My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy this author’s humor, storytelling, and ability to make the location of the book almost like another character. Very charming.

This is a collection of three stories with different vibes all centered around St. Patrick's Day. The blurb does an excellent job introducing the stories, all by authors I'm familiar with. O'Conner's story was probably the darker toned of the three. That's odd because the characters are coming together to celebrate an upcoming wedding. Bride-to-be Tara isn't enthusiastic about the idea of a hen party, but agrees to go along with the idea. Good thing as everything has already been set up, including the tour boat to take them to a more isolated area. There's a storm coming, too. See where this one's going? Needless to say, things go wrong. A man, a twin Irish dancer, dies after drinking a special holiday milkshake. The guest are already rather, uh, tipsy. The boat captain goes missing, and they spend a great deal of time trudging through mud while getting drenched and blown about. I didn't have a clue who did it, to be honest, and found myself rather lost in the festivities, I guess, as this entry didn't quite grab my interest. That said, I did grin at the reference to television's "Dancing With the Stars".

The second story felt like I was back on solid, familiar turf, however. Peggy Ehrhart's knitting mysteries were one of my introductions to cozy mysteries, so I'm always glad to spend time hanging out with Pamela and her far more flashy reporter friend Bettina. In this case, they've stopped for something to eat when they experience, one, a sheep parade down the street past the restaurant, and, two, seeing a man at a nearby table die after drinking a green milkshake. Bettina takes the lead in their follow-up investigation but we get the cozy size of the mystery, too, as they knit, chat, and visit friends. And, regular readers, you'll be happy to see Pamela's romance is moving along nicely and it's always fun to imagine the fiber related articles she's okaying and editing. In any case, their lives are endangered, that's the nature of cozy mystery amateur sleuths, but, hey, there's a knitting pattern and recipes included with this one. This is the more leisurely of the trio of stories, so relax, have a snack (or shake) handy, and enjoy as they try to sort out who the murderer is and make all the seemingly unconnected clues some together.

Quite frankly, as a fan of Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series, I honestly think I asked to review this book solely because I wanted to read Ireland's "Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun". It's a fun, whimsical story that somehow manages to make talking reindeer, competitive elves, iceball season, building ice houses for living snowmen, ballooning, Santa Claus, and more seem to make perfect sense. It's spring, so the elves have more downtime and that seems to bring out the competitive, nasty side in some. An iceball (the elf version of hockey?) superstar is sidelined by an injury and winds up being conked in the head by an iceball. April Claus, Santa's wife, is determined that justice be done, all while dealing with an overly officious flying reindeer who also suffers panic attacks, playing in the Santaland band, and trying to find a way to help a quite unlikable elf be successful. Somehow I never quite envisioned Santa's homeland being so complicated but it's a heap of fun to drop in every time to see what's going on there.

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for allowing me to spend some time getting my Irish on in three very different locations. I mean, I never quite expected to be virtually eating green ice cream in Santaland. Grin.

This is a fun collection of three short stories all set around St. Patrick’s Day and all involving a potentially poisoned milkshake. The collection as a whole is exceptionally entertaining. In general, I don’t enjoy short mysteries, but I did enjoy all three of these. Each story had an intriguing mystery, a cosy vibe, and some laugh-out-loud moments.

Irish Milkshake Murder by Carlene O’Connor is set in Galway, Ireland where Tara Meehan is being dragged off to the Aran Islands for her hen night, a hen night that she has protested from the moment her friend suggested it. When a murder takes place on the ferry, Tara feels even more certain that she is not a fan of hen nights.

Never having met Tara before, I found her very likable. She is kind and seems to be the most mature member of her friend group. Given the length of the story, I found the mystery to be solid and the wrap-up answered most of my questions.

Murder Most Irish by Peggy Ehrhart is set in New Jersey where Pamela Patterson, associate editor of Fiber Craft magazine, and her friend, Bettina, a journalist, try to solve the murder of a man in a local luncheonette.

How have I not heard of this series before?

I love a good cosy culinary mystery, and even at its abbreviated length, this is a good cosy culinary mystery! Pamela and Bettina are excellent crime solvers whose personalities both complement and balance one another. The mystery had just enough clues, red herrings, motives, and suspects for the length of the story. Food is important in a culinary mystery and food wasn’t lacking here.

At the end of the story there were recipes for Irish Coffee Mallow and Shamrock Cookies, plus directions on how to make a knitted potholder!

Again I ask, how have I not heard of this series before?!

Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun by Liz Ireland takes place at the North Pole where Mrs. Claus tries to figure out who would want to hurt one of the elves on the Tinkertown Ice Ball team, and who stole the Golden Bootie.

The North Pole Series is a series I know and love. Mrs. Claus, Santa, elves, talking reindeer, sentient snowmen, eggnog and other sweets, cosy cottages - to me, this is the ultimate cosy world, and the perfect setting for a pinch of murder and mayhem. It’s like comfort food in book form.

For those not familiar with the series, this story can stand alone.

Although short, the story does manage to sneak in the elements I look for in a mystery and the humor I expect from the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Irish Milkshake murder is an anthology of short stories by three well-known cozy mystery writers. They all take place around St. Patrick's Day, and have that particular theme; although they are very different in content. I enjoyed each of them.
In the first by Carlene O'Connor, Tara Meehan is looking forward to her St. Patrick's Day wedding to Danny O'Donnell, an Irish charmer. But she's not thrilled that her best friend Breanna has planned a 'hen party' for her, as she's not much for that kind of festivities. But she goes along with it, even when she discovers that Breanna has invited one of her "frenemies" from the states, Rachel, to join in. When they are boarding the boat to take them to Inishmore, one of the three Aran Islands, a pair of twin Irish dancers beg to be let aboard since they missed their own boat.
What follows is nearly chaos. Breanna is serving up boozy milkshakes to everyone (doesn't sound appetizing to me, but then again, I don't drink), and during the ride it begins to rain and the boat sways, and...someone is killed. Murdered, in fact.
When they arrive on the island, now closed up because of the storm, Tara vows to solve the murder. The police don't seem to believe them at first, but then things get really strange. Tara and the remaining members of her group must stick together to solve the crime. The ending was indeed surprising, and Ms.
O'Coonor brings us another tasty mystery. Five Stars.
Peggy Ehrhart's mystery is different in that it begins at a well-loved local diner, and of course, someone dies. But why?
Pamela Paterson and her partner-in-crime, Bettina Fraser work together to come up with a plausible reason for the murder, and, of course, a suitable suspect. But no one that they speak to seems to have a motive to have wanted the person dead. The more they look, the less likely their main suspects seem to be.

The last story is by Liz Ireland, who writes about life in Santaland. Her protagonist is April Claus, Santa Claus's wife, who is a young bride who's made friends with many of the elves. She and her friend Juniper attend a local iceball game, a noted elf event. But after the game, there is an elf found unconscious on the ice, and April doesn't think it was an accident. She and her friends need to find out who attacked the famous iceball player and why, and they need to do so before St. Patrick's Day hits and the elf's fair is fully in swing.
enjoyed all three stories, they were entertaining and fun to read. These short stories are always a pleasure to recommend to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

I saved this ARC to read while I was headed to Ireland and was delighted to do so. Here you have three cozy mysteries set in Ireland, the first tow being far more engaging than the last which is set during the holiday time. Having read murder in an Irish Bakery by Carlene O'Connor, I expected her story to be well done full of intrigue as clues slowly unfold and was not disappointed. I loved the setting of the Aran Islands and the detailed descriptions of the country. The well developed characters and their stories helped to create an air of mystery. Of the three stories, it was my favorite. And I did love the name of the St. Patrick's Day milkshake as 'The Leprechaun". Murder mysteries solved by everyday people are fun to follow. The one set at Christmas in Santa land was my least as it was too fantasy for me and I felt it did not belong in this collection. Because of its inclusion, it drops my rating of a 4 down to a 3 out of 5. However, that being said, grab an Irish coffee (or minty milkshake) and cozy up with these Irish mysteries.
Many thanks to #netgalley #kensingtonbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Three delightful copies by three favorite authors. Entertaining reads. Each has delightful characters. Solid mysteries. Milkshakes anyone? Great quick reads for anytime! Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

#IrishMilkshakeMurder #NetGalley is a fun trio of cozy mysteries that will delight the fans of these authors.
In the first story, a "hen party" goes drastically wrong when someone is killed.
In the second story, a milkshake takes the life of a resident, and Pamela and Bettina find themselves tangled up in another murder investigation.
The third story also involves a milkshake but Mrs. Claus isn't sure that's what caused this elf's death.

I enjoyed all three stories, they were entertaining and fun to read. These short stories are always a pleasure to recommend to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

I love book collections like this. There is such a feeling of accomplishment when I am able to sit down and read a book in a day and with this collection, that is exactly what I was able to do. I wanted to read this one primarily for the Mrs. Claus section. I love Liz Ireland and couldn't wait to get more of my North Pole fill. I was pleasantly surprised with I enjoyed the other two books/authors just as much. Carlene O'Connor's book would be the perfect rainy day read. Peggy Earhart's book was a little slower than the previous book. I loved the local diner feel, but seemed to get muddled down in some of the writing. The last one by Liz Ireland was everything I expected it to be. I would have enjoyed a little more from April and Nick, but seeing as it is a part of a collection, I can understand why I didn't get more of that. Overall these were fun stories and I will definitely be looking out for more collections like these.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the first 2 stories in this book, most. The characters.feel like old friends and the stories interesting. I didn’t like the 3rd story as much, I just don’t like the world that Ms. Ireland has created. I did find the rescue to be trilling though. #IrishMilkshakeMurder. #NetGalley

I read the book Mrs. Claus and the luckless leprechaun. It was a short quick story that takes place at St. Patrick's Day. I love how the series takes place at holidays that don't have too many books about them. This was a fun little read and a must if you follow the series.

I really enjoyed this book of short stories revolving around St. Patrick's Day. The mysteries, though short in length, were very clever and kept me guessing until the end.

This roundup of three novellas, all featuring an Irish milkshake (yum), is a mixed bag for me. The first entry, Irish Milkshake Murder, by Carlene O'Connor, is definitely the strongest. The characters, the locked room (sort of) mystery, the dancing brothers, the mysterious "best friend" hen party attendee, the tremendous storm--it's all dramatic and engaging and full of pathos.

Murder Most Irish, by Peggy Ehrhart, is a good follow up, as friends Pamela and Bettina solve the case of the man who dies after collapsing into his special Irish milkshake at the town's restaurant that's practically an institution. It just feels a touch dry after the first story.

The third story, Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun, by Liz Ireland, isn't my cup of tea at all. Reading about the real Santa and his wife and their reindeer problems holds no appeal for me, so I'm not a good judge of it. I only read a page or two.

Still, I enjoyed the first two stories a lot. O'Connor, in particular, does an excellent job of making the novella feel like a complete standalone story. You can enjoy it immensely even if you haven't read anything else featuring those characters (which I haven't, but I now will).

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR

Against her better judgment, Tara Meehan and Danny O’Donnell are off to the Aran Islands with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a joint hen and stag party to celebrate their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day wedding. Tara quickly realizes her instincts were right when someone is murdered on their ferry trip – and the murder weapon was a milkshake. Tara doesn’t quite trust the local police to solve the case so she decides to solve the murder herself.

I usually enjoy Carlene O’Connor’s mysteries but I thought this one was just okay. I think the biggest reason is because I just don’t buy the relationship between Tara and Danny although I have tried. And Tara, Danny, and friends made some odd choices during the course of this story. The mystery itself was just okay – I thought it was pretty obvious who the killer was – and the final movements of the victim weren’t entirely believable.

MURDER MOST IRISH by PEGGY EHRHART

Pamela Paterson and her friend Bettina Fraser are at Hyler’s Luncheonette when someone dies in front of them after drinking a poisoned milkshake. Pamela and Bettina have solved a few mysteries in the past and get involved in solving this one – will they be able to find the killer?

Like the first mystery, I thought this one was just okay. I do like Pamela and Bettina as main characters and I would love to have Bettina’s husband in my life! I also like the descriptions of the meetings of the Knit & Nibble knitting club. But like the first mystery I thought it was pretty obvious who the killer was.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE LUCKLESS LEPRECHAUN by LIZ IRELAND

It’s Spring in Santaland so the elves have more time to do things like play iceball. Iceball isn’t for the faint of heart – it can get quite competitive – so when one of the players is attacked, April Claus (wife of Santa) decides to investigate. But what she finds out may shock her.

This was my favorite story of the three. I am still getting used to this quirky series featuring Mrs. Santa Claus as the amateur sleuth and lots fun characters like elves and talking reindeer (a certain talking reindeer adds much humor to this story). This mystery is a bit different than the first two (I won’t spoil why) and truthfully I was so wrapped up in the quirkiness of the characters and situation that I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out who the culprit was so I was a bit surprised when all was revealed.

In the end, I thought Irish Milkshake Murder was an okay collection of stories.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I loved the Liz Ireland story! This is a series that I read and it was nice to have a short story in between the books. I did read through the other two stories and am now planning on picking up the first book in both of those series! I loved the Irish theme to the stories.

In Irish Milkshake Murder, three cozy mystery authors, Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland share a theme. Someone has been poisoned by a green milkshake.

In O’Connor’s “Irish Milkshake Murder”, Tara Meehan is an unwilling participant in her own hen party. Her best friend, Breanna, insists though, and Tara, her fiance, Danny O’Donnell, and a group of four friends head on a chartered ferry to the Aran Islands. Two brothers, billed as Dancing Twins, hitch a ride, saying they’re desperate. Captain Mickey makes everyone boozy milkshakes. Before they dock, one of the twins ends up dead.

Peggy Ehrhart’s “Murder Most Irish”, two members of the Kit and Nibble Knitting Club are at the local diner. They refuse a green shake, but a man at a nearby table keels over after drinking one. Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser suspect poisoning.

Liz Ireland’s “Mrs. Claus and the Luckless Leprechaun” finds Santaland preparing for the first Saint Patrick’s Day fair in Christmastown. After the local team wins an iceball game, April Claus and her friends go out to celebrate. One elf not celebrating is Crumble Woolly, who is found on the ice with a milkshake cup, a bump on his head. And, the iceball trophy is missing.

O’Connor and Ireland’s stories are as complex as their books featuring the same characters. I thought Ehrhart’s characters spent too much time focusing on coffee and Bettina’s clothes, but that’s my complaint. Her regular readers might not mind.

If you’re ready to move onto St. Patrick’s Day, check out Irish Milkshake Murder.

Three short stories from three cozy mystery authors who live on my TBR list!!!! It feels like my birthday! Each story is short enough to read between supper dishes and going to bed. Each is as good as their longer books and will give you the same satisfied feeling when the dastardly crime is solved!

'Irish Milkshake Murder' is an anthology with three of my favorite cozy authors, each with a very different style. I was most surprised by the Carlene O'Connor offering as it was disjointed and all over the place with in my opinion completely unwise choices being made by numerous characters. I wonder if the shortened format influenced this. Peggy Ehrhart is always solid, if not a little emotionless in her main character Pamela. Finally is what I consider to be the star, Liz Ireland's visit to Santaland. There is always witty dialogue, wonderful characters and a mystery which is always engaging. For this story alone the book is entirely worth reading.

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

What a great Day after Christmas gift…a trio of short stories from three of my favorite authors. I love these and themed ones are the best!

If you’re new to these authors and/or their series, this is a great way to try them on for size and get acquainted with them. Three stories that will lead you to a bunch of books you can binge on. Can’t ask for more than that!

Kindle Copy for Review from Net Galley and Kensington Books.

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

This is a three-story Irish cozy themed collected that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. You will be grace with a touch of Irish charm by these well acclaimed authors.

There is Irish Milkshake Murder by Carlene O’Connor where pre wedding activities are taking place. But for one unlikely stag guest it will be their last milkshake. Someone is showing their green envy in this murder as you will find out.

Then there is Murder Most Irish by Peggy Emhart which featured an Leprechaun milkshake at a local dinette for the day. It will have someone deadly green during the parade. It will be one milkshake not to be forgotten.+

Rounding things off you will get Mrs. Claus and the luckless Leprechaun by Liz Ireland. You will get more ninety shakes with elves having free time. But for one elf iye ill be their last time of mischief. Murder will once again strike in Santa land.

Sit back and enjoy a milkshake or two as you read these delicious stories.

This is an anthology of short stories by three well-known cozy mystery writers. They all take place around St. Patrick's Day, and have that particular theme; although they are very different in content. For the most part, I enjoyed each of them.

In the first by Carlene O'Connor, Tara Meehan is looking forward to her St. Patrick's Day wedding to Danny O'Donnell, an Irish charmer. But she's not thrilled that her best friend Breanna has planned a 'hen party' for her, as she's not much for that kind of festivities. But she goes along with it, even when she discovers that Breanna has invited one of her "frenemies" from the states, Rachel, to join in. When they are boarding the boat to take them to Inishmore, one of the three Aran Islands, a pair of twin Irish dancers beg to be let aboard since they missed their own boat.

What follows is nearly chaos. Breanna is serving up 'boozy milkshakes to everyone (doesn't sound appetizing to me, but then again, I don't drink), and during the ride it begins to rain and the boat sways, and...someone is killed. Murdered, in fact. When they arrive on the island, now closed up because of the storm, Tara vows to solve the murder. The police don't seem to believe them at first, but then things get really strange. Tara and the remaining members of her group must stick together to solve the crime. The ending was indeed surprising, and Ms. O'Coonor brings us another tasty mystery. Five Stars.

Peggy Ehrhart's mystery is different in that it begins at a well-loved local diner, and of course, someone dies. But why? Pamela Paterson and her partner-in-crime, Bettina Fraser work together to come up with a plausible reason for the murder, and, of course, a suitable suspect. But no one that they speak to seems to have a motive to have wanted the person dead. The more they look, the less likely their main suspects seem to be. In this one, I figured out the person and the reason before Pamela and Bettina, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the mystery. It was well written and worth the read.

My only complaints are that the author spends too much time telling us that Pamela uses her wedding China (we know) and Bettina uses her sage green pottery (we know). Unfortunately for me, Pamela seems like a dull character with little personality and 'oomph' in her life. I do wish she'd change, but we can't have everything, can we? However, Wilfred's (Bettina's husband) makes some delicious meals and I'd love to eat there! Four Stars.

The last story is by Liz Ireland, who writes about life in Santaland. Her protagonist is April Claus, Santa Claus's wife, who is a young bride who's made friends with many of the elves. She and her friend Juniper attend a local iceball game, a noted elf event. But after the game, there is an elf found unconscious on the ice, and April doesn't think it was an accident. She and her friends need to find out who attacked the famous iceball player and why, and they need to do so before St. Patrick's Day hits and the elf's fair is fully in swing.

I have to confess that I am not a fan of fantasy, so this one didn't really draw me in as much as the other two. I also would have liked to have seen more interaction between April and Nick. Ah, well. The mystery is very good, though, and there's enough action to keep you interested. When the ending comes, I was a tad disappointed, but that's just me. Others will probably like this story as well. Four Stars.