Linda

This was such a terrific story. Sophie's dog Max goes missing and when she hears about a dog napping ring in the neighbourhood, she fears the worst.

This is a fun, cozy Christmas read with a welcoming small town, engaging characters, lots of fun dogs too and an intriguing mystery with a few twists and turns to keep you guess. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read another one from Belinda Page.

I was so happy to find another series by Laini Taylor that I enjoyed nearly as much as “Daughter of Smoke and Bone”. Laini does such a great job of drawing me into the imaginative worlds that she creates and her characters are an assortment of likeable, humourous and terrifying. Magpie, the heroine is feisty and independent, loyal to the murder of crows she travels with and to the friends she meets along the way. As she struggles to save Dreamdark and bring down the Blackbringer she meets many challenges and learns a lot about herself in the process.

Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say, it did make me laugh, it did make me cry, and I can't wait to delve into the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this book. I know it says it is book 3, however, I have never read any of the other ones and found it stood alone without any problem. The book follows a Native American girl throughout her life in the 1920's and beyond. She grows up in a residential school and later goes on to lead a very exciting, albeit harrowing life through WW2.

Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say it brought to light aspects of life that I had never thought about and talked about the Native American contributions in both world wars that I knew little about.

This was an interesting dystopian novel with some good characterization. It showed how quickly society could disintegrate into an uncivilized mess, but it also showed the innate goodness in some people and their willingness to help their fellow man.

The reason for the 3 star rating is because I found that the book contained a lot of narrative monologues by the characters to explain what a “cyberstorm” was and the possible implications. That's ok once or twice throughout the book, but it happened on a regular basis and became very tedious and dull.

This wasn't my normal type of book to read, but I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about different birds and the author has an easy to read style that made it a fun book to curl up with on a cold Winter day.

He lives down South, but he covered many of the common birds that we also see on the East coast of Canada; the robin, crow, chickadee, blue jay and many others.

I really enjoyed this book and found it fascinating to learn about the different Archangels and Spirit Guides and how they can help us in our daily lives. The author was easy to read and gave the reader a glimpse into her life and how she came to know about her own Angels. Even if you are skeptical, I recommend you read this and just see if anything in it speaks to you.

This was by far the best book I have read this year. The author creates a very believable story about Molly, a beautiful young Protestant girl and her neighbour and friend, Max, who is a handsome Jewish boy. It begins in 1933 as racial tensions in Toronto begin to rise. Soon Molly's parents are telling her she can't hang out with Max and his sister Hannah, and her brother Richie has joined a Swastika group. Her whole world is about to change. A pivotal event takes place that is felt by both families for years to come.

We then move to 1939 when the world is at war and many of the young men from 1933 are now serving in the military. Genevieve Graham does not gloss over the horrors of war and later that of PTSD.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, however, this is a part of history that is not widely known and I was so impressed with the way it was dealt with. I highly recommend!!

I was so happy to read this book. A new “cozy” series is always great to find. The main character Morwenna Mutton is so endearing. She is 61 and rides her bicycle all around Seal Bay. She likes to do Polar Bear dips at the beach once a week, and she and her mother and daughter run the local cafe.

Alex owns half of the village and wants to buy the cafe so he can turn it into a pizza shop. Tamsan considers it because they have a hard time making ends meet in the off season, but her mother and grandmother convince her they will get through it as a family.

Her daughter Tamsan is engaged to Jack and also has a daughter Elowen from a previous relationship. They throw an engagement party on the beach, and a murder is committed. The murder used the bread knife that they brought from the cafe, so the local police chief has the whole family as the prime suspects.

It's up to Morwenna to clear their names and find the real killer. She is a wonderful main character and reminds me of characters like Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple. I love that she is a bit older and the fact that it is set in Cornish Village is an added bonus. I am looking forward to spending more time with Morwenna and her family in Seal Bay. A wonderful start to a new series.

This novel was very funny in a slapstick comedy sort of way. Four women decide to travel from Quebec to NY and they get caught up with the mob, some local drug dealers and one of their ex-husbands. It would probably make a good comedy on the big screen.

One of the women is Jewish and I did think her family was portrayed in a very stereotypical way that I wasn't crazy about, but otherwise a lighthearted middle age “friend” comedy.

This was a good start to a cozy series. Bernie Smyth is an actress from the detective series Silver and Gold. She is put in witness protection when she finds out her co-star is a criminal and she testifies against him. She is moved to a small town and she gets a job as a barista, but when her boss is killed she loses her chance to stay under the radar as suddenly everyone in the town wants to know about her and the sheriff is out to get her.

The small town had a lot of nice people and shops and different areas. It was all centered around an Italian-American theme and they even had a festival with lots of different foods, including cannolis. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to see where is leads me next.

The first in the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries and it was terrific. Holly White has broken up with her fiance and she is back home in Mistletoe, Maine on her parents Christmas Tree Farm. As she is helping her mother in their cafe The Hearth, one of the members of the Historical Society is killed and the hot new police chief is looking at her family and friends as suspects.

Holly begins to ask questions and try to solve the crime, putting herself in danger and upsetting the police chief Evan who seems to have more than a passing interest in Holly.

The characters, the small town and the Christmas vibes are all cozy and so much fun. Put this one on your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors and the publishers for an ARC of this novel.

This is the latest book from James Patterson and it's terrific. Three people with the last names of Holmes, Marple and Poe have started an PI firm and they are solving crimes and generally showing up the police commissioner. There is one officer, Helene Gray, who is interested in what they are doing and they work together somewhat. She is suspicious of them though as there are no signs that they existed before this. Who were they before they went public with their PI firm?

Like Helene Gray, there are a few secondary characters that are also interesting. They have an assistant that is very efficient and likeable, a cat and by the end of the novel, a dog. So it's also about the “family” they are creating and the community they are in.

The cases that they work on are compelling, and the characters are multi-layered and all have their own demons to deal with. I thought it was really solid work, well written, and I hope that we'll get more novels about the firm and their next cases.

Case of the Bleus is the latest in the Cheese Shop Mystery Series. It's a cozy mystery about Willa who runs her own cheese shop called Curds and Whey. Her co-workers from her previous job come to town for the Cheese Invitational, which is a large cheese convention. Her previous boss Max has passed away, but he left a wheel of his famous cheese bleu. It's a blue cheese surrounded by mystery, as no one knows exactly how Max aged it or made it and everyone is waiting to see who Max gave the secret to before he died.

Someone is killed as everyone tries to learn the secret to the cheese and when the will is read and doesn't clear up the mystery, even more shenanigans begin. It's up to Willa and her friends at Curds and Whey to figure out who's involved.

Tilly is trying to run her shop when the health inspector dies from blunt force trauma in her shop. Now she's trying to prove not only that she didn't do it, but who did? She needs to get this all wrapped up so she has time to plan her favourite Uncle's wedding. There are also a lot of burgleries in her town, is it the same person as the murderer or someone different?

Cute cozy with interesting characters. I enjoyed Tilly's Uncle and the town itself.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Eileen Brady for the opportunity to review it. This is my honest review of the book.

I had never read Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries before, although this is the 3rd one in the series. It was wonderful to read a cozy mystery where the main character has a unique job. I was fascinated learning about the ins and outs of a vet practice and the quirkiness of pet owners.

The characters in the book are fleshed out well and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I didn't feel lost because I hadn't read the first two books, which was nice. I will be going back to read them now though.

Dr. Kate is filling in at the vet practice while the owner is away on a cruise. Her receptionist Cindy and her assistant Mari have been there a long time and know all the people in the small town. Cindy is the police chief's sister in law so she also has the inside track on any information. So when someone is murdered, Dr. Kate often goes to her for information on what the police think. She also has a close relationship with her Gramps and he is great for coming up with new ideas that she hasn't thought of.

I thought the mystery was interesting and not easily solved, the characters were fun and engaging and I now have a whole new respect for my vet. I can't wait to read more from Eileen Brady.

Victoria is a plant witch and is sent to Ireland to learn from the coven there. She becomes involved in a murder there when her mentor's grandson is accused of murder. It turns out it's much more complicated than anyone thinks.

The small town magical vibes are awesome and there are lots of fun characters, cozy shops and different magical creatures. She also has a familiar named Simon who is looking out for her even when he doesn't seem to be.

It was really well done and I give it 5/5 stars.

Tedi runs the local inn in Ravenmist, the most haunted town in the area. She has never seen a ghost, but she is sure they exist.

As Halloween approaches she sets up a fun festival for the town and everything is going well, until one of her guests is found dead, face down in the apple bobbing station.

The local sheriff is from Chicago and believes everything is dangerous and no one is to be trusted. He also seems to believe that he needs to check on Tedi multiple times a day.

This is a sweet cozy mystery with a little romance, a good mystery and lots of ghostly fun.

Ashley McDonnell is a witch, a Dr. and in charge of Washington Medical, a hospital for paranormal creatures. She has some major problems though. There has been a drug stolen from the safe, her hospital's license is about to be taken away and she has lost her powers.

Nothing is going right. Then a strong, handsome man named Nick is brought into her hospital because he has been turned into a vampire. It's now her job to help him to transition easily without getting too attached. There are instant sparks between them though, so it may not be easy.

This is a great story; very fast moving with compelling characters and storyline.