Are Your Holiday Decorations Down? #TheSundayPost January 2022 Week 3-

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 

I like to wait until after New Years Day to take down our decorations. I don't try to take everything down at once, just like I don't put up all the decorations at once.  Putting up and taking them down I do here and there over a few days. 

I have decorations that are not specific to Christmas, so I am leaving those decorations up until it's time for Spring. To my winter decorations, I added Valentine's Day decorations.  Last week I made a trip to the Dollar Store and found some cute stuff, I even found one gnome decoration for my porch. I bought some dollies and string with the idea that I could make a craft of some sort.

Sometimes when I go to the dollar store (which is now actually the $1.25 store), I buy items planning to get crafty, and well, it doesn't happen. This time, I did follow through--gold star for me!

I took red and white doilies glued them together then I found old pictures of which I had extra copies and I cut the pictures up, glues those to the doilies, and then used red & white string to hang them up, I was thinking about making a garland, but this was a little easier for me to get done.

I also have been on a good streak of very engaging reads.  This week I'll be talking about:

Thanks NetGalley for #ALettertoThreeWitches !!

Halfway To The Grave Read-Along!

 

It's time to talk about the first book in Anne's 2022 Night Huntress World  Read-Along.  I'm so excited to be part of this read-along not only because I like vampire stories and Anne's read-alongs are so fun but also because at the end of the year we will have a Q and A with Jeaniene Frost!  How cool is that! 

Learn more about this year's read-along and join us here! 

At some point in my past, I read this book, and then I don't think I continued the series for whatever reason--chalk it up to a 'life got in the way' thing.  This time around I decided to do the audio version of the book because it was available on my Libby library app.  I took this book on me as I went on runs around my neighborhood during the time between Christmas and New Year.  Tavia Gilbert is a fine reader, I enjoyed Bones' accent as well as the other characters.  It was easy to keep track of who was speaking as I listened.

As I began listening, I realized that Jeaniene Frost did something very clever in this book. Because Cat doesn't know anything about Vampires when Bones captures her, they have a long, but engaging Q and A where most of the rules of this world are explained.  A great way to get Cat and all the readers up to speed about what the Vampire rules are in the Night Huntress World. 

Cat is so naive and impetuous that if not for her vampire blood, she would definitely fit the 'too dumb to live' trope.  Much of her naivety is due to her upbring and she is already beginning to question what she has been taught as her worldview expands out from a very rural town in Ohio.  I look forward to seeing her character arch over the series. 

4.5 Stars to this first book in our 2022 Read Along!!

It's Been a Long Time, But I've Finally Found My Way Back to the Fever Series--Feversong

 

If you haven't read any of the Fever Series and you like Paranormal Romance, you will likely enjoy the first five books in this series.  Once you get past the first five books, I can't predict if you will continue to enjoy the series, many readers didn't. 

In regards to Feversong, I want to share my pro's and cons.  Overall I rate this book as above a 3 but under a 4.  On Goodreads, I'll be giving it a 3. It's decent, in my opinion, but lacking in one very important aspect. 

PROS:

1. Dani/Jada storyline was the best part of the book for me. Passion, Growth, Love, Loss, and Recovery. All good stuff/.

2. The Readers.  I really like the readers for this series. There are quite a few characters and the readers give each character a distinctive voice.

3. There is enough recap at the beginning of the book that even though I hadn't read (listened to) this series in years, I was quickly back up to speed and immersed in the world

4. Alina's story is resolved in a way that worked for me.

CONS:

1. I think there was too much going on in this book and it means that we get very little of some characters I enjoy and spend too much time in Mac's head.

2. I just want Mac and Barrons to have their HEA and move into a supporting role in this series.  I want different adventures and big bads for the Nine - plus Christian where they find HEA themselves. I'm frustrated that Mac and Barrons are together but their are still new obstacles in each book that keep them from that HEA into the sunset.

Obviously the #2 con is a big con! Should I read the next book?  Can I get some guarantees that I won't be stuck in Mac's head, will any of the Nine find love? 

If you have read this series please let me know your thoughts! 

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! 

Cold Enough For You? First Week of January 2022 #TheSundayPost

 

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 

Books I'll be talking about this week:

How was your week?  Tell me something good that happened this week!  In my neck of the woods, I realized, and I know this sounds like a real 'duh' moment, that having a meal plan for dinner for the week makes my life so much easier! I'm making it a goal to keep up the meal planning long after January is over.  Coming up this week I'm going to attempt a gluten and dairy-free chicken pot pie, Bacon Pepper Burgers with ground turkey, and Skillet Chicken with Light Bacon Cream Sauce (subbing oak milk for 2% milk) 

Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews! My Favorite Science Fiction!

 Honestly, I don't know how I forgot that I had this novella downloaded to read!  But here we are, it was a bit of a Christmas present from past me to current me I guess. 

I'm sure I have said it before, but I'll say it again, I love everything Illona Andrews publishes. No surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I actually have it in audio as well as kindle.  I started listening to it when I was having some very invasive dental work done and it was a little hard to get lost in the story with a drill in my jaw, so I listened to the first few chapters, and then later after my mouth began to heel, I switched over and read the kindle version from the start. 

As this is a novella and Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors, I read this in one sitting. It took me most of the story to visualize how the secare's blades and shields worked. I couldn't figure out where they had their hands during the battles.  I have a hold on The Kingsman Universe from my library and so by the time I finish reading that I should have a better grip on the ins and outs of their skills. 

This story is about Matias and Ramon who belong to rival households--Romeo and Juliet or the Hatfields and McCoys.  These families do not get along and they are also deadly weapons so it's a real hurdle to overcome.  Ancestral enemies to lovers?  Basically yes, with lots of action and some politics involved. 

4 out of 5 stars to Fated Blades!

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 

Reading Challenges- Do You Participate? I'm Joining The Coyer Challenge Again!

 To review, I did a great job participating in the Winter and Spring Seasons of COYER and then as the Summer went along I really fell off with posting my books read, but I did really enjoy being part of the challenge, so I am definitely in for 2022! 

This should help me to get some of the many, many books in my Kindle app and Apple Books app read! Hopefully! 

What do you think?  Would you like to maybe join in?  Here is the link to know more about how the challenge works: It's Happening Again! COYER Season!

Some of the books I'm planning to read:

The Accidental Alchemist 

Blacktop Wasteland

Christmas Key: There's Always A Catch

And of course, there will be many more books I hope to read! 

#TheSundayPost Welcome to 2022!

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 

On Tuesday of this past week, we finally got our first measurable snow of this winter, the kind of snow that sticks and is great for snowballs and snow people building. Since it was just about 0 celsius, and since we had our windows crack to allow for some air circulation due to youngest child isolating with Covid, I could hear our neighbor's kiddos playing outside during the snowfall, it was lovely. I also went for a run in the snow, because why not, right?

I do like to be optimistic and not worry about jinxing things, but I've gotta say I am reluctant to say anything about 2022 being a great year or the year of me! Ha!  The few years have taught me that maybe I don't want to claim any year as mine! 

In any case, I will be making goals and sharing books and working on selling Tastefully Simple, and just doing my best to enjoy life. I hope you are making plans to enjoy life this year as well. 

This week I'm kicking off the New Year with reviews of:

And also a book I've seen on a bunch of book blogs, Fated Blades.

So How about About You? Did you make any resolutions?

 

Come Along for the Read-Along: The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost!

In the way it always seems to go, it feels like just a few weeks ago I joined Anne at Books of My Heart's 2021 Real Along for the Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh.  Now here we are and this roller coaster of a year is just about over,  and I am ready to journey into a new world with Anne, Berls, Sophia, Stephanie, Kai, Kimberley, and maybe you?  Come join us, it will be fun! 

Prizes, chats, and posts all year long as we delve into this well-known contemporary fantasy series.  I do enjoy vampire stories! 

You can read more about the series and join us via Anne's page here: Join the 2022 Read Along!

I am starting the series off with the audiobook of Halfway to the Grave.  I did read or listen to this book at some point in the last 10 years, so I remember some of the plot. I don't remember why I didn't continue in the series, probably life just got in the way and before I knew it I was reading some other books. 

I'm a couple chapters into the story and thus far, I enjoy the narrator. 

What do you think? Have you read this series? Are you up to joining the Read-Along? 

I Was Thrilled To Get This ARC from Net Galley. I love a good Charlie Donlea Tale!

 When this popped up as an ARC available via Net Galley, I could not have clicked the request button any faster than I did.  A couple years ago I got a copy of Some Choose Darkness via the Kensington's Between the Chapters Facebook group. I enjoyed Charlie Donlea's writing style and since then I have looked forward to each of his releases! 

Avery Mason, our protagonist is whip-smart and has a real can-do spirit.  I like how we get to see her vulnerabilities and the way she deals with her insecurities. Twenty Years Later incorporates September 11, 2001, in a unique and surprising way.  As is the case with any thriller, I am hesitant to be anything but vague about the plot as there are clues everywhere! 

In this book, as I was reading I developed a crazy theory, and then shortly after I developed my crazy theory, Avery had a crazy theory.  Yes, indeed, Avery and I were on the same page.  I find in Charlie Donlea's writings he often writes so that the reader can be one step ahead of the protagonist and the action unfolds. I love it!  I feel like I am part of the action and that is a big part of why I enjoy his books each and every time.

4 Stars to Twenty Years Later! 

Need A Distraction From the News of The Day? This Series Delivers!

 Blue aliens, women kidnapped in their sleep, and a frozen planet.  If you read romance, you probably already know what I'm talking about. 

Ice Planet Barbarians is the sort of reading you can devour.  It starts like this:

"You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women - including me - on an ice planet."

With those opening lines, and because the series is free when you have Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give this series a try, even though blue aliens seemed pretty bonkers. I was wrong.  So far I have read the first two books in the series and found both to be good reads.  Ruby Dixon's ability to write steamy sex scenes is only surpassed by her talent at creating this world and the unique rules that apply to this strange land. 

I don't see a point in going into much detail on this series, I don't want to spoil your fun as you dive into this alien world. I do like to read wintery stories in the winter, so my opinion is that this time of year is perfect for ice planet stories.  As someone who usually reads contemporary romance and contemporary fantasy, this series, I suppose, isn't too much of a leap. Ruby Dixon's characters are engaging, the classic romance tropes are there in this strange new land. 

I highly recommend this series if you enjoy fated mate tropes and lots of babies happening. 

4.5 stars to the first two books in this series!  I'm quite confident you'll enjoy it! 

#TheSundayPost Another Christmas Is In The Books-One We Won't Forget!

 

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 

How was your Christmas? One of the things I enjoyed this holiday season was the podcast Christmas Countdown Show.  The show is a fun escape for people like me who really enjoy Christmas Time. Eric and Danny the hosts talked about their favorite Christmas movies, music, TV shows, foods, and more.   

Our Christmas took a turn when youngest child tested positive for Covid. Early in the week one of her best friends tested positive, and so our daughter tested negative for a few days, but then on Christmas Eve, she got a bad present--a positive Covid test.  Because we knew she had been exposed, she'd been quarantining since Tuesday night in her room. She had a cough but we had all been hoping it was a cold. Thank goodness we were able to quarantine her before she had that positive test.  If we hadn't we might all have Covid now-- and could have exposed other people

And so we facedtime her in the morning for the present opening. We have the windows cracked and she has a designated bathroom and paper plates and plastic wear and lot of water and other fluids. The bummer of it all is that she got her booster shot last Friday and within a couple days she was exposed via someone who caught Covid from someone else who wasn't vaccinated--the booster didn't have time to boost!  The rest of us got our booster shot in November--she didn't because they weren't available to 16-17 year olds.

So far everyone else is Covid free and hopefully the isolation and the booster works and on New Years Eve we can celebrate the end of her isolation together. 

How was your Christmas? I hope you had a nice one!  

 Bowie with his Christmas Even Present! 

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!

#

A Spin-Off from the Rylie Cooper Mystery Series! Mistletoe Malarkey, A Shayla Murphy Mystery

 I very much enjoyed this new book starring Rylie Cooper's best friend Shayla Murphy.  This book takes place in Ireland at Christmastime. Shayla is meeting her boyfriend Seamus's family for the first time. There are a couple of surprises for Shayla before we even get to the murder. In fact, I was far enough in that I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a murder at all--seeing as there was already a few potential non-murder mysteries happening.  But Stella Bixby was just building up the tension and soon enough a body had dropped, literally.

I believe this book is the start of a new series and I will be waiting for book two with much anticipation!  In Mistletoe Malarkey we are introduced to a small Irish town and Seamus's quirky family, it was fun to spend time with them and I look forward to future adventures.  I like that in this series there can be a nice partnership of sorts with Shayla and Molly the constable.

5 Stars!  If you have Kindle Unlimited make sure to add this to your Kindle!

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! 

********************************************

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)

Wait, this book was written *before* Dracula?

Before I transition completely to holiday mode, I'm sharing one last spooky season review.  Have you ever heard of this book?  

 Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu was written well before the book everyone knows by Bram Stoker.  This tale, however, isn't about a male vampire.  It's about a young woman who lives on an estate in the country with her father and their servants, she is a little bored and definitely lonely. So when a carriage crashes in front of her and a mother begs them to keep her daughter safe for a few months, she begs her father to let this beautiful young woman stay at their home.

While the local village begins to experience a strange illness, causing the deaths of young women.  The young noblewoman is increasingly drawn to and repelled by her houseguest. She has so much longing for what her guest offers and ultimately falls under her spell. How will the story end?  

Lucky for us readers, this tale can be read in an afternoon or over a weekend, it's one that is very hard to put down.

5 starts to Carmilla 

Get Ready !!The Latest Installment from #ItHappenedOneMidnight #NetGalley

Here is the description from the publisher: 

"Saranna DeWylde brings her trademark mix of quirky charm, sexy comedy, and a touch of magic to the third Fairy Godmothers, Inc. installment, as Ever After, Missouri’s resident fairy godmothers Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet are doing their best to restore their hometown’s deep well of enchantment by conjuring true love, one happy couple at a time. This time, the godmothers set their sights on their very own goddaughter, a romance novelist whose fib about a fake engagement is about to transform into a friends-to-lovers story worthy of the bestseller lists…"

 Part of what keeps bringing me back to this series is I love the godmothers! I mean sure their charges are great and it's fun to see them fall in love--or admit they are in love. But it is just delightful to get to know Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet.  I can't wait for Saranna to give us a book where one of the godmothers has a romance! 

In this book, we see the romance of Juniper and Tomas. This one is a friends-to-lovers. Now even though this is the third book in this series, and I should be certain that a HEA is destined to happen at the end, I still was real worried Tomas would blow his chance for a HEA with the love of his life.  That's good writing.

The humor this series is known for continues and we get to spend time with some of our Ever After favorites. If you haven't started this series yet, now is a great time to start as you'll get to read two books, and then this one will be out!  Put this series on your Christmas List! Then we will all have to wait for the next installment and hopefully a Rumplestilskin sighting! 

4 stars for It Happened One Midnight thank you NetGalley!  I loved the opportunity to read this joyful book! 

The Sunday Post! Happy Halloween!!! - Old Pictures and to #Nanowrimo or not?

  

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

Here are some pictures of Halloween past.  I do intermittent fasting so I'm waiting to have a chocolate candy-filled day until 11am. How about you?  Will you be having a few fun-sized candy bars today? Or maybe a spooky cocktail?  In any case, I hope you have a fun Halloween and that any ghosts you meet are friendly! 

I have been pondering Nanowrimo, should I participate this year?  Do I want to write?  I don't know. I think I might write 'just for me' and see what happens? 

This week I'll be sharing reviews of two ARCS from Net Galley and then an old Vampire book Called Carmilla (spoiler alert - it is delightful!) 

Happy Halloween!!!

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! 

The Hallmark Channel Itself Could Not Out Do This Book For Perfect Autumn Romance Ambiance!

 The Ex-Hex By Erin Sterling is like a perfectly made Pumpkin Spice Latte in Book Form.  This book feels like it was blessed by the Good Witch Cassie Nightingale herself.  

I can't imagine anyone who enjoys Autumn or tales of sorcery who would not enjoy this book.  It really puts you in the spirit of the Spooky season.  As I was listening to this book and really enjoying the story unfold, I realized that when it comes to romance, I enjoy the romance more if there is an obstacle that the couple has to unite to overcome. On that front, like most paranormal romances this book delivers.

We may be too old for trick or treating, but we can still treat ourselves to Halloween treats right?  This book is better than any fun-sized Snickers bar by far! 

Four Stars to The Ex Hex! 

I am lucky enough to be in a book club that is going to have Erin Sterling as a guest! I plan to ask if this book is to be a series. I'm hoping maybe it will be! I would like to return to this town!

Speaking of Halloween-- How cute are these two! (I'm pretty sure this picture is from about 2004)

Cozy Mystery Talk! A New Series! #LiveLocalandDead #NetGalley

A new voice in the cozy-sphere, Live, Local and Dead (A Vermont Radio Mystery)  by Nikki Knight introduces us to WSV radio DJ and station owner, Jaye Jordan. 

Nikki Knight weaves a decent cozy mystery for our sleuth to solve, and in this story, the town really shines. I would like to visit ASAP, even if there is a snow or ice storm.  Nikki Knight gives the reader a real flavor of Vermont from Maple syrup tasting and a friendly moose to that independent spirit of New England. 

This book is more romance-heavy than some cozy mysteries. There is no love triangle, so if you like some nice romance but dislike a triangle, I think you'll be pleased. If you don't like any romance, this is not the book for you. 

Jaye has a dry sense of humor which I enjoy in my reading. Jaye converted to Judaism and the Jewish faith plays a role in this book, I can't think of another cozy that I have read where the sleuth was Jewish and I liked learning about some of the traditions of the faith through Jaye especially when it came to discussion of Jewish Hamantaschen Cookies. 

Where we find the dead body in this book sounds like something another writer dared Nikki Knight to try, unique to say the least. Additionally, the subplot hinges on one of my favorite motives, greed.  Everything comes together nicely at the end and I would like to read more in this series. I'm giving this book 4 stars because of the witty writing, the depth of the characters and because we make it through a whole book wherein the amateur sleuth is not physically assaulted during the sleuthing--- which is far too common in cozies. 

4 stars to #LiveLocalandDead thanks for the ARC #NetGalley! All the opinions are mine!