Tag: Cozy Mystery

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Sunshine & Sweet Wine by Kathi Daley

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Sunshine & Sweet Wine
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: Bistro at Holiday Bay #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine
  • Main Character: Shelby, Dawson
  • Other Characters: Beck, Colt, Alex, Kennedy, Amy, Tricia, Nikki, Georgia
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Cooper and 2 cats Marley and Hennessy
  • Stars: 4

This is the 4th installment in the Bistro at Holiday Bay Series. This series is a spin off of The Inn at Holiday Bay. I like the Inn best but I do like this series. This book is good and kept my interest, the only reason I gave it a star is because the ending was a bit of a let down. There was quite a bit of anticipation and I wanted to know what happened but then it seemed to leave me wanting a more intriguing ending.

In this installment, there are a few mysteries. Dawson is the bar manager and the Bistro. He has been gone a few days and returns to find that his prize Harley has been stolen. Whoever stole it, drove it through a guardrail to the bay below but they have not found the thief. There is a server who works at the Bistro who hasn’t shown up for work in a few days and no one can reach her. Where could she be?

Beck’s Mystery was the most interesting. Beck is a private investigator who uses a booth at the Bistro as his office. His newest client is receiving suspicious packages that appear to be from her mother, who has been missing and presumed dead for 50 years. Who could be sending her packages? Is someone trying to scare her? Could her mother still be alive? There are a lot of possibilities.

Dawson has been presented with an offer of a lifetime. Will he accept it and leave his job at the Bistro?

With all the mysteries going on, could there also be a possible romance in the making?

The characters are well thought out and 3 dimensional and I have become invested in their stories. The mysteries really piqued my interest, but the ending was just a bit of a letdown. I was expecting more of a twist. It won’t keep me from reading the next book in the series.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Berry Purple Betrayal by Emily Oberton

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Berry Purple Betrayal
  • Author: Emily Oberton
  • Series: Hadley Home Design Cozy Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Darlington Hills, VA
  • Main Character: Hadley Sutton
  • Other Characters: Irma, Carmella, Reid, Dennis, Lydia, Vincent, Terence, Aunt Deb
  • Pets: dog named Chip and a cat named Razzy
  • Stars: 5

Another great book by Emily Oberton. This is the 3rd book in the Hadley Home Design Mystery series and I loved it as much as the 2nd.

In this installment, Hadley once again finds herself in the middle of a murder, but this time she is the prime suspect. She has to race against time to prove her innocence. While she is trying to prove she didn’t commit murder, her friend Carmella has a mystery of her own. Carmella and Hadley are searching for the culprits who vandalized the high school where Carmella is the principal. During Hadley’s investigation into the murder, it turns out that there were several people who had a motive for murdering the victim. But could Hadley’s investigation get her killed!!

This book has so many twists and turns and the list of suspects just keeps growing as Hadley Unravels family secrets. If you enjoy small-town mysteries with a great protagonist, quirky characters, multiple suspects, surprises, and a bit of romance, this series is for you. This may be my favorite of the entire series. This is the last book in the series at this time but I am really hoping there will be more.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Pearl White Peril by Emily Oberton

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Pearl White Peril
  • Author: Emily Oberton
  • Series: Hadley Home Design Cozy Mysteries #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Darlington Hills, VA
  • Main Character: Hadley Sutton
  • Other Characters: Aunt Deb, Reid, Vincent, Willy, Dennis, Carmella
  • Pets: A dog named Chip and a cat named Razzy
  • Stars: 5

This is the second book in the Hadley Home Design Cozy Mystery series and I loved it. It had everything I love about cozy mysteries. I started reading this book with a bit of skepticism since the first one was so obvious. But since there were a lot of things I liked about the first one, I wanted to give this series another chance. I am so glad I did.

I really like the protagonist, Hadley. She’s intelligent, but risks her life at times. Perhaps not the wisest, but I still love her. Hadley relocated to Darlington, VA after her boyfriend broke up with her. She landed a job staging rooms for photo shoots and loves her job even though her new boss can be cantankerous and rude. Everything is going great until Hadley finds a dead body in her boss’s Kitchen. Of course, her boss, Vincent, is the prime suspect.

Hadley is afraid she will be out of a job if her boss goes to prison, so she works hard to prove her boss’ innocence. Her investigation leads her into some dangerous situations that could get her killed. As she gets closer to someone, could he be the killer!

This book takes the readers on a bit of a roller coaster ride with a series of twists and turns to find a killer. I really thought I had the killer figured out, but there is a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. This is the type of mystery I love.

If you love a cozy mystery in a small town with a fun-loving protagonist, quirky characters, pets, and twists and turns to find a killer, you will love this book.

Happy reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Lemon Yellow Lies by Emily Oberton

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Lemon Yellow Lies
  • Author: Emily Oberton
  • Series: Hadley Home Design Cozy Mysteries #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Darlington Hills, VA
  • Main Character: Hadley Sutton
  • Other Characters: Kent, Erin, Aunt Deb
  • Pets: A dog named Chip and a cat named Razzy
  • Stars: 4

This is the first book I have read by this author. I really liked this book and the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I found the ending too predictable.

Interior designer Hadley Sutten has a bad breakup with her boyfriend who is locally famous so she sees him everywhere. She needs a break and needs to be somewhere familiar. Her favorite aunt’s hometown of Darlington, VA is the perfect place to escape to after a breakup. She lands a job interview in Darlington so she packs her bags and leaves her home in New Orleans. Hadley has plans to start her own design business, but in the meantime ,she needs a job. While waiting for her job interview, she meets Kent, who hires her to furnish his outdoor living space for his fiance’s surprise birthday party. Along with working in his backyard, she has also agreed to house-sit and take care of his dog while he is away on a business trip. Who would hire an interior designer that they just met to house sit? I guess that is why they call it fiction.

When Hadley meets his fiance, it doesn’t go well. The fiance is a bit stuck up and doesn’t seem to like anything Hadley is doing to the backyard. The plot thickens when the fiance goes missing. There are a lot of lies and secrets as it leads us to the truth.

The cast of suspects is growing & Hadley’s life could be in danger as she uncovers some secrets that gets her closer to the truth.

I love all the twists and turns in this book and it was so engaging, I couldn’t put it down. I loved Hadley even though she was a bit naïve and trusting. I was going to give this book 5 stars until the ending. I like a mystery that is hard to solve and leaves you surprised at the end. In this entire book, I knew who the most obvious suspect was, but I was hoping for more of a big twist at the end and it didn’t happen. If you read this book, let me know in the comments what you think.

Happy reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Once upon a Mystery by Kathi Daley

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Once upon a Mystery
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Bookstore at Holiday Bay #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine
  • Main Character: Lou, Velma
  • Other Characters: Eden, Alex, Hazel
  • Pets: Lou’s Cat Toby
  • Stars: 2

I was really looking forward to this series since I am a fan of her other series, The Inn at Holiday Bay & Bistro at Holiday Bay. Bistro as well as this series is a spinoff of The Inn at Holiday Bay.

I was disappointed in the first book of this series. If you have read The Inn at Holiday Bay then you know that Lou came to Holiday Bay to help out her niece, Vanessa, who owned the local bookstore. Lou is a widow who has been at a loss since her husband passed away. She feels like she no longer has a purpose so when her niece Vanessa offers to sell her bookstore, Lou jumps at the chance. She leaves her life in Minnesota and moves to Maine.

This book had a lot of potential but somehow dropped the ball. There is a death and a mystery surrounding that death but there wasn’t enough suspense surrounding it. The climax was a big letdown.

There also wasn’t enough Character development. The story spent more time on Lou remodeling the bookstore, reflecting on her husband’s passing and the changes in her life that I found myself being a bit bored with the story. There were too many characters, and I really couldn’t connect with any of them. The mystery wasn’t even much of a mystery and it was barely mentioned, except in the beginning and then again at the end. I like a mystery with twists and turns and this one just didn’t have that. I like to finish a book either feeling good and uplifted or have that wow feeling because I never saw it coming, and this one did not deliver.

This is not a series that I am looking forward to seeing where the characters go next. I will probably give book number two a chance, but if it isn’t any better than this one, then I won’t finish this series.

I feel like there have been enough books in Holiday Bay and maybe she should move on.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Clue in the Carriage House by Kathy Daley

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Clue in the Carriage House
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: The Inn at Holiday Bay #23
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Holiday Bay, Maine,
  • Main Character: Abby, Georgia, Jeremy, Mylie, Nikki, Colt
  • Other Characters: Alex, Gabby
  • Pets: a big cat named Rufus and 2 dogs named Molly, Ramos, Alex’s Emotional Support Dog Cooper.
  • Stars: 4

This is the 23rd book of The Inn at Holiday Bay series. We once again visit Holiday Bay, Maine at the beginning of Summer. Colt is looking forward to his niece and nephew coming to stay with him for the summer. In the meantime, Colt has hired a new Dispatcher and another deputy so with all he has going on, there hasn’t been able to spend enough time with Abby, which has caused some concern.

Jeremy and Mylie’s wedding is quickly approaching, so Lonnie is preparing their cottage so they can move in. It’s upsetting that they’re thinking about moving the wedding date to accommodate Annabelle’s mother’s schedule. They discover some ancient trunks while tearing down a wall in the cottage, which leads to a mystery that several inn guests are determined to solve.

A dead body is discovered by the crew tearing down what is left of Velma’s diner, which heightens the tension.

A lot is going in the 23rd book in this series. I really do like this series and I love all the characters but 23 is enough. There comes a time when we know there has been enough done to this story. It has gotten to where I am not looking forward to another one. I am not sure there will be another one but, in my opinion, this should be the last. I know there is a spinoff coming out called Bookstore at Holiday Bay. The first book is coming out at the end of June 2023 with number two not far behind, in October 2023.

If you have read this series, let me know what you think.

Happy Reading,

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Instant Karma by Kay Bratt

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Instant Karma
  • Author: Kay Bratt
  • Series: Hart’s Ridge, GA
  • Genre: Small town mystery
  • Takes Place:  Hart’s Ridge
  • Main Character: Faire, Brian, Taylor, Jo, Corbin, Della Ray
  • Other Characters: Cate, Anna, Eldon
  • Pets: Dog named Diesel and a bird named Baby
  • Stars: 5

This is the 5th book in the Hart’s Ridge Series and it does not disappoint. I loved this book from beginning to end. It kept me engaged and I just had to know how it all turned out.

Faire, a widow in the community, decides to take in a boarder because she is having financial difficulties. Brian, her new border, at first seemed like a really nice guy. Do things really look as they do? How is Faire going to handle this border? What mysteries does he possess? Will Faire lose her home?

Meanwhile, we learn more about Jo’s story. Struggling to be a single mom, Jo just wants what is best for her son. Kyle has some behavior issues, so Jo signs him up for theater. He is not thrilled, to say the least. He ends up doing the best he can and wows everyone, especially Jo. A couple of guys from Jo’s past show up in her life, so she has some decisions to make

Taylor’s family has established an animal rescue, under Cate’s leadership. Even though Taylor is less involved than the others because she is a local police deputy, the entire family is involved.

Taylor stopped seeing Sam until she could deal with some demons from her past that she is battling.

This is a story of family, love, forgiveness, community, and supporting others. It is heartwarming and there is a mystery to solve. I think you will love this book as much as I did.

Happy Reading,

Cozy Mystery, Mystery

Amused to Death by Ashley Albi

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Amused to Death
  • Author: Ashley Albi
  • Series: Scarlett James Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Spirit Lake, Iowa
  • Main Character:
  • Other Characters: Gabe, Justin, Ellie, Bree, Zoey, Della, Lucas, Nathaniel, Sydney, Bert, Jack
  • Stars: 5

The second book in the Scarlett James Cozy Mystery series was just as good as the first. Scarlet once again finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, so of course, she has to play amateur sleuth.

Gabe, the Chief of Police and Detective Sydney are investigating the suspicious death of a young girl thought to be a runaway. In addition to Scarlet’s amateur detective skills, her gal pals must put their sleuthing skills to use.. As the plot unfolds, a twist reveals who the murderer is and the motive for committing such a heinous crime. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the very end.

This is definitely a ‘can’t put down’ read. I read most of it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I recommend reading the first book in the series, Death is Better at the Lake, before reading this one, because there is another mystery in the book that is ongoing.

This was my second read by this author, and I look forward to reading more.

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Women's Fiction

Death is Better at the Lake by Ashley Albi

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Death is Better at the Lake
  • Author: Ashley Albi
  • Series: Scarlet James Cozy Mystery Series #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Spirit Lake, Iowa
  • Main Character: Scarlet James
  • Other Characters: Jasper Hall, Gabe, Justin, Julie, Ellie, Lily, Bree, Zoey, Della,
  • Stars: 5

Death is Better at the Lake is the first book in the Scarlet James Cozy Mystery Series. This is the first book I have read by this author and, I have to say, I am hooked. I love her writing and the mystery she weaves.

Scarlet is a literary agent in Chicago and she just broken it off with her boyfriend because of his betrayal. She got an urgent phone call that her grandmother, who practically raised her, has fallen, so she immediately heads home to Spring Lake, Iowa. While her grandmother is in the hospital, Scarlet stays at her house and gets together with some long time girlfriends.

She is worried about her grandmother but still able to enjoy her friendships with her girlfriends, that is until her ex shows up. She immediately puts him in his place and he leaves. Everything is going fine until her ex ends up dead and Scarlet is the prime suspect. Scarlet is determined to prove that she didn’t kill her ex.

I really loved all the characters in this story. The author has really developed the characters in such a way that I can really picture them. The protagonist is a strong independent woman who is determined to prove she is innocent.

The author will take you on lots of twists and turns until the Climax of the book. If you love a good cozy mystery with lots of twists and lovable characters, you will love this book. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Women's Fiction

Borrowed Time by Kay Bratt

Chapters & lattes
  • Title: Borrowed Time
  • Author: Kay Bratt
  • Series: Hart’s Ridge #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: The small quaint town of Hart’s Ridge in the Blue Ridge mountains
  • Main Character: Taylor Gray, Anna
  • Pets: Diesel who is shared by Taylor and Sam
  • Stars: 5

This is the 4th book in the Hart’s Ridge series. Once again, we visit Taylor Gray’s dysfunctional family. This time the focus is on Anna, whose husband has left her and has secrets of his own that will begin to unfold. We see a different side of Anna who is becoming a bit more human and relatable. She is learning how to get out from underneath a controlling husband and finding out that she really didn’t know the man she was married too.

While we are visiting Anna, Taylor has a new mystery of her own. Her friend Sissy has disappeared, and no one seems to know what happened to her. I have loved Taylor since book one of this series. She is strong and independent and when she is working on a case, she is determined to solve it. This story is no different except that it involves a close friend so it hits a little to close to home. It has become personal. This story takes a few twist and turns before we reach the climax. I did find the mystery a little too predictable, I kept waiting for another solution but it didn’t happen. Other than this I found the book to be very good.

The ending might have you a bit teary eyed. It is very emotional so have your tissues ready. If you like a whodunit and a family who, through everything, are closer than ever, then you will love this book. I recommend this entire series and I can’t wait until book #5.

Happy reading,