It was such a joy to visit Reindeer Games Tree Farm again. Every book in this series is better than the last. Mistletoe, Maine is a Christmas themed town, but the theme is not so overdone that it distracts from the mystery or comes across as sickeningly sweet. The author has achieved a perfect balance. For the fifth year in a row there is a murder in Mistletoe at Christmas time and to make matters worse, this murder has thwarted Holly’s mother’s chance at breaking a world record for baking the largest Gingerbread Man. After a man that Holly has known since childhood is accused of the murder, she sets out to find the real killer. Entertaining subplots provide quite a bit of humor and well-developed characters compel the reader to care about what is happening in the cozy little town. So happy the publisher decided to continue this series, and I’m anxiously awaiting book 6.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With gingerbread cookies, mistletoe and lots of festivities planned, the last anyone wants to do is spoil the 150th Anniversary for Mistletoe, Maine. But that is exactly what happens when a guest is killed. After a sweet old friend of amateur sleuth, Holly, is considered ‘a person of interest’, she resolves to find the real killer. But of course, the killer has other ideas. This was the fifth book in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series and this book was just as entertaining as the others with fun characters, red herrings, death threats and a few magical guests. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an early copy. This is my personal opinion of this delightful Christmas cozy.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jacqueline Frost definitely gets the reader into the Christmas spirit! I would gladly accept an invite to stay at the Inn in Mistletoe, Maine. It was easy to picture the town, with all of its festivities, and makes you want to spend time in the company of its residents!

The mystery grabs your attention quickly with the unveiling of the world’s largest gingerbread man and body discovered within the batter. About 2/3 into the book, the pace slows down quite a bit, but is wrapped up nicely at the end.

The realization of who the killer is isn’t super shocking or exciting but it was still a fun read overall.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Holly White decks the halls for Mistlestoe Maine's 150th. anniversary. The Snow family come home to Mistletoe as part of the foundling family. Holly's mother is trying to break a world record for the largest gingerbread man only to find Elijah snow the next morning in the batter. Mr. Moore, the mistletoe farmer , is suspected of the murder. Holly is the amateur sleuth and doesn't feel it is himm. She is married to Sheriff Evan Gray and they are celebrating their one year anniversary on CHristmas Eve.. Can Holly protect Mr. Moore. Follow her as she sleuths and finds who done it.

I'll Be Home for Mischief by Jacqueline Frost is the the 5th installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries. Thank #NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. A great addition to a great series.

Fifth in series. Love this series! It's perfect for any time of the year. When Holly's mother attempts to bake a record gingerbread man and a body is found in the batter, Holly gets determined to find the culprit. Great characters. Story plot is good and moves smoothly. Thanks #Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book. It got a little slow in the middle for me - I think because different subplots were going on. But the ending was action-packed and I really wasn't sure who the killer could be. I was definitely hooked. I won't spoil it here but the FINAL ending of this story was so, so sweet. I had a smile on my face by the end and I had that bittersweet feeling I usually get, when I'm glad I've read a book I enjoy, but sad to see it end! I will continue this series - I am invested at this point. Great book.

The Christmas Tree Farm series by Jacqueline Frost is my favorite Christmas book series because it combines a cozy Christmas feel with a mystery! This book was as entertaining as the others in the series with all of my favorite characters. The author's vivid descriptions make you feel like you've been to the town of Mistletoe. I would absolutely love to participate in the Reindeer Games in real life! :)

Any lover of Christmas stories would enjoy this book, and I do not think it necessary to read the other books in the series to appreciate this book (but you should, because they are so good!).

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cozy mystery.

This is the fifth book in the series, and I haven't read any of the previous. The story takes place in Mistletoe, Maine at Christmastime. The town goes whole hog for the season, bus loads of tourists come to town to shop and participate in the activities. Our heroine, Holly Gray, lives and works at her family tree lot called Reindeer Games. Her mother is hoping to set a Guinness World Record of making the largest gingerbread man and a couple from the Guinness society are present. Also visiting are descendants of the town founders, Violet Snow and her son, Elijah. They are staying at the guest house at Reindeer Games which Holly runs. She is also busy with gift wrapping for charity gifts to children, and makes jewelry for sale. She's also looking for a gift for her husband of one year, Evan, the town's Sheriff.

When Elijah is found dead in the gingerbread batter, Evan instructs Holly not to investigate, because in the past she's been in danger from killers (there a murder each year at the holiday season). But of course she does ask questions.

I don't know how the residents of this town can get through this season - it's so busy and they seem to live on sugar - constant consumption of cookies, hot chocolate, pie, donuts - they are a dentist's dream town. I wonder if there are towns like this that celebrate a holiday year round. Fun to visit but I couldn't live there!

This is another great addition to an AMAZING series!! I so love Holly and her family, and the Christmas theme is so much fun with the Reindeer Games and all the Christmas stuff going on!! The mystery in this book was well done, and kept me guessing the whole book!! I hope there will be more books to come in this wonderful series!! I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

I struggled to get into this story, when I requested I did not realise it was part of a series. Therefore I found it very hard to read and it was a dnf.

I’LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF is just the book to get me in the holiday spirit. It’s Christmastime once again in Mistletoe, Maine. The town is celebrating its 150th anniversary and has adopted an authentic Victorian feel. Holly, now married to Evan, is the protagonist of this tale. Holly’s mother, Mrs. White, decides to bake the world’s largest gingerbread man, weighing more than the one in the Guinness Book of World Records that is 1400 pounds. A dead body in the cookie dough spoils all the fun. Who is the dead person? Why is the person dead in the dough?

Reading this book brings me great joy. I think noting that there has been a murder at Christmastime in Mistletoe each of the last four years is an early hint of where the story is heading, but I think it would have been better if the dead body appeared earlier than it did. It is good to return to Reindeer Games tree farm and the characters who work there. What fun! I enjoyed the exciting ending of this particular mystery. I look forward to reading the next book in the Christmas Tree Farm mystery series. Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of I’LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF.

I liked it. A great addition to the series. Such a fun setting for a cozy mystery too. I love all the development for all the characters we know and love at this point. Can’t wait for next years.

I can’t get enough of this series. Holly as an innkeeper is just the cherry on top and is easily one of my favorite aspects of this series! Her and her husbands first anniversary approaching is a wonderful addition of romance and I love their interactions. Without giving anything away, the ending was tied up so perfectly -a giant red Christmas bow and all! 🤌🏼❤️

I truly appreciated the past coming back to ‘haunt’ the characters in the future. After all, skeletons don’t always stay in the closet. Holly and her natural tendency towards sleuthing gets better and better with every book -book 6……I hope you’re on the horizon for next year!

Today I’m talking about the newest novel in Jacqueline Frost’s Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series, I’ll be Home for Mischief, which was one of the books I featured in my Christmas preview last month.

This is the fifth book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series and I found it just as fun as the others that have come before it. These books are some of the cosiest cosy mystery books I have reads – how could they not be when they’re set in a place like Mistletoe in the midst of all its very festive cheer! I would actually love to spend Christmas at the inn Holly runs – except for the murders of course!

I’m not sure whether it’s because I’ve read this one relatively early in the year, and I’m sort of used to the festivities and activities on Holly’s parents’ farm as the background after four books in this setting, but I felt like this one leaned more into the continuing stories of the characters than previous book, which I really liked (I’m hoping I’ve spotted some clues that we might get some more stories from these characters set outside of the Christmas season).

Holly and her friends, family, community, and town continue to be charming and warm and fun, and I felt like the mystery part of the story unfolded will, with good pacing and a satisfying ending.

With these sorts of mystery series it isn’t really necessary to read them in order since the books are stand alones, and enough context is given to understand how the characters fit together. That said, I think that now that there are a few books in the series and the peripheral characters’ stories are starting to build, you might get a bit more out of reading some of the previous books first (I’d recommend them all anyway, and this one isn’t out until November so there’s time!).

Thanks to Crooked Lane books and NetGalley for an ecopy of this one!

This was my first book by this author and I was not sure whether I can start reading the series from the fifth book but it was not a problem at all. It is very rich in the context of the Christmas. It does make you feel you are reading a Christmas story set in a town called Mistletoe. This one I definitely suggest reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

We are so back! This book was so much better than the last one and it made me feel all the warm fuzzy feelings this series always gives me. Okay, so in this book Holly is helping her mom with get the world record for biggest gingerbread person cookie, trying to get an anniversary and Christmas present for her husband, and run the Reindeer Games Inn when one of the Inn's guests is found in the gingerbread murdered! Holly decides to help find the killer while also doing all her other tasks.

As I mentioned before I was so happy to see this series make me feel all cozy again. I really enjoyed this book and the mystery was awesome. I sat down and read the book in two days which means I had a great time. I went with vibes only for the rating so I think I had 4 stars worth of fun. I can't wait to re-read this book during the holidays.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves the holidays and cozy stories. The drama level is low. The characters are all nice. The vibes are festive. Put on some comfy clothes and curl up with this book because it will make you feel warm and cozy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jacqueline Frost for giving me the opportunity to read this advance reader copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

It’s time for the annual murder in Mistletoe, Maine (or so visiting podcasters lead us to believe). The town is celebrating its 150th anniversary and descendants of the founding family have come to town. Holly’s mom is trying to break the record for the world’s largest gingerbread man, but someone has other ideas for her batter as someone puts Elijah Snow’s body in the batter.

A local mistletoe farmer, Henry Moore, is accused of the crime due to circumstantial evidence and Holly is convinced he didn’t do it and wants to clear him. Not only is she trying to solve the murder, she is trying to avoid a couple of annoying podcasters who are tracking her down, and trying to find the perfect first wedding anniversary gift for her husband, Evan Gray.

Quite frankly, I can’t blame the killer for why he did it, although it wouldn’t have changed his situation. I love this series with the Christmas Tree Farm events, the delightful characters, and the annual murder. The only disappointing thing in this story was the buildup of Holly trying to find the perfect gift for her anniversary only to have the book end with the reader not knowing what she finally bought.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, it's that time of year again, time to decend on Reindeer Tree Farm for the holidays and Reindeer game mayham. Holly has the Inn fully decorated and ready to go for her special guests, including two members of the town's founding family and the White's friend Christopher's wife and her friend Jackie. Joining them is a team from the Book of Guiness World records as Holly's Mom is trying to set the record for the largest gingerbread cookie ever made. Everything is going well until there is a tragic accident with the cookie, and one of the Inn's guests meets an unusual death. Was this an accident? Was it murder? Who would want to spoil the holiday joy? Come along for Holly's annual adventure and enjoy the holiday festivities while we try to find out what really happened. Thanks to #Netgally, #CrookedLaneBooks, and the author for a chance to read. #I'llbeHomeForMischief #JacquelineFrost #ReindeerGames #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

It was great to visit Mistletoe, Maine again. If you are looking for a cozy mystery set during Christmas this is the perfect choice. The characters are engaging, the setting is picturesque and the story moves at a good pace. Even if you have not read the previous books, you will be able to understand the character dynamics and relationships.


Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
#IllBeHomeforMischief #NetGalley