Book Review: Dressed to Kilt by Hannah Reed

My rating 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

This is a great return to Glenkillen, Scotland and the Scottish Highlands Mystery series. This is book 3, however I feel like this could be a stand alone.

In this story, Eden Elliott, a romance writer and part time special constable uncovers a dead body at an exclusive whiskey tasting rvent at a local distillery. I love the way Hannah Reed writes the description of Scotland, and the Scottish way of life.

This was a fun cozy mystery with a surprising twist or two along the way. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fun cozy mysteries with quirky investigators!  

Book Review: Hooked on Ewe by Hannah Reed

My rating on Goodreads:  4/5 stars

This is book #2 in the Scottish Highlands series. The story is about Eden Elliott, an aspiriring romance writer from the US. Eden is on a six month stay in Glenkillen, Scotland to find her insipriation for her romance novel. Eden has some experience working with the police in the area in a previous murder, and she's been invited to be a special constable by the detective she has worked with.

Eden's close friend Vicki has started a skein of the month yarn club for locals based in her family's sheep farm and yarn shop. In addition, a dog show is happening at the farm during the weekend as a fundraiser for hospice. Then, the welcoming committee chair is found dead. To make matters worse, the woman was strangled with yarn from the local yarn club's first distribution.

I love the way Hannah Reed writes about Scotland and it's interesting to me the way she writes the process for Eden's writing. I really like the characters and I hate to think that Eden's time in Scotland on a visa is coming to an end. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a cozy mystery.

Book Review: Off Kilter by Hanna Reed

I gave this book 4/5 stars.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Scottish Highland cozy mystery series, Off Kilter. This book was a fun adventure into the Scottish countryside.

This story is about Eden Elliott, an American woman who wants to be a romance writer. Her best friend Ami bought her a round trip ticket to Scotland for research. Eden is recovering from a recent divorce and the death of her mother. She needs a new start.

Nearly as soon as she lands and comes to Glenkillen, she stumbles across a dead body. The town's sheep shearer is dead and Eden's new friend Vicki is the main suspect. Eden starts investigating on her own.

Add in a handsome, reserved police inspector, a good-looking, kilt wearing neighbor, and some family drama. This was a fun read, and I did suspect the killer, but there were definitely other options there, as well. I would suggest this book to cozy mystery lovers!

Book Review - Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott

I rate this at 4/5 stars.

Murder in the First Edition is the third book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series..  I haven't read the previous stories, so though there is some history there between the characters, I had no problem jumping right in.  This was such a fun story!  I was hooked from the beginning. 

Our heroine, Addie, owns Beyond the Page Bookstore. Addie donates a vintage copy of A Christmas Carol  to a charity auction.  When the auction's organizer is found dead and the book goes missing, Addie decides to do a little investigating on her own.  In addition, Addie's deceased boyfriend's father, who is himself a man of mysterious background shows up.  Addie feels that his timing for a brief holiday visit is very suspicious, especially since he met the victim earlier in the day.

It's clear that Addie has a history with police chief Mark, but also has feelings for county coroner  Simon.  Although I enjoy a little romance in my cozy mysteries, the love triangle aspect of this book was a little off-putting.  I admit, I have not read the previous books in the series, and maybe I'd be more invested in one man over the other if I had, but I just wish that Addie would make a decision. 

Overall, the mystery was good and it had lots of different possibilities.  I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others looking for a fun cozy mystery.  I'll also be looking for other books in this series.   Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review - Death by Seance by JoAnn Carson



I rated this book 3/5 Stars

Death by Séance is the third book in the A Ghost and Abby mystery series. It can be read as a standalone.

I was not familiar with this series prior to reading this book, but I had no issues jumping right in, getting to know Abby. Abby is a single mother who is a part time private investigator and a night janitor for a haunted tea room. Abby is newly discovering her abilities in witchcraft and a handsome male witch named Dante has taken her under his wing. Abby loves a Viking ghost named Eric. I enjoyed that this book used quotes from Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as openings to the chapters.

In this story, Abby is tasked with finding out who murdered the main vampire in town's right hand day man. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this story and I thought it was resolved in a great manner. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like the ghost boyfriend Eric, because really I'm cheering for Abby to connect with her mentor Dante. All in all, this was a fun paranormal cozy mystery. I would recommend to anyone looking for a light read.

Book Review: Love Lettering by Kate Clyborn

Ok, can I be honest?  I saw so much hype about Love Lettering by Kate Clyborn advance of it's publication.  Kensington Books was really advertising it, putting hundreds of copies on Goodreads giveaways, etc.  I just had to see what the hype was all about.  I requested a copy on #NetGalley, and also received a hard copy on the mail from Kensington's Between the Pages Book Club.  This book lives up to the hype! I fell in love immediately, and stayed up until 2 AM reading.  I totally lost track of time, and forced myself to put the book down so I could get a few hours of sleep before work.  It's seriously that good!

This book is a wonderful love story.  I absolutely loved the way that the story was told.  Meg is a lettering artist known for her whimsical designs on wedding stationery and planners.  Reid works on Wall Street with numbers. 

Reid notices a hidden word in his wedding program, a wedding that was subsequently cancelled, and comes to Meg to find out what she knew about his doomed engagement.    Meg was initially drawn to Reid, even as he was planning his wedding to another woman. 

This book is full of romantic walks around New York and special games that Meg and Reid play together.  I just really love them together and love how their story unfolds.  The only wish I had, if I were to make one, is that there were samples of Meg's art in the book.  Kate Clayborn describes her art in such fantastic detail, I can definitely imagine it in my mind's eye, but I think it would just add that much more to the story.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a romantic story with characters who feel like real people you'd love to meet.  Thanks to #NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

Book Review - Matchmaking Can Be Murder by Amanda Flower



My rating is 4/5 stars.

Matchmaking Can Be Murder is the first in a new series by Amanda Flower. Set in the Amish town of Harvest, Ohio, this mystery is about Millie, a widowed Amish woman. Millie returns after years of being away. Millie has a talent for sensing when couples are meant to be. Millie is especially concerned about her niece Edith, because she is set to marry a local man, Zeke, who is not the right match for her.

Edith confided in Millie that she was going to break things off with Zeke. Shortly afterwards, Zeke is found dead in Edith’s greenhouse. As Millie is waiting for police to arrive, she sees a young Amish man running from the greenhouse. Edith is the primary suspect, but Millie knows she is innocent. Millie enlists the help of her quilting circle and her flamboyant childhood friend, Lois to help her solve the crime.

I really enjoy Amanda Flowers’ other mystery series set in Harvest, and this book does not disappoint. I enjoyed this book and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun cozy mystery. Thanks to #NetGalley and Kensington Reader for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book review - The Captain's Heart by Suzana Medeiros

I rated this book 3/5 stars.  This was a light Victorian romance. It also was quite short.

When one of Captain Edwards Hathaway soldiers asks him for a final favor, Edward cannot refuse. Edward is tasked with delivering a final letter to his friend’s fiancée Grace.

When Grace allows Edward to believe she is her sister, Edward resigns himself to remain in the country until “Grace” returns to fulfill his promise. Meanwhile, the chemistry between Grace and Edward is undeniable.

I did enjoy this short story and would like to read more about Grace and Edward in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light Victorian romance.

My thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review - Potions are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry

This book is the second book in the Eleanor Wilde series by Tamara Berry.  I have not yet read the first book, but had no issues reading this as a standalone.  I would, however, LOVE to read the first book and future stories, because it was good!

The story is about Eleanor Wilde, a woman who is pretending to be a psychic.  She has a long history of being a con artist and has settled in a quaint English villiage.  Ellie sells "potions" and "tonics" to locals, claiming them to be love potions, etc, however mostly they are water, vodka, and some essential oils and local herbs.   When one of the townspeople dies of poisoning, the police look at Ellie as their prime suspect. 

Ellie, of course, takes to investigating on her own to find the true killer.  She also ends up with a pair of teenage girls as assistants, who are surprisingly good at their investigating.   This ending of this book was somewhat of a surprise to me, but I think it wrapped up well.  I would love to hear more about Ellie's hunky rich boyfriend Nicholas, and I'm looking forward to more in the series.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

The Things We Cannot Say: A Novel
by

Kelly Rimmer (Goodreads Author)

Katherine's review

Jan 02, 2020  ·  edit

it was amazing

This book was chosen by my book club. I finished it in one day, and ended up ugly crying at the ending. This book was very nicely written, going back and forth between World War II Poland and present day USA. The story centers around a young woman, Alina, growing up in Poland during WWII. She falls in love with Tomasz and they are torn apart by the war.

Alice, the granddaughter of Hanna, is the other narrator. She has two children, one who is very gifted and one who is on the autism spectrum. She manages the house and her children's activities, and it seems clear that she has no assistance from her husband Wade. Alice's grandmother ends up in the hospital following a stroke, and she communicates with the family by using her great-grandson's communication device. Through the device, Hanna asks Alice to go back to Poland to find her hometown and Tomasz.

The story was so good, I could not put it down. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with romance and real life scenarios