Review: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery Book 1) by Vicki Delany

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Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany is the first book in A Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series.  First off, what a wonderful cover! I don't always speak about the covers of books when I am writing a review, but... I just had to mention it.  There's something about it that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love Christmas, and even though I'm reading this in August, it's put me in the Christmas spirit! 

Merry Wilkinson had lived her dream with a great job in the big city. But she's since moved back home to Rudolph, New York aka "Christmastown"  where she is the owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, a wonderful store filled with beautiful creations made by local artisans.  It's Christmastime all year round in Rudolph, and we find ourselves at the semi-annual Christmas parade (Because they have it every 6 months, can't forget about Christmas in July!) and the tractor that is supposed to pull Merry's float has been sabotaged! And she was a favourite to win the best float prize this year.   When she stumbles across a body in the park, her best friend, Vicky, is implicated in the murder and it's up to Merry to figure out who the real murderer is and if all these strange happenings around town are related or just a string of coincidences.... Can Merry discover the truth before the Grinch steals Christmas from Christmastown? 

What a great start to a series! The characters are likable, fun and quirky.  I was able to picture myself transported to Christmastown, wandering through Merry's shop with the beautiful glass ornaments, handmade train sets and beautiful jewelry.  They mystery was fun to try to solve, there is no shortage of suspects and I was left guessing right to the end.. and still got it wrong!  Filled with lots of laugh out loud moments, I didn't want to put this book down and would have finished it all in one day had I not started it so late in the day.

This is definitely going to be a series I will be following and I am very much looking forward to the next installment! 

Review: All-Butter Shortdead (Prequel. Oxford Tearoom Mystery Book 0) by H.Y. Hanna

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All-Butter Short Dead is the story of how Gemma comes back to Oxford and sets up her lovely new business, The Little Stables Tearoom.  There is also, of course, murder afoot! Gemma is the prime suspect when the mysterious stranger that she sat next to and befriended on her plane ride home is murdered. It's now up to her to clear her name and find out who the real killer is! 

Whether you read this prequel before you actually start the series, in the middle of it, or after you've finished the current installment it truly does not matter.  It can be read as a standalone book and won't ruin anything in the series.

I was really excited when I received this book! I'm already a huge fan of the series (as you know!) and this peek into how everything came about was just my cup of tea. It was fun reading the history of how things actually started, and some insight into how her relationship with "The Old Biddies" started, and of her first meeting of good old Muesli :) 

As with Hanna's other books in the series, there are lots of great laugh out loud moments and I did not want the story to end.  It's a great little story to tide me over until the next book is released, which I am looking forward to immensely! 

*This book was being offered by H.Y. Hanna free at the time of posting. I don't know how long it is going to be free so head on over and download it and get started!*

Review: Grilled For Murder (Country Store Mysteries #2) by Maddie Day

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Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  

Grilled For Murder by Maddie Day is the 2nd book in the Country Store Mystery Series. In the small town of South Lick, Indiana, Robbie Jordan has turned a run down store into a wonderful, successful restaurant in which she also sells retro cookware called Pans n Pancakes.  She's stayed open late to cater a welcome home party for Erica, but the next morning when Erica turns up dead... in the STORE!... it's up to Robbie to figure out who hated Erica enough to commit the crime, and there is no shortage of suspects! 

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery it really has everything that a good cozy should!  There are some really great characters, a wonderful small town setting and a great mystery that will just keep you guessing! I loved the local dialect, I admit it did take a bit of getting used to, but that's part of what makes the characters unique.  I wanted to read it as quick as I could, but at the same time I wanted to slow down. I wanted to know what happened, but just didn't want the story to end.  

I liked this book so much that I went online right as I finished it, and purchased the first book in the series "Flipped For Murder"  If you are a cozy mystery fan, I definitely recommend this series, you won't be disappointed! 

Review: Till Death Do Us Tart by H.Y. Hanna (Oxford Tearoom Mystery Book 4)

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**Missed my reviews for the previous books in this series? You can find them by clicking each link: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3**

Till Death Do Us Tart is the latest in the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries Series by H.Y. Hanna. The "Old Biddies" are at it again and take it upon themselves to investigate the latest murder. Only, is it murder? They have decided that it is, and have involved Gemma's mother in the case! But, the victim's own doctor was on the scene of the 'crime' and ruled that the death was due to natural causes. But now, Gemma has been convinced, and of course our favourite Tearoom owner can't let someone get away with a crime unpunished! Can she convince Devlin to change his mind and begin an official investigation, all while dealing with some strange happenings in her very own 

tearoom kitchen (Was that an explosion?!?) 

and looking for a new place to live?

From the very first book, this has become one of my favourite cozy mystery series and I look forward to each and every one! H.Y. Hanna's characters are fun and quirky, and I really love how the book flows, filled with just enough suspense, crazy antics (I just love those old biddies!) and laugh out loud moments. The interaction between Gemma and her mother, I think is perfectly written, I can just imagine the frustration Gemma feels, even though she knows her mother has her best interests at heart. I was able to figure out the culprit a bit easier this time than in some of the previous books, but it's well done and there are lots of clues that lead you this way and that. It was a fun journey figuring out ohh I WAS right! and oh THAT'S how it happened! There are some great new characters introduced along with our old favourites and I am hoping to see a few of them possibly in future installments of the series. (I won't say who I mean, since it may be a partial spoiler really. If they are in future stories, they couldn't be involved in the crime... or, could they?) The romance isn't overpowering or 'in your face' either which is enjoyable. I like Gemma and Devlin's relationship, it's realistic and circumstances what they are, I like how it's playing out. Oh and I can't wait to see if Seth finally confesses his feelings to Cassie or if she is going to figure it out all on her own! There are lots of ways that story line can go, I enjoy both of these characters and hope they make many more appearances in the future.

I would love to visit Gemma's tearoom, and with the inclusion of some recipes I (and other readers) am able to taste some of the delicious treats they serve. While reading the stories (all of them, not just this one) I can picture everything.. the scenery, the buildings, beauty of the gardens.. I just love the writing style and completely appreciate the talent of an author who can pull you into the story.

The Oxford Tearoom Series is everything that a cozy lover wants! They are all 'can't put it down!' books that you are sorry when they are done.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great cozy mystery! Grab a cuppa and enjoy :) If you've not read any of the books in the series, I suggest you grab the first one and get started, you will not be sorry!

**Thank you to H.Y. Hanna for sending me an ARC for my honest and unbiased review**

It's Been A While....

Hey everyone... It's been a bit since I've been around. Real life can sometimes get in the way and throw some wrenches at you. And that's pretty much what happened.  Throw in some reading block (as opposed to writer's block), working, and other fun stuff and it equals me being away for too long. 

But, I'm back around and reading as much as I can while working on some projects that I just have to get done. I have some reviews to post soon, lots to catch up on, and a couple of current ones.  I'm about 15 books behind schedule on my reading challenge, but I'm hoping to catch up on that on my week's vacation. Let's see how many I can actually get done and if I'll be caught back up by July 24th. (That's 2 weeks away... fingers crossed!) 

So, today's challenge is getting a couple of reviews done for books I've recently read, update my pinterest, goodreads, etc and make my list of what needs to be read next for reviews. I discovered this morning I'd pre-ordered a few books and they magically have appeared on my Kindle :)  Fun stuff! 

Happy Reading!