Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton

Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton ISBN-13: 9780425252352 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Bailey’s Farmers’ Market is this season’s go-to holiday destination. Jam and preserve maker Becca Robins is excited about the extra business that the Ridgeway Christmas Tree Farm is bringing to the market this holiday season, but not all the vendors are happy to see the Ridgeways.

Then a competing tree farmer, Reggie Stuckey, arrives with a truck full of trees and says that he has exclusive selling rights at the market. When Reggie is found with a tree stake in his chest, Becca sets out to untangle the relationships of those involved and is helped along by mysterious ornaments that begin to show up in her stall.


My Review:
Merry Market Murder is a cozy mystery. It's the fifth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to follow this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous novels.

The mystery was a clue-based puzzle mystery. I saw how the clues were fitting together long before Becca caught on, but Becca didn't have many "this is obviously a clue" to work with. She had to untangle the relationships of everyone involved before she ventured to guess why people didn't like each other. Reserving judgment and not jumping to conclusions is a good thing.

The characters were realistic and interesting, and the "good guy" characters were likable. The motives behind people's actions were understandable. Most of the clues were gathered by Paige chatting with people and her speculation about some odd Christmas ornaments that were mysteriously left for her. Her boyfriend was the lead detective and appreciated the potential leads that she brought to him, so their relationship seemed like a healthy one.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis

Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis ISBN-13: 9780425262559 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: December 3, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Holly Miller has just quit her job on moral grounds when a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain. Wagtail is the country's premiere vacation hot spot for pet owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind. Along the way, she is adopted by an abandoned Jack Russell Terrier who scatters crumbs all over her borrowed car and witnesses a car going off the side of a mountain road.

Once at the inn, her grandmother reveals that a inn employee was recently murdered--but the true target might have been her grandmother! While helping at the inn and enjoying her new dog and a frisky Calico kitten who lives in her room, Holly looks into the recent increase in crimes in the area. Holly and her furry companions will have to nose out the murderer before someone else gets hurt.


My Review:
Murder, She Barked is a cozy mystery. It's the first book in a fun new series. I loved how the animals were connected into the mystery yet they still acted realistically as an untrained, energetic dog and curious kitten. The book is full of pets and is set in a pet-oriented town, so it's appealing to pet-loving readers. I also enjoyed the varied and realistic characters, and Holly is a likable, nice person.

The mystery was a clue-based puzzle and was fairly complex since there were multiple crimes (theft, murder, etc.) that needed solving. I got a sense of what the various hidden motives were and who was involved, but I didn't see how all the pieces fit together until about the same time Holly did.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable cozy mystery to everyone, but I'd highly recommend it to pet-lovers.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Gratitude Giveaways Hop. We had 58 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Carol M
who won "Death in the Vines"

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer ISBN: 0-451-17345-7 Mass Market Paperback: 284 pages Publisher: Signet Regency Romance Released: 1972, 1992

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Independent and spirited, Miss Annis Wychwood gives little thought to finding herself a suitable husband, thus dashing the dreams of many hopeful suitors. When she becomes embroiled in the affairs of the runaway heiress Lucilla, though, she encounters the beautiful fugitive's guardian - as uncivil a rogue she has ever met. Although chafing a bit at the restrictions of Regency society in Bath, Annis does have to admit that Oliver Carleton, at least, is never boring.


My Review:
Lady of Quality is a Regency romance. The author used her excellent understanding of human nature to craft realistic characters and a fun story. The different personality types rubbing up against each other created the humor and relationship tensions in this story. There was a nice level of historical detail woven into the story.

There was no sex. There was some explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this humorous romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Fixing to Die by Elaine Viets

Fixing to Die by Elaine Viets ISBN-13: 9780451240989 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: November 5, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus has been happily married to veterinarian Ted Scottsmeyer for months, and they’re ready for the next step: buying a house. Ted’s business partner, Christine, has one she’s willing to sell, but it needs a lot of love.

When they tear down a rickety gazebo in the backyard, they find the body of Christine’s sister, a free spirit who supposedly took off six months before. The police arrest Christine for murder, leaving Ted to work overtime at the office to cover for his partner. Josie will have to find the real killer quickly, before both her house and marriage are beyond repair....


My Review:
Fixing to Die is a cozy mystery. It's the ninth in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries.

The characters were interesting and acted realistically. The story rotated between house shopping and renovation, mystery shopping, and the mysteries. One "mystery" followed how Joise's daughter proved that some rich kids were cyber-bullying her.

The main mystery was Joise questioning the obvious suspects and placing herself in potentially dangerous situations. Though the detective was very rude, at least the detective worked from the forensic clues found in the grave. Josie worked from "who was the most violent who also had a motive?" In the end, it was never explained how whodunit left the forensic "grave clues" or how they were even connected to whodunit. We had the motive, but the author skipped explaining how. Since I like logic-puzzle mysteries, this "just trust me that whodunit did it" approach didn't leave me feeling satisfied.

There was no sex. There was some explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to those who don't care if the how-done-it of a mystery is clear.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Gratitude Giveaways Hop

As a part of the Gratitude Giveaways Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following books:


Trapped by Irene Hannon is a Christian romantic suspense novel. You can read my review.

When librarian Laura Griffin's sixteen-year-old sister disappears on a frigid February day, leaving only a brief note behind, Laura resolves to do whatever it takes to track down the runaway teen. That includes recruiting ATF agent turned PI James "Dev" Devlin to help. But the deeper he digs, the more he begins to suspect that something sinister is at work in the girl's disappearance. And the closer he gets to uncovering the truth, the clearer it becomes that the situation isn't just dangerous--it's deadly.


Death in the Vines by M.L. Longworth is a mystery novel. You can read my review. (Note: This novel did contain some bad language.)

Olivier Bonnard, the owner of Domaine Beauclaire winery, is devastated when he discovers the theft of a priceless cache of rare vintages. Soon after, Monsieur Gilles d’Arras reports that his wife, Pauline, has vanished from their lavish apartment. As Judge Antoine Verlaque and Commissioner Paulik tackle the cases (with a little help from Marine Bonnet), they receive an urgent call: Bonnard has just found Madame d’Arras--dead in his vineyard.


This contest is for USA residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.


This giveaway ends on November 30, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on December 1, 2013 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop:

Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay

Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay ISBN-13: 9780425260722 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: November 5, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
When the Briar Creek Community Theater mounts their newest production of Shakespeare, library director Lindsey Norris has no intention of leaving the stacks for the stage.

Former Broadway actress Violet La Rue is holding auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and everyone from the sour spinster librarian Ms. Cole to Lindsey’s youthful library pages are trying out for parts. Brought in to play the mischievous Puck is the flirtatious professional actor Robbie Vine, who seems to have eyes for Lindsey. Before her blush has faded, the Bard’s dream turns into a nightmare—when one of the cast is poisoned. Now Lindsey must unmask the culprit before the final curtain call.


My Review:
Read It and Weep is a cozy mystery. It's the fourth in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries.

The mystery was interesting, but Lindsey was slow to pick up on certain clues. Whodunit made a rather obvious slip, yet it took pages for her to even consider whodunit as a possibility. I'd considered and settled on whodunit long before Lindsey, but it wasn't obvious until near the end. There's a twist at the end, though, where it turned out that the case would have been solved even if Lindsey didn't exist. She was unnecessary to the mystery part of the book, which I always find disappointing.

Lindsey also came across to me as a bit hard on her admirers. She had specific problems with how her admirers were behaving (like Robbie flirting with her while having a wife and a girlfriend). Yet she outwardly seemed to be playing hard-to-get rather than plainly stating what underlying problems she needed fixed to go forward in a relationship. Still, I've known women like her and understood why she was acting that way, so I found the characters complex and realistic.

There was no sex. There was some explicit bad language. Overall, it was an enjoyable novel if you like romantic triangles, intrigue, and Shakespeare plays.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.