I liked this one, it had a great plot investigating a set of bones discovered during groundbreaking at Brady's new facility turn out to be a young man who disappeared. Tess is making some big decisions regarding her future and I love to see how she's evolving as the series goes on. I do have to say, I'm rather tired of the Dad storyline and the issues it's causing, the whole thing is just bizarre.

I was looking forward to this one and it was good but there were a few let downs that made me feel like this wasn't everything I wanted it to be.

I read this one last night, I love that these are quick, light reads. All of the books in the series have been good, but this was one of the better ones, tying up some storylines that have spanned the series while creating new ones.

I absolutely loved the mystery in this one, although it did veer off the cozy mystery path and strayed into more of the romance genre a bit too far, the plot made it well worth reading.

I received this one from Booksirens and it was perfect for the Set in an abbey, monastery, or other religious house square on the r/CozyMystery Book Bingo (only 2 more squares left to finish!)

Tommy and wife Evelyn find themselves in another murder investigation when the disliked ex-husband of one of the villagers is found dead in the churchyard. Due to a snowstorm, the police are unable to get to the village and put Tommy, a Lord, in charge of preserving the scene until they can get there. Having already solved a few cases themselves, Tommy and Evelyn begin to investigate, mindful that one of their many friends and neighbors is guilty of murder.

This is the first book I've read in the series, so I can safely say this can be read as a standalone. I love a good historical mystery and this was an easy and quick read at only 130 pages. I loved the setting in 1920s Yorkshire and there were several social issues highlighted; one character is a WWI veteran with PTSD, another is an impoverished war widow and I felt that added a lot of realism to the story as the villagers were still rebuilding their lives after the hardships during the war.

As for the investigation and apprehending the culprit, there wasn't a whole lot to do since the village has only a few residents and even fewer had a motive so it was a matter of eliminating suspects until the culprit remains. I did enjoy how Tommy and Evelyn set about questioning people, uncovering a few scandals (boy, those villagers really get around!) and preventing more murders.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book and I'll be looking at picking up the other books in the series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I picked this one up for my Halloween Theme Read because I was already a fan of the author's Witch City series and because it combined Halloween with ghosts. This one was good, with an intriguing plot and who wouldn't love to inherit a haunted inn from someone they don't remember meeting? Maureen seemed like a likeable, practical and competent person, if a bit naïve. I liked the eccentric residents, especially the ghosts (Lorna is a hoot!)

While the plot was good, it was the police investigation that detracted from my enjoyment. With an unrealistic officer character and questionable police procedure, the inanity of their encounters had me flipping pages. I'm not looking for ultra-realistic law enforcement portrayal, just something that at least sounds like it could happen that way without making the officer look like Barney Fife with a bad attitude.

Overall, I liked this one but didn't love it. I'd be open to giving book 2 a try if there is one, but this one is just...okay.

*sigh* I've done it, I've read the whole series. Now all I can do is hope there's more books!

I liked this one, it had a lot of facets. A dead body in the cellar of a house once owned by Dr. Franktown, a man who confessed on his death bed to killing 9 men while experimenting on them medically (eek!). Years later, the property has been sold to a developer and has given permission for Tess and Tony to film a ghost hunting show there at Halloween. Add in a very real ghostly groundskeeper, and a hectic Halloween festival weekend and this was a great book and a perfect Halloween read!

4 1/2 stars

Great read, and although this series has it's ups and downs, this one was definitely one of the ups .  Yes, the whole Pete/Ryan thing got annoying (deducted half a star for that) but the plot was top notch; intriguing, unique and suspenseful. 
 
Overall, a great read and I'd say one of the best in the series. 

Read this and all of my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

Although spring is around the corner, winter isn't giving up so easily in County Cork, and a blizzard strands Maura and several others at the pub, including a woman who was suspected in a murder 20 years ago. Unable to leave the pub, they all gather to pick apart every detail of the crime, revealing a decades old secret and new revelations that could bring a killer to justice.

This was an outstanding read with a fresh, original plot that drew me in and kept me turning pages. There's no stumbling over a dead body here; instead, a cold case is poured over and debated. It was almost Agatha Christie-ish, simple, yet complex in a locked room setting.

The setting is quaint and inviting, a small Irish pub with a peat fire, a lively atmosphere, the regulars bellying up to the bar, the musicians cranking out Irish tunes, Rose in the kitchen cobbling together meals for everyone, and especially Ol' Billy, in his usual chair by the fire. All well described and vivid, it's not tough to envision the scene at Sullivan's Pub.

Overall, Cruel Winter is an enjoyable escape, with an unconventional plot that will keep cozy mystery fans guessing with each page. This book can be read as a standalone, or as an entry into the series, but I recommend reading the whole series.


Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest review

This was a cute novella! Set in southern Switzerland near the Italian border where her husband's job transferred them, Anne is struggling to learn Italian when she lands a job at an old bookshop digitizing a set of diaries from over a hundred years ago chronicling life at the art colony, rumored to be cursed. As she works, Anne is asked by two people to see the diaries and both end up dead later. Is it the curse? Or is something else afoot?

This was the first in the series (and I think the author's first book?) and I really enjoyed it. Anne is a likeable character; she's smart, capable, and resourceful. I like how well the author captured Anne's reactions, they felt very true to life. From Anne's frustrations with learning Italian to her realistic reactions to the people asking to see the diaries, I felt like I was there in the bookshop listening to Maggie purr and smelling the old paper in the books. Although there were a few minor issues with character names, particularly near the end of the book, it didn't hamper my enjoyment any and I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes. And at 77 pages, it's the perfect length for a satisfying read in an evening. Definitely recommend!