Friday Fives - Five Short Reviews for Series I'm Currently Reading

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  I'm working on catching up on series and decided to put a few reviews of them all together here.

1.  Death Knells and Wedding Bells by Eva Gates - Lucy and Connor are married!  And while the wedding went smoothly and the reception was a good time (with the exception of a few unwelcome plus ones) but the aftermath proves a bit bumpy when a missing wedding guest is found dead in a closet.  The mystery was fun and I enjoyed seeing Lucy and Connor start to settle in newly married life.  I did guess the killer before Lucy but I didn't guess the motive and it was fun getting to the reveal.  This is an enjoyable cozy mystery series with a fantastic bookish setting.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  The Solace of Bay Leaves by Leslie Budewitz - This series is just getting better.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one and loved spending time with Pepper as she tried to untangle the mystery of who would have wanted to shoot her friend Maddy, how that could connect to the murder of her friend's husband several years before, and how did the new chef get his hands on another chef's proprietary spice blend.   This was a fun read with lots of enjoyable day in the life scenes as Pepper runs a business, takes care of her hope, interacts with those around her, deepens her relationship, and has some pretty yummy tasting food.  The unraveling of the mystery kept me engaged and I enjoyed the book from beginning to end and I'm already looking forward to visitng Pepper at her Pike Place Market shop again soon.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

3.  Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell - I do love some ghosts with my cozy mysteries and especially when home renovation is involved.  Mel has taken over the running of her family's renovation business and discovered that she can talk to ghosts to add a bit of chaos.  Now she has the option to bid on a job partly because of that ability.  This is a fun series with a good group of side characters and a dog.  There's also a bit of home renovation with the focus on history and old history all of which makes me happy.  This wasn't the most memorable of mysteries but it is one I enjoyed and is a series I'm looking forward to continuing with.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

4.  Jane Austen's Lost Letters by Jane K. Cleland - I fear this is the last book in this series as it came out in 2021 and there has been nothing else heard from Josie.  That said, if the series must end this was a pretty good place to end as we get to see more of Josie's life on the tv set and there are some fairly major developments in her personal life.  The mystery was a good one and really focused on the world of antique appraisers which I enjoyed.  I did miss seeing more of the day to day running of Prescotts but I suspect the author was gently showing that Josie career has gone past the day to day bits.  I enjoyed this series - some books more than others - and am a bit sad to see the end of Josie and her friends.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries and are fascinated by antiques this is a series that I think you would enjoy.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  Letal Licorice by Amanda Flowers - In this second book of the Amish Candy shop series and Bailey King is not only getting used to life in Ohio but is competing an Amish Candy Competition.  But pretty quickly things go a bit haywire.  Not only is Bailey's entry in the competition controversial but there's also a missing pig and a murder.  I'm really enjoying this series.  I love all the candy references as well as Bailey's relationship with her grandmother.  The Amish vs English issues are interesting and a bit different than the usual cozy controversies.  The mystery was interesting with a bit of a surprising end.  I did feel a bit sorry for Emily, Bailey's assistant for the competition, as Bailey kept running off to investigate leaving Emily with quite a bit of heavy lifting with the competition.  I'm looking forward to book 3.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)