Tag: five star review

REVIEW: Murder Once Removed by S. C. Perkins

REVIEW: Murder Once Removed by S. C. Perkins

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Gus Halloran hired Lucy Lancaster of Ancestry Investigations to look into his family history. One of the most significant pieces of his family lore was a story about the death of his great-great-grandfather Seth. Lucy found proof that Seth had been murdered rather than accidentally trampled by horses. And she even found out a few facts about who planned the murder – a man with initials C. A. involved in Texas politics at the time. She narrowed the suspects to a couple men, but Gus latched onto one name – Caleb Applewhite. Caleb’s descendant, Daniel, is a U. S. Senator. And Gus’s son, Pearce, is running against him.

Lucy still wants to do some digging and find out for sure who ordered Seth’s death. But journals about the incident and the community where it happened are stolen in a burglary. And then the photographic evidence of the crime is taken – and a friend of Lucy’s is killed. Now Lucy is racing against a murderer to see who can get to the truth first.

Review

This was outstanding! The characters, the setting, the mystery, the writing. All of it was perfect!

I loved Lucy, but the whole cast is terrific. It’s big enough for some fun, interesting interactions, but not so large you can’t keep track of everyone. I enjoyed the diversity and the culture pieces with the Mexican restaurant and Lucy’s community. And the work set up with her friends – and their interesting jobs – was unique and I loved it. I never felt like I was reading something I’ve read a hundred times before. I read a lot of cozy mysteries – and this one stands out from the crowd.

The mysteries were fantastic. You have the 150 year old murder and then the contemporary one. Both were fascinating. I loved how all the pieces came together! Any nuanced genealogical tidbit was clearly explained without long technical details. And the cases twisted in on themselves in fantastic, clever ways.

The voice of this is a delight. Lucy is funny! Her banter with the FBI agent who’s driving her crazy was so fun. Several fun details – like the cat NPH – added to the overall enjoyment of a truly great story. I can’t recommend this highly enough!!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

REVIEW: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Iris is the only Deaf student at her school. And while she has an interpreter to help with communication, he can only do so much with teachers who won’t interact with Iris the way she asks them to. Or to help with an overzealous student who just flaps her hands in Iris’ face. And it wears on her, day after day, to feel like an outsider and to walk on eggshells hoping she won’t get in trouble for “acting out” when the frustration gets to be too much.

Iris isn’t the only one in her family who is struggling. Iris’ grandfather has passed away. Her grandmother is withdrawing more and more. And Iris misses the life she had with both of them. They were Deaf, too, and she related to them so easily.

Someone else who is struggling is Blue55. Blue55 is a hybrid whale whose song is so different from other whales, it leaves him isolated and alone. Iris sees and understands how that could feel for an animal like Blue 55. So she learns everything she can about Blue. And she creates a whale song to try to speak to him. If only she could get to Alaska to meet Blue and share her song.

Review

Look at that cover! It’s gorgeous and makes me happy every time I see it. It’s perfect for this stellar story. I adored every minute spent with Iris on this journey. This was a start-to-finish read for me. I didn’t want to wait to find out what happened.

Iris is fantastic. She’s crazy smart. Her understanding of electronics and radios is amazing for a middle schooler.  And I loved all of the things she did to better understand Blue and music/sound and whale song. Her struggles and need for belonging reminded me of some reading I’ve done on racial identity formation. It’s important for humans to spend time in groups with people like us – whether that’s people of the same race or people who are all Deaf, or even people who share hobbies and interests. Those groups help us feel  like we belong and help us better know who we are. Belonging is important. And Iris is trying to negotiate some of those identity and belonging issues in this story.

Iris’ family is pretty understanding when it comes to her solution for getting to Blue. Yes, there are consequences, but they don’t freak out like I would have expected. And the trip to Alaska is so good for both Iris and her grandmother. There’s a thread of dealing with grief in this story – both for Iris’s grandmother  and even for Blue – that was well done.

The whale gets to be the point of view character for a handful of chapters. It’s brilliant. It gives the reader some connection to Blue – and also to Iris – as the whale seeks community.

If you are a classroom teacher or school librarian, get several copies of this one. It’s a fantastic selection for book clubs or reading groups as well as for individual readers. This would also make a terrific classroom read aloud. Great author notes add to the story and to group discussions of the novel. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Planet Hulk by Greg Pak

REVIEW: Planet Hulk by Greg Pak

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When the Avengers and others on Earth decide the Hulk is too dangerous to keep around, Reed Richards tricks Bruce Banner into getting on a space ship. The course is set for a remote planet with no other intelligent life where Bruce can live in peace and no one will get hurt.

Except you can’t really trick the Hulk and not expect him to get angry. Soon he’s jacked up the shuttle and his trajectory. Instead of a peaceful planet, he lands on Sakaar. He’s captured, enslaved, and turned into a gladiator for a cruel emperor. But Hulk is not alone in his new situation. He’s part of a band of warriors who are determined to fight their way out of the mess they’re in – or die trying.

Review

I have wanted to read this novelization since it first released. Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk is my favorite Avenger, and I’ve been fascinated by the Banner/Hulk dynamic for years. While I’ve never read the Planet Hulk comics, this novel makes me want to see the story presented in that format. (There are some loose connections to the story in the Marvel movie Thor: Ragnarok. This story obviously came first.)

The story is fascinating. The Hulk is in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar creatures. He might be incredibly strong and almost invulnerable on Earth, but it’s not the same on Sakaar. He has a lot of new things to adjust to.

Hulk’s band of Warbound are a fascinating mix. Some believe the prophecies Hulk seems to fulfill. Others doubt. While some have strategy and patience, others have only rage and bitterness. Some still believe in the racial/species biases that have long been part of the planet while others are determined to see things change. It’s hard to imagine they will ever get past their vast differences.

I loved the inclusion of some other Marvel characters. Most are in name only, but Reed Richards (Fantastic Four) and Amadeaus Cho (Totally Awesome Hulk) are important as is a spoiler-ish character I won’t mention by name.

This was terrific from start to finish. If you love a good hero story, or a band-of-brothers sort of tale, be sure to check this out.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Way to the Stars (Star Trek Discovery) by Una McCormack

REVIEW: The Way to the Stars (Star Trek Discovery) by Una McCormack

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

On the eve of her start in the Command Training Program, Tilly shares her personal story with her Discovery roommate Michael Burnham.

When Sylvia Tilly was 16, she lived with her maternal grandmother in Paris and went to school every day in New York. Her parents were divorced. Her dad was on a starship, The Dorothy Garrod, and her mom was a bigwig with the Federation Security Council. Frankly, her mom was a force to be reckoned with. She often left Sylvia feeling small and trapped – like she felt when her mom announced she was sending her to a boarding school on Talaris IV. Sylvia’s mom was determined to give her daughter every opportunity to develop the skills she would need to join the diplomatic corps. She didn’t see Sylvia’s love of math and science as anything to cultivate when there were languages to learn and political scenarios to understand.

The ups and downs of boarding school life set Sylvia/”Tilly” on a path she never could have imagined when she first stepped foot onto Talaris IV.

Review

This book’s intended audience is adults, but Tilly’s story is so solidly in the YA range, too, that I wanted to review it as a YA coming-of-age tale.

Tilly is my favorite character on the show Star Trek Discovery. So when I saw she was getting a book, it immediately went on my “must read” list. And now that I’ve read it, it’s on my “must buy list.” This was outstanding! A perfect-fit book for me.

The Star Trek pieces were comfortable and familiar, as was the general story of a teen seeking her identity while under the thumb of a controlling parent. And I loved all those pieces. But Tilly really made this story for me. She’s wicked smart and funny. She’s also endearing and awkward. I wanted to rescue her from her mother’s controlling ways. But it was so much more satisfying to watch her rescue herself. Her journey wasn’t flawless, but it was delightful! I am a sucker for a book with a kid or a teen who finds his/her place/gift/identity and then thrives in it. And this was that sort of story.

The Star Trek Discovery connections are minimal, mostly just the prologue and epilogue which anchor the character to the TV series. But if you know that Michael Burnham is a woman, and she’s Tilly’s roommate on the ship – older, with more life and Star Fleet experience, maybe a reluctant mentor – you probably have everything you need to know to enjoy the book.

I highly recommend this book. In fact, after typing up this review, I want to go read it again! (Some language, minor consumption of alcohol)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Playing Catch Up!

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Playing Catch Up!

Posted on by Jaymie

When I got to the end of 2018 and started looking ahead to the books I had read but hadn’t reviewed as well as the new books I wanted to read, I felt overwhelmed. I realized I have some reviews prepared that I am never going to get to. So, today I’m going to do a quick review of some of these books so I can feel caught up once again. So, here are some of the books I read in 2018 (and one from this January), but didn’t get to review until now.

Crunch the Shy Dinosaur – An adorable picture book where the dinosaur “reacts” to the reader. Simple text and a lot of fun. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

 

 

The Dinosaur Expert – I love this whole series of books about a teacher, Mr. Tiffin, and his class. In this book, one of the girls is a dinosaur expert, but one of the boys laughs and questions if girls can even be paleontologists. Kimmy’s reaction to the comment is immediate withdrawal, but Mr. Tiffin, in his firm but quiet way, saves the day. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

 

Princess Pulverizer: Grilled Cheese and Dragons – Princess Serena is nothing like her name, and she’d rather be training with the knights than the princesses. The King assigns her eight acts of service to complete before she can go to knight school. I didn’t find this one as funny as the author’s Magic Bone series, and Serena was a little abrasive for me in this first book, but I’m eager to see how she develops as she completes her Quest for Kindness. Rating: ♥♥♥

 

 

Monsters Beware! – The third graphic novel in the Chronicles of Claudette series about Claudette as she seeks out adventure and monsters and her friends just try to survive their encounters. I got a kick out of all of the books in this series. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

Mr. Gedrick and Me – A family suffering through grief is in desperate need of some intervention. Stanley fills out a web ad for a nanny, and his family gets more than they bargained for – and exactly what they need.  This was absolutely delightful! I adored Stanley. This Mary Poppins-esque story is just light enough for a middle grade audience (3rd to 5th grade) while still introducing the topic of grief. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

Crime Rib – Book 2 in the Food Lovers’ Village mystery series. A TV show is in town for the Annual Summer Food and Art Fair including the main event, a Grill Off. But the festivities take a dark turn after a hit-and-run and then a murder. I love the setting for this series and the characters. It’s been awhile since I read the first one, but I fell right back into things easily.  This is a series I want to stick with in 2019. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

Elementary, She Read – Book one in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series. Gemma runs the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium in West London Cape Cod, and her best friend runs Mrs. Hudson’s Team Room next door. When a woman stashes something in the bookshop during a busy day and then dies, Gemma is on the case. I really enjoyed this one – Gemma is like Sherlock with a eidetic memory, which is handy for a sleuth but can be annoying in other settings. After reading two of these in a row, I did need a Gemma break. She can be a little abrasive, not unlike Sherlock. But the mysteries have been great fun, and I know I will get back to this series. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

Snowspelled – I requested this book from the library as the author is a “friend” of mine on Goodreads, and we enjoy similar books. I loved this alternate fantasy world full of magic, but even more I loved the political shifts. In this world, the women are the politicians and decision makers and the men have magic. Add to that a strong main character who once had magic (a shake up in her culture) and then lost it, and an elf looking for trouble, and I was hooked. Frankly, the mystery/elf portion of the story was the weakest part for me, but the characters and the world and the relationships sucked me in completely. Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 

 

Spellswept – After Snowspelled, I read the prequel, Spellswept, and it was even better! This story focuses on the sister-in-law from the first book who is dealing with the fall out of her attachment to this “unnatural” family. This book tells that story, and it was excellent! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

Split Second – Book 1 in the King and Maxwell series. My husband and I watched – and enjoyed – the short-lived TV show based on this book series, so when he challenged me to read the first book, I was looking forward to it.  This is longer than a lot of the books I read, but that just meant there was time for a TON of twists and turns in this mystery. I really enjoyed the characters, so I will be coming back to this series, too. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

 

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome – This reads like a non-fiction book – and it is stellar. I had to keep reminding myself that this is “nonfiction” backstory on a FICTIONAL series. I have already enjoyed the two books in the series – Lock In and Head On (4.5 stars – so good!); I didn’t need this backstory to understand and enjoy the world Scalzi developed for the series. But I’m so glad I have that backstory. It really added some things to the experience. And it made me want to re-read the books again. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Lock In by John Scalzi

REVIEW: Lock In by John Scalzi

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When a flu-like pandemic swept the world, a lot of people got sick. One percent of those who contracted it found themselves “locked” inside their immobile bodies. Their bodies continue to live, but their consciousnesses are trapped inside. The condition is called Haden’s syndrome. Those with Haden’s cannot interact with the physical world any more without the assistance of a mechanical suit that serves as a personal transportation device. The other option for those with Haden’s is to work with an “Integrator,” others who had the illness but did not get locked in. Instead, their brains developed the ability to work with hardware installed in their skulls to allow a locked in person to push their consciousness into the Integrator’s brain in order to take over the body for a time.

On Chris Shane’s first day with the FBI, Chris is partnered with a former Integrator named Vann. They stumble into a weird case involving an Integrator and a dead man. While the Integrator seems guilty, if he was hosting someone with Haden’s at the time of the murder, there’s another culprit to find. Things get even weirder with an explosion at a Haden’s research lab and also an assassination attempt. Recent legislation is changing the world for the locked in. There’s been a walk out and a march, and the march organizer seems to be tied into everything that’s happening in Chris’ case. Since Chris is locked in (Chris uses a mechanical suit to get around)and Vann is a former Integrator, they are perfectly positioned to understand some of the intricacies of this case and figure out what is really going on!

Review

This was amazing! The world building with the disease and the technology pieces is exceptional. And behind all of the tech is a fantastic mystery. I loved every bit of this. There’s some terrific humor through the story that I enjoyed, too. It’s hard to give a good summary and explain the differences in the world that are central to the mystery without giving anything important away. Just trust me – this was excellent.

If you love an intricate science fiction world and a just-as-intricate mystery, run right out and pick this up! The sequel, Head On, is just as fantastic – with a football-ish spin to the Haden’s story. There’s also a prequel about Haden’s that I am eager to read. If audiobooks are your style, this one is read by Wil Wheaton, who does a terrific job with audiobooks. Don’t miss this one! I had my husband read it last summer for our family reading challenge, and he loved it, too! (Language, some violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

REVIEW: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

In 1899 England, Frances was fortunate to have her own money. With her husband dead for over a year, she was out of her mourning period. She had the means to leave the family estate – and her in-laws who only wanted her money – and set up her own house for herself and her daughter. But things were not going to be that simple.

First of all, her new home is next door to a man who had been part of the most devastating and embarrassing moment of her life. Second, her sister was coming from America for the London Season, and Frances was to be her chaperone for finding a suitable husband. Third, her brother-in-law decided to sue for Frances’ personal funds, saying it became part of the estate when she married. The suit freezes her accounts and puts her independence in jeopardy. And if all that wasn’t enough, throw on a theft, a break in and a murder!

Review

This was perfect from start to finish! It lived up to all of my highest hopes when I first saw that cover. This book delivered everything I want from a new mystery series.

I adored Frances. She has great strength and courage. She’s learned a lot from her time in London society, and she uses that to her sister’s benefit as well as her own. She has a fantastic assortment of supporters – friends, family and staff – to help with the personal issues as well as the criminal ones.

The mystery was excellent – interesting and twisting. I was guessing all the way through. There were so many layers to this, my attention never wavered. I can’t wait to read through this again.

This is everything I love in a great book! I can’t wait to read more in this series. Book two – A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder – releases next summer.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

REVIEW: Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Imagine you are at lunch with dear friends. In the course of conversation, one friend says something that clangs against your heart. Maybe it’s political. It might be something religious or spiritual. Maybe it’s about race or sexuality or guns. Whatever it is, it clangs. And now you have a choice. Speak up or stay quiet? There are risks to both.

Speaking up can lead to conflict. You may discover that none of these friends agree with you, and you’ll be vulnerable and stick out.

You can pretend to agree and go along with the crowd. But then you have to live with your own conscience. And with the knowledge that this situation will likely come up again.

Or you can stay silent or change the subject. Avoid the discomfort.

It can be difficult to negotiate these kinds of situations. We have to decide which is more intolerable – risking our sense of belonging in the group or risking our sense of being honest and true to our own beliefs.

This is the core of Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown.

Review

This was excellent! I loved the social research pieces because I love learning about things like that. I love when my brain gets to think critically and analytically. But the writing style and tone of this is conversational and relate-able. It’s not technical or full of jargon.

The material really clicked for me. I have had experiences in the last few years where I felt I was “braving the wilderness” in a variety of settings and circumstances. From something as simple as a lunch conversation to leaving a job I loved, I’ve had moments where I’ve chosen to be vulnerable and to take a stand, and those can be lonely times. This book affirmed those moments while also challenging me to check my motives and my methods. It also showed me other places where I might need to take a stand and how to do that in a genuine, honoring way.

My copy of this book is full of dogeared pages and underlining, stars and exclamation points. There are fantastic quotes from Brené and others I want to revisit. I highly recommend this book to all readers! (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Reading People AND I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

REVIEW: Reading People AND I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

Posted on by Jaymie

Reading People – Summary

This nonfiction book is about several different personality assessments and how they can be used to help the reader understand him or herself better. The book covers

  • Introverts and Extroverts
  • Highly Sensitive People
  • The Five Love Languages
  • The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Keirsey Temperaments
  • The Clifton Strengths Finder
  • The Enneagram

Reading People – Review

This was an enjoyable read. The writing style and tone is conversational and approachable. I felt like I was chatting with a friend about her exploration of these tools. And as I love several of these tools, this is a conversation I would actually have with someone! The author shares not only her personal discoveries but also her false starts and personal growth as she learns about herself and her friends and family.

I was familiar with each of the systems on the list except the Highly Sensitive People one. While most of the other information was review for me, it was a great review and got me thinking about digging into my old materials on each of these tools/assessments.

If you already have a deep knowledge about these tools, this may be too basic for you. If these are mostly new to you, this is a terrific introduction. This was my first exposure to Anne Bogel, but I’ve found that I like her work a lot. She has an online presence (Modern Mrs. Darcy blog) and a podcast (What Should I Read Next?) as well as another book that I loved.

Rating:♥♥♥♥

 

I’d Rather Be Reading – Summary

I’d Rather Be Reading is a collection of essays on the reading life. Libraries and bookstores get a lot of love, and readers are encouraged to embrace their reading lives as they are, not as someone thinks they SHOULD be. There are cautions about becoming “book bossy” and some encouragement to develop a system to record or track your reading. Bogel’s love of story and books and reading is evident throughout.

I’d Rather Be Reading – Review

I adored this! I feel like Anne Bogel and I could go to the bookstore together and have a great time – although I think our personal reading preferences are pretty different. The writing in this is, again, friendly and down to earth. It feels like a chat over coffee. There’s no pushiness or “my way is the right way.” It’s a celebration of reading and readers – whether you haven’t read a book all year or you’ve read three this week already.

My favorite chapter was Chapter 10 – Bookworm Problems. It could not have been more perfect or accurate in my opinion.

I think this would make a lovely gift for the avid readers in your life. Be sure to get one for yourself, too. The book is hardcover but in a smaller size – about the size of a mass market paperback, though thinner. I consider it “gift book” sized.

The book inspired me to think about my own stories as a reader – milestone books and memorable reading experiences. I loved the whole experience of reading this and celebrating my own reading journey. Highly recommend!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: 2018 Christmas Books

REVIEW: 2018 Christmas Books

Posted on by Jaymie

Last year I did a list of Christmas book reviews, and that seems like a good idea for this year, too. I am pretty far backlogged on reviews, so unless a Christmas book is something I am reviewing for a publisher (like this one and this one and this one), I have a hard time squeezing in reviews. So here are the Christmas books I have read so far this season and what I thought of them! You can see last year’s post here.

 Santa Bruce – This is the only Christmas book I have read for kids so far. It was adorable! I love the Bruce books! Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 

 

 

 Catching Christmas – A first year law associate and a cab driver connect over a wheelchair-bound old lady who is on the hunt for a date for her granddaughter. Overall this was cute, but I didn’t click with the characters. Other readers, especially fans of the author’s other work, might enjoy this one more than I did. Rating: ♥♥♥½

 

 

 

The Christmas Remedy – A young Amish woman runs into issues when she tries to help her community recognize how important it is to value their health and wellness, and the pharmacy that serves the community comes under fire. You can read a full summary and review here. I will say that this book ends at Christmas, but a lot of the action happens in the months leading up to the holiday. Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

 

 

 

The Christmas Star – A girl in foster care plays matchmaker for an after-school program volunteer. This is a sweet Christmas story with lots of heart. There’s not a lot of conflict or suspense in this one – just a touching Christmas tale. I read one of the other books in this series a couple years ago and loved it. Now I make a habit of looking for a new Christmas book from this author. You can read my review of the other book here.  Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

Dear Santa –  You’ve Got Mail with a Christmas twist. A woman running her family’s Christmas shop writes to Santa through an app about the national chain that has come to town, not knowing that the guy from the chain is the one answering the Dear Santa letters. This is another story without a ton of conflict or tension – just a nice holiday story to help you enjoy the season! Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

Deck the Hounds – The first Andy Carpenter book I ever read was a Christmas one – The Twelve Dogs of Christmas – and it launched me into a frantic  quest to read every book in the series. The second Christmas tale in the series is just as enjoyable. Everything I love about the series as a whole. In this book, Andy and his wife get more than they bargained for when they reach out at the holidays to help a homeless man and his dog.  Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

In Peppermint Peril – A woman home for the holidays finds murder at a stately manor where she played as a child. This is the first in a new mystery series. You can read a full summary and review here next Wednesday. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

 

Lark! The Herald Angels Sing –  Meg’s brother, Rob, is named as the father of an unknown baby left in the manger at their church’s live Nativity. For me, this was the quintessential Meg Langslow mystery – it has all the family and town antics that I love as well as a first rate mystery. (This time the mystery focuses less on a murder, which happens off the page, and more on the fall out from it. It’s a fascinating story!) Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 

 

 

 

Murder in Her Stocking – First in the new Granny Reid Mystery series, a spin off of G. A. McKevett’s Savannah Reid/Moonlight Magnolia series. This one goes back to when Savannah was a kid and Granny looked into a murder at Christmas time. I loved seeing Savannah as a 12 year old and see how the personalities of her siblings were already on display at a young age. I think readers will enjoy this more if they are already familiar with the characters from the original series. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

The Peppermint Mocha Murder – A chocolatier/”chocolate whisperer” heads out on vacation for the holidays and finds murder at a holiday musical production. I’ve only read the first book in this series, and then this one, so the relationships aren’t quite solid in my head for this series, yet,  but the mystery was good.  Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

 

Premeditated Peppermint – Another chocolatier finds herself investigating a murder when her ex comes to town to do a show on her family candy shop and his producer winds up dead. I enjoyed the mystery in this one, and the characters are always a treat for me in this series. I’ll be writing up a more detailed review of this in December. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

 

 

 

Six Cats a Slayin’ – Someone leaves a set of kittens on Charlie’s door and a murderer hits the neighborhood as well. You can read a full summary  and review here. This is probably my new favorite book in this delightful series. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 

 

 

 

 

‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas – In the midst of Christmas celebrations on the tree farm, a woman’s best friend is accused of killing a sleazy guy she dated one time. This is book 2 in this series and I have loved both of the books. The characters and the setting for this mystery series are first rate. You can read a full summary and review here. Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥