Cotswolds, small-town, small-business, England, local-law-enforcement, unputdownable, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, surprises, suspense, suspicion, friends, friendship, family, family-dynamics, relationships, relatives, murder-investigation, murder, Lothario, extortion, Christmas-season, secrets, wrong-victim, lies*****

The first death was certainly an accident on both counts. The real rotter was a pompous a$$ who was also a serial blackmailer and a serial widower. Abby Finch gets involved even before the real victim turns up his toes, but her garden business and horticultural knowledge nearly put her in the frame in spite of having three school age children. Great cozy mystery with intelligent sleuthing, well drawn characters, and some really wow surprises. This is only second in series but the past is clearly defined.
I requested and received an EARC from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I love a cozy mystery, add in a Christmas setting and it makes for a great read. Great story and characters. Well written. I really enjoyed it.

This was a nice cozy read. Definitely one to curl up with and have a nice cup of tea. Winter cozy mysteries are the best.

A quirky main character…a charming little village…murder and mayhem…the recipe for a cozy mystery. This talented author has written a page turner. The story moves quickly with a cast of realistic characters. This is a fun book. I liked this book. Trying to discern the ending is not easy. Secrets and red herrings. Love and romance. Thanks Netgalley.

🌿💋 (mistletoe emoji)

This is a delightful cozy murder mystery with a steady pace and an ensemble of compelling characters. Admittedly, the initial introduction of so many characters can be a tad overwhelming, but they quickly grow on you. Abby's family dynamics, especially their collective journey through grief, resonated with me. While the plot was occasionally bustling, it kept me engaged till the end, and the conclusion was unexpected. Eager to explore more from this author in the future.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to delve into this tale. Did you find this review insightful?

This works well as a cozy Murder mystery, nicely paced, with some good characters. There did seem to be a lot of people to get your head round at the start, but you soon get to know and warm to them, mostly. I liked Abby’s family dynamic, and the way they were all trying to handle their grief and get on with their lives. I enjoyed this book, hadn’t guessed the ending but at times it felt a bit too busy. However, would definitely like to read more from this author,

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Reading this book feels like doing a massive jigsaw puzzle; overwhelming at first but entertaining as the pieces slowly come together. The introduction of massive amounts of characters in the beginning was confusing and hard to keep up with. A lot of the plot progresses through dialogues which I felt a little passive and dry. However, as the storyline picks up about 1/3 way into the book, things get quite interesting. The plot is clever and the mystery is unpredictable until the very end. Overall, a slow, cozy read that I felt could have been much better with a “show, don’t tell” writing style.

I want to thank NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review as well as the author for this free copy.

This book proved to be the ideal cozy mystery, perfectly timed for the holiday season. I awarded it four stars, primarily due to the abundance of characters, which occasionally made it challenging to distinguish their roles and actions in the narrative. However, I still found great pleasure in the overall storyline and was pleasantly surprised by the revelation of the killer, which I didn't anticipate.

the beginning had too many characters and too many things going on, which made it difficult for me to really get into. i couldn’t really connect with the flow of the novel either but i did love the mystery element and abby playing detective, as well as the unearthing of new questions and answers. i will definitely have to give this a reread to see what i missed the first time around, especially where i found myself skimming quite a bit at the beginning. while i didn’t like the flow much, i did enjoy the mixture of description and dialogue. and adored all the christmassy parts

Charming Christmas cosy mystery with a lovely female protagonist. I thought Abbey was very well written, you feel as if you know her. Clever plotting and some truly hateful villains too. It was a bit confusing at the beginning, trying to keep track of who the characters were, but I soon got into the swing of it. I will be looking forward to the next one.

A charming village setting in the Cotswolds. This was a cosy drama not a thriller. Bit confusing at the start with numerous characters but other than that an enjoyable read. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy. A worthy four stars from me.

A well written story with a very clever plot and a great mystery which kept my interest all the way through and for once I had no idea who might have done it. I didn't realise I had read the first book at the start as there was so much going on but could be read as a stand alone anyway. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The beginning was too busy with the people, parties and Christmas decoration being done to get into the story. Over all it showed the lives of the different people and the murders. Abby was a good character in this story and how she was determined and not let Gregory get to her.
Given arc by Net Galley and Joffe for my voluntary review

I found the beginning of the story confusing, there’s a lot of people mentioned in the first chapter and it was hard keeping them straight. I had to go back to the beginning and re-read it. It does get less confusing farther in, so I recommend sticking with it. I enjoyed the rest of the story. I admire Abby’s determination to not let Gregory get to her and to find out what is going on even though everyone else thinks it was an accident. I do wish she had be able to prove the wives deaths were murder also. It felt a little unfinished due to that. #MurderundertheMistletoe #NetGalley