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

A Letter of Murder by Penny Brooke

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Murder of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Andy, Elizabeth, Allie, Brian, Adriana, Rob, Roger, Regina
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Gatsby and a Cat named Oliver
  • Stars: 5

“Sometimes in the past lie all the answers to the present.”

After the first book in this series, I almost didn’t read this one but I am so glad I did.

We visit with Rue again and her friend Elizabeth . Elizabeth is working on project and is asking if anyone has any old letters that she can use in her project. Allie, a friend of Rue’s, brings a letter written by her mother before she passed away. When Allie is found dead and it is discovered that she died the same way her mother did, Rue starts to believe that there must be a connection. Could the letter that Allie’s mother wrote hold some answers to this puzzle? When someone else in town dies in the same way, it throws some additional suspects to the mix. Will Rue, amateur sleuth, help her private detective friend find the killer before someone else is killed.

This book was a fast read that kept you guessing through the entire book. I love the twists it takes the reader on while trying to solve a murder. I am so glad I decided to continue with this series and I am looking forward to book 3.

“when you see a bluebird, that means things will be okay.”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Page of Murder – Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Page Of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue Collier
  • Other Characters: Elizabeth, Andy, Jules, Anna, Renee, Rachel
  • Pets: a golden Retrieve named Gatsby & a bookshop cat name Oliver
  • Stars: 3

“There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away”
Emily Dickinson

In book one of the Seabreeze Bookshop series Rue has moved to Somerset Harbor to take care of her Gran’s bookshop while Gran is traveling in Paris.

Rue is getting settled into her new role as manager of the bookshop, when an old friend comes in. Her friend Anna (who owns the bakery next door) buys a few books but seems uneasy and nervous about something. As Rue is closing up shop and Leaving she sees cop cars parked next door. To her shock, Anna is found murdered shortly after leaving the store. She was stabbed to death.

Could Rue be withholding some evidence as to who may have killed Anna? Could a killing from the past have anything to do with this murder? Could a special recipe be a motive for murder? 

I wish there had been a little bit more of character development. I just didn’t get that cozy feeling that I usually get from a book that makes me want to live in that small town. There are a few suspects for this murder, but I did feel like the killer was obvious from the start. I was hoping I was wrong since it was so obvious. There was an additional twist at the end but it still wasn’t a huge surprise. I liked this book, but I do wish there had been a few more surprises with twists & turns.

“you have to read the whole book to understand the plot.”

Happy Reading

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Secrets in the Bookshop by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Secrets in the Bookshop
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: Prequel Seabreeze Bookshop #0
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery short story
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Rue’s Gran Linda. Elizabeth
  • Pets: a Cockerspaniel named Elsie (Nell)
  • Stars: 5

“Long Live the written word”

This is a short story prequel to the Seabreeze Bookshop Series. I received this book free by subscribing to the author’s newsletter. I am givig this review voluntarily and it has nothing to do with receiving it for free. I was not asked to do a review. The only way you can get this book is by subscring to her newsletter. You can also get this book for free (at this time) by clicking on the book photo and going to the “subscribe to Penny Brooke’s newsletter” page.

Rue has come to visit her Gran in Somerset Harbor Massachusettes. Her Gran owns the local bookstore and Rue has a lot of fond memories of visiting her Gran over the years.

There are several little mysteries in this short story. Where did the Cocker Spaniel come from who keeps hanging around the bookstore? What secret is Gran keeping from her granddaughter? What is the importance to Gran’s necklace?

This is a sweet story of the bond between a granddaughter and her Gran. It is a great book to prepare the reader for the journey of this series. I already love the characters and how the granddaughter wants to help her grandmother. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series to learn more about these characters.

“To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Christmas to Die For by M.P. Black

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Christmas to Die For
  • Author: M.P. Black
  • Series: A Wonderland Books Cozy Mystery #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Blithedale
  • Main Character: Alice
  • Other Characters: Ona, Becca, Clyde, Ben, Todd, Andrea, Police Chief Jimbo, Mohammad, Mariella, Abigail, Mr Vickers, Wade, Lenny, Loraine, Bunve, Lewis
  • Stars: 4

In case you haven’t had enough of the Christmas Spirit, check out book 4 of the Woodlands books series for even more Christmas magic! Of course, there’s also a murder that threatens to spoil Blithedale’s Christmas cheer.

It is the Christmas season in Blithedale & Alice and the other residents are preparing for the Christmas Fair and a Santa Contest. While famous author, Clyde Digby, is at Wonderland Books doing a book reading from his latest book, the children at the book store are waiting for Santa to arrive for a Christmas reading. When Santa is late, and the kids are getting restless, Alice heads over to the Christmas fair to find him and she does find him…dead! Who could have killed Santa!!! With the police chief being incompetent and is always finding a reason not to work, Alice finds herself putting on her sleuthing hat once again to solve a murder. There are plenty of suspects. Come to find out no one really liked him, not even his wife.

There are plenty of mysteries in this story. What is the ex owner of the Blithedalel bookstore doing back in town? He is supposed to be retired in FL and here he is in a Santa costume. Who is the secret Santa that is gifting books to residents around town? Oh what a tangled web we weave!! Alice might have met her challenge with these mysteries to solve.

Join Alice and her friends on yet another roller coaster ride to solve a murder and the other mysteries. This is a good book and once again, the author twists the tale in such a way that when the reader thinks they have the mystery solved, it takes yet another turn that makes you question it.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Halloween to Die For by M.P. Black

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Halloween to Die For
  • Author: M.P. Black
  • Series: A Wonderland Book Cozy Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Blithedale
  • Main Character: Alice, Ona, Becca
  • Other Characters: Dr Fantasma, Gretchen, Stewart Conway, Susan, Edie, Fleur, Dylan, Duane Rooker, Holly, Mr & Mrs Oriel
  • Stars: 5

This is the 3rd book in the Wonderland Books Cozy Mystery series and these books never disappoint.

It is Halloween in Blithesdale and the ghosts and goblins are coming out in full force and of course there is is l going to be a haunted house. Alice is not thrilled about the haunted house but she is told that it is an old school haunted house and won’t the slasher theme that most haunted houses have nowadays. Even though Alice will be glad when Halloween is over, she goes along with it. Every thing seems to be going good until someone ends up dead and her best friend is standing over the body with a knife. To top things off, the only witness says she knows Becca didn’t do it because she saw the killer and it was a ghost. The witness said the ghost actually floated and was transparent. Well you can guess how reliable that witness was so Alice’s best friend is arrested. Even the police chief believes she didn’t do it but there is no evidence saying otherwise. So Alice and Ona are determined to prove her innocence. This is going to be hard to do. When Alice starts seeing ghosts at Ona’s Inn where she is staying, she is beginning to wonder about the ghost theory, The plot thickens when one of their main suspects also ends up dead. Now who could the killer be and what is the motive!

This book takes the reader on a bit of a roller coaster ride through the ghosts and goblins. What I am really enjoying about these books is that even when the reader believes they have it all figured out there is always a twist at the end. This author knows how to weave a good mystery that leaves the Reader guessing until the very end.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Theater to Die For by M.P. Black

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Theater to Die For
  • Author: M.P. Black
  • Series: A Wonderland Books Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Blithedale
  • Main Character: Alice Hartford
  • Other Characters: Ona, Becca, Mr Gorny, Billie Brine, Loraine, Lenny, Mr & Mrs Oriel, Chief Jimbo,
  • Stars: 5

‘You’re a wicked witch, Dorothy. I hope you melt.’”

This is the second book in the Wonderland books series. I am really enjoying this series.

In this episode, Alice has settled in to her new bookstore, Wonderland books, and it is a success. She is so grateful to her friends who helped her make this happen. Now she is excited about her plans for the struggling theater in town. She is a bit nervous to tell her friends about her plans but as they are discussing it, the owner of the theater is late for their meeting. They head over to the theater and her plans take a back seat when they find a dead body center stage with a Wizard of Oz clue. The suspects are numerous but who could have done the killing!

This a great cozy with a surprise ending. This is a story of friendship, community and friends coming together in a crises with a murder thrown in. I did figure out who did it before the ending but there were still some surprises that I didn’t suspect.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.”

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

The Bloodline by Robert J. Walker

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: The Bloodline
  • Author: Robert J. Walker
  • Series: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery Series
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Jaques Tillery
  • Other Characters: Stuart, Denzel, Lieutenant Talbot, Keith Hatchet, The Captain, Shane
  • Stars: 5

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down.

A woman sees a picture of of a man on the news and is convinced it is her son who was kidnapped decades ago when he was 12 years old. The authorities don’t believe her but a special Private Investigator does and decides to take her case to prove it. A current kidnapping has the same MO so he thinks the two may be connected in some way. As he researches these cases, he uncovers much more than he ever expected.

This book had great character development and the plot was great. It was fairly fast moving with a lot of detail. There were a lot twist and turns while the plot unravels as to what is happening and who is behind this. I had never read anything by this author before but I know I will read more. If you love a great suspense thrill and you don’t mind a little bit of bad language (the bad language isn’t a lot but there is some) you will love this book.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Midnight Abduction: A Small Town Reveting Kidnapping Mystery Thriller by Marie Wilkins

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  • Title: Midnight Abductions
  • Author: Marie Wilkins
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Takes Place:  Nevermore, North Dakota
  • Main Character: Nicole, Brad
  • Other Characters: Danny, Jessica, Blake, Kinder, Richard, Pam
  • Stars: 5

This is the first book I have read by this author and I could not put it down. It was exciting, suspenseful and & thrilling from the first page until the climax.

Nicole and Brad live in a small quiet suburban neighborhood with their two young children. They are happy, in love and appear to have everything they want in life. Then the unimaginable happens, their young daughter Jessica, doesn’t get off the bus after school. It is soon discovered that she has been abducted.  Brad’s brother, Blake, is a member of the local police department and appears to be more interested in how this affects their community rather than finding his niece. Nicole decides to enlist the help of the FBI. Nicole is determined to find her daughter, while at the same time, she trying to come to terms about something that happened in her past that she has even hidden from her husband. As her past comes back full circle will her family come together and find Jessica so they can heal and move forward!

Plan to lose some sleep when you read this book, because you will not be able to put it down. If you love a great mystery in a small town with 3-dimensional characters, you are going to love this book.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Bookshop to Die For by M.P. Black

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: A Bookshop to Die For
  • Author: M.P. Black
  • Series: A Wonderland Books Cozy Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Myster
  • Takes Place: Blithedale
  • Main Character: Alice Hartford
  • Other Characters: Ona, Becca, Vince, Bunce, Kristin, Kris, Rich, Mr & Mrs Oriel, Chief Jimbo, Darrell, Mayor MacDonalld
  • Stars: 5

“If you want to know who committed a crime, take a look at who benefits the most.”

This is the first time I have read anything by this author but it won’t be my last. This cozy mystery was a fast and easy read. The reader can’t help but fall in love with Alice.

We first meet Alice as she arrives in town wearing a dirty wedding dress. She is a runaway bride who shows up in her hometown that she hasn’t been back to since she was a child. She first visits the bookstore her mom used to own just to find that it is falling apart and a developer is trying to buy it to destroy it. When the contractor at the bookstore falls to his death, the authorities brush it off as an accident but Alice thinks it is murder and she is deterimined to prove it. Her Sleuthing takes her through several possible suspects and motives until the surprise ending.

This has the small town community feel that I love. Even though Alice hasn’t been to town since she was a child, some members of the community embraced her as one of their own. Then it has the drama of why did Alice show up in town wearing a wedding dress and a murder that she feels compelled to solve so she can save the bookstore from being demolished. I really thought I had this one figured out but i was wrong. There was a twist that I didn’t see coming.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

“The most important things in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Movie Stars & Mayhem by Avery Kent

CozyRomBooksandCoffee
  • Title: Movie Stars & Mayhem
  • Author: Avery Kent
  • Series: Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Bishop’s Landing
  • Main Character: Annie, Jake
  • Other Characters: Casey, Maggie, Christopher, Alistair, Bradley, Arthur, Mickala, Jamieson, Mandy, Dexter, Janet, Carl, Allison, Izzy, Clyde, Tanya
  • Pets: A Golden Retriever named Cookie
  • Stars: 4

This is the 4th book in the Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery.

Once again, Annie and Jake are caught up in a vicious crime spree. The residents of Bishop’s Landing are thrilled that a Blockbuster movie is being shot in their quaint little town. Annie is hired as the caterer for the cast & crew. The issue is that there is a lot of tension on the set, especially between the male lead and the female lead. With a Phantom haunting the theater, a robbery, a dead body and an actress who is missing, things really start to spiral out of control. Is it the same person or is there more than one person involved?

This is a one-of-a-kind story that will keep you guessing until the end. It started out slow, but then it really took off and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: I received this book free as part of an ARC. This review is my opinion only and was freely given.

Happy Reading,