Hello Bookish Lovelies :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you chose to join me (Kirby) here on The Preppy Book Princess for another book review.
I'm writing this one a little bit in advance, and I'm currently at home with a nasty cold while doing so. I've been thankful for many books to dive right into while I'm sick, and I'm going to share a review of one of those titles with you all today.
I've reviewed a couple others of these novella collections on my blog previously, and you can check those out using the links below:
Otherwise, keep on reading down below for today's full review.
Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross:
Source: Library
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: October 24th, 2016
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Novella Collection
Series: Lucy Stone/Haley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery/Maine Clambake Mystery
Synopsis:
With the fireplace crackling, the tree twinkling, and the carols humming, few things in life are as picture perfect as Christmas in Maine—until murder dampens the holiday spirit. It must be something in the eggnog . . .
EGGNOG MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
When a gift-wrapped bottle of eggnog—allegedly from the Real Beard Santa Club—proves to be a killer concoction for a Tinker’s Cove local, all Lucy Stone wants for Christmas is to find the murdering mixologist who’s stirring up trouble.
DEATH BY EGGNOG by LEE HOLLIS
Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell has never cared much for Bar Harbor’s grouchy town librarian, Agatha Farnsworth. But after the Scroogy senior has a fatal—and suspicious—allergic reaction to supposedly non-dairy eggnog, it’s up to Hayley to ladle out some justice.
NOGGED OFF by BARBARA ROSS
Julia Snowden’s tenant Imogen Geinkes seems to be jinxed. First, her poorly named “Killer Eggnog” gives all her co-workers food poisoning at the holiday party, then her boyfriend’s body shows up in Julia’s moving truck as she’s headed back to Busman’s Harbor. Now Julia has to get moving to catch the cold-hearted culprit.
Cozy up with a glass of eggnog and enjoy the spirit of murder and mystery in a Yultide treat perfect for those winter holidays . . .
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
This is the third one of these novella collections I've picked up by these authors, and my final thoughts ended up being pretty similar to how I felt about the other two.
Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier was a festive cozy mystery that follows Lucy Stone, as she attempts to get to the bottom of a possible murder by eggnog mystery. While the only titles I've read from this series have been the novellas in these collections, I've come to really enjoy Leslie's stories, and this one was no different. I will say, however, that this one was pretty graphic for being a cozy, and some might find that off putting if you're not expecting it when you pick it up.
Overall: 3/5. Nicely plotted, and the mystery went in a different direction than I was expecting.
Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis was my least favorite of the three, just like has been the case with these other collections. I personally find the Haley Powell mysteries to not be as intriguing or as well put together as the other contributions, and that was one of the main reasons I had stopped reading the actual titles by Lee Hollis. This one honestly grated on my nerves, and Haley's personality was even harder to stomach than usual. I also felt that this one was the least "cozy" of the collection, and that probably further contributed to my lack of enjoyment with it.
Overall: 2/5. Not my personal kind of read.
Nogged Off by Barbara Ross was without a doubt my personal favorite of the three. I loved the mystery element, and just how shocking the end reveal ended up being. I continue to enjoy following Julia Snowden and the rest of her family through their adventures, and these characters have come to feel like old friends. This installment was brilliantly put together, and I read the entirety of it in one sitting.
Overall: 4.5/5. I'd highly recommend reading this one if you're a fan of cozy mysteries.
My final thoughts on this collection was that Leslie Meier and Barbara Ross's contributions are much stronger stories than that off Lee Hollis', and going forward I might just read the two, and skip the other. Also, since I'm not personally a fan of eggnog in the slightest, I won't be trying any of the recipes, but I always enjoy when they are included with a published cozy.
Final Rating: 3/5.
Still a pretty great collection of mysteries, and a collection I would recommend picking up this holiday season.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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