So much fun! A holiday whodunnit on a remote English estate with a very generous helping of romance DURING CHRISTMAS! This was my cup of tea.
Mystery writers and rivals, Maggie and Ethan, are invited to an English estate for Christmas by their biggest fan. Maggie is not excited about sharing the trip with Ethan. She hates him, thinks of ways to kill him while she's lying in bed at night ("so, you're saying that you think of me in bed?"). Ethan is a quirky guy who couldn't be more thrilled to have this time with Maggie. He loves getting under her skin.
Their biggest fan turns out to be a prolific and famous mystery writer, herself. We're also introduced to a duke, a duchess, a lawyer, a doctor, a butler, a nephew, a long-lost niece, an inspector, and more. The game is afoot when the elderly writer goes missing,

Shots are fired, poison is discovered, and love is kindled. Can Maggie find out who has it our for her idol? Can she trust her arch nemesis? So much fun and intrigue, I couldn't put it down.

If you're looking for a fast-paced and fun holiday read, add this one to your TBR.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I honestly LOVED it!

I’ve trusted Ally Carter since the Gallagher girl series and she didn’t disappoint. I loved everything about this book, the murder mystery aspect, the romance, everything. The romance my god, it’s very obvious from the beginning that Ethan is in love with Maggie and has been for A WHILE. Maggie, girl open your eyes, that man loves you. The characters were great, I loved going along the ride to find out what happened. It was such a good quick read, I want to pick it up again in the fall and read it with the fall vibes in the air. Thank you NetGalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for the arc.

A little mystery. A little Christmas. A little romance. I plowed through this book and enjoyed every minute of it. Get cozy, settle in, and enjoy!


I voluntarily read an early copy.

Thank you Avon Books for the advanced copy!

While I liked some parts, majority of this is a no for me.

First - the romance was not believable at all. "I love you" after 2 days, and they barely even spoke in the 5 years beforehand??? Major insta-love on the MMC's part also. I just couldn't get into it.

Second - the twist of who the murderer is was so confusing because it came out of NOWHERE! I don't even know how the FMC knew all those details because I swear they were never mentioned to us (someone correct me if I'm wrong)

So overall, an easy and mindless winter read but not one I would recommend. Sad to say that because I've been looking forward to this for a while and I love her books.

There's no way, no universe, no reality in which you aren't the brightest star in the whole damn sky…
~
I know I say it all the time, but I have truly never met an Ally Carter book I didn’t love, and this one was no exception. An ode to Agatha Christie with a Christmas backdrop at a manor in England? What more could one ask for? I couldn’t put it down. Ethan and Maggie were a blast as our main characters. Maggie, aside from being so utterly relatable, was cunning and witty and so much more than she even realizes. Ethan is hilarious, I love his backstory and how he sees Maggie, and how he finally gets her to realize it as they follow their instincts to survive this locked…estate game. And Eleanor Ashley? Don’t even get me started, I adore the woman and we hardly even see her! Our cast of characters was rule of thumb in the best way, and the red herrings thrown in throughout were so plausible at times that they had me second-guessing myself. I absolutely loved the way that some of Ms. Ashley’s 99 novels were sprinkled in as clues for her biggest fan, and it just made my heart happy. This was just so well planned out and executed and it is truly a fun, makes you think kind of book that I cannot recommend enough.

I love a seasonal read and flew through this perfect cozy Christmas mystery set in England when the most famous mystery author Eleanor Ashley goes missing without a trace from her own home. Think Clue and Agatha Christie with a locked room mystery and add a rivals-to-lovers romance.

We meet Maggie the new queen of mystery author who has a heartbreaking traumatic past that has Christmas being her least favorite holiday and her rival Ethan Wyatt the big time thriller author.

Together these two make an entertaining crime solving duo with banter and chemistry that keeps you turning pages. Not only are they following clues to find Eleanor the Duchess of Death but Maggie is led to the truth about Ethan and where her heart is safest.

I loved seeing her growth as well as her finding out the sweet reason why he keeps calling her Marcie. It will melt your heart in the winter cold.

I really hope we get more books with this mystery solving couple!

The reason I didn’t give it 5⭐️ was because of the repeated lines like “do you want to make out?” and I couldn’t understand why Wyatt asked that so often and at the oddest of times as well as Maggie saying how much her and Wyatt hate each other. It interrupted their characterization for me and seemed unnecessary.

Read if you’re a fan of:
✨Rivals to Lovers
✨Forced Proximity
✨He falls first
✨Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me my first opportunity to read an arc in exchange for a review.

5 ⭐
0 🌶️
Tropes- rivals to lovers, flashbacks


It’s 2 days before Christmas and all through the house, Eleanor has disappeared and no one can find her, not even the mouse.


When Maggie and Ethan accept a cryptic invitation to the home of reclusive, world famous mystery writer Eleanor Ashley, the last thing they expect to happen is to get caught up trying to solve her disappearance in the middle of a winter storm.


Oh man, this book was SO FREAKING GOOD. I was pulled into this book right away and essentially read it in one sitting. It’s a smart and funny whodunnit that kept me guessing until the very end (I only figured out 1/4th of the twist/ending lol)


The sarcasm and snark between Maggie and Ethan is hilarious, especially how he keeps calling her the wrong name and their chemistry leaps off the pages. Along with that, Ally Carter does an excellent job of balancing the mystery plot with the romance plot- I was so invested in their relationship


This book is funny, but heartfelt and deep. I can’t overstate what a satisfying read this was.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Killer Crime Club and Avon and Harper Voyager.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Murder meets romance in this quirky Christmas setting. It is a fun and witty story that combines the best of both genres. You will justr enjoy the lightness of the banner between the two main characters charming read to discover,

I adored this. A locked room mystery/romance with 2 great main characters that are even more fun working together. This was a charming and heartwarming story. The banter was top notch and the chemistry between Ethan and Maggie felt easy and never forced. Not to mention the unforeseen twists the story takes that surprised me many times throughout. This was a great time from the first page all the way to the last paragraph.
Thank you to the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ally Carter can truly do no wrong and this book was a joy to read! Thank goodness she has come onto the adult book scene. This had all the suspense and character development that I wanted, while also devoting plenty of time to create a great romance as well!

My first Ally Carter did not disappoint! This was the perfect holiday murder mystery complete with an isolated manor in snowy England, a world famous author disappeared from a locked room, several attempted murders, an eclectic group of suspects, and a swoon worthy romance.

This was super fun & easy and I Ioved following along as Maggie and Ethan tracked down clues and set out to solve the mystery. The rivals to lovers romance was absolutely perfect and the banter was top notch. Ethan “I’m hot while I wield an axe” Wyatt was everything - shoutout to the “he falls first” and “touch her and die” tropes. My heart also really went out to Maggie as she worked through her past trauma. The only thing that would have made this better is a little spice.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy, funny, and romantic holiday mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing book by Ally Carter. This book is great for everyone in your life. The writing style and fun one-liners are exactly what you would expect from an Ally Carter novel. I loved every minute of reading this story.

This book was so fun! The perfect holiday read for anyone who grew up loving a good game of clue or reading Nancy Drew. The book follows two rival mystery authors as they join a famed veteran novelist and her group of eclectic guest for what is guaranteed to be a Christmas to remember! You are in for an adventure as Maggie and Ethan team up and follow the clues to solve the puzzle of how Eleanor Ashley disappeared from the untouched room that was locked from the inside.

There is a little bit of something for everyone, some classic enemies to lovers and one bed tropes, mixed in with some good old fashioned sleuthing, following clues, secret passageways and locked doors and multiple attempted murders.
It was fun how the duel point of view was set up, the first half was all from Maggie’s point of view. Then we got to alternate between Maggie and Ethan. It was fun to see how their view of the same events varied. If you love a fun light hearted mystery with a healthy dose of rom com this is the perfect holiday read for you!

This was like Clue at christmas time but with a rivals to lovers romance and plenty of twists, turns, and keep-you-up-all-night action. I loved the main characters who were just as layered as the rest of the plot. This was a HUGE nod to Agatha Christie's books and personal history, which I suspected when I originally chose to read it, as I read it, and confirmed in the acknowledgements, and I think Carter did a fantastic job with that subject matter.
One thing I always want with romances is a little spice. There was plenty of will they won't they, but not too much in relation to spiciness. Still a fantastically funny romantic mystery that I recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author tmfor the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just as ridiculous and enjoyable as The Blonde Identity, this is a good choice for readers who can suspend disbelief and want to enjoy a mystery x romcom.

Several things I enjoyed
- Ethan, the main male character, was chivalrous and easy to like, with his character growing in depth as the story went on
- The mystery, both in who was behind it also also why
- The writing, which I found entertaining while still being as easy read to breeze through the book, and the varied way it brought the story together - switching perspectives, flashbacks in time, and the occasional police transcript

My biggest issue with the book was Maggie, the main female character. She has a lot of self doubt and while I understood where that came from for her character, it grew old reading it constantly even through the epilogue. Additionally, while we weren’t meant to like the majority of the supporting cast, it still isn’t enjoyable for me to read about all the self-absorbed and unhelpful characters.

I was given a free copy of this book; I’m leaving an honest and voluntary review.

Arc review: 4.5 ⭐️
I loved this! It’s a fun, fast paced, knives-out whodunnit - except with authors which was a nice book nerd twist. Clues, hijinks, romance, MURDER???? Loved. I also grew up reading Ally Carter, so it’s fun to read her as an adult now! The characters have a lot of depth too, so it was not just silly shenanigans but some real growth too!
Note- this is a closed door romance- but it packs some steam and swoon 💕
Thank you for the advanced copy Avon and Harper Voyager!

Ally Carter has created two delightful main characters that are authors — cozy mystery maven Maggie and thriller dude Ethan. They’ve interacted (badly) over five years at various writing events, publisher conferences, and book festivals, but they find themselves near Christmas in close quarters on a private jet as they are being whisked away to the isolated Scottish borderlands at the invitation of an unknown hostess. That hostess turns out to be the world’s best-selling mystery author, Eleanor Ashley (think Agatha Christie), who has also invited an array of relatives to the mansion. Maggie and Ethan do some back and forth bickering/flirting initially, but they find themselves as team detectives when Eleanor mysteriously disappears from her locked office. As the story continues, there are murder attempts, poisonings, and, of course, the bridge has collapsed and there’s no cell or wi-fi. The perfect setting for a holiday nail-biter.

It's a romantic comedy, holiday book, and cozy mystery that’s cute and charming and has an enchanting enemies-to-lovers theme developing as the mystery gets solved. I fell in love with both Maggie and Ethan and they deserve another book in the future. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Blue and brown eyes, but no green ones.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But yay for the poison garden!

Thank you to Avon and Harper/Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Absolutely loved this!! It’s filled with romance, a cozy mystery and all the Christmas vibes. It’s would be a great holiday read.

thank you to netgalley for the arc xoxo

This was so mind-blowingly cute??? This hit so many good romance tropes on top of being such a fun little cozy mystery book. Most of the other characters are outrageous in the best way.

I thought the first couple of chapters were a little slow, but once we get to the mystery it starts flying. The chapters are short and it’s easy to get through. very charming and a lot of fun.

Would recommend it if you want a light Christmas book filled with romance and mystery!

and i do love when my men are needy and in LOVE.

Maggie Chase despises Ethan Wyatt, the two rivaling each other in the book industry. She works to avoid him at all costs but it has become increasingly difficult as his cool-guy persona grows and grows in publishing. It’s also Christmas time, another thing Maggie despises; she has a complicated history with Christmas. So when Maggie receives a letter from a fan who wants to fly her to England for Christmas she’s obviously hesitant but her beloved friend, Deborah, pushes her to go and promises her that she won’t regret it. What she doesn’t know is that Ethan has accepted the same letter and now they’re both trapped in an English mansion together during Christmas . When the host of the party—and not just any host but an icon in the book industry—goes missing from a locked room, the two are forced to work together to solve the mystery.

Hi hello it’s me and no I wasn’t hacked. I read a romance book! Now to be fair, the mystery aspect of it may have been what truly lassoed me. My main qualm with romance books is always the same and it’s a personal thing; it’s why many people read romance and why I abhor it. Sex. Spice. Whatever you want to call it. I don’t like it, I don’t care, it doesn’t add to the plot (I said it!), I don’t want it in my books. So when I saw early reviewers calling this a “closed-door” romance… Well that in addition to a mystery and a snowy landscape, I was in.

I actually adored this book. It was witty and playful without being too cheesy and the short chapters move the story along at a quick pace.
He has GOT to stop calling her “sweetheart” though 🤮 and it was a little frustrating how quickly Maggie went from “I hate you” to “omg his abs”.

Overall, this was a cute and fun read—very Knives Out vibes with a romance sub-plot—and I would definitely recommend it to my fellow readers who want an easy to read holiday story without the spice (I see you).

That’s enough romance for me for the next two years (nothing personal) ookkkk bye.

Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/24/2024!