Fun quick easy read.


I really enjoyed reading The Starlight Mint Suppose murder by meow A. white.


The main character is very unique compared to most cozy mysteries I read. She is a cop so it makes sense. There's a lot of characterization so you actually get to know the characters. I hope there's more to this story I'd enjoy to read it as a series!


Thank you NetGalley and The Wild rose press for letting me read the ARC before its publication date!

stars Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Former cop turned inn keeper for a new start finds herself in an investigation when a body shows up on her inn lobby during the town holiday cookie contest. She will get more than she bargained when another body is found.

She will have to battle with the local sheriff who does not want her involve. A new mystery series to enjoy.

My first cozy mystery and I am now hooked! I really enjoyed the pace of the book, the strength of Mel's character, and all the side characters that really brought this book to life. It a wonderful holiday quick weekend read and is perfect for a snowy day.

Mel O'Rourke left Los Angeles behind when she was injured in her job as a police officer. Hoping to live a much quieter life in the Northern California mountains, Mel and her family have invested in a B&B that she will run. Upon opening, she finds a guest dead in the great room. While it looks like it could have been a heart attack, it could very well have been murder, but Mel is the only one who thinks that. Rather than waiting to see what the verdict is, and to save her new business, she begins looking into what happened and who would want the man, and then a second of her guests, dead.

Set in Christmas season, this is a cozy that will have you cuddled up with a mug of something warm and settling in to read this in one sitting. It's a short cozy and could be a little stronger on the story line, but it left me in a feel good mood and ready for the holidays!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Adorable cozy mystery from a new to me author.

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder was a quick, easy read, I’ve found it a good escapism from a tiring day.

Mel left her work as a LA cop after an accidents and decided to open a B&B in Pine Cove. During her first week she finds one of her few guests dead, everything let to think of a natural death but Mel wants to be sure so she begins to investigate.

I liked Mel, she is smart and witty but she still has to come at peace with her change of work and with the living in a small village. Some of her actions are a mystery for me, but I hope to see her again.
I adored the isolated little town because of the snow storm and the villagers who help Mel with her sleuthering.

The mystery was intriguing but not too difficult to solve. I would have liked to discover more insight into the characters, the murder and the murderer, but if this promising short story becomes a series I'm sure we will have more of those.

This is the first time I read something by Marla A. White I've enjoyed her writing and I'll definitely be reading other books by her in the future.

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder is a quick easy mystery to read.
Mel O’Roarke is the owner of Babbling Brook Inn. She wants the Inn to be a success and when a group of guests gets snowed in and one in found dead in her lobby, she has to make sure this does not affect her business much. But when another guest is found dead, she knows somehow the two deaths are connected. Her goal is to help figure out what happened and who is the guilty person.
The combination of characters, holiday time, cookie baking and a mystery makes for a fun read.
Thank you, Net Galley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc for the copy. This is my personal review.

The Starlight Mint Cookie Surprise by Marla A. White is part of the Christmas Cookie series. This was a short, fun whodunit. Mel O'Rourke had to retire from LAPD due to a severe ankle break. She is now running her family's new business, Babbling Brook B&B when one of her guests is found dead. Then another guest goes missing. Not being able to escape her police background Mel is determined to solve the murder mystery. I enjoyed this story.

After being injured while working as a LAPD police officer Mel's family pleaded with her to move to a small town to reduce her stress. It did not end up working that way when a dead body was discovered in her B&B. in small town Pine Cove.

This is a short story that will leave you wanting more. It is an interesting mystery with some great characters. Thanks to The Wild Rose Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

In order to keep the Babbling Brook Inn from losing more guests, Mel must catch the killer or she’s through. An injury forced Mel O’Roarke to leave the police force, but her cop instincts are still alive and kicking. She loves her new quiet life as an innkeeper in a small mountain town. She’s getting to know the townsfolk and even enters a holiday cookie contest but all that comes crashing down when a guest is found dead at her inn. She chalks it up to natural causes at first, but her cop instincts go on red alert when a second guest is murdered. The sheriff tells her it’s just a coincidence, but she trusts her own gut. She starts investigating herself and when she gets too close, the murderer tries to kill her. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Mel. Can she nab the killer before the body count grows?

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder is a fantastic holiday cozy mystery I read in one sitting. I love a good cozy mystery, especially during the holiday season. Marla White blends cozy mystery with small town holidays perfectly. I adored Mel as the heroine. She’s very likable with honest reactions. The rest of the characters were quirky with their own backstories. Any of the characters fit the profile of a killer but the motive was a complete surprise. The plot moved at a nice easy pace, even though it was less than a hundred pages. Marla White’s writing captures the reader’s attention and keeps the reader invested until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder and I look forward to more from Marla White. If you’re looking for a holiday cozy, pick up The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder. Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5 stars

Mel O’Rourke has left her job as a police officer in LA after a injury and has moved to a small mountain town to open a B&B with the support, both emotional and financial, of her large family. So far things are going well (except for her attempts at her grandmother’s recipe for starlight mint surprise cookies) when one of her guests is found dead. She’s pretty sure it’s natural causes but she wants an investigation done to protect the reputation of the B&B and her family’s investment. The local deputy, on the other hand,, thinks an investigation would be a waste of resources even after another guest goes missing. When her body is found at the bottom of a cliff, he’s convinced it’s just an accident but Mel is not so sure and decides to investigate on her own, a decision that could put her in danger.

The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder (Christmas Cookies) by Maria A. White is a fun fast and short cozy mystery with an interesting storyline, a likeable female protagonist, a touch of humour, and, of course, the requisite potential love interest. I’m not sure if this is a stand-alone or the start of a new series - either way, I will be looking for more by this author in the future. A perfect read for a snowy afternoon with a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and maybe a cookie or two.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and The Wild Rose Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Starting over isn't easy especially when murder is involved. Luckily ex cop Mel O'Rourke has the know how to solve the murder. Loved the characters and story plot. Very enjoyable! Thanks #netgalley and #TheWildRosePressInc for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

This was a fun, quick read. Although I'm still fuzzy on why Mel doesn't admit upfront to Marks that she's an ex-cop, I found that I liked and even sympathized with her, both past and present. While she comes across on the surface as cool and efficient, there are layers beneath that calm exterior that reveal the real Mel O'Rourke Due to the shortness of the story, think novella, the plot moves along quickly as the starring characters make their appearances and establish a connection to Mel. The setting sounds delightful, a bit of a winter wonderland, although I'm with Mel. No way I'd be crossing the rope bridge unless I absolutely needed to do so. What makes Mel, whose vertigo is established fairly early on, cross that bridge? Who isn't what the appear to be? Will Mel ever master her grandmother's seemingly famous cookie recipe? Will she save the family business? I hope there is a sequel because I for one don't have answers to all those questions. In the meantime, as I ponder them, give this book a read. It's short, fun, and full of action, not to mention there are a couple men that could be vying for Mel's affections.

Thank you #NetGallery , BacklitPR, and #TheWildRosePressInc for the ARC and a fun read.

Ex cop Mel O'Rourke buys a mountain inn called Babbling Brook Inn. Her and her family have sunk everything into it so failure is not an option. So when a guest dies in the lobby Mel is determined to find out what happened. Good mystery with a likable cast.

Thank you to The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Mel O'Rourke has given up her badge as an LAPD patrol officer in order to run her family's lodge aptly named the Babbling Brook Bed and Breakfast. Her family purchased the lodge and renovated it. Their opening is not going as planned because of a snowstorm. Mel is busy preparing her grandmother's cookie recipe (which are named Starlight Mint Surprise) to enter the cookie contest for Pine Cove's Christmas festival, but the fun is just getting started! One of her guests is found dead sitting in the lobby with a cookie at his feet. Because of her law enforcement background, Mel cannot help herself. She has to investigate. There are great characters, and I can envision the snow covered town, as well as hear the babbling brook. I Mel is my hero because she is like a dog with a bone when she starts investigating! The setting reminds me of something out of a Hallmark movie, but murder is afoot! This is an enjoyable mystery with a Christmas setting to make it even more special. It is an easy read that you can literally read in one sitting! I hope to see more of this type of story from Marla A. White.

This book was not to my tastes. The main character, Mel O'Rourke, big city former beat cop moving to the small town was fine. She was smart and actually had a background that made sense for her being a murderer. But I am very much over love triangles (and one was definitely being set up) and with her asking about if any one in town is a man whore.... just.... ew. Especially coming from L.A., she should know better.
Mel got badly injured on her job and is now running a B&B, the Babbling Brook. She is now in the South and, though an independent woman, finds herself intrigued by the old skewl politness (ew ew ew) of the southern gentlemen in town. Though Jackson is sort of upsetting her what with parking in front of her driveway while he's getting ready for the local Christmas festival and cookie baking competition. And dude is REALLY pushy about her confronting past issues.
She's catering to a visiting yoga group but unfortunately, one of the few guests who isn't with that group dies in her lobby. It seems like a usual murder but then one of the yoginis dies as well. And just because the woman was rude and entitled doesn't mean she deserved to be murdered.
This was an okay story for being the first in a series.

Three stars
This book comes out November 9th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A holiday mystery complete with a corpse at a Christmas bake off. A little weak on the storyline but lots of seasonal touches.

Christmas cookies? Cozy B&B? Hot barista? Double murder? What more do you need this holiday season?

Mel just opened up her B&B, putting her LAPD days behind her and starting new. When the town gets snowed in and the guests are stuck for a few extra days at her B&B, a couple of them start turning up dead! Mel becomes invested in solving the case when the local cops don’t take it seriously, assuming it’s an open-and-close natural death case. Will she be able to find out who-dun-it before the roads open back up and the guests (and potential murderer) leaves? More importantly: can she perfect her grandma’s ridiculously complex cookie recipe before the Christmas Festival?!

This was just a cute and cozy quick read to get you in the holiday spirit. The book is less than 100 pages, making it something you can easily read in one sitting. Due to its short nature, everything is pretty basic. I figured out who the murderer was right away. I wasn’t sure why Mel was being so secretive about her ankle injury, like why not just say you broke your ankle once and you’re still dealing with the recovery? The romance between Mel and Jackson (hot barista guy) felt a little forced at the beginning. There was only one scene where I could feel the chemistry. I honestly ship Mel and Marks (the local cop) wayyyy more. For those wondering - there’s no spice in this book. Not even a kiss, but I personally thought it worked. Who wants to be sleeping around when there’s a murderer on the loose?

There were some parts where I think extra editing was needed. I would reread a passage over and over and still it wouldn’t make sense. This only happened a couple of times and didn’t ruin my reading experience. I would still recommend this to someone wanting to fit in some quick holiday reading.


Thank you NetGalley and Backlight PR for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very fun short cozy mystery. Mel O'Rourke is ex-LAPD who has moved to a small mountain town to run a B&B. When a guest turns up dead in her great room shortly after opening, she is worried for the business and her family's future. When a second guest also dies under mysterious circumstances, ex-beat cop Mel decides to solve the murders herself and save her business.

As I said, this mystery is short. However, none of it felt rushed and the story felt complete. I sometimes feel like other mysteries go on too long with extraneous details. This book had enough to give it atmosphere and establish character traits but left me with a tidy mystery at the end.

I wish this was going to be a series with this character. I feel like she has a lot more mysteries in her. Plus she is spunky, smart and tough as nails. An excellent female protagonist. I would definitely read more stories featuring Mel.