When I was approved for Murder Under the Mistletoe I found a copy of the first book in the series (Murder Among the Roses) and read that first. I am glad I did for two reasons.

First, when reading Murder Under the Mistletoe, there is no recap of book #1. I was fine with that and think you could read this book as a standalone. There are things you may wonder about (how did these characters meet? What happened to Howard? How do Jake and Abby know each other? etc.), but I don't feel it affects the enjoyment of this book (although, if you can read book #1 first, that's the way to go).

Second, having read book #1 I appreciated the improvement in book #2. This is more tightly written, the story line is more linear and clearer to follow. I enjoyed reading this book more than book # 1 and now am invested in the story and characters. I look forward to reading book #3.

The second in this series finds Abby investigating the death of a known blackmailer.

I’m enjoying this series a lot! I feel like it has good progression of clues and sleuthing plus just enough of Abby’s personal life. I’m excited to see where this series goes next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Murder Under the Mistletoe by Liz Fielding, the second instalment in the Maybridge Murder Mystery series, busy mum and savvy amateur detective Abby Finch finds herself entangled in a Christmassy crime when a man is killed via electrocution, seemingly an unintended target of a plot to kill a blackmailer. Abby’s expertise in gardening becomes a crucial element of the story and, as she investigates, plenty of intriguing twists and red herrings are uncovered. Fielding blends family dynamics, a budding romance and a quaint village setting, capturing the essence of the Christmas season. Murder Under the Mistletoe is a fun-filled and well-crafted cosy mystery that combines holiday cheer with a compelling whodunnit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cosy Christmas Murder mystery. It was well-plotted and easy to read without being patronising.
Abby Finch is a Miss Marple for the modern day. She’s likeable, relatable and suitably flawed.
Yes, of course you have to suspend belief for some of it. No, events would not have the same result in real life. But that’s ok. Because readers of this type of fiction want the escapism and fantasy. We want to experience brutal murder (hopefully of a character who thoroughly deserved it, if possible) whilst still being able to enjoy a cup of tea (or beverage of choice) and a sweet treat (a shortbread biscuit for me), whilst being confident that all will work out ok in the end. Our heroes will prevail and the bad guys will get their comeuppance. And Murder Under the Mistletoe provides these elements in just the right amount.

Abby Fielding continues with her garden design business, bringing up her children and developing her relationship with Jake. She's in the midst of helping set up the Christmas festival jollies in the village hall when, bang, out go the lights, scream and Edward is dead. As it's a cosy mystery, she has to delve into what she sees as murder although the police are, at first, happy that it was a fatal accident - after all, amateurs fiddling with mix 'n match old lights and new leds, what do you expect? and, of course, she is right but not for her initial reasons. Mr Fabulous Dishy Bully is there as well, and of course all the elderly ladies are drooling over him, doing his every bidding or are they terrified? Abby ferrets out rather more than she bargained for until the denouement. Plenty of characters with their own little secrets, practically no police on the scene. A totally cosy mystery, engaging enough for a few hours even if predictable at times. Wonder who will drop down dead in front of her next? 3.5* not quite upgradeable to 4* . Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book was so good. The cover is what got my attention. Once I started it I couldn't stop. The town itself was so quaint. I could picture myself there. The characters were likeable and interesting. I thought the plot was very well planned out. I thought I knew everything by the end. Turns out I was wrong lol. The book had me from start to finish. I liked it so much, I went and read the first book in the series. This is the perfect cozy murder mystery.

This started off well and had the makings for a nice cosy mystery, but unfortunately I found this quite frustrating. If the main character stopped being nosey and left things alone, the entire plot wouldn't have happened and more people wouldn't have died. Her kids and boyfriend were at best an afterthought, if she even liked her boyfriend, and I really struggled to find her motivation for digging into everything like a she's a copper, and quite frankly was being really annoying. There were a fair few characters who didn't really have any discernible characteristics, and at best were stereotypes. There was an offhand comment that her ex, and father of her children, died due to her last investigation so you'd think she'd be more cautious, but there wasn't much context from (what I assume was) the previous book for me to care that much. Overall, this had potential, but fell flat for me. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

#MURDERUNDERTHEMISTLETOE #NetGalley is a good holiday mystery that is well written and enjoyable.
The characters are well done and it had a little bit of everything in the details, so it was easy to slip into the story and stay there until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Liz Fielding for this ARC!

I enjoyed this cozy holiday mystery. I wish I had read the first book but I didn’t know this was a series. I loved Abby’s character as Jake. Great storyline and the characters worked well together. This was a first read for me by this author and it won’t be my last.

This was a cosy festive mystery. I did find it quite comfortable and cosy, and it had a festive flavour without being over the top or cheesy. I wouldn't put it up there with the classics that I usually read at Christmas time, but it was quite enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

3.5 Stars
Murder Under the Mistletoe is the second book in the Maybridge Murder Mystery series and while I enjoyed it quite a bit, I did think the first book in the series was quite a bit stronger and much more interesting. Abby is a reliable main character and while I understand that she and her family are going through a difficult time, I felt like the author was trying to create drama between her and her new romantic interest, something that didn't need to happen. The mystery was strong enough to stand on its own and so was the family dynamic the author described in this book.

I liked Abby as a main character and enjoyed the relationships she had with those in her community. Due to the circumstances of her ex-husband's death, she has had to deal with some nasty rumours and fallout, but the community has come together to show their support to her and her family. When she discovers that others are being threatened, she realizes there is a whole layer working beneath the town of which she was unaware and soon that threat affects her personally. I enjoyed learning about the other members of the community through her interactions with them as she investigated the murders and really liked the fact she didn't put herself or anyone else in danger by doing so. She just took advantage of the opportunities when they arose. There are quite a few characters in this book and there seemed to be this assumption that the reader was familiar with the first book just by the way the characters interacted, as if you were already on intimate terms with them.

The mystery itself was quite good, but then I like a story about blackmail as I always wonder how far someone will go to protect their secrets, and that is exactly what this book was about. Yes, I was able to figure out the mystery quite early, but enjoyed it for its own sake. I liked how the author intertwined Abby's family issues within the mystery as her kids were dealing with their first Christmas without their dad. I was not a fan of Abby's relationship as I felt like that was unnecessary drama, stirred up for the sake of just adding more drama and the whole thing felt forced. Not my favourite part of the book.

Murder Under the Mistletoe is a good story about blackmail and how far you can push someone before they finally give in under the pressure. It's interesting as I was just watching a new Poirot film about this very same thing, and the result always seems to be the same, desperation. The overall flow of the book was somewhat off, but the mix of dialogue and description was good, and I definitely enjoyed all the Christmas scenes. I do feel that readers would benefit from reading the first book before reading this one however, so go, take a look, and enjoy Murder Under the Roses.

I enjoyed this one it was just okay for me though, it just did not deliver what I thought it was but it was still a fun read.

Enjoyed this novel but wish I had previously read the first book in this series as I found the harking back rather confusing. I liked the way Abby juggled her family responsibilities and kept Jake at arm's length for fear of upsetting them

I did enjoy this one, it was fun read. The mystery was interesting, even if quite predictable. I got my copy of NetGalley and it did not state it's a 2nd book in a series, so I decided to get the 1st one to read 1st. And honestly i liked the 1st one more. The little bit of romance in it was fun so i was looking forward to it in this part, but to be honest I was bit disappointed. The guy was barely in the book, and when he was mentioned the main character was doing everything to just push him away, and what didn't bother me in the 1st book as much became quite annoying in the 2nd.

Having previously read some of Liz Fielding's romances, I was curious to see how she would take to writing cozy mysteries.

I needn't have worried, this was a very enjoyable story, that had me scratching my head as to who the killer was, while definitely being convinced that there was one person who was truly despicable.

There are plenty of red herrings, and some twists to keep you on your toes.

I hadn't realised before I had downloaded this that it is in fact the second book in a series. I do think it can be read as a standalone, but there were definitely mentions of what happened in the first book, which it would have been nice to know the details of, but equally didn't for me detract from the clearly new crime and case that was occurring in this story.

I enjoyed getting to know Abby Finch and her family, and seeing how she is moving on with her life. I like how she is part of the community, and her amateur detecting with her best friend was fun to read. I am though rather intrigued as to some of the details of why Gregory thought he could blackmail Abby - but unsure whether it refers to things that were made clear in the first book... or a hint of some other reveal in a future book!

A really delightful story, that I could barely put down for the second half of it. I'll definitely keep a closer eye out for more books in this series.

Thank you to Joffe Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I found this book difficult to get into. I think this is probably because it's the third book in the series, so although you can read these on their own, it felt like I was walking into a party and didn't know anyone so it was difficult to understand who everyone was... the beginning felt like there were just so many names and relationships and histories being banded about it was hard to keep track.

I did like the main character of Abby and found that once I was well into the book I able to enjoy it more and was getting immersed in the plot. I really disliked Gregory - which I know was the aim of the author, so well done for that one!

A good story, but you do need to read the first two or just keep going through the first few chapters!

I like it when a dastardly character gets their comeuppance. Not that I condone violence! But Gregory Tatton is just an awful human being. He's a silver fox with two dead ex-wives from "accidents." It seems like all the ladies are fawning over him, doing his shopping, laundry, cooking, and cleaning because they want to be the third Mrs. Tatton. But what if it's something more nefarious that keeps these women doing things for Gregory.

When Gregory tries to force our main character Abby Finch into doing his gardening for him by holding a family secret over her head. He gets more than he bargains for. And now Abby knows that he isn't the good guy he pretends to be. But, when Gregory is found dead, Abby is under suspicion, so she needs to figure out who killed him, and there is a long list of likely suspects.

This is the second in the Maybridge Murder Mysteries, but if you are looking for a good Christmas cozy mystery, you don't have to have read the first to read this one.

I loved the mystery in this story. There were actually two mysteries within. One was just so tragic. But, it added an interesting element to the story. The story was set in a small town, which is one of my favourites. And the cast of characters were fantastic. I particularly loved Abby Finch's older neighbors, June and Beattie, and their evening Sherry filled gossip fest.

There was a bit of romance. But at first, I didn't particularly care for this aspect of the story. Abby was keeping her love interest at arms length using her kids as an excuse. Except she treated him fairly badly. She was a smart, successful character, I just thought she'd deal with things in a better way. It kinda made me frustrated with her. But she had some things to work through.

Overall, this was an absolutely enjoyable, cozy christmas mystery, and I'd highly recommend it.

Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

While I haven’t read the first two books in the series, I’m going to be remedying that very soon. I adore British cozies, and this book is a prime example of why. Maybridge is quaint and a perfect setting for the series. this book is perfect for the cozy lover. Grab a cupping and settling for a great mystery.

I enjoyed this book so much that I intend to read the other books in the series. It’s that good!

Abby Finch, single mom to three, and owner of Earthly Designs, a gardening company, finally is coming to grips with the death of her cheating ex-husband, has possibly found a new chance at love herself, and has a growing, thriving business. When a retired council employee threatens her happiness she realizes she can’t understand why others are bending over backwards to make his life easier, until he’s suddenly found dead and circumstances point to her. An earlier death, thought to be an accident, make two deaths in a short time span in this lovely English village. With Christmas fast approaching we’re treated to a story that reflects both the season’s joy and stress as Abby’s children face their first holiday since the murder of their father, and the well written hesitation as Abby tries to deal with her own emotions in a new relationship. I like the realistic way the author portrayed family dynamics, friendships and village life where there are definitely less than six degrees of separation between the residents. With plenty of suspects, While this can be read as a stand alone having already read the previous book in the series added to, for me, the background of the characters and where they find themselves at the start of this second book. Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy.

I didn’t realize this book was part of a series but I requested so I haven’t read book one but I still enjoyed book 2 and would like to continue with this series in the future!