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

I love seeing you more career cozy mysteries they're definitely isn't enough. Great plot and setting.

This book gave off all the quozy vibes. Ben was a relatable character and I enjoyed the relationships he had with all the other characters, especially Ezra (adorable). However, I did feel the mystery aspect was lacking a bit and I did find myself struggling to finish the story. I am new to cozy mysteries so I think I’m just more used to fast paced thrillers. Despite this though, I still liked the overall vibe and I’m looking forward to more books from this author.

I received an e-ARC of this through Netgalley. It is coming out in August.

Cozy, charming, funny murder mystery/gay romance. Main character Ben is slightly anxious, struggling to get his shit together in a relatable and endearing way (recent divorce, career change, dad is sick, and the family business is struggling) when he finds a very recently dead body, and things get even more chaotic. Love interest Ezra is a sweet Cinnamon Roll whose pursuit of Ben is such a gentle, thoughtful, slow burn, you will melt.

The narration has such a delightful voiceyness, I sincerely hope this is getting an audiobook, and I would revisit it to hear these scenes read by a professional. Honestly, reading the climactic scene, I found myself hoping it would be picked up for a movie.

Heat level is low: some kissing, hugging, hand-holding.

TL;DR: it's funny, it's cute, it's geeky, it's sweet, and the mystery plot is good. Read it!

Release Date: August 22, 2023

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Back in his hometown of Sugar House running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. When he moves back to his hometown to care for his dad, he meets the flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, and enjoys flirting with him.
A local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy to make his game shop a success. Clive has a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, for sale at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.

Then Clive turns up dead at the front door of Ben’s and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder—and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free . . .

This is the first in the #boardgameshop mystery series. I really liked the characters, the developing flirtation between Ezra and Ben. Bean the chihuahua was a great pet character! I am excited to read the next book in the series and see how Ben and Ezra’s relationship develops.

#boardtodeath #aboardgameshopmystery #cjconnor
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This was the first book I've read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well written and the characters were well thought out.

I really liked the premise of this book- Queer Cozy! Yay! Execution fell short. Overexplaining, taking far too long to get to the meat of the story, and just boring. I skipped about ten chapters and honestly felt mostly satisfied with the story.
Willing to try another book by this author but need the pacing to improve drastically.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

I am a sporadic mystery reader. I find them to be fun and engaging and loved the premise of a Board Game Store murder mystery. Every the lover of an independent game store, the idea worked for me.

My likes: I enjoyed the father/son relationship and how it shifted during the story. I enjoyed the budding, though ill-timed, romantic relationship as well. These dynamics were my favorite parts of the book.

Beyond that, I really wish there was more atmosphere, namely the game store. I want to know what it looks and smells like. I want to know more about the clientele. I don't think the store itself was built up enough.

I wasn't sold on the killer either. It seemed a weaker thread.

Overall, this was fun and I would read another book in the series. And, now to master Nertz.

Board to Death is an engaging, cozy mystery with a unique setting that feels tangible to the reader. You're rooting for the romance, for the board game shop, for the health of Ben's father. Read for something cozy, heartfelt, and fun.

The mystery was fun and exciting. Lots of suspense and plenty of suspects. Loved the board game shop which is a new place for me. Usually I stay away from LGBTQ reads but I'm glad I tried this one. It turned out to be a fun read! Thanks#Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Loved this cute cozy mystery! I’m so happy that I was introduced to CJ Connor. The story was great, flowed very well and the characters are very likeable. I’m looking forward to reading more of Connor’s work and hopefully continues with this cute series! Thank you CJ Connor, NetGalley and Kensington for this great ARC!

This book was quite a bit outside of my usual cozy zone. An LGBTQ+ cozy set in Utah in the board game industry, but even so, it added up to a fun mystery that I really enjoyed.

Loved the characters, including Ben, a former English professor in Seattle who is now running his family's board game shop and coffee cafe in Salt Lake City.. Ezra, the flower shop owner. Ben's father. Plus a bunch of quirky board game fans.

A decent murder plot. Enjoyable characters. Fun. Not to mention learning about various board games I'd never heard of before. After this, I want to read more, hopefully, in this series and would recommend it to fellow cozy fans.

This was a fun read! It was a bit outside of my comfort genre, but I love board games so was drawn in by the title and cover. It was a good mystery and I found myself along for the ride. I think this would be good for any mystery fans who want a quick easy read!

I had very high hopes for this book. A queer main character set in a cozy mystery at a board game shop?! Yes please! It had all the right elements but it did not come together. I thought the booked lacked the mystery element, the pacing was too slow and the book lacked any twists or turns. I understand it’s a cozy mystery but the book was too light on the mystery elements. The characters felt underdeveloped and I thought the plot could have used more work. I did like that the main character was gay, the cozy mystery genre is overrun with white female main characters that fall in love with the grumpy cop so it was refreshing to have a different point of view, I just needed the storyline to be more exciting.

The game is most certainly afoot in this delightfully queer cozy (quozy?) mystery. Amateur Sleuth Ben Rosencrantz is an adorably relatable introvert who will stop at nothing to save the family game shop. Board to Death had me dusting off my board game collection and reinstituting family game night. I can't wait to read more from C.J. Connor!

I enjoyed the book a lot. I like the fact that the theme was unique with board games and I enjoyed that the lead is a male, I felt like that is rare in these types of books as well as the romance in the book is rare, I really enjoyed how different it is and can't wait for the next one.

This was so fun! A queer cozy mystery set around a board game shop--what an excellent combination. I enjoyed this and hope for more in the series!

This was cute. It wasn't mind-blowing and it didn't have a lot of twists and turns, but it was still fun. I'm not well-versed in the cozy mystery genre, so I'm not super familiar with the tropes and typical flow a book might have. I did have a feeling of "I want to be done with this book already" while reading at some points, but it wasn't bad. Just not my thing.

A fun and cozy mystery with a charming queer protagonist and a quirky board game theme. I enjoyed the plot twists and the romance. 🎲

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great cozy muder mystery! I thought this one was great and it will help bring cozy mysteries to a whole new audience! I highly enjoyed Ben and his antics! A book that I read in one sitting.

This is a really delightful cozy. Ben is a great protagonist--introverted (yay!) and likeable. Love his developing relationship with Ezra. The mystery was solid. Looking forward to the next installment!