Ooh, Vera was making me so angry for the better part of this book! She asked her sister to come back to help with their dad's business and her new book store, then she just abandoned her sister to their dad's business. I am glad that Vera explained her side to Maggie and that they were able to reach an agreement.

I loved the inclusion of the cryptids and the cryptid convention in this book. I would totally go to a cryptid convention, it sounds like it would be really fun, except for the murder.

Looking forward to reading the next book in this series and seeing what trouble Maggie gets herself into next.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book as I could not get vested in the story at all. I wanted to enjoy it being from Florida and being a cozy mystery fan and a romance gal. The characters felt flat and I just found myself putting the book down more and more.

Thank you to NetGalley and to 8th Note Press for the ARC of Swamp Princess by Tara Lush.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series and thought it was a great start to a new cozy mystery series. As someone who lived in Florida for five years, and who is writing this while watching the new Florida based show Bad Monkey, I think the setting is really unique and really encompasses the expectations of Florida Man and associated crimes. Sometimes I'll start a cozy series and think, but this town is so nice, why does the protagonist keep finding dead bodies?! Not in the Critters and Criminals series! It makes total sense that there will be random murders all over because Florida.

I want to say this one is 3.5 stars, only because I think character growth stuttered/stalled a bit here in a way that held the story itself back. At first, the death of a famous cryptid influencer while on a nature walk with Maggie was a great start to another compelling mystery - but it seemed like the story kept getting stuck on her relationships with Jack and her sister, both of which felt really forced. Vera's disappointment and shaming of Maggie in every joint scene felt so disjointed. I know Vera is more sensitive and insecure, but nothing about their relationship in this story felt loving, and Vera's odd ways of acting like book characters was kind of offputting. She just felt very flat in this one until the very end. Nick and Maggie, while making progress in their relationship is great, seemed a bit childish together as a couple. They seemed a lot more like teenagers trying to sneak away to be together than actual adults. I get why they were curious about the crime, but their actions just felt like "wouldn't it be fun to insert ourselves in this?" when instead, sticking to the "people now think Maggie killed someone because the death was livestreamed and she's on the camera". For Nick, a criminologist, to be so lax about messing around with a police investigation just felt immature. Maggie too seemed to be pretty centrally focused on herself or herself/Nick.

I did like the mystery a lot - and the very, very Florida personalities and cryptid enthusiasts. I thought the culminating end scene with the murderer felt a bit forced and oddly violent (especially when one character is being harmed and the other ignores it to do something else), thought the murderer itself made sense.

I'm hoping this is just a growing pain with being early in the series, and that we will see more growth in the characters and their motivations/actions in the next book.

(rounded up from 3.75)

Swamp Princess is the second book in a cozy mystery series set in a small town in Florida and featuring (non-identical) twin sisters, Maggie and Vera. Maggie has returned to Wahoo, Florida, to continue her family’s wildlife trapping business (mostly alligators, given the location). Vera has opened a romance-only bookstore in town. As with the first book, Gator Queen, there’s a ton of Florida atmosphere and some really funny moments along the way, in addition to a murder mystery.

There’s a Bigfoot convention in town - more accurately, a “cryptid” convention, with Bigfoot probably the best known one. Others mentioned along the way are Mothman, the Loch Ness Monster (“Nessie”) and the Skunk Ape (that one is local to Florida). Maggie has been asked to speak at the convention about local wildlife (again, mainly alligators) and to lead a nature walk. Vera is one of the vendors at the convention and is selling a ton of “monster romance” books to the attendees. When a YouTube/TikTok influencer who hunts cryptids keels over on Maggie’s nature walk, Maggie once again gets involved in sleuthing, along with her neighbor, Professor Jack Bianchi, who is in the area to write a book. The two of them had a “maybe” romance starting in book one.

I really enjoyed the story and the people who attended the Bigfoot conference. There are a lot of possible suspects. The whole story is narrated by Maggie and the one thing that stuck out at me is that, given she’s in her mid-20s, her inner monologue felt very immature to me, more like a hormonal teenager. I also haven’t completely warmed up to Vera; she seems pretty cranky much of the time, but Maggie loves her anyway. I’ll be on the lookout for more books in this series in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I've read and loved a handful of the author's romances she publishes under Tamara Lush, so I immediately wanted to check this one out! I didn't fully realize that this was a second book in a series, but not having read the first one didn't really affect my reading experience in any significant way.
The premise is super fun and unique -- a cryptid conference in Florida. There's a wide cast of characters and a solid murder mystery to solve. I'd categorize this mystery as more of the cozy type -- it's not too hard on the action, instead there's more of a focus on the sleuths investigating by asking questions and snooping around and talking to people. It's still fun and engaging, but more hard core mystery fans might be disappointed in the lack of action. I didn't mind though as the characters were fun and the quips were great. Think of it like a softer Stephanie Plum book set in Florida. I really liked all the main characters and the romance was super cute. Overall, a fun quick mystery read that hit a lot of buttons!

If you're looking for a very low stakes cozy mystery, this is for you! I thought it was a decent follow up for the first book in the series, with all the same players showing up. I enjoyed the lightheartedness of this book, and know that I will read more of these books in the future. It did drag a bit at times, but overall it was just a fine book to spend the day reading. The romance wasn't that believable, and honestly neither was the murder, but I was able to suspend belief enough to enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher; the review is my own.*

3.5 stars

This sequel was on par with the first book, and I'm glad I was able to get a copy (thank you, 8th Note Press!) so I could continue the story. It was fun with a cute romance (or two), reptiles, crazy Bigfoot fans, and crime. In addition to trapping alligators, Maggie gets involved in another murder investigation when a social media influencer in the Bigfoot world dies on a nature walk she's guiding.

I'm not typically an age-gap romance reader, but I really do like Maggie (25) and Jack (35--finally got an age!). He's rather self-conscious about being older than she is, but it's pretty adorable. She's confident in who she is, including all her quirks, and he's crazy about all of her. We also get a little bit more progress on a relationship between Vera (25) and Alex (29), who are pretty much the opposite of Maggie and Jack. Vera and Alex are a lot more shy and unsure of each other's feelings, but I like them together, too.

This book focuses more on the relationship between Maggie and Vera, as well. They have to learn how to navigate the separate aspects of their lives, which is good.

Only one thing about the writing really sticks out as something that bothered me. Jack and Alex included "bro," "man," and "bruh" in their dialogue so much in this book that I thought they were trying to be honorary members of my teenagers' generation. I don't recall them speaking that way in the first book, and it was just odd to have it in this one. Not a deal breaker, though.

Although the book doesn't end with a cliffhanger, I definitely feel that there's room for more and hope that there's at least a third book. I would absolutely read it.

Note: Some swearing. I can't remember if this one had any f words in it--if it did, there was maybe one. Some sensuality. Closed-door sex.

I have read this author’s coffee-themed series and missed the first in this new series. But I’m so glad I got to read this one and I can’t wait to go back and reading the first! Everyone needs a cozy series with a quick witted, sarcastic amateur sleuth and this one really fits the bill!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I jumped into this one without reading book one and while I definitely want to go back and do that this book was awesome on it's own. The characters were immediately relatable and fun and the plot moved quickly. I loved Maggie and Jack and their investigative adventures. Will definitely read more books by Tara and go back and read Gator Queen.

Maggie Andrews is swamped—literally—as she tries to balance running her family's gator trapping business, "defining the relationship" with tattooed professor Jack Bianchi, and helping her twin sister Vera with her bookstore.
When she's invited to speak at a conference about the dangers hunting for cryptids in gator-infested waters, she assumes it's a joke she doesn't have time for. But it's all too real; hundreds of Bigfoot fans are sure that their monster has migrated to the swamps of Florida. Against her better judgement, Maggie agrees to lead a group of them on a small expedition. And it's going well—until a cryptozoology influencer ends up dead.
With her twin sister Vera dating the town's only homicide detective (and Maggie's own sparks still flying with criminology professor Jack), she has an in on solving murders. But navigating conspiracy theories, petty jealousies, and Bigfoot sightings make the investigation even more complicated than last time. Plus, she's gotta figure out - is Jack just along for the crime-solving ride and a summer fling, or are they playing for keeps?

Tara Lush does it again with her second novel in the Gator Queen cozy mystery series!

Swamp Princess takes us back to Wahoo, Florida with our favorite familiar faces and some new kookie characters. Maggie our resident gator trapper has been invited to present at a Bigfoot convention of all places. During her guided nature walk, tragedy strikes again and one of the biggest Bigfoot influencers live streams her own suspicious death. Being involved in yet another strange murder Maggie enlists the help of her not quite boyfriend but not just a friend, Jack. Not only does she need to figure out what happened to dead influencer but she also needs to see where she and Jack stand.

This was a fantastic second novel. It brought back all my favorite characters and expanded on the world building of the first novel while keeping the mystery fresh and fun. The romance between Maggie and Jack was again a fantastic take on the typical cozy mystery romance. I'm glad to see Vera move on from her experience in the last book but she still has some room for personal growth that I hope to see in coming books. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series.

Who-done-it set at a Bigfoot convention? Should have been a slam dunk. But the FMC was nothing short of annoying and selfish, and it felt like research wasn't the author's priority, either for cryptids or criminology. Jack and Maggie spent more time flirting than finding, and their romance simply wasn't believable. I didn't find myself engaged in the discovery, and every step felt too convenient. I think a closed environment would have created a better setting, maybe Maggie being a trail guide on a cryptid investigation?

Thank you, Netgalley, for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wishing I would have read the first one first, but I figured out the characters rather quickly.
This is a mysterious and cozy book with a ton of humor.
I enjoyed it !

I had a hard time staying really invested in this book. I felt like the balance of relationship building and mystery just was off. I found myself frustrated with the characters more than I wanted to be.

4,5/5 ⭐️
The second cozy mystery featuring Maggie, the gator trapper, finds her speaking at a Bigfoot convention. When a famous Bigfoot influencer gets dies mysteriously while on Maggie's tour, she finds herself drawn into investigating again.

I'm really enjoying this series! Maggie is a great protagonist - sarcastic, funny, and relatable. Vera (her sister) was annoying this book, but I think a lot of that got resolved at the end of the book. I did predict the whodunit very early on, but that did not take away from the read. Lush also did a good job connecting it so that it wasn't out of the blue (which it could have been for sure). I can't wait to read more of Maggie's adventures! It seems like the next book was set up at the end of this one too in the interview with the romance author coming to Vera and Maggie's store.

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

I loved this book as much as I loved the first one! I love Maggie and Jack teaming up to unofficially solve another murder and seeing their relationship progress and deepen! The bigfoot aspect and con was a fun experience too! A light, fun read! I've really enjoyed this series! Thanks for the ARC!

This is a great read!
I started the series by reading Swamp Princess first but now I definitely have to read the first one. It was an enjoyable read with amazing and fun characters. I have always loved a good book that mentions Bigfoot. Add in a murder mystery and I am hooked.

I highly recommend reading this series!


Thank you 8th Note Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Florida is the gift that keeps on giving. In this latest installment, Maggie and Vera find themselves at a Bigfoot Convention. What seems like a good moneymaking endeavor soon takes a sinister turn when old jealousies rear their ugly heads.

Highly anticipated book number 2 in the series Critter and Criminals. I can't get enough of Maggie and her twin (and their budding romances). I absolutely love both books in this series and really hope for more! I would recommend reading these in order as some parts of the storyline build from the first book.

Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I recently stumbled across this series, and am so glad I did. Following Maggie and her friends as she wrestles gators, soles murders, and makes out with her hunky neighbor, is the best way to spend the day. I love that while this book is a great mystery it also has a bit of romance and humor. I’ll definitely be reading this authors other books. I highly recommend this.