I've read this book a few years ago. I remember the cover. I do not remember any of the content.

Enjoyable read.

It's a few months after the events of the first book and Nina finds another body. This is not a spoiler, this is a cozy mystery, and the find is announced on the first page of the book. Also, no surprise that the victim was not a particularly well-liked man. Though, the man's unlikableness didn't really come off the page.

Anyway, with one of her guests killed, Nina is determined to solve the murder lest her B&B gets a reputation for being a crime scene. (Though, as someone points out: there are also tourists attracted to that sort of thing.) Nina's guests are an amateur troupe about to stage a play at the towns annual Shakespeare festival and they decide the show must go on.

As usual, when a writer (or play-write) is mentioned often in a story, the final resolve in the story, follows the plot of the writer. By that time, several of Nina's guests have behaved suspiciously.

3.5 starts. Rounded down because I would have liked some more Connie Lamb in the story. I just love a competent cop in a cozy.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

Jenna Quinn has come to stay with her uncle she hasn’t seen in years to get back on her feet after her life fell apart. Life isn’t coming together just yet as the morning after her arrival she finds her uncle at the bottom of the stairs.

The police officers that come on to the scene are quick to assume foul play. I guess that’s their job, but the question of could this be an accident is not even raised. Jenna then learns she is her uncle’s sole heir and now the proud owner of his antiques bookstore.

Jenna isn’t even sure she wants to stay in Hokes Folley, but first she’s got to find out who killed her uncle, ‘cause one of the detective’s keeps throwing scenarios at her where she is the murderer and she can’t go through that all again.

I liked this book okay. It’s well-written but slow paced. The characters are believable and (very important) there aren’t too many of them. It was an enjoyable read, but I wasn’t thrilled by this book.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

Typical chick-lit, though with a slightly older character (late thirties).

Hetty has set herself quite the task to organise a food festival in four weeks time. First order of business: to convince John Thornhill that the food festival should be held on his land. Along with organising the food festival, Hetty also has to deal with the break-down of her parents' marriage and with an ex-boyfriend that wants her back. And those feelings for John she's developing are a bit a distraction too.

Story was all right. I liked the compact setting in time (one month). Was a little surprised that Hetty had very little trouble getting all those vendors to attend at such short notice.

I'm usually not a fan of the male perspective in a chick-lit. John's was all right for the most part, except that he was unable to think of Hetty without using an adjective. It was quite surprising that it still took him over three weeks to realise he liked Hetty a lot.

Nice feel good novel.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

Ik ben het voortdurend met Asha eens. Waardeloos. Daar komt toch geen goede polemiek van?

Lovely story. Loved the characters, except the ones that weren't so lovely.

Perfect read for the holidays. Whether they are in winter or in summer.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

I would have wanted to read this book three to five years ago. Actually, there’s a lot I know that would have been very useful to me knowing some three years ago. Alas, nothing to be done about that.

Rather, I’d like to know: how to become a go-to person when you’ve already rubbed a few people the wrong way? Is it actually possible to redeem yourself?

This book tells you in easy to relate to examples how to become that person that is a go-to person and pretty much indispensable at work. All through reading I asked myself: do I do this? Do I not do that?

A lot of the advice given in this book was more of a confirmation that I’m doing the right things. I work smart, but probably could still work smarter (create more job aids). I do give the occasional sloppy yes, but that’s because sometimes I am actually the only person who can do the job, so saying no is a moot point. But perhaps I can be more critical of the sloppy asks before I say yes, so they will be less sloppy by the time I give my inevitable yes.

Anyway, I’ve taken lots of notes and plan to put theory in to practice. And who knows, perhaps I can straighten out those wrongly rubbed.

I read an ARC through NetGalley

Chris and Susan were once a couple. Then she left and he doesn’t know why. Now they are both in Edinburgh making a go of their respective restaurants.

And they’re still on each other’s minds, a lot. After ten years. There is such a thing as moving on.

This story was more about how to get on in the restaurant business than a romance. There was very little romance in this story, considering it is supposed to be a romance.

There was the obligatory other guy. Who was a delight.

There were the two sister. Who, I am sure, I have already read about in another novel. Just couldn’t put my finger on it, but the haughty elder sister and the basket case younger sister seem like tropes, rather than characters.

I liked the story better when the sisters were in it less.

I pretty much struggled through the first half of the story. Liked it better in the second half. But the story didn’t sizzle and there wasn’t much of a bang - even though there was much cooking and even some actually fireworks.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.