Guilt and Ginataan - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Guilt and Ginataan (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #5) by Mia P. Manansala

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Autumn is in full swing for the town of Shady Palms—the perfect time for warm drinks, cozy cardigans, and…dead bodies?

The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town’s biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest—but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze…and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife.

The body is discovered to be a local politician’s wife, and all signs—murder weapon included—point to Adeena as the culprit. But Lila knows her best friend couldn’t have done this, so she and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha…

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This series has been on my radar since the first book came out and this one looked good.  

My Impression:  I'm always a bit nervous starting a series this far in but I had absolutely no problem jumping in with this one and getting the who is who stuff all figured out.  I enjoyed all the fall fun happening in during the corn festival and the murder was an intriguing one.  The victim had some people who might have wanted to end her life and then there's her wife's position of mayor in the neighboring town to consider.  All Lila knows is that it was not her best friend Adeena who ended the mayor's wife's life in the middle of a corn maze even if she was found clutching the bloody knife.  The real question is who had the strong enough motive.  

The investigation was interesting with small town politics and personal secrets to be dug through as well as a motive for murder to be found.   I did struggle a bit with the writing style.  I like a good food description but the description of everything felt a bit bulky and slowed the pace down.  As well, I had a hard time warming up to Lila and Elena (especially Elena).  Luckily, I liked Adeena, Jae and the Aunties enough to make up for it.  This wasn't my favorite cozy I've read this year but overall, I did enjoy it and liked that it dealt with a cuisine I'm not that familiar with.  This is a series I'll continue with though it may not be at the top of my list.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely!  While this wasn't perfect I did enjoy it and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're a mystery fan this is a series worth trying - especially if you like lots of interesting and quirky characters with more than a few opinions!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books on My TBR With Destinations in the Title

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Ten Books with Destinations in the Title.  This was a bit of a challenge for me since I read a lot of cozies which usually are set in fictional small towns but it was fun to dig through my TBRs and find books with place names in their titles.

1.  The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

2.  The Fleet Street Murder by Charles Finch

3.  Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn

4.  Murder on Brittany Shores by Jean-Luc Bannalec 

5.  To Scotland with Love by Patience Griffin

6.  A Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer

7.  The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

8.  The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

9. The Light Over London by Julia Kelly

10. Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan

Do you have books with destinations in the title on your TBR?  

I'll Be Home for Mischief -- Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: I'll Be Home For Mischief (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #5) by Jacqueline Frost

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  It’s Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family’s visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly’s mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world’s largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow’s body ends up in the batter.

When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man. Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive.

When someone breaks into Holly’s office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left. Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed every other book I've read in this series so of course I had to pick this one up.

My Impression:  I always look forward to my annual visit to the Christmas Tree Farm and the Reindeer Games.  Once again, the town of Mistletoe is gearing up for Christmas with the usual influx of tourists, events and this time a Victorian theme.  Over on the farm Holly's mother is also trying to break a World Record with the biggest gingerbread man.  Unfortunately, the return of the last remaining members of one of the founding families of Mistletoe isn't as jolly as expected - especially when a body is found in a very un-merry place.  

This series cannot be beat for setting.  It's so Christmasy and full of holiday fun with winter events and lots of yummy treats. The cast of characters is wonderful with Holly's family and friends.   These are always characters I'm glad to catch up with.  I also liked that they're not matter of fact about tripping over corpses on a weirdly regular basis.  Holly's mom especially worries about Holly's safety and Holly really tries to stay out of the investigation to keep her mom and husband from worrying.

However, that's frequently easier said than done and Holly can't help but getting involved a bit.  I did figure out a few things before Holly and Evan did but getting to the end was fast paced and kept me reading so I didn't mind.  This is a fun read and a great way to kick off the holiday season.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  This author is pretty much an auto-read for me.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozies this is a fantastic series.  While you could easily jump into the series with this mystery it's even better if you read the series in order.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Monthly Reading Recap - October 2024

 

Monthly Recap:

Monthly Reading Count - 19 -I had some books left over from September that got finished up and other than that I had a pretty good reading time!

Print - 6

Ebook - 6 

Audiobook - 7

Mystery - 14

Romance - 1

Nonfiction - 2

Fiction - 3

Favorite Books of the Month:

Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews - I love this series and while this Christmas mystery didn't have blue jays dive bombing unsuspecting family members inside like a previous book it was still a lot of fun!

Least Favorite Book of the Month:

Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde - I really wanted to like this one because it had a great premise but an immature main character and an odd romance kind of killed it for me.

Where My Reading Took Me in October:  

While I had a good reading month I didn't travel to any new places!

Domestic Travel:  I visited Florida, California (twice), New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Virginia, and Massachusetts

International Travel:  I visited England and Scotland multiple times.

Where did your reading take you in October?  What were some of your favorite reads?

Friday Fives - We Got to Hang Out With Wolves!

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.  We went to Seacrest Wolf Preserve in Chipley, Florida before our cruise and it was such an amazing experience.  They are a rehab facility for wolves and various small animals and do guided tours where you get to interact with the animals (under very strict rules and guidelines).  We did a private tour and it was amazing and so interesting.  Here are five pictures from our time there.

1.  

This guy was very affectionate and quite determined to give me a kiss

2.  

Even wolves do big stretches!

3.  

Isn't this big guy gorgeous!  

4.  

This girl is actually a wolf/German Shepherd hybrid that had been surrendered.  She was a big of belly rubs.

5.  

This is Will and Pesto the possum.  Pesto got shaken by a cat at an early age and his back end is paralyzed but he is the absolute sweetest.

If you're ever near Chipley, Florida I highly recommend visiting Seacrest Wolf Preserve.  You can only take a tour with a reservation and the dress code is very strict.  If you're in the mood to splurge a bit I can't recommend a private tour enough.  I learned so much and the animals were just fascinating to watch.  

Books from the Backlog - Premeditated Peppermint

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  Premediated Peppermint by Amanda Flower

Blurb: Christmas is Bailey King's favorite time of year. For her first Yuletide in Harvest, Ohio, the former big-city chocolatier is recreating a cherished holiday treat: peppermint combined with molten white chocolate. But her sugar high plummets when her former boyfriend walks into the candy shop she now runs with her Amish grandmother. New York celebrity chef Eric Sharp and his TV crew have arrived to film an authentic Amish Christmas. Bailey's not about to let her beloved town--and Swissmen Sweets--be turned into a sound bite. Unfortunately, she gets more publicity than she bargained for when Eric's executive producer is found strangled to death--and Eric's the prime suspect.
With Bailey's sheriff deputy boyfriend out to prove Eric's guilt, her bad-boy ex tries to sweet-talk her into helping him clear his name . . . and rekindle their romance to boost ratings for his show. Now, between a surplus of suspects and a victim who wasn't who she seemed, Bailey's edging dangerously close to a killer who isn't looking to bring joy to the world--or to Bailey--this deadly Noel

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I've read and really enjoyed the first two books in this series.  This one has been sitting on my shelf for years but now that it's seasonally appropriate and I'm at this point at the series it seems like the perfect time to read it!

The Year of Having Fun With Reading - Arsenic with Austen + Slightly South of Simple

 

Goodreads:  Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde

Blurb:  When Emily Cavanaugh inherits a fortune from her great aunt, she expects her life to change. She doesn't expect to embark on a murder investigation, confront the man who broke her heart 35 years before, and nearly lose her own life.
Emily travels to the sleepy coastal village of Stony Beach, Oregon, to claim her inheritance, centered in a beautiful Victorian estate called Windy Corner but also including a substantial portion of the real estate of the whole town. As she gets to know the town's eccentric inhabitants--including her own once-and-possibly-future love, Sheriff Luke Richards--she learns of a covert plan to develop Stony Beach into a major resort. She also hears hints that her aunt may have been murdered. Soon another suspicious death confirms this, and before long Emily herself experiences a near-fatal accident.

Meanwhile, Emily reads Persuasion , hoping to find belated happiness with her first love as Anne Elliot did with Captain Wentworth. She notices a similarity between her not-quite-cousin Brock Runcible, heir to a smaller portion of her aunt's property, and Mr. Elliot in Persuasion , and her suspicions of Brock crystallize. But as she and Luke continue to investigate and events speed toward a climax, Emily realizes that underneath the innocent-looking rocks of Stony Beach lurk festering jealousies that would have shocked even the worst of Jane Austen's charming reprobates.

My Thoughts:  Oh I wanted to love this!  It has so many elements that I love - a bookish character, an unexpected inheritance that includes a big (and furnished) old house, and of course a murder mystery.  Unfortunately, it was just okay.  I loved the introduction of Katie and Lizzie and I liked the cats and the glimpses we saw of the house.   The mystery was okay - a bit predictable but fairly interesting.  I didn't like Emily.  It was hard to believe that she was a widowed woman in her 50s and not the 16 year old girl she keeps talking about.  The romance was hard to believe and distracting and some of the aspects of the investigation just seemed like a stretch.  This one just fell about flat to me.  I didn't feel the need to DNF it but I won't be revisiting this author's books.  My Rating: Just Okay (2 Stars)

Goodreads:  Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Blurb:  Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she'd spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.
Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley's life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this one. I loved the small coastal Georgia town and the townspeople.  I really enjoyed the characters.  Caroline was a bit difficult to like at first but as the book progressed, I did really like her and feel connected to her though I don't think she would always be the easiest person to interact with.  Sloan and Emerson weren't explored quite as much but also were good characters ad I really liked Ansley.  The book is more complicated than I expected for such a summer-y looking read.  Life is complicated and people have shades of gray which I think was shown really well.  The characters all felt like real people - albeit really pretty people - that could live down the street.   The book ends kind of open ended but even if it hadn't, I'd want to read the next one to spend more time with this family and the world of Peachtree Bluff.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books On My TBR With Books On the Cover

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Books with X on the Cover.  I thought about all the things on covers that make me want to read a book and books came up pretty high up on the list.  So here are ten books on my TBR with books on the cover.

1.  The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams 

2.  The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler 

3.  Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare and Co by Jeremy Mercer 

4.  Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

5.  Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass

6.  The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

7.  The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

8.  Bookish People by Susan Coll

9.  Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

10. Classified as Murder by Miranda James 

What is something you can't resist when you see it on a book cover?

Authors I've Been Meaning to Read - Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict

At the beginning of the year I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2024.  Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.

Goodreads:  Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict

Blurb:  In 1909, Clementine Churchill steps off a train with her new husband, Winston. An angry woman emerges from the crowd to attack, shoving him in the direction of an oncoming train. Just before he stumbles, Clementine grabs him by his suit jacket. This will not be the last time Clementine Churchill saves her husband.
Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the brilliant and ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender either to expectations or to enemies.

My Thoughts: This was an interesting read and one that really caught my interest.  Both Winston and Clementine are complicated and not always likable characters, but they were well drawn and made understandable.  For the first few chapters I wasn't sure I was enjoying it.  Benedict's writing style is a bit at a distance and while this read almost like Clementine's journal, I never felt super connected to her.  That said I was fairly quickly pulled in and wanted to know how the story would unfold even though I know the history.  It did make me want to read more about Winston and Clementine's life and those of their children.  I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Wildfire at Midnight - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  I FOLLOWED MARCIA TO HER ROOM...
She pushed her door open and groped for the light switch.
When the lights went on I heard her gasp. She was standing as if frozen, her back to me, her hands up to her throat.
Then she screamed, a high, tearing scream.
"The murderer. Oh my God, the murderer. . . ."
She grabbed my arm and pointed to the bed, her lips shaking so much that she couldn't speak coherently.
I stared down at the bed, while the slow goose flesh pricked up my spine.
Lying on the coverlet was a doll, the kind of frivolous doll I had seen dozens of times.
But this one was different.
It was lying flat on its back on the bed, with its legs straight out and its hands crossed on its breast. The contents of an ash tray had been scattered over it, and a great red gash gleamed across its neck, where its throat was cut from ear to ear...

A young crofter's daughter is cruelly and ritually murdered on the bleak Scottish mountainside. In the deceptively idyllic Camasunary Hotel nearby, the beautiful but troubled, Gianetta Brooke cannot seem to escape her pain or her past -- not even in the remote hotel on the Scottish Isle of Skye. When she discovers that her ex-husband has booked into the same hotel, the peaceful holiday for which she had hoped takes on quite another complexion.

Very soon Gianetta finds herself tangled in a web of rising fear and suspicion. One of her fellow guests, however, is also hiding secrets... and a skill and penchant for murder. And now the killer only has eyes for Gianetta....

Genre: Mystery - Classic 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been slowly reading through Mary Stewart's books and this is the one I picked for this year.

My Impression: I love a book with atmosphere and in this book, atmosphere is basically its own character with the fog and rain and looming mountains.  Gianetta is on vacation in a remote hotel on the Isle of Skye.  Her vacation quickly becomes less relaxing when she realizes that her ex-husband, Nicholas, is staying at the same hotel and that an unsolved murder of a local girl has links to someone at the hotel.  When two women who are also staying at the hotel go missing Gianetta goes from unsettled to terrified as she is pulled into the investigation and can't be sure how to trust.

I really enjoyed the audio book of this story.  Stewart is fabulous with atmosphere and Gianetta was an interesting character.  Nicholas is pretty overbearing and awful but that wasn't unexpected for a book written in this time period.  Luckily, he didn't have that much page time, so I was able to focus on the mystery and Gianetta.

I always enjoy the Mary Stewart books I'm reading and am looking forward to reading more by her.  This is a bit dated especially with regards to Nicholas but overall, I found it to be a fun read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I'm looking forward to picking my next book by Stewart.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy Gothic-y stories and can overlook a bit of an overbearing character this is a fun read.

Friday Fives - November TBR

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  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. This is the first Friday in November so I'm picking out five books I hope to read this month.

1.  The Mirror by Nora Roberts - I loved the first book in this trilogy and can't wait to read this new book by Roberts.

2.  Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh - I'm trying to read more classic mysteries, and this is the Ngaio Marsh I decided to pick up this year.

3.  Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock by Emily Brightwell - This is one of the long running series I'm trying to make progress on this year.

4.  Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen - This author and this series has been on my TBR for ages and now seems like time to read it!

5.  A Book to Kill For by Harper Lin - My TBR Tarot prompt for this month was: Choose a Book Where the Author's Surname Begins with L and this seems like a good pick!

What are you hoping to read this month?