Deserts, Driving & Derlicts - Tonya Kappes

 

Deserts, Driving and Derelicts - Tonya Kappes - 3.5 to 4 Stars - Always a fun time in Normal, Kentucky! (Book 2 in the Camper and Criminals Series)

Enjoyed being back in Normal, Kentucky with Mae West! 3.5-4 stars rounding up on goodreads. Always a fun and interesting time with these characters. I’m gonna continue on with the series for sure.

In this book, we are seeing Mae getting settled into her RV lifestyle as the owner of the local campground, Happy Trails. They are bringing in tourists and seeing everything come to life in the once run down campground. We love to see it! Mae agrees to help her good friend, Betts Hager, with her cleaning service by agreeing to help clean up Tammy Jo Bentley's mansion, later helping take care of Tammy Jo's prized poodle, Fifi. Things go south when they find Fifi's nanny killed in Tammy Jo's house. Suspects add up...who did it? Mae is determined to find out!

The characters in this story really make the books so much fun. I also love the southern vibes. We have a bit of a love triangle trying to come in for Mae too, but not much development there yet. Interested to see how that plays out. Mae is just trying to make Happy Trails the best campground but crazy stuff always seems to be happening. Check these out if you like fun cozy mysteries!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5421177313
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44GawkL
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY

Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

 

Murder in the Mystery Suite - Ellery Adams - 4 Stars - Great bookish cozy mystery with some fun characters! (Book 1 in the Book Retreat Mysteries Series)

Great cozy mystery with some fun characters! Lots of bookish references! In this story, we follow Jane Steward, who is hosting a fun Murder and Mayhem week at Storyton Hall in Virginia (which I would LOVE to be a real place!!). I loved reading about all of the fun costumes everyone dresses up in for the event. People really get into it and that's awesome! But in cozy mystery fashion, we have some drama surrounding the prized book award, one of the guests who ended up mysteriously dead in one of the rooms and some other random murders. Really enjoyed the setting, book vibes, mystery aspect and the characters. I'll be continuing on with this one!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5058022809
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44s0O5Y
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY

The Body Under the Piano - Aggie Morton Mysery Queen, Book 1 by Marthe Jocelyn

 

The Body Under the Piano - Marthe Jocelyn - 4 Stars - If you love Agatha Christie, you will love this! (Book 1 in The Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen Series)

This was SO fun!! If you love Agatha Christie, you will LOVE this! Such a great middle grade spin off! Aggie Morton lives in a small town in England during the early 1900s when she meets 12 year old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and they discover a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room under the piano! SOO many suspects pile up and they work to figure this mystery out!

I had a lot of fun with this and the audiobook is wonderful. Only hard thing for me is so many characters, which is the same as in Agatha Christie's mystery stories for me, but I still really enjoyed this!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5127620311
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pVuE3v
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY&t=1s

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry

 

Buried in a Good Book - Tamara Berry - 3 Stars - A cozy mystery series I didn't fully connect with. (Book 1 in the By the Book Mysteries Series)

I enjoyed this in general, but also didn't fully connect to the characters and felt some of the details surrounding the murders were a bit more gruesome for my taste for a cozy - which this may not really be a cozy mystery - but that's what I went in thinking it was. Still a good ending - didn't expect the killer at ALLLLLL! I liked all the bookish references since the main character is an author. 3 stars

This is all about best selling author, Tess Harrow. She has intertied her grandfather's cabin in the woods in Washington. She takes her 14 year old daughter Gertrude to spend the summer there at the cabin. As soon as they get there though, an explosion happens and they find fish parts and a human arm nearby.....the mystery begins....she meets a local Sherriff, Victor Bond and they work together to figure this out.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5399866645
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rrIU4v
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY

Focused by Alyson Gerber

 

Focused - Alyson Gerber - 4.5 Stars - My younger self would have loved this. So relatable.

My younger self felt so seen reading this. I have ADHD and absolutely relate to Clea. I had and have some of the same struggles as she does and boy did this book really hit home for me thinking back to my struggles in school. Loved this. SO close to 5 stars but I didnt love seeing the romance/relationship thrown in at the end. Overall loved this though and feel like it's an excellent representation of someone with ADHD. So relatable.

This is all about Clea who is struggling with keeping up with school work and her chess team hobby/practice. Clea's thoughts are out of control, from speaking out of turn, interrupting people, getting distracted, not being able to focus, etc. These signs all point to ADHD. She's falling behind and needs help. She goes to the doctor to get evaluated and the story goes on here.

Loved seeing Clea and her family, the support was so nice, her little sister was so sweet, and the book in general was very heartwarming. I liked how the author took us through the entire process of ADHD with the testing too and how Clea's support team was going to put a plan together to work with her and help. Highly recommend.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5343950073
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rrIP0H
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDr4wiLXDY

A Boy Called Bat - Elana K. Arnold

 

A Boy Called Bat - Elana K. Arnold - 4 Stars - Such a cute and heartwarming story! 

This was so cute! This is all about an autistic boy named Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed BAT) and his mom, who is a veterinarian, brings home a baby skunk one day as she needs to take care of it until she can hand him off to a wild-animal shelter. The minute Bat meets this little kit, he loves it and wants to help raise it as his pet.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a good representation of an autistic child that showcases their special interests and some of their struggles. You can see his sister struggles with his quirks but she is slowly starting to open up by the end. What I liked most about this is that it was just a story about a little boy who loves animals and learns how to go after what he wants to do and how to make friends. He does complain quite a bit but he is also a very young boy and that's typical as they learn and grow. I love that this wasn't just "about autism" but about Bat and his life with his family and at school. This book will make you smile and laugh. Very heartwarming.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5395850467
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44omkbH
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM

Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey

Pulp Friction - Julie Anne Lindsey - 4.5 Stars - LOVED being back in Blossom Valley, WV!

This is book 2 in the Cider Shop Mystery series after Apple Cider Slaying and I loved being back in Blossom Valley, WV! In this book we follow Winnie at her new cider shop as she is hosting a wedding at Smythe Orchards in June. Her ex Hank shows up and is caught in an argument with the groom to be. She sees him running off and then the groom ends up dead, hit by the honeymoon getaway car. Hank ends up being the main suspect, he's nowhere to be found and Winnie is off to find the truth! Detective Colton is back as well as he and Winnie work together to figure this new mystery out....

I had so much fun with this second book! I love the characters most of all, very easy to relate to and just enjoy her interactions with the characters. I wish we had a bit more of her Granny here and I never was fully attached to some of the suspects but overall loved this book! I did love learning more about Colton's past and I'm dying to see more of Winnie and Colton together in the next book to see what happens with that storyline from his past. Lots of action going on in this book, very well engaging story and I can't wait for the next one.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5392938323

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44omhwx
YouTube Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELA8SzwYdKM