Nutcracker Nightmare

 

A Nutcracker Nightmare (A Killer Chocolate Mystery) by Christina Romeril

About A Nutcracker Nightmare

A Nutcracker Nightmare (A Killer Chocolate Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting - Montana Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639104917 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639104918 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BSKRF471

Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when twin sisters Hanna and Alex help out at the local high school reunion, volunteering takes a turn when they find a former classmate's dead body.

Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. Neighbors will connect with old friends and perhaps try to avoid old foes. One person no one can avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna, even threatening her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, Alex glimpses more drama than nostalgia as insults are flung around like a football at a Friday night game. The party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.

Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—someone saw her slap Kyle in the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him.

But when the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hanna know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.

What I Thought:

This is the second installment in a Killer Chocolate Mystery Series. I really enjoyed the first one in this series and was anxiously looking forward to this one. I love cozy mysteries set at Christmas time. And this series is even better as the setting, which is Harriston Montana, which is at the foothills of the Rockies. Hanna and Alex, twin sisters, own Murder and Mayhem: Killer Chocolates and bookshop. The shop specializes in murder mysteries and chocolates with a twist, the candy is named after different poisons. It is Christmastime again, and this year, there is a class reunion scheduled during the holiday season. When a the former star quarterback is found murdered, Hanna is the main suspect, so Alex and Hanna have to investigate to prove Hanna is innocent. I was not disappointed with this second installment of this series, though there were a lot of characters to keep straight. I thought the story flowed well and it kept my attention from the beginning. There were some twists and turns in this one that threw me off when I thought I had it all figured out, which I didn't. The reveal did a good job of tying all the loose ends together, and I was totally surprised. I look forward to the next one in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  

About Christina Romeril

  Christina Romeril is the author of the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. The series is set in Montana at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, one of her favourite places to visit. She and her husband live a few hours away in a small village in Southern Alberta. When Christina isn’t writing she loves to hike in Waterton Lakes National Park, or just hang out there eating gourmet hot dogs and ice cream. When the former banker isn’t enjoying nature, she loves to create and consume chocolate confections. Not necessarily in that order.

Webpage https://christinaromeril.com/

Blog https://christinaromeril.com/blog/

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Twitter https://Twitter.com/romerilchris

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Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Bookshop.org

In the Wick of Time

 

In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery) by Valona Jones

About In The Wick Of Time

In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting - Savannah, Georgia Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639105077 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639105076 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BSKWTKZN

Tabby Winslow will help her twin sister Sage with anything and everything—and that includes putting out the flames of suspicion when Sage’s boss is found murdered in this magical mystery, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Sofie Kelly.

December in Savannah, Georgia, is a sight to behold. With all the festivities—including the traditional riverfront luminary display during the boat parade—twin sisters Tabby and Sage Winslow are busier than ever setting up for the big celebration. But that isn’t the only thing on the sisters’ minds. Both Sage and her fellow employee Mary Nicole are vying for the sought-after assistant manager job at the plant nursery. But when Loren Lee, their boss, is found dead, and Sage becomes the police’s favorite suspect, both Winslow girls know that they’ll need more than a flicker of magic and their sisterhood to solve the murder and clear Sage’s name.

Soon, Tabby realizes that this is just one of the many problems they have. If being a suspect for murder wasn’t enough, there are more magical problems that they have to fix: Sage’s boyfriend is having a paranormal experience of his own he can’t control, there’s an energy vampire searching for his supposedly lost cousin, her cat suddenly dislikes her, and oh—every time Tabby hiccups, she turns completely invisible. The suspect list grows with each day and it seems everyone has a reason or a connection to Loren Lee.

Tabby and Sage are burning the candle at both ends—but will it be enough to keep their friends safe and find this killer? Or will they be burned by their efforts?

What I Thought:

This is the second book in the Magic Candle Shop Mystery Series. I have read the first one, so have been looking forward to this one. Tabby and Sage are fraternal twin sisters who have "powers". Those powers are they can transfer energy. This installment is set at Christmastime in Savannah. Tabby is busy working full time at the family's candle and book shop, while Sage works part-time at the candle and book shop and part-time at a local nursery. Her boss at the nursery has been having health issues and Sage has encouraged him to go to the doctor, which he has refused to do. He is found dead and Sage ends up being a suspect because her and the boss argued about the boss going to the doctor. Sage is also having problems with her boyfriend as well. I enjoy the setting of this series, a magical candle shop in Savannah. While Tabby is a likable character, Sage comes off as somewhat rough around the edges and is not as likable as Tabby. There are several other characters in this story, some likable, some not so likable. The twins power is a little different and is sometimes kind of hard to figure out. The mystery in this one was well thought out and believable.  There were twists and turns in this one that kept me guessing and I was surprised by the reveal. I will be looking forward to more in this series. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. 

About Valona Jones

Valona Jones, also known as Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozy mysteries set in coastal Georgia. A former scientist, she’s drawn to the study of personal energy. She sharpened her people-watching skills as a lifelong introvert and had a bank vault of personal observations when she began to write fiction. Her newest release is In The Wick of Time, book 2 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mystery, preceded by Snuffed Out, which released Jan. 2023. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime with more than twenty-five published works of fiction. She lives in coastal Georgia, where she’s seen time and tide wait for no one.

Author Links Website https://www.valonajones.com Facebook https://facebook.com/ValonaJonesAuthor Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/valonajones/ GoodReads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22140872.Valona_Jones BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valona-jones Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - BookShop.org

Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery) by Samara Yew

About Murder by the Seashore

Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - California Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639104933 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639104932 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BSKSHZF5

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Scarlett Gardner’s dream was to open a bookshop in Southern California, but it soon becomes a nightmare when she finds the dead body of a customer—and becomes the prime suspect.

Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.

After Scarlett gives a statement to the police, she thinks her life can go back to business as usual. But when a lawyer, representing someone named Lorelai Knight, tells Scarlett that she now stands to inherit a small fortune, she’s left with more questions than answers. Before she can make sense of any of it, the police bring her in for questioning; the body she found was Lorelai Knight. And the evidence they have against Scarlett doesn’t look good. Business is booming as Scarlett returns to Palm Trees and Page Turners, but for all the wrong reasons – curious tourists don’t want books, they want a glimpse of the Bookshop Killer.

Who could really be behind all of this? And why frame Scarlett? To clear her name, she’s going to have get creative—and hope she can remain one page ahead of the killer.

What I Thought:

This is the first book I have read by this author and the first in a new series, A California Bookshop Series.  In this one, Scarlett is the owner of Palm Trees and Page Turners Bookshop in Oceanside California. Scarlett and her ex opened the shop and then he left her for a more lucrative job. One morning, Scarlett takes a walk on the beach before opening her shop and she sees a dead body under the pier. Scarlett has no idea who the dead woman is and calls 911. The police immediately suspect Scarlett especially after the identity of the woman is revealed and it is found out that she has left her vast fortune to Scarlett. Scarlett has to figure out who the real murderer is to clear her name and keep her shop open.

I enjoyed this one from the beginning though I did get angry that the police immediately suspected Scarlett even though she had no idea who the murdered woman was. I thought that was a little crazy. I thought the setting was nice, a bookstore on a California Beach. Bookstores and beaches are a great combination. There were a lot of characters in this one. so lots of suspects to choose from. There were many twists and turns in this one that kept me guessing to end and I was surprised by the reveal of the killer. 

I look forward to more in this series. I received a complimentary copy of this book. 

Samara Yew is a cozy mystery author who writes about adorable bookshops and dead bodies. A full-time mom, full-time dog servant, and part-time writer, Samara lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she can often be found watching Psych reruns. Samara loves to travel, especially visiting her husband’s home country of Singapore or donning Mickey ears in Disneyland. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

Author Links Website https://samarayew.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/samara.yew.books Twitter (X) https://twitter.com/samarayewauthor Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samara.yew.author GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24259604.Samara_Yew Purchase Links - Amazon - PenguinRandomHouse - B&N - Chapters Indigo

 

Mrs. Morris and the Wolfman (A Salem B&B Mystery) by Traci Wilton

About Mrs. Morris and the Wolfman

Mrs. Morris and the Wolfman (A Salem B&B Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Setting - Massachusetts Kensington Cozies (August 22, 2023) Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496741374 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496741370 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BNWG9V65

Saturday night at the movies has some added flair now that Darren and Elise Shultz are reopening one of Salem’s classic theaters. Charlene is delighted to help the couple with their venture, and Darren has lined up a cult classic double-header featuring Lon Chaney in The Wolfman. But things get hairier than expected when Elise starts to choke on her popcorn mid-movie—and once the lights go up, she’s dead . . .

When tests reveal Elise's popcorn was poisoned, Detective Sam Holden eyes her husband as the guilty party. Charlene doesn’t believe Darren would hurt his wife—even if his company’s specialty seasoned salts were sprinkled on the fatal snack. But who else had a motive to do something so unsavory? With a little help from Jack, the handsome ghost who haunts her B&B, Charlene delves into the ill-fated couple’s past. And the more she learns, the more Charlene wonders if this time, she’s bitten off more than she can chew . . .

What I Thought:

 It  is on my bucket list to visit Salem, MA, but till I can get there physically, I will have to continue to visit the town by reading, which is great too. I have read the first book in this series, so I knew some of the players in this story. I think Charlene is a great character and it is intriguing that she has such a unique relationship with Jack, who is a ghost. In this one, Charlene and Avery, have been invited to the opening of a new movie theater by Darren and his wife, Elise. Opening night features a old Wolfman flick. Darren's marketing manager, Klara, brings a bouquet of Wolfsbane to the premiere, Charlene thinks it is risky bringing a bouquet of poisoned flowers. After the first movie, Elise appears to be choking on popcorn and is rushed to the hospital, where she later passes away. Darren is of course a suspect. So Charlene and Jack work together to solve the mystery. There were many twists and turns in this one that kept me guessing, and no shortage of suspects. The story flowed well and kept my attention. Of course, again, I loved the setting of Salem with all of its witchy and spooky vibes. I will definitely be going back and reading more in this series. 

I receive a complimentary copy of this book. 

About Traci Wilton

From cozy mysteries to seaside romance, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over sixty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite tale for everyone. Mystery lovers, check out her Scottish Shire series, set in the seaside town of Nairn, or the Salem B&B Mystery series, as Traci Wilton. Her latest project is an Irish Castle cozy as Ellie Brannigan. Whether it’s her ever-popular By the Sea romances, an Appletree Cove sweet romance, or a fun who-done-it, Traci finds her inspiration in sunny South Florida, living right near the ocean.

Author Links Website https://www.tracihall.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tracie.hall.35/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/traciella/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Traciwiltonauthor/ Twitter https://twitter.com/tracihallauthor Amazon https://amazon.com/author/tracihall Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tracihallauthor/ Kensington https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author/traci-wilton/ Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Apple - Kobo