Andrea Ward

A spooky dark forest with a questionable house and locals that don’t like the people staying at the house is exactly what this book needed. The fact that the narrator is Alex and they are in their home country again just makes it all better! And that is only the first little bit of the book! The people Alex has around them and the investigation really made me enjoy this book and experience. I can’t believe I almost didn’t read this duology.

I have missed a couple in this series, so I was surprised by Kendall's relationships and blog popularity. So it is best to read these in order. I had also forgotten the ways that this is over the top fun. This is the series that stares with giraffes licking their faces after all!
Also knowing some of the Senoia group helps it all make sense too. I like the way these are connected and all the stories with Felicity makes the wedding angle make sense.
The mystery and clues are pretty straightforward. The murderer makes sense, but his not immediately evident. But it does seem to be the sideline story. The wedding and relationships and friendships are the main focus. It is a fun little story.

I nearly turned this off in the first couple chapters because Rain's friends were really selfish at first. But they realized what they were doing and called themselves on it. I think that is what I like best about this book. The characters are willing to call themselves out when needed, so the characters grow as people. There are still broken relationships that need worked on and that makes me interested in reading the next book.
The bad guy was kind of obvious, but there are still a couple twists and turns before we get to the final answer. So the solution is really well done.
I can't wait to read the next one!

It took me a little while to get into this one. I think the two settings of Lilac Grove and NYC took a little getting used to, but there are a lot of really great characters to get to know. The mystery and murder have several twists that kept me guessing. I am glad I stuck with this one and I am excited to read the next one.

There is a lot going on in this book. Peru, Mexico, New York City, and 3 different gangs! There are some things left up in the air with the other characters, which is makes sense in the story, but I was unsatisfied with it. It seems like too big of a topic to take on and not follow through with. This isn't my favorite Kendall and Pauline story, but it sets up a great next story.

Of course, I loved visiting Beacon Harbor again and especially during the Blueberry Festival! There are so many yummy blueberry recipes and several interesting events. We get plenty of time to visit with Lindsey, Betty, Kennedy, Rory, and Wellington. So the setting and characters are what I have come to expect in this series.
The pranks take up a significant portion of the book, so the important information to crack the case happens later in the story. The suspects made me flip flop various times about who could have committed the crime. There is another twist to come late in the book when we found out who committed the crime. When I got all of the information, I was completly surprised.
There are lots of great blueberry recipes. The festival and the pranks are light and fun. The solution to the mystery is compelling. This might be my favorite in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books.

I could have stayed the Halloween cooking competition for the whole book! That was a wonderful fall festival that I have never heard about. That is one thing that made this book special.
I like the futher development of Grant and his decisions about his future. I like to see Ari and Carly slowly moving forward and having some struggles and doubts. I like the various grilled cheese sandwiches that were described. I like getting to know some of the regulars at her restaurant.
Carly is slowly working towards being a better slueth, but her interview techniques need some work! I found myself wanting to give her advice to help her interview people better. Evelyn made some odd choices that made some of the mystery feel contrived instead of a regular pace for a mystery. That is a really nit-picky thing and the only complaint I had about the book.
The mystery is well done. There are lots of suspects holding on to secrets, so a lot of them look suspicious. The pace at which secrets are revealed is well done as well. I figured out who it was before Carly, but really had no clue why. So part of the reveal was still a surprise for me.
Good mystery, great characters, wonderful setting, and a fun fall festival!
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press.

I loved visiting Mistletoe, Maine for another Christmas. We got to see some reindeer games and a blizzard as well as a wedding. I loved the Christmas feel of this book! The wedding is a good payoff for Holly and Evan. It was so good to see everyone coming together to help them.
The mystery was interesting. The first time we see the victim, Tiffany, is when she is dead. Then we learn about her as they investigate. It was a bit hard to keep some of the ballerinas straight, so I was never quite sure which of them was a suspect. The murderer made sense in the end. I also liked the stalker mystery and how Evan's sister had to work through that.
Amazing setting, wonderful characters, and pretty good mystery.

This author does a great job of writing super annoying characters that I actually start to like. This is no exception. Louise started off on my last nerve, but by then end of the book, she was okay. I am constantly impressed by Dennison's characterization. I loved visiting the Isles of Scilly again. I am so interested in the island life there.
The body is not discovered for a while, but you know it is coming. There are so many secrets and I was able to guess several of them, but a few were still a surprise. The end was tense and heart pounding. There was even a smidge of romance at the end. I can't wait to read the next one in this series!!

This has all the best cozy tropes done right. She has to clear her aunt's name and stumbles into another mystery. The killer is secretly angry, crazy and violent. I figured out who it was and why a little over half way through, but I enjoyed waiting for Abby to figure it out. There is also a budding romance and some good friendships started. I appreciated that the romance did not include a former love or an officer. I like the small town setting and the quilting angle. I can't wait for the next one.

First off, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was un-put-down-able! There is a lot of tragedy and some “on screen” violence, but it doesn't become brutal. It moves so fast and takes multiple twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, there's another twist. We are left guessing at what comes next, but I never guessed right. I was surprised by all of them.

That always makes for a great thriller/mystery, but the strength of this book is in the characters. The character are so well drawn. From the first few pages you know who these people are, but as you read they keep surprising you with why they do what they do. They change and evolve. Everything that happens is believable because of who these people are and why they are. I could not predict the twists and turns, but I believed all of them were true because of these characters. I can not stress strongly enough how real and clear these characters were.

In the end, we figure out all the secrets. But I'm still left thinking about these people because I'm not sure if I like them or not. There is so much to keep thinking about after you finish this book.

Wow! The bad guy was really bad! I didn't expect to have so many people to dislike in this one. It really made me want to see the bad guy caught and to have all the other annoying characters put in their place.
I also liked that Shannon and her team were building a tiny home community for veterans. That is a really cool idea. There were several characters that I met and that I loved as well.
A really enjoyable addition to this series.

I love Aki. She really grows into a stronger more confident person throughout the story. She is dedicated to finding out the truth and has more strength than she knows. I like the way that her courage and drive for truth helped those around her try again and make better choices.
There were several things I learned in this book as well. I had no clue about the resettlement agencies or about the military exclusion line. The process of resettlement and the types of people Aki interacts with seemed realistic. There were some people willing to admit their ideas might be wrong, some that were just awful, and some who just wanted to get rich off the situation. The Nisei were not a monolith. There were all kinds of Nisei and Issei throughout the book. So one of the largest cities in the United States felt full of different kids of people.
The mystery had several twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there would be a new clue that sent me in another direction. The way that justice was achieved seemed realistic and felt good too.
As with Hirahara's other books, this was filled with characters that were compelling and flawed design with hard situations and not giving up on friendship and family.

I love the way the romance is developing in this series! It is slow and unsure and seems realistic. I thought the developments in this one were just perfect. The mystery involves a lot of complicated people and we meet a couple great new to us people in Yarrow Glen. So we are emotionally invested in who the ‘bad guy' is. However I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through. I was also able to figure out one of the twists pretty early on as well, so I was a smidge frustrated that Willa didn't think of what seemed obvious to me. I would have liked to see a little bit more of the cheese shop, but we did get to see lots of Archie, Mrs. Schultz, and Baz. It was good to see all of them come together as a team.
Overall this was a good book to bring the characters together as a team and move the romance forward.

There is a lot want to say, but I am afraid that would be a spoiler. So I will try to be vague. There was a lot of creepy parts that I liked and the use of other documents. The history with the movie added to the creepy factor. There were several parts that were a little too convenient and those took me out of the story. I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. It definitely left me thinking about the story after I finished it. So it's good on that account. Overall I enjoyed the characters and backstory. It felt appropriately creepy.

This was a great start to a series. It sent me down a rabbit hole of looking up all the castles in the UK. I love the behind the scenes look how the estate works. Joyce and Mark are great side kicks. I knew who the murderer was and why about halfway through, but the other crime was a surprise. Great setting and characters. Great start to the series.