I’ve read many cosy mysteries set in all kinds of shops but this is the first time I’ve come across one for a board game shop, so I was hoping this would be a good start to a new series. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me.

Ben Rosencrantz has left his divorce form his husband Shane and his job as a college English professor to return to his home in Salt Lake City. His father has a degenerative disease and Ben wants to help him get his ailing board game shop business back on track. As well as selling a comprehensive selection of board games, the shop has a café with an excellent barista and rents tables to groups who want to meet to play board games.

The local business owners also meet regularly in the evening at the shop to share issues and play a mass solitaire-type game called Nertz. After one such meeting, Ben is packing up with Ezra, the cute florist, when someone hammers on the door. When he opens it a man with a knife in his chest falls across the doorway and bleeds to death.

The man is Clive, an unpleasant man who is known for his shady dealings and had earlier tried to sell Ben a game he claimed was vintage and much sought after by collectors. Now Ben is worried that the police think he stabbed Clive so he and Ezra decide they need to do some amateur sleuthing to find out who really killed Clive.

I wanted to like this book more because the premise is so good. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t warm to Ben. He is such a sensitive wimp, always crying and feeling faint and always exhausted (it could be he has undiagnosed depression). Growing up gay in Utah was hard for him and he’s taking his recent divorce very hard, but how he ever stood up to teaching college students is hard to see. He also doesn’t seem to have any good ideas about how to get the shop back on its feet, which was disappointing. Ezra is a more likeable character, fortunately with a bit more spine, and helps Ben in his sleuthing. Their romance is very sweet but it’s hard to see much of a future for Ben as an amateur sleuth unless he finds a way to become more resilient..

3.25 stars

Quirky debut cozy (or quozy since the main character is gay) featuring Ben Rosencrantz, who has fled Seattle and a college teaching position to return to his small town roots and come to the aid of his ailing father and his board game store. It's nice to have some diversity in the cozy world and Ben and his insecurities have a certain hapless appeal.

Ben is charming but annoying as a main character. He is plenty smart and witty, and tries to help his father even though his elder is cranky and unappreciative much of the time. Ben is still smarting from a divorce from his husband and his total change in life circumstances when a dead body turns up on the doorstep.

Unnerving, yes, but Ben is kind of a frail flower -- he frequently bursts into tears, has trembling fits, etc. Luckily he has a new friend - with the possibility of more - in the next door florist Ezra. Together he and Ezra try to puzzle out the solution to the murder. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the MC to be bumbling to the point of exhaustion and inability to understand the progress of the story. I generally love cozy mysteries but this series is just not for me. Thank you for the opportunity and your consideration in granting me this title; this is not a decision I take lightly.

Ben Rosencrantz is not completely comfortable interacting with the rest of the world. Not an advantage in his his previous job as an English professor and a definite hindrance now he is back working in his dad's board game shop! Recently divorced from his husband in Seattle, Ben is caring for his dad and hoping his home state of Utah has softened its view on his being gay.

The store is struggling to stay afloat, so the discovery of a disgruntled customer on the doorstep is not good especially as he is very dead! Teaming up with local florist, Ezra, Ben begins to unravel what happened but Sugar House is a close knit community and with all eyes turned their way they soon find themselves in the killer’s sights.

The first in C J Connor's Board Game mystery series is, apparently, a quosy! It is also a very good read and promises great things for future visits to the Sugar House region of Salt Lake City and Of Dice and Decks in particular. Ben and Ezra are endearing main protagonists and there is a gentle humour throughout which never felt forced or out of place.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an enjoyable start to what promises to be an entertaining and original new series which I happily recommend.

This was a fun, quirky cozy mystery. I really loved the Utah setting. Having lived there myself, it really took me back to living there, and I enjoyed all the little details the author included throughout the book. I also loved the game store and how the mystery took us into the world of gaming and collecting. The romance was cute, and the relationship between father and son was really well done and my favorite part of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the free ARC.

Board to Death has a good premise but the book itself just needed a little bit of work. There was one point when I thought "this character is probably the killer" but then it was so obvious that I thought it had to be a red herring because there's no way it be so obvious - turned out I was right and they were in fact the killer. Having the police detective tell Ben they never would have solved the crime without his help just made the police department sound incompetent. I'm sure they would have connected the same dots he did - at least if they were even half-decent at their jobs. I liked Ben, but I also found him to be kind of an annoying character. At some point you would have thought he would grow a little more confident but he never really did. He's kind of an Eeyore - always moping never really trying to make improvements. Case in point - he talks about how his degree doesn't really have any real-world applications but then when he is offered a position that is pretty much perfect for him he isn't sure if he wants it or not. I know I've mostly been negative in this review, but I didn't hate the book. Like I said previously, it just needed some work.

Board to Death is a charming quozy. CJ Connor's debut mystery has the tenderness of Heartstopper and the puzzle-fun of Only Murders in the Building. Main character, Ben Rosencrantz, has left teaching to return home and help his ailing father run his game store. Ben's insecurities are well-balanced by his confident sidekick and love interest, Ezra. The mystery, which revolves around a rare collectible, is nicely plotted. There is a lot of warmth in this cozy. It is perfect for gentle souls and board game enthusiasts.

Well, I had high hopes for this book, but sadly I was very disappointed.

I was looking out for a cozy mystery involving my greatest hobby board-games. And this is actually exactly what I got... Maybe its a "its me, not you case?"

I just couldn't get into the storyline, which was quite frankly pretty boring. The plot is paper-thin and the mystery just didn't grip me. Maybe if the book was marketed as a romance with a little mystery? Maybe that should work? But then it would still need a lot more plot then it has now.

Overall I didn't enjoy myself while reading. I think the main character Ben has a lot to do with that. I know he should be this nice, adorable introvert who is trying to get his life back on the rails... but he is just so annoying. He not adorable, he is borderline whiny and I couldn't stand being in his head.

This book had everything to be a hit. A wonderful setting of a board game store, but this fell completely flat. No atmosphere what so ever. Cute gay Romance, but that also fell flat, because it was just trying to damn hard to be cute and quirky. We are talking about two adults falling in love! One of them has already been married. Stop writing them like 14 year old boys on the playground.

I couldn't be done with this book quickly enough. It reads like a board game mystery fan wrote a story on watt-pad. Not entirely bad, but with lots of work to be done before it should become a published book.

This is a fun new quozies around a board game shop in Utah. I'm looking forward to more titles in this series!

Sugar Hill neighborhood in Salt Lake City is full of independent small businesses with a tight-knit business owner's association. Ben moves back home post-divorce to help his ailing dad run his board game shop.

A murder literally on the doorstop throws suspicion on Ben. Luckily, Ezra, owner of the flower shop nearby, is there to offer his friendship, be a sleuthy sidekick, and perhaps more.

Humorous cozy mystery which queer romance

This was a pretty good mystery. I did notice some repetition in the writer's phrases, but it kept my attention to the end. Aso nice that they included instructions for the game at the end of the book.

Having finished this, I sure am glad my own 30th birthday was less eventful.

This is my favourite cosy mystery I've ever read. I haven't read many, to be fair, but sometimes I get a craving for queer cosy mysteries, and this is definitely the best one I've read so far.

I came across this book on Twitter a LONG time ago, and I've been highly anticipating it ever since, so I'm very happy I got to read it early. It exceeded all of my expectations.

I just had SO much fun reading this book, and the writing was often hilarious. I ended up laughing out loud a couple of times. What really worked for me, is that the book starts more like a contemporary romance, and the story is set up first before the murder happens and we slowly dive into researching the case. I'm more of a romance reader than a murder mystery reader, so this worked incedibly well for me.

This book's biggest selling point besides this being a queer cosy mystery was the boardgame shop, because I love playing boardgames. And this book is truly infused with boardgames, the entire plot is built around them.

I have been waiting for this theme forever, and I couldn't wait to read Board to Death when I read the summary!

The story has a cozy feel, but the author adds a layer of complexity and romance that takes it up a notch.

I loved all of the board game references and that the love interest was the typical cliche.

I can't wait to read the next book, because I really, really, really hope there'll be more!

A good start to a new cozy mystery series. As I love board games it was a good fit. Looking forward to the second book.

I received this advance reader copy via Netgalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. Lovely first book in a new cozy series. Professor Ben is post-divorce and returning to Salt Lake City to take care of his dad, their failing game shop and try to figure out the rest of his own life. When a man is murdered right outside the shop and Ben is implicated by the backpack full of cash that appears on his doorstep, Ben overcomes his personal trepidation and delves into the mystery, with the help of the cute florist, Ezra, next door. Great storyline, excellent LGBTQ+ representation, cute dog – all well-done and I really look forward to the next in this new series.

One of a kind book! Love board games so I knew I would love this. Highly recommend!5 stars for sure.

Board to Death oozes coziness from its cottage game store to the very sweet romance brewing between Ben and Ezra. Professor Ben Rosencrantz (what a name!) has left academia to move home and help keep his dad's shop afloat. He almost immediately encounters the dark underworld of the collectible games black market (who knew?). When a man is murdered in the shop's doorway, Ben works with neighboring flowershop owner Ezra to unravel the mystery and clear Ben's name. Tracking down leads side-by-side gives the pair time to overcome some of their shyness and start to recognize the sparks they are feeling go both ways. With a very cute chihuahua named Beans, an ailing dad with a sassy attitude, and a unique and memorable setting, this is a lovely read (despite all the murdering). CJ Connor has a warm voice edged with humor and all the nerdiness. I look forward to more from this series!

This was a fast-paced, well-written, with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author had intended, quickly becoming a page-turner. When Ben is falsely accused of murder, he and his newly acquired friends start searching for the person responsible and find themselves in a whole lot of situations that some were amusing at best. The author did a fine job in telling this visually descriptive narrative with engaging dialogue, a cast of eclectic characters, and a small-town atmosphere that added to my delight in reading this book. When I thought I knew what was going on, the author changed direction, all to enhance my reading pleasure. I love the idea of a game board shop as the setting. This was a delightfully entertaining book and I look forward to more adventures with Ben, Ezra and their friends.

Ben Rosencrantz's life completely changed direction when he divorced his husband, quit his job as an English professor, and moved back to his hometown of Salt Lake City to care for his ailing dad and run the family board game shop. But the biggest change of all comes when a mysterious game collector shows up dead on the store's doorstep. With the help of the cute florist next door, Ben decides to put his Clue skills to use and try to solve the mystery before it kills his business.

I absolutely adore this queer cozy (AKA quozy) mystery! Ben is a quirky and endearing protagonist, and the whole community around the board game shop is incredibly charming. The book is full of fun board game references and nerdy jokes that made me laugh out loud. The central mystery is also compelling and unpredictable. This is going to be a killer series!

Board games, mystery and murder - oh my!

This was such a fun new cozy mystery debut novel by CJ Connor! It follows Ben who has moved home to Utah fresh off the heels of a divorce to care for his ailing father & adorable chihuahua (named Beans 😻) while helping to run his family’s game shop. While he is settling back into his hometown, sparking a budding romance with the local flower shop owner, running weekly game nights and figuring out the finances of the business - the unthinkable happens! A man is murdered right at the shop’s front door!! The same man who was turned away after trying to sell Ben a sketchy once in a lifetime rare board game at a fraction of the value! As if that wasn’t stressful enough - a backpack full of cash lands on his doorstep placing Ben at the top of the suspect list!
I absolutely loved Board to Death! Full of so much amateur sleuthing, a budding love interest, hilarious Utah references, family, board games, friendship, social commentary, queer representation, adorable animals, mystery, twists and turns - I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here!

*Also, this book has reignited my love for board games and I may or may not have ordered a couple after reading 😹

Pick up Board to Death when it hits shelves 8.22.2023!

Thank you so much to Kensington Books for the advanced copy!