REVIEW: Slashing Through the Snow by Jacqueline Frost

Title: Slashing Through the Snow (Christmas Tree Farm Mystery #3)
Author: Jacqueline Frost
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 2021
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Cozy Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Maine innkeeper Holly White returns to sleuth another seasonal slaying in the third Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine's sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe's toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Karen, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen's dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.

The suspect list is longer than Santa's naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Karen was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan's reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn's former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Karen's scathing prose.

To figure out the killer's identity and clear Cookie's name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm's café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can't put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series and feel it was a good addition to my holiday reading. As with the residents of Mistletoe, I love this little community and once again another murder happens at Christmas time which should put a serious damper on the festivities. Despite this being the third year in a row that a murder happens that also finds Holly White right in the middle of the investigation, the holiday festivities continue.

This time around, Holly’s friend Cookie is the suspect and with her fingerprints on the weapon, Holly and her friends are desperate to figure out who the real culprit is. As with the other books, I felt annoyed that Holly puts herself in situations that draw the killer’s attention to her, but unlike Evan, I knew she would insert herself into the investigation and wouldn’t listen to anyone telling her to let the authorities manage it.

As frustrating as it is seeing Holly put herself in danger, I have to say that for the third year running, the crime appears to be solved in large part due to her involvement. Evan is an excellent police officer, but he probably should just involve Holly at the onset of the investigation to avoid having to worry she is up to her neck in trouble as a result of keeping her out of it. I suppose hoping Holly comes to her senses and leaves the crime solving to Evan would mean the end of this series, so I will hope she and Evan keep their channels of communication open and she tries to stay in the background. I would miss the hot chocolate and snickerdoodles at The Hearth if it all went away.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this book and the whole series to fans of cozy mysteries as well as readers looking to add a little warmth and cheer to their holiday.

REVIEW: Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar

Title: Christmas at Frozen Falls
Author: Kiley Dunbar
Publisher: Hera
Publication Date: September 2019
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Sylvie Magnusson is going to be lonely this Christmas. Instead of jetting off for her honeymoon, she’s freezing at home in Cheshire. Guess that’s what happens when your fiancé dumps you a week before your wedding…

Sylvie’s best friend, Nari, plans a trip to see the Northern Lights and get Sylvie’s mojo back. But as their Lapland getaway approaches, Sylvie realizes that Frozen Falls is the hometown of Stellan Virtanen, her dreamy Finnish ex-boyfriend, the one that got away.

When they meet, Stellan’s still gorgeous – and her heart is warmed when he shows her the romantic delights of Lapland (as well as some adorable Husky puppies). But when she returns to England, can she really leave Stellan behind? Or will she find that her heart belongs in the frozen North?

My Thoughts: This book gets top marks from me for the locale and the interesting research the author did on the history and customs of the area, but the story fell flat for me. There was little to no chemistry between Sylvie and Stellan and when she finds out the reason he left her and broke her heart back in college, I was quite annoyed.

Additionally, the secondary romance between Nari and Niilo, though cute and charming, had no place here and would have been better as its own story. The back and forth between the two couples got to be very distracting. The narrator’s accents for Stellan and Niilo didn’t work for me either. Stellan’s dialogue sounded stilted and forced and it pulled me out of the story numerous times. In hindsight, I would recommend the printed version over the audio version.

My Final Verdict: Readers who enjoy a story with a beautifully detailed and researched locale will enjoy this trip to Lapland, but readers looking for a magical Christmas romance may want to look elsewhere.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Christmas at Frozen Falls from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Christmas Wish by Tilly Tennant

Title: The Christmas Wish 

Author: Tilly Tennant
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: October 2018
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Lose yourself in this beautiful romantic comedy set in a land of sleigh rides, sparkling starry skies and gingerbread cottages. Perfect for fans of Karen Swan, Katie Fforde and Jill Mansell.

Christmas is coming but it doesn’t feel that way for Esme Greenwood. Recently jilted by her cheating fiancé Warren, she’s had enough of London life and escapes to Thimble Cottage in the Peak District, home of her beloved grandmother Matilda.

While Esme mourns for the wedding she’ll never have, Matilda puts her granddaughter back together again with comforting words and generous helpings of fruitcake and together, they plan the trip of a lifetime, to Lapland to see the northern lights, somewhere Matilda has always dreamt of going.

But tragedy strikes and when Matilda dies, Esme screws up the courage to go on the trip on her own to honor her beloved grandmother’s wishes. At the airport she meets a motley crew of characters including Zach, a handsome, brooding, out-of- work actor and together they set off for an adventure.

Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, Esme and Zach grow closer. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he’s changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something very significant - will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent of Zach’s own secret past, is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her?

My Thoughts: With The Christmas Wish, readers are taken on a holiday adventure to the Northern Lights and Lapland with a young woman who is honoring her late grandmother’s wish by taking the trip they were meant to take together. I liked Esme and thought she was brave and courageous to go on the trip, knowing it would be difficult not having her grandmother to share it with. I also enjoyed that she finally sees her ex for the creep he is and takes her power back for a change.

I enjoyed meeting the other travelers in Esme’s group and liked the chemistry building between her and Zach as well as some very humorous moments with Hortense, who was equally annoying and fun.

The landscape of Lapland really resonated with me and I commend the author for the excellent job she did of bringing it to life on the page. I got a real sense of the sights, scents and sounds through Esme’s eyes and found it to be quite magical.

My Final Verdict: I found this book to be a good choice for my Christmas holiday reading and recommend it to readers who are looking for happy conclusions and enjoy an adventure when it comes calling.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Christmas Wish from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Best Worst Christmas by Kate Forster

Title: The Best Worst Christmas
Author: Kate Forster
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date: December 2021
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Lily is back from Australia for the first time in seven years to spend Christmas at her mum’s house in a small, gossipy English village. To her surprise, she returns to find that her mother is dating the man next door, who also happens to be the father of her ex-boyfriend Tom. Tom, who broke Lily’s heart all those years ago. Tom, the real reason Lily fled to the other side of the world and stayed there. Tom, who is also home for Christmas and right there, next door.

In what is shaping up to be the worst Christmas ever, somehow Lily and Tom have to try to get along and play happy families but living with the man who she is clearly not over is proving to be difficult, and tensions are high. Add in some drunken caroling, a reindeer bite, a potent Christmas pudding and some meddling parents and Lily’s trip home will turn her entire life upside down.

My Thoughts: A cute story sprinkled with charm and Christmas cheer about forgiveness of self and others and second chances. Lily is going home to England for Christmas for the first time since her broken heart drove her across the world to Australia. To her utter shock and confusion, her mother is dating and living with the man from next door, who also happens to be the father of Tom, her ex-boyfriend and the reason for her broken heart. Oh, and by the way, the ex-boyfriend is also home for Christmas and is next door and surprise! Lilly must bunk next door under the same roof as Tom. I figured this would have a happy conclusion or would turn into a bloodbath, as the tension was so sharp between these two, I was sure someone would be bleeding before too long.

This story had so many unexpected twists that I enjoyed as well as some heart-wrenching ones that reminded me that strong manly men can be vulnerable and that’s absolutely acceptable. This was a short story but is packed full of interesting characters and goings on that it felt longer. The characters were likable and easy to relate to. I was in high anticipation as to whether Lily would stay and sort out this mess with Tom or take off back to Australia.

My Final Verdict: Readers looking to add some festive cheer to their Christmas will enjoy this story, with or without the fruitcake.

REVIEW: Scrooged by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Title: Scrooged
Author: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Publisher: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Publication Date: December 2019
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Sexy Scrooge
The Last thing I needed was to share an Uber with Scrooge - a cocky lawyer on a snowy Christmas Eve. It was bad enough I was on my way to court for the gift of eviction.

Although maybe today wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

The Sexy Scrooge and I started to connect as we trudged our way through a storm. Our ride was about to end. But would I ever see him again?

The Merry Mistake
Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of a lunch, we got into it. I'd only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn't have to see him again. But fate had other plans.

Kissmas In New York
It was just supposed to be a simple kiss with a stranger. I'd done it to prove a point - that I hadn't lost my sense of adventure. But you know what they about the best laid plans. Maybe I'd get something in my stocking after all this holiday season. . .

My Thoughts: When I am looking for a Christmas themed title that offers up a fun story, I know I don’t have to look further than Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward. With Scrooged, the reader gets three short, festive, flirty and fun stories. I noticed that a common thread of mistaken identity was apparent in each story, but I thoroughly enjoyed each one and it’s impossible to pick a favorite.

My Final Verdict: Each story contained likable characters and lots of witty banter and some very funny situations all set in a Christmas backdrop. I highly recommend this story to readers who like their holiday reading to be fun and tickles the funny bone. This is such a short read that the marshmallows in your hot chocolate won’t have had a chance to melt before finishing this book.

REVIEW: The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green

Title: The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm
Author: Erin Green
Publisher: Aria
Publication Date: September 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction / Christmas Holiday
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: The scent of pine fills the crisp air as local villagers select their perfect tree. Picking the tree is the easy bit, creating a perfect Christmas is a bit trickier...

Nina has the most magical job in the world, matching customers with their perfect Christmas tree. Working at Christmas Tree Farm is always fun and full of laughter but the weight of past tragedy bears down on her. Her admirer is a great distraction, but is he the right man for her?

Holly is just trying to be a normal teenager, having to deal with the mean girls in her class. But then the most handsome boy at school takes an interest in her. Have all her Christmases come at once?

Angie is trying to bring her family together and save her broken marriage. It's not something she can force, but it's the only gift she craves. Will her Christmas wish come true?

It's the season of goodwill, and at Christmas Tree Farm anything could happen...

My Thoughts: An incredibly delightful story that really illustrates the spirit of the holiday season. This story centers on three primary characters, all different and not really connected to one another except through the Christmas Tree Farm. Nina works at the farm but would rather skip Christmas and all the festivities as she is mourning the death of her father the year before. Holly is embarking on her first relationship with the most wonderful boy from school. Angie is trying to rebuild her family after she and her husband divorced, but she must get through to her son who isn’t so eager to trust her after she left.

Each story is separate but they all connect to one another as more is revealed. Throw in a winter wedding at the farm and teenagers trespassing and damaging property and I could not put this book down. I found all the characters easy to relate to and cared about what was happening to them and what would happen. This book has a definite Love, Actually quality about it as the connections between the characters are made clear. I liked all the characters, but Nina was my favorite and I was on pins and needles alongside her as she sorted out who her admirer was.

My Final Verdict: All things are possible at Christmas and this story highlights that nobody is immune to The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm. I highly recommend this book with a hot chocolatey beverage and fuzzy blanket.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.