Search

Search only in certain items:

*I'm reading this as part of the Innkeeper Chronicles Anthology, #1-3*

This one was longer. Dina is asked to host a peace summit between three warring factions who live on Nexus, a planet of sorts. They have been at each others throats for years and the Arbitrator, George, is finally hoping that they can work things out.

We see a lot of the same characters from the previous one but I was missing a certain someone quite a lot - Sean. Dina contacted him near the start but Sean was away from Baha-Char and we didn't see him for a lot of the book.

The peace summit turned out really well in the end but everyone had to go through quite a lot to get there. We had deceit, poisonings, deaths... It certainly wasn't easy to achieve and I won't spoil it for future readers by going into details.

I'm glad Sean's back on Earth and that we will possibly see their romance bloom properly in the next one.

Off to start book 3.
  
Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots
Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots
Leslie Meier | 2010 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Missing Child at Christmas
Lucy Stone gets involved when a four-year-old boy is kidnapped in her community. With no clues to go on, Lucy begins to think that something much larger is happening. Is she right?

Even though I don’t normally read this series, I didn't have any trouble jumping into the characters here. There was enough explanation of who people were that I could follow along. The bits about those I assume are series regulars didn't mean quite as much to me, but I enjoyed meeting everyone. This is on the serious side of the cozy spectrum, and the atmosphere was carried perfectly throughout the story. Lucy did seem to jump to one conclusion, but since she was proved right with evidence later on, I can't call it a major flaw. There are two recipes at the end of this story to enjoy later. This is probably my favorite of the stories I’ve read from Leslie Meier.

NOTE: This is a novella, roughly 100 pages along.

NOTE 2: This was originally published in the anthology Gingerbread Cookie Murder.
  
Nightmare on Elf Street
Nightmare on Elf Street
Laura Levine | 2013 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder of (a Mall) Santa
Freelance writer Jaine Austen has taken a job as the elf at a mall to a pretty despicable Santa. When he is killed with a Christmas ornament to the heart, there are no shortage of suspects, but Jaine dives in to make sure the case is solved before her annual trip to visit her parents.

The series always features wacky humor, and this story is no exception. Even though the story is only 100 pages, we manage to get a couple of sub-plots and some twists as well. The characters are developed enough to pull us in while making us laugh as well.

This is a novella length story, so it will be faster than a full novel. As long as you know this, you’ll be fine.

Also note that this was originally released in the romance anthology Secret Santa. You’ll want to make sure you haven’t read it before purchasing it again. Although, if you haven’t read it, you’ll be thrilled to add this fun, festive mystery to your to be read pile.