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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

Should have read the previous books in the series, but that didn’t stop me enjoying the story. The friendship between Merry and Vicky is very strong and the whole town pulls together when there’s a body found in the grounds of Vicky and fiancé Mark’s new house. A decent mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.

We return to Rudolph, New York. Merry'. Bff , Vicky Casey is getting ready to marry Mark Grosse.They made a decision to buy a house and just not any ole house. No siree. They buy the Cole House. The house no one would dare go around, the cursed house. As soon as they close and move in strange things begin to happen. Noises that can't be explained, footsteps and doors being knocked on and no one around. All that good stuff haunted houses are famous for. Then Jim Cole shows up claiming he has legal rights to the house but does he? And when he ends up dead Mark is #1 suspect . Is the Cole House really cursed/ haunted or is there something a bit more sinister going on? Can Merry weed thru the clues to clear Marks name without over stepping the boundaries or worse end up being the next victim .
This was a great book .

I first started out the series with the previous installment and I had been very enthusiastic about the overall vibes and the cosy all-year round Christmas fest. The ambiance was here again in this new book, but the investigation didn't reel me in. I'll definitely have to start from book one though. I love the concept.

Merry Wilkinson lives in Rudolph, New York, deemed "Christmas town" and owns Mrs. Claus's Treasures, a gift shop. She's also best friends with Vicky Casey, who owns the local bakery. While talking with Vicky one day she learns that Vicky and her fiancé Mark Grosse, a chef at a local inn, are purchasing a long-vacant Victorian mansion that has been dubbed as haunted. Not wanting to say anything, she just congratulates her.

But then the troubles begin: a man accosts them in the street, claiming the Vicky stole the mansion out from under him and he is the rightful owner. Even though neither of them believe it, Vicky is a bit shaken up. Later Merry learns that Vicky -- and Mark -- have been hearing noises at night, more creaks than an old house should offer up. There's also knocking at both front and back doors -- but no one is there. After Mark arrives home from work, the women tell him, and he starts to search outside -- but not for long. A body is discovered, and Mark has the person's blood on him from trying to turn them over. Now he's a suspect in the murder, and Vicky asks Merry to help clear his name. But in doing so, will she once again put herself in harm's way?...

I have to be honest and say that I have not read every book in this series, but I wish I had. I love Ms. Delany's other series, and this book has the same charm as the others. It pulls you in at the beginning and makes you want to continue to read it all in one sitting. The characters are believable, the settings descriptive; so much so that I want to visit Cole House myself. I love Victorian homes, and I love old mysteries within mysteries, so this book was perfect for me to read.

I love the fact that the author managed to convey both sadness in the previous owners of the home while encouraging the happiness of a new couple who would be beginning their lives together soon. But will the wedding occur with the death hanging over them? It becomes apparent that this was a homicide, and Mark may have had a motive -- or did he? That's the pleasure of reading these stories. You are given a plethora of suspects, and then you must weed them out to find the true culprit. And, of course, Merry does -- as we know she will do.

The climax of the story is suspenseful, as it should be. There is nothing light about it; and it is not until the epilogue (last chapter) that we see the new beginnings come into focus. When we discover the reason for the killing it seems tragic at the very least; and it lets us see that almost anyone can be deranged in their thoughts. A definite plus for the ending. I am glad I read this and now will have to go back to the ones I missed and start all over. Highly recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

I am so glad that I found Vicki Delany. Her writing is fun and the mystery in the books is witty and interesting to read. The charachters are varied and likeable, and there are many twist and turns, both with plot and characters that makes the book very fun to read. Really enjoyed this and will be sure to check out the previous books in the series.

Definitely recommend if you are looking for a cozy murder mystery.

Of the four mystery series that Vicky Delany (a/k/a Eva Gates) writes, this series is my favorite, since it takes place in Rudolph, NY where the Christmas spirit lives year-round (except for the killers). I was thrilled to be able to read this newest book, which is #7 in the series.

I knew that this story took place at Eastertime, but after reading the book, Easter activities were only mentioned a few times. All along I felt that the story should have taken place during the pre-Halloween month of October since there is a spooky old house featured prominently in the story. Regardless, I did enjoy the book immensely.

Ms. Delany has such a vivid imagination, and she can describe situations and characters with such accuracy and depth. Some of the scenes in this book are brilliantly described, and one can’t help but “live” them. I was at the edge of my seat in the last few chapters.

I was delighted to catch up with Merry, the protagonist, and the usual cast of characters, plus get to know many new ones. I was extremely engaged from the very beginning, and I could hardly put the book down. I read it extremely fast, and I was almost surprised that it came to an end so quickly.

The plot is very intriguing and complex, and the ending was very satisfying and everything was nicely tied up. I must say that I did figure out who the killer was about 75% into the book, and I liked that very much.

I highly recommend this book as well as all the books by this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for making an advance reader’s copy available for me to read and post a personal review. I also thank Ms. Vicky Delany for the amazing mysteries she writes for the enjoyment of all of us readers.

A Slay Ride Together With You, book number seven in Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas mystery series, is a fast-paced, entertaining mystery with plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.
This time around, Merry Wilkinson is engulfed in the murder of a truly unlikable victim who is found on her best friend Vicky Casey's new, historic property. There is another, concurrent storyline involving Vicky's plan to publish a cookbook, and the attention her efforts attract. The resulting storyline is complex, well-written, and fun to read. The characters are engaging and realistic, and the wedding in the midst of all the action gives a touch of romance.
I highly enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to more. I was happy to receive an ARC of #ASlayRideTogetherWithYou from #NetGalley.

This was a cute story, and I like how it explored the depth of Merry and Vicky’s friendship. The family history parts were a bit boring at times, but I enjoyed the story.

Rudolph is promoted as America's Christmas Town but it does celebrate other special days with style! Easter is usually a little lower key which is good because as it moves closer Merry Wilkinson’s Mrs Claus Treasures store is the least of her worries! Merry’s best friend, Vicky and fiance Mark, have bought a large, run down, and apparently haunted house in a very nice part of Rudolph and decided they'll be getting married in three weeks!

When a body is discovered in the grounds of their new house, Merry is determined not to get involved, but what's she to do when people tell her things? As the wedding gets ever closer and the investigation is still ongoing, Merry and Vicky begin to look more closely at everything they know. Someone, however, has no intention of getting caught and, as the danger gets ever closer, could there be a funeral taking place rather than a much anticipated wedding?

Book seven in this great cosy series doesn't have anything to do with Christmas but somehow that doesn't matter. I always enjoy catching up with Merry and Vicky and trying to solve everything before they do. This time I failed miserably even though I was sure I knew exactly who was responsible?

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a great addition to a fun series and there are yummy recipes included as well. What's not to like?