Source: Publisher
Description: New parents Holly White and Sheriff Evan Gray are sleep deprived, but incandescently happy to be celebrating their baby’s first Christmas. Their family, friends, and neighbors are spoiling the newest addition. Adding to the perfect holiday season is the recent completion of their newly built home. All that’s left to do is move in and send off those change of address cards. But their cup full of cheer turns sour when Holly discovers a dead body.
It all started with a sweet trip down memory lane–Candy Cane Lane and Toyland were two of Holly’s favorites as a child, and she had been looking forward to sharing them with her baby. Then she stumbled upon the body of Greysen, the animal keeper, left among the reindeer at the petting zoo.
Earlier in the day, Holly witnessed a fight between Greysen and a stranger. Stranger still, the reindeer petting zoo had originally been empty that day–no reindeer in sight until they reappeared along with a corpse.
As Holly fights to keep the Christmas spirit alive, she is Greysen’s only chance at justice–and her baby’s only chance at a happy first Christmas.
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: I've really enjoyed this series in the past and was curious to see how it would develop with Holly as a new mother.
My Impression: I really like the setup for this series. There is one mystery a year and that happens every year around the holiday season which is fun and we get to check in with what's been happening with Holly over the past year. I also love the supportive family and friends in Mistletoe, Maine and the yummy sounding treats always sound amazing. There are also some fun animal sidekicks like a goat named Theodore and Holly's cat Cindy Lou Who. The mysteries are enjoyable and Holly is a likable main character.
Unfortunately, this series is starting to go a bit flat for me. I liked the mystery and the dynamic between Holly and her sister-in-law Libby who is also a PI. I liked that there is some awareness about the risk of balancing toting an infant around everywhere and interrogating killers. However, the fact that pretty much everyone mentions their concern for Holly's safety every chapter felt a bit repetitive. As well, Holly is legitimately scared for her safety but for some reason kept asking questions she didn't need to ask and going out of her way to question suspects. It was a bit frustrating and added with the repetitiveness impacted my enjoyment of the book.
I've really enjoyed this series and would recommend the first 5 books or so of the series but the previous one didn't quite live up to expectations and this one was a bit disappointing. The writing style and revisiting characters that feel like friends made this still a mostly enjoyable read but I'm not anxious to pick up the next book in the series.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would read more from this author but unfortunately, I do think I'm done with this series.
Would I Recommend this Book? I would really recommend the first 5 or 6 books of this series and this series really is best read in order.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would read more from this author but unfortunately, I do think I'm done with this series.
Would I Recommend this Book? I would really recommend the first 5 or 6 books of this series and this series really is best read in order.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I have only read the first book in one of her series.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
I haven't read this series but it's on my list.
ReplyDeleteI have listened to quite a few of this series and enjoyed them but have sort of lost interest and so it was interesting to see your thoughts on this one. I won't be seeking it out! Perhaps its time to end this series.
ReplyDelete