Tag: Wisconsin

REVIEW: Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

REVIEW: Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Morgan Carter runs a quirky bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin. It’s filled with all sorts of odd things Morgan has bought or found along with things her parents had put in the store when it was theirs and they were on the trail of various cryptids and other mysterious happenings.

When two bodies with mysterious markings wash up in the area, a local police chief seeks out Morgan’s expertise as a cryptozoologist. Because the “markings” look like teeth marks from an enormous, unknown sea creature.

 

Review

This was outstanding! My husband got this book when we first discovered it because the mystery sounded good and the cryptid angle fit with his hobbies. But, like me, he added it to his TBR where it sat for months.

When our local library picked it up, I suggested we team read it like we did My Roommate Is a Vampire. Unfortunately, this was so fantastic, I plowed through it before he was even able to pull it off the shelf. So we didn’t get to team read, but he did pick it up shortly after I finished so we were both able to enjoy it. I immediately pre-ordered book two, A Death in Dark Woods, once I finished, so we both have that waiting for us to read in 2024. The Monster Hunter Mystery series is now a must-read for me.

The voice for this book is great. That was the first thing I noticed. It was so easy to fall into the flow of the story, I didn’t want to put the book down. Then, the characters were great. I loved Morgan – she’s got a fascinating backstory, interesting job, and she’s had tons of unusual life experiences. She has an Andy Carpenter-esque philosophy about money and charity that I loved. Morgan’s friends and co-workers are terrific as well, and I got a kick out of the potential love interest.

Finally, the story is amazing. I had some solid ideas as I read that turned out to be on target, but I could not have predicted how it would all come together. I really enjoyed the wrap up of this one. If you are a mystery fan, I say carve out a quiet weekend and pick this one up. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

 

REVIEW: Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

REVIEW: Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust by Mindy Quigley

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases on Tuesday, April 25th.]

Summary

Delilah is hoping the Geneva Bay Taste of Wisconsin contest will net her enough money to get through the typical lean winter in her touristy Wisconsin town. But her chances of that keep taking hits.

First, the “celebrity judge” has a history with her business partner. And it’s not a good history – Sonja slept with the man’s wife. It’s highly unlikely that he would choose Delilah’s food as the winning entry, no matter how good it is.

Then, there is a mysterious death in Geneva Bay – and another person is poisoned. The poisoning victim happens to be another contestant – the woman Delilah’s ex is dating.

And if all that wasn’t complicated enough, the celebrity judge is later murdered. Delilah has her hands full with her floundering business, her aging aunt who is hiding something from her, and her custody agreement with her ex over their cat. She really doesn’t have time to investigate a murder! But she also can’t let any of their friends go down for a crime they didn’t commit.

Review

This is book 2 in the Deep Dish Mystery series, and I thought it was great! Stronger than the first book, in my opinion.

One essential element of a good cozy mystery, for me, is the ensemble cast. This has a great one! It’s large enough to be interesting and small enough to track easily. I also enjoyed the hints at a possible future romance for Delilah.

The mystery here is excellent – there are several crimes that weave in and out of the day to day events for Delilah and her friends. It was super satisfying to read – lots to puzzle out, and “busy” enough to keep me engaged without feeling overwhelmed. It was just the right balance of elements.

I don’t know that you have to read these two books in order, but as always, it does help with establishing the character relationships. If you tried book 1 and enjoyed it, you are in for an even bigger treat here!

(I know it’s Friday, and there would normally be a review here for a book for kids or for teens, but I have been overrun with review copies of adult books, so adult readers get a bonus review this week. Come back next week for something for younger readers!)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

REVIEW: The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Sabrina is back home in the Dells after losing her job. She just needs to pay some bills and find a new gig, and she can leave. Sure, she loves her family. It’s the ghosts she can do without.

The women in Sabrina’s family can see and speak with ghosts. And it’s their job to help the recently departed finish their unfinished business and cross over. With Sabrina’s anxiety, she doesn’t need the added stress of ghosts and ghostly conversations.

Ray has purchased a supper club in Wisconsin – The Otter Club – much to his mother’s dismay. She’d do anything to get Ray to give up this “foolishness” and return to New York. But Ray’s dad gives him one chance to stay – find the money to buy out his late uncle’s portion of the business, and show his parents he belongs in Wisconsin by planning the annual Goodbye Gala.

Ray and Sabrina keep running into one another. And there’s definitely a spark there. But she has her mind set on leaving town as soon as possible. And he has family secrets to uncover and a quest to secure the life he wants in Wisconsin. Can a spark overcome two people headed in opposite directions?

Review

This was so great! I loved the combination of the contemporary romance with the paranormal/ghostly piece. I’ve read plenty of paranormal stories before, but there was something different about this that I adored. The ghostly piece is light, and sometimes funny. But the punch of it is the impact it has on Sabrina with her high levels of anxiety. And Ray’s reaction to the ghostly part of her life is going to be crucial to what happens between then.

From the characters to the setting (Wisconsin!) to the humor and the sweet romance, this was a treat to read! I was so busy that it took me a few days to finish the book. Every time I thought about getting back to it, I smiled. Just thinking about these characters and the story made me smile. I still feel that way now that I have finished it. The whole story is a delight. I would absolutely read this one again.

Don’t miss this one if you enjoy contemporary romance or romance novels with light paranormal elements! (Language, sex, edibles used for anxiety, TW: anxiety/panic attacks)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would read again.

REVIEW: Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker

REVIEW: Murder Most Sweet by Laura Jensen Walker

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Teddie St. John is an author living in Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin with tons of friends and her family nearby. A cancer survivor, Teddie took early retirement from her government job and toured Europe before settling down at home to become an author of cozy mysteries. Life is too short to not do what you love.

Tavish Bentley is an author, too, visiting Lake Potawatomi for a book signing. Teddie ends up missing it due to a hot flash issue (early menopause thanks to her cancer). But she’s first on the scene to find Bentley’s ex-fiancée dead. And to discover the woman was strangled with a scarf someone stole from Teddie earlier in the day.

As a mystery writer, Teddie can’t ignore a murder mystery right in her home town. And as a suspect, she needs to clear her name before her publisher drops her for violating the morality clause in her contract. So she’ll be pressuring her friend the sheriff for details and keeping her ears open for clues. And maybe even going under cover! Whatever it takes to find a killer before they strike again.

Review

This was fabulous!! From the very first page, the writing and the voice grabbed me. In fact, in those early pages it felt like nothing I had read before. The voice is fresh and fun. I would love to be part of Teddie’s circle. (I am a Wisconsin girl, too, and from the area around where Lake Potawatomi is supposed to be.) Every reference to kringle (the Wisconsin stuff, not that stuff in the one Hallmark Christmas movie) made me crave it.

As if all of the Wisconsin pieces weren’t enough to endear this to me, Teddie is fabulous. She’s a writer, and a mystery writer at that. And her whole vibe over being a cancer survivor is brilliant. She discusses her mastectomy in a matter-of-fact way, sometimes with humor, which made her stand out for me compared to other mystery protagonists.

So, by all means pick this up for the perfect setting and awesome protagonist. But stick around for the great mystery. I had two favorite theories going into the home stretch, but I had to wait for the big reveal to find out which would be correct. Also, I don’t usually like mysteries where the protagonist is the main suspect. I find them extra stressful. But the balance here of suspects was terrific. The author paces the whole novel in such a way that Teddie can really dig into investigating a suspect. I loved it! She also does a great job of giving Teddie a reason for sleuthing that felt plausible.

I was thrilled to discover the second book in the Bookish Baker Mystery series – Deadly Delights – is already scheduled for summer 2021. And I also realized I have a review copy of the launch of the author’s second cozy series – the Faith Chapel Mystery series – waiting to be read. I’ll be reviewing Hope, Faith, and a Corpse in January 2021. In fact, as I looked into the author’s backlist I discovered that I have read her work before. She published at least two books with Thomas Nelson (Christian) publishing that I enjoyed years ago – Reconstructing Natalie (2006) and Miss Invisible (2007). I can recommend those books, too.

I am so pleased to support this fellow Wisconsinite and a great writer. Cozy fans should NOT miss Murder Most Sweet!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥= Outstanding, Excellent, Amazing

REVIEW: Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies by Darci Hannah

REVIEW: Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies by Darci Hannah

Posted on by Jaymie

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

Summary

Whitney is a little stunned to think one feminine hygiene ad could cause so much trouble. But sure enough, here she stands, in front of her old agency, selling cherry treats that she baked in her kitchen, begging her old boss to give her her job back. To no avail.

When Whitney’s mom calls to say someone has been murdered in the family cherry orchard – and Whitney’s dad is the prime suspect – Whitney drops what little bit of a life she has in Chicago to head home to Wisconsin.

There’s a lot to love about Cherry Cove. The family inn and cherry orchard are precious places to Whitney. Her two best friends and her parents and grandmother live in Cherry Cove. On the down side, so does Tate, the guy who broke her heart, and Jack, her high school nemesis. But the only thing that really matters is finding out what’s going on with her family’s business and clearing her dad of murder charges before it ruins both her family and their business. So Whitney is willing to ignore Jack’s encouragement to stay out of police business and start digging into the people around the inn and the mishaps that started up a few moths ago. Somewhere in all of that is a murderer.

Review

What a fun story! The Wisconsin setting is terrific. I also enjoyed the cherry pieces woven throughout the book. Part of the fun of cozy mysteries is the different themes that set the series apart from the rest. I enjoyed this theme. There were no recipes in my review copy of the book. I don’t know if there will be in the final published product, but it would be a big oversight if there aren’t.

Characters are a huge factor in my enjoyment of a book, and these characters were a lot of fun. I enjoyed Whitney, her best friends in Wisconsin, and her gay best friend from Chicago who drives up to help. Whitney is spunky and smart, and I enjoyed her somewhat reckless antics. I could have done without the love triangle which is often a part of cozy mysteries. That’s the only part of this I didn’t enjoy. That’s just a matter of personal preference.

The mystery was excellent. The tension and suspense were distributed throughout the story and amped up to a great climax. The wrap up to this was everything I love from a great cozy mystery. I will definitely be sticking with this series in the future. A great kick off to this series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥