A Victim at Valentine's is the 5th and second to last book in this wonderful series. The Secret Bookcase Bookshop is hosting a matchmaking event to celebrate Valentine’s Day, at the request of a local pillar of the community, George. Things are going well, but after the first even, Annie finds George dead on a bench. It appears that he has died from a serious allergic reaction. The police are called and they determine that someone might have deliberately introduced an allergin to George. They encourage Annie to continue with the events so they can investigate without anyone leaving town. Annie is working on her PI licence, but she is still invited to help in the investigation. George was a philanthropist, helping others in the community and investing in small businesses, so who would want to harm him?

As Annie questioned people and investigated, she was able to determine a handful of suspects, but who would have known about George's allergy? I found the investigation in this one a bit weak, but I enjoyed all the goings on in the story. The events for the Match Making were fun and I liked that Hall, Annie's future partner might have found someone he is interested in. I love the recurring characters in this series as they are great friends, and a bit quirky. I have to say that Priya was not annoying in this one, like she was in the last book. There is some danger as Annie figures out who is responsible, but she is able to bring the mystery to a satisfying conclusion. The ending of this one has Annie finding out a name in her investigation of the death of her BFF, and it looks like the conclusion of that mystery is forthcoming. Ellen Quay is doing a wonderful job narrating this series. Her voices match the characters in my head and her tone, pace and expression add to my enjoyment of the story.

A great addition to a wonderful series! I enjoyed the narrator and the pace of the book. It keeps you entertained and engaged.

This is book 5 in this series and while I have read a couple I haven’t read them all and still enjoyed this one a lot. Annie is preparing for her private detective license test as well as for a matchmaking event at her bookstore. She is shaken when she finds a local dead and she’s excited when her friend who is investigating for the police asks her to help. I really liked the side characters (especially the crows!). The mystery was well done and I liked the pace of clues and how it all came together. I didn’t get everything right but I did get a lot of it. I really like the setting for this series too, the book store seems really cool and I am definitely going to finish this series. I listened to the audiobook for this one. The narrator was good and definitely helped bring the story to life for me.

This was the first book of this series that I read. There is reference to previous happenings but still could be read alone.
This was a cute mystery that went fast. I enjoyed the characters and had fun trying to guess who was the killer, which I am terrible at by the way. Overall a quick cute read with a good plot!!

This is the first book I read by author Ellie Alexander. I was not able to get into the audio, however, I did finish the book. I did enjoy the audio book by Dreamscape media. This book gave me the vibe of a YA Mystery book.

Annie own a cute little book store and she decided to have a love matching event on Valentine's day. One morning she found a dead body in front of her store. Annie uses her investigation skills to help the police find the killer. Apart from mystery there is also a cute PG romance between Annie and Liam (pub owner).

I do need to state that every time the psychics voice would come up I would laugh because it reminded me of Sybil Trelawney's voice (fortune teller of HP).

I recommend the book if you want a season simple book.

I enjoyed this audiobook. A Victim at Valentine's is the fifth book in the "A secret bookcase mystery" series. I have read only book one in this series but that was not a problem. The book is written so that you can read it as a stand-alone book. The narrator of the book is Ellen Quay and she does a great job of keeping you entertained and engaged in the book.
I love that this fictional city is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. My hometown is even mentioned a few times in the story very fun.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance copy. This is my honest thoughts on this book.

A Victim at Valentine's by Ellie Alexander

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75

A Victim for Valentine was a fun, easy listen with just the right amount of holiday charm! While it didn’t blow me away, it was an enjoyable ride, perfect for when you want something light but still engaging. The cute references sprinkled throughout added an extra layer of charm, making it a great seasonal read.

The Narrator voice adds to the cozy mystery vibe. It’s upbeat and maintains intrigue without making it too tense.

The mystery itself was solid nothing groundbreaking, but it kept me entertained. The pacing was smooth, and the audiobook made it even easier to sink into the story. If you’re looking for a cozy, Valentines themed whodunit that won’t demand too much from you, this one is a solid choice!

An immersive, cosy murder mystery themed around love. I haven’t read the previous books in the series, so at times, I was a little confused, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of A Victim at Valentine’s. For me, the immersive description was a standout in this book and really pulled me into the story. It was a quick and enjoyable listen.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC.

I love this. My first from the series but rest assured u will go back and get ready for the last. So good!

I like to try new-to-me cozy mysteries. So while this is book 5 in the Secret Bookcase mystery series, I haven't read the previous books in the series. Actually, I didn't realize it was book 5 and while listening to it, I thought it was book 1 in the series.

I felt like this was a young adult or even a middle-grade book though the characters are adults. The main character Annie overexplained everything. I mean what mystery reader doesn't know it is important to narrow down the time of death. Plus, when she was told she might be in danger she responded it's okay, "I studied criminology". I mean it would be like someone saying they needed a doctor and I respond "I can take care of it I studied biology." It would have been better if she had some self-defense. But it is the kind of response I would expect from a teenager.

I also couldn't figure out how Dr. Cadwell was related to the police department. At first, I thought she was the medical examiner or forensic scientist. Then Annie mentioned she was a professor at the local college so I thought perhaps she was a consultant because I had never heard of someone being a police detective AND a college professor as both are pretty demanding jobs. So it felt unrealistic to me. Perhaps it is explained in an earlier book.

The setting is cute - I liked the bookstore in an old manor with themed rooms and the Valentine's weekend match-making event looked fu. The mystery was interesting as I didn't know any of the characters so I couldn't really pinpoint the motive or who had done it. But I don't think I will keep reading this series. It just wasn't for me - I have so many cozy mystery series right now that it has to be spectacular for me to consider adding it to my must-read list. If you are new to the genre, this would be a good book to pick up.

The narrator, Ellen Quay, did a great job with the different character voices. I haven't listened to any other books she has read, but I would listen to another book with her as the narrator.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Sunday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2025/02/a-victim-at-valentines-by-ellie.html

This was such a good read! It had a great pace that kept me engaged throughout, and the story was easy to follow. At first, it took me a little while to adjust to the narrator's style, but once I did, I found that the voice was perfect for a cozy mystery. The mix of charm, suspense, and a touch of humor created the ideal atmosphere for the genre. Overall, a delightful and cozy read—perfect for a relaxing escape! Highly recommended for anyone looking for an entertaining and light-hearted mystery.

A Victim at Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Valentine’s Day takes a deathly turn when a well-known and loved man from this otherwise safe and quiet community is found dead outside Annie’s bookshop. Launching into a classic “Who-dun-it,” Annie helps law enforcement to narrow down suspects, motives, and gather evidence. I wasn’t convinced on any of the suspects and found myself guessing until the end! I listened to the book on audio and found it was an easy, enjoyable little mystery with sprinkles of romance.💘 A cozy, perfect read for Valentine’s Day!

Thank you @netgalley + @ellie_alexander 💋

#avictimforvalentines #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #cozymystery #audiobook

I enjoyed listening to this cozy. If there's one thing that I love most about cozy mysteries, it's the exploration of the relationships between the characters and the opportunity to peek into everyone's life a bit in each novel. I feel like that was missing from this book. When this book ended, I knew more about Annie than anyone else, but I don't really feel like I learned much about her either. The story seemed to sit right on the surface and that's great for a quick read, but if you want to spend time delving in to the lives and minds of the characters in addition to cracking the case, this isn't the cozy for you.

Although this is book #5 it was my first time joining Annie and her friends on solving a murder. I know have plans to go back to the very beginning.

I love Annie’s character so much, and the way that Ellie Alexander approaches grief in this book was amazing and very relatable. As a widow I found the long grief so relatable. Another aspect I really enjoyed was Annie’s grief is attached to her best friends who’s murder she is trying to solve and based on this book that seems to be a mystery she has been working on for years and is sprinkled through the series. The murder part itself in this book was so well done, I did not at all see the murder coming and it also kind of broke my heart.

If you are a cozy mystery reader do yourself a favor and grab this series, you will love it.

A Victim at Valentine’s (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #5) by Ellie Alexander

I desperately wanted to love this book. I’ve been searching for a cozy mystery series to obsess over—something reliable, charming, and full of bookish crime-solving goodness. And on paper, this one had it all: a matchmaking Valentine’s Day event, a protagonist with a criminology background who works in a bookshop (dream job, honestly), and a wholesome, small-town mystery vibe. These are all things I can absolutely get behind. But for some reason, it just didn’t click for me. I’ve been putting off this review while trying to crack the case of why.

First, I can say with 100% certainty that the patchy audiobook ARC did not help. As someone with sensitive hearing, I couldn’t unhear the inconsistent audio quality—it sounded like it was recorded in different sessions, stitched together with the subtlety of a ransom note. I listened both in the car and with earbuds (Spatial Audio on), and in both cases, I found myself hyper-fixating on the narration instead of the story. This might not bother everyone, but for me, it was distracting.

Now, onto the story itself—I wanted to love it! I really did! But no matter how much I adjusted my listening speed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the main character was just too PG for my taste. I prefer a little more personality and humor in my cozy mysteries, something with a bit more spark. That said, I love the concept of this series, and I’m curious about which characters are recurring favorites in Alexander’s books. Honestly, I feel bad for not enjoying this one as much as I’d hoped—but I’m not giving up yet. I’ll likely go back and start with book one in the series to see if it changes my perspective.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC and the chance to provide my honest thoughts—audio issues and all!

I thought this book was a cute valentines mystery! The main character was fun to follow. There were twists and turns that kept me on my toes and guessing until the end. I also liked that the main character used her detective knowledge to help the police solve the case. Overall this was a good read and I didn’t see the twist coming!

This is a classic Ellie Alexander cozy mystery. It hits all the right notes for the who dunnit and adds a little romance. I’m a huge Ellie Alexander fan and love all the series she has written. While this is not the first in the series, and I have read the previous ones, I think this can be read as a standalone. Looking forward to more books in this series to see what happens.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As a cozy mystery fan, I felt like something was missing from this book, which is part of a series and includes a character's coming out story. I received a complimentary audiocopy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Title: A Victim at Valentine’s
Author: Ellie Alexander
Narrated by: Ellen Quay
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Length: Approximately 6 hours and 25 minutes
Source: Review Copy from NetGalley. Thank you!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Did you have a cozy night in or go out on the town? Or not celebrate at all? My husband and I went out for dinner.

Annie Murray is celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Secret Bookshop by putting together a matchmaking event. Annie’s friend Scarlett was murdered in the past and she is still trying to put together the clues to solve her death. When someone else is murdered at the bookstore, Annie helps investigate who the killer could be in their small town. Will they find the killer before they strike again?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This was a perfect cozy read for Valentine’s Day. I loved how there was a slight romance with Annie and Liam and the event that was put together for the holiday. The murder was tied in with the holiday as well.

• This is the fifth book in the A Secret Bookcase Mystery series. I read it as a standalone, but I feel like it would have been even better if I had read the first books in the series.

• I enjoyed that the bookstore was an Agatha Christie themed bookstore.

• There were many red herrings in the mystery which made it fun as Annie put together the pieces to find the killer.

• Ellen Quay was a great narrator, and this was an enjoyable audiobook.

Overall, A Victim at Valentine’s Day by Ellie Alexander was a perfect cozy mystery for the holiday.

This is a really cute and fun cozy mystery for Valentine’s season. It definitely had the edge of a mystery but there were some very cute moments that helped it keep within the theme of Valentine’s Day. I loved the names for all the animals and I thought that the characters were lovable and memorable.

I didn’t really follow the subplot of the friend who passed away and I am wondering if it is because I haven’t read the earlier books but it was still a really fun read