Review: The Cowboy’s Long Lost Christmas Bride (Family Matters of Cowboy Point, Book 3) by Megan Crane

Some loves are impossible to forget.

Dallas Lisle spent years turning a lighthouse an ancestor built for a skeptical wife into an inn. He’s made peace with lost causes, but not with his wife, Ruthie Mathis. She’s his first and only love, and she left him. Not that he blames her. He knows exactly what kind of man he was when they were together. So when Ruthie walks back through his door, Dallas braces for the reckoning he deserves.

Except Ruthie… doesn’t remember him.

She’s chasing a mystery – her lost memories and photographs found in her late grandmother’s house, leading her to Cowboy Point, the lighthouse inn, and Dallas. She doesn’t know they were married. She doesn’t know why she left.

Dallas knows all too well. And telling her the truth risks losing her all over again. Not telling Ruthie could mean they have a second chance, but for years, Dallas wished he were a different kind of man for her. Now he has the chance to prove he can be. Even if it means letting the love of his life go. Again.

 

My Review: 

An unexpected Christmas reunion. 

Dallas Lisle hasn’t seen his wife in eight years.  One day, she just happens to show up at his newly opened B&B, Lisle Lighthouse Inn.  The problem is, Ruthie doesn’t know who Dallas is or why she received an invitation to the inn’s grand opening.  She has amnesia.  But when Ruthie remembers the past and why Dallas left her, will it send her running or will she stay and fight for the love they both deserve?  This book is a wonderful addition to the series.  I was so happy to see Dallas and Ruthie find their way back to each other.    

 

 

Review: Christmas on Goose Island (The Southern Isles, Book 5) by Laurie Beach

 

What if you woke up knowing the exact date and time you would die?

Dorothea Boone is no sissy. She knows full well that her amateur prognostications aren’t always spot-on, but this one has her reeling—especially since it was clear that she might drop dead early Christmas morning. So, when John Stanley enters her life, she doesn’t know whether to run toward him, or sprint away as fast as she can.

She’s supposed to have half of her life left to figure things out. Which means she absolutely cannot leave Earth while she still has a strong sense that something is missing. But what is it? Is it the fact that she’s been closed-off to men since her surprise unwed pregnancy? Or that her children are all off living their own lives without her? The uncertainty of her life stirs up old memories and mysteries from childhood that have her spinning.

So when Christmas approaches and John is determined to make sure she sticks around, will she allow him in? Or will she simply let fate take its course?

 

My Review: 

An unexpected Christmas miracle.  

Dottie Boone had become an empty nester.  With her daughters off living their lives, Dottie was contemplating her next chapter.  But when Dottie’s food truck was wrecked in an accident, she knew she had to think about her future even more now.  Along with finding a job, she might even find time for a man in her life.  I just couldn’t get enough of this book and loved everything about it.  It is emotional and filled with lots of hopes and dreams and characters that I just can’t get enough of.

Review: Marinated in Murder (Cooking Club Murder Mystery, Book 2) by Emmie Lyn

In Fox Hollow, even a tea party can turn deadly…

Just as Milly Rosebush begins settling into small-town life—and finding her place at the Cooking Club—a rare book collector is found murdered, sending shockwaves through her cozy lakeside community.

With her loyal border collie Tango sniffing out trouble and neighbor Brody Drake at her side, Milly follows a trail of simmering rivalries, hidden debts, and long-buried grudges. But when suspicion starts circling the very Cooking Club that welcomed her, the case turns dangerously personal.

Between shared recipes, whispered gossip, and secrets tucked between the pages of old books, Milly realizes someone in Fox Hollow will kill to keep the past buried.

With danger closing in and trust beginning to fracture, Milly must piece together the truth before someone else ends up on the menu.

Because in Fox Hollow, secrets don’t stay buried—especially when they’re served with coffee, cake, and a side of murder.

 

My Review: 

A hard book to put down. 

Milly is finally settling in and enjoying her new life in Fox Hollow.  But now, the man who has been stalking her, because of a rare Emily Dickensian book she found in a little free library, turns up dead at her dock.  With evidence pointing at some of her friends, it’s time for Milly and her friends to set out and find the killer.  With a long list of suspects, it was hard to figure out who the murderer was.  This book is a great addition to the Cooking Club Murder Mystery series.  I always enjoy reading this series because the characters feel so familiar and it’s fun to catch up with them in each book.   

 

 

 

Review: A Killer Day in Paradise (Elmo Simpson Mysteries, Book 5) by J.C. Kenney

 

Christmas in Paradise Springs is in full swing—even if it’s shaping up to be a quieter one for Elmo Simpson. Until a little girl asks Santa for the impossible.

Wild animal removal specialist Elmo Simpson is spending the holidays playing Santa at the community park—and his girlfriend is about to head out of town to visit family, leaving him to a quieter-than-planned Christmas.

Then a child makes one simple wish: bring her father home for Christmas.

The problem? Her father is in hiding—accused of murdering a shady investment banker with a long list of enemies.

Elmo trades his Santa hat for his investigator instincts and dives into a case tangled with small-town secrets, financial schemes, and suspects who all had a reason to want the victim gone. Some wanted revenge. Others wanted silence. One of them is a killer.

Elmo’s got a plan…sort of. But with Christmas fast approaching and a promise he can’t break, he has one shot to uncover the truth, clear an innocent man—and catch a killer before Christmas morning comes with the wrong kind of surprise.

 

My Review:

An entertaining holiday cozy mystery. 

I totally enjoyed this book.  I have read all of the books in this Elmo Simpson Mysteries series and this is my new favorite.  In this book Elmo is asked to play Santa and receives a special request from a little girl who just wants her father home for Christmas.  Turns out her father was accused of a murder and is now on the run.  Elmo sets out to find the real killer and clear the wrongfully accused father’s name so they can reunite for Christmas.  I struggled putting this book down.  I always enjoy returning to the Paradise Springs books with all the fun and quirky characters.  With a list of suspects, I was left hanging until the very end to find out who the killer was.