Patchwork, Paws & Puzzles

by Kathryn Mykel

Alex and her dog, Kibbles, host a festive game night with friends and family, centered around a jigsaw puzzle inspired by one of Nona's cherished "Grandmother’s Flower Garden" quilts. But when a snowstorm traps them inside and the final piece goes missing, the evening quickly turns into a mystery hunt.

Will Kibbles find the missing piece and solve the puzzle, or will they uncover an entirely different mystery to unravel?

Patchwork, Paws & Puzzles is a heartwarming, locked-room style holiday cozy mystery, packed with festive cheer, fun, and unexpected twists.

Genres: Novella, Mystery

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Kathryn Mykel, is an award-winning author of best-selling Sewing Suspicion, book 1 in the Quilting Cozy Mystery Series.

Inspired by the laugh-out-loud and fanciful aspects of cozies, Kathryn Mykel writes lighthearted, humorous cozies surrounding her passion for the craft of quilting. She's an avid quilter who was born and raised in a small New England town.

For more fun content and new releases, follow https://www.authorkathrynmykel.com

Sign up for her newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/61c1f4...

or join her and her thReaders on Facebook at @AuthorKathrynMykel or the Books For Quilters FB Group.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun novella.Friends and family gather together for some fun and games for Christmas, when things start becoming chaotic the group must find who or what was behind some missing items. What a fun surprise was behind the chaos.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

[Jeanette Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patchwork, Paws & Puzzles is the first story in a new multiauthor series.
It's set at Christmas time 🔔
The stories (they might all be novellas 🔔🔔) are cozy reads/mysteries🔔
They all feature crafts and adorable pets 🔔(Well, it is the Paw-liday Crafts series!)🔔
Kathryn Mikel's storiy features Alex Bailey and Kibbles, the Top Sleuth investi-dog. Alex is from an earlier series, Quilting Cozy Mystery series, and this story is written in that world. It's standalone, and while there are references to the other cozy series, you don't need to read the rest. The author is new to me, and I had no problem keeping up.
Puzzle night with her quilter frends starts out with a tree limb going through a window and the power going out. The 'most important' piece of the giant puzzle they were working on goes missing.
There's no murder, just a sweet, fun mystery to solve. A quick, comfortable story of good friends and found family. It's tropes include forced proximity as the storm traps them.
There's even a quilting pattern attached to the story!
I received an advanced copy of this e book and this is my review.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining mystery about a group of family and friends gathering to celebrate Christmas. Their get together is interrupted by several mishaps that threaten to ruin their evening. But in the end, they are happy to be celebrating the holidays together. I enjoyed this story, but at times, I felt like I was missing some background information that would have pulled the story together. These character are from Mykel’s Quilting Cozy Mysteries series, so I think if I had read those first, I might have a better understanding of the characters. Overall, this is a nice holiday read that cozy mystery readers will enjoy.
*I was gifted this book and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started out as game night for Alex and a group of family and friends completing a jigsaw puzzle inspired by a quilt turns out to be anything but quiet and entertaining. A puzzle piece goes missing and a series of misfortunate events occur which leaves everyone with nerves on edge and the quest to find the mysterious source of spooky noises heard throughout the house.

A fun non-murder cozy mystery!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for a fun Christmas mystery to start out your holiday season. Kathryn Mykel has written another great book full of friends, crafts and holiday cheer. I loved this mystery and the friendships in it. It shows how important family and friends are to solving life’s problems.

I received a free copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex, Hawk, Kibbles, and all the crew are getting ready for food and fun for Christmas Eve when they get more than they bargained for. The wind pushes a limb through the window, the power goes out and the most important piece of the huge puzzle they are working on disappears. Even with everything going on you can feel the love in this story.
I received an arc and this is my review.

[Valeri Sullivan (vsulvn29) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘It’s like Die Hard with fur!’

Another adorable holiday novella featuring the gang from Spruce Street on Christmas Eve. Alex’s gift to the group is a table sized jigsaw puzzle of one of her grandmother’s quilts. A fun filled night of dinner and puzzling should be harmless, right? Even if death doesn’t always stalk them, mystery does and it’s an entertaining caper!

[Becky Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read. Several friends had gathered at Alex’s house for game night. But suddenly a puzzle piece goes missing, electricity shuts off and they hear some strange noises. I loved how the puzzle was made like her Nona’s Grandmother Flower Garden! Hopefully, I never need Joey to protect me!

I received this ARC from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute Christmas themed book. Alex and Hawk host Christmas at their house and invite several friends over. Alex has a surprise puzzle for them, which honors Nona. Things quickly take a turn when a puzzle piece goes missing and the electricity goes out. A really cozy mystery for the holidays.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story. It involves an intelligent Chihuahua, five friends, Christmas Eve dinner, a Christmas tree, wrapping paper, a winter storm, and a surprise thief with paws. Pieces to a puzzle they were putting together seemed lost and squeaks from an unknow source had the Chihuahua hunting. I definitely recommend this story.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

What started as a puzzle session ended up with quite a few things going wrong for Alex and friends’ Christmas Eve together. But despite all the issues, they made a new little friend and realized they all had each other when all that stuff went wrong. One scene with the tree and a ahem, new friend was pretty funny!

[Tam Sesto · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read. Full of Christmas chaos, family, friends, laughter, and memories all wrapped around a quilt made by Alex’s Nona. This novella is a part of the Paw-liday Craft Caper and is book one.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story

A cute, lighthearted entertaining story.  One calamity after another as the Christmas celebration begins.  As always, an easy to read, enjoyable book by Kathryn Mykel.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team.  I am voluntarily writing this review.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast fun read that holds your attention from the first page until the last. It will make you laugh out loud in spots and I loved everything about this book.
I received a complimentary copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[S M Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very charming, Kibbles is her usual fun self, if maybe a little naughty here and there. Somewhat less high stakes than usual; also a new addition ends up in the family, which reminds me of my cousin, not going to spoil who it is. Betty might be a bit cantankerous.

[Cyndi Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Some of the reactions weren't as believable as I would have liked. Some of grandma's china gets broken, and they just go about their day, as an example. The quilting pattern was a very nice addition. The puzzle pattern sounds beautiful.

[Evans Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another entertaining read with Alex and her friends' adventures. Even something as simple as a Christmas puzzle night seems to bring mystery and adventure to this group.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, short, cozy mystery full of warmth. A friendly game night turns into a strange mystery. Very entertaining.

[MileHighSunshine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll really enjoy this Christmas mystery! Little Kibbles is as cute as ever and you’ll be left with a sweet feeling from friends who are more like family.

A sweet easy read!

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story that includes pets, quilting, and crafts all around the holidays. A touch of mystery too.

[Marion Moxhay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful little read. A mystery without a murder. Loved Kibbles, the super sleuth! A great fun story. Ideal for Christmas.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different style book

This book is a little different in that it seems to stop and start and moved around a lot. It is a little tough to follow.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful characters & an exciting plot. Don’t miss this one!