Slow Burn Cozy Mystery Goodness! A Maggie and Jasper Caper- Books Two and Three

I was not familiar with the tradition of Mourning Beads, so that was interesting to learn!  I think one of the reasons many of us enjoy Cozies is that we learn about various crafts and traditions from these mysteries.  This is an enjoyable second book in the series.  I find that Barbara Cool Lee does a nice job of balancing dark themes of domestic abuse, drug addiction, etc with the light tradition of this genre.  I had a feeling who the bad guy was in this book, but I didn't guess how it all fit together until the end. And Oh how I hope Maggie gives Stanley a chance! I have to keep reading to see if they slowly change from friends to lovers! 

And Book Three... The Empty Noose

I received a free digital copy of this book from the author when I participated in a Facebook Event at the end of January. 

What a heartbreak-filled book. Reese is nearly broken by a terrible turn of events.  Fortunately for Reese, he has Maggie as a best friend.  This book takes place not long after the last book and I don't want to talk about it too much. The book isn't long and the story is concise. We do get to travel to Deep Creek and meet the rest of Reese's family.  Plus Jasper gets to meet cattle!  An exciting time for a herding dog, he was having so much fun and bringing so much joy to Reese's parents and Shane that I was afraid he might stay in Deep Creek! 

Fortunately for us, everyone came back to Carita. The moment Maggie solves the murder was nice because I figure out the clue just a moment before she did as I was reading.  

As always, I'm rooting for Maggie and Reese to start dating! I think Maggie is coming around to realize he is the one for her- 

This is a very enjoyable inexpensive self-published cozy series. I recommend you add it to your TBR if you haven't already! 

For me, these books are 4.5's 

 

Bake Sale Murder and Wedding Day Murder-

 I'm doubling up on some of my reviews this week since they are shorter books by the same author in the same series.  Today I'm talking about book 13 and book 8 in Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series.

This is book number 13 in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series. This book focuses on the murder of course, but also on harassment and bullying going on with the high school football team and the cheerleaders.  In this book, I once again wonder if we are to draw the conclusion that Sara has an eating disorder.  This would probably be more clear if I read the series in order? At least I know that if she does, she must get help because in recent books she is doing well and is an adult. This book also contrasts moms with young kids vs. Moms whose kids have left the nest.  

I didn't like the resolution of who the killer was very much, this book on that front was a disappointment for me. 

I rate it as a 3.

Look at this original cover!  It looks so dated now!  Wedding Day Murder is book 8 in the series and was published in 2001!  It's as old as my middle child!  Time really flies. This book focuses on Sue, Lucy's friend that I find to be overbearing. In this book Sue's daughter is getting married. I don't think it is until about the halfway point in the book before there is a murder.  I assumed the person who was killed was going to be the victim so I was waiting around waiting for the murder to happen.  

Since much of the appeal for me in these books is actually the day to day happenings in Tinker's Cove and Lucy's internal monologue, I enjoyed this book. All the kids still live at home in the book--although Toby and Elizabeth are in college. Elizabeth has apparently taken up smoking, I hope she quits that pretty soon!  In the end the killer manages to get himself caught--and we do get a wedding just not the one advertised at the beginning of the book! 

I rate this one as a 4! 

Ah Yes More Leslie Meier...

 

I am not complaining whatsoever, so don't think I am, that being said.  I think Miss Tilley has stopped aging.  We see time passing, now Lucy's grandson is 3, but I swear Miss Tilley has been in her mid-nineties for at least 10 years now.  Which is fine with me, it's fiction she can live forever, I'll suspend my disbelief. 

In a twist from most Lucy Stone books, in this story, no one, including Lucy, is sure that the deaths in the book are actually even murders. The main storyline revolved around elder abuse and do people even care when a rich person is the one who is being abused--albeit in the most opulent of homes. 

For a change, in this book, I found Lucy's friend Sue, almost likable. (did you know that likable or likeable is the correct spelling- I did not!)   

Ultimately it turns out that the deaths were murders and once again Lucy is the one who figures it out, and the murderer once again tries to kill poor Lucy.  But as we like to see, all's well that ends well. In this book, I found that Lucy had really hit her stride in balancing knowing bad stuff can happen anywhere and doing what she could to help her community.  I find that is an overarching theme. I do love how she has grown in the role of an investigative reporter, albeit at a tiny paper that is called the Pennysaver.

I give this book a 4.25.

Now if you will indulge me for a moment, I have to share this quote from a book I reviewed previously.  I love this.  Phyllis is me! This is how I feel about March in Chicagoland! 

Sugar and Vice-- The Second Book in the Cookie House Series-

 

The second book in the Cookie House Mystery book is delightful and well worth the read. I listened to the audio version of the book via credits I had on the audible app, but you should be able to find it available from your local library as a paperback or digital or audio. 

In this book, much to Kate's dismay,  her ex-boyfriend has shown up and he thinks it is going to be a piece of cake to woo Kate back to being his fiancee. Boy did his cookie crumble!  Pun Intended!  The way everything works out with her ex is nice because he is just terribly clueless about how to be a good boyfriend--but he isn't cruel, mean, or abusive so if he pops up in another book, I won't mind it.  He could get a redemptive arc, but still, I'd rather not see him with Kate. 

As I was listening to this book, I was reminded of how we discussed the last book in the Cozy Mystery Book Club.  We all agreed that it was great that Kate didn't get involved with any man. We all agreed she needed to find her place in Coral Key and focus on herself. You have to love a writer who is able to create a character that readers are invested from the start of book one and who are rooting for that character to live her best life. 

This book is pirate-themed, so if you like a good pirate tale, you are in luck! Again, as in book one, I found the main mystery and the culprit to be a nice twist on the usual M.O. of cozies. Definitely add this book to your TBR. I'm looking forward A Tale of Two Cookies! 

The Sunday Post! Love is In the Air?

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Valentine's Day and the big Football game are coming up!  Are you ready for some football? I'm ready for snacks and chocolate!  This week I'm hoping that the forecast is correct and that we will have some temps over freezing, too many sidewalks are deeply covered in snow and I don't like it! I do like that the days are getting longer little by little!

I finished up my 2 week no dairy, no grains, no white potatoes or flour diet. I could use a medal for that achievement. Now I'm trying to see how I can incorporate that moving forward. I have to say I need to find a balance because the two weeks without any grains, cheese or potatoes was really really hard. 

Today's compromise was a burger, but it was a turkey burger and I added mushrooms to the ground turkey and I had the bun so I didn't have any potatoes chips or make french fries to go with it. 

I also figured out my phone has a portrait mode where I can take a picture and the background is out of focus!

How was your week? Read anything good?  Watch anything good?  Here is what I'll be reviewing this week! 

Seasonal Winter Reading Means I'm Reading Leslie Meier!

 As you know, I love to read the cozy mystery genre.  In reading cozies, I find that there are some amateur sleuths that I just really like.  Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone is one of those characters. Sometimes she is cranky and sometimes I disagree with her, but I feel like if she was an actual person I would enjoy her company. 

I mean, I like this series so much that I'll read them out of order, this is really saying something since I have a very strong preference to read a series in order.  However, when it comes to Lucy Stone, I know her and the family well enough that I don't mind.  What I have found is that I really like the books that take place during Winter in Tinker Cove, so I read the Winter books in the Winter and it's a comfort. The other reason I return to this series is that, especially in the first twenty or so books, the stories give me double nostalgia.  Life for Lucy reminds me of when I was a kid and also the days when my kids were smaller. St. Patrick's Day Murder which is book 17, is no exception, all the double nostalgia I could want and plenty of talk of slush on the streets and cold winds blowing. 

One of the things I liked about this book is that Leslie Meier added in just a whisper of magic. A mysterious crow appears in some critical moments. Also, the story is chockful of Irish folklore and some Irish History as well as an Irish Musical.  So if you enjoy all things Irish, you really must read this book.

  

As often happens, Lucy, our investigative reporter, manages to get herself into a scrap. Now that this point, I have come to acknowledge that Lucy is the kind of amateur slueth that will put herself in harm's way.  I'm not a fan of that, but it comes with the territory of this series and I've made peace with that aspect.  She really needs to at least carry mace or a tazer! 

I'm giving this book 4 stars, I thought the mystery was decent, I like the Irish-ness of the story and I felt that we got a nice amount of side character participation. 

The first scene of this book takes place in Florida.  I almost had a panic attack thinking that this book was going to take place in March in Florida. As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite parts of this series is the time devoted to the discussion of Maine weather!  Fortunately, by the next chapter, the family was home in Maine.  This book takes place 9 years after the St. Patrick's Day Murder which meant that Zoe was now in College!  Kids grow up so fast!  

I enjoyed that Bill, Lucy's husband, was more involved in this book. In the early books, I found him pretty annoying, but overall, I've come around to liking him. Lucy and Bill are a good pair. For years I have wondered how in the world the newspaper stayed in business, and in this book, Leslie Meier secures a future for the paper and Lucy's job. Thank Goodness!

Leslie Meier continues to do a wonderful job writing kids and young adults that sound and act like actual kids and young adults. In this book, Lucy has finally come around and stopped saying "oh my goodness" how could this happen here! Which was great. Bad stuff can happen anywhere and when you are writing over 20 books in a cozy series, there is going to be more murder per capita than just about anywhere. 

This book was a nice installment in this long series, and I am looking forward to reading Easter Bonnet Murder which I have a hold on from my local library. 

4 Stars to Irish Parade Murder

And Then There Were Crumbs #TheCozyMysteryBookClub January Book!

 I am glad that The Cozy Mystery Club is kicking off 2022 with this book, the last couple of books we read were more miss than hit for me, so it was nice to start the year with this solid cozy.  You can join us on YouTube tomorrow for the live stream.  Ben and Angela are always fun when they talk about cozies!

I

 think this is a really good start to a cozy series.  I love the location and while there are a lot of characters, we really get to know the key people around Kate.  I enjoyed how residents of the town embraced Kate right off the bat, it made me feel like I was in Hallmark Movie.

A couple of things make this book a stand-out Cozy.  First of all, the way the killer angle is approached is so clever!  (I cannot say more, you must read this book!) and secondly Maxi is a fantastic sidekick, she isn't just comic relief, she is right there in the thick of it with Kate and lends a lot to the story. She is more a partner-in -solving-crime than a sidekick, I really enjoyed that part of the book.

Oh, I almost forgot one more trait this book had that made it rise above many cozies for me.  Kate has a small almost magical skill.  I am a huge fan of an amateur sleuth that has one unique skill that sets her apart.

5 stars! 

Since LIke A Sister is Coming out in March...Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett

 Here is how this cozy is described on Goodreads:

"Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn’t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash.

But what starts as simply trying to remember a speeding car soon blossoms into a full-on investigation. As Dayna digs deeper into the victim’s life, she wants more than just reward money. She’s determined to find the poor woman’s killer too. When she connects the accident to a notorious Hollywood crime spree, Dayna chases down leads at paparazzi hot spots, celeb homes and movie premieres. She loves every second—until someone tries to kill her."

*****

I had so much fun reading this book.  Kellye Garrett nails the struggles of mid-twenties life, trying to figure out what one wants to do now that they are grown up, how to support yourself as well as family members who are struggling, as well trying to have self-esteem when surrounded by the photoshopped and airbrushed beauty ideals. This is all wrapped in a funny cozy mystery. Dayna is a self-deprecating and most importantly very relatable amateur sleuth.  Her old friend and potential love interest (if she gets out of her own way) says she is a quitter, but we see a Dayna who is tenacious in pursuit of her goal to help her parents. 

The book takes place in Hollywood, a departure from the small town setting most cozy mysteries use, and this is a nice change of pace.  Sometimes in the first book in a series, the author introduces so many characters that it can be difficult to keep everyone straight as the story unfolds.  Hollywood Homicide avoids that pitfall. 

Kellye Garrett was able to lead me around and I completely discounted the actual killer in this book.  For me this book was a 5 star read, and I hope she will be able to write more in this series soon. There is only one more book after this one so far! Eek!  I need more Dayna! 

Candy Slain Murder -- A Cozy Review- Deep in the Series

I read Candy Slain Murder because it was picked as our book club read for December.  As you can tell by the title and the cover, this is a Christmas-themed cozy mystery. As you know from reading my blog, I really enjoy seasonal-themed cozy mysteries.  This book delivers on the Christmas vibes.  There is tree lighting, shopping, as well as cocoa sipping, and a Christmas surprise. 

The book also has a lot, and I mean a lot of day-to-day at the cafe scenes and this became boring reading for me. This might be in part because I plopped into a series on book eight, maybe if I was invested in the series I'd have enjoyed the daily specials at the cafe more. 

The mystery in this series is decent and the story has a nice Hallmark-ish ending.  I noticed that on Amazon this book got some very poor reviews because some readers were mad the book included some people who were Muslim and especially because one character dealt with some prejudice as a result of being Muslim. I felt that those reviews were unfair.  

What I didn't enjoy in the book was the over-the-top "country" dialect, especially the way the Mayor in this book spoke, it seemed absurd. 

The Mayor of the town

Overall, I didn't connect with our sleuth Robbie, so this isn't a series I'll be reading, but it is a popular series so if you are looking for a cozy series set in a cafe in Southern Indiana, and you like food talk with your mystery, this may very well be one for you! 

3 Stars for Candy Slain Murder 

Overdue Review of the November Cozy Mystery Club Review and My Oldest Elf!

 This review is overdue, I like to post about each month's book the day before the live stream. This time it's oh about a month late. 

Things I liked about this book:

1. Good food talk with recipes throughout the book.

2. Sleuther actively sleuthing.

3. The protagonist was a single mom with two kids.

4. Some diversity 

What was not so much for me:

1. Our sleuth was just this side of 'too dumb to live'

2. The male love interests were terrible.  Bad choices!

3. During the whole book, Hayley, the main character, keeps correcting the Sheriff who speaks English as a second language it's a very cringey ongoing 'joke'.  It would be so much better in my opinion if it turned out that the Sheriff was in on the joke and was making the errors on purpose to get his sister-in-law riled up, but that's not how it's played.

Overall I give this book 3 stars, I don't know if I will continue this series--there are just so many books on my list already!

And to finish today's post here is a picture of my eldest as an elf for work at our local Park department!

#

Cozy Novella Great For Christmas Week Enjoyment! From #NetGalley #TheStarlightMintSurpriseMurder

 

This book zips along and has all the elements that I love in Christmas-themed cozy mysteries.  You have a Christmas Festival that has a cookie contest, you have cocoa and coffee, a B&B a cozy little town--this one is in the mountains, there is snow and there is of course a murder.

I read the book in two sittings, I enjoyed that in this story the protagonist Mel is a retired police officer, this makes her sleuthing and her investigating seem second nature.  She has a new business and she needs it to be successful--a common theme in both Hallmark Christmas movies and Cozy Mysteries.

A big mystery for me was the cookies.  I have never heard of Starlight Mint Suprise cookies, not knowing if Marla White made them up whole cloth or if they were a thing, I did my googles and found that they are a thing.

So Retro!  Check out the recipe- Starlight Mint Suprise Cookies from the blog A License to Quill

Overall 4 stars, I liked Mel alright, the Christmas theme was on point, and some nice red herrings were all part of this fast-paced- mystery!

#TheSundayPost Holy Cow It's Less Than A Week Til Chirstmas! Where Have I Been?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Hi! How are you?  

Everything is good by me, the family is healthy and boosted. I'm healthy and boosted.  I've had a really busy last six weeks with Tastefully Simple work. I sold a lot of bread, cakes, and spices. Which is great! And has been super helpful for paying the oldest child's college tuition. With all that, my reading and my blogging went to the wayside. Hopefully I can get it back on track now, I have a few books read so I can fill this week with posts, and then this week I should be able to read some more for the next week and so on. You know how it goes.

So how have you been? Are you ready for the Christmas holiday?  I suppose I am as ready as I will be this year! I've got about 30 more cards to mail out tomorrow and I think that will put me at about 75ish cards mailed, based on how many stamps I have used.  My goal was to mail 100 cards, but I just ran out of people's addresses.  Or should I say I couldn't find enough people willing to give me their addresses! 

I have also given away all the cookies I made--but I think I'm going to make a batch of my favorite cookies, Spritz Cookies, today or this coming week. 

Books I'll be talking about this week:

This is a novella, really inexpensive,  I'll tell you more about it tomorrow! 

#TheStarlightMintSurpriseMurder #NetGalley

Ohoooo I think this one is going to be the first book in a new series--a spin-off with two characters from the Shayla Murphy Mystery series in Ireland! 

And last of all for the week,

Have a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you! 

A Cozy Mystery Novella To Kick off Holiday Reading! #HaveaHollyHauntedChristmas #NetGalley

 

This Christmas-themed novella comes after the second book Two Wicked Desserts in Lynn Cahoon's Kitchen Witch series.  

I think you could read this out without having read any of the other books in the series and further, it doesn't spoil Two Wicked Desserts. In this novella Mia our amateur sleuth and caterer is pretty overwhelmed with the holiday season, relatable right? This book is the solving of a cold case, which I thought was fitting for the holiday season, instead of having a serial killer roaming the town, Mia and her crew are trying to solve an old case. 

We see Mia, Christina, and Trent really becoming a crime-solving unit.  Gran is as shady as ever. That lady just keeps too much under wraps, why? Honestly, it would not be shocking if Gran turned out to be a criminal mastermind, she seems to be up to no good far too often!

As far as the food goes, I love to read about holiday food. I will say that the amount of carbs Mia et al eat would put me in a food coma! 

In a nutshell, this is a quick festive cozy read!   4 stars

Thanks again to #NetGalley for the ARC! This book is available NOW so download it today! All opinions are mine! 

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Speaking of cookies, I'm participating in a Zoom Cookie Workshop on November 28th! If you follow my blog you know I love making cookies and then putting together cookie platters and tins to give friends and family!  (below are 7-Layer Cookies from last year)

Snowed: A Rylie Cooper Mystery

 This is a novella-length cozy mystery and is the latest installment in Stella Bixby's Rylie Cooper Mystery series. Rylie Cooper is a Park Ranger so she is an amateur sleuth, but law enforcement adjacent which is helpful in this series since she keeps running into dead bodies. 

This series is available as part of a Kindle Unlimited subscription, so if you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and start reading this fast-paced cozy series. Stella Bixby pushes the boundaries of 'coziness', which I enjoy but if you are not one who wants any romance or talk of romance, this series is not for you. 

Snowed is a real page-turner, I could not put it down! In addition to finding out if a murder had happened, I needed to know if the wedding was going to happen!  

After a fall filled with above-average temperatures, this week we finally got those cool 50 degrees (or 10 degrees Celcius)  days, reading about a massive snowstorm felt extra cozy as it rained outside my window! 

4 Stars! 

Well I did finish the Marathon.. and Cozy Mystery Review #NetGalley #MurderAtTheLobstahShack

My poor toes have let me know, in no uncertain terms, that they think I should switch to running half-marathons.  I have to agree with them.  Oh my goodness what a long day! I am glad I can say I finished, that's about all I can say. I looked like I was auditioning for a part as a zombie in the Walking Dead for about the last five miles! 

Here I am before the race started as we stood around waiting to move up to the starting line. I don't know how accurate my FitBit is, but it said I had over 69,000 steps. I was so done at the end of the race, I didn't take advantage of the Mimosa Bar! 

My poor big toes are super sore, I'm not ready for regular shoes, but we have a  wedding to go to on Saturday so hopefully by Saturday I can wear a pair of flats with my dress! 

Now on to a Cozy Mystery book review!

If I had to describe this cozy mystery in one word, the word would be solid.  Solid setting, solid cast, solid plot. They sure do eat a lot of seafood in Westham, MA, but that does make sense since this town is part of Cape Cod.

Mac is a likable and savvy sleuth, she runs a bicycle shop and seems to find dead bodies on the side. The relationship between Mac and law enforcement is more plausible than many other books.  Mac gives the sheriff tips and gossip and he doesn't tell her much about the case. Now, one might think well if I was up to no good in Westham, MA I would definitely steer clear of this Mac person--but that's a problem for another book. 

The book deals with social issues that plague small and large towns alike, including mental illness, addiction, and people who are without housing. Maddie Day does an excellent job talking about these issues and humanizing the characters involved. 

4 solid stars for Murder at the Lobstah Shack by Maddie Day!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review! #MurderattheLobstahShack #NetGalley

#TheSundayPost Marathon Day is Here! Wish me luck!

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

I'm writing this the night before the long-awaited Chicago Marathon. The weather is going to be really hot for a marathon, so I am not feeling too great about going out in the morning and running 26.2 miles. I was really hoping we could get a nice crisp October day with highs in the low 50s.  Alas, tomorrow is going to be 80ish and humid.  It will be an adventure!  I'll let you know how it turns out! 

Next week I'll be sharing reviews for these books: 

How was your week?  Read anything good? 

New Christmas Cozy Out Tomorrow! #MurderattheChristmasCookieBakeOff #NetGalley

 Are you like me?  Do you love cozy mysteries and cookie bake-offs? If so, get this book ASAP!  This is the second book in Darci Hannah's Beacon Bakeshop series.  The setting is a small town on Lake Michigan. Lindsey is our overwhelmed bakery owner and amateur sleuth. Already in book two she has become known as a crime solver. There are nice twists and turns and a false ending--so if you think you know who the killer is, you might be right, or you might be wrong! 

This book doesn't have an overwhelming number of characters, it's easy to follow the story without having read the first novel. There is no love triangle, wahoo!  This book has the perfect amount of Christmas coziness including a visitor from the North Pole. As the book goes on you can see the community of Beacon Harbor really embracing Lindsey as one of their own. 

The cookies themselves were described in the most mouthwatering way, I was so thrilled to see that Darci Hannah has included all the preliminary and final cookie recipes in the back of this book! Because this book does work as a stand-alone and because it has so many cookie recipes in the back, it could be a really fun book to give with a cookie tray as a Christmas gift!  

4.5 stars to Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah!  

Thanks so much #NetGalley for the ARC of this book! All the opinions are my own! #MurderattheChristmasCookieBakeOff

I'm in a Quandary. Not Sure if I Will Finish This Book or Rate It.

 Well, I suppose on the plus side, this wasn't a book that I received an ARC of in exchange for a review.  This is the September read for a book club, and it was part of my Kindle Unlimited program so I didn't have to pay for the book and I  don't feel an obligation to review or finish the book. Right now I'm 60% of the way through the book. have not read other books by this author, so maybe this book is a poor reflection of their overall work. 

In a nutshell, this series isn't for me and that is due to three reasons:

1.  Their is a throwaway transphobic moment at the reunion that is supposed to be funny I assume. It's so unnecessary I'm unsure why it is included in the book at all. 

2. Then their is a jailhouse scene that involves some racial and LGBT stereotypes around drug use and prostitution that seem lifted out of something from the 1970s.  This scene also utilizes a trope known as the magical negro trope.   The trope may seem innocuous, but it's insidious so I am not a fan to put it mildly. 

3. A major portion of the main character's identity is channeled through her weight.  So much centers on how fat she thinks she is, how she has always been heavy, how she can't fit in clothes and on and on and on. Then she goes to see a natrapath practitioner who prescribed a paleo diet for her. There is a long very detailed section of the appointment and then moving forward lots of talk about her and her diet.  Too many books that have first person female characters have inner monologues about how they need to lose weight or how their pants are getting tight or how they don't want to see x, y z guy because they aren't at the weight they want to be--and I'm very tired of reading over and over and over again about women feeling fat it takes away from stories at this point for me, esp when it's a mystery. 

It's a real bummer for me when I read something that I just can't enjoy.  This is only my opinion on this particular book, I do not know how other books in the series are, but given this book I won't continue on this series. 

Another Fun Cozy from Stella Bixby! Magical Mane Series Book 5!

I enjoyed this book as much as I like this cover, which is to say, a whole lot!  Since book one, I've been all-in to watch Ellie's journey from a wandering yogi to the owner of a magical farm and occupational therapy business.

In this installment, we learn more about Ellie's mysterious family and a huge expectation that awaits her.  She may be taking on a very important role in the magical world she is just now learning to navigate. I'm so excited to see what happens next.

The central mystery in this book is a good one, I was kept guessing right up until the reveal.  I liked the introduction of a witch that can communicate with animals. I would like her to come and chat with my dog! 

 My favorite scene in the book is not part of the mystery at all, it's a scene between Jake and Ellie. I don't want to spoil it, suffice it to say I love that theme of found family that winds through this series. 

I also like Xander and I hope my trust that at the end of the day he will actually be good for Ellie despite what others say, is not misplaced!

Overall, as I have said each time I read a book in this series, if you like a magical cozy, read this series! It's fun and I like that it takes place in Iowa--not a typical cozy town location!

4.25 stars. 

*****

Also today it was 88 degrees!  I'm over it! Come on Fall!  It's the last month of marathon training and I'm at the point where I'm tired of running especially in this ding-dong heat!  

 

Upcoming Cozy Mystery Release #DeathontheShelf #NetGalley

 This series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series.  I really enjoy the story arc of Carrie Singleton as she makes a life for herself in the town of Clover Ridge.  This entry in the series focuses on a murder at a wedding and weddings is a central theme in the book. It was enjoyable reading to hear Carrie's inner monologue as she questions whether she might be ready to consider such a next step with her boyfriend Dylan. 

Unlike previous books, there isn't as much of Uncle Bosco and Aunt Harriet, which makes sense as this book focuses on Carrie's best friend Angela (the bride) and her family.  It's fun to see how Carrie and  Police Chief John Mather work together. I wasn't too keen on the danger Carrie puts herself in as the book hit its climax, but the tension kept me up late into the night because I needed to know what happened next. 

Once again, our library ghost, Evelyn seems shady and secretive with her requests for help from Carrie.  A ghost of mystery.  I like that Carrie continues to remain suspicious about Evelyn and her motives. I wonder how the library expansion will affect ​Evelyn?  

Overall this was a solid entry in this Haunted Library series.  I'm looking forward to Carrie's next adventures! 

4 Stars!

#DeathontheShelf #NetGalley 

I rec'd an ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  You can add this book to your TBR list on GoodReads here: Death on the Shelf by Allison Brook