Mira James never imagined life after college would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken.

Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century ago in Whiskey Lake, not far from the present day Shangri-La resort. Mira, a part-time reporter, goes fishing for the story behind the legend, but her dives turn up more than missing jewelry. Buoyed by frozen Nut Goodies and a diminutive circus performer, the exhilarating search leads to a new mystery to unravel, and puts her face to face with the surfacing of a menacing foe from her past.

Mira is a character that is easy to relate with. I really enjoyed the humor that is sprinkled throughout the story. I cannot wait to read more from the author.

I dnf’d this one. I didn’t enjoy the first one (and had requested both at once) and this one was much of the same. It’s for someone out there I’m sure.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I read the first of this series with some trepidation as I didn’t know if I’d really warm to the ‘cosy mystery’ genre. It was a happy surprise that I really enjoyed it. I expected more of the same with this offering – a quick read, some genuine laughs at Mira’s quirky interpretation of the world, and a mildly intriguing mystery.
Well, two out of three isn’t bad.
I didn’t think the mystery was as good in this one, mainly because we know who the villain is right form page one, there's absolutely no ambiguity whatsoever. I did like the continuity from Book 1 to 2 and the introduction of some new characters, and the old folks’ home is always good for some humour but the mystery all went a little basic after Mira’s initial dive and didn’t really keep my attention.
I’ll read the next instalment of this series because, frankly, they’re still a fun read and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, via NetGalley for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It's another mildly entertaining read with an amateur sleuth who spends too much in her imagination. The intrigue level was mild, along with the engagement.

A treasure hunt starts the summer off with a bang in Battle Lake. Whoever finds the faux diamond in Whiskey Lake gets a $5,000 prize and it brings out all kinds of characters, including someone Mira never wanted to see again. The treasure isn't the only thing that people are after; an antique mystery is afoot and who else can solve it but Battle Lake's new-ish resident, Mira. A new murder, hidden gems and secrets create one heck of a follow-up in this series.

This is the second book in this series and it's just as good as the first.. It's witty. funny and mysterious. I absolutely love Mira as a character. She's absolutely hilarious at times and is super easy to like. While this story is part of a series, there are enough details that it could potentially stand alone., but I was happy to have read the first one. It's a fun, quick read. The story is easy to follow with a few great twists. I definitely want to read the rest of the series. I love Jess Lourey's writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this for free. This was my honest review.

So I wasn’t sure about continuing with this series after reading book 1. It was good, but it just didn’t grab me the way I had hoped.

Book 2, however, was SO good!! It started off a little slow, but early on it had me hooked and I didn’t want to put it down until I reached the end.

There were so many storylines and potential plots tgat it kept me guessing - I never could quite figure out who the real ‘bad guy’ was.

In the end, this moved at a much faster pace for me than book 1 and left me excited to pick up book 3. This one is full of mystery, comedy, and so many other elements. It is a quick, easy read and I highly recommend it!

I personally was not a fan of this book. I tried reading the other one from May but it felt like it didnt have enough content. I ran into the same problem with this book. I thought it was an okay book just not my favorite.

I’m a huge fan of author Jess Lourey and this series. Mira James as a main character along with the funny cast of supporting characters always make for a fun and quick read. The MN references and scenarios in these books had me laughing out loud quite a few times.

This is a general review of the three novels I read in this series (May Day, June Bug, Knee High).
It's a good series and an entertaining one. The mysteries are solid and I appreciated the plot developement and the characters.
Good storytelling.
It's not amongst my fav as I wasn't a huge fan of the FMC.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was kinda boring not gonna lie. I think the author wanted to continue the story, but it wasnt necessary in my opinion

I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series! I was a little disappointed that the dead body wasn’t a fresh one, and was one from years and years ago. I’m excited to continue the series and see what adventures it takes me on!

I absolutely love this cover of this book!

I cannot wait to read each installment of the series and continue on.

I love the authors writing and will continue to read this series and will buy for my shelf.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This is book 2 in the Murder by Month mystery series and this series is being re-released. I liked the protagonist better in the first book than this one, but the way it ended left me hope I will like her more again in future books. Mira is continuing to work as the librarian and reporter in the small town where she is house sitting for her best friend. In the middle of the night she was surprised in bed by Jason, an old friend of her best friend, who she can’t stand. He’s back visiting because of a contest to find a replica of a necklace that went missing under suspicious circumstances. The person who finds it and opens the box it’s in will get 5000 dollars. Mira knows something more than meets the eye is going on with Jason and what happened back in the day when the jewelry went missing. I like that these mystery books have humor woven in. I like Mira as an amateur detective and I was glad to see she gained some gumption to protect herself in this one. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up because I have a soft spot for a librarian amateur sleuth.

June Bug is book two in the Murder by Month Mystery by Jess Lourey.
This series just keeps getting better and better.
The characters are a lot of fun and I didn't want to put the book down.
The book is well crafted, and kept my attention continuously right to the end.
The plot was well paced with enjoyable characters.
If you’re looking for a fun easy but engaging read, this book is definitely for you.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Beware this is a new edition of an older book, and I would prefer if it was updated. The story is light, entertaining and easy to read. The characters are excellent and there are quite a few very funny expressions.

June Bug is the next book in the Murder by Month Mystery series that follows a woman who moves to a small Minnesota town and becomes a librarian. She keeps stumbling onto different mysteries in this small town. This one is about a missing necklace and people diving in the lake to find it for a competition.

I like these books. They are quick reads with a bit of humor, a bit of romance, and some mystery. I like all of the unique small town characters. I also love the small town, I would love to live in a small town like this one. It reminds me of Gilmore Girls or something like that. I loved the description of the nature settings as well.

I think the mystery was good too. It had a few different mysteries sprinkled in and it kept me interested throughout the story. Some of it was maybe just a bit dramatic but it didn't take away from my reading experience.

My biggest complaint is that I feel like some of the dialogue was just a bit weird. I feel like some of it just didn't feel real.

I did still enjoy this one and I'll continue on with the series! It is a cute series and I can't wait to continue.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Mira James is back with quirky antics and witty dialog, continuing the cozy mystery/rom com roller coaster, and does not disappoint.

Lourey proves yet again that she knows how to write easy, fast paced beach reads just as well as dark thrillers.

Must read, especially over the summer!

As always, Jess Lourey is generous and adds her books to Netgalley as a read now versus request. While she is known to write across genres, the monthly books are cozy mysteries with a touch of humor and wit. I really enjoyed this one and while simply written, it is the perfect beach or poolside read.

June Bug is book 2 in a monthly cozy mystery/romcom series. Mira James never imagined life after college would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken.

Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century ago in Whiskey Lake, not far from the present day Shangri-La resort. Mira, a part-time reporter, goes fishing for the story behind the legend, but her dives turn up more than missing jewelry. Buoyed by frozen Nut Goodies and a diminutive circus performer, the exhilarating search leads to a new mystery to unravel, and puts her face to face with the surfacing of a menacing foe from her past.

Thank you Jess Lourey and Netgalley for this opportunity to read and provide a review.

The second book in the Murder by Month mystery series, and I'm starting to wonder about how the author is linking the protagonist to the mystery. I didn't really buy into the motivation for Mira to get involved in the hunt for the jewels in this book. The structure of the mystery was fine, but the impetus for her involvement, that seemed just to be because of spite, felt strange for a mystery series like this.

Part of me acknowledges that this book is probably meeting its brief. It's touted as a romantic comedy mystery. Maybe it depends on the humour you enjoy? I don't mind a bit of slapstick comedy, but not thrown at me for the entire book.

What we're given is a mystery that turns into a treasure hunt and has a coded message to solve. If anything in a mystery is going to grab my attention, those two elements will. But it's not the elements in the book, it's the characters and the plot that were lacking. The same issues I had with book one are prominent in the second book. Far too many of the characters are just too quirky. I wasn't enthralled with the comedic attempts - found them too forced. And much of it wasn't really funny at all. No doubt there are other readers who will find it funny, but this just feels too Stephanie Plum for me. And I looked up June bugs, or June beetles (which I think they are called), and why would the author have the protagonist colliding with one and being knocked out? That scene alone is enough to emphasise issues the the plot. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but having a June beetle hit your head is not going to knock you out and give you a huge lump on your head that is prominent for days. Am I wrong?

What saves this book for me are three things. The author included a threat that did seem real to the protagonist. Secondly, the action at the end. You could feel suspense in that scene. It was strong and well written. From that scene I could tell the author knew how to write. I just wish the rest of the book was written in that way. The final thing is, despite my thoughts on how quirky the characters are, the author is giving me a sense of community in this small town, and that feels real. And I think small town settings need that sense. It's vital for making the setting more realistic.

Link to a video review will be added soon.