Dollycas's Thoughts 

English professor Ben Rosencrantz has come home to help his father with the family’s board game shop and café, Of Dice and Decks. He is still getting over a recent divorce and is now dealing with a father with medical issues and his Chihuahua named Beans. At least the area is more LGBTQ+ friendly now than before he left for college. In fact, the flower shop next door is owned by another gay man.

Ben has a big task if he is going to keep the store open and make enough to cover his father's medical bills. He is open to almost any idea but when a local game collector offers him a rare game at an unbelievable price he knows it is too good to be true and turns the collector down flat.

When the collector is killed right at the front door of the game shop Ben knows he is a suspect but when a backpack filled with money is found at his house it lands him at the top of the list even though he reports the money to the police immediately. Ben looks to his new friend, flower shop owner Ezra to help him prove his innocence because if he ends up in jail it going to take more than a Get Out of Jail Free card to set him free.

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I love the board game theme of this new cozy series by CJ Connor. We try to have family game nights as often as we can get the family together, where they put down their phones to play dominos and board games old and new.

That being said, I am ambivalent about how I feel about our protagonist Ben. He is very put upon, shy, and introverted, not at all what I would expect from a former college professor. Plus he grew up in the family business but is scared of customers and wants to completely avoid them if he can, all while saying he is trying to save the business. He did have trouble finding acceptance as a teenager and is dealing with a move and divorce but he comes across as whiney in stressful situations and standoffish in everyday life.

Now flower shop owner Ezra I liked immediately. He likes Ben and wants to do everything he can to help him. He definitely took the lead on their amateur investigation. I did enjoy their interactions. Some flirting and discussing the case. Ezra has the attitude I would expect of the lead character. I am wondering if taking their relationship to the next level would boost Ben's confidence making him feel more comfortable in his surroundings and become more of the lead character I expected.

The mystery was interesting in that it revolved around a valuable collectible that was a precursor to the Monopoly game we know today. I enjoyed learning the true history and all the other references to games of my childhood.

The author plotted out the mystery well with quite a few suspects and included a lot of humorous situations as Ben and Ezra tried to find out whodunit. The guilty party was at the top of my personal suspect list very early but I had a good time following the clues and the twists.

I worked for several years for a Morman-owned company so it was easy to understand what Ben had dealt with growing up as a gay man near the ultra-conservative city.  I did enjoy the Salt Lake City references as they brought back memories of the times I traveled there for work. I liked that Mr. Connor was inspired by some famous Utah scammers and schemers to create the victim's character too.

Board to Death is a good start for this series. I am interested to see what Mr. Connor has planned for his characters next.

The first in an ulta-charming new “quozy” mystery series starring Ben Rosencrantz, a queer 30-something English professor (and closet scifi fan) who’s returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City to run his family’s board game shop in the trendy Sugar House neighborhood – a community hotspot for players of all ages…and for killer collectors!

I struggled through this read - unfortunately, I found it really boring and struggled to finish, and was not a fan of Ben. I figured out the murderer early in the journey and basically kept reading to confirm it. I think the idea is fantastic, but the story and characters just didn't do it for me.

I play board games – a lot, which is what drew to Board to Death. It’s set in a game store/ cafe which I thought could be super fun. That’s also the portion I was most disappointed in. The plot revolves in part around a collectible classic board game, which worked. However, the only “modern” board games that were mentioned were Gloomhaven, Pandemic, and maybe Catan – I’m not sure. I don’t know if the author doesn’t actually play board games or assumes the reader doesn’t. The characters played battleship and had a Connect 4 box fall on them and sold Rummikub. No wonder the shop is having trouble. I did enjoy learning about Nertz, a card game the local business association played. The rules were explained in the back of the book and I may have to make people try it, assuming we have enough different decks for everyone, which I think we might.

I did like Ben, though. He’s a good guy, trying to do his best. I also liked the slowly developing romance with the florist next door, Ezra, Ben’s sidekick in solving the mystery.

The mystery was a little predictable but the plot clicked along at a good pace. This is definitely more character based though. Ben is still finding his way in his new life and that is a lot of the focus. Ben is never seriously a suspect in the cops’ eyes, but he doesn’t realize that. He and Ezra do a lot of talking to different people, which also helps us learn about their corner of town.

Overall, Board to Death was enjoyable but annoying too. Maybe my board game expectations were just too high.

Disclosure: the author and I both write for Book Riot.

More queer cozy mysteries! This one is very leisurely paced, even for a cozy, but it has a very lived-in feel and characters you feel like you can get to know. I really enjoyed it.

3 1/2 stars. A new cozy mystery series with very relatable characters and the nostalgia of board games. After his divorce, Ben has returned to his home town to help his ailing father with his cafe and board game shop. Ben is suffering from low self-esteem after his marriage has fallen apart and not knowing exactly where his life is going. I know that I can relate as many others can as well. Bean, his dog, is adorable in this and the affection between his father and Ben is real without being saccharine.

There is humor and also a nice slow burn of a romance that starts between Ben and a local business owner. The mystery starts a little bit after a 1/4 of a way through the book. Since this is the beginning of a new series it allows for the characters to develop and the scene to be set. I found the mystery satisfying but it was the characters that really sold it for me. Sign me up for the next round in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Board to Death by CJ Connor

Thank you to @netgalley, @kensingtonbooks, and the author, @cjconnorwrites for the opportunity to read this #eARC in exchange for my #honestbookreview! This book is available today - happy pub day!
 
A lot has changed for Ben Rosencrantz, PhD, since he was a happily married English Professor in Seattle, Washington. Ben has recently returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah to take care of his father who is failing health and help him run his board game shop in the upscale Sugar House neighborhood. Despite a smattering of loyal gaming customers, the shop is not bringing in sufficient revenue to stay afloat, much less support his father’s growing medical bills. Enter Clive, a wealthy and successful board game collector who shows up in the shop to offer Ben a solution to his financial concerns – an incredibly rare copy of “The Landlord’s Game,” the game believed to have been the inspiration for board game cult classic Monopoly. Suspicious of Clive’s motives and demeanor, Ben declines his offer. But when Clive turns up dead outside his shop and a knapsack of cash appears on his doorstep, Ben becomes the number one suspect in Clive’s demise. Will Ben and his friends from Sugar House be able to prove his innocence?

This one started out a little bit on the slower side. I’m glad that I stuck with it, though, because once it picked up it got wild! I am a big fan of board games and I really liked the unique idea of this being set in a board game shop. This has the perfect mix of personal development, investigation, thrill, and romance. I highly recommend!

TW: relationship shaming, murder, cheating, stealing divorce, death of a relative, caretaker, health struggles in a loved one

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

I’ve been looking forward to this book, and I was not disappointed! The was a fast and fun read! In some ways, I think this book is still getting its legs as a series start, but the characters, dialogue, and pacing were very well done! I loved Ben’s narration and character progression as he learns to rebuild himself after his divorce and trust his intuition again through the investigation. I also enjoyed learning more about these games and thought the game store was a great representation of the crossroads where queerness and nerdiness meet.
I’m looking forward to seeing new mysteries and games emerge in future books! I hope we also see more on how Ben’s relationships (with his friends, his dad, Ezra…and maybe even his ex) evolve as the series continues!

A cute cozy murder mystery that is perfect for a rainy day!

I’m always looking for new cozy mystery series and this one hit the spot. What can be better then a low stakes murder when you’re trying to ignore the fact that it’s the surface of the sun outside!?

Read this if you’re a fan of:
-queer characters
-lovable chihuahuas and cats
-the murder of a man that everyone hated
-board game references
-sarcastic banter

the mystery itself is a little predictable but it’s still a super fun and cozy book! I can’t wait for book 2!

Pub date: 8/22

This is a great start to a new series . Former English Professor Ben returns home to Sugar House ( Love the name ) Salt Lake City UT .
Ben comes home to help his sick father and run the family game board shop /cafe . I will admit Inhad a hard time getting through this book it was a little boring at times . I like that there was a gay romance, the representation of all people in mysteries is definitely needed.

Hopefully the series gets better and stronger over time .

I just reviewed Board to Death by CJ Connor. #BoardtoDeath #NetGalley

This was a great debut cozy mystery that I really enjoyed! I really appreciated the diversity in this book (queer, male main characters) and all the references of what it is like to be a non-Mormon in SLC. (Having grown up in southern Idaho, which is just an extension of Utah, these had me laughing many times).

Outside of falling in love with the characters and the setting, I enjoyed the nerdy game setting and the murder investigation. I did not see the perpetrator coming, but understood his motive. I look forward to more from this series!

Thank you so much to @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for the eARC of Board to Death, book 1 in C.J. Connor’s Board Game Shop new mystery series. I adored this!

Ben Rosencrantz is back home in Sugar House, Utah after some big life changes. He had been married, living in Seattle, and working as an English professor. Now he’s divorced from his husband and running his family’s board game shop and cafe, in addition to helping his dad deal with a new medical diagnosis. The shop is struggling and Ben is worried about bills and what the future holds. Thankfully he has his adorable chihuahua, Beans and a new budding friendship (and possibly more!) with flower shop owner Ezra McCaslin.

As if all this wasn’t enough stress for Ben, a local toy and game collector with a less than stellar reputation turns up dead outside Ben’s shop. Is Ben being framed for the murder? The stress is almost too much, but Ben must clear his name, and he gathers his courage (along with Ezra) and begins an investigation, much to the dismay of local police (it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without this, right?)

Oh I loved this so much. Ben is such a huggable character, so real with his anxiety and his love for his dad and the family store. I love that Ben is returning to a home town that’s a bit more LGBTQ+ friendly than when he was a teenager and the way Ben processes this is so important. And the budding relationship between Ben and Ezra warms my heart. The side characters are great as well and I love that many of them have known Ben his whole life–this gives readers a deeper look at Ben as a character. The mystery was fun (I did guess it, but that never bothers me) and I hope to visit with Ben and Ezra and the whole gang soon. What a great debut!

Board to Death by CJ Conner #fiftyseventhbookof2023 #arc

CW: death, murder, discussion of homophobia and depression

I enjoyed the idea of this book—a mystery set in a board game cafe, what’s not to like? But it didn’t come together for me. There were inconsistencies with timelines and other date references. The main character Ben decides he’s a suspect in a murder, but he really isn’t. The police question him as a witness. That doesn’t mean he’s a suspect. He has an alibi. Nevertheless, he attempts to solve the crime himself, with the help of Ezra, a neighboring business owner who seems to be interested in him.

This was billed as a cozy mystery, and frankly there’s not much mystery. Ben is very bumbling, everything is super convenient, and it’s just not believable. At one point near the end he says he caught a murderer, and I laughed out loud, because that is the furthest thing from the truth. Spoiler: he walked into his game shop and the murderer happened to be there and confessed. I like my mysteries way more hard core than this.

There are really good things about this book too though—the LGBTQ representation is fantastic, and the burgeoning romance between Ben and Ezra is very cute. A little earnest for me, and frankly they behaved a little like teenagers with crushes, but it’s a good start. There is discussion of anxiety and depression and the homophobia Ben experienced growing up in Salt Lake City, and I appreciate that it’s not glossed over. The board game shop aspect is so great—I wish more scenes had taken place there and we got a better sense of the shop. But there is a chihuahua named Beans which is fantastic.

This is book one in a new series. I will not be following along but I think people who are interested in gay rep who like a very light mystery will be into these books.

Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks Kensington Cozies for the advance copy. (Pub date 8/22/23)

#boardtodeath #beans #cozymystery #quozy #ofdiceanddecks #nertz #boardgameshopmystery

This was a bit too niche for me. I tried so hard to get into it, but just couldn't do it! If you like small town, LGBTQ stories, this is probably a good one for you!

This is a very fun book: it hits all the beats you want in a cozy but offers up a new setting (I for one have never read a cozy set in a board game shop) and a queer protagonist. I loved getting to know Ben, the main character and related to the arc about caretaking for his dad. That's a painful process that I know all too well. His flirtation with flower shop owner Ezra gave me ALL the warm fuzzies.

I read this in a weekend and can't wait for the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC!

Board to Death is the first book in a new cozy mystery series with a fun setting: a board game shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s also set in a currently “cool” neighborhood in SLC called Sugar House. The main character, Ben, is the son of the owner of the board game shop, Of Dice and Decks. He has returned to SLC after a divorce because his dad has a degenerative disease. Ben is gay and not a Mormon, so growing up in SLC was a bit of a challenge for him. Before moving home, he worked as an adjunct English professor at a university in Washington State. Ezra is the owner of the florist shop right next door and, as luck would have it, is also gay and single.

Clive comes into the game shop to try to sell what he says is a rare board game, The Landlord’s Game, which is what Monopoly was based on. Ben doesn’t buy it, being suspicious - and also because they don’t really sell collectibles at the shop and the shop isn’t doing particularly well, so he didn’t have the money anyway. When Clive turns up at the shop again, with a knife sticking out of him, Ben worries that he will be a suspect. And so the story is off and running, with Ben trying to figure out who killed Clive. Ezra becomes his sidekick/partner in the investigation.

I really enjoyed the characters and the atmosphere described by the author and the mystery kept me guessing most of the way through the book. I felt the pace was a bit slow, which decreased my enjoyment, but this is a very good start to a new cozy mystery series and I’ll be interested to see where the author takes this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

English professor Ben is helping his father out by helping to run a family-owned board game/coffee shop in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City.

Ben has to deal with a glitzier gaming competitor, his aging father's health issues, his own love life as an gay man in a conservative Mormon-majority state and... a murder (of course).

As a person familiar with Salt Lake City, I loved the fact that C.J. Connor drew on the state's history of famous forgers and scammers (from Mark Hoffman to MLM schemes to Ponzi schemes) to create a character who is trying to peddle an "authentic" board game to Ben that was the early inspiration of Monopoly. (I just googled to see if this was something created by Connor or a real thing, and yes it is real. I love board games and loved this part of the story.)

A fun new series that all cozy readers should try!

“That’s not why I’m threatening you with a knife. I’m very much an ally.”
“That’s good, because a homophobic murderer is the last thing we need right now.”

Board to Death by C.J. Connor is a delightfully cozy murder mystery. The voice and witty quips in this novel, like the one above, had me smirking from cover to cover. The coziness, to me, is akin to Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (just without the orcs and magic and whatnot).

On a side note, I did guess who the murderer was a little early on, which never happens to me. But overall, it was such a fun read with lovable characters and a unique setting.

P.S. if this becomes a movie, please cast Noah Reid (aka Patrick from Schitt’s Creek) as Ezra… PLEASE 💜

I really enjoyed the characters in this one! They were adorable and dorky in a way that was endearing. It was also so sweet to see them together, and slowly, but surely, fall for one another.

I also was genuinely surprised by the murderer in this one! I had no clue who it was, and for a cozy mystery, that's an amazing feat. This was an enjoyable reading experience and I highly recommend this one!

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC.

The mystery genre isn’t my usual genre of books, but I couldn’t ignore the brilliant title and cover. Even though they say never judge a book by it’s cover, this cover defiantly caught my attention and did not disappoint.

The story balanced murder mystery and LGBTQIA+ romance in a refreshing way. Instead of the LGBTQIA+ representation being shown through the victim, it is celebrated through the protagonist, and surrounding characters. (Please note I’m not saying we don’t need real life reflections of crimes against LGBTQIA+ people in novels, it is just nice to see a happy alive gay main character.)

The characters had their quirks and sometimes annoying personality traits, but that’s what makes them feel real, as no one is perfect.

Looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

An intriguing departure from the usual cozy blueprint - a male protagonist and a big city versus a female in a small town. As per usual, however, Ben has returned to his hometown of Salt Lake City to lick his wounds from a failed marriage and a floundering career and to help his ailing father run the family game store, Dice and Decks.

Ben is not terribly likeable as he has a prolonged woe-is-me attitude and a standoffish personality. The possibility of a board game store was a good idea but didn't go niche-deep enough to hold my interest.

My thanks to Kensington Cozies and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.