Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC! I love this series! It’s such a fun read and a really good pallet cleanser. It’s close to home with all of the wildlife so I love it

I really wanted to love this book. I love a cozy mystery and this one sounded so cute and unique. Unfortunately, this one was just TOO cheesy for me. I will give the second one a chance and hope the cheesiness is toned down a bit.

Thank you, NetGalley, publishers, and Tamara Lush, for gifting me a copy of Gator Queen in return for my honest opinion.

3/5 stars

Maggie Andrews is back in Wahoo, Florida, to take over her late father's gator-catching business. She and her twin sister Vera are running the Gator Queen business and opening a romance novel book store, Straight From the Heart. Before it could open, a rival Gator-catcher is found dead, and the murder weapon is Vera's gun. Can Maggie find out who killed Gene? With the help of Jack, a sexy professor staying in one of their cottages, they follow the clues to prove her sister's innocence!

What I liked...
- Maggie is a strong, independent female character, but I liked how she knew that she needed help and had a partner with her most of the time while sleuthing. That is one of my biggest pet peeves in cozy mysteries when the main character puts themselves in unnecessary danger when it could have easily been avoided. I also enjoyed when she found out information about Jack; she didn't blow it out of proportion, she addressed the situation, and she cleared up any misunderstandings. It was a refreshing change.
-There are some fantastic quotes from this book; a few I enjoyed were
* The January air was hot as Satan's wet fart, and I couldn't blame the little guy for wanting to
take a dip.
* Dad used to say that "the cheese had slid off Gene's cracker," and it was hard to disagree with
that assessment
- The mystery had many layers, which made it tricky to solve and kept me guessing throughout.

What I wasn't thrilled about...
- Vera, Maggie's twin sister, was an annoying character. I get it that she is self-conscious because of her skin condition, but come on, there were some serious red flags that she missed. I started to dread reading about her towards the end of the book.

4.5 Stars

Tara Lush's Gator Queen is the perfect blend of quirky Florida charm and a cozy mystery. As a native Floridian, I was instantly hooked by the vivid descriptions of the Sunshine State's unique ecosystem and the colorful characters that inhabit it.

Maggie Andrews, our gator-wrestling heroine, is a delightful protagonist. Her quick wit and fearless spirit make her a joy to follow. Lush expertly balances the mystery with heartwarming moments and laugh-out-loud humor. The plot is full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the very end.

If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted read that captures the essence of Florida, Gator Queen is the perfect choice. It's the ideal cozy mystery to curl up with on a rainy day.

I really enjoyed the romance comedy aspect of this book. I enjoyed the main girl story and found that she was just a hoot. This author really created good bantering with between the characters and also created a story that just had me laughing the whole time.

Troy Landry has nothing on the Gator Queens! I was sent a copy of Gator Queen by the author and, what will all my mental health issues over the last many months, I finally pick it up.
Gator Queen was a joy! Books like this are the reason I love the cozy mystery genre! Tara Lush writes with such style and wit. I was laughing aloud a lot while I was reading.
Main characters of Maggie and Vera – two strong women who are a breath of fresh air. Quirky characters throughout – it is Florida after all.
The mystery of the murder of the competing Gator trapper and trying to clear the name of Vera made Gator Queen a compelling read.
I can’t wait for Book 2, Swamp Princess, coming out August 20th!

Totally awesome time. This is exactly the kind of mystery that makes me a happy reader. Quirky, hilarious, hot mess escapade.

Thank you to 8th Note Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC for a honest review.

Cozy mysteries usually feel like one. This book starts off like a normal ‘women’s fiction’ one, with our leading lady finding herself back home to support her twin sister and find her footing in her father’s profession.

It is only once all the players are introduced, and the town and it’s smaller factions discussed, that one of the people we know we are meant to dislike finds himself dead. Or rather Maggie, the current gator queen, finds him. It is only when her twin Vera starts to be secretive and touchy about most things relating to the death, that Maggie decides to jump in and find the actual culprit.

The investigation occurs in the usual haphazard fashion, and the revelation happens more due to a confession or two rather than the actual clues found. That would usually bother me, but the writing was light and the characters lively and fun to follow. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the overall plot as well.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the genre, and would love to continue reading the future books to come in the series.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. As a big fan of the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series by Mia P. Manansala, this scratched the itch I have as I wait for the next one of those to be released. A cozy mystery featuring a cat? Sign me up!

A great first novel in Tara Lush's new series "Critters and Criminals". I love Maggie, she is a bad ass that also cares about the animals she is trapping. I hope Maggie and Jack get a chance to see where this relationship goes, I like that he supports her curiosity and I think they have great chemistry.

Very much looking forward to reading Swamp Princess next!

I'm a huge fan of Tara Lush's cozy mysteries. This one stepped up the romance a bit, which I appreciated immensely. Even the IRL usage of "foul" language was refreshing for a cozy. This new series has introduced an interesting cast of characters. Maggie is the tougher of the twins, Vera being her other half, helping take over their father's gator wrangling business in Florida. Florida has always been Tara's featured setting, which is fun for people who don't have a connection to the state. The love interest, Jack is an exciting character. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops. And there may be a love interest for Vera in future books, perhaps. I enjoyed the mystery as well, but the development of characters really keeps me reading.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this first book of a new series.

(rounded up from 3.5)

Gator Queen is a good start to a new cozy mystery series set in a small town in Florida. There’s a ton of Florida atmosphere and some really funny moments along the way, in addition to the murder mystery.

The main character is Maggie, whose family business was/is alligator trapping. Basically they’re the people you would call if you found an alligator in your pool, etc. Maggie went to college in Boston and then found work at the Boston Zoo, but came home when her dad died, to take over the business and to help her twin sister, Vera, who is opening a romance bookstore in town. I had to laugh at their two-sided business card: Gator Queen on one side and Straight From The Heart on the other side!

When a rival gator trapper is murdered, Vera becomes a main suspect. The police believe the bullet came from her stolen gun. And this is my main problem with the book - I’m certainly not a ballistics expert, but don’t you need to have the gun to compare with, before you state definitively that the bullet came from said gun? Vera’s gun remained stolen (until late in the book), so how can the police say the bullet that killed Gator Gene definitely came from Vera’s gun? That brought me out of the story, thinking I must have missed something, missed that the gun was recovered, but nope.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the story and the townspeople. A criminology professor from Miami is renting a cabin on Vera’s property to work on a book and he becomes Maggie’s partner in sleuthing and more. There’s also an adorable kitten, named Catsy. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Swamp Princess! I have enjoyed other books by this author, her Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, also set in Florida.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, 8th Note Press for this copy in exchange for my review.
This is so late, somehow it slipped through the cracks and I forgot to post my review :(
That being said - I loved this! It was so cozy and Florida!
There's romance, there's gators, there's murder, there's something for everyone really!
It was like reading a hug in a book. I can't wait to read book two.

Entertaining mystery. Lots of animal entertainment, too. Folks in this small town are living up to Florida's quirky reputation. Sisters and their attempts to find significant others are also a part of the story. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Maggie Andrews has moved back from her job at the Boston Zoo to take over the job of Gator Queen in Wahoo, Florida. After her father the Gator King’s death, the job is open. Plus, her twin sister is opening a book store and that will be a joint experience. Too bad on her first day on the job, Maggie’s competition is murdered with her twin’s gun. Fortunately, Maggie has a hot professor who is conveniently renting from them to help solve this puzzle. I enjoyed this and look forward to more adventures.

This was a solid 3.5 stars for me. I liked the quirkiness of the story. The characters were fun. I liked the added element of mystery. It was very entertaining- just not a wow for me. I can't say that I have ever read a book about a gator trapper. I liked learning more about that industry, and it added to the story.

Maggie has decided to throw caution to the wind and is moving back home to help open up a bookstore with her twin sister Vera. Maggie is going to pick up the mantle of gator trapping from her dad who has passed away. She hasn't been home in 6 years and has no idea what to expect. What she isn't surprised by is her competition's attitude. Gene is still the same misogynist that he was before but somehow he has gotten worse. Things take a turn for the weird and worse when Maggie finds his body after receiving a very vague call about a gator removal. Now the town is in shock- who killed Gene and why? Maggie decides to do some investigating of her own with their new tenant Jack who is a professor from Miami. They decie to join forces to dig deeper to see if they can uncover what happened. Once they start peeling back layers, they find things they didn't expect. A cover up. Election fraud. Nothing seems to be out of the realm of possibility. All Maggie has to do is clear her and her sister's name before their bookstore opens which shouldn't be a problem right?

This was a cozy, super fast and easy read. I would recommend it for a nice summer pickup. I am curious to see what happens with Maggie and Jack as well as Vera and Adam. Looking forward to book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tara Lush writes the most delightful characters. The setting of this Florida novel will have you falling in love with the Andrews twins, the swamp, and maybe even reptiles. With quirky, lovable characters and hair-raising shenanigans GATOR QUEEN delivers cozy mystery and romantic comedy. Add in a pair of amateur sleuths, a romance bookstore, and alligator wrangling and you’ve got a recipe for fun.

I loved this book! Quick, cute, great summer read! I felt like I was down in Florida! This book had everything I loved reading about. Murder mystery, romance books (the twin sisters in the book are opening a romance bookstore!) and cute guys! Not heavy on the spice which I also enjoyed (there was barely any haha). Tara did a great job writing the characters and the story and keeping me engaged in whodunit?! I also enjoyed the perspective on women gator hunters! So fun!

It's a romantic mystery - LOVED it! What a great combo - an alligator catcher and a criminology professor. Their chemistry was totally off the hook and loved seeing themtogether. Maggie and Jack are perfect together. And I loved Vera, Maggie's twin sister - plus the fact that she's opening a romance bookstore makes her the perfect addition to the cast of characters. Maggie's internal dialogue was hilarious. Can't wait for more in this series!

I LOVED this book. Such a fun summer mystery with a cute Romance Subplot! The writing was so fun. I found myself laughing out loud and I just couldn’t put it down.