Tag: cHRISTMAS

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Catching up, a few Christmas book reviews for you: Winter Fires at Mill Grange and Single all the Way

416 pages Aria publisher November 11, 2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mill Grange is putting on a show this holiday season!

When young Dylan Harris‘s former babysitter (and soon to be step-sister), Harriet, needs a last-minute venue for her acting troupe’s outdoor production of Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, the staff at Mill Grange throw open its doors, keen to fill their halls with guests over the holiday season… but they may get more drama than they’d bargained for!

With pageants and plays to arrange, a much-anticipated book launch, an unexpected arrival, a heart-warming offer, and a little bit of the manor’s magic, this Christmas is one that Thea, Tina, Sam, Shaun, Helen and Tom – along with retirees Bert and Mabel Hastings – won’t soon forget…

MY THOUGHTS

This is the last book in the Mill Grange series as we’ve read through the seasons with the book titles. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the generations of the family over the series and have seen so much character development.


Will Mill Grange be up for all that’s asked of it? Harriet, Dylan Harris’s former babysitter (and soon to be stepsister) is out of options and is in desperate need of a venue for her acting troupe’s outdoor performance of Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale.

With staff more than eager to please they offer their help in any way. Let’s just say, if it can go wrong, it’ll go wrong.

The characters have highs and lows. A welcoming return of characters we’ve met in the other books in the series had me excitedly flipping pages and feeling right at home. Small town charm, sweet romance and community togetherness. This is a fun book not to miss.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

264 pages Boldwood books August 18,2022 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Dani’s boyfriend (and boss!) dumps her for a younger model, the only silver lining she can see is to be able to spend Christmas at home with her family after years away.

Determined to surprise them, Dani turns up unannounced in her hometown, excited to see that the festive season in Marram Bay is in full swing with Christmas lights twinkling on every corner. But disaster strikes when she finds her parents’ house is empty and they appear to have gone away on holiday!

Christmas alone and single is not ideal, and when Dani starts bumping into old friends, neighbours and potential love interests, she can’t face telling them the truth. So in a panic she claims to be home to throw a Christmas party for the whole town – easier said than done with 12 days to go before Christmas…

As the fake party approaches, little does Dani know that there may be someone there under the mistletoe for her, if she can just let her guard down and see them…

MY THOUGHTS

I haven’t read many books by Portia MacIntosh but the ones I’ve read have made me chuckle at the predicaments the characters get themselves into.
In this one Dani’s boss/boyfriend dumps her right before Christmas. Haven’t these women learned anything, why they keep continuing to date their boss in these books is beyond me. That’s one thing that’ll never turn out well.

With no dates for the holiday, she’s got it all planned, with her extra time she’ll go visit her parents for the holiday and just show up as a lovely surprise. The surprise is on her though when she finds out her surprise visit is a bust as her parents are not home but on holiday themselves without telling her. Deciding to stay there while they holiday, she runs into old friends and acquaintances.

She’s hopeful a romance may just come knocking this Christmas season for a little kissing under the fairy lights. Cute, romantic seasonal read packed with humor.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Have a super day and I’m always so happy to see you here. Thank you!

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The Perfect Christmas Gift: a feel-good Christmas romance

339 pages HQ digital October 22, 2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Can neighbours become more than just good friends this Christmas?

Bella Moore is excitedly counting down the days to Christmas. That is until she arrives home one evening to find her boyfriend leaving her for another woman. Completely heartbroken, Bella is left wondering if Christmas can still be the same this year.

Next door, Bella’s neighbour Nick is facing his first Christmas as a single dad and doubting whether he can make it the magical time his son Freddie deserves.

Determined to fix both Christmas and their broken hearts, Bella comes up with an idea: a Christmas giving tree for the whole village, where the community can unite and secretly give each other the Christmas presents they truly need.

As Bella becomes chief elf, taking donations and delivering gifts with much-needed help from Nick and Freddie, the two neighbours grow closer and start seeing each other in a whole new light.

But when Nick’s estranged wife returns just before Christmas, is their budding romance over before it’s begun? Or will love be Nick and Bella’s perfect gift this Christmas?

MY THOUGHTS

Such a warm and lovely book. This one kept me reading late and I didn’t even mind.
Teacher Bella Moore has a lot on her mind, getting her primary students ready for the holiday school program is taking her time and thoughts. When she arrives home a bit early and discovers her boyfriend preparing to leave her for another woman, she never saw it coming.


When she seems less fortunate families in her neighborhood struggling to buy Christmas gifts for their families, she has a plan she implemented where gift tags with needs are hung from a Christmas tree and others donate the gifts. She then wraps and delivers the gifts.


Her neighbor Nick is worried he won’t be able to have the special holiday his son would like this year as a single dad. His mother has gone away and the son, Freddie misses her tremendously. As Nick and Freddie volunteer to help Bella with her Christmas charity they draw closer.

Nick’s wife and Freddies mom returns to the family right before Christmas and is ready for a second chance. Will Bella’s newfound feelings be for naught, or will it be a shiny and sparkly holiday, one to remember? I read this quickly, such a delightful read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As well as writing cosy romances, Katie also writes romcoms set in dreamy holiday destinations as Annabel French and royal historical dramas as Emma Royal. When she’s not writing, you can find her chasing around after her two kids, two dogs and one husband!

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

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Wreck the Halls: By Tessa Bailey

368 pages Avon publisher October 3,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show. 

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.  

MY THOUGHTS

Wreck the Halls is another book by a new to me author I wanted to try. There is something to be said about trying new to you authors, there’s also something to be said about staying with the authors you are familiar with and enjoy. This was another author that a lot of people seem to like with a lot of reviews.

If you’re looking for a book that gives you Christmas vibes and you feel like you’re wrapped in Christmas, this one isn’t it. With that said, I thought the plot was lacking and by lacking, I mean almost nonexistent. What the author was trying to convey could have been made into about a 150 page, or less book. This had over 300.

I think the author was trying to go for cute and clever, maybe, with the main characters names. Beat and Melody. You can draw your own conclusion with the names. Beat and Melody are the son and daughter of two big name singing stars who were pregnant at the same time.

The band broke up and the two women have refused to speak to each other ever since. Beat is being blackmailed and each time he has to pay a higher fee to keep his mother’s name from being smeared. The women haven’t seen each other in years but there is a real push to have them reunite onstage for a Christmas show. With a romance between the adult children of such rock superstars you can imagine the chaos that ensues.

There were some heartwarming scenes, and this book may be just right for you.

Pub Date 03 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.

Hope your weekend is going great. Thanks for stopping in.

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Murder Checks Out (A Blue Ridge Library Mystery) 

262 pages Crooked Lane Book November 13,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s not all snowflakes and sugarplums when murder crashes Taylorsford’s first Winterfest in the eighth installment of the Blue Ridge Library series, perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams.

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She’s already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town’s festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate.

But when the chair of the festival committee is found as dead as Dickens’s proverbial doornail at the town’s ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene. The clock is ticking down as Sheriff Brad Tucker is equally sure that Ethan is guilty.

Photo by Polina Kovaleva: https://www.pexels.com

MY THOUGHTS

I thought I had read more books by this author than I had but this is only my second read by the author. Despite that I fully enjoyed the book and don’t feel as though I wasn’t able to keep up with what is going on.


Amy Muir is the library director at the Blue Ridge Library in charming and beautiful North Carolina, mother of 5-year-old boy and girl twins, wife of a dance choreographer and her not so friendly mother-in-law is coming to stay for the holidays, and she’s tasked for entertaining her.

With the sugar cookie plate overflowing she now needs to return to her role as amateur detective when her brother-in-law is found to have been at the scene of a murder. She must avoid sliding down the slippery slope of exhaustion as she deals with the holidays, her extra responsibilities and helping to find the real perpetrator who did away with the chair of the festival committee which her twins are practicing for the festival. I enjoyed the twins characters a lot.

Children usually are always a bonus in books like this and they are here. The plot was entertaining and kept me guessing right til the end. The ballet aspect of the story was fun and entertaining and of course books about books, libraries and librarians are go to reads for me.

Pub Date 14 Nov 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Gilbert, raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian.

Her mysteries — the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Book Lover’s B&B series, and the Hunter and Clewe Mysteries — are published by Crooked Lane Books. They are available in hardback, eBook, and audio book, with some also available in paperback. Victoria has also written speculative fiction.

Victoria is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. When not writing or reading, she likes to spend her time watching TV and films, listening to music, gardening, or traveling. She lives in North Carolina.

Find out more at her website: victoriagilbertmysteries.com.

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for stopping in.

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Just for you, two festive holiday book reviews: A Cornish Christmas at the Farmhouse Bakery and Bright Lights, Big Christmas

341 pages Aria publisher October 12, 2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Newlyweds Ivy and Adam Taylor have put their heart and soul into building their own businesses, but when circumstances conspire against them, it all comes crashing down. Could a Christmas miracle be just around the corner when best friend Jess suggests Ivy open the bakery she has always dreamed of at her Cornish Farmhouse.

Ivy is not so sure she has the heart to start over and winter is hardly the best time to launch a new business near the seaside… but it’s not long before the couple realise that although they are starting from scratch in a new place, they are far from alone.

There is nothing the community at Renweneth Farm does better than Christmas, and as the nights draw in and the snow falls, nothing is impossible…

MY THOUGHTS

Book 2 of The Escape to Cornwall series.
When I’m ready for a great relaxation read with snow and wind blowing outside, I turn to books like this. Set in Cornwall this one was hard to put down.


I enjoyed reading Adam and Ivy’s story. He is so sweet and supportive of her and all her endeavors going forward. Making the hard decision to relocate because of personal and business decisions we follow along with the couple as they experience ups and downs. Hard work pays off though in the end. Warm, feel-good read with holiday festivity.

Pub Date 12 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Linn B. Halton is a #1 bestselling author of contemporary romantic fiction. In 2013 she won the UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction Award. Originally from Bristol, she now lives in the Welsh Valleys with her husband and Bengal cat, Ziggy.

For Linn, life is all about family, friends and writing. She is a self-confessed hopeless romantic and an eternal optimist. When Linn is not writing, she spends time in the garden weeding or practising Tai Chi. And she is often found with a paintbrush in her hand indulging her passion for upcycling furniture.

Her novels have been translated into Italian, Czech and Croatian. She also writes as Lucy Coleman.

Linn is represented by Sara Keane from the Keane Kataria Literary Agency.

Visit Linn & Lucy’s websites at:

Home

https://lucycolemanromance.com

285 pages St. Martins Press publisher September 26,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,

And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

Filled with family ties, both rekindled and new, and sparkling with Christmas magic, BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS delivers everything Mary Kay Andrews fans adore, all tied up in a hilarious, romantic gem of a novel.

MY THOUGHTS

The Tolliver’s are Christmas tree farmers living in North Carolina. Every year they cart their trees to New York and make a nice profit. This year their dad is sick and can’t go, siblings Kerry and Murphy are tasked to do it this year.

Traveling in “Spammy”, an old vintage camper they set up the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. While there they meet the neighborhood, quite the eclectic group of people. The neighbors are charming and enjoy the fast-paced Manhattan lifestyle.

I enjoyed meeting single dad, Patrick, and his son, Austin. A slow burn romance starts but will anything come of it in the short time they are at the tree lot?


Heartwarming, MKA does it again, writing a hard to put down book tugging at your heartstrings. Old man Heinz was my favorite character and I enjoyed seeing the character development. He is hiding a secret but it’s wonderful seeing how he opens up to Kerry as he comes to trust her and lets her care for him. A little bit of Christmas magic comes alive in this book.

Pub Date 26 Sep 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 novels (including Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Christmas Bliss; Ladies’ Night; Spring Fever; and Summer Rental, all from St. Martin’s Press, as well as Savannah Breeze; Blue Christmas; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues, all Harper Collins), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia (go Dawgs!). After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.

Enjoy your day. Thanks for stopping in.

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Snowed In for Christmas 

336 pages Forever publisher October 3,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sorority mom Becca Fairfield is used to guys not taking her seriously. She’s too blond, too quirky, or Just. Too. Much. So she’s ditched dating to focus on her job and a house filled with drama and plenty of tea. Now with the holidays and a major blizzard on her doorstep, Becca has everything she needs to survive the next two weeks on her own. Hot cocoa, plenty of books . . . and the memory of a steamy kiss with a certain sexy, grumposaurus next-door neighbor to keep her warm.

Only Becca’s seriously underestimated this Snowpocalypse. So when the power goes out and Harrison Cooper—football coach, master crank, and the guy who acted mega-awkward after said steamy kiss—offers her shelter, it only makes sense to accept. They’ll just be Blizzard Buddies. Hang out, stay safe, and maybe indulge in a little R-rated cuddling. Becca knows that Harrison isn’t the dating kind, and what happens during the storm lasts only as long as the storm. But are they keeping warm . . . or playing with fire?

MY THOUGHTS

This was such a cute story. Grab your hot drink, warm blanket, your favorite pet and prepare to snuggle in until you’re done reading this.
The perfect snowstorm read.


Becca Fairfield is the sorority mom at a girl’s school. She loves her job and all the girls, she really does but it’s Christmas time, her once a year vacation time. She’s looking forward to all the girls being gone for the two weeks to have time to herself for a little wistful dreaming, some hot chocolate and man does she have a backlist of books to catch up on.

This charming book has the wind blowing in and the electricity going out which means no heat when the blizzard of the year kicks in. Frigidly cold temps and the snow piling up means she can’t stay there.

Here’s the fun part, that handsome guy next store comes to the rescue as she’s able to bunk at his place while the storm rages. She’s been dreaming about him for a while, but will things kick up a notch in this forced close proximity novel?

This one had me laughing out loud but how will things be with them when reality sets in and the snow stops falling? Cute, funny, romantic feel-good worthwhile read.

Pub Date 03 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the “dry heat” really isn’t that bad. She prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day and snacking on anything that has peanut butter or chocolate. She is the mother to two dogs who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a mom. She is an avid reader and writer of romances and tends to write about athletes. Her husband works for an MLB team (not a player, lol) so she knows more about baseball than any human ever should.

For more information on her upcoming books, please visit her website.

I hope you’re enjoying your day. Thanks for visiting today.

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Some fun and festive holidays reviews for you: Christmas at the Little Knitting Box (New York Ever After Book 1) and The Best Christmas Ever

296 pages Headline Accent publisher October 7, 2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lexi Forde adores Christmas. She’s especially looking forward to it this year as it’s the first Christmas with her boyfriend Ben and her older brother is visiting from Canada with his family. They’ll all be spending Christmas at her parents’ house in Devon.

But when Lexi surprises Ben at work, she sees him kissing someone else and discovers he’s been having an affair. Devastated, she travels to Devon alone.

She’s determined not to let her break-up spoil her family Christmas. But when she arrives, Lexi discovers the council won’t allow the Christmas tree on the green to be decorated this year; it’s too dangerous and has to come down. Lexi is desperate to save their favourite family tradition and make this Christmas extra special.

Can she save the tree and mend her broken heart in time for Christmas?

MY THOUGHTS

Our December wasn’t overly cold, and we had no snow. Reading this now in January with our frigid temperatures and snow feels more like Christmas book reading time.
I liked Lexi Forde’s character, she’s fun, loves Christmas, animals and is outgoing.
After a surprise visit to her boyfriend Ben’s workplace reveals he’s been cheating on her she decides to visit her family living two hours away for Christmas earlier than originally planned.
Her family is fun and quirky. I really enjoyed grandma, but more about her in a bit. Her parents own a bakery in Devon. Grandma has a better social life than most of the young people, is a rebel and Lexi is worried grandma is going to get arrested. In the story we have a town tradition where the town council decorates a huge tree in town and everyone sings carols, this year the town’s people are in an uproar as the tree is slated to be torn down after being deemed unsafe. A dogsitter living close by has the sweetest dog he’s watching for his sister. He’s caring for her dog, and he may just be the one to heal her broken heart. Though predictable the story is cute, fun and I could imagine in my mind the hilarious antics taking place. It’s a hug in a book and just what I needed to read now.

Pub Date 07 Oct 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

296 pages Boldwood Books May 31, 2022 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Little Knitting Box has been in Cleo’s family for nearly four decades, and Cleo’s to manage for four years – ever since she arrived in New York, fresh off the plane from the Cotswolds. But instead of an early Christmas card in the mail this year, she gets a letter that tips her world on its axis. New York was supposed to be her second chance, do people get third chances?

Dylan has had a tumultuous few years. His marriage broke down, his mother passed away and he’s been trying to pick up the pieces as a stay-at-home dad. All he wants this Christmas is to give his kids the home and stability they need. But when he meets Cleo, he begins to see it’s not always so easy to move on, especially when his ex seems determined to win him back.

When the snow starts to fall, both Cleo and Dylan realise life is rarely black and white, and both have choices to make. Will Dylan follow his heart or his head? And will Cleo ever allow herself to be a part of another family when her own fell apart at the seams?

Full of snow, love and the true meaning of Christmas, this novel will have you hooked until the final page.

*Please note this is a re-release of Christmas at the Little Knitting Box, previously published by Helen J Rolfe*

MY THOUGHTS

My grandmother tried to teach me crocheting and knitting when I was younger, but I never got the hang of it. Now I wish I had as it would have been more of a way to feel connected to her, but I have plenty of other wonderful memories.
I think this is only the second book or so that I’ve read of that takes place in a yarn shop. The descriptions of the varieties of yarns, the patterns, types of needles, haberdashery and the encouraging customers was a soothing balm. The book was a comfort to read.
An unexpected letter is what Cleo receives at the yarn shop that’s been passed down through various family members for 40 years. The lease is up, and she’ll have to relocate. New York’s rents are outrageous and she’s not even sure she can find an accessible shop not too far away from all her customers. New York is nothing like Cotswold where Cleo is from but it’s home now that she’s managing her family’s Little Knitting Box yarn shop. How can she ever leave it?
Dylan, divorced father of two, a young boy and girl, has recently had his mother pass away and is enjoying working from home rather than at the corporate office. His wife is regretting the divorce and wants a second chance at their marriage.
All Dylan wants is to be the best father for his children he can and possibly a chance with Cleo from the Little Knitting Box. The author beautifully takes us through the ups and downs of the emotions involved in the various relationships. Cleo has a secret she’s hiding from him. Will this relationship be able to progress with the controlling ex-wife seemingly dominating his time? I really liked Cleo’s employee Kaisha; she has a great, fun personality. Fun, festive, warm and welcoming this was a read I’ll be reading again at some time.

Pub Date 31 May 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for popping in today. I wish you all the best.

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Two Christmas cozy mystery reviews for you: A Nutcracker Nightmare (A Killer Chocolate Mystery Book 2) and The Twelve Suspects of Christmas: a heartwarming Provence cozy mystery perfect for the holiday season

250 pages BooksGoSocial October 20,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Grannies, gangsters, murders—and a rollicking journey across France!

It’s January 4, 1961, and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love. It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances.

Many decades later, an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives, and all her doubts come flooding back.
At 84, there’s no time to waste!
Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy, an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth.
Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera, with a detour through wintry Paris.

Amid yuletide festivities, Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain. Their list of suspects quickly grows. Was it Rene’s older brother? Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer? The powerful Monegasque tycoon?
Stumped, Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…

This Christmas, will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift?

MY THOUGHTS

Based on factual and fiction happenings and locations, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s quirky and it stands out among the rest.

Our protagonists are two elderly women who set off on a trip through France to solve a years old cold case. Amateur sleuth Rose Tassy, and Annie Malian brave the wintry elements after receiving an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie. Her love interest was said to have committed suicide but did he really?

These two, at first can’t agree on anything and I can just imagine what the arguing in the car sounded like, but a mutual respect soon settles over the two.

So many suspects, so little time, it seems as though this case will stay unsolved with so many suspects but when things start to hear up with the clues there’s no telling what will happen. This is my first time reading this author and I’m hoping I’ll be able to read more cases with these two in the driver’s seat.

Pub Date 20 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

302 pages Crooked Lane Books publisher October 17,2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when twin sisters Hanna and Alex help out at the local high school reunion, volunteering takes a turn when they find a former classmate’s dead body.

Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. Neighbors will connect with old friends and perhaps try to avoid old foes. One person no one can avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna, even threatening her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, Alex glimpses more drama than nostalgia as insults are flung around like a football at a Friday night game. The party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.

Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—someone saw her slap Kyle in the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him.

But when the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hanna know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.

MY THOUGHTS

A Nutcracker Nightmare is the second book in Killer Chocolate, a cozy mystery series. Though I am reading the second one first I still was able to enjoy the story fully. I do need to read that first one now.

Sisters Alex and Hanna live together and jointly own Murder and Mayhem: Killer Chocolates and Bookshop in fictional Harriston, Montana where this is set. When they signed up for a best chocolates competition, they didn’t realize the competition would be delayed several times and finally fall right during the Christmas season when they were swamped with candy orders. Can the sisters keep up with everything including trying out recipes of new chocolate favors to create for the shop?


I did think it was pretty neat that the names of their chocolates go with the theme of their shop. Some of the names of the chocolates include True North Nicotine Caramel, recipe included and Gingerbread Gelsemine Truffle, recipe included. In real life would these names of chocolates be off putting or draw people in? I’d say both.


With high school reunion weekend coming up, some of the former students are looking forward to it and some just want to try to avoid their foes. When an arrogant former student shows up everyone tries to avoid him. They know how rotten he still is. One of the sisters is accused of murder because of an action that was said to have happened.

Will this candy maker still be able to stir the chocolate pot, or will the cooking fires be growing cold? The victim was very unlikable so many had a reason to want him out of the picture.
Loved the Christmas theme, it was there but not overwhelming. I enjoyed this mystery set around the holidays and it kept me reading to see how it was solved.

Pub Date 17 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own,

Have you read these or plan on it? We have snow coming in again tonight and into tomorrow. After what happened during our last snowstorm you know I’ll be staying in. Be safe and stay warm.

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Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall: A gorgeous Christmas romance to sweep you off of your feet!

281 pages Aria publisher September 2,2021 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Wrap yourself in the taste of Christmas with this fantastic festive romance!

Christa Playfoot is looking for a fresh start after her divorce. Having lost her Michelin-starred restaurant, she hadn’t expected to be job hunting and single just before Christmas, so when her best friend says she’s recommended her for a gig as a private chef over the Christmas period, she can’t think of a reason to say no…

Christa has no idea what to expect but it’s certainly not grumpy billionaire divorcee Marc Ferrier and his rambunctious twin sons, or the beautiful but cheerless country estate, Pudding Hall, that they inhabit.

With her knack for pouring love into her cooking, Christa is determined to make this Christmas sparkle for the Ferrier family and maybe get her life back on track in the process…

Winter cookies recipe

MY THOUGHTS

Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall by Kate Forster is a warm, wonderful and festive book.
I enjoyed all the feelings of a warm holiday get together with characters that cared about each other. Out of a job and single isn’t the way anyone wants to spend the holidays but that’s a former Michelin-starred restaurant owner’s reality. Then her best friend recommended her for position of private chef over the Christmas period. This is for grumpy rich divorcee Marc Ferrier and his rambunctious twin sons at their prestigious country estate, Pudding Hall. The descriptions of Pudding Hall, it’s lovely decorations and the landscape sound exquisite. Filled with delicious sounding recipes. Christa succeeds at her private chef’s job, but can she bring the holiday spirit to the grump and his twin boys? Enjoyed reading about the delicious sounding foods being made because you can’t have the holidays without trying new foods and recipes. The twins were adorable and so lively.
Another book from an author that guarantees a nice feel-good read and I’ll be looking for more reads by this author.

Pub Date 02 Sep 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, two children and two dogs, and can be found nursing a laptop, surrounded by magazines and watching trash TV or French films. Kate is the author of the adult novels; The Perfect Location, The Perfect Retreat, Seduction, Close Up, Picture Perfect and For the Love of Christmas. She has also written five young adult romance books including; Unlucky Break, Head over High Heels, Beauty and the Beat, Piece of Cake and Twice Upon a Time.

Thanks for stopping in. May your day be blessed with goodness.

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Stalking Around the Christmas Tree (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Book 4)

282 pages Crooked Lane Books October 17, 2023 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the 4th Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.

Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the show had a super fan that no one knows anything about. And the show’s understudy slips some other intriguing information Holly’s way: not only was Tiffany secretly seeing someone romantically, but there seems to be more than one rat in this company. When Holly discovers a secret passage leading to Tiffany’s dressing room, with footprints leading out; she wonders if this is evidence of a secret lover—or a stalking killer.

MY THOUGHTS

The Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series is one of my favorites.
I just love this series, in one of the previous books it focused on the Christmas tree farm, it was such a wonderful book.

Now there is a gift shop/bakery and its totally Christmas related. How can you go wrong with a town named Mistletoe. Mistletoe is in Maine, with lots of snow there’s no worries about the town’s folks getting into the holiday spirit.


Inn keeper Holly White is one busy lady, the ladies from the Nutcracker ballet are staying at Holly’s Reindeer Games Inn while practicing for their big show and on top of that she’s planning a wedding this Christmas. When a ballet dancer is discovered dead the investigation starts.


When it’s discovered that the ballet dancer is hiding more than a few things could those secrets have led to her death? I remember Sheriff Evan Gray in the other books, now he’s about to be a married man with his Christmas wedding.

With a terrible murder to investigate right before their wedding will Evan and Holly’s wedding plans go on as planned or will they blow away in the freezing cold wind?
I’ll be on the lookout for more books in this intriguing holiday mystery series.

Pub Date 17 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).

I hope your day is going well. Thank you for stopping in.