Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eleven year old Tilly lives with her grandparents in a flat above their bookstore. She's been told her father died, and her mother disappeared when she was a baby. Tilly has noticed that her grandparents have odd-looking visitors, but it's not until Alice (from Wonderland) and Anne (from Avonlea) show up and take her into their books, that she finds out she comes from a family of bookwanderers.
I'm looking forward to the next book.

View all my reviews

Black and Blueberry Die by Livia J. Washburn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mike asks his mom for help. His childhood BFF is in prison for murdering his wife. Mike just can't believe he did it. Phyllis, with the help of Sam and lawyer D'Angelo, go about trying to figure out who did it. I did not guess the killer, and some of the recipes look yummy. I've read several of this series and like it.

View all my reviews

A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'Tis the week before Christmas, and all through Ashland, there was celebrating, by Jules and her gang.
Jules takes the Torte staff to a Dickens themed feast to celebrate the season at the old Winchester Inn, but in the middle of dinner the lights go off, and when they come back, a body is found. The Inn's new owner is dead by steak knife. Will the killer be found before Christmas?
I really enjoy this series and am trying to catch up on the previous titles before the new ones come out. I love the setting and the characters (especially Carlos!)

View all my reviews

Pumpkins in Paradise by Kathi Daley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

New series for me. TJ works as a school coach and helps out in her family's lodge at a Lake Tahoe-style place in the town of Serenity, Nevada. She is friends with the town's curmudgeon, Zachary, who is found dead. Police think he just died of old age, but TJ thinks there's something odd about his death.
I enjoyed the setting and the characters, but the writing was a little bit odd. I also thought that the Nevada Day holiday was not mentioned, even though it celebrated right before Halloween. It may be a bigger deal in Carson City, where I live, than elsewhere in Nevada.
I will try to read the next one in the series.

View all my reviews

Till Death Do Us Tart by Ellie Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jules is planning a surprise wedding for her mother and the professor, with the help of the whole town. Carlos is flying in for it, and bringing his son Ramiro to meet Jules. On top of that, the renovations at Torte are almost done, but with all the stuff going on, she is a nervous wreck. Then BFF Lance's father dies in suspicious circumstances and he asks her for help. This mystery was very complicated and sad, but I enjoyed seeing how Jules and almost-ex Carlos get along, and Ramiro turned out to be a nice kid.

View all my reviews

Gilded by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is a little dark, but after all it's based on German folklore, so it was true to the spirit of the tale. A bit slow in the beginning, but the story of Serilda, the miller's daughter, and how she came to tell the lie of spinning straw into gold gets very captivating. Every time she comes about a clue (usually the letter R), I want to scream Rumpelstiltskin! I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

View all my reviews

Knitted and Knifed: A Humorous & Heart-warming Cozy Mystery by Tracey Drew
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in a small beach town in New Zealand, this was a rather cute mystery. I thought it was the first in the series, but they talk about a past murder, so maybe there's a prequel? Tessa moves in with her grandfather after her grandmother dies, to take care of him, his two cats, and help out in the yarn store owned by her grandmother. She finds her brother's boss dead, and with him being the main suspect, she sets out to find the real killer. I really liked the characters and the setting. I was worried that some of the vocabulary would be strange for an American, but there were only a few words I didn't know. I'm not usually a fan of crafty mysteries (read this one for a challenge), but I may continue the series.

View all my reviews