Killer Cupid by Laurien Berenson - 5 Stars!

Melanie Travis is happy to spend three days with Sam, her Standard Poodle, Faith, and their friends Bertie and Frank at the White Birch Inn; a New England resort nestled at the foot of a snow-covered mountain. The inn has a full slate of couples' activities planned for the Valentine's weekend. But, after the first night, a body is found. The sheriff launches an investigation, but at the inn keeper’s urging, Melanie tries to sneak a little detective work into her romantic getaway. But with the resort sold out for the holiday weekend, there's no shortage of suspects, and Melanie’s sleuthing is already attracting the wrong kind of attention. But if she doesn’t catch the killer soon, another innocent victim may get the kiss of death.

I am pleasantly surprised about my feelings for this cozy mystery. This was a wonderful holiday read, and I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Melanie is a wonderful amateur sleuth, she's smart, capable and tenacious all throughout her investigation. She's also careful and doesn't take risky chances that could put her in jeopardy. Her friend Bertie and the other side characters helped build a picture of who Melanie is, and I would love to learn more about all of them. The plot was very confounding. I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I was surprised by the culprit's identity in the end. I have found a new cozy mystery series, and I can't wait to read all of these stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced reader's copy. This review is my honest opinion.

 

A Collar out of Place by Cindy Kirk - 3 Stars!

A collar out of place was about a town's memorial to dogs. A family put a collar with an amethyst stone on the memorial, only to have it stolen. A stray dog helps the main character find the culprit and the collar is returned.

This was an interesting start to a new cozy mystery series. The main character was very likable, and the little mystery was easily solved. Whenever I read these prequels, I always want more. I want to know more about the characters, the mystery, and the setting. A mystery in my mind is very hard to condense itself within the pages of a prequel. I also was a little turned off about having a stray dog wandering the neighborhood. To me, a stray dog needs to be rescued. I've been to places where there were packs of dogs living on the streets begging to anybody that they saw. It seemed very sad because they were always unkempt and I hated seeing their sorrowful faces. I hope that things change for the poor animal in the next installment to this new cozy mystery series. Thanks to the author for this advanced reader's copy.