This was my first Ayla Rose's book and won't be my last. This is the first book in the Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery Series, a cozy mystery. I liked Hannah's sleuthing. The characters are well developed, and interesting. I liked Reggie (Hannah's sister) and the detective Noah. The plot is well crafted, and intriguing. The cast of supporting characters is impressive. I liked the intrigue and the twists and turns. Maria Ru-Djen is a new narrator to me. She has a beautiful voice, and a great range of voices. If you like cozy mysteries, this book is for you!

This was a really fun and quick read! Who doesn't love a good cozy about an Inn Keeper? This was my 1st book by Ayla Rose but it will not be my last! I need to find out what happens in the next installment in the series!

#MurderonDevilsPond
#NetGalley

A fun read and a promising start to a new series.

I was pleasantly surprised by this because I was expecting something akin to a more traditional cozy, and while this lacks the atmosphere and humor that sometimes make those fun reads, this is a far better structured story and a much more high quality mystery.

I do wish these had a bit more focus on setting and atmosphere, but I was impressed by the mystery itself, and the characters are likable enough to hold down a continuing series.

This is on the long side for a book like this and probably could have used a bit of humor, but otherwise it was a solid read, and I’ll certainly look for the next in the series.

I enjoyed this book! The characters were lovely and so was the narrator. I was engaged and the writing was interesting!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me through audio version. This was a great murder mystery novel. I really enjoyed the characters and the story plot. So if you like cozy mysteries you will love this book! The narrator is good and the cover is beautiful.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

When Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. What she gets is a murder investigation when a body is found on the property.

This was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series. I loved the setting and can’t wait to see where the story goes!

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t wait to read more in this series!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn’t figure out who done it which is always a plus. It’s clean and cozy, a fantastic read.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

When Hannah's recluse neighbor ends up dead, she finds herself as one of the suspects and starts digging for the truth.

This story had all the makings of a great cozy mystery, but overall there wasn't anything that drew me in or was memorable. I'm not mad that I finished it, but I probably won't continue in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for a free copy of #MurderOnDevil'sPond by Ayla Rose. All opinions are my own.

Cozy mysteries are my bread and butter. my comfort. i adore them. this is no different. the narrator was perfection. if you love a good cozy mystery, then I highly recommend this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Liked it, fun while I was reading it
A cozy mystery that started out a little on the slow side, but world building (the cozy part) was happening so it didn't bother me so much. The mystery part kept me reading, although I did switch to listening on a really fast speed.

The narrator, Maria Ru-Djen, did a good job, I had no trouble understanding who was saying what, where, when, and with what expression/intension. It just felt slow.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, NetGalley, and author Ayla Rose for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Murder on Devil's Pond is out July 9, 2024.

A fun series debut! I’m interested to see how this series develops - the FMC seems to have an intriguing backstory and it will be fun to see the author dive more into that.

I love cozy mysteries, but I feel like when it comes to audiobooks, I have yet to settle into a narrator or narrative style that quite fits the mood I'm looking for. I feel like on this, at times the narrator came across as a little flat, which made come across as lacking determination and ability.

Despite this, I still fully enjoyed this book. It took a little longer for me to settle in, but I loved the setting at the inn. I'm no gardener, but I could appreciate what Hannah was working toward, hoping to create a haven for pollinators and draw in hummingbirds and honeybees.

When Ezra Greyson is found dead on her property, and Hannah herself finds his body, she's shocked to find herself a suspect. For the last two years, Ezra has been one of her closest friends. She seems to be one of the only people that actually mourns his passing!

Hannah is even more shocked when she learns that Ezra left his estate to her. Despite the rundown state of the house, Ezra's property has long been sought after by developers. And his estate was not diminished, instead he had a sizable sum to leave behind.

Hannah soon learns that money is not the only thing Ezra was hiding. Would one of his family members have killed him in hopes of getting the estate? Or could someone with a link to his past have a motive? Hannah just wants to know who the real Ezra was - the friend she'd had for the past two years, or the unpleasant hermit the town remembers him as.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a free eaudio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is very slow paced and not exactly a cozy but not a thriller either. I found myself getting a little tired of trying to keep up with all the characters and different subplots. By the end, I didn't really care who the murderer was, I just was ready to be done with it. The narrator didn't add anything to make the characters come alive. There were some good plot points, but somehow the writing didn't pull me into the story. Overall, I feel like I just endured the book rather than really experiencing it.

If I have the quote correct, Stephen King said that if an author doesn’t capture your attention in the first 10% of the book, they aren’t doing their job. I gave Wendy Tyson, who is writing as Ayla Rose, that chance with Murder on Devil’s Pond. Unfortunately, the book opens at a snail’s pace. Even though the murder victim is clear from the start, the narrative lacks the spark needed to keep readers hooked and eager to uncover the culprit.

Hoping for a better experience, I switched to the audiobook narrated by Maria Ru-Djen. Unfortunately, her performance failed to capture my interest, even when I sped up the narration. The story didn’t have the momentum to keep me engaged.

A cozy mystery involving a bed and breakfast and lots of family drama? Always a yes!

This is a debut novel for this author, Ayla Rose and I would enjoy reading more if she decides to make Hannah and the rest of the crew surrounding the Hummingbird Hallow B&B.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery (although more mystery than cozy) set in a small town B&B. The author did a good job of keeping you guessing about who did it until the end. Several scenarios were presented which made it more interesting. The narrator did an excellent job of portraying each character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good beginning to a new series and a satisfying mystery. There were plenty of twists to keep the reader satisfied. I really liked the characters. Hannah, her sister, the town folk--and of course the dog and cat steal--feel like real people that you could spend time with. The setting in Vermont is perfect for a cozy.

The narrator did a good job with the different characters.

I would definitely read more in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

What a great first installment in this series. The cozy was nicely written and flowed smoothly. I particularly loved Ezra’s pup. It was fun learning about Hannah and Reggie and their relationship with others in the town. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good start for a new cozy series featuring interesting and likeable characters. The plot is well developed, the mystery is solid.
I liked the setting and the solution was unexpected.
The narrator added more colour and liked how it was read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose and narrated by Maria Ru-Djen was a comfy listen and had many of my faourite tropes wthin. A small town mystery that is a good listen for a lazy afternoon

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Ayla Rose and narrator Maria Ru-Djen for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own