I always look forward to these seasonal cozy novellas. These have led me to new authors that I now love. When I have patrons looking to try a cozy mystery, these are perfect introductions. Although each novella is part of an established series, each story is written in such a way that you can leap into the story without having read previous titles. I read this book primarily for the Peggy Ehrhart title. I am a big Knit and Nibble fan but this one was a tad confusing and too quickly wrapped up at the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for review.

Irish Soda Bread by Carlene O'Connor: This was a fun, short mystery and I was so happy to meet up with Tara Meehan again. The Home to Ireland series only has two full length books so I love getting to read these short stories.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart: This was a fun, short mystery in the Knit and Knibble series. I love this series but the short stories are even better because Peggy doesn't get wrapped up in the minutiae of the story, like bone china and Bettina's outfits.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread by Liz Ireland: I loved seeing the elves in Cloudberry Bay! Liz packed a lot of action into this short mystery and Ernie really is a horrible caretaker.

Three different reads surrounding a murder mystery involving Irish Soda Bread. A nice way of being introduced to new authors. I have read Charlene O’Connor in the past and this was a good novella. My favorite was a new author Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man. A far fetched story of elves and crazy happenings at her Inn. Sometimes one needs a funny getaway from life and this did deliver.
Thank you #NetGallery for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #IrishSodaBreadMurder

This book has three novellas in it. My favorite was the last one, Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. April Claus returns to Oregon with three elf friends to take care of inn repairs. April finds that things are not well at the inn. The elves must keep their identities secret. They are roped into an Irish Soda Bread contest and parade. The neighbor lady is and terror and a half. I thoroughly enjoy this series and loved that this story took place in Oregon. I liked the change of scenery.

I found all three stories well written with wonderful characters. Keep writing these and I’ll keep reading them. Nice stories to fill the gaps while waiting for a full book to be written in each series.

Bonus - recipes provided.

Netgalley gave me an advanced copy and these are my own opinions. I am not required to leave a favorable review.

I enjoy these collections of stories. They either introduce me to new series or author or are a nice way to hold me over until the next book in a series comes out. These have a Irish soda bread/St Patrick’s Day theme and all were enjoyable to read. The stories are Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, and Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. I enjoyed all 3 stories, but my favorite is the Mrs. Claus story. I look forward to the next books in all 3 series.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is the third collection of three cozies playing on a seasonal theme and murder method. This time for St. Patrick's Day, it's Irish soda bread. I imagine it must be fun for these authors to work with these constraints within their characters' universe. Previously, I read [book:Halloween Cupcake Murder|84283444] and [book:Irish Milkshake Murder|125064639].

<i>Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor<i/> - Tara, her Uncle Johnny and his wife Rose are hosting a psychic fair and bake sale at the salvage mill in Galway . One of the psychics is found dead after eating Johnny's soda bread. But who poisoned the baked goods? And why couldn't anyone see this tragedy coming?

<i>An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart</i> - Peggy and Bettina are steps away when a murder takes place at the St. Patrick's Festival. As in previous books, the food and table settings are meticulously described. I'd love to see more of that focus on the characters and crime solving. I think I need to read one of Ehrhart's full length Knit & Nibble books because I think the ratio between knitting, eating and sleuthing is probably more balance with more pages to fill.

<i>Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland</i> - April Claus and three of the elves are in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon checking on a broken pipe at the inn April runs in "the offseason". I absolutely loved the elves interacting in the human world. It was so fun.

These short stories can be read as stand alone and are a great way to try out a new cozy mystery series. I hope they continue with these in the future.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

A themed short story or novella collection of cozy mysteries to tempt you to binge the series or to give you a morsel to keep you excited for the next book in the series to come out. In this collection, three different authors have taken a loaf of Irish Soda Bread and woven it into a story using their own characters from one of their series that they write to create a mystery to delight and entertain! It is so much fun to see how each author uses the item in their story in a completely different manner than the other authors. While each create a fun and entertaining mystery to feed our mystery loving brains and bring us another installment of their individual series! If you haven't read any of the authors, this is a way to get a taste of the characters. However, I will say that reading the series in order will allow you to get to know the characters and personal relationships between the various people in each story much better as each book builds upon the last book to further develop stronger characters and friendships. This is an outstanding collection of authors with unique and sometimes quirky characters that will make you smile with enjoyment as you read the book.

Irish Soda Bread Murder is compilation of St. Patrick’s Day themed cozy mysteries.

The first mystery in the set is Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Conor and is part of the A Home to Ireland Mystery series. Tara Meehan is days away from her wedding, but first she’s got to help her uncle out with the psychic convention her aunt is putting on. When one of the psychics turns up dead, Tara is on the case once again to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery and thought the characters and storyline were good. The mystery was fast paced and interesting which made for a quick read. I’ve read one other book in this series and am definitely open to reading more.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is part of the A Knot & Nibble Mystery series. It’s St. Patrick’s Day in Arborville and to celebrate the town is holding a sofa bread baking contest. The festivities are going well until one of the town councilman acting as a judge ends up dead. Unable to let the mystery sit, Pamela and Bettina are on the case stopping at nothing to find the truth.

This series has been one of my longtime favorites and I love seeing a new installation coming out. I loved this new mystery and thought it was the perfect short St. Patrick’s Day cozy. I love Pamela so much and think Bettina is the perfect sidekick. This series always makes me happy and I enjoyed this mystery. I look forward to seeing what comes next!

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man is part of the Mrs. Claus mystery series by Liz Ireland. When April Claus returns to Cloudberry, Oregon to check on her flooded inn she doesn’t expect to venture into a murder investigation. With three elves in tow, April must get to the bottom of the mystery before someone starts asking questions about her three leprechaun like friends.

I have only read one other short mystery in this series and I don’t think I was a big fan, but I really did enjoy this mystery. So much so that I think I will need to check out more of this series and see how it all began!

If you are in the mood for three good and quick cozy mysteries this collection is for you!

I always look forward to these seasonal three-story anthologies especially when the Home to Ireland characters are in one of the stories. Uncle Johnny always cracked me up in the regular series and I really enjoy how the series has been able to continue through these short stories.

I’ve read a couple of the Knit and Nibble series so far even though I own them all, it's the so many books so little time thing. And I always kept meaning to start the Mrs. Claus series since I've gotten to know April, Nick and some of the elves through these short stories as well. Lots of St. Patrick's day mischief, murder and mystery going on in this book, so don't miss it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The problem with books containing short stories or novels is that if one falls particularly flat, the whole book suffers. This one is three novellas all centered around Irish soda bread. The first story, by Carlene O’Connor, is a sweet cozy murder mystery including a wild cast of psychics and a decently intriguing plotline. I enjoy O’Connor’s writing style and while I think she could have eked a bit more length out of this one, I enjoyed reading it. The second story by Peggy Ehrhart really ruined the whole book for me. The story had nearly zero plot and an unnecessarily large cast of characters for something so short. She spends a crazy amount of time on descriptions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story and don’t seem congruent with even setting the scene (ex: why did I need the intricate details of all three of the articles the main character was editing when they were so wildly off topic from the narrative?). Story three by Liz Ireland could have been decent but for two main flaws: 1) I was already super put off by the second story, and 2) without having read any other of Ireland’s work, particularly around the main character of April Claus who yes is indeed the wife of Santa, the conceit of this story felt absolutely mind-numbing WILD. Going in completely unprepared, Santa’s wife and three elves showing up in Oregon to care for an inn and getting entangled in wild animal trading during the local St Patrick’s Day celebrations including a soda break bake-off is… a lot.

Overall I would have been quite happy stopping after the first story.

A trio of cozy mysteries surrounding the Irish love of soda bread. Each story centers on bakery communities and the competitive spirit when reputations are on the line. One of the stories even combines the spirit of Ireland with the spirit of Christmas when elves help investigate the murder. As always, this series of books is a great example of the skilled story telling these ladies are famous for, just in a shortened version.

Three stories from different cozy series that all feature Irish soda bread. I hadn't read any of these authors' series before, so it was interesting to see the different settings!

I really enjoyed the first and third stories. The second story was not as much for me in writing style, but people who like this series already will enjoy it. Among story collections like this I've read, this one overall was very enjoyable.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun collection of 3 novellas based around the idea of what would happen if there was a murder connected to an Irish soda bread contest. I listened to the audiobook for this one and I thought the narrator did a good job with the first and third story bringing the characters to life, but in the second story I had a hard time distinguishing between the characters. I liked the third story the best, but the Mrs. Claus cozy mysteries are ones I greatly enjoy so that wasn’t much of a surprise. The first story is set at a paranormal practitioner fair and I loved the cast of unique characters trying to figure out who murdered one of their own. The second story is about a judge who mysteriously drops dead after tasting the first Irish soda bread in the contest. The third has Mrs. Claus and three of the elves going to her inn in Oregon to fix some water damage and stumbling upon a contest for Irish soda bread and a murder. These were fun and definitely will get you in the mood for St. Patricks Day.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER is a compilation of three tasty novellas by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland. Even though it’s not St. Patrick’s Day yet, these three stories will get you in the mood to celebrate while nibbling on a delicious slice of bread.

I like that the first book, Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, is actually set in Ireland. The author captures the spirit of the emerald isle with its feisty personalities as protagonist Tara Meehan helps her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose with a local psychic convention. Who knew psychics could be so competitive?! It sets the stage for a lot of humor, which added to the appeal of the story. I also liked that it’s Uncle Johnny who bakes multiple loaves of soda bread for the bake sale charity event. Unfortunately, one of those loaves ends up killing one of the psychics. I’m always amazed at how the author can weave so much information and investigations into such a short novella. There were plenty of suspects—none of the psychics liked each other. I must applaud the author for using some clever tactics for Tara to get information. With a heartwarming ending and a wedding right around the corner, I can’t wait to find out what happens next with Tara!

The next story in the installment is An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, featuring Bettina Fraser and Pamela Paterson, longtime friends, neighbors, and Knit and Nibble club besties. The author’s tantalizing descriptive skills bring each scene to life, especially where food is concerned, and the St. Patrick’s theme is on full display. I like the protagonists are of an older generation yet are actively involved in the community. When one of the judges at the Irish soda bread baking competition dies after sampling a piece, Bettina feels responsible since it was her idea to have the bake-off. This is a gently paced mystery as Bettina and Pamela start asking questions around town and digging into the judge’s background. Since the Irish soda bread from each competitor had been sitting on a table unattended, there are suspects galore. As they gather clues, like pieces of a puzzle, including some that don’t seem to belong, the culprit slowly begins to be made clear, until the final resolution.

The third and final story is Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. This clever plot with memorable characters is probably my favorite of the bunch. While I love all the previous stories set in the North Pole with protagonist Mrs. April Claus and her husband, Santa, it was a delight to visit April’s Oregon home to take care of repairs to her inn, with three of her elf friends tagging along. The author does a marvelous job of bringing the characters to life and setting the stage for a multi-faceted mystery. The elves bring humor to the story as they try to remain incognito, as does April entering an Irish soda bread baking competition, despite being a terrible cook. When April discovers her inn was being used to store stolen goods and a murder takes place, she and the elves must solve the crime before the elves’ true identities are discovered. This is a fun, fun read with enough action and clues to keep the reader engaged!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland is a collection of three short stories that include Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor, An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart, and Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland. The expected publication date of this book is December 24, 2024, and my overall review of this book is four out of five stars. I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest review.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor opens with Tara Meehan helping her Uncle Johnny and Aunt Rose with a local bake sale and psychic convention with the proceeds going to charity. When Rose's biggest rival shows up and ends up dying from her soda bread, Tara knows she must step in to help clear her aunt and uncle from the suspect list.

I enjoyed this story a lot better than the last one I read in the series. The only complaint I have is that it was really hard for me to keep the characters straight. However, I loved the fact that the storyline involved a psychic convention. There have been many times I have had a palm reading or a tarot card reading when I've visited Salem, so reading about a convention that offers such a thing was a lot of fun. The author did a great job of throwing suspicion on various characters. I rated this short story four out of five stars.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart opens with the local Arborville, New Jersey newspaper Advocate hosting an Irish Soda Bread competition for St. Patrick's Day. But when the judge, a local council man, dies while tasting the entries, Bettina and Pamela know they must team up once again to find the culprit.

This short story was one that I wasn't crazy about. There were many times that I had to reread what I had just read because the transitions were a little clumsy at times, which kept me from fully enjoying the story. The author did throw in a few good clues as to who the culprit might be. I gave this short story three out of five stars.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland opens with April Claus arriving in Cloudberry Bay, Oregon with Juniper, Jingles, and Butterbean to check on her flooded inn. One of April's worries is that her three friends will accidentally reveal that they're elves that work for her husband Nick, who just happens to be Santa Claus! Her worries start adding up when she finds stolen exotic cats in her attic, a dead person in her entryway, and a brick thrown through her window. Will April be able to find out who the culprit is with the help of the elves?

I am so glad that I was able to give Liz Ireland a second chance with this series. I ended up enjoying this most recent story immensely. I did figure out who was responsible for the brick through the window and had my suspicion as to who the culprit was for the remaining crimes. It seemed to be a bit more mature than the last one I read by the same author, and I'm looking forward to reading more stories in her Mrs. Claus series. Four out of five stars is what I gave this short story.

This book includes three separate cozy mystery novellas with plots having a connection to Irish soda bread.

The first story has the same name as the collection, Irish Soda Bread, and was written by Carlene O'Connor. The novella is part of the Home to Ireland series. I've read one prior novella and one full-length novel which helped a bit with the background since the story does have a lot of characters to keep track of. The main character is Tara Meehan who has moved from New York to Ireland. She is helping out at a psychic convention and unfortunately one of them didn't see what was coming and dies after eating a piece of soda bread. Tara is determined to get to the truth of this untimely death. I liked the setting and the way Tara questions the suspects, but didn't always follow who was who.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Ehrhart is part of the Knit and Nibble Mystery series featuring best friends Pamela Paterson and Bettina Fraser. The story includes an Irish Soda Bread baking contest and a suspicious death. There are clues to the identity of the killer, but I missed them! This novella has all of the elements of the series' full-length novels - the Knit and Nibble club meetings, Pamela's work as a fiber arts magazine editor, and plenty of sleuthing by Pamela and Bettina. I find this series to be fun and relaxing to read, so I enjoyed this story.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man is another charming installment of Liz Ireland's Mrs. Claus series. This time April Claus returns to her hometown in Oregon where she runs an inn in the summer to check on some damage to the property. She brings three of her elf friends from Santaland with her and has her hands full dealing with her inn's caretaker who hasn't been doing his job, baking for a soda bread contest, and keeping the elves out of trouble and out of the crosshairs of her nosy neighbor. April once again proves to be a capable sleuth in a complicated but entertaining case.

I received an advance copy of this ebook for review consideration from NetGalley and Kensington Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Irish Soda Bread Murder is a St. Patrick’s Day anthology with soda bread being the common theme in each novella. Who knew this Irish bread could be so dangerous? By Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland this is a great anthology to get to read a new author or enjoy one whose books you often read. Murder is right along with the soda bread, but each is a cozy mystery without the gore.

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor has some unusual characters of local psychics. They are there for a charity fair which a murder interrupts the fair. The characters are interesting with lots of suspects. I must say I did not solve this one until Tara did so.

An Irish Recipe for Murder by Peggy Erhart is the first of two soda bread competitions. A murdered judge causes the sleuth to be on the lookout for the killer. Quite a bit of intrigue.

Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man by Liz Ireland is a fun read with Mrs. Claus returning to her former home with elves, a lacking caretaker and a former neighbor enemy on the warpath. The story is involved with the murder happening later in the story. Still my favorite of the three.

Irish Soda Bread Murder features stories by three writers. Carlene O'Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland. Each author provides interesting cozy mystery. In each one someone is killed and the heroines have to solve them. Of course each one is related to soda bread. In one the murder victim is found clutching soda bread. In the other two the soda bread is the cause for the deaths.

A fun cozy with three very likeable character that you shouldn't miss.

IRISH SODA BREAD MURDER Saint Patrick’s Day is almost here and Tara’s wedding day is close. However, she needs to help at a fair at her uncle’s salvage mill. Unfortunately, one of the psychics is found dead and they will need to group together to find the murderer. Love the setting and the characters.

AN IRISH RECIPE FOR MURDER
Saint Patrick’s Day is here and there’s an Irish Soda Bread competition at the local community center. The day is a celebration of story telling and more until the judge dies while tasting the first bread. Bettina and Pamela are on the case to find the true murderer.

MRS. CLAUS AND THE SINISTER SODA BREAD MAN Mrs. Claus returns to Oregon early to take care of a major water leak at her bed and breakfast. She takes three elves with her as the town is never busy in the spring. However, this year the town is celebrating St Patrick’s Day and has a large amount of visitors. April Claus has her hands full trying to get the repairs done, keep track of the elves, and find out what is in the attic. Lots of fun in this mystery. I do love these characters.

A festive and fun collection of mystery stories centered around St. Patrick's Day.

Carleen O'Connor's "Irish Soda Bread Murder' incorporates characters from her "Home to Ireland' series, with main character Tara about to celebrate her wedding. Firstly, though, she has to help solve a murder during the Psychic Fair and Bake Sale being held literally on her doorstep. The cast of characters is large, and very excentric, and the mystery is somewhat convoluted and hard to follow.

The second story, "Irish Recipe for Murder" was much easier to get immersed in, even without reading the "Knit & Nibble' series it was based on. The author skillfully draws you into her small-town world, and the characters' relationships and personalities are realistically portrayed. The main character edits a knitting magazine, and I really want to read the articles she mentioned working on! Lots of discussion of knitting/crafting, quirky pets (loved Woofus the dog), and yummy food ensue. I plan to try the included recipe for Irish Whiskey Bars at our next St. Pat's feast!

"Mrs. Claus and the Sinister Soda Bread Man" was my favorite, though......just so much fun. April Claus (yes, THAT Claus) leaves the North Pole to check on the B&B she owns in Oregon....accompanied by a trio of elves. Wackiness ensues, including stolen exotic cats, the Russian mob, a cut-throat bake sale, and tons of breakfast cereal. Oh, and 'leprechauns'.