Winter Takes All

I liked the first part of this book better than the rest, when it turned from a feel good change of life story to a murder mystery. The murder mystery part feels a bit awkward. I liked the main person and Connor, they are the more fully developed characters in the story while the rest are not as developed or pleasant. The ending as to who the murderer is was good, I didn't guess it. #WinterTakesAll #NetGalley

I received a free copy of WINTER TAKES ALL (Book 1 of the Seattle Wilderness Mysteries) by M.L. Erdahl in exchange for an honest review. Fed up with her humdrum life and abusive boss, Crystal Rainey trades in her office job for a position as a wilderness guide. Crystal’s first job is to assist her more-experienced and very handsome fellow-guide, Conner Oakes, in leading a corporate retreat on a snowshoe hike to and from a cozy guest house. A ruckus amongst the corporate crew awakens Crystal and Conner, so they have to intervene and call in search and rescue to locate the angry guests who have scattered outside into the snowy night. When all but one of the guests return, the head corporate honcho is dead in the snow. This results in the insurance company pulling coverage, the cancellation of all future excursions, and a financial crisis for all the guides. An encounter with the ineffectual officer in charge of the investigation leads Crystal to conclude she must solve the homicide by herself. After all, if Crystal can’t uncover the killer, she’ll have to beg to get her old job back and move in with her parents.

I liked the book. It was entertaining and did a nice job of setting up a new series. Be prepared, though. The storytelling style allows for leaps ahead in the tale followed by later recaps to fill in what happened during the missing time. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring outdoor adventures, corporate conniving, mean cats, good friends, and creative solutions to financial desperation.

#WinterTakesAll #NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.
This was okay, I feel like it started off as one thing and changed to another. I don't feel like transition felt right, but it is was it is.
This starts off as a cozy story, a woman changing her life etc. Then, it turns into a whodunit murder mystery, which was weird.
She and Connor were good chatters and were well developed. The other characters were unlikable and not very well developed at all.
Overall it was pretty good for what it was.

I really enjoyed most of this book. The first 90% is a lovely gentle cozy crime, with the beginnings of a promising romance. All just the kind of thing I like. It is mostly well written, with only a few errors - eg site used instead of sight throughout.

Although I liked Crystal in general, I found it odd that someone who is a first aider would sneak off after someone has been knocked unconscious by a thrown pan. It also bothers me that Crystal is so concerned about not finishing her meal before Conner - why would that even matter?

I found the last 10% was not so much to my taste - the scene where everything is revealed was far too dramatic for me. It was just a huge change from the tone of the rest of the book that it made me feel really tense. Then the results were all crammed into the epilogue more or less as an aside, it seemed very rushed.

However, this is a fun murder mystery with the start of a romance, so if you don’t mind the odd really tense scene, it could be the book for you.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A good start for a new cozy series, I found it engrossing and entertaining.
The cast of characters is well thought and likeable, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
I hope to read the next instalment soon.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Winter Takes All is an enjoyable, at times serious read. We follow the story of Crystal Rainey, an altogether relatable character who is bored of her crappy job and abusive boss. She makes a daring and risky career change to become a wilderness guide, but her first trip out is spoiled by a murder. Erdahl has created a fun and interesting mystery that touches on the serious subject of abusive employers and workplace harassment.

I loved reading this cozy classic! I appreciated that the main characters didn't have all this distaste for each other like in some romance novels and instead, the mystery served as the catalyst to keep the reader hooked - which kept me guessing way more than a standard romance! I loved it!

The book began well I was enjoying this cosy festive read. Unfortunately it did go downhill towards the end. And I started losing interest. Sadly as I had been looking forward to reading this one

Crystal is excited to start her new job as a wilderness guide. Working along side hunky Connor makes it easy too. Things go from bad to worse though, when they lead a group of co-workers from the same company. The boss, who also has his wife along, is not a well liked man, and naturally is killed. More of a murder mystery than romance, but that's fine overall. Wish the banter and fun reading at the beginning would have lasted more, but that may just be me. Overall, I liked the twists and turns and would recommend.

A cozy mystery in the wintery Pacific Northwest! In Winter Takes All, we meet Crystal Rainey a twentysomething whose life is passing her by. In a moment of New Year's reflection she impulsively quits her dreaded job and starts a new adventure as an outdoor wilderness guide. Her first big outing is a corporate retreat snowshoeing up a mountain with an architecture firm. That's where the trouble begins, as Crystal has never snowshoed and the colleagues at the firm are at eachothers throats, thankfully her cute associate guide Conner Oakes helps her out and they make it up the mountain in one piece. But then there's drama in the chalet and the company's ego driven owner runs out in the snow and turns up dead.
Crystal's job is in limbo as the company's insurance is revoked until the investigation in the accident/homicide is complete. As her money begins to run out, she has to take a risk and try and get to the bottom of the mystery before she loses her career, budding relationship and home, but will it cost her her life?
A great series debut, set in the beautiful Pacific NorthWest, i'll be sure to read the next installment by ML Erdahl!

Entertaning book about a woman who gets a job as a wilderness guide. On her first trip one of the guests dies and she is determined to solve the case and find the murder. Not an easy task,but she will suceed

a really fun read! fast paced interesting story with complex characters. Lots of snow! lol! I loved the ins and outs and twists and turns. A wonderful light read I received a copy from Netgalley and this is my hones review

Winter Takes All is a well written, keep you on your toes cozy mystery with a nice romantic as an added bonus.

Crystal was an awesome character. She made a decision to change her life and totally just a right into it. Leaving her cramped cubicle and talking her way into a job as a wilderness guide. I truly love the tenacity this girl has. On her first assignment Two things happen Crystal realizes she made the correct decision with this job and a dead that shuts down her adventure company.

With sparks flying with her adventure partner Conner, an unexplained death and being stuck in a store until the mess is cleaned up, Crystal ups her game and works to get to the bottom of this crazy up and down mystery. Crystal and Conner are a wonderful couple. They complement each other well. They are funny and attentive and their romance comes naturally. That’s big points coming from an avid romance reader.

I was pleasantly surprised with Winter Takes All. It’s a keep you guessing, fun, humorous and touching story all in one. Author M.L. Erahl ties mystery and romance perfectly to make good story. The characters are fun and OMG that cat!

Winter Takes All could easily be the beginning of a series that I would thoroughly enjoy reading.

romantic, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor

She spontaneously quit her awful job and got a new job she was totally inexperienced in, what could possibly go wrong?
While shopping for snowshoes she meets a yummy guy who offers to teach her the skill, then it turns out that they work for the same company of winter guides. On the very first trip, the guests don't get along, drink to excess, and one of them winds up dead. The cozy mystery is pretty well done, the budding romance is entertaining, and the humor is really giggle worthy!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Wild Rose Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is my first time reading this author. I believe this is the first in a series. Cute book, quick read. Totally out of my realm. Wilderness guides! Fun! Crystals first snowshoe trip with client's and one gets murdered! She decides to try to solve it herself (I found this very odd) so she can get back to work faster?! What??? Anyway, it's fun and a bit odd but worth the read. 3 stars

Winter Takes All by M. L. Erdahl is the 1st book in the Seattle Wilderness Mystery series, and my first book by this author. I really enjoyed this book, it has a little bit of everything, mystery, romance, and outdoor adventure. This book is fast pace and keeps you reading. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the genre.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

The author M.L. Erdahl is able to bring a wonderful balance between romance and the cozy mystery where the characters blend well together and are able to bring readers a fun mystery that flows well and gives readers something exciting to look forward to since this is the beginning of a series.

The author even made the landscape almost as if it is a character alive and working with the different characters in the stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of M.L. Erdahl Winter Takes All

This book was a middle of the road book for me. I enjoyed the writing and the plot points, but the basic premise of the book was a bit unbelievable for me. It was an enjoyable read, though.

I received an ARC through NetGalley, provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Crystal Rainey is aghast when she realizes her new year's resolutions haven't changed one whit from the previous year. Wanting to escape a future as dreary as a Pacific Northwest winter, she walks out on her dead-end office job, despite her tenuous savings account.
Stumbling across a job opening posted by a wilderness guide outfit, an intrigued Crystal bluffs her way into the position. With handsome fellow guide, the stalwart Conner Oakes, she leads a corporate retreat on a snowshoe hike to a majestic alpine chalet.
But when the company's detestable owner turns up dead in the snow, she fears her new life and budding romance slipping away. She finally has something worth fighting for and is determined to solve the murder and grab her chance at happiness before it's too late.

Review:
Crystal and Conner + <3
This book was such a joy to read. It was so well written and heartwarming. I'd read a couple of so-so books before getting my hands on this one. It made all the others be very distant memories. This book was the perfect balance of comfort and mystery. It is a definite must read on my list!

I enjoyed reading this book because of the events that occurred on Crystals first day at her new job. The book was well written with enough suspense to keep me interested. The main characters were strong especially Crystal who went out of her way to discover who committed the murder. There was also the romance so it was light hearted as well. I recommend that you read it.

This is a fun cozy – even in a cold setting. My rating 4.5.

Crystal is already thinking about changing her life when her unpleasant supervisor scolds her for being five minutes late after walking through the rain. On a sudden impulse, Crystal decides to quit her dead-end clerical job. But she can’t be out of work long as she has bills to pay. She stumbles onto an advertisement for a wilderness guide. After bluffing her way to getting hired she needs to pick up snowshoes and learn how to use them.

When she arrives for her first outing, she is pleasantly surprised to meet her handsome fellow guide, Conner. Together they lead a corporate group on a hike up the mountain to a beautiful chalet. Crystal is pleased things seem to be going well, even the friendship with Conner, until late at night the guests get into a fight. The next morning the company owner turns up dead and the wilderness outfit has to shut down guide activities until the murder can be solved.

Crystal isn’t impressed by the young detective, so she sets out to interview all of the company employees herself. She tries to make it casual and gets through a couple before one of the employees begins to suspect she is sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Crystal continues to press on but will she press too hard and get caught up by the murderer?

I was pulled into the story right away by Crystal’s light character. Crystal is a fun, kind character and it is easy to root for her to make good on her new job. Of course, the reader can also see that Crystal is pushing herself into trouble. Conner is a nice romantic possibility who adds side interest to the mystery.

This is an easy read cozy mystery which I really enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised to realize the author is a male. Nice job! I would like to read more in the series. I recommend this to fans of humorous cozy mystery.

Source: NetGalley 2019.