A Very Woodsy Murder (A Golden Motel Mystery series Book #1) by Ellen Byron

New motel owner Dee Stern has checked out of the familiar comforts in the San Fernando Valley and checked in to the quaint village of Foundgold. Running a rustic getaway in the woods sure beats LA traffic—until murder ruins the peace and quiet . . .

Down-on-her-luck sitcom writer Dee Stern is flipping the script. Twice divorced and wasting her talents on an obnoxious kids’ show, the lifelong Angeleno embraces the urge to jump in her car and keep driving. It's a road trip with no destination—until she pulls into a mid-century motel filled with cobwebs and retro charm. Nestled in the shadow of a national park, it’s a time capsule of a place that, like her, could use some work. So, in the most impulsive move of her life, Dee teams up with best friend, Jeff Cornetta—who happens to be her first ex-husband—to transform the aging ranch into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains, a hiker’s oasis on the edge of the wilderness . . .

But Dee and Jeff soon realize there couldn’t be two people more unprepared for the hospitality business. There’s also the panic-inducing reality of prowling bears and a general store as the only shopping spot for miles. Living and working in the middle of nowhere takes some getting used to—especially when a disrespectful guest ends up murdered! Now, with the motel duo topping the suspect list, Dee must steer clear of a meddling park ranger, face her past in show biz, and determine if the killer is a local or tourist. Because as she quickly finds out, there are many things worse than a one-star review.  (Summary via Goodreads)

A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron is the first book in the Golden Motel Mystery series and you will become hooked immediately !!!

In A Very Woodsy Murder main character Dee Stern needs a change of scenery and everything else so she talks her best friend Jeff into becoming partners in a motel.  Now this isn't just any motel but a hidden gem just outside a national park and near two quaint little towns where the townsfolk love to dress in old time clothing and have fun.  The Golden Motel was built in the 1940's and has a lodge with guest rooms, ten cabins around a nugget shaped pool.  There is also a small apartment for Dee to live in.  Unfortunately the motel needs a lot of work before they can flip the sign on to open .....  

And when their first guest, who Dee knows from her old job of writing for bad sitcom's ends up dead, they may be closed before they officially open.  Luckily Dee can count on Jeff to always have her back so when she says she wants to look into Michael Adam Baker's murder, he doesn't bat an eye.  But it is not going to be easy seeing as Michael was a legend in Foundgold and it's neighboring town Goldsgone and most of the townfolk have already determined the outsiders as the murderers.

A Very Woodsy Murder is such a fun book to read.  It has loveable characters, the two towns are places you would totally want to visit and even stay at the Golden Motel.  You will be right along side Dee and Jeff as they navigate their new lives and jobs and want to see them succeed no matter what it takes.

I cannot wait to see where Byron goes with this series and future books.  I am now 100 percent invested in the Golden Motel and know that Dee and Jeff will be very good at their new careers !!!

Concession Stand Crimes (Ball Park Mysteries Book # 2) by Nicole Asselin

MADELINE BOUCHER is still reeling from her first few weeks of working for her family’s Independent League Baseball Team, the Abington Armadillos. She found a dead body and survived a kidnapping before finally clearing her brother of a murder. She didn’t think anything could be as dramatic as that, but she was wrong.

Her parents have given her more responsibility in running ballpark events in the hopes that they could retire and leave the team in her hands. Her brother is moving on to the big leagues, so this is her time to shine. Her first task? Deal with a concession stand kerfuffle. Redmond Brewery heiress, Alaska Redmond, storms her way into the ballpark making demands.

The next day, the son of the concession’s manager finds Redmond’s body in one of the beer stands along the ballpark concourse. Again, Madeline finds herself immersed in an investigation. While the suspects start piling up, including a promising young player on the team, Madeline knows she must get involved. With the help of Davis, her new love interest and head of the security department, she delves deeper into the death of the heiress.

Trying to run team events, solve a murder, and have a normal life take their toll as Madeline comes to depend on those in her baseball-loving community, including Bronia, her old family friend who runs a garden center and helps her make sense of things. She even chances a psychic for advice while at a Salem Warlock’s away game. Will anyone help her untangle the mess of suspects including the victim’s family?

Can she clear the name of the Abington Armadillos and start focusing on the season?  (Summary via Goodreads)

There is a line in the book Concession Stand Crimes that readers will totally relate the book and the series to .... "hotdogs and crackerjacks, not murder and lawsuits" .... that is what you would think when you are sitting down to read a book centered around a baseball team and everything related to it.  Even though the Ball Park Mysteries series written by Nicole Asselin is about an Independent League Baseball Team and not a Major League Team it still reads like Red Sox or Yankee status.

Concession Stand Crimes follows the Boucher family as they run the Abington Armadillos baseball stadium.  Madeline, the daughter, is slowly taking over running the family business as her parents are working at retiring and her brother, Ben, is going to be working for the Red Sox.  Madeline is fine with that as she loves baseball, the stadium and everything else her job will entail .... except when a dead body interfers.

Madeline is still recovering from finding a dead body, proving her brother's innocence when he is looked at as the killer, and also herself being kidnapped by the actual killer so when she is doing the rounds and another dead body is discovered, she may pack it in.  

Alaska Redmond is rude to Madeline's friend Eliza who runs the front desk for the office and bumps into Madeline while storming out.  Alaska's family owns Redmond Brewery and they want to do business with the Boucher family but before any negotiating can begin, Alaska's body is found by the concession stands.

There is really no reason for Madeline to look into Alaska's death as the police are not focusing on anyone she knows but her curious mind cannot let it go.  Even though she insists that she will not put herself in any kind of danger, her family and boyfriend Davis aren't so sure.

Readers will love this book and series.  You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it but that wouldn't hurt.  Luckily I am a huge baseball fan, Red Sox, I will watch any baseball !!!  I can imagine running the park like Madeline is about to do would be so fun !!!  I would totally walk the park, sit in the stands and eat a hotdog every day !!!  

I highly recommend grabbing your copy and having a ball !!!

Murder at the Rusty Anchor (Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery Book # 6) by Maddie Day

There’s deadweight behind the bar at the Rusty Anchor and it’s up to Cape Cod bike shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida to solve the murder in Agatha Award–winner Maddie Day’s latest Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery . . .

A rainy July weekend in Westham means the beaches are empty and business is dead at Mac’s Bikes but couldn’t be livelier inside the Rusty Anchor Pub. But come Monday morning one patron is not so lively when the chef opens up and finds a body behind the bar. It’s last call for Bruce Byrne, an elderly high school teacher who’s been around so long it seems like he taught everybody.

When Mac’s friend Flo, the librarian, makes the list of suspects, Mac gathers the Cozy Capers Book Group to clear her name. With no end in sight to the rain, the group has plenty of time to study the clues and sort through a roll call of suspects to determine who decided to teach Mr. Bryne a lesson. But with a killer desperate to cover their tracks, Mac and the group will be tested as never before . . .  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day is the sixth book in her Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery series and you have got to be a fan .... you just have to be !!!

In Murder at the Rusty Anchor main character Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida is on her way to open up her bike shop, Mac's Bikes, in Cape Cod on a rainy day in July when as she goes past The Rusty Anchor Pub, the door flies open.  The Rusty Anchor Pub is not open in the mornings so someone coming out at that hour is a surprise.  But Mac is in for more when Yvonne, the head cook and manager, comes out visibly upset.  She drags Mac into the pub and takes her behind the bar where there is a man lying on the floor dead !!  

Mac recognizes the deceased man as Mr. Byrne, her old English teacher from high school, who she hasn't seen since.  She immediately calls 911 knowing very well what is going to happen.  The police will come and Detective Lincoln Haskins will be assigned the case, she and Yvonne will be looked at as possible suspects because they found the body, and Mac's group of friends will begin their own investigating and start their group text and chat away.  However, all Mac wants to do is head to her shop and help residents and tourists with their bicycle needs then head home to her recently new husband.  Mac and Tim have only been married mere months and are still in the lovey dovey stage so a murder and group chatting with her friends is not on her list of things to do.  But she will ...

The group have an inpromptu meeting and each member is assigned a person of interest to look into and report back to the group their findings.  It is stressed that they are not to do anything dangerous but Mac will have her hands full when her Abo (grandmother) Reba who isn't in the group does some investigating on her own.  And members of the group are acting suspicious and keeping secrets .....

Readers cannot help but love everything about this series.  You will love the town, the shops and eateries, the people and the interactions among them all.  This is a series that you will want to return to often and catch up with everyone and stay a while ... even if it is only through the books.

Crimes and Confections (A Cookies & Chance Mystery series Book # 14) by Catherine Bruns

From USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns comes the next sinfully sweet Cookies & Chance mystery!

With her beloved grandmother on vacation in Italy, baker Sally Muccio has her hands full. Between running a business, running after her toddler daughter, and running to keep her crazy parents out of trouble, Sal can’t seem to catch a break.

Adding to her overload, Sal’s ever youthful mother Maria decides to enter the local Mrs. Buffalo beauty pageant, and she elects Sal and Josie to provide sweet treats for the audience. It’s sure to be an exciting day for all involved.

But when vengeful contestant Charmaine Weatherwax sabotages Maria’s gown, the beauty contest quickly turns into an ugly affair. Hours later, Charmaine is found dead in her apartment! To make matters worse, Sal’s mom is caught on a surveillance camera entering the woman’s apartment shortly before her death. Are the chaos cookies about to hit the fan for the Muccio clan? Sal will need to find the real killer before her mother’s sent up the river without her stilettos!

Recipes Included!

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)

Happy reader here !!  If you know anything about me, you know that the Cookies & Chance Mystery series written by Catherine Bruns is my all-time favorite series.  I am sorry to all the other series, I love you all but after reading any book in the Cookies & Chance Mystery series, you will completely understand. Not only is the storyline always captivating and fun but you cannot help but fall in love with the characters !!!  And with Crimes & Confections being the fourteenth book in the series, there is a lot to fall in love with !!

In Crimes & Confections it is a bittersweet story because Grandma Rosa is not there.  She is on a vacation to Italy reconnecting with her first love after over fifty years.  And let me tell you the Muccio family is feeling her absence ... because she did all the cooking and she cooked WELL !!  And another reason her absence is missed is because she kept the family in check more or less and mostly out of trouble.  But with her not there the family will turn to Sally to set everythingback in order and it is a tall order ....

Sally's mom is competing in the Mrs. Buffalo Pageant and even though she has two grown daughters who are married with children, she acts like she's twenty-one and luckily she also looks it.  Unfortunately she comes in second after her evening gown is cut by another contestant.  Even though she should have come in first, she is not a sour loser although it does sting a little. But things will take a turn when Charmaine, the winner, is found dead in her apartment and Sally's mom, Maria, is seen on surveillance camera leaving the apartment complex where Charmaine lived.

Sally is pregnant with her and Mike's second child, she is busy running Sally's Samples, the bakery she owns, and even though she is always pretty good at solving murders, she does not work for the police and they really don't like her helping.  And Mike definitely doesn't like her putting herself in danger.  But what can Sally do when her mother and father ask her to prove her innocence ? And then her friend, Brian, who is a police detective but not on the case is looking at her to help.

I could keep talking about this book, this seres, the family and everything else within this series but that is taking time away form you grabbing your copy and I know you want to dive right in.  I cannot say enough about how you will love love love love this series.  Catherine Bruns knows how to grab your attention and keep it until you finish reading the book ... and I think she casts a spell on readers and you cannot help but continue to think about the story and people long after you have finished the book.

Murder on Devil's Pond (Hummingbird Hollow B & B Mystery Book # 1) by Ayla Rose

A quaint Vermont inn offers idyllic peace–until a body is found  on the property–in this charming series debut perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams.

When 33-year-old Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. She’s even planting pollinator gardens around the inn–native flowers and fruit trees to lure honeybees and houseguests alike. 

Hannah’s fresh start is stymied by Reggie’s continual interference, unreliable contractors, a check-the-couch-for-coins budget, and townspeople Hannah left behind fifteen years ago. Her main source of camaraderie is Ezra Grayson, an 80-year-old recluse who lives nearby. After an unsettling conversation with a disgruntled Ezra, Hannah is horrified to discover him dead on her property later that day. 

Ezra had always had plenty of people to complain about, especially locals trying to force him out of his property for its prime real estate. As buzz around town grows after his death, Hannah finds herself on the short list of suspects. Hannah starts digging and quickly discovers that secrets lurk beneath the charming surface of the town she once again calls home.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Murder on Devil's Pond is the first book in the new series by Ayla Rose.  This begins the Hummingbird Hollow B & B series and you will love it and want to jump inside the book ...

In Murder on Devil's Pond Hannah Solace has recently returned to her home of Jasper in Vermont.  She has returned after breaking from a toxic relationship and is looking to start fresh.  She is running the Hummingbird Hollow B & B that she co-owns with her sister Reggie.  

Even though she has a lot to do with the B & B she still takes time to visit with her elderly neighbor, Ezra.  The two have developed an interesting friendship and when Hannah finds Ezra dead on the property behind the inn, she feels completely alone.  Ezra wanted to talk to Hannah and she wonders what that was about but he was killed before he could tell her.  Now Hannah has Ezra's two nephews and one niece staying at the inn and are expecting to inherit Ezra's property and are already thinking of what they will do withe money.

Unfortunately the relatives are going to be completely thrown for a loop when the contents of the will are revealed.  But Hannah cannot worry about that ... she wants to find out who killed her dear friend and why.

Readers will fall in love instantly with this story.  There is so much to love and you will be right along side Hannah as she tries to uncover Ezra's secrets.  I highly recommend adding this book to your to be read pile.

Deep Wedded Blues (Deep Lakes Cozy Mystery Book # 5) by Joy Ann Ribar

Frankie’s plans for her daughter Sophie’s wedding are anything but spring breezes and blossoms. An unexpected hot spell ushers in a wave of mysterious deaths, at a time when Whitman County is missing its coroner. Garrett, who is also Frankie’s beau, is called away to Duluth to assist his former partner with a string of homicides. 

When Sophie becomes a quarantined bride, Frankie jumps into action to investigate the looming health crisis and its unknown cause. In Frankie’s struggle to overcome the blues, she questions the future of romance – both Sophie’s and her own. You’re invited to save the date for Deep Wedded Blues  (Summary via Goodreads)

Deep Wedded Blues is the fifth book in the Deep Lakes Cozy Mystery series by Joy Ann Ribar and you have to give it to main character Frankie Champagne because no matter what comes her way,she handles it like a pro.  And she is going to be tested over her limit in this book for sure !!

In Deep Wedded Blues Frankie's daughter Sophie is about to get married and Frankie is doing everything in her power to make sure it is magical.  Unfortunately there are things that will be out of her hands to control .... but she will do what she can to control it.

It all starts at the annual Spring Swing Fest at St. Anthony's Catholic Church ... it is a hot day and some of the elderly volunteers become ill.  People assume it is from the heat and working in the kitchen but it turns out that it is something more.  Then Frankie learns that some members of the Amish community nearby become ill and it looks like the same thing.  Frankie needs to find out what is going on and get on it fast when she learns that the bride-to-be was exposed to some of the patients when they were brought to the hospital and she was on shift.

Things become worse when it is learned that some of the patients have died from this mysterious ailment and Frankie cannot get any answers.  So Frankie and her partner Carmen decide to do some investigating on their own to see if they can shed some light on things.  And to make matters worse, Frankie's boyfriend Garrett was called away to look into a case elsewhere so he is not there to do the autopsies and support Frankie.

I, personally, could enjoy this series if we just followed Frankie around as she worked along side her crew at Bubble & Bake, hung out upstairs in her apartment above the bakery/wine bar, or walked along around Bountiful Fruits Vineyard.  How she has time to investigate murders and mysterious illnesses with everything she has on her plate is beyond me but I totally enjoy riding along with her as she does it all !!!

I highly recommend grabbing the books in this series and encourage you to grab a seat, drink and snack and hang out in Deep Lakes for a spell .....