Reading Fanatic Reviews
Cozy MysteriesA Knead to Kill by Chelsea Thomas
Available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
A Knead to Kill (in Summer Snoops Unleashed)*
Too Short for Much to Happen
NOTE: I was given a review copy of just A Knead to Kill by Chelsea Thomas, which is only in this collection at this time; this review is just for that story.
I have read other books in this series, and I have quite enjoyed the adventures of Chelsea, Miss May, and Teeny. I did enjoy the interaction of those characters in this novella as well, but the book was too short to really develop much of a mystery with all the elements I love. I know it’s all the rage these days to have super-short fiction that people can read in less than an hour or two, but I don’t think that format really works well for mysteries. Red herrings and bad leads take time to develop fully. I’ve only seen short-form mystery work well once. I will keep reading this series because I do enjoy the characters and the delightful setting that the author has created, but I don’t think this one added much to the series.
Who Shot the Serif? by Daisy Robyns
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Who Shot the Serif?*
Jamie Sticks Her Foot In It… Literally
This is the second book I’ve read in this series, and I quite enjoy it. I love the character of Jamie Lang. She’s the professional hand letterer mentioned in the series title, and she just seems to get herself mixed up with trouble! In this book, she literally stumbles upon the dead body of a woman with whom she had an argument the day before. When town suspicion about Jamie’s involvement starts to cut into her business, she knows she has to help try to help figure out who actually murdered the woman. I like Jamie because she actually has a very detailed eye, which would seem very typical for her profession, that allows her to see things that may be others wouldn’t. She’s a good character for an amateur sleuth. The author has done a good job creating the quirky community of the story; that is so important in a cozy mystery. I just hope in the next one, which I am looking forward to, that Jamie herself is not a suspect!
The Diamont Hunt by Wendy Meadows
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Diamond Hunt*
Not Her Best Work
I am a fan of Wendy Meadows’ mysteries in general, and I have enjoyed other books in this series. I like books with groups of strong women, so I have enjoyed the interaction between Hillary, her daughter Annabelle, and their friend Rose. Not only was this book too short to fully explore the mystery, but Annabelle and Rose were only in it for a very short time. I missed their group dynamic. Given the shortness of the book, I thought there was a little too much description in places of what went on before in the other books of the series. I found this book to be a disappointment, but I know the author normally has the chops, so I am hoping that the next book of this series will be a more enjoyable one.
Steeped in Murder by Kirsten Weiss
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Steeped in Murder*
Tea and Tarot… What’s Not to Like?
“In my defense, the day did not ‘seem’ that murdery.” And so begins this absolutely delightful culinary cozy mystery. I will admit that I was drawn by the series name, as I am a fan of both tea and tarot. I actually lived on the northern California coast for some years, and I think that Abigail’s tearoom would have been perfect where I lived. Why didn’t we have one? As a tea person, I loved all the descriptions of the teas, and I could imagine being in a little tearoom on the California coast, eating some delightful scones and drinking some of the wonderful blends that were mentioned. I will admit that I am drawn to fictional books that include tarot as a part of the story, and it was perfectly integrated here. This book is a little zany, which–of course–is a delight in a cozy mystery. The small town where this takes place, I believe in southern California by the description, is full of a cast of quirky characters that I’m sure we’ll get to know and enjoy more in future books of the series. Just the names of the two main characters who were swindled by the same man tell you this book is as light as a murder mystery can be: Abigail Beanblossom (tearoom) and Hyperion Night (tarot reader). The book was long, but the author was able to maintain suspense and keep a good focus on the evolving mystery plot. The length of the novel allowed for the little tangents and red herrings that must occur in a satisfying mystery. In all, this is a perfect cozy mystery beach read, if you like bringing murder mysteries with you on vacation!
Siren Song Gone Wrong by Lucy May
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Siren Song Gone Wrong*
More Slice of Pre Wedding Life Than Mystery
I have read several of the mysteries in this series, and I find them to be humorous and warm paranormal cozies. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book just as a reader, I felt that this installment was a little light on the mystery aspect. It starts a month before the wedding of Liam and Moira. For those of you who are not familiar with the series, Moira is the one from whose perspective we see the stories unfold. To be honest, this felt more like a bit of a slice-of-life moment before the big day. Yes, there was an interesting little side arc about sirens, but I felt like it was more about family dinners and conversations with friends about the upcoming wedding and the couple’s future. I did find the theme about destiny to be interesting, which did elevate this story to be somewhat more than just that slice of life just mentioned. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think the prologue just should have been the last chapter or two. It wasn’t a true prologue. All in all, not the best of this series, but if you’ve already read other books in it, you will most likely enjoy the run-up the big fated marriage.
Cursive, Foiled Again by Jessa Archer
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks
Cursive, Foiled Again*
Good Start to a New Series
Well, I have to say, an author always puts me on her good side when she names a character Jamie! Especially a female Jamie. LOL. But seriously, I enjoyed this very brief introduction to a new mystery series by an author whom I am familiar with and already enjoy. I liked Jamie Lang, and I thought it was very cool that she does hand lettering. What an unusual practice and business! I used to do calligraphy myself. So, Jamie Lang is my mystery soul sista! I enjoyed the introductions to the other characters that I assume will be a part of the full series. All in all, a delightful introduction to what I hope will be a long series. Long Live Jamies, fictional and real!
Lost Magic by Alexandria Clarke
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Lost Magic*
Fascinating World But Not Enough Suspense
This is the first book that I read by this author, so I’m not familiar with the entire Witch Myth series or world. I appreciated that the author didn’t start off the book with a bunch of backstory to catch those of us up who aren’t familiar with this Yew Hollow. Instead, she allows the world to unfold through the eyes of Gwen, the first-person protagonist. The author has created a fascinating world of magic. You’ve gotta love a world with a magical tree! I didn’t feel like enough happened in the story, like there wasn’t enough of a plot. The author calls it a cozy mystery, but mystery or suspense didn’t really take center stage. It felt more like a character and community study than a full-blown novel. That said, I did enjoy the world, but I was just expecting more to happen.
The Phantom of the Opal by Jessa Archer
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
The Phantom of the Opal*
Not Much to It
I’m not quite sure what to think of this novelette. You can tell that it’s meant to introduce a new mystery series, even though there isn’t much of a mystery in it. To me, it felt more like an overlong short story, and there was no time to develop much of anything, and–given the “mystery”–there was not much to develop anyway. It seems more like a character and setting piece rather than a fleshed out story. Honestly, I don’t know if author–particularly mystery authors–are well served by writing a novelette like this. Because there is not much to it, it could just aggravate people who love to sink their teeth deeply into a juicy mystery. I thought, too, that there were way too many long and involved information dumps. Again, it seems like this existed just to set up the world for the series. I might check out the first book of the series and see if it is any good, as I have enjoyed longer stories by this author before, but this particular piece that is meant to whet the appetite for more actually left me feeling ambivalent.
Lemon Chiffon Lies by Diana DuMont
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Lemon Chiffon Lies*
More Murder and Boozy Pies in Sunshine Springs
Izzy, Grams, and Sprinkles are at it again! I’ve read the other books in the series, and I enjoyed this trip to Sunshine Springs as well. Like some characters in the book, I think Izzy puts herself in too much danger at times to figure out this murder that she couldn’t seem to help get embroiled in. I have come to enjoy the interaction between Izzy, Grams, and Sprinkles so much, and I love the zany boozy pie ideas that Izzy comes up with. In this book, like the others in the series, there are some good twists and turns to the plot, a good level of suspense, and a cast of delightfully quirky characters that we continue to get to know. A solid cozy mystery, and a delightful read.
A Witch Too Hot by Paula Lester and M. E. Harmon
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
A Witch Too Hot*
Love the 50ish Protagonist, But…
As a woman of a certain age, I love that the heroine of this book is a fifty-something, with all that that entails and so much more! Cas has recently discovered that she has magical powers, but she has no idea how to use or control them. Some of her friends in their mixed-magic community are helping a little when they can, but her magic doesn’t act or react as anyone expects. The council hasn’t been able to give her a mentor because of an important election that they are in the midst of. When one of Cas’ neighbors is found dead, she becomes a suspect. She also has a romantic interest and wants to run for siren (that election I talked about). To say that Cas has a full plate is an understatement. Her talking cat, Echo, is meant to be her guardian, but he spends a lot of time away.
As you can tell, this is a busy book! In fact, I think it is a little too busy. The murder doesn’t happen until the 30% mark, which doesn’t give a lot of time to develop the intricate subplots necessary for a good cozy. A lot of time is spent on the political aspect of the story, which is an intriguing look at the politics of race and disenfranchisement. The book is actually well written and engaging, as I was drawn right into Cas’ world and all the things that were upsetting her figurative applecart; I just thought that too much was going on that didn’t have to deal directly with the mystery or Cas herself.
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