A Slay Ride Together With You by Vicki Delany - 4 stars!

Rudolph, New York shop owner Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey is newly engaged to Chef Mark Grosse and is moving into the historic Cole House, a home surrounded by drama, and intrigue, that is in desperate need of renovation. Then, Vicky and Merry come across a dead body in the garden and Mark is the one standing over the corpse. As Detective Diane Simmonds focuses on Mark as the prime suspect, Vicky asks for Merry’s help to clear her fiancé’s name in time for the wedding. Can Merry save the newlywed's wedding date and Mark from a jail cell?
This was a fun cozy mystery to read during the holidays. The only thing about it is the story takes place during Easter time. I love reading about the residents of Rudolph NY. There are so many quirky characters and fun happenings in a place where Christmas is year-round. The mystery was very well written and plotted, and I was surprised, as I usually am, with the big reveal in the end. I will definitely read another story from this wonderful series. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

 

I'll Be Home for Mischief by Jacqueline Frost - 5 Stars!

It’s Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for a visit, and Innkeeper Holly White is determined to make the family’s visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly’s mother attempts to break a record by baking the world’s largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when a body is found in the batter. It's another Christmas and another murder for Holly White. Can she figure out who the murderer is before Christmas?
I really loved this story. If I could I would give it 10 stars. All the characters were fun to read about, the plot was diabolically crafted to keep me guessing and I was highly surprised by the big reveal at the end. The setting and the ambience made me want to visit a town like this, and go to the hearth, and participate in some reindeer games. This is the best Christmas mystery of the season, in my opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

 

Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Nancy Coco - 5 stars!

Carol is looking forward to finishing plans for the Mackinac Island Senior Center Christmas Ball. But when she arrives at the center, she finds the door ajar and a dead man inside. The victim is a local senior who seems to have been sleeping in the center at night—but why? Although she promises Officer Rex Manning not to involve her book club in solving the mystery, Carol finds a way to fudge around that. Rallying her troop of silver-haired sleuths, and with support from Ally in between her batches of Christmas fudge, Carol sets out to discover which grinch tried to steal this Christmas.
This was a great novella to read during the holiday season. I love getting to know Carol a little better and now I feel like reading the next Coco mystery will be much more rewarding. This mystery had all the elements of a full-length cozy including some suspense and lots of amazingly wacky characters. There are also some sweet recipes included. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review contains my unbiased opinion.

 

Christmas Mittens Murder by Lee Hollis, Lynn Cahoon, and Maddie Day - 3 Stars!

DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS MITTEN KNITTER by LEE HOLLIS The church’s annual Christmas bazaar is a success until the local jeweler cries out that a valuable diamond ring has been stolen. Food writer Hayley Powell joins the search for it but discovers something more shocking—the dead body of a knitter with a homemade mitten stuffed in her mouth. Can Hayley unravel the mystery of Bar Harbor’s crafty killer before someone else receives a deadly gift?
TWO CHRISTMAS MITTENS by LYNN CAHOON Magic Springs, Idaho, is decked out in its sparkling best for the season, but Mia Malone is too busy to notice. Taking a second job at the Lodge to save Mia’s Morsels doesn’t leave her much time for festivities—until she finds a dead body near one red mitten outside the Lodge during the holiday party. Can Mia find the missing mitten and solve the murder before someone she loves becomes the next victim?
MURDEROUS MITTENS by MADDIE DAY A quiet Christmas in Colinas, California, at her twin sister’s charming B&B is exactly what Cece Barton needs. But the morning after an evening at the local wine bar, Cece learns that the bar’s proprietor, who sells mittens in her spare time, has been found dead. With her twin one of the main suspects, can Cece unmask the merry murderer?
This is a nice set of Christmas cozy mysteries. Personally, I liked Lee Hollis's mystery and the mystery by Maddie Day much better than I liked Lynn Cahoon's mystery. I felt that Lynn Cahoon's story was too focused on the magic and not the mystery. All of these stories had unique characters and challenging plots and as a fan of all these lovely writers I can't wait to read another one of their books again. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity of reading this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

 

The Sound of Sleighbells by Janet Dailey - 5 stars!

After her divorce, Ruth McCoy is eager to trade her children’s painful memories for new holiday traditions. But Ruth has a whole new set of distractions when fate brings the man she once loved together with the son he never knew he had. Judd Rankin has had a tough life, but now as a successful rancher, can he see a future with Ruth and his son?
This was a great holiday romance filled with wonderful characters, a suspenseful plot, and a sprinkling of holiday fun. I loved how neighbors helped neighbors and were generous to one another. I will definitely read another story from this wonderful author. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy.

 

Have Yourself A Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany - 4 Stars!

It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production. Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead after shopping at Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Everyone in the cast and crew is a suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry's shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly. Can Merry find the culprit before Christmas?
This was a great cozy mystery that put me in the Christmas spirit. Merry is a great amateur sleuth who has to find whodunit while dealing with kooky characters, and drama queens. The plot was very confounding, and I was surprised when the culprit was revealed in the end. The author is a great writer, I could feel the snowstorm jumping off the page, and I shivered a little while reading. The only problem I had with this story was I felt the pace was a little off. I thought it would've been a faster read. This review is my unbiased opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for this advanced reader's copy.