People who don't believe in ghosts experiencing odd noises and such in a supposedly haunted house is a good premise for me. I like the skeptical approach.

I was happy to go along for the ride for most of this book, as it's an enjoyable escape read. But the resolution doesn't do anything for me. I hate it when the killer is suddenly bats**t crazy and has a ridiculous motive. And that's how this one feels, unfortunately.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Slay Ride Together With You is the 6th in A Year Round Christmas mystery. It takes place in the town of Ruldolph, New York called American's Christmas town. Merry Wilkinson is the main character and owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Alan Anderson is Merry's boyfriend, wood worker, handcraft furniture and wooden toy maker.. He acts as Santa's head toymaker for public events. Merry's father, Noel Wilsinson is the official town santa. Her best friend, Vicky is the owner and head chef of Victoria's Bake Shop. Mark Grosse is Vicky's fiance and head chef at the Inn. Aline Stein Wilkinson is her mother. She was a renouned opera singer now retired. Jackie O'Reilly is Merry's assistant. Mrs. Mabel D'Angelo is Merry's land lady.

The Cole House has remained vacant for many years and with Emmeline Cole died and the house went up for sale. Mark and Vicky bought the house. They fixed up a few rooms so that they could move in and planned to fix the rest of the house slowly. Jim Cole came to town to claim he is intitled to the house since he is the nephew of Charles Cole. He had been a lawyer but never practice. He liked to sue people. His daughter, Cindy lived in town. He threated to take them to court. Vicky's father is Emmeline' lawyer and tells them Jim doesn't have any claim per her will. Brittany Pettigree applies for a job at the bakery but becomes very mad when she doesn't get it, She wanted to be a pastry chef.

While at the house Merry and Vicky heard some noises. They went to check but couldn't find anything. When Mark came home they told him about the noises. He admitted he also heard noises too. Mark decided to go outside and check and Merry and Vicky the inside again. Vicky's phone rang. It was Mark telling them to call 911 as he found a body in the garden. The police arrived. Officer Williams and Candice Campbell were the first on the scene, They find Mark with blood on his hands and clothing with a knife that he brought out for protection on the ground. The body is that of Jim Cole. Detective Diane Simmonds arrives and after after interviewing them she says that Mark is a suspect.
Detective Simmonds tells Merry that they found pictures on his phone as well as signs close to the house that someone had been there.

While talking to detective Simmonds Trish Dawson is Jim's ex-wife and is in town as the grieving widow. Louise Ferguson is Jim's ex or last girlfriend. She also comes to town. They hate eachother. After a fight in the bakery between the two of them Margorie tells Merry that she knew Trisha from school in Muddle Harbor. Her real name is Patty Dawson. Merry gets an email from the police warning about break-ins. Vicky's shop is the only one that has an attempted break-in.

This is where the story takes off but too much going on to put on paper. I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the exciting and unexpected ending.

Vicky and Mark get married. They decided to sell the house. The town decides they will buy it and turn it into a museum.

I have enjoyed this series and look forward to the next adventure of Merry and her friends.

I am always delighted to go to Rudolph, New York and share in the atmosphere of a Year-Round Christmas Mystery. This latest by Vicki Delany doesn't disappoint. The characters are likeable, the locale is enchanting and the mystery kept me guessing. There are excellent villains and Merry's best friend's fiancé is targeted as a potential murderer. Merry goes to work in an effort to appease the new Detective in town while proving Mark's innocence. Add in a spooky house, a disturbed family and Santa Claus and you have everything you need for a great read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A Slay Ride Together with You was written by Vicki Delany. It is book seven in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. I would recommend that you read this series in order, as there is quite a bit of backstory.

Summary: Merry Wilkinson’s best friend Vicky Casey is engaged, and she and her fiancé Mark have just purchased their first home together.

The problem? Everyone says the house is haunted.

And when Vicky and Mark are plagued with creepy sounds each night, the townsfolk seem to be right.

Merry decides to help investigate, but no one expects to find a body in the garden-and Mark becoming the primary murder suspect.

Merry has solved several crimes in the past, but can she discover the real murderer before her best friend’s new life is irrevocably destroyed?

My Thoughts: I really enjoy this series as a whole, and this seventh book doesn’t disappoint.

It’s another intriguing mystery with plenty of suspects, quirky small-town characters, and a mystery filled with plenty of twists and turns.

If you like cozy mysteries (especially those that center around a Christmas town), this book and the series as a whole are worth purchasing for your collection.

I highly recommend this book and will definitely be re-reading this series again and again.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I was very excited to receive this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane. The Year-Round Christmas Mysteries is one of my favorites. This time, we find Merry's best friend (and bakery owner) purchasing her first home, with her fiance, Mark. This home has a reputation as being haunted or cursed, and while Vicky doesn't believe it, Merry is not so sure. After too many things go bump in the night, things go from bad to worse when a body is found on the property. It is up to Merry to investigate and help her friend so that she and Mark can live their happily ever after. I really liked this story and was pleasantly surprised by who the killer was. Thank you to Crooked Land and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Another great cozy mystery in this series, but the book can be read as a stand alone. Love visiting with Merry and friends. Recommend both series and the book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another visit to the Christmas town of Rudolph brings smiles as well as murder. Have no fear, Merry is on the case along with her usual band of friends and townsfolk. Enjoyable at any time of the year, this installment in the series does not disappoint.

Rudolph, NY bills itself as a Christmas town. The busiest time for businesses there is of course the Christmas Season, and the Christmas in July event. Merry's gift shop is open all year, as is her friend Vicky's bakery. Vicky is getting married and she and her fiancé Mark have just bought an old fixer-upper house that is reputed to be cursed. When an obnoxious man is found dead in the garden, suspicion falls on Mark, who found the body. Since the victim was universally disliked, there is no shortage of suspects, and Merry is determined to help clear Mark's name before the wedding. Recipes are included. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Loved this installment! I flew through this. I like the setting outside the shop and enjoyed the character development for Vicky.

Since it is Easter in book 7 of the Year Round Christmas mystery series, the decorations are leaning toward pink and purple rather than red and green. Merry Wilkinson, owner of a Christmas shop and daughter of the town’s Santa, is helping her best friend Vicky Casey plan her wedding. At the same time, Vicky is moving with her soon to be husband into a run down historic house that needs lots of repairs. A series of strange noises in the night has both of them on edge, so Merry offers to keep Vicky company while her chef boyfriend is working late. Just as he gets home, the noises become pronounced and the boyfriend goes outside to investigate. He finds a dead man in the yard and unfortunately becomes the number one murder suspect. Merry finds herself turning into a sleuth once again in order to exonerate Vicky’s boyfriend. This was another enjoyable trip to Randolph, New York and a visit with the interesting inhabitants. I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Copy from NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

In A Slay Ride Together with You, the town of Rudolph is celebrating Easter and it’s a slower time for their businesses. Merry’s good friend and pastry chef, Vickie, is planning a small wedding and she and her fiance have bought an old, run-down mansion. They move in, but hear sounds immediately (the house has a reputation of being haunted). Is it just old house sounds or is someone targeting them?
The house was purchased from an estate of an old Rudolph family and now there is a distant relative claiming the house should be his. He is a horrible person with many enemies.
This series is always a fun read, and I enjoyed this one very much. The characters are well-developed and the mystery enjoyable.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Vicki Delany coming through with another fantastic cozy.
No need to read all the others first ( but also don't miss out on them) to follow along and enjoy this book.
Highly recommend for Christmas cozy fans

This series was my first introduction to author Vicki Delany and it is still always so much fun to return to Rudolph New York and see what adventures Merry finds for herself. This series has such a delightful atmosphere with Rudolph being Christmas year round. This is the seventh book in the series and the characters are well developed and strong but with plenty of room for them to continue to grow. This time around the mystery centers on Merry's best friend Vicky and the new house she has purchased with her fiancée. The two must solve the mystery around the strange things happening at the Cole House. The storyline moves along at a good pace and there mystery kept me guessing. I was surprised when the killer was revealed, but sadly while I love cozy mysteries I am not that great at figuring out the culprit. If you are a fan of this series you will enjoy this installment.

I got this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review.

When her best friend buys the local haunted house, Merry is worried that the whole thing is a money pit. It's been abandoned for years, and teens used it as a party point.

A cantankerous man threatens to sue to get the house as part of his inheritance, and of course, soon ends up dead. The best friend and her fiancee are the prime suspects, so our sleuth has to go to work, even though the cops order her not to interfere. Well, this is a cozy, so she interferes despite her best intentions.

The solution to the puzzle strikes me as unlikely, but that's why is takes Merry to solve the case, I suppose.

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.