Between 3 and 4 stars. Read through this one quick as this series is always a good read and gets me motivated to read more books. I missed this one when it came out, and after reading the latest book in the series, I backtracked to this one.

The main plot, the death of John Hardwick, felt like it stewed in the background until the AHA moment came. I also liked the side plot of the 90 year old cold case of the skeleton unearthed on the property. And I enjoyed it but it seemed a bit...off. Maybe because Garth is newly retired, so Penny wasn't exactly in the thick of things. Maybe because the characters seem to be growing and progressing. But it all took a backseat to Penny's cold dark heart and her seeming indifference to Gareth finally giving up on her and taking off to be with a woman he'd just met. While it could be perceived as making Penny a bit unlikable, I think it uncovers how little Penny has been fleshed out as a character. She has stagnated, but the other characters haven't. Hmm.

And am I the only one who thinks of Mrs Lloyd as Hyacinth from Keeping Up Appearances? And Florence as Hyacinth's neighbor Cynthia? Can never shake that image.

Anyway, an enjoyable book but one that highlighted the shortcomings of the series. And frankly Gareth, I think you're better off.

I really enjoyed this book; the characters, the plot, the locale, everything. A fast, light read.

I just found this series a month or 2 ago and loved the first book, so I saw this up on Netgalley Read Now and grabbed it. There's so much for cozy mystery fans to love about this series; quaint small town setting, a lovely community of people and great plots that keep you guessing.

There was a lot packed into this book; a woman, Daphne, comes to town claiming to be a psychic and requests a slot to do a program about psychic readings at the library. Carrie is happy to sign her up and finds herself enjoying the woman's company and starts a friendship. At the same time, Carrie's mother is coming to town with her actor husband, who will be filming a movie in Clover Ridge. Carrie is dreading the drama her mother brings as well as the hustle and bustle that a Hollywood movie filming will bring. The last thing on her mind is a murder, but when Daphne is found murdered and then the movie's leading lady is also found dead, Carrie begins to connect the dots, past and present, to find a killer.

Like I said, a lot going on this book, which kept the plot moving very quickly. This was one of those books that made you think you knew whodunit, only to change your mind with each new chapter. I like seeing how Carrie has 'grown up' so much, from an angsty girl at the start of the first book to an engaging, professional woman in such a short time. The other characters are just as endearing, from Aunt Harriet and Uncle Bosco to Police Chief Mathers to Dylan, Carrie's art theft investigator boyfriend. The dramatic ending was icing on the cake, and left me both satisfied and wanting more.

Good, but not great. I liked the "mystery" part of the plot, but I felt like it didn't really have a resolution. I mean, it was solved but the ending was anti-climatic. Kind of a let down, but chock full of Christmas spirit so, it did give me a festive smile.

Summer is not having a good summer. After a minor scandal has her scurrying off to England to spend some time researching Shakespeare for an academic paper, she has to rush back home to North Carolina when her mother dies suddenly of a heart attack. Arriving back home in the small town she thought she'd left behind forever, Summer begins to suspect that her mother's death wasn't natural and after failing to convince the town's police chief to investigate, takes on the challenge herself with her aunt and cousins. Can Summer uncover the truth before she ends up a victim in her own tragedy?

I saw this on Netgalley and couldn't resist snagging it.
I really enjoyed this one, equal parts engaging, heartbreaking, exciting, and heartwarming. Summer and her family are likeable and the story was rich in detail, making the setting and the characters seem so realistic it was like being there. But that came at the expense of the pacing, which lagged a bit in the middle and there was a fair amount of rehashing. I liked how organically and realistically Summer set out to investigate, especially when she followed in the footsteps of her mother's last day. Took her a bit longer to see whodunit than it did me (and I thought the motive was a bit shaky) but that twisty, action-packed reveal and the surprise twist at the very end wrapped everything up nicely and left me wanting more.

Excellent start to a new series, with lots of twists and turns to throw you off the trail. I really liked Jenna and love the small town of Hokes Folly (I'd love to go stay at that inn!). There was plenty going on in this book, between Jenna's troubles in Charlotte to finding her uncle dead and inheriting the bookstore to a man trying to usurp her inheritance and then winding up dead himself and it kept the pace moving quickly. The plot was very well done, I went back and forth between suspects throughout the book, so the ending was a bit of a suprise, but satisfying.

My only minus to this story is Sutter. I feel like the whole "bad cop" trope in cozy mysteries has been done to death; as a device to add tension to a story, all it manages to do is annoy me so much, I start flipping pages. And really Jenna, if you've already been falsely accused and arrested for a serious crime once, wouldn't you realize that talking to a hostile detective without a lawyer present isn't a good idea? And it takes her what, 3 times to do it? *sigh* Get it together, Jenna!


Overall, an excellent start to a new series and I look forward to reading more from Jenna and Hokes Folly.

I saw the latest book in this series on Netgalley and it sounded good, so I requested it. When I saw the latest is book 5, I got this book to "catch up" if I am approved for the Netgalley book.

I started it last night, since there wasn't anything good on TV (which was a good thing, since I ended up not being able to put it down!) I liked Jazzi immediately and was sucked into the story within a few pages. Then I realized the book is set in the area I live, and having a personal connection to many of the places in the book really brought the story alive. I loved the dual plot, revolving around Jazzi's long-missing aunt's skeletal remains found in a cedar chest and another (more recent) body found in the back yard. I liked how the investigation unfolded, with all its tragic details (I really felt for poor Cal!) and the satisfying conclusion (although I still can't figure out why a police detective would bring a civilian along when questioning suspects. A bit far-fetched but I was able to suspend disbelief.)

Frankly, I enjoyed the house flipping more than anything else in the story, I play House Flipper on Steam obsessively, watch a lot of DIY Network, and love everything about historic home conservation, so I loved "watching" Jazzie, Ansel and Jerod restore Cal's house (I loved almost everything they did , except for the stainless steel countertops. Ugh.)

There was some romance involved in this book, more than you'd usually find in a cozy mystery but considerably less than what you'd find in a romance novel, so I'd say this is a romantic cozy mystery rather than a cozy mystery romance. Although the relationship between the characters seemed to move pretty quickly, I chalk that up to the characters having known (and worked with) each other for years before the book begins. Really, it's such a small aspect to the book that I (as someone who doesn't care for romance novels) wouldn't be put off recommending it to others as a good cozy to enjoy.

Overall, this was a delightful read, homey, familiar and touching, as well as a cracking good plot.

I saw this book on Netgalley and couldn't wait to get my hands on it and it was every bit as good as the blurb made it out to be. This is my first entry into this series (this one is number 8!) so I can safely say that it can be read as a standalone.

I sat down one evening with some time to kill before LivePD started and ended up missing the show! This was just too good to put down. So much to like about it, from the great characters to the amazing plot to the wonderful setting in an old decrepit theater.

Mel is an expert in renovating houses (always a huge draw for me, I love old houses and I love when people restore them instead of ripping out the character and making it an open-plan-granite-countertop-marble-floor monstrosity. But that's another topic.) So, when Mel lands the plum job of restoring an old run down theater that she once visited with her late mother, she goes to have a look.Purchased by a mysterious organization whose motives are unclear, Mel is wary, especially after another contractor was dismissed from the job seemingly without any reason. At the theater, Mel finds a lot of work that needs to be done, as well as a small group of squatters who have to relocated before work can begin.

While assessing what needs to be done, one of the squatters is found, strangled and set on top of the Wurlitzer organ, which rises slowly, revealing her dead body.

Meanwhile, Mel and boyfriend Landon have bought an old house and are renovating it when they discover the ghost of a flapper in the attic, surrounded by her dresses. One of the dresses has a long rip in it and Mel also tries to unravel why she is haunting the attic.

So, several things to solve in this book, and the pace swept along quickly, always a new clue popping up. I really enjoyed how it unfolded and the exciting conclusion capped off a really great book.

If I was to point out any shortcomings, it's that the ending, while satisfying and thrilling, seemed to come about rather quickly although I do have to say that there was really no clue as to who the culprit was. Still, I enjoyed every bit of it and you can bet I'll go out and catch up on the other 7 books!

Edit: June 11, 2020: I was looking through my Kindle library trying to find a nice easy re-read to pass a long Thursday night with nothing on TV, so I went back into this one. And you know what? I liked it a whole lot more than I did the first time. Despite the over-the-top romance and flowery prose, this had a lot going for it: a cracking good plot, lovable characters and a world that's easy to fall into. I upped my rating to 4.5 stars (since Goodreads doesn't allow half stars, I'll stick it at 4, subtracting a tiny bit for the romance) but overall, it really is a relaxing, enjoyable read.

I picked this up as a freebie on Amazon. I'm really not sure how I feel about it. One one hand, it was a good mystery; Julie and her pals try to figure out where her great-grandfather hid his valuables, aided by the ghosts of her great-grandfather and grandmother, who couldn't tell them specifically where to look for some reason. But hey, hard to make a plot span a whole book if on page 2, great-grandfather ghostie says "it's under the floorboards" or something (it wasn't, btw). On top of the treasure hunt, Julie and her pals have to deal with Julie's menacing boyfriend. So all that was good, enjoyable plot, cute characters, a great read.

Except....

The overly flowery prose grated on my nerves. Witness this savory quote:
...his open hand quickly turning to the fist he so wanted to use to bend her will to his selfish desire.

Yeah, that would fit in Game Of Thrones, but not a Kindle mystery. Or, at least not this Kindle mystery.

Also, for some reason, there had to be a romance involved. And not the kind of flirty romance usually found in a cozy. No, it was the kind you read in a really crappy Harlequin romance, complete with ZINGING! and PASSION and Jesus,. save me from this, because it's really not adding to the story for me. I found myself zipping past pages and pages of this. And to make it worse, grandma ghostie was spying on them and making sighing noises. Seriously. Here, read for yourself,

Tyler gazed back, both lost in the connection of hearts and souls recognizing each other. Hand still tingling, Julie felt as though the universe took a breath then settled into a new rhythm One that had her heart beating, fluttering against her throat as she saw the mirror of her feelings in Tyler's eyes.

My panties were wet, but not from arousal. It was from laughing so hard I tinkled a little.

So, if you took out the cheesy romance, this would easily be a 5 star book. But with the romance drained a lot of my enjoyment.

Jazzi teams up with Detective Gaff for another case: to solve the murder of 4 people; a nurse, a peeping tom with metal disabilities, a senior citizen and a young woman. Jazzi picks apart the knots and uncovers the killer.

Good but entirely too much of the book was spent with Ansel and Jazzi mooning over missing each other. I'm guessing it's setting up future storylines, but it did nothing for me. Otherwise, a good, solid plot and an enjoyable read.