All sorts of things are set in motion when Athena finds Case Donnelly lurking in her family's garden center after dark. He claims the statue her grandfather bought actually belongs to him, and intends to prove it. Her grandfather's restaurant, as well as other businesses, are under threat of development by the local real estate magnate. There are a couple of murders, Athena helps Case (who is a suspect), the family bands together- and all in all, it's a cozy. Regular readers of the genre might find the characters familiar (the boisterous family in particular as well as the man Athena reluctantly dates) but the mystery (and Athena's blog) is fresh. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The first in Kate Collin's A Goddess of Greene Street Mystery series has a delightful cast of characters. 'Statue of Limitations' has the perfect blend of family, humor, suspense and romance. It is an engaging look into the lives of a Greek community. The book ends with a tantalizing opportunity for much more in the future. I can't wait!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Statue of Limitations by Kate Collins is the first book in A Goddess of Green St.Mystery series.

After her divorce Athena returns to her small home town and to her big family. She is given a job at her father's store and is happily raising her son.
One night she encounters an intruder who claims that the statue her grandfather bought is very valuable but also belongs to him.
Soon he becomes person of interest when the local tycoon is found dead. She decides to help him clear his name and her promises he will not take the statue from her family.
Together they start asking questions around and trying to solve the mystery.

I really liked her family, as there are so many great characters that so much can be done with.
I resent the amount of time she has spent with her son. It is something that just bothered me.
Story is fast paced and reads well, It is easy to figure out the killer but it is entertaining none the less.
However some of the things stretch the imagination a little too much. The fact that with only a different haircut a wanted man just walks around the town and no one seems to recognize him was incredulous to me.
All in all this series has a good potential to turn into a great series.

I was so sorry when the Flower Shop series came to an end but this new series has made me a very happy reader. Athena is a great character and her family wonderful. She has returned home to the safety of her family with her young son after her job was eliminated and her marriage ended in divorce. Her father owns a garden center and her makes Athena the manager working with her slightly ditzy sister. Her grandparents own a Greek restaurant that is a bit worn around the edges - a place I would love to frequent. A lot. She has three sisters, each with a very distinctive personality.
As the mystery begins, the family and the Greek community have just dodged a close call when the man who had planned to tear down the entire block of Greek owned businesses to erect condos changes his mind, stopping the development. Not long after he dies and then it is discovered that the change of plans wasn't finalized and his son is gong ahead with the buildings. When a second death connected with the condos and the rich family doing the building, some people are suspicious about those deaths. Was it murder?
Add to the deaths, is there any connection between that family and the strange development surrounding the six foot tall statue that her grandfather bought at auction from the family? He had planned to put it in the restaurant but she turned out to be too large for the room and ended up at the garden center. When Athena is leaving the center after closing she is surprised to discover a very handsome stranger kneeling at the base of the prone statue. When asked what the heck did he think he was doing, his reply was that the statue really belonged to him. Now what connects two deaths, a condo development and a Greek statue? It all makes for a very entertaining mystery that had me hooked form the first word to the last and I now have the series on my list of must be read series. I hope it lasts as long if not longer than the Flower Shop series.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review.
This is the first book in a new mystery series under the overall title, ‘Goddess of Greene Street’. Athena Spencer returns to her small hometown and large Greek family after a nasty divorce. She and her young son, Nicholas, live with her parents and sisters in the family home. Working in her parent’s garden shop, she stays late one night to work on her anonymous blog site. She is startled by noises and finds a man, Case Donnelly, in the statue area, claiming a statue belongs to his family and is stolen property. Since Athena’s grandfather had recently purchased the statue from a local estate sale, she’s not convinced about its provenance. Knowing the statue came from the local town ‘bigwig’ and all-around bad guy real estate tycoon, Athena springs into action when a second person dies and Case is on video, running away from the scene. Together, they work to solve the mystery and ensure the Greek community stays intact. A good cosy and it will be interesting to see where the series goes next.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The story centers around a statue that a mysterious man, comes trying to prove that the statue belongs to his family. After an exchange with Athena, the main character, they uncover the bigger mystery plot that runs through the rest of the story. I thought the mystery was interesting and was fun trying to figure out. Also, I liked how Greek family culture was included in the story. Athena is a fun character to follow and will be great to follow in subsequent mysteries.

Loved it! Did not want to put it down. It was a one day read. Thrilled to see that it is the first of a series. I have enjoyed other books by Kate Collins, so I was not surprised that she immediately drew me into the story. While I am not a fan of Greek food or have a desire to learn the language, the inclusion of both lent authenticity to the tale. I am eager to read the next one.

This book is a nice start to a new series. It's really My Big Fat Greek Wedding thrown into a cozy mystery. The storyline was well written and the characters were fun. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Kate Collins has created another wonderful cast of characters! Athena Spencer and her funny, loving and large Greek family are the perfect sleuths! When a mysterious stranger claims ownership of a statue, of the Greek goddess Athena, as stolen from his family museum, Athena (Thenie) must prove her family and the handsome mystery man not guilty of the crime, Trouble grows as the wealthy developer who sold the statue to her beloved grandfather and is planning to tear down the Greek businesses, in the neighborhood, is murdered along with his trusted advisor.

I loved this book! The characters were easy to relate to, the book was fast-paced and the mystery was filled with twists and turns. Seeing Thenie, a former journalist regain her confidence after a divorce was inspiring. Her relationship with her young son Niko was heartwarming as was the family of loving & slightly nosy relatives.

I'm looking forward to the next visit!

I received an ARC, from Netgalley, for a fair and honest review of this book.

This is a fun first book to a new cozy mystery series. It is always refreshing to encounter a first book that has you looking forward to reading more about the people and what new problems they may get into. My favourite character, who makes a tiny appearance, would be Oscar, the racoon. I hope to see more of him in the next ones.

There is this bias that I start with whenever I pick up something in this genre, and I need to connect/like the narrative voice. The characters should not be too descriptive when in the first person, for instance, since most reasonable people would not recollect such details when in high-pressure situations. That said, I still want the details excitingly and fluently, so it makes for some hits amongst more misses. Especially since they are usually quick reads(as was this), I can devour more of them as compared to other genres. Our leading lady is Athena, who is back home after her marriage falls apart. She has moved back into the loving arms of her big Greek family. I used the term Greek in the description because it forms a considerable chunk of the storyline. The family's background, as well as their belonging to the Greek Merchants Association, plays a significant role. The way she deals with the feeling of wanting to versus actually belonging gave the character some depth.

Athena has a son, and although I felt like she trusted too quickly, was a decent lead to root for. She has an anonymous blog and I, for one, wanted more than the few snippets we were given because they seemed great! The mystery itself was pretty straightforward, but the community feel and the fact that the negative shaded current boyfriend had more shades to him made him very realistic. I will definitely read more books by this author and in this series if and when I get the chance.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience and my prior encounters with books of this genre.

This is the first book in the goddess of greene street series. Athena Spenser has moved back to her hometown after her divorce. Her family's diner and garden center are in danger of being destroyed in order to put up condos. When two different murders occur, Athena believes the murders and the condo project are connected. She teams up with Case Donneley, who is looking for proof of purchase for a statue Athena's grandfather purchased, after he gets accused of murder.
I thought this was a good first book in the series. It set up the characters really well. I liked the greek culture that was mixed in. It wasn't overwhelming and was just the right mixture. I liked how well Case and Athena worked together. I can't wait to read more in this series.

As a fan of Kate Collins and her flower shop series, I was absolutely excited to read Statue of Limitations.
The story is well written and has a good background of these new characters.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

This is the beginning of a new series set in the lake front community of Sequoia Michigan. Athena Spencer has returned home after a divorce and she is working at her family gardening center and writing a blog about being Greek and her interfering family. One night at the garden center Athena catches an intruder looking at the new statue her Grandfather has purchased and he claims the statue really belongs to his family. The intruder Case Donnelly is looking for proof of purchase but Athena chooses not to turn it over and then he leaves. Athena learns the Talbot family is going to proceed with a condo project that the Talbot Sr. had agreed to cancel. So Athena begins working with the Greek Merchants Association (GMA) to halt construction on a condominium project by the Talbot family.The next morning at her family’s restaurant she learns that an old family friend and assistant to Grayson Talbot Sr (who recently died under mysterious circumstances) is found dead and an intruder was caught on surveillance footage and it happens to be Athena’s intruder Case Donnelly. Case is being searched for and he reaches out to Athena for her help to prove his innocence and in return he is going to help her stop the condo project. The murderer is pretty much known throughout the story but it is still entertaining and enjoyable. I also liked that Athena came to understand the value of her family. Looking forward to the next installment.

Statue of Limitations appears to cross multiple genres:

* Cozy Mystery
* Legal Thriller
* Romantic Thriller
* Art Mystery

But into whatever genre the reader decides to place this book, it easily rates 5-stars.

Athena Spencer had returned home with her son after the breakup of her marriage - whether that was a good thing or not remains to be seen. She stays behind one night at her father’s garden shop to work on her secret blog where she discloses her family’s secrets to the world, but she is disturbed by a sound in the back of the shop. A quick search finds her face to face with Case Connelly who quickly claims to own the “The Treasure of Athena”, a statue standing in the middle of her father’s garden center. Athena and Case will spend the greater part of the book trying to verify the owner of the statue and saving the garden center and the other shops of Little Greece located in Sequoia MI.

Murder, theft, kidnapping, and lies, will define a variety of people (both good and bad) from the community of Little Greece; but they all contribute a great story that held this reader’s interest from beginning to end. I enjoyed the few hints on how to preserve a flower arrangement put into the appendix which made the book practical as well as entertaining. Anyone who has received a bundle of unarranged flowers as a gift will appreciate the suggestions included here.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Athena Spencer has returned to Michigan to raise her son with her family’s support. While working at the family garden center, she is surprised by a man looking at her statue. He believes it is his. Athena disagrees. When he is found fleeing from the scene of a murder, Athena gets involved. In addition, the Greek area of town is in risk of being torn down. Things get complicated.

This is the first in a new series and it has great possibilities. Wonderful characters, good setting, and lots of puzzles. I look forward to the next in the series.

I enjoy Kate Collins Flower Shop series so I was very excited to read the beginning of a new series by her. Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this for an unbiased review.
A Greek family, a greedy businessman out to raze a downtown district, a statue worth a lot of money and murder.
Athena works in the family garden shop and is raising her 10 year old son with the help of her family. When she finds someone investigating the statue her Grandfather recently purchased, she is set off on a hunt for the origins of the statue, the murderer of two prominent men and stopping a powerful businessman from destroying the Greek district in her small town to put up unwanted condos. She does all this while raising a son, trying to manage her well meaning family and their intrusiveness in all things about her life and writing an anonymous blog about the crazy family she loves. Fantastic start to a new series and I can't wait to see what happens next!

A delightful and entertaining book. Great plot and setting. I look forward to reading more books in this series. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Athena (yes that is her name) Spencer (non-Greek father) returns home with her young son to Sequoia, Michigan, after a devastating marriage and divorce. She moves in with her family which includes her mother Hera, Queen of the Greek Gods; her sisters Delphi, named after the Oracle; Selene, goddess of the moon; Maia, goddess of the fields; and lastly her non-Greek father John Spencer. And Greek families are known for their togetherness so add in Yiayia and Pappou - gram and grampa.

Working late one night at the family's garden center, Athena encounters a young man armed with a small knife scraping at the base of the giant Athena statue her grandfather purchased. Surprised and equally nervous about this encounter, she asks for an explanation and is stunned to hear it. Case Donnelly is trying to discover if the statue, The Treasure of Athena, is an authentic one created by Greek sculptor Antonius. When he scrapes away enough of the cement covering the base, he discovers it is an authentic Antonious and is worth a fortune. Oh, and it is his, he says.

A laugh out loud story of a crazy Greek family everyone can identify with. Looking forward to more antics.

This was a great start to a new series! I like this author and was happy that she has a new series out. The characters were great and I liked the setting. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next one in this series.

After her divorce, Athena Spencer moves back to her hometown of Sequoia, Michigan to work in her family's garden center and to raise her son. One night at the garden center, she meets a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather bought at an estate sale. When he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a local man, she decides to help him. Together they do everything they can to prove his innocence while trying to save the Little Greece business shops from being razed by the powerful Talbot family.

Statue of Limitations by Kate Collins is a solid start to a new series. It is an enjoyable, easy read, with a likable, well-developed cast of characters and an interesting murder mystery. The writing flows smoothly and the story moves at a steady pace. The main character Athena is likable and easy to relate to. She didn't make the best decisions when it came to the murder investigation but as the reader learns more about the Talbot family, it becomes very obvious why she did what she did. I love the chemistry between her and Case and look forward to seeing what the author has in store for their characters. The reveal at the end wasn't much of a surprise. We basically knew right from the start who the culprits were. It was just a matter of finding and completing all the missing pieces of the puzzle. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the second one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.