Carries Book Reviews

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Just a couple of new additions to share this week as we all begin to celebrate the holiday. 🙂

As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**

New additions from Netgalley  Dec 22nd – Dec 29th

As the weather cools down, business heats up at Deputy Donut Café for owner Emily Westhill. But is a stubborn tabby cat, a mysterious new employee, and a murder case with a baker’s dozen worth of suspects too much to manage?

With mouthwatering treats selling fast in October, Emily is delighted to welcome her assistant’s younger sister, Hannah, to help at the donut shop while taking a semester off from college. But Hannah’s talent for dishing powdered pastries without dropping a crumb attracts some unusual customers, as two admirers with opposite personalities begin to show up during her shifts—much to her older sister’s disappointment . . . 

Real trouble comes afterhours in the dark forest surrounding Emily’s lakeside house. Emily follows a trail of her freshly-made beignets—just like those purchased by the two admirers—to a dead body. And while the victim may have burned a few bridges, there’s no way to sugarcoat the discovery of Hannah’s hairclip at the crime scene. Now, as suspicions fall on her own employee and unsavory rumors swirl around town, it will take far more than a sprinkle of good luck for Emily to learn the truth and expose a killer with a very deadly craving . . .

For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

A joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge unspools when a billionaire crashes his hot-air balloon into the middle of a post-pandemic first date.

Joannie hadn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer-camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash-lands his hot-air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in. 

Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia, his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe, his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all? A tale of lust and money and lust for money, Hot Air is as astonishing as it is blisteringly funny, a delirious, delicious story for our billionaire era.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Blame the Beignets

Author:  Ginger Bolton

Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Publication Date: Nov 26, 2024

Page Count:  306

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

As the weather cools down, business heats up at Deputy Donut Café for owner Emily Westhill. But is a stubborn tabby cat, a mysterious new employee, and a murder case with a baker’s dozen worth of suspects too much to manage?

With mouthwatering treats selling fast in October, Emily is delighted to welcome her assistant’s younger sister, Hannah, to help at the donut shop while taking a semester off from college. But Hannah’s talent for dishing powdered pastries without dropping a crumb attracts some unusual customers, as two admirers with opposite personalities begin to show up during her shifts—much to her older sister’s disappointment . . . 

Real trouble comes afterhours in the dark forest surrounding Emily’s lakeside house. Emily follows a trail of her freshly-made beignets—just like those purchased by the two admirers—to a dead body. And while the victim may have burned a few bridges, there’s no way to sugarcoat the discovery of Hannah’s hairclip at the crime scene. Now, as suspicions fall on her own employee and unsavory rumors swirl around town, it will take far more than a sprinkle of good luck for Emily to learn the truth and expose a killer with a very deadly craving . . .

Blame the Beignets by Ginger Bolton is the ninth book in the cozy Deputy Donut Mystery series. As with most cozy mystery series each book of this series can be enjoyed as a standalone or in any order with the mystery being completely solved within each book. Of course there is some character building that carries over from book to book for those that follow the series from the beginning.

In the first book of this series we met Emily Westhill who co-owns the Deputy Donut donut shop named after her tabby cat in small-town Fallingbrook, Wisconsin. Emily used to work as a 911 dispatcher until the day her husband who was a police officer was killed so now she and her retired police chief father-in-law sell donuts at their shop instead. Although Emily thought opening a donut shop would be safe she keeps finding herself mixed up in solving murders.

This time around business has picked up for Emily in the donut shop so she has agreed to hire her assistant’s younger sister, Hannah, to help out in the shop while she is taking a semester off college. Much to her sister’s dismay Hannah ends up with a couple of admirers in the shop regularly purchasing the freshly-made beignets so when Emily finds a trail of Beignets leading to a dead body she immediately suspects the new customers but unfortunately there’s also evidence of Hannah at the scene so Emily knows she must track down the real murderer.

The Deputy Donut Mystery series is another cozy series that I have followed from the beginning and always enjoy returning back to with each new book. There’s those quirky characters, a fun mystery and small town charm I enjoy in the series but I really like the main character being so close to the police herself giving her more knowledge of investigations to go with her sleuthing. Definitely a series I will continue to return to with each new installment.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Ginger Bolton is the pseudonym of an Agatha-nominated cozy mystery author. She is the author of the Deputy Donut Mystery series and is very fond of donuts, coffee, and coffee shops that encourage patrons to linger and chat. Ginger lives in a rural area surrounded by cozy villages. When she isn’t reading, writing, or daydreaming while gazing out windows, she walks her dogs, plays an electric piano (she uses earphones so as not to frighten the wildlife), creates minor disasters in her kitchen, and occasionally takes part in local amateur theater productions, which, intended or not, become comedies. Visit her online at GingerBolton.com.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: The Merry Matchmaker

Author:  Sheila Roberts

Publisher: MIRA

Publication Date: Oct 1, 2024

Page Count:  329 

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, this joyful Christmas romp tells the story of a woman who can’t stop trying to help everyone around her find their happily-ever-after—even when her help leads to disaster.

Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster. 

Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts is a standalone Christmas contemporary romance novel. The story in The Merry Matchmaker is inspired by the classic novel Emma by Jane Austin which I haven’t read so I can’t compare the two but did enjoy this new tale.

Frankie Lane is the main character of the story who is the type of person who wants to always “fix” everyone else’s problems but ignores her own. Frankie currently has been trying to find a new man for her divorced sister, Stef and fixes up her shy employee, Elinor, with one of their customers.

Frankie also finds that her best friend, Mitch, who has been there for Frankie for the last nine years after losing her husband also needs someone in his life. The only problem is that when Mitch does turn his attention to someone else Frankie suddenly realizes that she herself has feelings for Mitch.

Sheila Roberts is an author that I’m quite familiar with and always find myself enjoying her latest stories so I wasn’t surprised to find that I did enjoy this new novel too. As I mentioned I can’t compare the book to Emma but it did hold a fun tale on it’s own merit. To the reader it’s obvious who is perfect for Mitch so it was just a matter of time for the characters to get there with plenty of Christmassy cheer to enjoy along the way.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

With more than fifty books to her name, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller – and a fan favorite. Her Christmas perennial “On Strike for Christmas” was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel and her novel “The Nine Lives of Christmas” was made into a movie for Hallmark. Hallmark also made a sequel, titled “The Nine Kittens of Christmas.” Her most recent novel to hit the small screen was “Christmas on Candy Cane Lane,” which aired on the Great American Family Channel in 2022. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she’s not traveling, she splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s

Author:  Liz Ireland

Publisher: Kensington

Publication Date: Sept 24, 2024

Page Count:   304

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

It’s beginning to look a lot like New Year’s in this creative and witty mystery featuring a unique heroine who’s married to the real-life Santa Claus and living in the North Pole. Santaland is scrambling to keep its secrets hidden from a trio of unexpected guests, but before the New Year’s Eve ball drops, the countdown is on for April Claus to catch a killer…

April Claus is looking forward to relaxing with her hubby, Nick (aka THE Santa Claus), in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But just after Santa departs for his deliveries, an elf pulls into Santaland with three people he found lost in the frozen wilderness. The survivors of a scientific expedition are injured, but their presence endangers the future of Santaland. So, while the strangers recuperate at the infirmary, April convinces Christmastown to pull off its grandest, most impossible, most magical feat yet . . . pretend to be normal!

Posing as a touristy, albeit Christmas-centric, arctic town, the elves cover their ears, snowmen take a vow of silence, and the reindeer keep their hooves on the ground. But as New Year’s Eve draws closer, hiding their true selves becomes harder to do, especially when one of the uninvited guests dies under highly suspicious circumstances. With a murderer in their midst, April sets out to find the uncorked culprit before any auld acquaintances should be forgot . . . or worse.

Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s by Liz Ireland is the fifth book in the cozy Mrs. Claus series. As with most cozy mystery series each book in the Mrs. Claus series features it’s own mystery that will be fully solved with that book so they can each be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There will be some character development that carries over from book to book though for those that follow the series from the beginning.

April Claus was just a regular woman living in the United States when she met Nick, the man she just knew she’d be spending the rest of her life with. What April didn’t know or suspect at the time was that the wonderful Nick she was going to marry was none other than THE Santa Claus. After marrying Nick April found herself moving to Christmastown in Santaland at the North Pole and living among elves with Christmas celebrated year round.

After spending a few years in Christmastown at the North Pole with the elves and celebrating all things Christmas April had decided to start teaching all of Christmastown about the other holidays. April’s plans this year was to spend a week relaxing with Nick before celebrating New Year’s but things of course don’t go as planned. Just as Santa is off on his deliveries for Christmas a group of human strangers are rescued and brought to Christmastown so now April has to get the entire town to appear “normal” while pretending to be a remote Canadian town but when one member of the lost group dies April knows it was no accident and must find another murderer.

The cozy Mrs. Claus mystery series is one that I have followed from the very beginning and always enjoy coming back to. Being a fan of the more over the top quirky Cozies the Mrs. Claus series fits right into my reading pile with all things Christmas surrounding our ametuer slueth lead. Such a fun series to bring the elves and snowmen and reindeer etc all to life while chasing down an intriguing mystery. Definitely one I’d like to come back to again in the future if I can.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus cozy mystery series, has written over forty works of romance, women’s fiction, and mystery. She also publishes under the names Elizabeth Bass and Liz Freeland. Originally from the United States, she now lives on beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Bright Lights, Big Christmas

Author:  Mary Kay Andrews

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: ‎ Sept 26, 2023

Page Count:  289

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

From Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of The Homewreckers and The Santa Suit, comes a novella celebrating love and the warm, glittering charm of the holiday season.

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,

And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

Filled with family ties, both rekindled and new, and sparkling with Christmas magic, BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS delivers everything Mary Kay Andrews fans adore, all tied up in a hilarious, romantic gem of a novel.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews is a contemporary romance novel that is of course set during the Christmas holiday season. The story in Bright Lights, Big Christmas is one that deals with family and those expectations along with finding oneself and finding romance along the way.

Kerry Tolliver has grown up helping with her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina. Every year the family makes a trip to New York selling the Christmas trees in the heart of the city with Kerry’s father and brother usually the ones making the trip. This year however Kerry has been asked to step into help with the sales.

Traveling all the way to New York with her brother to stay in a vintage camper on a corner in Greenwich Village where they have set up shop every year is really out of Kerry’s element but she vows to do her best to help. Over the course of a few weeks while working Kerry finds herself enjoying the surrounding neighbors and all the activity experiencing Manhattan for the first time despite the obstacles Kerry and her brother find with the business along the way.

Mary Kay Andrews is an author I’ve read many times before and always find myself recommending and Bright Lights, Big Christmas is no exception. I spotted the camper on this one and thought travel so was a little surprised the ‘camping’ was in the big city but it made for a rather interesting setting when diving into the story. The characters were great getting to know them as well and I couldn’t help but root for their happy ending. Definitely will continue to pick up this author any new chance I get!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Mary Kay Andrews is The New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House Cookbook and more than twenty novels, including The Weekenders, Ladies’ Night, Spring Fever, Summer Rental, The Fixer Upper, Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.