A short story for the Lily Rock mysteries. Every year part of the town tradition is for Meadow to wear an outlandishly decorated floral hat. Many tourists, however, disparage it and this makes the mayor unhappy. When he disappears with the hat, Meadow sends out a search party.

I‘m so glad I read her Lily Rock Holiday Mystery Novellas 1st because they lead up to this mystery, which I couldn‘t put down. Olivia feels she is run off the road when she is heading to visit her best friend in Lily Rock. After being attended to by the local doctor, Olivia is dropped at Marla‘s home. When Marla doesn‘t show up, Olivia is confused because she knows she was expected. Then she finds the body. Olivia stays to find the murderer.

A fun meet cute and a bit spicy, this romance keeps you coming back for more. After being stuck in an elevator Alexa agrees to be Drew‘s plus one at a wedding that weekend. Thus their relationship begins, but, boy, do they have communication problems.

I love her characters and their resilience, although this one stubbornly held onto her “poor me” longer. Katy just lost her power job and on a whim took a job to clean up the station in Cranfield. As she learns of the financial precariousness, she uses her professional skills to suggest and implement new businesses. Ryan lost his position as head chef and is fascinated by Katy. Together they flourish the new businesses.

Due to current circumstances this was a hard read, but an excellent read. Gamash receives hints of something horrible being plotted by the very top of government. It would kill thousands and allow full authority and power. He chases down the rumor until the truth crashes in. A page turner to the end. 5⭐️

A personal nurse disappears from one of the local estates and it doesn‘t sit well with Hamish MacBeth. Shortly after he finds her body a couple other murders are committed. Hamish and Charles try to find the culprit even as they have other issues in their private lives.

I hate that this is the last book in this fun Series. Shayla and Seamus are enjoying pre-wedding activities when their harpist is murdered. Then the family‘s antique harp is stolen. Shayla and Mollie try to figure out what is going on and if the 2 cases are related.

Stayed up late to finish. The castle has been restored from the fire and Shayla is in the finishing stages for its grand opening when Grianne “twists her arm” to allow some friends to stay early. Wealthy Jonas Anderson‘s obnoxious girlfriend is dead by the time Shayla is back to work the next morning. More shocks pile up as she tries to find the murderer before her grand opening.

An enjoyable rom-com, getting to know oneself story. Emma escapes to Amherst for 6 weeks from the demands of her family and seeking happiness. She believes emulating Emily Dickinson will get her there. Her misadventures and meeting Davis help her to discover herself and what she wants out of life.

A lovely Valentines story. Charlotte recently moved again to hide from her stalker. Seth has been nursing an injury. Both head out of their apartments only to find out the stairs have been removed and there‘s no way to get down. New stairs won‘t be showing up until Monday. So what follows is a pleasant weekend of getting to know one another with the hint of romance…then the stalker shows up.

Siobhan discovers a dead man in their cafe below their apartment. Her brother is the primary suspect. She begins to look for the murderer among her close village of friends and neighbors.

A fun enemies to lovers trope. Hazel meets Peter at her best friend‘s wedding. He‘s the grooms best friend. Hazel can‘t stand Peter and the feelings seem mutual. Imagine her dismay months later when her new neighbor turns out to be none other than Peter. Stuck together during a days long blizzard frazels her nerves, but they both seem to get to know each other a little better, but their best friends think there should be more.

A cute, sweet valentine story. Pam and Steve had crushes on each other when they were young; now they are best friends and in the same business. Those close to them think the relationship should be more and begin to plot.

“The phone rang. Again.”
What a great opening line!

Love this series, Lila and her friends are racing each other separately through a maze, when Aleena starts screaming. She‘d stumbled over a dead body and is now the lead suspect. Lila and Eleena do everything in their power to find the real murderer.

Light romance. Paige moved back home after her husband‘s death, only to have her mom pass a few months later. As she picks up the pieces, she finds encouragement through the people in town. When her friend Jerry return, she finds herself smiling again.

Debbie Macomber is an uplifting read. Starting a fresh relationship with Craig, Marie Rose learns that Mark is still alive but seriously injured. She races to the hospital. At the same time Emily and Nick fight through their attraction.

Each book just gets better. Shayla and Seamus have set the date. However, the wedding venue was double booked and yanked out from under them with nothing available for over 6 months. Just a short time later, the winning bride is murdered and Sheila is the lead suspect. The only thing I didn‘t like is we never know the detailed why.

Not a Valentines‘s Day story, but still a romance. At 1st I had a hard time with the patois, but I do realize I‘m not the target audience. Valentine and Jaelen (Kiss) meet in 6th grade and become best friends. In their teens they Jaelen acknowledges they‘re falling in love but are not ready for it, so he heads to England for college and to start his career, allowing the relationship to take wrong turns. Told by what goes on in their heads.

I couldn‘t help it…1 more holiday book. Issy and Austin have a problem. His career is now in New York and her cafe in London. Luckily their friends and family are smarter than them and push them to find a solution. Love most of the characters. My favorite scene is at the ice skating rink!

This was an absolute delight, a keeper. Harriet‘s business has failed, leaving her in debt. She heads to her inherited home in Canfield to lick her wounds and sell the cottage to get out of debt. Instead, she discovers that her beloved lavender fields are to be sold out from under her. While a romance, this is a story of courage and a woman finding her strengths.

I‘m not partial to using prayer as a form of preaching; however, otherwise a decent read about a 4year old who runs off on his personal adventure and the adults trying to find him. Some personal growth for the adults looking at their own poor actions.

Wow! Sonali Dev takes us right into the lives and emotions of her characters again! Mira is feeling trapped trying to meet the “needs” of all the loves in her life, not even seeing how they abuse her willingness to satisfy them. After her fiancé cancels their New York trip for the 3rd time, she decides to go on her own. Finding a lost ring, determined to find the owner, sends her on a journey that changes her and her life.

A cute short story about women and friends. Ellie begins to wonder why her friends stopped showing up at her exercise class. She quickly learns there is a new competitor in town and suspects her friends are now going there, making her heartbroken…til a few strangers come.

Loving this series. A qyuick, enjoyable read, with interesting characters. Rylie, Shayla‘s best friend from the US is visiting. After they enjoy a horseback ride, they discover the body of the vet in the horse stall with Grainne‘s prize race horse. At 1st it looks like an accident, but Shayla and Rylie are convinced there‘s been a murder.

To be released in February. I was immediately pulled into the realm of Effluvium and the Battle of Bria and Brent (good) vs. Ningursu (self-proclaimed god of death and the world) (evil). Ningursu controls all magic and many people long distance, so you not always sure if someone is on the good side or under Ningursu‘s control/in disguise. Truth is starting to win and the ending battles leave you with hope that the tides may be turning.

The author pushed too much on trying to feel like a gothic mystery. Too much repetition and vague references to dark history, without giving any given. 3.5⭐️. Vivian, her cousin Ellie, and friend Milo are digging deep into the town‘s dark history due to a vague letter from her now deceased aunt. Most of these records just happen to be in secret rooms of the ancient mansion Vivian inherited from her aunt.

Fun holiday cozy mystery. Mae, Violet‘s friend from Normal, is visiting and they discover a dead body in the miniature village. With the sheriff‘s permission, they are in full sleuth mode. At the same time, Violet‘s romance is picking up.

A sweet story and perfect to end my Christmas reads (because I have some New Year ones and an ARC I promised to read). Mirren‘s great aunt (Violet) is dying and asked for a rare book she had when she was a child. Mirren hunts high and low in England and Scotland for this rare edition with little success and running into unsavory characters. However, she finds something better.

Emily is trying to find her position in life now that Charlie won the Mayor seat; Sophie is fighting her family for the right to stay home; Justin and Zoey are finding each other and Charlie is trying to learn the ropes as new Mayor. Then a bad freeze storm hits Cape Light and the town works together to keep everyone safe. All this and trying to celebrate Christmas.

I‘m not sure if the title it‘s under is an old one. But mine was “Mistletoe & Memories” and is more appropriate. I liked this one. The mystery is who Connie‘s Secret Santa might be, and while I was able to guess, this was a festive short story.

At first I was hesitant to read this because I‘d seen some bad reviews. I think they were just unhappy that it wasn‘t a “mystery”. Instead, this was a perfect read for Christmas, touching on how things can influence our attitude towards the holiday. Yes, I figured out the conundrum, but I expected to…a nice, feel good short story.

Izzy has inherited a castle in Scotland. The only way she can keep it is to run it as a hotel, but her mother keeps taking over as if it‘s her own and spending money they don‘t have. How does this turn into their best Christmas?

This novella/cozy mystery did not disappoint. A couple weeks before Christmas Baubles the clown is found dead leaning against one of his ponies. It seems like the entire town is stumbling over clues and as they turn them over to Janz, their only police force, she begins to see hoe everything ties in.

Workaholic Evie has a crush on her neighbor directly upstairs and someone is leaving home made gifts/ornaments on her door. She figures the Christmas party themed Only Santas in the Building is the perfect chance to attract Daniel‘s attention and figure out who has been acting as a secret Santa. Soft pick. Spicy.

Everleigh first meets Griffin (a fireman) when her neighbor reports smoke coming from her house. Four days later, while hanging Christmas lights, her ladder breaks and she‘s left hanging from the roof till Griffin and the fire department shows up. Soft pick.

Perfect Christmas story filled with small miracles (some will say impossible & I‘ll say similar to ones I‘ve experienced) and hope. Lauren‘s life has been hard (though not as bad as others). She‘s looking for a family for Christmas. A series of unexpected events may just give her one.

A delightful short story, more women‘s fiction than romance. Loved characters, just didn‘t like the cliffhanger ending, because I wanted to know how that turned out. 😂 Having been denied a promotion by being tricked by a co-worker, Alexis decides to visit her mom for Christmas At her mom‘s new home in Bella Beach. Her trip makes her question some changes she needs to bring to her life.

Again very little content in this short story except spice and spicey jokes. Not my cup of tea and will probably be tossing the entire series if the next one is no better. 2 college instructors have a crush which they acknowledge during a winter break job.

This short story was way too spicy for me and won‘t be a keeper. I felt the story was only about that and didn‘t go into much character development. Yes, I know, it‘s short. Not for me.

Short story is more sordid than the title implies. While his niece and Jack are off on their honeymoon, Sal meets an old friend from his stage days who hers him a job @ a movie studio. In the meantime, they discover his friend‘s daughter has been made the victim of pornographic pictures and they try to find the culprit.

With a unique setting (antique toy shop) and some humor, this was a fun Cozy Mystery. A man who didn‘t leave his name wants to know the value of antique toys. A few nights later he is murdered in the shop, the toys have disappeared and the owner was knocked unconscious. Lots of suspects.

A short love story taking place during a winter storm at Christmas. This was a pleasant listen while sewing.

So much fun! Loved the characters and the humor. Charlotte and Marianne are looking for a platter to display the cupcakes they catered for a Christmas part. Opening the pantry a dead body falls onto Charlotte.

Tilly has been hiding out in the Crow‘s Nest till she can save enough for a new place, since it‘s been vacant. However, the new owner shows up. She moves up to the attic but then he falls off the roof. Cute short story.

Wow! What a love story! Yes, there are creepy tones, but I felt the story dealt with it. I think this is one l‘ll want to read again. While dealing with his own divorce, Alex falls in love with the heart of a woman through her blog.

An interesting way for the couple to meet. I had a hard time believing Daniel could turn from a harsh father to a gentle loving one overnight 🤷🏻‍♀️. However, I loved the cute meet of Holly and Ivy. Both families lost loved ones in a tragic accident and could not heal for 8 years. As both adults begin to awake to life around them, they find each other. The bet character is Holly.

A cute modern day retelling of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. A bit slow at 1st. Steph finally is about to get her hands on the limited edition of ale, called Jingle All the Way. Only, her love interest let it be released for resale and now he has to somehow replace it. At the same time she‘s looking for ways to keep him in the hometown.

A cute, quick cozy mystery. Coming out of a bad relationship, Holly is hoping to start a dog walking business. Excited to meet her 1st client and take the dog out, she is surprised nobody answers her knock. She steps inside and is greeted by the dog, who leads her to the dead owner. Of course, Holly is the lead suspect in the murder and must clear her name.

Delightful. At times Shayla seems a bit naive for a cop, but that is supposed to be her character. Arriving in Ireland for a Christmas holiday, hoping to receive a proposal, Shayla meets Seamus‘ family. At the party to introduce her to family and friends, the wealthy uncle Alabaster is murdered. Can‘t wait to read the next one.