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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Easter Basket Murder in Books

Jan 25, 2024 (Updated Jan 25, 2024)  
Easter Basket Murder
Easter Basket Murder
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Here’s to a Deadly Easter
Kensington has called on their go to trio for three new holiday themed mysteries, this time featuring Easter. Up first, Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone gets involved with a promotion for the local businesses leads to the theft of a golden Easter egg. Then Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell finds the Easter Bunny dead at a community Easter egg hunt. Finally, Barbara Ross’s Julia Snowden’s Easter on the family island off the coast of Maine is interrupted when she finds a man in coat tails dead in the garden. Then, a few minutes later, he’s gone.

All three stories have fun with the theme, and present it in some clever ways. As is often the case, I found the first story the weakest, but the mysteries in the other two stories are strong. Still, I was engaged no matter which story I was reading. All three have some great Easter elements that made me feel like it was spring. And I love the community aspects we get. I’m only a regular reader of Barbara Ross’s series, and I was interested in the updates we got on the characters there. If you are looking for some new dishes to serve this year, you’ll be interested in the recipes we get with the second and third story. Each story is roughly 100 pages, so you can read them in a sitting or two. Overall, this is a fun anthology you’ll be happy hopped on to your to be read pile.
  
Stag Weekend: Island Confidential Novella
Stag Weekend: Island Confidential Novella
TA Moore | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tate really SAW Simon!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Simon wanted to keep his head down, and out of the family gossip, since his engagement was called off. It's his sister's turn, given as no one likes Wyatt, the groom. But then Simon wakes up in Tate's bed, Wyatt's stepbrother. The ame stepbrother who Angie warned Wyatt to tell his brother to keep away from.

This book, right, is a catalogue of errors on Wyatt's part, saved by Tate and Simon, with a backdrop of gate-crashing cousins (who I really REALLY wanted to punch in the face!) missing rings, stolen wine, and some special moments between Simon and Tate that really were the best!

It's a lot, though. I found myself just waiting for the next drama, and it did get a weeny bit too much.

I loved Simon and Tate, both together and apart. Simon clearly hadn't met the right man to really SEE him like Tate does and I loved that Tate wouldn't let Simon talk himself out of whatever Tate had in mind at any given moment.

It's steamy in places and flipping hilarious in others. Not too much emotion, but there are moments that let you into Simon's mind. He has a lot more to say than Tate I think.

I really enjoyed all these books, they have been a lot of fun to read and sometimes, just sometimes, you really do need to laugh out while reading!

4 very VERY good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Furious Angels (The Order of the Senary #4)
Furious Angels (The Order of the Senary #4)
L.D. Rose | 2025 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
FURIOUS ANGELS is the fourth book in the Order of the Senary series, although the last book was published quite a while ago (2019), so it did take me some time to fall back into their world.

Unlike the other books, Kasen and Veronica are already together, engaged, and Ronnie is pregnant when the story starts. Told from both perspectives, you see how the world is for Kasen and Veronica, how the Knights are pretty much hunted by those who 'appear' to want to help, and just how much stress and strain the Knights are under. Any story with a pregnant human woman carrying a half-vampire hybrid/half-human baby is bound to have its problems, not even counting those that are snooping for their own nefarious purposes.

Being as it's been such a long time between books, it was good to catch up with the others whose stories we've already had. However, I am intrigued by what's happening to Rome! And Shaul, well, I can't wait for his story, because if anyone deserves a HEA, it's him!


This story is full of action, of found family, hope, heartbreak, and sorrow. It was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I can't wait to read more in this series. Definitely recommended by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 25, 2026