Member Reviews

Another awesome offering from a fave cozy author who never fails to hand readers a super satisfying showdown and takedown of a killer in the story. And there was just the right amount of creepy atmosphere for the old house Vicky and Mark bought together haunted by a very flesh and blood ghost. I loved how the girls teamed up against the killer and as always, it led up to a fun-filled ending with food, dancing and lotsa friendship.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

This is the seventh book in the A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #7 series by Vicki Delany. It is set in the mythical town of Rudolph, New York near Easter.

Vicky Casey and her fiancé, Chef Mark Grosse are moving into the historic Cole House. This home is deemed a haunted house. One evening, Mark hears a noise and goes out to investigate. Merry and Vicky quickly follow after notifying the police. They find Marc standing over a body. Marc becomes the police’s prime suspect.

We have plenty of suspects as the victim was a nasty, litigious man. I enjoyed the twists and turn and the ability to dislike Brittany Pettigrew for the spoiled little rich girl she is.

I like the quaint town ready to celebrate any holiday as if it were Christmas. The author captures the joy, the scenic descriptions, and the charm rather well. We’re also provided a mystery.

I enjoyed the reveal and the recurring characters. Vickey’s father was a favorite for me in this episode of the story arc.

Netgalley and Crooked Lane books provided me an advanced reader’s copy. I am not required to leave a positive review.

Was this review helpful?

it's springtime and Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey and fiance Mark Grosse have just bought the long-abandoned Cole House. Vicky and Merry come across a dead body of a distant Cole relative, and Mark is the prime suspect. Plenty of people hated Jim Cole. Vicky & Mark are busy with the upcoming Easter weekend, home renovations and a hastily planned wedding so Merry does her best to help them find the real killer.

Was this review helpful?

I generally try to avoid true Cozies because it’s just so hard to find any that don’t have a lot of quality issues, and tend to stick to historical mysteries or what I would call elevated cozies instead whenever I’m seeking this style of mystery.

But…What a pleasant surprise Vicki Delany has turned out to be! These are definitely true cozies, but the quality of the mystery and the writing is so much better than what you generally see in the genre. The books also manage to impart excellent atmosphere (semi-holiday but mostly bakery-themed, in this case) and keep things light, as befits a cozy mystery.

The motive for murder that we get here is definitely a little silly, but it makes sense with the story and feels appropriate to the subgenre. Highly recommended (along with Delany’s other series) if you’re looking for a light, fun mystery with loads of seasonal vibes that comes with a solidly plotted mystery.

Was this review helpful?

Come back to Rudolph, New York in the latest addition to this entertaining series. Masterfully written, it will keep you guessing until the last page

Was this review helpful?

What do Easter, Christmas and a haunted house have in common? It's Easter time in America's year-round Christmas town of Rudolph, NY, and a local historic Cole home is said to be haunted in this 7th installment of the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series.!

Shop owner and local sleuth Merry Wilkinson's best friend Vicky has become engaged to her boyfriend and Chef Mark and bought the town's historic Cole home that needs a lot of TLC and repair. As the wedding nears, there are a lot of spooky things happening at the house, a distant Cole family relative trying to get the house back, and new employees at both Merry's shop and Vicky's bakery.

Jim Cole is found dead outside of the Cole House when Mark goes looking for the reason behind the noises coming from outside that have scared both Vicky and Merry. The local police think Mark may be their prime suspect. Merry needs to work fast to get Mark off the suspect list and the case solved so that the wedding can go on as planned. She will need the help of her parents, co-workers and the bride-to-be to pull this off. Also, the help of three adorable canine helpers. Who can resist any story with cute dogs?

This is just what you need at the end of a long hot summer to get you ready for cozy reading fall season. It has humor, mystery, great characters, and plenty of red herrings to keep you turning pages. I did not get a lot done, while I was reading this book. I kept wanting to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read and give my honest opinion of this book.

Was this review helpful?

A Slay Ride Together with You by Vicki Delany transports readers to Rudolph, New York where the residents are getting ready for Easter and enjoying a little downtime after the rush of the holidays. The story is easy to read. The pacing is leisurely and there are repetitive details. The characters are friendly and quirky. Merry’s father is jolly while her mother is definitely a diva. The mystery has a squeaky wheel getting axed and Vicky’s fiancé as the prime suspect. Merry, naturally, must prove Mark’s innocence (Vicky is her best friend). There are plenty of suspects since the victim went out of his way to antagonize people. Merry must work quickly, since Vicky and Mark’s wedding is just around the corner. While I knew who did the deed very early in the book, I did not know why they did it. Merry asks questions and searches for clues. Merry and Vicky visit the neighboring town where the residents are not fans of Rudolph. I am hoping the rivalry between the towns will be resolved soon. If the two towns worked together, they would both benefit. A Slay Ride Together with You is the seventh A Year-Round Mystery, but it can be read as a standalone. The descriptions of Vicky’s pastries will have your mouth watering. I liked that the story had a Christmasy feel despite it being spring (my mother would love Rudolph). A Slay Ride Together with You is a cute cozy mystery with a ramshackle domicile, a dispatched stroppy, diner delights, a pushy hopeful pastry chef, a rushed wedding, an adorable St. Bernard, and hopefully a happily ever after.

Was this review helpful?

Somehow I've missed this series, making this a standalone for me. This explains why I was a little confused at first about the Christmas theme when the novel is set at Easter (and it's coming out in the autumn to boot!). Once I understood that it's the town and the spirit of Christmas, I settled in for a classic cozy that sees Merry help her friend Vicky after Vicky and her fiance Mark buy a home that needs a lot of work. A lot of work that leads to a murder that sees Mark become a suspect. There are multiple suspects it turns out and Merry and Vicky sort through them quickly. Good characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'll look for Merry and company again.

Was this review helpful?

This is an enjoyable 7th installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series, Vicki Delany's Year Round Christmas mystery series, which is set in Rudolph, NY, a year-round Christmas town.

While I enjoyed the usual characters and the plot, which involved Merry Wilkinson's best friend, Vicky Casey and her soon-to-be husband, it was somewhat disappointing to me. It's set at Easter and except for the shops, there wasn't a whole lot of Christmas going on here.

Still enjoy the series though and it's one I'd highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

A Year around Christmas Store mystery. Great series. We visit Merry helping her best friend clear her fiancé of murder. Fun cozy mystery, good writing.

Was this review helpful?

This was a nice cozy little mystery. I haven’t read any of the previous ones but it seems to stand alone.
Based on the title I was expecting a mystery taking place around Christmas. However it’s just in a town that celebrates year around.
It’s a fast moving story and I was surprised by who the killer actually was. Definitely check it out

Was this review helpful?

Cozy Mystery featuring a New York Christmas themed gift and decor shop owner as she turns sleuth to clear her best friend's groom-to-be after a man's found dead in their garden.

5/5 stars: This is the seventh entry in Delany's Year-Round Christmas Mystery series that takes place during Easter and is set in Rudolph, New York, which is a Christmas themed tourist town, and features a Christmas themed gift and decor shop owner as she turns sleuth to clear her best friend's groom-to-be after a relation of their new home's former owner's found dead in their garden. With plenty of twists and turns, Delany has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects and weaves in plenty of clues and red herrings that will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I really appreciate how Delany's plot unfolds and the clever resolution. With wit and humor, Delany's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's so much fun to catch up with Merry, her friends, family and the charming town folk of Rudolph. Merry's a delight and I love to see her romance with toymaker Alan continue. Oh and one mustn't forget Marry lovable St Bernard, Matterhorn AKA Mattie and Alan's sweet Jack Russell Terrier Ranger. Additionally, I love the small town holiday atmosphere Delany's created. Even when the book takes place out of “season” like this one (Easter) it's still chock full of holiday feels and vibes. And of course Delany's included some very delicious sounding recipes. YUMMY! While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Was this review helpful?

A SLAY RIDE TOGETHER WITH YOU is the seventh book in the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries by Vicki Delany. What do you get when you combine a year-round Christmas-themed town with Easter week and things that go bump in the night at a purported haunted house? You get a page-turning story with heartwarming vibes, a puzzling mystery to solve, a wedding to plan, and Mrs. Claus’s Treasures. Protagonist Merry Wilkinson, owner of said Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is a terrific character. She’s a bit sassy, puts up with her know-it-all employee with some tongue-in-cheek humor, and knows when to provide support to her friends when they need it the most. Ms. Delany has developed a multitude of characters to inhabit the city of Rudolph, New York, and mostly are people you’d want to spend time with and call friends. Especially Merry and her father, Noel, who just happens to be the town’s official Santa! These characters are what make this series so endearing and make me come back for each new release.

No matter how wonderful the characters are, this is still a cozy mystery and boy, does it provide a doozy of a ride! From investigating her best friend’s haunted house and its tragic history, to clearing her best friend’s fiancé from being a murder suspect, to breaking up a food fight, Merry has her hands full. The well-plotted clues will keep the armchair detective on their toes and with many suspects to consider, it will be a challenge to zero in on the killer. Ms. Delany is an expert at writing perfectly paced tales with twists to keep the reader engaged and guessing. A Slay Ride Together With You is a terrific way to get your Christmas fix with a fascinating whodunit!

Was this review helpful?

Welcome back to Rudolph where Christmas is celebrated year round. Merry’s best friend, Vicky, is getting married! Vicky and her fiancé Mark have bought the run down, long vacant Cole House just outside of town. But someone is not happy with the sale of the house and when that person ends up dead, Mark is the prime suspect.
The author provides several other good suspects, but it’s up to Merry to discover the real killer.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an early copy of this delightful mystery This review is my opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Vicky and Mark set a wedding date and purchase an old fixer upper to start their married life in. at first, it appears the house may be haunted, but when a body is found on the grounds of the home, the hauntings stop while the police scrutinize Mark a their main suspect. Can Merry help her friends before the wedding? Because every wedding needs a groom.

This is one of my favorite series. I love the animals in it as well as our main female protagonist, Merry. Each entry in the series is well written with a wall, planned out mystery filled with red herrings, suspects and second-guessing, until you finally got to the end and realize whodunit. It’s wh

Was this review helpful?

7th in the Year-Round Christmas mystery series, this one’s set at Easter in Christmas Town, when many shopkeepers are taking a break, or doing inventory and ordering their stock for the upcoming ‘Christmas in July’ extravaganza. As usual, it’s narrated by Merry Wilkinson, operator of Mrs. Claus‘s Treasures shop and daughter of the town Santa.

This installment concerns Merry’s friend Vicky Casey, owner and head chef at a Victoria‘s Sake Shoppe. She’s recently gotten engaged to Mark Grosse and implies that our heroine might be a bridesmaid. But now Vicky has things on her mind besides how many hot cross buns to make for Easter week. She and Mark are buying a big Victorian house near Merry’s place.

It turns out the house is more a tearer-downer than a fixer-upper, reportedly cursed, and the previous owner is recently deceased. Soon at least one unpleasant stranger arrives in town with an inheritance claim, and there are questions about whether the house was legally available for sale. If that wasn’t nightmare enough for a budding bride, Vicky confides that things are going bump in the night at the big old house. When a body turns up the overgrown garden, Merry's going to need all her investigative chops to find the killer and get the wedding back on track.

This is a brisk, breezy read as Merry digs into the cursed history of the house and the ill-fated family that used to live there. As usual, local gossip fills in many gaps. The recipes are delightful. It’s an ideal beach read.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book. The investigation is complex & interesting. Normally in cozy mysteries the details of the investigation are weak & the middle of the book suffers, not in this book. Also when there’s a lot of characters coming & going I get confused as to who people are, not in this book. They are very clearly detailed. #ASlayRideTogetherWithYou #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

A Slay Ride Together With You. Fun series with wonderful characters and a good mystery. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Was this review helpful?

A Slay Ride Together With You is the next installment in Vicki Delany's Year-Round Christmas mystery series. Vicky has just announced not only that she is engaged but also that she is buying the Cole House with Mark. Everyone in town believes the Cole House to be haunted and anyone who lives there will be cursed. While Vicky and Mark don't initially believe in such tales, they soon start hearing unidentifiable noises at all hours of the night. With neither of them getting much sleep, Merry agrees to stay the night and get to the bottom of these "hauntings." Unfortunately, what Merry, Mark, and Vicky discover is a dead body. With Mark as the prime suspect, Merry and Vicky have their work cut out for them to solve this case before the big wedding day.

A Slay Ride Together With You is a charming holiday cozy mystery. I love that even in Spring, I still get the Hallmark Christmas vibes from this series. The characters are all fun and quirky. The mystery was reasonably intriguing and kept me guessing. I will definitely be recommending not only this book but the entire series to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery. I can't wait to read about Merry and friends' next adventure!

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Was this review helpful?