Thank you, NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Ellie Alexander for this ARC.

This is the 5th book in a Secret Bookcase series and loved it! I enjoy that every time I read a book from this series, I am getting a 2 for 1 mystery. There is the current mystery and there is the Scarlet's mystery. I so need to find out what happened to Scarlet! I need to know the whole story. Annie continues to get clues about her friend's murder and is getting closer to solving it. As for the current murder, it was interesting and kept me guessing. As always there are so many suspects and motives. It was upsetting to see who the victim was since he was someone that I liked. Heartbreaking. I did like the introduction of the crows in this story. Fletcher is doing a great job of training them, they may need their own series and they can start to solve murders.

I always say that this is a great series for anyone who loves cozy mysteries. I am hooked on it and can't wait for the next one. I also won't complain if we get a prequel with Annie and Scarlet. It would be great to see their friendship and really get to know Scarlet. Sad that Annie and Scarlet weren't able to solve crimes together.

What a fun adventure at the Bookstore in the redwoods! Yes, I know, murder
is not really supposed to be fun, but it is so interesting to the crew that I
would not want to minimize the entrainment value !
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the download
copy of this book for review purposes.

This book was delicious and the perfect book for Valentines Day. This focused mainly on the mysteries surrounding Annie and I wish there was a little romance in it between her and Liam but this was a cute short story with a wonderful ending. Can’t wait for the final book and wrap up the murder that’s been haunting Annie! I also want to befriend some crows.

Annie Murray is one of those characters that stays with me when I read. That's actually surprising as, quite frankly, I wasn't immediately particularly taken with her when I read the first book in the series. Too....everything. Too intense. Too guarded. Too emotional. Too closed off, determined to push others away. As the plot evolved, however, I can to understand why she was that way and see the caring, detail oriented person she was. Annie has opened herself up once again to the world, to the possibilities it offers, including love. I'm glad I stuck around, even if I was sad to see the selected victim this go-round., although he ultimately symbolized the possible results of poor choices and broken promises.

I won't detail the plot, which revolves not only around the current murder and a cold case, but lots and lots of pink and valentines. Aaliyah is in town promoting a showcase for her matchmaking service. Even if you roll your ideas of the thought, I have to admit to being rather impressed at how well thought it was, throwing potential love matches together under both calm and stressful activities after matching them via a meticulous application. I mean, "Which side of the bed do you prefer?" was basically one of the questions.

Yet, all isn't well. Gregarious senior George, who happens to be a multimillionaire, is suddenly ill at ease, even to the point of avoiding various characters who appear. One he'd like to have avoid is Elspeth, who says his aura is black and predicts death. Whoa. But, guess who comes up dead? While hardly a believer, Annie is shaken when she's the one to discover the body. What transpire afterward is both maddeningly confusing and meaningful. Trust me, it all makes sense at the end, even Fletcher's budding romance with Violet of the potentially competitive bookshop idea. Annie and Fletcher are about to debut their private detective agency, Novel Detectives, so she's suspicious and protective all at the same time. Best friend Pri pops in and is happily enjoying life with Penny but, hey, what's going on with her new employee? What was going on with them and George? And, oh, so much more. As usual, Alexander's books are crammed full of wonderful detail, from Valentine's Day decorations to the trail the group will follow toward the end, not to mention continuing to flesh out the already well-described characters. And, oh, you'll learn quite a bit about crows, too, which have a role to play.

The plot moved along nicely, allowing time to reflect on things like Valentine's Day and old, now gone friends. Annie remains obsessed with the tragic cold case murder of her friend Scarlet, a case that is smoothly worked into the whole here. There's also time to enjoy the building closeness of Annie and Liam Donovan, a man she couldn't tolerate in book one. Ah, love is never simple. So, i thoroughly enjoyed the setting, plot, and spending time with characters I've come to feel like I know. Well worth getting acquainted with Annie, who I'm betting will grow on you just as she did me. Thanks #StormPublishing for introducing me to her and allowing me this sneak peek into how her ever evolving life is going. Looking forward to seeing how her partnership with Fletcher evolves, not to mention what is next for Liam and her.