Friday Fives - 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.  Peppermint Barked by Leslie Budewitz - I have really been enjoying this series about a spice shop in Pike Place Market.  This was a fun one with lots of Christmas cheer and yummy sounding treats.  I also really liked that we were able to see a more vulnerable side to Pepper's employee Matt who up until this point has been a bit of a mystery.  There's also some growth in Pepper's personal life and lots of page time from her dog.   As expected, the mystery was solid and kept me guessing from beginning to end.  If you like a foodie cozy this is a fun series with an interesting group of characters and a fantastically brought to life Seattle setting.   My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen - I've been reading the most recent books of this series and really enjoying them but had only read a few books from the beginning.  I really enjoyed this one as Georgie finds an unusual solution to avoiding Christmas in a drafty castle in Scotland and more importantly avoiding Christmas with her very ghastly sister-in-law, Fig, and Fig's even worse family.  Georgie finds herself in a small village in England playing social hostess and token member of the royal family.  This would have been a rather cozy Christmas - especially when Darcy O'Mara appears on the scene - but a rash of murders makes everything much less cozy.  I loved that Georgie's grandfather was involved in the investigation and we got to know a bit more about Darcy's family.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and was quite surprised by the ending.  This was a fun entry in a good cozy series and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

3.  Premeditated Peppermint by Amanda Flower - This is the third book in the Amish Candy Shop series where distinctly non-Amish Bailey King has come to help her Amish grandmother run her candy shop after the death of her grandfather.  The shop is gearing up for Christmas when Bailey's former boyfriend and a TV crew show up to feature an Amish-style Christmas.  Soon a body is discovered and Bailey is pulled into the investigation with the help of Sheriff's deputy Aiden.  I did figure out a lot of the mystery before Bailey did but I enjoyed the story enough that it didn't bother me.  I really enjoyed seeing Bailey's character and personal growth and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series to see what happens next.  This is a great series if you're looking for a foodie cozy mystery with an interesting twist.  My Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)

4.  Mrs. Jeffries Takes Stock by Emily Brightwell - This was a fun read!  I love the downstairs crew headed by Mrs. Jeffries and aided by Constable Barnes.  Inspector Witherspoon is still a bit befuddled by his success but he's such a nice man I don't mind it though I do prefer the more competent character that appears in the newer books.  I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson the household teaches Witherspoon when he starts penny pinching unnecessarily.  The mystery was enjoyable, and the various characters all contributed.  I was kept guessing until the end and thoroughly enjoyed the reveal.  This series has a large cast and can be a bit confusing at the beginning, but I really enjoy the teamwork element and the mysteries never disappoint.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell - This is the fourth book in a series about Mel Turner a San Francisco contractor who specializes in restoring historic homes with an accidental focus on haunted houses and an extra gift for tripping over dead bodies.  In this book Mel has volunteered for a charity that works on renovating homes for the elderly and disabled.  The home she is assigned is right next to the famed "Murder House" where a family tragedy occurred years before.  Because Mel is Mel she soon stumbles over a dead body in gets involved in a homicide investigation - one current day and one from the past.  I enjoyed the story and following along with the investigation. I liked that Detective Crawford gets involved in the ghost part as it changed the dynamic between the two.   The mystery wrapped up in a satisfying and surprising way and I enjoyed the read - even though Mel's habit of wearing outrageous outfits to job sites drives me a bit crazy.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)