Apple Cider Slaying

4.25/5 stars

6 stars!
I have fallen in love with these characters and Blossom Valley! I love the way that Winnie and Colton's relationship is developing. The murderer was a total surprise. I had only gotten about half the reason for the murder.
But my favorite part was the emotions. Everything Winnie felt and experienced was very natural. I felt those things along with her. The emotions seemed real and pure. It really made me fall in love with the character.

3.5 stars

Julie Anne Lindsay has quickly become one of my “must read” authors as she never fails to deliver a wonderful story. This one is no exception. Winnie is running Smythe Orchard with her grandmother and they have decided it's time to expand. They are going to get a loan from the bank and keep the orchard open all year long and do Christmas at the Orchard as well. They will give sleigh rides, have customers sample their apple cider and play some games.

Everything goes horribly wrong though when a neighbour is found dead on their property and Winnie's grandmother is suspected of killing her. Winnie starts her own investigation, much to the annoyance of the local sheriff, to clear her grandmother's name.

The characters and town are all well thought out and this has all the cozy feels you are looking for in a Christmas cozy. Definitely a 5 star read!

Well... it wasn't bad, except it had the three things I hate about cozies.
1) the MC gets upset when the police DARES to suspect her or her relatives or friends of the murder
2) the MC decides to solve the crime herself
3) at some point something bad happens and the MC is all mea culpa
In this book, she was also lying all the time, even though everyone knew she was lying, and telling the truth would not have made anything worse, on the contrary. sigh
I really wish the cozy writers would skip these tropes. I know #2 is kind of necessary, but it could be done in a better way. Like, the MC just happens to stumble over clues. She just happens to overhear something important, maybe not even understanding its importance herself, and happens to tell the detective who is her boyfriend. Or something like that.
Nevertheless, it wasn't bad.

I don't honestly have much to say about this book. It was a very “middle of the road” read for me. There were parts that I enjoyed a lot. The setting, Grammy, Winnie (sometimes). And there were things I didn't like. The “killer” was super obvious. The plot got bogged down at times with too much descriptions. I found Winnie to be annoying at times, and I loathe love triangles in cozy mysteries and this series looks to be heading in that direction. So ya, a mixed bag with this one for sure.  BLOG FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST BOOKBUB

This was such a fun audiobook!! The narrator was great and the story exactly what I love in a cozy mystery. Small town vibes are strong with this one and it made my heart happy.

I also love Granny, Winnie and her love interest. I want Christmas to be here now