Merriment and Murder by Jenna St. James & Maddy Maddison

I find it difficult to make time to read these days not because of a lack of books I have bought but due to the fact that I feel like I am stuck in a perpetual state of needing to know what is happening in the world and torn between checking my phone for updates far more often than I should.  I do however still find reading comfortable, but what used to take me a few hours to finish reading seems to take me a few days or weeks. Giving myself over to reading is something I worked at for years and I find it devastating that during this time of trauma, I feel terribly distracted while performing any task.
Now that being said, a bright spot in my last few weeks has been the ability to come back to reading the second book in the series by Jenna St. James and Maddy Maddison, this one is called Merriment and Murder. What I love about this series is that the main characters are in their late teens, it has lots of cozy feels, slight magical undertones, but mostly strong capable mystery solving best friends in a small town with a great B&B, Lighthouse and fun family run apothecary. I bought this book a couple of weeks ago on Amazon.ca, (I am not an affiliate by the way)  and appreciated the fact it is set in December, I enjoyed that sense of being in a different time and space for a short while, I am trying not to think to far in the future as I find that the anxiety I feel about how things are going with the Covid-19 pandemic is worse when I do.  So for now I do recommend picking up a book, craft or hobby to take a bit of that edge off. For me I love having a cozy mystery to look forward too. I understand from the authors that they are working on book three, I just can't wait.

A B&B Grand Opening Party...

A Dead Body...

Tons of Suspects...

When Brynn and her best friends, Peyton and Raven, stumble over a dead body at her aunt's grand opening party for the B&B, they already have plenty of suspects in mind. But when Chief Baedie threatens to shut down Aunt Aggie's B&B before it even opens on Christmas Eve, the girls, along with Jinx the cat, decide to solve the case on their own. Using the skills they acquired on their last case, they set out on a whirlwind adventure trying to piece together the one clue they found. Can the girls solve the case before Christmas Eve? Or will Aunt Aggie be singing the blues her first Christmas back in Copper Cove?

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery, I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Jenna St. James & Maddy Maddson's Seaside and Homicide

I heard about this book by Jenna St. James and her Step Daughter Maddy Maddson last year and it was on my TBR list, I bought it from Amazon.ca last week and quickly felt an enormous amount of excitement for this cozy mystery. It had everything I love in a cozy, great setting, characters and the perfect twist and turns, with an ending that leaves you wanting so badly to read the next. The main characters are young, in their teens and for me this was a refreshing change. There was a great balance of feeling, friendship and fitting in.

When high school seniors, Brynn O'Connell, and her best friend, Peyton Patterson, discover a dead body during the Copper Cove Festival, they had no idea their lives would forever change...for the better. Standing next to the victim is the strange new girl in town, Raven Masters. When Brynn identifies the murder weapon as belonging to her Grams, the three girls set out to prove Granny Winnie is no killer! Brynn and Peyton must learn to set aside their prejudices and trust the quirky new girl. After all, she seems to be an old pro at sleuthing. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the girls get to cut their sleuthing teeth in Raven's cool '66 Fastback Mustang. But when things go from bad to worse for Granny Winnie, Brynn decides to call in her Grams' estranged younger sister, Aggie, a former bounty hunter.

Can the girls learn to trust one another, follow their instincts, and get Granny Winnie out of jail? Or will Brynn be destined to spend her last year of high school alone in the small town of Copper Cove?

I am not an Amazon affiliate, but if you would like to know more or order this book here is the amazon.ca link. 

Thank you for joining me here for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment below or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Picture Perfect Murder by Jenna St. James

I purchased Picture Perfect Murder on Amazon.ca last week and I was very pleased to read this cozy mystery. It was a very good read. I loved the main character, her best friend, her brother and her cat. Her love interest was a good one and makes the story interesting but her great aunt truly steals the show. I was not expecting the cozy to take the turns it did and I did guess the killer early on but Jenna St. James did keep me second guessing myself throughout the book. I would be very interested to read the other 6 books in this series. I am very glad I bought this cozy and think you will find it a good read also. You can find it on Amazon.com by clicking here. 

Hold on to your seats as hilarious and talented Cozy Mystery Author, Jenna St. James, takes you on the ride of your life! You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you may even scream during this rollicking romp through the town of Granville. This down to earth non-traditional Cozy is an absolute delight that pushes the boundaries of the genre in some daring ways that make it all the more enjoyable.Ryli Sinclair had no idea that moonlighting as a Forensic Photographer for the Granville Police Department would put her directly in the path of a crazed killer. Determined to identify the murderer before she becomes the next victim, Ryli enlists the help of her best friend, Paige, and her elderly great-aunt, Shirley, a former private investigator. From the driver’s seat of Aunt Shirley’s coveted ’65 Falcon, Ryli and the girls are hot on the trail of the murderer…and hilarity ensues, as the ridiculously handsome chief of police, Garrett Kimble, throws stumbling blocks in their path at every turn.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com