A castle, a cat, some coffee, lots of chocolate, and a bookstore: If that's not cozy, then I don't know what it! This was just what I was hoping to fiA castle, a cat, some coffee, lots of chocolate, and a bookstore: If that's not cozy, then I don't know what it! This was just what I was hoping to find as I tagged along with the main sleuth, Shelby Cox, while she pieces together the mystery behind the murder of one of the town socialites. The Thousand Islands setting of New York adds the perfects amount of charm and mystery, and Shelby is a lovable protagonist that grew on me throughout the entire novel. And there's more to this story than just one mystery. While Shelby attempts to figure out who the local murderer might be, she's also digging through her own past and trying to find out more about her deceased mother that no one seems to want to talk to her about. For the romance lover, Lang's got you covered there too as Shelby notices that she might be interested in the Coast Guard officer for more than just the information that he might be able to give her about the case. All in all, a cute read and a series that I'll readily return to so that I can spend some more time with Shelby, J.T. (the cat), and all the heart-warming characters of Blye Island....more
Set for publication June 9 (2020), THE CRUISE SHIP LOST MY DAUGHTER is a cute cozy mystery featuring Sheila and Shane McShane--a married couple in theSet for publication June 9 (2020), THE CRUISE SHIP LOST MY DAUGHTER is a cute cozy mystery featuring Sheila and Shane McShane--a married couple in their 80s--who are busy investigating the unsolved mystery of their missing daughter, Shanna. In an attempt to retrace her steps, the McShane couple embarks upon the same cruise from which Shanna never returned while following her itinerary in a quest for clues. Plenty of action ensues, and as expected in a cozy, readers are given a cast of lovable characters (and of course a few bad guys too) with a nicely resolved ending.
I enjoyed getting to know Sheila and Shane and wouldn't mind spending time with them again. What dropped the rating for me with this novel was the amount of detail given about Sheila and Shane's trip itself. Toward the end of the novel the travel experience didn't take precedence over the sleuthing, but the first half of the novel spent a good deal of time recounting in great detail aspects of cruising itself. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy living vicariously through Sheila and Shane as they marveled at cruise ship luxuries, but this at times bogged down the momentum of the plot. Nevertheless, this is a well-written read that entertains and offers the ability to travel the world all from the comfort of your chair. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
So that was a quick read! I started and finished it this evening within a couple of hours. Overall, I had mixed feelings about DEATH AND SWEETS. On onSo that was a quick read! I started and finished it this evening within a couple of hours. Overall, I had mixed feelings about DEATH AND SWEETS. On one hand, I was glad to be back in Pumpkin Hollow and spend some more time with Mia and Ethan. I also enjoyed Mia even more in this installment in comparison to the previous book 3 installment I read, which was my first introduction to this series. My improved opinion of Mia might be in part related to the fact that I finished CHOCOLATE CHIP MURDER today by Joanne Fluke; compared to Hannah Swensen, Mia is so polite and sensitive, which I appreciated. Hannah's forwardness--and sometimes abrasiveness--wore on me some today, so spending time with the milder Mia was welcome this evening.
My mixed feelings stem from the fact that there was a lot of repetition in this book. Characters retold the same things over and over in different settings, and this eventually began to feel redundant. While maybe a character wasn't aware of the information, I was very much aware of it as the reader who was privy to "overhearing" the information multiple times. There were also a limited number of suspects in this book, and that led to me having the ending mostly sorted out before I ever got there.
Even so, despite the repetition and the small number of suspects that led to a fairly straightforward ending, I enjoyed the couple of hours I spent in Pumpkin Hollow, and I'm looking forward to returning again! ...more
This was a cute, fast-paced read. I enjoyed spending time with our main sleuth, Hannah, and I loved her cat, Moishe. And I most definitely have a hankThis was a cute, fast-paced read. I enjoyed spending time with our main sleuth, Hannah, and I loved her cat, Moishe. And I most definitely have a hankering for cookies now considering that all the characters are constantly chomping away on Hannah’s creations. I thought the inclusion of recipes was a great touch—especially the cute notes about when the recipes were used, which made it feel like I was reading a family recipe—and I’m definitely planning on making the black and white cookie recipe soon (maybe tonight!). This wasn’t a book club read for me, but if it had been, I would have suggested we all make some of the recipes in an effort to sample as many of Hannah’s cookies as we could! ...more
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