Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
Murder With Earl Grey Tea
A Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery
Karen Rose Smith
Kensington Cozies
As with any cozy, it is a little bit sadder when a good character dies rather than an obnoxious one, which is all the more reason why Daisy must work to solve this latest mystery. Lydia left behind an adorable little girl who has a loving family but is really too young to understand why her mom will not be coming home. I really liked the realness to this one, Jazzy, Daisy’s teenage daughter, suggests therapy to combat the PTSD that Daisy is feeling as a result of finding one too many victims. Not to worry, there are still all the happy feels that are normally found in a cozy, such as the cheer surrounding the prep work of the Alice in Wonderland children’s tea event. There are also the multiple humorous encounters between Daisy’s aunt Iris and Daisy’s extremely competitive suitors. In the midst of work at the tea garden and helping out with an event at the Farm Barn, Daisy doesn’t have much time to work on her own projects, namely her upcoming wedding. This story keeps you turning pages to see what Daisy will do and how she will handle each new challenge including her daughter’s family moving to a place of their own. Thoroughly engaging, this cozy stands on its own and thoroughly entertains.
Murder Off the Books
By the Book Series
Tamara Berry
Poisoned Pen Press
Erma Bombeck meets Agatha Christie in a
small Oregon town with both quaint and quirky characters. This is the third and
best one so far. A possible serial killer lady’s man who targets mature ladies
with healthy bank accounts has become Tess‘s mom’s boy toy. Tess finds out when
her mom makes an unannounced arrival that coincides with Tess’s open house for
the recently converted bookstore where the new Detective Gonzalez novel will be
launched. Such comedy of mysterious errors as a hunk of money shows up with the
hunk of sushi tuna at the same time as the reporter who requested to interview
Tess. My favorite part of the whole book was when Tess was both indignant and hurt
because Neptune Jones had been asked by Sheriff Boyd to stop by for glass of
“desk whiskey”. You see Tess had never been offered the bottom drawer drink. The back and forth between Tess and well,
everybody, makes you laugh out loud. A few red herring to go with that tuna, a
little bit of a love triangle, a cameo from Wingbat the hacker, and a little
bit of peril added for good measure. You will not be able to put this one down
or keep a straight face. Looking forward to the next one!
Witch Upon A Star
Witch Way Librarian Series
Angela Sanders
Kensignton
Josie is a book whispering librarian and
a justice seeking witch with a crush on the local sheriff, Sam Wilfred, who
smiles when he is angry and frowns when he is happy. Welcome to the quaint and
cozy town of Wilfred, Oregon and by quaint, I mean that it is quite possibly
the smallest small town in the cozy universe. The library also serves as a bath
house for the local fortune reader, a replacement café while Darla’s is being
rebuilt, which means that people are constantly coming in and out of the
library kitchen. Definitely not a run of the mill library as it is also home to
Josie and her witch familiar, Rodney. Once a corporate town of old it is now
home to a new retreat center that is hosting the one and only Cookie Masterson,
life coach, and health guru. Josie’s sister Jean is in town to attend the conference
because she has a calling. Ah but is it the family magic that is calling Jean
or is it the siren song of the “Ready, Set, Go” scheme? You see, Jean doesn’t
know about big sister Josie’s gifts and there is a good chance that Jean has
her own but doesn’t really know it. This one had me stumped and second guessing
who the guilty person was because there were plenty of suspects for both
murders. Such the pity that the café’s big re-opening had to be marred by a little
breaking, entering, and stabbing. I have read all books in the series but you
do not have to know the series to know what is going on in the story. There is
plenty of backstory to keep you in the loop as you “arm chair detective” your
way through the clues and redirects. While food isn’t mentioned often the
reopening of the café was a big deal, and I love that Darla was so inspired by
her time in the south that she offers southern dishes, like shrimp and grits, which
I felt was the perfect pairing.
