uncovering corruption at her previous job (she worked for the Library of Congress and the people after her are very scary and very powerful).

Josie intends to stay in Wilfred for a short period of time and takes a position as their new librarian. The library is located inside a beautiful Victorian mansion, and Josie’s living quarters are on the top floor. Yes, you read that right. She lives inside the library – could it get any better than that?

Wilfred is much different than DC and Josie experiences a lot of culture shock – which could also be attributed to the fact that she’s slowly discovering that she has some magical abilities. Josie discovers a dead body her first day in Wilfred and can’t help but think the victim is somehow connected to the people who want Josie dead.

This has it all – an adorable tiny town, hilarious and lovable characters, and a black cat named Rodney who may or may not be Josie’s familiar…

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland

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April is spending her first Christmas in Santaland after marrying Nick Claus, who has taken over the title of Santa after the tragic death of his brother months ago. When an elf is found dead a week or so before the big day, April can’t help but do some investigating of her own.

This is a delightful start to a new cozy series – it’s like a grown-up version of The Santa Clause. Santaland is magical and lovely, but there’s a darker side, too. April’s in-laws aren’t exactly the most welcoming (dealing with her new mother-in-law, the dowager Mrs. Claus, can be tough!), there’s a lot of animosity and infighting amongst the different elf families, and reindeer can be horribly mean! Quasar is my absolute favorite, though (Rudolph who? Get ready for a new favorite reindeer!)

I’m interested to see where Ireland takes this series – April still owns an inn in Oregon, and she’s intending on spending summers there with Mr. Claus. It could be really fun to have a series set in two different locations!

Content warning: very brief mention of death of a spouse, infertility and infidelity.

Thank you Kensington Books for the finished copy!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes

Aimeeeliz

What a great start to a new series! Death at a Country Mansion is just delightful. Set in a small village in Surrey, England, we follow Daisy Thorne, salon owner by day and forensic psychology student during her downtime. When her best friend’s mother, Dame Serena Levante, is found dead in her palatial home, Daisy quickly gets involved in the murder investigation.

This book was so fun! The mystery was interesting and there are a lot of little twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Daisy and her best friend, Floria, are charming, likable characters, and Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness is a perfect potential love interest.

I’m already excited for book two!

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Finished Off in Fondant by Rosemarie Ross

Aimeeeliz

Finished Off in Fondant is the second book in the Courtney Archer Mystery Series, which I am really enjoying!

Inspired by everyone’s favorite, cozy baking competition (you know the one!), this series follows Courtney Archer, known as The Farmer’s Daughter (except her parents were definitely not farmers…) We open book two as Courtney comes clean about her background to a live audience during a taping of her show.

She’s also getting ready to start filming season two of The American Baking Battle. The first season was overshadowed by the murder of one of the contestants, but the odds of a murder happening twice during the filming of the same show are low, right? ….right? Unfortunately, a body shows up in the suite of one of the show’s co-hosts, and Courtney can’t help but get involved with yet another murder investigation.

I’m excited to see where the series goes…the supporting characters are a lot of fun, and there’s a potential love triangle in the works (I have my favorite guy but we shall see what actually happens!)

Thank you Kensington Books for the NetGalley ARC!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – The Malt in Our Stars by Sarah Fox

Aimeeeliz

“Ever since moving to Shady Creek, I’d developed a habit of getting wrapped up in murder investigations.”

Oh, how I love this series! We meet back up with Sadie, owner of The Inkwell, who is getting ready to host one of her favorite authors for a book event. Shockingly (or not…) the author’s assistant ends up dead at Shady Creek Manor (a local inn with a storied past), and Sadie can’t help but get involved in trying to solve the murder.

Shady Creek is also welcoming a TV crew to town, who will be doing a feature on the local brewery (and including The Inkwell briefly as well!) AND they’re trying to get ready for their annual May Day festivities, which culminate in an elegant masquerade ball that’s set to take place at, you guessed it, the scene of the murder.

This book has it all – a hidden treasure that may or may not exist, precocious townspeople who can’t help but stick their nose in other people’s business, a dreamy love interest (swoon!) and, of course, drinks and food items that have bookish pun names.

Thank you Sarah Fox for sending me an ARC of this book!

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne

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Meet Isabel Puddles was a little bit of a bumpy ride, but I did end up enjoying it. Isabel is a very interesting and well-developed character – it’s hard not to love her. Isabel is a widow “of a certain age” who has her hand in pretty much every aspect of her small town in northern-ish Michigan.

This is definitely a cozy mystery, but it does read a bit more like a contemporary mystery – it’s a bit more in-depth and lacks that “cutesy” factor that’s so common in cozies (not a bad thing, just not a sugary sweet kind of novel).

There’s a lot of extra fluff in this book and Isabel will often go off on tangents talking about stories from decades past, or giving more background into the lives of minor characters. These tangents definitely give you a feel of small-town Michigan (if you aren’t already familiar with it) but they can be long-winded and tedious at times.

That all being said, I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, and I can’t wait to see what sort of trouble Isabel gets herself into!

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC.