en-US Mon, 05 May 2025 20:58:07 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7543301693 Mon, 05 May 2025 20:58:07 -0700 /review/show/7543301693 Ruth gave 5 stars to An Auction of Secrets (A Cotswold Antique Mystery Book 1) by Victoria Tait
In 'An Auction of Secrets', by Victoria Tait, we find Dotty Sayers back at Akemans Auction house, which is currently in very bad condition. Many people are complaining of falling plaster and other issues.
Meanwhile, a murder has occurred at a book seller's that Keya and her police department friends must investigate.
This story involves WW2, military personnel from that time period, and a secret that someone does not want exposed. As this involves antiques and art, Dotty, too becomes involved.
I found this story to be very well written, immersive, and well described in terms of places and events. There was a very good mystery element and the guilty party (parties?) weren't revealed until nearly the very end. And there were many suspects which made the mystery even more difficult to figure out. But even figuring out the culprit doesn't lend to figuring out the why. That part is the true mystery.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review. ]]> Review7543303330 Mon, 05 May 2025 17:20:00 -0700 /review/show/7543303330 Ruth gave 5 stars to Blackmail and Kitty Tails (A Purr-fect Relic Cozy Mystery Book 5) by DeAnna Drake
As is the case with the previous Purr-fect Relic mysteries, I loved this one! The newest story in this series, 'Blackmail and Kitty Tails' is a fun book!
Rebecca discovers that another cursed relic has been used as part of a crime and must make certain that it is taken out of public circulation to prevent anyone else getting hurt ... Or worse. Rebecca is part of a group of women tasked with getting a gala together to raise money for the town's various programs. But as they are getting set up, the group's president is murdered.
There's a lot that happens that would prevent Nick from being able to successfully close the case and Rebecca realizes that the time has come to let him in on everything. But will he believe her? Will he be angry? Will he ever be able to trust her again? You can find out for yourself by reading this book! I highly recommend it as I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Deanna Drake has hit the mark yet again! Can't wait for the next story in this series!
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review. ]]> ReadStatus9387596530 Sun, 04 May 2025 16:53:07 -0700 /review/show/7543301693 Ruth is currently reading An Auction of Secrets by Victoria Tait
]]> Review7460993425 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:19:57 -0700 /review/show/7460993425 Ruth gave 5 stars to Hoppy Holiday Homicide (Pet Whisperer P.I. #9) by Molly Fitz
As always, I love Molly Fitz's Octo-Cat books. This one is no exception.
Angie and her Nan and Mom and Dad are all at the yearly Christmas festival and stumble upon two murder victims. They were supposed to have been ice sculpture judges at the festival.
Angie must find out who killed these two people, but first she needs to find her cousin Mags, who has been visiting for the first time ever., and who has been kidnapped.
Unfortunately, Octo-Cat didn't play a big part at all in this story and I was admittedly a bit disappointed. He's my favorite character!
All in all, a really good story. ]]> Review7061090350 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:11:23 -0700 /review/show/7061090350 Ruth gave 4 stars to Valley of Dragons (The Secrets of Ormdale, #5) by Christina Baehr
I have just finished 'Valley of Dragons' by Christina Baehr. While it is longer than the previous books in the series, it has to be taken into account that many, many things had to be wrapped up in this novel, and also that a great deal happens in this story.
Edith meets "the other side" of her family (her mother's family) and...
Also, Farley returns for revenge and.....
Also, Edith has some life changing news for Simon, and....
... And, you will have to read the book to find out!
The only thing I didn't like (and hence, 4 stars) was that around the last third of the book, there were a lot of things that happened that were on repeat, and I felt like there weee a lot of 'filler' pages that the book could've done well without. And it made the pace of the story slow way down.
Beyond that, I enjoyed this book a great deal and I felt that it had a nice ending to all the events in Ormdale.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review. ]]> ReadStatus9268928901 Thu, 03 Apr 2025 21:32:22 -0700 /review/show/7460993425 Ruth is currently reading Hoppy Holiday Homicide by Molly Fitz
]]> Review7444675633 Sun, 30 Mar 2025 16:09:09 -0700 /review/show/7444675633 Ruth gave 4 stars to Murder at Astor Manor (Kindle Edition) by Wynnie Harlowe
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my honest and voluntary review.
I just finished book two of A Charmed Circle mystery series,"Murder at Astor Manor".
In this story, Isobel and her friends receive a mysterious invitation to visit an old derelict manor where a man had recently been murdered. Isobel had been trying to find out who killed him before they went to the manor.
None of the Charmed Circle knows what they've been invited for and are naturally very cautious about going. Turns out, there's a bottle with immortality potion somewhere inside that they need to find.
Many things happen and later, many things are discovered through talking to a friend named Betsy.
I can't give any information other than that or I'll end up giving away the story!
Anyway...I'm not sure how I feel about this story. It's not bad, but I didn't think it was great, either. It just seemed kind of bland and flat. The characters were rather one dimensional and I couldn't get a feel for any of them.
Like I said, it wasn't bad. Just not the best story I've read.
Give it a try. You might enjoy it. Especially if you already have read book one.
]]> Review7438651120 Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:48:56 -0700 /review/show/7438651120 Ruth gave 5 stars to Monkey Shenanigans & A Midnight Murder: A Howdunit Gripping Cozy Thriller Prequel (A Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery) by Peyton Stone
Oh my word!
This book was great! I honestly think it's Peyton Stone's best one to date.
Avery, B&B owner, is faced with a tough task of unmasking a murderer who is someone who .....
And..... I can't tell you! No way I'm gonna give this one away. And definitely not how Avery solves it.
This was a great mystery and I think it's a fantastic place for anyone who has never read Peyton Stone's stories before to start.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review. ]]> AuthorFollowing108244379 Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:48:09 -0700 ReadStatus9237070641 Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:37:01 -0700 /review/show/7438651120 Ruth is currently reading Monkey Shenanigans & A Midnight Murder: A Howdunit Gripping Cozy Thriller Prequel by Peyton Stone
]]>