A Year Round Christmas Mystery #7

Ms. Delany writes all kinds of cozy mystery stories that are fun to read. The stage is set in Rudolph, New York, where the mystery will have shop owner Merry Wilkinson helping her best friend Vicky Casey and her fiancé Mark Grosse move into the historic Cole House, an old home deemed haunted....of course odd goings on starts the moment Vicki and Mark move in...Even a body of a man is found on the grounds triggering all kinds of speculation.

I haven’t read the all the previous books in this series but I can assure that at any point you can pick up a book and be right at home. This one is set during Easter time but the town’s hasn’t left its Christmas spirit go after all Rudolph is known as “America’s Christmas Town” for a reason. Mark was unlucky enough to have found the body of the man and has fast become the prime suspect as Detective Diane Simmonds sets her focus on him. Merry, Vicki, the opera diva, Santa and most of the town people spring into action to find solutions and solve the puzzle so that Mark can be vindicated.

The action is slow moving but does keep us in a soft suspense from the time Mark was blamed till the motives were uncovered and the killer was found. Ms. Delany style is simple and easy to follow and for us to be totally immersed in the going on. This is real chick-lit at its best and a joy to read.

Cozy mystery fans, rejoice; Merry Wilkinson is back at it with another murder to solve in the Christmas Town of Rudolph, New York.

As her best friend Vicky plans her wedding, as well as buying an old house that is well known in the area, Merry has to work doubly hard to make sure that the wedding goes off on time and without anyone wrongfully in jail.

Along with her parents and coworkers, Merry is as delightful as ever and the mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. Add in the three distinctly different dogs, and you will have a rollicking good time with this latest instalment in an already amazing series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Merry Wilkinson is back in the latest Year-Round Christmas Mystery. Merry’s best friend is Vicky Casey, baker extraordinaire and owner of Victoria’s Bake Shoppe. Vicky is engaged and soon to marry Mark Grosse. To start their new life together they decide to buy a house. The Cole House is a creepy old mansion that has been vacant since the last heir left town 40 years ago.

Merry has reservations about the mansion and its reputation as a haunted house. Odd goings on start to scare Vicky and Merry. When Mark finds the body of a man on the grounds, her fears become even more pronounced. Mark becomes a prime suspect in the murder of a man that many people despise. Merry and her dog, Mattie, need to sniff out the culprit. She better hurry to prevent Mark's arrest or Vicky may have to postpone her wedding!

The series is set in Rudolph, New York, known as “America’s Christmas Town”. I love the recurring characters in this series. Merry’s family and friends are quirky and endearing. Merry’s mother is a retired opera diva and her father, Noel, is the town’s former mayor and Santa. This book is set at Easter but the town’s Christmas spirit is year-round! Grab a hot chocolate, and a sugar cookie and enjoy!

Oh, and I want to try those recipes at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the DRC.

#ASlayRideTogetherWithYou #NetGalley is another fun story in this Year Round Christmas cozy book.
Merry loves her life and is very happy for her friend Vicky, who is getting married in a few short weeks.
Vicky and her soon to be husband have bought the Cole house, rumored to be haunted and creepy.
It doesn't take long for bizarre things to happen, and it seems like Vicky and Merry may have a murder to solve before anyone can say I do.
I love this series and I'm always excited to recommend this series to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoy this series and the characters! I thought the mystery was great with the added involvement of Vicky. I like reading about the rest of the year in this town, rather than just the Christmas focus. Looking forward to the next book!

I was glad to see a volume set in the offseason for this series. It gave me a different view of the town. Merry's friend Vicky is getting married and bought an old house. Along with this house starts a series of mysterious and negative events including the death of a man. Merry and Vicky set out to find out who killed him to get Mark, Vicky's fiancee, off the hook. The ending was a complete surprise to me. And sadly, could be totally realistic.

Loved reading this book and series. Hopefully there is another book in this series. If you haven't read it yet. I highly recommend her and her books. Read in order

I have really come to love these year-round Christmas books. Who wouldn't want to celebrate Christmas all year round? After all, the Christmas spirit is one of the most important parts of the Christmas season. It keeps reminding us that there is hope, kindness, and generosity in the world. And it helps us hold onto our humanity. But what happens when someone takes advantage of that kindness and generosity? You end up with murder and other assorted crimes like in Rudolph.

Poor Merry and Vicky are at it again, only this time the stakes are so much higher. Vicky is on the precipice of getting married and having just bought the infamous Cole House, things have certainly gone pear shaped. The criminal (or criminals) must be stopped to allow peace and happiness to spread once again.

I thought the premise of the book was really interesting. I, like I am sure a lot of you out there, enjoy learning about the history of homes, even if it is heartbreakingly tragic.

Cole House is important to the town as well as now Vicky and Mark, now that it is their home. And unfortunately, there are a lot of bad people in the world that would take advantage of Cole House's story and try to make something that should be happy and joyful and turn it into sorrow and anxiety filled.

I love the way town is set up. I know some people would find the idea of a year-round Christmas cheesy or kitschy, but I find it clever. What else are you going to do with a town named Rudolph?

There are a heap ton of possible suspects in this one and I certainly had a great time trying to piece together all of the clues to figure it out. It ended up being the very first one that I had suspected then dismissed altogether so beware of that while you're reading. The red herrings and clues were really fun and kept me on my toes.

I love Merry and Vicky as friends. No matter what is going on with them, they're there for each other. It doesn't matter time of day or night. I know I could use some friends like that. The loyalty and often times, hard headedness of both characters is exactly what brings these cases together.

Every time I read one of these books, I know I am in for a good relaxing romp through its pages. I always learn something new and have greatly enjoyed the experience. Vicki Delany is just an absolutely fabulous author. I will keep reading these books as long as they keep coming. I highly recommend.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Vicki Delany for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

I have read all of the books in this series and was happy to see there was a new installment. This book, though, feels a little different. The main issue is Merry’s characterization. She is pushy and overbearing when it comes to
Vicky and her decisions. I do like that other characters did mention her lack of interest in working in her own shop. I also hope Merry grows a backbone and stands up to her employee. The mystery was interesting, and I always enjoy reading about haunted houses/houses with intriguing histories.

Engaged couple Vicky and Mark purchase the Cole House which is rumored to be haunted. A relative of the deceased owner appears, claiming the house as his. When the man is discovered by Mark in the garden of Cole House, Vicky asks best friend Merry to clear her fiancé's name before the wedding.
Likeable characters in a cozy small town.
#ASlayRideTogetherWithYou #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

I enjoy this series because of the christmas theme. This book takes place in the off season. Merry's best friend Vicky and fiance Mark buy a run down house, reputed to be haunted. Relatives of the previous owner are disputing the sale of the home. When a man is found murdered in the garden and Mark becomes the main suspect, Merry does her best to clear Mark's name. This book seemed to drag in the beginning but it picked up speed midway through, had a good plot, likeable characters, and lots of red herrings.

In this 7th volume of the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series, Merry still runs her Mrs. Claus shop in Rudolph, NY, where her best friend Vicky and fiance Mark just bought an infamous haunted house. When a body is found in their garden and Mark is held as a suspect, Merry puts herself on the case, as usual. This story is set in the summer, so there is not a lot of Christmas stuff happening, which is the major draw for me to read this series. I still found it entertaining and fun, although I did not figure out the killer before the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Part of a Christmas cozy mystery series, this novel is the first book I've read from it; however, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I love this author's Tea By the Sea series, so I had been looking forward to trying some of her other works. The writing flows effortlessly and the main characters are eclectic but relatable. This writer nails the small towns she incorporates into her books (each with their own touristy charm). It's a quick and easy read but with surprising twists.

Net Galley Feedback

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of A SLAY RIDE TOGETHER WITH YOU (Book 7 of the Year-Round Christmas mystery series) by Vicki Delany in exchange for an honest review. Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey and Vicky’s new fiancé Mark Grosse finally find a local property they can afford to buy; one catch, it’s the local derelict haunted house. Pooh-poohing the legends of curses and ghosts, the couple sign on the dotted line, move in, and start their repairs. However, home is supposed to be a refuge, but it’s not one if strange noises and whispers keep you up at night. Vicky assumes it’s just her overactive imagination and stress making her think she’s hearing things, but the noises resume one evening while Merry is visiting. This incident ends with a body in the yard and Mark being the primary suspect in the murder. If Merry doesn’t prove Mark innocent; otherwise, it looks like Mark will miss his and Vicky’s wedding!

I liked this book. I have not read the other books in the series, but I had no problem making connections with the characters or keeping relationships straight. I recommend this book to fans of the series and to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring holiday themes, tourist towns, and good friends.

#ASlayRideTogetherWithYou #NetGalley

Nice off season addition to this Christmas town series. The author got me with who the murder was. Nice job

This cozy mystery manages to hit all the right vibes for this genre. Between baking delights, a haunted house. a murder with plenty of suspects and a few cute dogs to add to the story, this was a charming read. I hadn’t realised this was book 7 in a series of 7 (so far) but the author managed to catch up the details on most of the background which as a new reader was helpful. If i’d been a regular reader though, I may have found this frustrating, so the intended audience matters. I haven’t read many cozy mysteries but this one left me satisfied with the result and wanting to watch for future books by Vicky Delany. Lots of interesting characters to be found in this Christmas town which added to the charm of the novel. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for letting me read a review copy.