Monday, December 23, 2019

Review: CAT NOEL by Mollie Hunt


5 Cat Stars!

A delightfully cozy all-cats-all-the-time mystery! Sixtyish retired Cat Fancier Lynley, owned by 8 felines and doting grandma, finds herself in the midst of a dangerous Christmastime puzzle--all in order to rescue a Siamese.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Review: 51 Christmas Drop Cookie Recipes

5 Cookie Stars


Wow! I'd like to try out every one of these recipes, starting right now and going thtough Christmas and beyond. Yum!

Friday, December 13, 2019

Review: THE CHRISTMAS WALK CAPER by J.B. Michaels



5 Cozy Stars

I was very delightfully surprised at the additional element that appeared later in the story, which really won it over for me. This is first of a series, a smooth cosy mystery starring an injured former Chicago P. D. Detective, and his new love interest, a banker, and is set in the charming community of Geneva, Illinois.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Review: FLYNN'S CHRISTMAS by Anna Elliott



5 Stars
This is a short, compelling, adventurous story in the SHERLOCK HOLMES AND LUCY JAMES Series. Holmes' Baker Street Irregulars (street kids) are tasked to track a man with a satchel, and Flynn puts himself in danger to save the day and save lives.

Review: AVERY MEETS CHEVY



5 Dog Stars!

I cried; I cried when Avery reminisced over her late beloved canine companion and I cried when she found Chevy at the shelter. What special dogs! Avery is Avery Barks, a Search-and-Rescue volunteer. Chevy is her newest acquisition as S&R partner. In this short story they celebrate Christmas by finding new friends and by solving puzzling neighborhood thefts.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Review: THE TWELVE DICE OF CHRISTMAS by Gail Oust



5 Stars

Happy are the amateur sleuths of cozy mysteries, pitted against intransigent law enforcement. Take Kate McCall of South Carolina, widowed, retired, Ohio native, protagonist of Gail Oust's Kate McCall Mysteries. Kate doesn't know when to stop; an irresistible force pitted against the immovable object of local Sheriff Wiggins. Kate discovered it, and she's determined to solve a mystery twenty-five years cold.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Review: CHRISTMAS PARTY: A SHORT STORY by Mary Hiker (Avery Barks Series)



5 Stars!

The Search-and-Rescue unit's dogs Christmas party is suddenly interrupted by a report of shooting-by-Santa; but the clever and well-trained canines soon track down the nefarious Santa, and a happy ending is had by all.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Review: ALASKAN CHRISTMAS COLD CASE by Sarah Varland



4 Stars

This excitingly intriguing Romantic Suspense weighs in both on the Romance and on Suspense. The mystery of the killer's identity, and ability to move around undetected, puzzled me throughout and definitely kept me turning pages to the end. Emotions run both high and deep, so romance lovers will really enjoy, as will puzzling mystery fans.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Review: THE WEDDING DRESS CHRISTMAS by Rachel Haupt

5 Cozy Stars!

How could anyone not enthuse over this very special story? Even me, Scrooge-ish as I am, fell in love with the town of Hearts Bend, its residents, and the legend (facts) of a significantly, supremely, special wedding gown designed and sewn in 1912, in Birmingham, AL, by a black seamstress [read between the lines]: a gown which has endured 108 years and multiple brides, each with her own special story.  This treasured story is a Novella in  Rachel Hauck's THE WEDDING COLLECTION (3.5).


Review: BEWITCH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS by N. M. Howell (Brimstone Bay Book 3)

5 Cozy Stars
Delightfully bewitching paranormal Cozy, this is Brimstone Bay Mysteries Book 3. Protagonist-narrator River, her landlady, and housemates, are all Witches (the good kind of course). River's Christmas Eve is inaugurated by a Ghost visit: a pair who can only remember one fact: River "is next." A wild puzzle chase ensues, as the witch crew uncover a number of unreasonable deaths, and then she and her boyfriend Jordan are targeted. I really enjoyed how the puzzle played out--quite creative!



Review: CHRISTMAS CALAMITY AT THE VICARAGE by Emily Organ (Churchill & Pemberley)



5 Cozy Stars!

Now this is my definition of Classic-British-Village-Cosy-Mystery! I loved it: the puzzle, secret ways, subtly snarky humor, the two protagonists who are sort of a gender reversal of Sherlock and faithful Watson--two elderly ladies, one plus-size in the Sherlock role, one skinny and dog-devoted in the Watson role. A quick and utterly adorable read!

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Review: A CHRISTMAS COOKIE EXCHANGE by Sherri Wall



5 Stars!
Children's Text & Illustration
A heartwarming "sweet" story about a lonely Christmas cookie who learns a valuable lesson. Rhyme and repetition increase young one's comprehension. Delightful!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Review: THE THREE CHRISTMASES OF WILLIAM S



5 Stars!

If you wish a simultaneously heartwrenching and heartwarming Christmas tale that will make you laugh and cry, take THE THREE CHRISTMASES OF WILLIAM SPENCER. A fast read at about 53 pages, it will give you a powerful emotional workout.