Linda
This was a good start to a cozy series. Bernie Smyth is an actress from the detective series Silver and Gold. She is put in witness protection when she finds out her co-star is a criminal and she testifies against him. She is moved to a small town and she gets a job as a barista, but when her boss is killed she loses her chance to stay under the radar as suddenly everyone in the town wants to know about her and the sheriff is out to get her.
The small town had a lot of nice people and shops and different areas. It was all centered around an Italian-American theme and they even had a festival with lots of different foods, including cannolis. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to see where is leads me next.
Rumi and Jens work together as part of the Norwegian resistance during World War II and try to help young unwed mothers escape to Sweden with their babies before Hitler can take their babies to produce the perfect Aryan race.
I thought the premise of the story was interesting and not one I had read before, but I didn't find the characters very compelling and I had a hard time staying interested. I usually like Mandy Robotham's books, but this one just didn't hold my attention.
This is the first in the Chatty Corgi Mysteries and it was adorable. The main character Emma is able to understand what her corgi Oliver is saying to her and he helps her solve a murder by using his nose and his insatiable curiousity to find clues.
The small town and supporting characters seem great and my only problem with the story is that Emma goes over all the suspects and their motives etc, far too often. I didn't feel I needed a constant reminder.
Oliver steals the show though and has lots of “book time”, so for that reason I give it 5 stars.
This was such an amazing book! It starts with Tessa Tidwell showing up at the Golden Hibiscus resort for her honeymoon. Unfortunately, she is alone. Her fiance decided just before the rehersal dinner that he didn't want to marry her, so, she has gone on the honeymoon by herself. While there she meets Sybil who is hilarious. She is constantly drinking martinis, even at 10 am, and has had 4 different husbands. She has plenty of life advice for Tessa, including how to deal with relationships.
Tessa has booked a sailing lesson, but when she goes out on the boat with the instructor, they find a dead body in the water, and the adventure takes off from there. Tessa ends up spending her “honeymoon” trying to find out who the murderer is and enlists Sybil's reluctant help.
The characters were fun and engaging, the mystery was excellent, and I couldn't put it down. Definitely a must read for cozy mystery lovers.
This was the first of the Meg Langslow mysteries that I have read. I'm a little slow to the game. It was really good. I loved the small town atmosphere of it and really enjoyed the various characters.
The main character Meg lives with her husband and children, and her mother, father, grandmother and grandfather are all close by. There is also a character named Rose Noire, but I never figured out whether she was family or not.
Meg and some others go for a walk in the woods to look for an ancient graveyard, and instead find a recent dead body. He is one of the area's NIMBY's (Not in my backyard) and had caused trouble for many people in town. Meg sets out to help the local police chief solve the case.
Some of the information about bees and hummingbirds was interesting. When I first started the book I wasn't sure I would enjoy that part, but soon I was so invested in the story that I was along for the ride.
It was a great cozy and I would recommend it for those who love cozy mysteries, but also those interested in gardening, birds and beekeeping.
I was so happy to read this book. A new “cozy” series is always great to find. The main character Morwenna Mutton is so endearing. She is 61 and rides her bicycle all around Seal Bay. She likes to do Polar Bear dips at the beach once a week, and she and her mother and daughter run the local cafe.
Alex owns half of the village and wants to buy the cafe so he can turn it into a pizza shop. Tamsan considers it because they have a hard time making ends meet in the off season, but her mother and grandmother convince her they will get through it as a family.
Her daughter Tamsan is engaged to Jack and also has a daughter Elowen from a previous relationship. They throw an engagement party on the beach, and a murder is committed. The murder used the bread knife that they brought from the cafe, so the local police chief has the whole family as the prime suspects.
It's up to Morwenna to clear their names and find the real killer. She is a wonderful main character and reminds me of characters like Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple. I love that she is a bit older and the fact that it is set in Cornish Village is an added bonus. I am looking forward to spending more time with Morwenna and her family in Seal Bay. A wonderful start to a new series.
This was such a great cozy! It was the first one I have read by Tara Lush and it certainly won't be the last. It's the 4th book in her Coffee Lover's Mystery series and I just loved it. I received a free copy from Net Galley and the author for an honest review and they didn't disappoint.
It's about Lana Lewis who stumbles over the dead body of a local curmudgeon when she follows her father to the community garden. She is looking to plant some coffee beans to see if they will grow in the soil in Florida and she can have her own blend for her cafe, Perkatory. Instead she gets involved in a mystery, much to the dismay of her police chief boyfriend, Noah.
The characters were quirky and interesting and I felt like they were fleshed out well and I could really get to know them. The plot was great with lots of twists that I didn't see coming. It was one of my favourite reads of 2023 so far.
If you love a good mystery thriller like Gone Girl, you will no doubt love this book. It's full of mystery. family drama, greed, a small town held captive by a wealthy family and more.
Ruby McTavish, a wealthy heiress dies and leaves everything to her adopted son Camden, but he has managed to separate himself from the family and really doesn't want it. His wife Jules convinces him to make the trip home with her and see what he can do to help his family.
Once they arrive she realizes that Cam was right; everyone resents him and no one really wants him around.
This novel has lots of great twists and turns, but I gave it 3 1/2 stars because I didn't think any of the characters were likeable and I found the beginning of the story dragged a little for me. That being said, however, if you are coming for the intrigue, it has plenty of that!
I enjoyed this book. Alena is asked by her brothers to go visit her father and his new fiance and tell her that they will pay her to leave him alone. They are afraid that she is going to get the bulk of his wealth and they can't have that happen.
Alena is a single mother raising a daughter who has Cerebral Palsy and she hasn't spoken to her father in years. Her brothers keep pestering her and ultimately offer her money to help out her daughter if she does this for them.
She finally agrees and goes home for her father's engagement party/wedding. From there she has to convince this woman to leave, deal with her brothers and their greed and ultimately search for whatever secrets her father is hiding.
There are lots of twists and turns and a surprising ending. I do wish there had been a trigger warning, however, due to some disturbing content.
I enjoyed this novel, although I do wish there had been a trigger warning due to some of the content. The character of Chief Inspector Gamache was interesting and I felt like you really got to know him and his heart through the story. Some of the other characters weren't fleshed out as much as I would like, however, it is the 18th book so that could be why.
The story involves a case that had happened years before and now the two children from that case are all grown up and return to Three Pines. Things begin to happen that seem connected to that time and Gamache begins to suspect that one or both of the children are involved.
This was the first in the Noodle Shop Mysteries and I really enjoyed it. The characters were interesting, there were lots of twists, red herrings and secrets. The Plaza where it all takes place is quirky and like many good cozies; there is a lovable best friend, a pet and a potential love interest.
Vivien Chien started out strong and I think she is now on her 9th Noodle Shop Mystery. I would definitely read more of them.
This one involves Lana Lee who has come home to her parents noodle shop after a bad break up. She settles into a routine and is working, hanging out with her dog, chatting with her roommate and watching too much Netflix.
When a murder happens in the Plaza she is determined to find out who's behind it and begins to uncover the many secrets that have been hidden by the owners of the local shops. Any one of them could be the murderer.
Stalking Around the Christmas Tree was absolutely amazing! I loved it from start to finish. This was my first Christmas Cozy Mystery and I'm glad I didn't wait until December to read it. I loved the small town of Mistletoe, Maine where the story was set. It is a small town devoted to the holidays. Holly White, the main character, works at the Inn there and helps run Reindeer Games tree farm with her parents. They also run the Hearth cafe in town. Holly's fiance is the town sheriff and they are getting ready for their wedding which is coming up fast. Plus Holly is getting ready for Christmas, running the Reindeer Games and wrapping gifts for charity. There isn't much time for anything else, but when Tiffany, a ballerina, who is in town for a performance of the nutcracker, turns up dead, Holly can't resist getting involved.
In spite of there being a murder in town, this is where I want to spend Christmas. The people that live in the town are sweet and fun, including a group of older ladies who call themselves The Swingers (because they swing dance) and some adorable busybodies who run the local shops. Everyone cares about Holly and just wants to see her happy and settled.
As Holly looks into the murder, her fiance, Sheriff Evan Gray, becomes worried that the murderer may target her too. There is no stopping her though as she wants this all wrapped up before their wedding.
I give this book 5 stars as it had lots of twists and turns, a wonderful town with warm Christmas cheer and a sweet romance. What more could a person ask for?!
This was by far the best book I have read this year. The author creates a very believable story about Molly, a beautiful young Protestant girl and her neighbour and friend, Max, who is a handsome Jewish boy. It begins in 1933 as racial tensions in Toronto begin to rise. Soon Molly's parents are telling her she can't hang out with Max and his sister Hannah, and her brother Richie has joined a Swastika group. Her whole world is about to change. A pivotal event takes place that is felt by both families for years to come.
We then move to 1939 when the world is at war and many of the young men from 1933 are now serving in the military. Genevieve Graham does not gloss over the horrors of war and later that of PTSD.
I don't want to give away too much of the story, however, this is a part of history that is not widely known and I was so impressed with the way it was dealt with. I highly recommend!!
This novel was very funny in a slapstick comedy sort of way. Four women decide to travel from Quebec to NY and they get caught up with the mob, some local drug dealers and one of their ex-husbands. It would probably make a good comedy on the big screen.
One of the women is Jewish and I did think her family was portrayed in a very stereotypical way that I wasn't crazy about, but otherwise a lighthearted middle age “friend” comedy.
This is a story about Karen, Elliot and their family and friends. Karen was married before and has two children. Her husband Ray ran out on her and later she met and fell in love with Elliot and married him.
Elliot decides to buy a gym with some other guys from their small town and Karen is worried about the money he is spending and the fact that he didn't talk to her about a lot of it because he knew how she was about money and he was trying not worry her. Most of the book is taken up with Karen's fears and insecurities about money and the love of her husband.
The secondary characters are interesting and the whole small town atmosphere is lovely. I did find the book dragged in parts though and I was very tired of reading about their marital problems by the end of it. They both could have used counseling.
I got through this one, but just barely. Katherine is a Dr. who has just finished her residency and she gets a call from her brother TJ saying he is in trouble and he is hiding out in Mexico. He tells her not to look for him and not to tell anyone. So naturally the first thing she does is tell people and go look for him. She tells Jake, who she dated 10 years before. They split up because his father had died and he increasingly got into things that were more and more dangerous and out of control and she was focused on her career and had no time for that.
So, he takes her to Mexico to look for TJ. The mystery part of the story involving some lighting “magic”, drug cartels and crooked corporations was somewhat interesting. The romance between Katherine and Jake, was not. They were both still holding a grudge after 10 years. TEN YEARS! They often acted like young teenagers. Jake took a temper tantrum and Katherine tried to calm him down with a kiss. It all just felt ridiculous and I didn't feel they had any chemistry. They needed to grow up and act like adults and not just in the bedroom.
This book was amazing. I really enjoyed it. Alexis is a big city Doctor with a family history in medicine. She is coming back from a funeral and puts her car off the road trying to avoid a raccoon. Daniel comes along and offers to tow her car and she lets him.
They meet again in a local bar and Daniel tells her that his friends have a bet on who can pick her up. They make a plan to walk out together so that he wins the bet and they can split the money.
Alexis's ex has been gaslighting her and her father isn't much better. This is somewhat in the past and they don't focus on it a great deal, but it is part of what makes her the way she is.
There is a ton of chemistry between Alexis and Daniel and their romance is incredibly sweet and heartwarming as it builds. Alexis's best friend Briana is a hoot and has some of the best lines in the book. Apparently there is a second book called Yours Truly (I think) and it has Briana as the main character. I'm looking forward to reading that one as well.
I gave this one 3 1/2 stars (there is no way to do that on Goodreads). Megan Fallon goes home to Bliss Bay after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job. There are 3 separate murders that happen and she begins to investigate them with her Uncle Des. There is a guy there that she knew as a teenager and she spends some time with him and realized that he's a lot more interesting than she remembers.
A neighbourhood cat befriends her and her family and spends most of his time with them. He becomes involved in another mystery and although he's always very sweet to Megan, he is quick to try to scratch and bite anyone he doesn't like.
The only thing that really kept this from getting a higher rating is the fact that Megan's ex-husband and his new wife live in that town and they are absolutely awful. They didn't need to be part of the book and I wish they had been left out.
I was not a fan of this book. It had a satisfactory ending, but it seemed very unbelievable to me. The main character Susan is not likeable in the least and is very condescending to everyone around her. From what I could see the whole family was like that.
She meets Rob who is her brother's best friend and while she is trying to get more dirt on her brother to help her win a court case she starts to fall for him. But, she doesn't really act that way. If you have ever watched Star Trek TNG and know the character Data, she acted like that. She was used to Rob and seemed to feel some sense of loss when he wasn't around, but I wouldn't have called it love.
I didn't find I cared for any of the characters except Rob and Susan's next door neighbour. I wish the story had been about them.
A Fall of Marigolds I gave 3 1/2 stars to. It was about Clara in 1911 who lost someone she cared about in a Shirtwaist fire and then goes to work as a nurse on Ellis Island. There she meets Andrew who's new wife Lily has died from Scarlet Fever as they were on a ship from Europe to America. She helps Andrew to get better and in the process brings him a scarf that had belonged to his wife Lily.
Then in 2011 we meet Taryn who lost her husband during 911 when she was getting ready to tell him that he was going to be a father. She had the scarf on her at the time and it's the story of this scarf of marigolds and how it connects these two stories and the women who had it.
This was a good mystery and there were lots of twists and turns and it's not until the end that you discovery everything that went on and how it was connected. Some of the language and ideas do reflect that it was written in the 30's, but that's to be expected.
It was my first Agatha Christie book and I can see why she was so popular. A very well planned and thoughtful mystery.
Mistletoe Summer was a sweet cozy romance about Melody Hopkins who takes her dog Mistletoe into a high end pet bakery to get her a treat. Talking to the owner she discovers that they are expanding and could use some help with the painting. She decides to take on the job and meets the owner's son Cody and his support dog Tyrus. Cody is just back from Iraq. His leg was injured and he suffers from PTSD.
As Melody and Cody get to know each other, so do their dogs. The story is all about Cody learning to come to terms with his PTSD and them both learning to care for and trust each other.
I enjoyed all the characters in the small town, having the dogs front and center in the book and the budding romance between Cody and Melody. I also liked that the book didn't gloss over Cody's PTSD and how it affected his everyday life.