Monday, July 8, 2024

Murder on Devil's Pond - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Murder on Devil's POnd (A Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery) by Ayla Rose

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

Description:  When 33-year-old Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. She’s even planting pollinator gardens around the inn–native flowers and fruit trees to lure honeybees and houseguests alike. 
Hannah’s fresh start is stymied by Reggie’s continual interference, unreliable contractors, a check-the-couch-for-coins budget, and townspeople Hannah left behind fifteen years ago. Her main source of camaraderie is Ezra Grayson, an 80-year-old recluse who lives nearby. After an unsettling conversation with a disgruntled Ezra, Hannah is horrified to discover him dead on her property later that day. Ezra had always had plenty of people to complain about, especially locals trying to force him out of his property for its prime real estate. As buzz around town grows after his death, Hannah finds herself on the short list of suspects. Hannah starts digging and quickly discovers that secrets lurk beneath the charming surface of the town she once again calls home.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I'm always on the lookout for a new cozy series and this looked like a good one.  

My Impression: Well this was a fun read - and one I got through in 2 sittings though it did keep me up way too late as I just had to finish it.  I have read other books by this author under another name and really enjoyed them so I had high expectations going into this one and I was not let down.

Hannah has some baggage that she's still working through when she comes back home to small town Vermont to manage the B&B.  Her relationship with her father is strained and her relationship with her sister is complicated in a big sister/little sister way.  Her friendship with town curmudgeon, Ezra, is a bright spot for her even though he would protest at having it put that way.  When Ezra dies and Hannah finds him she is quickly pulled into not only investigating who would want Ezra dead but who Ezra was in the first place.  This pulls her into making peace with some aspects of her pass as well.

The pacing of this one kept me turning pages way past my bedtime.  Hannah frustrated me at times but I did sympathize with her and I found her fairly easy to connect to.  Plus, there is a big dog named Moose and who could resist a big dog named Moose?

This was a fun read that touches on some darker issues.  The characters are flawed but sympathetic and the pacing kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  I really liked this one and am looking forward to visiting Hannah, Reggie, Peach, and especially Moose again.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you are a cozy mystery lover this was a solid and enjoyable read.

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

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Reading Recap - June 2023

 


Monthly Recap:

Monthly Reading Count -  19 - I'm hoping in July to beat this number but so far I've been pretty consistent at 19!

Print - 7
Ebook - 7 
Audiobook - 5 

Mystery -  14
Fiction - 3
Romance - 1 
Nonfiction - 1

Favorite Books of the Month:


Favorite Audio: A Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose - I didn't liked but didn't love the first book in this series but I'd seen so many great reviews I had to keep going with it and I'm so glad I did!  I thoroughly enjoyed this second book.


Favorite Read: Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy - This wasn't a perfect read but this was the book I looked forward to picking up the most.  I loved the characters and Binchy's writing style.

Least Favorite Read of the Month:

Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae

Where My Books Took Me This Month:



Domestic Travel:  The only new state I visited was Mississippi but I also visited Florida (twice), North Carolina, Arizona, and Vermont.

International Travel: I had a fairly big month internationally.  I visited England 8 times in multiple different time periods, Scotland, France, and Greece.  I also crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Luisitania.  

Where did your books take you this month?  What was your favorite read of the month?

Friday, July 5, 2024

Friday Fives - July 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 July so I'm picking out five books I hope to read this month.



1.  Close Knit by Jenny Colgan - Colgan has been a bit hit or miss for me lately but in general I love her books and this one involves a knitting circle in the north of Scotland which sounds delightful.


2.  The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith - This book has been gathering virtual dust on my NetGalley shelf for years.  Even though I'm not much of a YA reader it looks fun and I figure it's worth a try.  


3.  The Castle on Sunset by Shawn Levy - This book has been tempting me for awhile and this year I put it on my Library priority list so I'm excited to read it this month!


4.  Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews - I love this series and have really enjoyed picking up the early books as I didn't come into the series until later.  This is book two and who doesn't love puffins?


5.  When the Marquess Met His Match by Laura Lee Gurhke - The prompt for this month's TBR Tarot is a book with a picture on the spine.  This book has been kicking around my TBR for years and it just so happens to fit the prompt!

What are you hoping to read in July?

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Books from the Backlog - Murder on Mustique


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:  Murder on Mustique by Anne Glenconner

Blurb:  Mustique is in a state of breathless calm as tropical storm Cristobal edges towards it across the Atlantic. Most villa owners have escaped the island but a few young socialites remain, unwilling to let summer's partying end. American heiress Amanda Fortini is one such thrill-seeker - until she heads out for a morning swim and doesn't return.
Detective Sergeant Solomon Nile is just 28 years old and the island's only fully trained police officer. He quickly realises he needs to contact Lord and Lady Blake, who bought the island decades ago and have invested time, money and love creating a paradise. Jasper is in St Lucia designing a new village of luxury villas but Lady Veronica (Vee to her friends) catches a plane immediately. Her beloved god-daughter, Lily, is on the island and this disappearance has alarming echoes of what happened to Lily's mother many years ago. Lady Vee would never desert a friend in need, and she can keep a cool head in a crisis.

When Amanda's body is found, a murder investigation begins. Nile knows the killer must be an islander because flights and ferry crossings have stopped due to the storm warning, but the local community isn't co-operating. And then the storm hits, and someone else disappears

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  I bought this at a used bookstore awhile ago because it sounded like a great mystery but it has been sitting untouched on my shelf ever since then.

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

What I'm Reading Wednesday - July 3


I always have a few books going and this is what I'm reading this week and what I think of my reads.

Print Book:


I'm almost done with Shadow of a Spout by Amanda Cooper which I've enjoyed a surprising amount.  It's a good straight forward cozy mystery with two different generations, lots of secrets and gossip and antique teapots.  I don't remember loving the first book but this one has been a lot of fun.

Next Up: 15 Summers Later by RaeAnne Thayne

Ebook: 


The Confidence Games by Tess Amy - I'm about halfway done with this one and am enjoying it.  The characters are a bit older and the topics are a bit more serious than the cover and tagline led me to believe but it's still been a fun read. 

Next Up: A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander - This is the second book in the Secret Bookshelf cozy mystery series and I'm looking forward to it.

Slow Read:  


A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans - This was leant to me by a friend who says it is wonderful and that I need to read it before we visit a wolf preserve in October.  I'm just barely started it so I don't really have an impression of it but I am a bit nervous as it does involve animals.

Audio Book:


Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst - I'm close to done with it and have enjoyed the mystery though the characters (especially the main character, Chloe) are not my favorite.  So far I like the premise enough to continue the series - especially since I have the next book as an overdue review book.

Next Up: Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

What are you reading?

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books on My TBR with Green on the Covers


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 Covers with My Favorite Color On It.  My favorite color is green and I went through all my various TBR lists to find covers that have green on them.


1.  Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams


2.  Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire


3.  Dead Heading by Catherine Aird


4.  The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch


5.  Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell


6.  Gone Gull by Donna Andrews


7.  As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber


8.  Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh


9.  The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase


10. Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower

What is your favorite color?

Monday, July 1, 2024

The Body in the Bookstore - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Body in the Bookstore (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #1) by Ellie Alexander

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

Description:  Bookseller Annie Murray is thrilled when the mystery-themed book festival she sets up to revive the dwindling fortunes of her workplace and sanctuary seems poised for success. But events take a shocking turn when a body is discovered hidden behind the shelves, and it’s revealed that the victim is Annie's old college acquaintance.

Determined to ensure the festival’s success and save the small town of Redwood Grove from a killer, Annie begins piecing together clues with the help of her friends. But as the list of suspects grows longer – a local boutique-owner, an envious old classmate, a bitter ex-boyfriend – Annie is drawn deeper into the case.

With the aid of her old criminology professor-turned-detective, can Annie unmask the murderer before they turn her festival into a real-life whodunit?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I love Ellie Alexander's books and the a mystery themed book festival seemed to good to pass up.

My Impression: I have a list of fictional places I wish were real and I'm pretty sure that The Secret Bookshelf - an Agatha Christie themed bookstore in a Victorian house complete with a secret bookcase - is pretty much at the top of the list.  There's also a cat named Professor Plum which makes me smile everytime he makes an appearance on the page.

When times are hard at the bookstore and all the of the ideas Annie comes up with to drum up business are failing Annie decides to shoot for the stars and comes up with a town wide mystery festival (another thing I wish happened in real life).  While Annie is thrilled about the turnout and the response she's not thrilled to connect with some of her old college friends - especially one who ends up dead early on.

I enjoyed this mystery.  The setting is amazing, Annie and the rest of the characters are likable (except for the ones that aren't supposed to be), and Annie even has a mystery in her past.  Ellie Alexander excels at creating small towns with just the right amount of quirk and fun characters and once again she has created another small town that I would love to visit.  There is a bit of a slower start as the reader is being introduced to the characters and the basic premise but this is a series I'm excited to continue with.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  Ellie Alexander is one of my absolute favorite authors.

Would I Recommend this Book? I would - especially if you're a cozy mystery fan!  

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