Death at an Irish Wedding (Irish Castle Mystery Book # 2) by Ellie Brannigan

Bridal wear designer-turned-entrepreneur Rayne McGrath remains in the Irish countryside ready for some wedding mayhem in this charming and colorful cozy, perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Sheila Connolly.

Rayne McGrath’s efforts to save the rundown family castle she inherited were an epic failure after she accidentally set fire to the tower and tanked the budget. Is the castle haunted, or is she just unlucky? Meanwhile, her cousin, Ciara Smith, is anxiously booking their joint calendar with special events in the hopes of bringing the property around before they lose everything.

When a bridalwear client from LA asks Rayne for help as her guest list spirals out of control, Rayne nabs the answer to her prayers. McGrath Castle is the perfect destination for the exclusive and intimate wedding party of heiress Tori Montgomery and her fiancé, heartthrob actor Jake Anderson. But this white veil occasion turns into a nightmare when Tori’s best friend’s assistant, Tiffany Quick, is found dead.

It’s feared Tiffany jumped from the tower, but that theory is quickly put in doubt as secrets within the wedding party come to light. And as the villagers protest this new wedding venue venture, Rayne begins to wonder if she will succeed in her endeavor or lose it all.  (Summary via Goodreads)

As we learned in the first book in the Irish Castle Mystery series written by Ellie Brannigan, Murder at an Irish Castle, Rayne and her cousin Ciara have their hands full trying to save the castle they inherited as well as the village it resides in.  According to Rayne's late uncle (Ciara's real father) they have a year to bring the castle and the village back to a positive financial standing.  Unfortunately things aren't going the way they intended.

Now in the second book in the series, Murder at a Irish Wedding, they have scheduled their first wedding at the castle with a small group staying at the castle for a weekend full of activities with the nuptials happening at the small church in the village.  The group includes the groom, a very famous and handsome actor, Jake, his brother Josh, Jake's assistant Ethan, the bride Tori, her best friend Amy, Amy's assistant Tiffany and Tori's parents, Dylan and Joan.  

They are getting married ahead of schedule to ensure that the press doesn't crash the party and they can keep it quiet.  

Unfortunately one night Rayne's dog Blarney howled and alerted them that something was wrong.  When Rayne and Ciara check it out they find Tiffany laying on the ground dead.  It is first thought that she jumped from the top of the tower due to suffering depression but Rayne isn't so sure and when the local gardai shows up, they rule it a suspicious death....

Nobody knows what to do but the bride is determined to marry Jake as planned.  So they go about wedding business as best they can but Rayne and Ciara still need to find out the truth to save the castle.  This is the first wedding of many and the money is greatly needed.

Even though the gardai is on the case, Rayne still takes it upon herself to look into the people staying at the castle.  She needs to make sure she is doing everything she can for the castle and the village.

Readers cannot help but fall in love with this story as well as the first book in the series. There is a lot going on that will keep readers turning the pages.  And Brannigan opens up your imagination so that you will feel like you are right there.  I highly encourage you to dig in !!!

Mistletoe, Mutts, and Murder (A Samantha Davies Mystery Book # 6) by S.A. Kazlo

Christmas is coming and children’s book author, Samantha Davies, and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, are caught up in the holiday festivities in beautiful upstate New York. Sam’s parents, Chuck and Barbara, who have been enjoying their retired life in sunny Florida, have flown into Wings Falls to spend the holidays with Sam and meet her new boyfriend, Detective Hank Johnson. Sam is also busy hosting this year’s Christmas party for the Loopy Ladies, Sam’s rug hooking group.

The Loopy Ladies know how to party and are enjoying an evening eating, drinking, and making merry... until Santa crashes the party. Unfortunately, this Santa is Sam’s next-door neighbor who her parents have had a long-running feud with. When not playing the local mall’s not-so-jolly old St. Nick, Leo Sayers is a newspaper reporter, and he announces to the group that he's written a damning article accusing Sam’s dad and his close friend, Herb Feinstein, of some very shady dealings in their past. To preserve peace on earth—and among the Loopy Ladies—Chuck and Herb escort Leo from the party.

Only, not long after being sent on his way, Santa is found dead—lying in the snow, run over by a plastic reindeer, with a string of Christmas lights around his neck! Are Sam’s father and Herb now on the naughty list? If Sam can’t prove them innocent of murdering Santa, she's afraid their stockings will contain handcuffs and a one-way ticket to prison this year!

"A doggone entertaining mystery filled with small town scandals! Funny and entertaining!"
~ Fresh Fiction

"This series a HOOT!!! You will love Wings Falls, the businesses, the people, and the relationships and friendships. There are plenty of times that I have read a book and wanted to jump into the story and live in the town, and the Samantha Davies Mystery series is one on the top of that list!!
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews ...... (Summary via Goodreads)

Let's start off by saying yes I am quoted in the summary of books in the Samantha Davies Mystery Book series by S.A. Kazlo and yes I mean every word of it !!!  With six books in this series, with Mistletoe, Mutts, and Murder being the sixth I stand firm by my words and maybe even more seeing as I finished this new release in one day.  I could not put it down and only did so when I had to go to the bathroom or get a drink or something to eat and I did it only when absolutely necessary.

When you pick a book that is a part of a series, you want it to be something that will have you returning seeing as you will be spending time with the book, the characters, the town and businesses, and the storylines and you will feel like you are a part of it even though it becomes a part of you.  You become invested in it and this series is that !!!

In Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder main character Samantha is getting into the holiday season and hosting a party for her Loopy Ladies group and their  and the best part is that her parents will be there as well !!!  They have come back to Wings Fall to spend the holiday with Sam.

Unfortunately during the party an unvited guest crashes the party .... the not nice and quite drunk next door neighbor, Theo Sayers.  Luckily Sam's dad and his friend escort Theo home.  But then a bit later a scream pierces the air and when they rush outside to find out what all the noise is about, they find Theo's wife is who screamed and Theo is tangled up in his Christmas decoratings dead !!!

And more unfortunately, and let's add sadly, when Sam's boyfriend, Hank, who is a detective on the force, begins to investigate Theo's murder Sam's dad and friend are on the top of the list and taken in for questioning.

Sam soon learns that Theo and her parents have a long history that dates back to high school and she can't believe that Theo would move right next door.  And she cannot believe that no one told her about this history until now.  She knows that there is no way her father would kill Theo over something that happened so long ago but will she be able to figure it out.  

Sam and her cousin Candie again take it upon themselves to talk to some people that they feel know something or didn't like Theo to try to get Sam's dad off the suspect list.  But they soon find out that Theo really wasn't a nice person and people have no problem speaking about it !!

This is one series that readers will love !!!  There is also a lot more that I could tell you, oh so much more, but I don't want to give everything away and I don't want to prolong your time away from reading.  I highly encourage you to head on into Wings Falls and hang with Sam and her crew, have breakfast at Sweetie's Pie Cafe, and everything else you read about !!!

And lastly I will leave you with this ..... the end will blow you away !!!!  In a very good way but don't sneak a peek and ruin it !!!

Silent Nights Are Murder (A Poppy McAllister Mystery Book # 9) by Libby Klein

Despite her best efforts, gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister finds herself confounded by a case of murder this Christmas in the latest installment of this delightful culinary B&B mystery series!

Ever since Thanksgiving, when an engagement ring in a velvet box—and no gift tag—was left behind, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn't labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was the cat Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

I hope that you are a fan of the Poppy McAllister Mystery series written by Libby Klein.  This series is so much fun to read !!  Not only is it fun but as you read each new book in this series you feel closer to the characters which makes the stories mean so much more !!

Silent Nights Are Murder is the ninth book in the series and boy, oh boy, does a lot happen !!  Even if this is the first book of this series that you pick up and choose to read, you will still take away as much as someone who has read the previous eight .... but I do encourage you to go back and catch up, just because the books are so good !!!

In Silent Nights Are Murder Poppy and her crew have just celebrated Thanksgiving and when they were cleaning up, Poppy's best friend Sawyer finds a ring box with the help of Poppy's cat Figaro.  Now there is no clear answer as to who the ring box belongs to or who the intended person is that the question will be asked to.  It could be Poppy with Gia proposing but Sawyer and her boyfriend Ben are in a good place, Poppy's ex-mother-in-law and Smitty are madly in love and even Aunt Ginny and Royce who aren't getting any younger could be the ones saying  "I do".

So the ladies decide to hold another dinner party to try to find out who will crack and admit they lost the ring.  But before Poppy can give it any thought, she is called to her ex-boyfriend's restaurant when a dead body is found in one of the walk-in freezers and a note with "Get Poppy" is taped to him.

Poppy does not know the deceased or who taped the note on him so she wants to just walk away but when Tim, her ex, pleads for her help, she is torn.  Then she finds out that his girlfriend and business partner Gigi is bursting with a pregnancy proving that Tim didn't cry too long over their last break-up.  Even though Gigi cannot stand her, she agrees to go undercover and work in the restaurant to try to find out who is guilty.

Meanwhile back at the Butterfly Wings Bed and Breakfast the crew is preparing for the dinner to uncover who is getting engaged and then all heck breaks lose when Poppy's mother shows upo under a false name !!  Poppy's mother left her with Aunt Ginny and her grandmother over thirty years ago and hasn't been heard from since .... so Poppy wants to know what is going on but she cannot believe anything that the woman says !!!

Readers will fall in love once again with this latest installment of the Poppy McAllister Mystery series.  Klein knows how to reel you in and keep you on the hook throughout the entire book.  And in Silent Nights Are Murder there is so much to love and she keeps the surprises going throughout the entire book all the way to the last chapter.

Autumn Embers (A Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Book # 3) by Tina deBellegarde

Bianca St. Denis travels to Kyoto to return a priceless artifact recovered in Batavia-on-Hudson during last summer’s flood. It’s late October, and the city of 2,000 shrines is in full autumn splendor. While she’s in Japan’s ancient capital, Bianca visits with her son, a student at Kyoto University. Ian shows her the sights and introduces her to his circle of friends—his chosen family.

On the night of her welcome party, Bianca thinks she witnesses a struggle in the garden, perhaps even a murder. When the police investigate and find no body, she is stumped, yet alarm bells won’t stop ringing. She knows she’s witnessed something.

When a dead body surfaces and suspicion falls on her son, Bianca’s maternal instincts spring to action to protect Ian and clear his name. Meanwhile, things in Batavia-on-Hudson are tense. Sheriff Mike Riley is losing his re-election while tackling devastating news about his dead partner and wavering about his troubled marriage.

Autumn Embers explores the malleable nature of our identities and reminds us that chosen families can be stronger than we think, and that true friendship can bridge any distance.  (Summary via Goodreads)

In Autumn Embers, the third book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series written by Tina deBellegarde readers will feel like they are reading two different books.  Tina takes main character Bianca out of Batavia-on-Hudson and sents her thousands of miles away to Japan to spend time with her son as well as return a priceless artifact to it's rightful owners.  Bianca found it previously and after research located it's real place of origin.

Unfortunately at the beginning of her visit with her son during the welcome party that he organized, there are some univited and unwanted people who crashed the party and Bianca witnesses a commotion in the garden.  To make matters worse no one believes her until a body turns up....

Meanwhile back home in Batavia-on-Hudson Bianca's close friend and the Sheriff, Mike, is facing the elections and he has two components running against him and one is his deputy.  Mike hasn't had his head in the game as he has been dealing with a lot of personal things and doesn't think that he will win.  That will put him in an unpleasant place as whether to stay in Batavia or move.

Luckily Bianca and Mike have each other and even though they are miles apart, they still call and talk each other through what they are dealing with.  Bianca really needs Mike's help when her son Ian turns out to be on the top of the suspect list.

Bianca knows very little Japanese but that won't deter her from looking into the death of Ian's ex-friend.  And she has Ian's friends to help her.

Readers will love how deBellegarde splits the story up with Bianca in Japan and Mike back in Batavia-on-Hudson with each having their own storyline but then how she gracefully overlaps the story is magical !!!  You cannot help by allow your imagination to open up, especially when you are with Bianca in Japan.

Deadly Crush (Cece Barton Mystery Book # 2 ) by Maddie Day

It’s the beginning of a new year, and for widowed single mom and recent L.A. transplant to California wine country, Cece Barton, that means green hillsides, flowing streams from winter rains, pruned vineyards—and a murder to solve . . . 

After a mostly stress-free Christmas with her college-age daughter, and despite enjoying a current budding romance with fellow newcomer, Benjamin Cohen, it’s time for Cece to focus on Vino y Vida, the Colinas wine bar she manages. Electrical work and an outdoor security camera are needed, and she’s hired local electrician Karl Meier to do the job, along with the help of his nephew Ian. But she regrets her choice when she witnesses Karl needlessy berating Ian in her presence. On top of that, Karl leers at her, then presents her with an inflated bill before the work is complete. Still, she’s shocked when she gets a call from Karl’s ex-wife, Josie, that she’s found Karl . . . crushed to death beneath the lift in her automotive shop. 

Cece convinces Josie to call the police, even though Josie is terrified. After all, Karl was an abusive husband, was threatening her, and she has no alibi. With Josie’s future on the line, and maybe her own, Cece starts her own investigation. From the customers Karl cheated to the other women he harassed, she finds there’s no lack of suspects—other than the shelter kittens to whom he was an uncharacteristically sweet volunteer. With a bouquet of motives and unanswered questions, Cece is going to need the help of her twin, Allie, who owns a nearby B & B, as she dives into Karl’s past—before the killer catches up with her, and the lights go out for good . . .(Summary via Goodreads)

Grab a snack, a comfy blanket and a glass of wine (and leave the bottle nearby) because as soon as you opening up Deadly Crush, the second book in the Cece Barton Mystery series by Maddie Day, you are not going to be moving off the couch or chair.  

In Deadly Crush main character Cece Barton takes her beloved car, Blue, to her friends garage for a tune up. But before Jo can get to work on Blue, she called Cece to come to the garage immediately.  Once Jo gets to the garage she finds Jo's ex-husband Karl dead .... crushed under the lift in the garage.  Cece had Karl in her wine bar the day before working on an electrical issue and even though she didn't know him well, she wasn't a big fan of him.

Cece soon learns that not many people in Colinas had fond memories of their experiences with the electrician but she knows that there is no way that Jo killed him.  So she finds herself asking questions trying to get to know the person Karl was.  As she does this her list of suspects grows and grows .... and, of course, as word gets out that she is talking, some want to tell her more but others may be trying to silence her.

If you are not a fan of Maddie Day I cannot stress it enough that you need to be !!  Your life will be so much better as you read her books and get to know the characters.  And with the Cece Barton Mystery series, it is encouraged for you to have a glass of wine or as Cece likes, a couple fingers of scotch.  It helps with the reading process ..... well, it wouldn't hurt.  But a nice cup of tea or coffee is acceptable as well.  Whatever your beverage of choice may be, grab it and dig in to Deadly Crush.

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea (Beacon Bakeshop Book # 6 ) by Darci Hannah

Lindsey Bakewell’s iconic lighthouse bakeshop in beautiful Beacon Harbor, Michigan, is hosting a celebrity cookbook author from the UK—but the notorious diva is now DOA . . . 

Lindsey’s patrons have a new outdoor patio where they can eat their treats in the glorious summer weather. But even more exciting is that the Beacon Bakeshop is going to host British celebrity chef Vivi Lemonberry—and what could be a more appropriate event than a tea party?   

What Lindsey didn’t realize is that Vivi is here to put some distance between herself and her recent professional and personal scandals. Despite assurances that Vivi is as sweet as a chocolate-dipped strawberry, Lindsey is cooling rapidly toward the culinary icon . . . especially after she banishes Lindsey’s beloved dog, Wellington, from the bakeshop and then flirts outrageously with Lindsey’s boyfriend.  

She’s not the only one feeling hostile, though. While Vivi’s in the middle of making a tart in front of the cameras, a woman runs up and slaps her. Soon, Vivi’s nowhere to be found, and folks are speculating on whether she’s run off with her secret lover or just laying low due to embarrassment. That is, until Lindsey finds a body bobbing near the surface of Lake Michigan. It’s a sour ending for the diva, but Lindsey is determined to squeeze the truth out of every clue until she finds the killer . .   (Summary via Goodreads)

I am a huge fan of books with a lighthouse as one of the main focal points and the Beacon Bakeshop series by Darci Hannah is one of them.

The Beacon Bakeshop series centers around Lindsey Bakewell and her bakeshop in a lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan.  Not only is the shop in the lighthouse but she lives there as well.  You have to admit that is cool and you want to live there or at least visit .... just try to plan your visit when there isn't a murder and Lindsey and her crew aren't busy trying to solve the case ... I mean help the police solve it.

Lindsey, her boyfriend Rory and her best friend Kennedy and Kennedy's ex-boyfriend Tucker who is a police officer always seem to meet and work out the murder and suspect list.  Unfortunately the murder in Murder at the Lemonberry Tea hits too close to home for Lindsey as it happens because she is the one who brought everyone to town ....

In Murder at the Lemonberry Tea Lindsey is hosting an event featuring Vivi Lemonberry who is a celebrity baker and cookbook author from the UK.  It is a very exciting time as Kennedy's mother, sister, and grandmother are there as well.  Unfortunately during the planned event another cookbook and baking celebrity shows up and slaps Vivi.  This ends the event and Vivi seems to go into hiding.

Sadly when Lindsey and Rory are out for her scuba diving lesson, she finds Vivi's body weighed down in the lake.  And it looks like the killer may be trying to frame Lindsey.  This gets the group together quickly and the dry erase board out and the suspect list started.  

While they try to uncover Vivi's killer, the soon learn that Vivi had a lot of enemies and there are more people in Beacon Harbor who have motive.

Readers will have a blast reading this story.  Hannah will have you trying to take notes of your own to try to uncover the killer but as with the story and Lindsey and crew, things will unravel quickly and you won't know who to trust and who to believe .......

Planes, Candy Canes, and Hearses: ( A Cookies & Chance Mysteries novella, book # 14.5) by Catherine Bruns

From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes a tasty holiday treat....

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Sally Muccio. The part-time sleuth and full-time baker is up to her elbows in sugar and a puzzling mystery that threatens to ruin her jolly holiday...

As Sal and her good friend Josie prepare to close their bakery to enjoy Christmas Eve, as well as Sal’s daughter’s birthday, a last-minute sojourn to the airport interferes. Sal mistakenly thinks this will be a quick outing to pick up her father from a business trip. But with the weather outside frightful, and her delightful father nowhere to be found, her fears quickly begin to escalate.

Where is Domenic Muccio, and why isn’t he answering his phone? And who is the mysterious companion he was seen leaving the airport with? If Sal doesn’t find her father soon, no one will be rocking around the Christmas tree.

Includes a delicious recipe for candy cane cookies!

What critics are

"A fantastic cozy mystery!"
~ InD'Tale Magazine

"I want to visit more with all of the quirky characters just to see what crazy and outrageous things they will do next!"
~ Fresh Fiction

"The Cookies and Chance Mystery series is more than just a series....it's a family !! Once you read the first book, you are hooked and feel like a member of the crazy Muccio family."
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews  (Summary via Goodreads)

Anyone that knows me knows that the Cookie & Chance Mystery series by Catherine Bruns is my favorite series.  Any time that I can escape with Sally, Josie, Mike and the rest of the families you know that I'm doing it.  And I will stay there as long as I want .....  unfortinately with Planes, Candy Canes, and Hearses my time with them is very short as this is a novella.  However, even though it is a short story, it is still packed with a great captivating tale ..... 

In Planes, Candy Canes and Hearses it is Christmas Eve and a very pregnant Sally has to pick up her dad from the airport and then go to her parents house for Christmas Eve dinner and her daughter Cookie's birthday celebration.  But, of course, it isn't that simple.  First Sally's car won't start so Josie takes her in the van.  Then secondly when they get to the airport Domenic is no where to be found but his luggage is still on the carousel .....

Sally tries not to panic but it is not like her dad to be missing.  Yes he is very wierd but he would never want his family to worry.  

Sally has to find her dad and get him and herself safely to dinner or else ...... 

Once you read any of the books in the Cookies & Chance Mystery series you are a devoted fan !!!  You may try to read the stories slowly so that your time with the characters will last but once you start reading you will not want to stop !!!!