Comfy cozy!  A nice lighthearted read for those times when you need a little pick me up.  And, of course, who doesn’t want a talking spider plant.  

A quick, fun read.   Enough of a mystery with a bit of unresolved romance to make it enjoyable.  Look forward to reading the other books in the series.

If you are one that enjoys small town cozy murder mysteries with a limited cast of characters, then this book may indeed be for you.   We follow a former actress, Madeline, as she returns home after inheriting her deceased aunt’s bookshop.   Immediately upon arrival, chaos ensues.  While I was initially invested in the ‘who dun-it,’. I soon became uninterested because I could not connect with any of the characters except Father Gloria.   There were plenty of twists and turns, but they all felt contrived.  

All in all a miss for me.  
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Book and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Elizabeth DeLozier has written a gem of a debut book.   

It was intriguing to follow MC Eleanore as she develops her healing talent during the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages.  First she learns from her midwife mother and then she becomes an apprentice to the Pope’s physician.   And let’s not forget Eleanore becoming the midwife to a queen.  Another fascinating thing is the auxiliary characters are real people who lived during the times and the author has woven Eleanore’s story alongside them seamlessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will be happy to read anything that Elizabeth DeLozier writes in the future. 

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the digital ARC.