Family lawyer, Kelli Milanni, balances her professional life with her secret Wiccan life and is looking forward to celebrating both Yuletide and Christmas without any complications, please. She is in competition for a slot as partner at the law firm. Her boss decides to pair her up with the other lawyer up for the partnership, asking them to investigate, sub rosa, the blackmail of a client who is a friend of their boss. Unfortunately, he turns up dead. Kelli is already involved and continues, but now she is in search of a murderer, not a blackmailer. Could they be one and the same? Why would a blackmailer kill the person being blackmailed? Many questions to answer, leads to follow and Kelli manages to juggle both her secret life and her public life, as usual. This series has the added element of Wiccan, giving it something different from the long list of cozy mysteries featuring strong female characters and the small towns in which they live. I'll happily read the next entry in this series.

This is an entertaining holiday themed cozy- both for Wicca and for Christmas. I'd not read Hesse before so I didn't know anything about Keli before this novel. She's a lot of fun, both because of her beliefs (I learned a few things) and because of her attitude. Is her colleague Crenshaw odious? Yes, a bit, but he's also a hoot. Her friend Farrah also helps out when Keli finds herself investigating the murder of her boss's friend. It's not too complex, not too twisty, and generally genial. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You'll like this if you like the cozy genre and are open to something a tad different in the heroine.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery with a strong female character. I hadn't read the first two books in the series, but I don't think it mattered a bit. The book is well-written and plotted, and the characters were intriguing.

Keli Milanni practices law at a firm and is anxious for a promotion. Her colleague Crenshaw is vying for the promotion as well. They are assigned to do an audit for a client and candidate for mayor, Edgar Harrison, who is being blackmailed. What no one at Keli's firm knows is that she is a practicing Wiccan. She's told only her boyfriend Wes and her close friend Farrah.

Keli and Crenshaw are invited to a holiday party thrown by Harrison Properties. After the party ends, Keli has to go back to the hotel where it took place, and she finds Edgar's dead body. Was he killed by his blackmailer? Was he killed because of his personal life? Keli needs to know, and she starts investigating.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Wiccan practices and beliefs. It was very interesting to me.
I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to future books in the series.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love the Wiccan Wheel Mystery series by Jennifer David Hesse. Yuletide Homicide comes out September 26th from Kensington Publishing and is one I can highly recommend. There are so many reasons why I liked this book and series but let's start with a great main character. Keli is a curious, resourceful and confident Lawyer, who hides her Wiccan religion from all but her very close circle. Guided by a strong sense of justice and curiosity, Keli learns more about herself and her intuition as she works to unravel a murder mystery. I love her back story, there is a connection to a long lost aunt who features more prominently in this story and a wonderful sense of holiday magic. I thought this was well written and thought out, researched perfectly and had the right balance of cozy/paranormal suspense. A great read and a great series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book! :)

This is the 3rd book in this series, and it is my first foray into this author's work. It didn't take long before I was fully immersed in Keli's world, and wanting to know more. Wiccan is one of those religions that I have always wanted to know more about, especially since I knew a few girls in High School who 'dabbled'. I liked the glimpses we got into what is obviously a much bigger picture, but I can't say anything about the accuracy or anything.

I loved Keli's investigation skills, although she sometimes trusts too much. The entire mystery is nicely summed up by the end, but still lends itself to another book in the series. This fun mystery will appeal to not just cozy lovers, but a broader detective type. Most cozy investigators are average Joes, but Keli can use her job to investigate too.

The host of characters here is delightful, although I liked Crenshaw and Farrah the most. The support network of characters is great, and I can see Keli adding a few team members to the roster next time too.

A really enjoyable Christmas/Yuletime read. Put it on your stocking wishlist!

I've been eyeing this series up for awhile, so glad I took the plunge. Engaging characters and well written. The Wiccan practices added a different but interesting touch to this series. Looking forward to reading the previous books.

I have really enjoyed this series. I like the way the Wiccan things are worked in without being obtrusive. It just fits into the story. The mystery was interesting and the detection flows smoothly.

No surprise, but I loved this book. This is my favourite cozy mystery series because it has a protagonist who shares my values and spiritual beliefs, something that is often attempted in other series, but rarely well executed. We need more diversity within the cozy community and I think this series is helping pave the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is the third in the series, but the first I had read. I will certainly read the previous books now!
The characters were engaging and the whodunit was well written.
I hope this series continues!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I gave the preceding book an OK rating and that's about all I can muster up for this one. Again, I felt that the witch craft while mentioned frequently and having a ceremony or two take place on page, didn't add anything really to the story.

Crenshaw is mentioned in the blurb and it seemed like this would be a buddy mystery with Keli to have someone as a foil...not so much. Crenshaw pops up occasionally, but Keli's friend Farrah plays the foil part a bit more, but she's hardly an investigative partner either. The story doesn't really get going until after 19% and later there is a lag (~80% mark) that made me scan more than read. There wasn't enough action to really keep my attention though I thought the mystery had some potential from the initial blackmailing to where it takes us.

Someone from Keli's past pops up and I'm clueless as to why. He doesn't add anything to the story and disappears as quickly as he came. The same with a cat.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the latest installment in the Wiccan Wheel Mysteries and I still cannot get enough! Its Christmas time and we once again join Keli Milanni as she navigates through her professional life and also her personal life as she prepares to celebrate Yuletide. When her boss calls her and her colleague Crenshaw in to help investigate a blackmail attempt against one of the firms clients, Keli is once again thrown into a mystery of epic proportions .
The story line of this novel definitely keeps the reader engaged. The characters are complex and endearing with a surprise ending that you just can't get enough of. I love the elements of Keli's struggle with keeping her personal life private and attempting to get over her fear of people figuring out her belief system. This is definitely a book I would read again and again.