Author: CozyRomBooksandCoffee

My name is Suzanne and I have lived in Tennessee my entire life. I am marred with 3 kids and 3 grandchildren. My family is my! I love to read so I decided to support the authors I love by writing reviews. I also post my reviews to Goodreads and Amazon. Besides reading, I love to spend time with my family, travel, Corvette road trips & working out. I hope you enjoy my blogs.
Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder Mystery at the Castle

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: Murder Mystery at the Castle
  • Author: Avery Kent
  • Series: A Kitty McCray Cozy Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Frobisher Castle
  • Main Character: Kitty McCray
  • Other Characters: Nan, Richard, Morag, Miss Hagerty, Dorthea, Will, Ava, Emitt, Emmitt, Agnes, Wayne, Carla, Vincent, Madalyn, Zach, Major Daniels, Raymond, Gwendoline, Nigel, Brian, Inspector Haddock, Dr Tyne, Helen
  • Pets: Black Lab named Flint & a Cat named Mitten
  • Stars: 2

This is the first book in the Kitty McCray Cozy Mystery series . Since I like the Bishop’s Landing series, I was eager to get started on this new one. Unfortunately, I wasn’t captivated by this book. .

Kitty is at Forbisher Castle to visit her Nan, who oversees all of the castle’s events. Growing up Kitty was often at the castle so she knows a lot about it and lends a hand when needed. Richard, the owner’s son, took over the Castle after his parents, Lord and Lady Forbisher, were killed in an aomobile accident. Richard and Kitty used to hang out when they were younger, so Kitty knows him.

Kitty is going to assist Nan with her murder mystery night at the castle. The murder mystery is about to begin, and the guests have shown up. With their costumes on, the cast is prepared to start the murder mystery. They had no idea that this evening would become a true murder mystery. As soon as the lights go on, one of the guests is found dead, apparently stabbed, lying over his table. Who could have wanted Raymond Haynes dead? As it happens, he wasn’t well-liked, so the suspect list is long.

This book seemed very familiar to me like I have seen a movie or read another book with similar plot. It reminded me of the game Clue. “Who killed Mr Haynes in the theater with the knife!” Despite the lengthy number of suspects. It was very obvious who the killer was, before they were even revealed. I was hoping for a twist at the end, but there was none. This book had so many characters that I felt like I needed a score card to keep track of them all. I really wanted to enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed Bishop’s Landing, the author’s previous work, but unfortunatly I didn’t. While I enjoyed Kitty and Richard, I found it difficult to distinguish between the others at times as they all seemed to blend together.

“I received this book as part of an ARC and this review is my own opinion”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Mulled to Death by Kate Lansing

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  • Title: Mulled to Death
  • Author: Kate Lansing
  • Series: Colorado Wine Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Silver Creek Lodge
  • Main Character: Parker, Reid, Liam, Sage
  • Other Characters: Annemarie, Akira, Paisley, Boone, Hudson, Sherrif Scott
  • Pets: The resort cat Madeline
  • Stars: 4

Another great Read in the Colorado Wine Mystery series by Kate Lansing. I have really enjoyed this series. I am a wine lover so I enjoy all the wine references throughout the book.

Parker goes on a much-needed vacation with her boyfriend Reid in this episode. They are accompanied by Parker’s best friend Sage and her brother Liam, who are now dating. Since they are in Colorado in February, they will be going snow skiing at Silver Creek Lodge. Parker also takes use of this trip to pitch her wine to the Lodge’s proprietor. When they arrive at the lodge, Paisley, the unwelcoming person in charge of checking them in, greets them. Akira, the wine director, meets with Parker. They are joined by the lodge owner, who also happens to be an Olympic gold medalist. Parker is hopeful that the lodge will include her wine on their menu because they both genuinely enjoy it. She is ecstatic because she is sure they will purchase her wine.

They are ejoying their vacation and head to the slopes for some skiing. They are having a great time until Parker finds the owner of the Lodge dead on the slopes from an apparent skiing accident. With Annemarie being experienced skier, she wasn’t believing this was an accident. Parker ends up entangled in a murder mystery one again. Could Parker’s own investigation get her killed!

I love the protagonist in the story and the supporting characters are also great. All the characters are well developed and interesting. The gorgeous scenery that the author described made me want to visit Colorado. This book also takes place around Valentine’s Day so their is some romance. Reid & Parker are really getting to know each other as she reveals a little bit more of her past.

Despite being very obvious, this mystery was nonetheless enjoyable. Although the author does put the reader through a bit of a roller coaster with multiple suspects for the potential murderer, I was still able to figure it out. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Don’t forget to check out the recipes with wine parings in the back of the book.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

The Sluething Game by Kathi Daley

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: The Sluething Game
  • Author: Kathi Daley
  • Series: Tess & Tilly #16
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Lake Tahoe
  • Main Character: Tess
  • Other Characters: Tony, Zoe, Zack, Shaggy, Carmen
  • Pets: A golden Retriever named Tilly
  • Stars: 2

This is the sixteenth installment of The Tess & Tilly Cozy Mystery and it should be the last. Sometimes a seris goes on for too long and I think this is one of them. As much as I have enjoyed the escapes of Tess & Tilly this one just didn’t measure up.

Tess and her husband Tony, her dog Tilly & Tony’s friend Shaggy head to Lake Tahoo for a video game convention. They are promoting their newest game. There is a lot of talk at the conference about a new game created by Loki and Craven that is supposed to be the best of the best. But when it comes time to preview this game, Loki & Craven are nowhere to be found. The next day when Tess and just her new friend Zoe are snow skiing they encounter a dead body, who just to be Loki. It looks like he died from a fatal accident while skiing. But when his friend Craven was found in his room by an apparent suicide, they are begging to wonder if Loki’s death was really an accident and did Craven really commit suicide. Tess & Loki, with the help from Tony are putting their sleuthing skills to work.

The plot twist I like in books wasn’t present in this one. There were no surprises at the conclusion or unexpected turns. Any good mystery should have a surprise ending and a a lot of twists, and this one fell short of my expectations. And then there is Tess’s father who keeps showing up, and it’s absurd that they were able to pass him off to her mother as her dad’s brother. There’s just not the suspense I keep expecting to build with her dad. I was somewhat disappointed in this book because I had liked the other ones in the series.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Sea Glass Summer by Rachel Hanna

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: Sea Glass Summer
  • Author: Rachel Hanna
  • Series: South Carolina Sunsets #11
  • Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
  • Takes Place:  Seagrove, South Carolina
  • Main Character: Tara, Noah, Julie
  • Other Characters: Meg, Colleen, Dixie, Dawson
  • Stars: 5

This is the eleventh book in the Series South Carolina Sunsets and Rachel Hanna never disappoints. This is my favorite series by this author so I loved catching up with the citizens of Seagrove.

We’re headed back to the small South Carolina town of Seagrove to reconnect with some old friends as well as some new. Tara’s life is spinning out of control. She’s lost her job and her fiancé, and now she’s getting additional bad news. In the midst of all this, she’s been called back to the home town where she was raised to cope with a family tragedy. While there she runs into her childhood best friend, Noah. Noah now owns his own shop where he is Sea Glass artist. The inspiration for Noah’s shop came from his and Tara’s time spent collecting Sea Glass at the beach when they were kidssh. Tara and Noah realize they still have a bond and she is finding some comfort with him. As there connection deepens, Tara is faced with a difficult decision. She has to really thing about what she wants and which direction she is going to choose.

We’re also back in Julie’s life to find out what she’s been up to with Dawson and her family. She’s facing some challenges and because she hasn’t opened up to her family about it, she’s dealing with it on her own. As she is starting to decide what path to take will she begin to open up to her family!

I really love catching up with the residents of Sea Grove. Rachel’s characters so so realistic and well developed that the reader starts to think of them as friends or family. I want to move to Seagrove and be a part of that small tight-knit community. When reading any of Rachel Hanna’s books, the reader is transported to the town where they take place. like It’s like going to the bookstore or coffee shop and having coffee with friends.

if you enjoy a heartwarming romance, of second chances, Love, Family, Friends, Reconnecting, disappointments, forgiveness, new opportunities and a charming small beach town you are going to love this series

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Thriller

Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrum

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  • Title: Hollywood Hustle
  • Author: Jon Lindstrum
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Takes Place:  Los Angeles], California
  • Main Character: Winston Green
  • Other Characters: Grover, Lauren, Teddy, Amy, Claire, Rocket, Ozzie, Alberto,
  • Stars: 5

I have been watching Jon Lindstrum on my favorite TV show for over 30 years. Not only is he an amazing actor but now, he is also a wonderful author. Hollywood Hustle is his first novel but I am confident it won’t be his last.

Winston Green is an aging movie star. One morning he awakens to see his six-year-old granddaughter, Amy, standing over him holding a flash drive. The flash drive is proof that his daughter, Amy’s mother, has been abducted. For her return, the kidnappers want all of his money. What the kidnappers don’t know is all of his money is gone. Now what is he going to do! He can’t go to the police for fear they will kill his daughter, Claire, so he gets help from his two closest friends, a Hollywood stunt man and a former LAPD detective turned private investigator. They put their heads together to find a way to meet the kidnappers demands. Will he come up with the money in time to save his daughter? 

It’s a suspenseful ride that takes you to the wild side of LA. Be prepared to lose sleep because it’s one of those books you can’t get enough of. It’s suspenseful, and it’s full of surprises as to how far these abductors will go for money and how far Winston will go for his daughter’s safe return.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Pairing to Die For by Kate Lansing

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Pairing to Die For
  • Author: Kate Lansing
  • Series: Colorado Wine Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Boulder, CO
  • Main Character: Parker, Reid
  • Other Characters: Gary, Camilla, Ben, Tristan, Oscar, Nick, Katy, Sage, Eli, Brit, Tony
  • Pets: 2 cats Zin & William
  • Stars: 4

A Pairing to Die For is the 2nd book in the Colorado Wine Mystery. Even though I am a wine lover, I found all the references on making wine a bit drawn out. I enjoyed some of it but then it got a bit old because I found it bit redundant. I am not a foodie so some of the references to the food, got a bit old so I would skip over some of it. I wanted to get on with the murder and solving the case.

Parker and Reid are in the early stages of establishing a relationship and things are progressing nicely. Parker has her own Winery and Reid has opened his new restaurant. They collaborate on wine pairings to match Reid’s recipes. When Reid’s estranged family come to town to celebrate the grand opening of his new restaurant, Parker is ready to make a great first impression, but that won’t be enough when disaster strikes. This sends Reid to the kitchen so Parker has to deal with his family alone. To top the evening off, Reid’s Sous chef is found dead in the alley behind the restaurant and Reid is arrested for the crime. Things definitely aren’t going as planned. According to the police this case is so clear-cut that they aren’t even looking for any other suspects.Parker is convinced that Reid could not have done this heinous crime and she is determined to prove it. There are a few people who could have had motive to want the sous chef gone but who would have been willing to kill him! Could Parker’s investigation put her in jeopardy?

I really liked this book and the mystery. The only reason I gave this book a 4 is due to all the references on making wine and food got a bit distracting but over all, it was great mystery. The characters are well developed and I felt like I knew them. Parker & Reid’s relationship is sweet and I love seeing where it is going to go. There may also be another romantic relationship in the works. The mystery was good with lots of twists and even though I had my suspicions on who the killer was, there was a twist I didn’t see coming. 

“When you find someone who truly complements you, who brings out new sides of yourself you didn’t know existed, well, that just might be a pairing worth dying for.”

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Seaglass from the Past by Kay Correll

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: Seaglass from the Past
  • Author: Kay Correll
  • Series: Blue Heron Cottages #8
  • Genre: Romance, Women’s fiction
  • Takes Place:  Moonbeam
  • Main Character: Rose, Aspen, Willow
  • Other Characters: Violet, George, Tara, Walker, Murphy, Trent, Danny, Denise
  • Stars: 5

If you’re a fan of small town romances with tight-knit friendships, you’re in for a treat. Blue Heron is the eighth book in the series and it does not disappoint.

In this episode we’ll learn more about Rose’s past and what kind of secrets she may uncover. We’ll also learn more about Willow and Aspen’s past. They’ll have some surprises and Aspen will finally come to terms with her past and her mother. There’s a wedding, a budding romance, a newfound family, community, and friendship. What more could you ask for!

This book had me smiling the entire way through. It was a great conclusion to an amazing series. These books will have you wanting to move to Moonbeam and be part of this wonderful community. I have loved every book by Kay Corrells that I have read and will be reading more.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Dog Show Demise by Avery Kent

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  • Title: Dog Show Demise
  • Author: Avery Kent
  • Series: Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery #5
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Bishop’s Landing
  • Main Character: Annie Bishop
  • Other Characters: Maggie, Jake, Patricia, Ellie, Will, Mildred, Casey, Reece, Odette, Carlton, Allistair
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Cookie & a German Shephard named Sarge
  • Stars: 3

This is the fifth book in the Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery Series. This book is set during a dog show. I love dogs, so I was really excited to read this book.

A Dog show comes to Bishop’s Landing and it is all fun and games until Annie finds the editor of a Canine Today dead in her office. With Jake’s suggestion, Annie finds herself enrolling her Golden Retriever, Cookie, in the dog show, so she can help investigate without suspicion. She discovers more going on at the dog show than meets the eye. Also we meet a new dog when Jake decides to foster a German Shepherd named Sarge.

I am enjoying the slow romance between Jake & Annie. And Casey has a new love interest. I am looking forward to see where this leads.

Because this is a dog show, a lot of time is devoted to figuring out how low people are willing to go to win a competition. People can get vicious when it comes to their dogs but who was vicious enough to kill? There are a lot of people with different motives for killing the victim. It took a few turns to reveal the killer, but it was so obvious to me that it didn’t surprise me. I kept waiting for it to take a different direction, but it didn’t. This book was ok and it kept my interest mainly because of the dogs and I do love the characters. I really enjoyed the introduction of Sarge. I like mystery with a lot of twists and turns with an ending that really takes me by surprise and I didn’t get this with this book.

I will be reading the next book because I do love the characters and I want to see what they are up to next.

I received this book free as part of an ARC and this review was given freely and is my honest opinion

Happy Reading,


Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: Killer Chardonnay
  • Author: Kate Lansing
  • Series: A Colorado Wine Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Boulder, CO
  • Main Character: Parker Valentine
  • Other Characters: Sage, Eli, Anita, Liam, Reid, Max, Moira, Cannick, Libby, Brennan, Jason, Gaskel
  • Pets: A can named Zin
  • Stars: 5

This is definitely a wine-centered series that I could easily immerse myself in while sipping a glass of wine. If this first book is anything to go by, it’s gonna be a really good series.

From the first moment I met Parker, I fell in love with her. She had one goal: to open her very own winery. Her dream was about to come true when she opened the doors to her very first wine tasting. Everything is going smoothly until a local food & wine critic shows up and doesn’t like Parker’s chardonnay. after tasting her wine, he stumbles back into the bathroom, clearly ill, and dies right there on the floor in the bathroom. Parker’s dream of running a winery might not happen. Did her wine kill the critic? As soon as she started scrolling through social media and started seeing “killer chardonnay” all the time, she knew her days as a winemaker were numbered. This is a cozy mystery so you already know that Parker has to do some investigating on her own to find how why someone wanted the critic dead. When someone else dies, Parker is determined to see if there is a connection between the 2 deaths.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book. This book has a fantastic protagonist that you’ll fall in love with from the get-go. I loved every single one of the characters. The supporting characters are great and well-developed as well. The main character has a best friend that she would do anything for, including being 100% honest, even if the truth sometimes hurts. The setting is stunning and I’d love to visit Parker’s Winery. She named cat’s name is ZIN (shorf for Zinfandel). Since White Zinfandel is my favorite wine, I love that her Cats name is ZIN. The

I seriously could not put this book down as the hunt for a killer will take you on a journey full of surprises until the end.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Photo of Murder by Penny Brooke

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Photo of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Somerset Harbor, Massachussets
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Elizabeth, Andy, Marguerite, Heather, Beth, Joe, Max, Brenda, Elise
  • Pets: a Golden Retriever name Gatsby, a Cat named Oliver & a Cat named Beasley
  • Stars: 4

“I Slept in Room 282 at the Kingfisher Inn.
“And I Lived to Check Out.”

This is the 3rd book in the Seabreeze Bookshop series and it is another quick read and a good little cozy mystery.

It is the off season in Somerset Harbor and Rue is dividing her time between running her Gran’s bookshop & running a local event, Martinis in the Garden. While Rue is busy with her event, her friend Elizabeth is gathering old photos from the families in the area for an exhibit.

It is a busy time and everything is going great until it all comes to a crashing halt when Rue’s friend and owner of the local Inn, Marguerite, is found murdered in the haunted room #282. Between ghostly spirits, and a ghost hunter there is a lot of activity at the Inn which is interfering with the homicide investigation. Rue, being the amateur sleuth that she is, is convinced that the local police are going in the wrong direction to find the murderer so she does her own investigation. Could some old photos hold some clues as to who could have wanted Marguerite dead?

I enjoyed this mystery. There were several possible suspects & it takes the reader on some twists & turns with some surprises until the killer is revealed.

Happy Reading!