Publisher: Kensington

Published: January 1, 2004

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Amazon Digital

Available Formats: Digital, Hardcover, Mass Market Paperback

My Review: In looking for a book with an orange cover I found this book on my kindle. I don’t remember buying it. I’m glad I did though. Charlotte LaRue is fiesty and finds herself in interesting places.

Death Tidies Up is book 2 in the series and Charlotte is fretting about turning 60. Her son wants her to retire from her cleaning business but she refuses. During a job, her crew finds a body but the confusing thing is Charlotte has already attended his funeral once two years prior. Can Charlotte find out the truth and stay out of hot water?

This series seems like it will be a good one. It impressed me that even though I have not read book one I had no issues keeping up. There was no foul language and no sex scenes. Just murder.

If you are looking for a virtual visit to NOLA this is a series for you.

From Goodreads: Between running her maid service (the successful Maid-for-a-Day) and fretting about her upcoming birthday (the dreaded 6-0), Charlotte LaRue doesn’t have much time for gossip. But New Orleans’s latest dust-up is hard to ignore–especially since it involves Marian Hebert, one of Charlotte’s new clients. Turns out Marian’s now-deceased husband once worked for his best friend Drew Bergeron’s real-estate agency–and when the business deal soured, so did the friendship. The whole sordid affair came to an unfortunate end when Drew died in a plane crash–and Bill Hebert was killed in what some people insist on calling an accident. Others are convinced it was murder.
Pretty juicy stuff, right? Charlotte doesn’t think so. She’s trying her best to forget all the rumors–she has more important things to worry about these days. Like vacuuming, window-washing. . .and her new job at the old Devilier house. The gorgeous historic home is being transformed into luxury apartments, and Maid-for-a-Day is in charge of the cleanup. Should be easy enough, Charlotte thinks–until she finds a barely-cold corpse in one of the closets.

The police are sure the dead man is Drew Bergeron. Funny, considering Drew supposedly died years ago–and Charlotte distinctly remembers attending his funeral. Talk about messy. Suddenly all that gossip about the Heberts and Bergerons seems incredibly timely–and Charlotte wishes she’d listened just a little bit closer. . .

With old rivalries flaring–and past secrets suddenly back in the present–Charlotte has a feeling this job will involve some real dirty work. Good thing she has a knack for cleaning up crimes.

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: August 25, 2015

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Amazon Digital

Available Formats: Digital, Audiobook, Hardcover, and Paperback

My Review: I am fascinated with Plain life. Could I live it? No, but I love the premise of it. Sometimes I wish I could live without all the “noise” modern-day living brings with it. Go days without picking up my phone for one reason or another.

I learned of Sherry Gore through a 3 book fiction series set in Pinecraft, FL written by her and Tricia Goyer. So when I saw this book I was very interested. I knew she had a daughter who died young but didn’t understand why.

This book also hit home as I didn’t realize she lived in Kentucky for a few years and Felicity, Ohio. My college roommate went to school in Felicity. Such a small world. Sherry also lost close friends in the horrific accident on 65 when a semi hit a van full of Plain people. I remember hearing about it that day and crying. So many beautiful lives lost.

This book is not for the faint of heart as there are triggers (abortion, drug overdose, death of a child) but is a very moving read.

From Goodreads: Raised in a broken family and emotionally overlooked, Sherry Gore grew up without a solid foundation, a prisoner of her own poor choices, and at times without hope.  A series of terrible mistakes left her feeling wrecked and alone and a sudden tragedy threw Sherry into an emotional tailspin too powerful to escape.

Sherry hangs by a thread, unable to see how she can go on living, until it happens: on a morning of no particular significance, she walks into a church and BAM the truth of Jesus’ forgiving love shatters her world and cleaves her life in two:  She goes to bed stunned; she wakes up a Christian.

Unwilling to return to the darkness of her former life, Sherry attacks her faith head on.  Soon the life Sherry Gore remakes for herself and her children as she seeks to follow the teachings of the Bible features head coverings, simple dress, and a focus on Jesus Christ.  Only then does she realize, in a fit of excitement, that there are others like her.  They are called Amish and Mennonite, and she realizes she has found her people.

The plain choice that Sherry makes is not easy – and life still brings unexpected pain and heartache – but it changes everything for her, as she becomes one of the few people on earth to have successfully joined the Amish from the outside. 

She has found her place. And her story proves that one can return from the darkest depths to the purest light with the power of God.

Publisher: Kensington

Published: September 28, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Mass Market Paperback, and Audiobook

My Review:

I came into this series on the second book and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I keep telling myself to go back and read the first one.

In book 4 we join Lilly and the Garden Squad on Thanksgiving weekend as they attend a memorial for a dear friend who owned the local theater. One thing leads to another and murder takes center stage.

I like the clean reading this series provides and how open and accepting the characters are of each other’s lives. They just genuinely love each other for who they are.

The author does a phenomenal job of writing that you can start with any book in the series and be ok.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through Netgalley. All opinions expressed above are my own.

From NetGalley: There’s nothing like autumn in picturesque Goosebush, Massachusetts, but beneath the season’s sun-dappled foliage, Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad must investigate a shadowy murder mystery after a theater owner’s sudden death sows as much drama behind the scenes as on any stage…
 
Lilly Jayne typically spends the harvest season baking festive pies and crafting colorful wreaths to enter in the library’s annual fundraising contest. But this year, autumn opens on a somber note when beloved local theater owner, Leon Tompkin, dies unexpectedly. His memorial sets the scene for a mini reunion of The Goosebush Players’ best and brightest alumni, including Hollywood star, Jeremy Nolan…until someone plucks Jeremy from the spotlight, permanently.
 
Now, as dedicated theater volunteer, Scooter McGee, falls under suspicion, Lilly and her Garden Squad must spring into action. They quickly discover a cornucopia of potential suspects in Jeremy’s murder. Was it an embittered ex…or a jilted lover? A rival thespian…or an overly ambitious artist? Lilly rakes through the piles of clues, but if she doesn’t uncover the real killer soon, more than autumn leaves will be dropping in Goosebush…

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Published: August 10, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Audiobook, and Hardback

My Review: Every time I read the latest book in this series I question why I haven’t read the beginning of the series. Although this was not my favorite in the series it was still an enjoyable read. I am not a fan of Outlander (gasp!) so in turn, books set in Scotland aren’t my most enjoyed reads.

My favorite aspect in this book is that Miss Gloria tagged along on the honeymoon and was a prime-focused character. She is a hoot and if she ever dies in the series I will go into mourning.

I could have done without the small secondary mystery back in Key West. It didn’t add much to the story.

There are many yummy recipes at the end and I have plans of fixing several. I like the idea that the scones can be kept in the freezer and taken out as needed.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

From NetGalley:

A murderer’s out to spoil Hayley’s honeymoon in national bestselling author Lucy Burdette’s eleventh Key West Food Critic Mystery.

Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow and her groom, police detective Nathan Bransford, chose Scotland for their long-delayed honeymoon, hoping to sightsee and enjoy some prize-winning scones. But their romantic duo swells to a crowd when they’re joined by Nathan’s family as well as octogenarian Miss Gloria.

Nathan’s sister Vera takes the women on a whirlwind tour of some of Scotland’s iconic mystic places as research for a looming book project. But the trip takes a deadly tartan turn when a dinner party guest falls ill and claims she was poisoned. And then the group watches in horror as a mysterious tourist tumbles to his death from the famous Falkirk Wheel, high above the Forth & Clyde canal.

Vera and her friends deny knowing the dead man, but after observing their reactions to the fall, Hayley is not convinced. With one person dead, a second possibly poisoned, and the tension among Vera’s friends as thick as farmhouse cheese, Hayley fears her long-awaited honeymoon might end with another murder.

Far away from home, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, eccentric characters, and a forbiddingly gorgeous setting, Hayley must call on all her savvy to keep a killer from striking again and then escaping Scot free.

Publisher: Hallmark Publishing

Published: July 27, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Paperback, and Audiobook

My Review: An Amish Flower Farm is as sweet as honey and as beautiful as a flower in the morning sun.

The love story between Belinda and Adam is so moving that you can’t but flip the pages as fast as you can. You just have to know what happens next.

This would be the perfect book for the teenage girl in your life who doesn’t believe she is pretty enough, smart enough, or brave enough for those around her. It let’s you know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that with courage you can overcome any fear.

A clean romance with no sex and no foul language. I would be completely comfortable giving this to a young teenager to read who is interested in romance novels.

This is my first Mindy Steele book and it won’t be my last.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions expressed above are my own.

From NetGalley:

She grows flowers.
He raises bees for honey.
They help each other out,
because that’s what neighbors do…

Belinda Graber loves growing flowers for her family to sell at the Amish marketplace. Venturing beyond the farm to sell them in town, though, is out of the question. People would stare at the birthmark on her cheek, and she’s dealt with enough teasing in her life.

As a beekeeper, Adam Fisher knows how blessed he is to live next door to the Grabers’ greenhouses and fields. But when his father is injured, Adam has to take a job at the local mill. How will he manage the honey harvest?

Adam and Belinda make a deal: if she tends his hives, he’ll sell her flowers in town.

Belinda’s sure that her growing feelings for Adam could never be returned. Meanwhile, Adam can’t help but notice how his shy neighbor charms the bees…or is he the one being charmed? Because his last courtship ended badly, Adam tells himself this arrangement is strictly business, even if Belinda is sweet as honey.

This uplifting Amish romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe.

Publisher: Kensington Books

Published: July 27, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Audio, and Paperback

My Review: What a fun series! It makes what to move to the Gulf Coast with my books and work in a bar. I would be like Chloe in the fact that I do not know the first thing about mixing drinks unless it is a Bloody Mary and I am fairly certain I do that wrong. LOL

Favorite part of the book: the mention of Seaside and Sundog Books. Anytime I am close to the area I visit both. It is so beautiful and the bookstore is fun and full of treasures.

Least favorite part of the book: I was left hanging with a secondary mystery that started in this book. I am not sure if I missed the closure or if it was purposely left open for the next book.

Chloe is fun and lovable and the relationship growing between her and Boone’s Grandma ViVi is beautiful.

If you love books set in Florida then you have to read this series. Read in order to get the best out of it.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington Books, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

From NetGalley: Saloon owner Chloe Jackson is after a murderer with skeletons in the closet–and one on a boat.

BAD TO THE BONE

Chloe loves her new life pouring beers and mixing cocktails at the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle town of Emerald Cove. But on the job, the only exercise she gets is walking from one end of the bar to the other, so in the mornings she loves to run on the beach. On this morning’s foggy run, she spots a sailboat washed up on a sandbar. Hearing a cry, she climbs aboard the beached vessel to investigate and finds not only a mewling kitten–but a human skeleton in the cabin.

The skeleton is tied back to Chloe’s friend Ralph, whose wife disappeared on a sailboat with three other people twelve years ago. Believing his wife was lost at sea, Ralph remarried. Now he finds himself a murder suspect. Chloe is determined to find out who’s been up to some skulduggery, but her sleuthing will lead her into some rough waters and some bone-chilling revelations…

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Published: July 27, 2021

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Audio, Digital, and Hardcover

My Review: What the what? This book kept me surprised from beginning to end. This is a series that I will not read anything about the new book until after I finish reading it. I like the surprise of what it is going to be about. I was in no way prepared for all the happenings that occurred. I am still in shock and surprise.

We see sides of characters that you would never expect. What I will say, is what we see makes the characters and their lives seem very real.

I am very interested in seeing how Tricia moves forward and what is next.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

From NetGalley: A murder leads to a string of shocking revelations for bookstore owner Tricia Miles in the latest entry to Lorna Barrett’s New York Times bestselling Booktown series. 

Tricia Miles has just received a second marriage proposal within fifteen minutes. The first was from her friend with benefits, Marshall Chambers, and the second from her ex-lover, police chief Grant Baker. Tricia’s got some serious thinking to do.

She’s still weighing her options when she hears the sound of an engine roaring down Main Street. It’s a big white pickup truck that aims for and hits Marshall as he’s walking back to his apartment. Tragically, he’s killed, leaving Tricia feeling bereft and guilty. She retreats to her sister, Angelica’s, apartment to wait for Baker to update her on what happened. While there, Tricia takes Angelica’s dog out for a comfort call behind the building, and the same white pickup roars up the alley and just misses hitting Tricia.

Still shaken by that news, Tricia returns to Haven’t Got a Clue and is met by federal marshal Kirby, who tells her that Marshall had been in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Everything Marshall told Tricia was a lie—in particular, that he was a widower. Was his death an act of revenge?

Tricia’s on the hunt for a killer, and it seems like she might be next on the list.

Publisher: Macmillan-Tor/Forge

Published: July 22, 2021

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Audio, Digital, and Hardback

My Review: Oh my goodness, y’all this book is everything! Magical realism, family hurts, and love. 💕

When is the last time you woke up at 2 am just to finish a book? I just had to know how it would end. The beauty of the book made me cry. I cannot stop thinking about this book.

I really don’t want to say much as I want you to experience this book without a lot of preconceived notions.

You will not be sorry you bought this book. Perfect for any reading situation.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, MacMillian-Tor/Forge, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

From NetGalley: The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is a charming, delightful story of family, healing, love, and small town Southern charm by USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber.

Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding her family and hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama, since she nearly drowned in the lake just outside her mother’s B&B. Eight years later, Sadie is the host of a much-loved show about southern cooking and family, but despite her success, she wonders why she was saved. What is she supposed to do?

Sadie’s sister, Leala Clare, is still haunted by the guilt she feels over the night her sister almost died. Now, at a crossroads in her marriage, Leala has everything she ever thought she wanted—so why is she so unhappy?

When their mother suffers a minor heart attack just before Sugarberry Cove’s famous water lantern festival, the two sisters come home to run the inn while she recovers. It’s the last place either of them wants to be, but with a little help from the inn’s quirky guests, the sisters may come to terms with their strained relationships, accept the past, and rediscover a little lake magic.

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Published: July 13, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Audio, Digital, and Hardback

My Review: This year my promise to myself was not to start any new cozy mystery series until I finished a few I had going but the cover of this debut series sucked me right on in. I am so glad it did. Is it a perfectly written cozy mystery? No, but for me, it felt very real. Rain is dealing with the loss of her husband and the realization that he was unfaithful. She decides to move back to her hometown and stay at her parents’ place while they are away for the summer. Before she even gets unpacked she learns that she is expected to run the summer library for her absentee mom and in the process finds a dead body on her property. Rain is starting to wonder if moving home was her best choice. She really just wanted a quiet place to grieve and lick her wounds.

Rain appears fickle at times but coming from my own experience of grief you don’t always think like you normally would. Some days you are lucky to remember to tie your shoes before walking out the door. Rain’s childhood friend, Julia, is a tad irritating as she tends to railroad Rain and then afterward apologizes. I wouldn’t pick Julia as a friend but she seems to be the right one for Rain.

I hope in book 2, Long Overdue at the Lakeside Library (out 2.2022) that we get to meet Rain’s parents and find out what is really going on with them. There is quite a story going on there.

If you love cozy mysteries set by water and involving books this is a series for you. Trigger warning: unfaithfulness, death of a spouse, and murder.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

From NetGalley: In this series debut perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Miranda James, Rain Wilmot must discover the killer, before the book closes on her life.

Rain Wilmot has just returned to her family’s waterfront log cabin in Lofty Pines, Wisconsin after the untimely death of her husband. The cabin is peaceful compared to Rain’s corporate job and comes with an informal library that Rain’s mother, Willow, used to run. But as Rain prepares for the re-opening of the library, all hopes for a peaceful life are shattered when she discovers the body of Thornton Hughes, a real estate buyer, on the premises.

The community of Lofty Pines starts pointing fingers at Willow, since she has been unusually absent from the library this summer. A fishy rumor surfaces when Rain learns that Willow had been spending a lot of time with Thornton. The town even thought they were having an affair.

While theories swirl about Thornton’s death, Rain takes it upon herself to solve the case to exonerate her mother. As more clues surface, Rain will have to piece together the mystery. But if she isn’t careful, she may be the next to end up dead in the water in Murder at the Lakeside Library, the first in Holly Danvers’ new Lakeside Library mysteries.

Pages: 336

Publisher: Kensington Books

Published: June 29, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: NetGalley

Available Formats: Digital, Audiobook, and Paperback

Lana Lamar, a local art critic, finds ways to irritate most everyone she comes in contact with whether it is on the pickleball court or at a art show. Unfortunately, she has made the wrong person mad and finds herself murdered at the fancy fundraiser. Courtney must find the killer with the help of her fairy, Fiona, before her BFF’s mom is locked up for good.

Let me start with this: the series is well written but it is not for me. I can’t get into the fairy aspect. I guess I have lost the magic in my life at this time. The mystery is good, the characters are likable and engaging, and the fairy gardens sound beautiful. If you enjoy books with mystical qualities this series would be for you.

I would recommend this series for any cozy mystery lover. Please give it a whirl and I hope you love it and are able to find the magic in your life.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington Books, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.