A Matter of Hive and Death

 In this blog post, I reviewed Nancy Coco’s (aka Nancy Parra) A Matter of Hive and Death, the 2nd installment in the Oregon Honeycomb Mystery cozy mystery series. This caper will captivate you and educate you about beekeeping at the same time. Wren Johnson owners her own small business, Let it Bee, and makes her own products from freshmade honey. As a fellow beekeeper, she went out to get some supplies from fellow beekeeper, Elias Brentwood. But she discovers a shocking mystery: his dead body and vandalized bee hives. This is when she calls her a fellow beekeeper friend, Klaus, for assistance. But the police have their eyes on him for a prime suspect, but Wren doesn’t believe he did it. As she works on making sales at her store, a former flame enters her life and stirs things up, while there’s a small brewing chemistry between her and Oceanview Detective, Jim Hampton. As she digs deeper into Elias’s life and beekeeping business, things get complicated for her and her Aunt Eloise at the shop. Caught in the middle, it’s up to Wren to figure out the truth from the lies before it’s too late for her, when she least expected who was the true culprit.

This compelling crafty cozy mystery has a good plot and educates readers about how saving the bees are essential to our ecosystem.  I cared for Wren, and how she has a sharp eye for details and solving mysteries. The scenic settings for Oceanview were windswept and compelling for Oregon’s picturesque location. The theme of the story is about greed and not mixing water with vinegar for evil scientific experiments.

I rated this interesting crafty cozy mystery, four of five stars, for no reason. If you love crafty cozies with a twist, non-stop action, and plenty of dramatic suspense, A Matter of Hive and Death is a must-read to read next year. This book is recommended for fans of Laura Childs, Holly Quinn, Sally Goldenbaum, and other cozy mysteries.

Curds of Prey

 In this blog post, I reviewed Korina Moss’s Curds of Prey, the 3rd installment in the Cheese Shop Mystery Romantic Cozy series, this enticing mystery is full of suspense, and a hint of romance.  For Willa Bauer, she owns a cheese shop in Yarrow Glen in Southern California. Her small business is successful selling cheese products. She’s confused on her feelings for her potential boyfriend, Roman Massey. She’s been uncertain and receiving mixed feelings about him. And when she learns about his past connection to the Harringtons, it gets complicated. When she’s invited to attend the wedding shower of Summer Harrington, things aren’t what they seem, when the potential groom winds up stabbed by a pitchfork in the stable. And Roman is the potential person of interest. To get him off the hook, she does a little sleuthing on her own to learn more about the Trumbull-Harrington families, and also on Summer’s sibling rivalry with her sister Chloe. One by one, more clues turn away from Roman and into another direction, when she winds up injured in a horseback riding accident. That’s when handsome Detective Heath comes to her aid and tiny sparks emit between them. Meanwhile, things turn up the heat for Willa when she becomes wary of a potential suspect or two of her own, before she gets caught off guard on whodunit and why. 

This  compelling romantic cozy mystery has a good balance of romance and mystery all wrapped up in one story. I cared for Willa. She’s a strong character to root for. She’s successful and has a keen eye on solving mysteries, though she ends up caught into a complex mystery. The scenic settings for Yarrow Glen were enchanted and mystique for the location in Southern California. The theme of the story is deception mixed with revenge can lead to danger. 

I rated this intriguing romantic cozy mystery, four of five stars, for no reason. If you love culinary cozies with a twist, non-stop action, and plenty of dramatic suspense, Curds of Prey is a must-read to read next year. This book is recommended for fans of Laura Childs, Janet Evanovich, Diane Mott Davidson, and Joanne Fluke.

The Engagement Embargo

 In this blog post, I reviewed Samantha Chase’s The Engagement Embargo, the first installment in the Meet Me at the Altar contemporary romance series. This daring romance will make your heart sigh and weep with joy. For Elliott Sullivan, he had four failed relationships that ended up in engagements. After his recent bride on his wedding day left him at the altar, Elliott was tired of the heartache and the dejected rejection, hoping and wishing for the one. That’s when his family had told him to go on an embargo for one year–no dating and no relationships to get him out of this funk. But when his sister’s Josie’s best friend Skylar Jennings came out to drop him food from the canceled reception she became a good listener and a great friend. For Skye, she had the hugest crush on Elliott for the longest time, and had been in love with him for oh so long. But when Josie asked her to help her out with Elliott, she did it as a friend, though they had treated her like family. At first, there was nothing wrong with a casual relationship between friends seeking advice. But after the first kiss led to their first romp, it became a game-changer and a secret romantic relationship. Skye had heard Elliott say he didn’t want the same things she did, when all they had was casual sex and nothing more.  Though Elliott had broken the embargo, he had also broken her heart in the same process. In a valiant move, he professed his love for her and claimed her as his own for their fairy tail ending that would sweep you off your feet. 

This  heartfelt contemporary romance was beautifully written, and oh so moving for a wonderful love story. I cared for both Skylar and Elliott, who had to follow their hearts to find each other and took more than a huge leap of faith. They were both meant to be together and forever. I adored the North Carolina settings and the picturesque scenic locations. The theme of this story is love might sneak up on you right before your eyes.

I rate this awesome contemporary romance,  five of five stars, for no reason. If you love endearing romances with a crush on a bestie’s brother’s trope, juicy romantic action, plenty of drama, and lots of suspenseful twists, The Engagement Embargo is the one for you. This is recommended for fans of Robyn Carr, Jill Shalvis, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Carly Phillips.

Cheddar Late than Dead

 In this blog post, I reviewed Linda Reilly’s Cheddar Late than Dead, the 3rd installment in the Grilled Cheese Cozy Mystery series. This caper takes a big bite out of crime. It all started for Carly Hale, who owns a grilled cheese eatery in Balsam Dell, Vermont, when she was invited to host a wedding shower party for Klarissa Taddeo, one of her former high school friends, at the last minute. Though it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for her to conjure up more business for her grilled cheese sandwiches, when exactly she witnessed a shocking crime unexpectedly. When Klar’s fiance Tony was found dead, talk about total chaos at the scene. And Dawn Chapin, another former classmate of Carly’s and wedding planner, is the main suspect. Carly didn’t believe she had the gall to do it and did some sleuthing herself. Later, she discovered that the newest town manager, Gretel Engstom, had been missing for the past week. Were these two crimes connected in anyway? While she continued to run her business, she dug deeper to get close to the truth, until she became an unexpected victim and trapped with the culprit in the bitter end.

This delightful culinary cozy mystery was decadent as brie cheese and rich with twists and turns like chocolate. I cared for Carly, who was stuck into a twisted murder mystery, and had the hankering for solving the crimes.  I also felt bad for Dawn and Klarissa, who had difficult mothers who controlled their lives. I adored Havarti, Carly’s dog. I loved the windswept small town of Balsam Dell in Vermont for the location. It had rich picturesque scenic settings that painted it so well. The theme of the story is that overzealous obsession will lead you nowhere when you’re sick with greed.

I rate this book, four of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping culinary cozies with plenty of non-stoppable action, lots of intense suspense, and incredible drama, Cheddar Late than Never is right up your alley with delicious recipes to make at home! This book is recommended for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Joann Carl, Joanne Pence, and Laura Childs.

The Chocolate Garden

    In this blog post, I reviewed Ava Miles’s The Chocolate Garden, the 2nd installment in the Dare River contemporary romance series, this beautiful love story will sweep you off your feet and make you cry tears of joy mixed with sadness.  Tammy Lynn Hollins has a vision for her dreams. She’s newly divorced and a mother of two young kids. But with her mother berating her and her self-esteem, it makes her feel worthless. Her mother didn’t believe her when she told her about the abuse she succumbed to from her previous husband. And she didn’t think a woman like her would be successful as a visionary gardener. When John Parker McGuinness, her brother’s best friend, asks for her to make a chocolate garden for him, she had a perfect vision for it as he was her first client. This started a wonderful building relationship between them as they grew closer together. Things changed, when there was a break-in at her brother’s rental home they stayed at, and concerns about the leak about the monetary payoff for her divorce. To provide a safety net for Rory and Annabelle, they crafted a story about the chocolate garden and temporarily stayed at John Parker’s house when they fell in love. But things changed again, when her mother did an about-face who took her side when she faced her ex, and applauded her efforts on her newfound career as an independent business woman. Though they love each other profoundly, the talk about marriage has caused a rift between them, when she’s not ready to take that step. But maybe JP can maybe show her a new outlook of them as a couple to change things for themselves to have a brighter future.  

This beautiful tear-jerking and heartfelt contemporary romance will pull your heartstrings real taut and move you to pieces. I instantly cared for Tammy and her feelings for John Parker. She had been through a lot as a young Southern woman who wanted to make a name for herself and her family.  John Parker is a handsome and sweet piece of eye candy as well. I liked the same story of her sister, Amelia Ann, and her crushing feelings for Clayton, that builds into the third installment of the series. I loved the idyllic locations of Meade and Dare River County between Mississippi and Tennessee. The scenic settings were mesmerizing and picturesque. 

I rated this book, five out of five stars. If you love beautiful love stories that moves with your heart with non-stop romantic and dramatic action and suspense, The Chocolate Garden will melt your heart like chocolate. This book is recommended for fans of Jill Shalvis, Robyn Carr, Kristan HIggins, and Hallmark movies. 

The Lost

    In this blog post, I reviewed Jeffrey B. Burton’s the Lost, the third installment in the Mace Reid K-9 mystery thriller series, this spine-tingling thriller is twisted and full of suspense on every page. It all started for Mace and Kippy Gimm, when they received a phone call about a kidnapping. Kennneth Druckmann’s daughter Eleanor has gone missing. While Mace and Kippy search for the missing girl with Vira, they later learn that it’s more complicated than that with her father’s sole involvement in this sadistic plot from the beginning when they tracked him down, until his own untimely demise. Temporarily, Eleanor finds out that her former nanny Britt helped keep her safe from the bad guys, though Britt was already into the thick of things. As the search is on to find Britt and Elle, so were the bad guys who had other plans for them to take them to Russia and beyond. In a race against time, Mace, Kippy, and Vira were in hot pursuit of them, and later discovered a shocking twist in the end. 

This compelling mystery thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat with full-throttle suspense on every page. I cared about Mace and his delightful K-9 dog pack with Vira leading the way. He cares about his job and his dogs, especially Sue who was injured from a previous case, and has strong feelings for his partner, Kippy. A possible good love match in the end. The scenic settings from Lake Michigan to Lake Geneva and in Detroit were picturesque for the location. 

I rated this book, four out of five stars, because I love K-9 stories featuring lovable dogs of all breeds to look for missing people or buried remains. If you love heart-pounding mystery thrillers with non-stop suspense and high-octane dramatic action, you’ll love the Lost and other books in the series. This book is recommended for fans of Margaret Mizushima, Nora Roberts’s “the Search”, David Rosenfelt, and Alex Kava.

High Spirits

  In this blog post, I reviewed Carol J Perry’s High Spirits, the second installment in the Haunted Haven paranormal series. This mystery will give you chills and plenty of intrigue. For Maureen Doherty, the newest owner of Haven House Inn, it’s around Christmas time. She needed a way to rack in the dough to bring people into her hotel and the Paramount Theater in Haven, Southern Florida. So she cooked up an idea with Ted Carr, the hotel’s bartender and chef, to serve dinner and Christmas movies. While they make a profit, Doreen dealt with the mystery of who killed Buddy Putnam 50 years ago, whose ghost had haunted the theater, and then the murder on who killed Decklin Monroe, the film projector. Were both crimes connected somehow? It’s up to Maureen, and some friendly ghosts, and her hotel staff, to put together this chilling mystery, piece by piece, before it might be too late in the end. 

This intriguing Christmas paranormal cozy is bone-cold as winter snow and will keep you guessing. I cared for Maureen, who had a lot on her hands with the hotel’s restoration, a budding romance, and being swept into another mystery in her new hometown. I do think that Ted could be good for her. I loved Haven, Florida as the perfect seaside town for the location, and the Christmas season for the theme with visual scenic settings. 

I rated this book, three out of five stars, because it left me wondering more about this cozy mystery. If you love chilling paranormal cozies with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of suspense, and goose-pimpling twists and turns, you would love High Spirits. This book is recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris’s and Emily Brightwell’s paranormal cozies to name a few, and those who love Christmas-themed mysteries.