Happy Monday Everyone :) and Happy Thanksgiving To All Of My Fellow Canadians!
I have to say that the frigid temperatures we've been experiencing lately have me even more so in the mood to read Christmas books than usual. I'd especially been craving reading some good cozy mysteries, and thankfully I found a couple of interesting sounding ones on NetGalley to read during these chilly fall nights.
Today I'd like to share with you all my thoughts on the first one I finished as it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost:
Source: Publisher (Crooked Lane Books) Via NetGalley
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: November 13th, 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Synopsis:
A Christmas delight, ’Twas the Knife Before Christmas will charm the stockings off readers of Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.
It’s out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline’s name in time to go caroling?
When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, Caroline’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a custom-designed marble rolling pin.
Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle—and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and run-ins with an ex-fiancé looking to make amends, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.
But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention? Find out in ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s second pine-scented Christmas Tree Farm mystery.
*******synopsis from goodreads******
My Review:
I received a complimentary advance reader's copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.
As a huge fan of cozy mysteries, and of Christmas themed reads, this book jumped out at me, and I knew I had to give it a try. I hadn't read the first book in the series going into it, but that definitely didn't hinder my enjoyment. While I was expecting to like it, I really wasn't prepared for just how much I ended up loving it, and how invested I truly was into the story unfolding within the pages.
Mistletoe, Maine is a charming and quaint little town with a big heart for Christmas, and a neighborly group of inhabitants. Holly White has grown up in this lovely little community, and Christmas is especially a big deal for her and her parent's, as they run a Christmas tree farm. Their family farm, Reindeer Games, is complete with a lovely little cafe, plenty of Christmas activities, and enough merriment to brighten even the scrooge's in the world. However, not everything is going to be fun and games this season, as Holly soon finds herself dragged into the middle of a murder mystery. What's supposed to be a sweet holiday event at the town's Christmas tree lighting turns deadly-literally-when the man who escorted her best friend to a dinner the night before turns up dead in a giant bowl of mints. To make matters worse, her best friend Caroline was seen publicly arguing with the man over his "handsy" manners on their date, and she soon finds herself the top suspect in his murder. Holly is determined to clear her dear friend's name, even if it means encroaching on the local sheriff's territory, who just also happens to be her boyfriend, and painting a target on her own back.
The mystery keeps the reader guessing right until the end, and is definitely a page turner. I loved how well developed and three dimensional all the characters were, and I ended either loving or absolutely hating each one introduced throughout the story. Most of all though, I loved the beautiful writing that seemed so original for the cozy mystery category, and the way the setting is described so vividly that you'll literally feel like you're right there experiencing the beautiful Reindeer Games farm with Holly and all her friends and family. I'm actually glad that I never read the first book going into this one, as now that I'm desperately wanting to read another of Holly's adventures, I can go ahead and do so. I'll also be highly anticipating the release of book three in this series, and I encourage anyone looking for a cozy, Christmas mystery to go ahead and pick this one up.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I couldn't have adored it more, and I can honestly say that it's right up there with The Domestic Diva and Maine Clambake series as my favorite cozy mysteries of all time.
Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to advance read this.
And thanks to all you guys for reading :) Have a great rest of your day.
I have to say that the frigid temperatures we've been experiencing lately have me even more so in the mood to read Christmas books than usual. I'd especially been craving reading some good cozy mysteries, and thankfully I found a couple of interesting sounding ones on NetGalley to read during these chilly fall nights.
Today I'd like to share with you all my thoughts on the first one I finished as it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost:
Source: Publisher (Crooked Lane Books) Via NetGalley
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: November 13th, 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Synopsis:
A Christmas delight, ’Twas the Knife Before Christmas will charm the stockings off readers of Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.
It’s out of the cupcake tin, into the fire for Holly White’s best friend, Caroline. Can Holly clear Caroline’s name in time to go caroling?
When a body turns up in the dumpster behind Caroline’s Cupcakes, Holly White is horrified to learn her best friend Caroline is the main suspect. Everyone in town, including Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, saw Caroline fighting with the victim on the night of his death. Worse, Caroline’s fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a custom-designed marble rolling pin.
Now, just ten days before Christmas, Holly’s up to her jingle bells in holiday shenanigans and in desperate need of a miracle. Juggling extra shifts at her family’s Christmas tree farm and making enough gingerbread jewelry to satisfy the crowd is already more than she can handle—and now she has to find time to clear her best friend of murder. Add in her budding relationship with the sheriff, and run-ins with an ex-fiancé looking to make amends, and Holly’s ready to fly south until springtime.
But her Sherpa-lined mittens come off when Caroline is taken into custody. Can Holly wrap up the case in time for Christmas…even after she gains the true killer’s attention? Find out in ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s second pine-scented Christmas Tree Farm mystery.
*******synopsis from goodreads******
My Review:
I received a complimentary advance reader's copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.
As a huge fan of cozy mysteries, and of Christmas themed reads, this book jumped out at me, and I knew I had to give it a try. I hadn't read the first book in the series going into it, but that definitely didn't hinder my enjoyment. While I was expecting to like it, I really wasn't prepared for just how much I ended up loving it, and how invested I truly was into the story unfolding within the pages.
Mistletoe, Maine is a charming and quaint little town with a big heart for Christmas, and a neighborly group of inhabitants. Holly White has grown up in this lovely little community, and Christmas is especially a big deal for her and her parent's, as they run a Christmas tree farm. Their family farm, Reindeer Games, is complete with a lovely little cafe, plenty of Christmas activities, and enough merriment to brighten even the scrooge's in the world. However, not everything is going to be fun and games this season, as Holly soon finds herself dragged into the middle of a murder mystery. What's supposed to be a sweet holiday event at the town's Christmas tree lighting turns deadly-literally-when the man who escorted her best friend to a dinner the night before turns up dead in a giant bowl of mints. To make matters worse, her best friend Caroline was seen publicly arguing with the man over his "handsy" manners on their date, and she soon finds herself the top suspect in his murder. Holly is determined to clear her dear friend's name, even if it means encroaching on the local sheriff's territory, who just also happens to be her boyfriend, and painting a target on her own back.
The mystery keeps the reader guessing right until the end, and is definitely a page turner. I loved how well developed and three dimensional all the characters were, and I ended either loving or absolutely hating each one introduced throughout the story. Most of all though, I loved the beautiful writing that seemed so original for the cozy mystery category, and the way the setting is described so vividly that you'll literally feel like you're right there experiencing the beautiful Reindeer Games farm with Holly and all her friends and family. I'm actually glad that I never read the first book going into this one, as now that I'm desperately wanting to read another of Holly's adventures, I can go ahead and do so. I'll also be highly anticipating the release of book three in this series, and I encourage anyone looking for a cozy, Christmas mystery to go ahead and pick this one up.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I couldn't have adored it more, and I can honestly say that it's right up there with The Domestic Diva and Maine Clambake series as my favorite cozy mysteries of all time.
Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to advance read this.
And thanks to all you guys for reading :) Have a great rest of your day.
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