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Misdeeds and Mistletoe: This Christmas, the ornaments aren't the only things breaking
Snow is falling, cocoa is steaming, and the Tumblebrook Inn is aglow with Christmas cheer… until a renowned ornament appraiser collapses beneath the tree and turns the holiday festival into a murder scene.
Stranded by a blizzard and surrounded by nervous guests, innkeeper Amelia Farnsworth and her quick-witted friend Clara Henderson must sift through cryptic gift tags, forged ornaments, and long-buried town secrets to uncover the truth. But someone else is hunting for the mysterious “crown ornament”—and they’ll stop at nothing to recover it.
With the help of Lady Grey, the inn’s intuitive British Shorthair, Amelia discovers that the Monarch Society—a shadowy group tied to Tumblebrook’s past—isn’t as forgotten as the town hoped.
As the storm tightens its grip and clues vanish as quickly as footprints in the snow, Amelia must protect her guests, unravel her family’s connection to the Society, and outsmart a killer lurking in the twinkling shadows of the inn.
Full of cozy charm, holiday intrigue, small-town warmth, and a cat with impeccable timing, this Christmas mystery will keep you turning pages long past the last snowfall.
Stranded by a blizzard and surrounded by nervous guests, innkeeper Amelia Farnsworth and her quick-witted friend Clara Henderson must sift through cryptic gift tags, forged ornaments, and long-buried town secrets to uncover the truth. But someone else is hunting for the mysterious “crown ornament”—and they’ll stop at nothing to recover it.
With the help of Lady Grey, the inn’s intuitive British Shorthair, Amelia discovers that the Monarch Society—a shadowy group tied to Tumblebrook’s past—isn’t as forgotten as the town hoped.
As the storm tightens its grip and clues vanish as quickly as footprints in the snow, Amelia must protect her guests, unravel her family’s connection to the Society, and outsmart a killer lurking in the twinkling shadows of the inn.
Full of cozy charm, holiday intrigue, small-town warmth, and a cat with impeccable timing, this Christmas mystery will keep you turning pages long past the last snowfall.
- GenresCozy Mystery
203 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2025
37 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 11, 2025
3.5/5 — A fun, lighthearted, cozy, clean Christmas mystery.
This was exactly the kind of story I was hoping to read two weeks before Christmas. It has a comforting, nostalgic charm that reminded me a bit of the original Nancy Drew mysteries—both the books and even the old computer games. I’m not entirely sure why, but it carried that same delightful, slightly whimsical detective feel. As someone who grew up loving those, it made for a very enjoyable read.
Since I haven’t spent much time around cats, Amelia and Clara’s interactions with Lady Grey occasionally felt a little unusual to me (mainly how quickly they recognized that she was bringing them clues and helping them solve the mystery). But that might be completely normal for seasoned cat owners, so take that with a grain of salt. 😄
The chapters told from Lady Grey’s perspective were a charming surprise, and added a unique twist I don’t often see in cozy mysteries… at least not the kind I normally read. :)
I listened to the audiobook version, which uses an AI narrator. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality—if I hadn’t known ahead of time, I’m not sure I would have guessed it was AI. The only challenge was the lack of distinct voices for each of the characters, so I did get a bit confused at times and had to pause to remember who was who. I think reading a physical copy might make that easier.
If you enjoy poison, blackmail, secret societies, hidden keys, snowstorms, mysterious ornaments, and long-buried family secrets, this is a cozy holiday mystery worth picking up.
Clean read: no profanity, gore, or sexual content.
This was exactly the kind of story I was hoping to read two weeks before Christmas. It has a comforting, nostalgic charm that reminded me a bit of the original Nancy Drew mysteries—both the books and even the old computer games. I’m not entirely sure why, but it carried that same delightful, slightly whimsical detective feel. As someone who grew up loving those, it made for a very enjoyable read.
Since I haven’t spent much time around cats, Amelia and Clara’s interactions with Lady Grey occasionally felt a little unusual to me (mainly how quickly they recognized that she was bringing them clues and helping them solve the mystery). But that might be completely normal for seasoned cat owners, so take that with a grain of salt. 😄
The chapters told from Lady Grey’s perspective were a charming surprise, and added a unique twist I don’t often see in cozy mysteries… at least not the kind I normally read. :)
I listened to the audiobook version, which uses an AI narrator. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality—if I hadn’t known ahead of time, I’m not sure I would have guessed it was AI. The only challenge was the lack of distinct voices for each of the characters, so I did get a bit confused at times and had to pause to remember who was who. I think reading a physical copy might make that easier.
If you enjoy poison, blackmail, secret societies, hidden keys, snowstorms, mysterious ornaments, and long-buried family secrets, this is a cozy holiday mystery worth picking up.
Clean read: no profanity, gore, or sexual content.
December 31, 2025
Trapped with a Murderer . . .
Amelia Farnsworth, joined by her cat Lady Grey and Clara Henderson, a worker at the Inn, are delighted to welcome her guests to the Tumblebrook Inn. The Inn is clean and decorated for Christmas. Clara is sliding a sheet pan with delicious scents from the oven. Unfortunately, a snowstorm will be keeping everyone inside and isolated.
When the lights go out momentarily, Amelia is startled at seeing renowned ornament appraiser Edward Covington's body on the floor amid broken antique ornaments! This was not an accident! Clara reached for something she saw sticking out of the victim's vest pocket. The small gift tag had something written on it which may be a clue... so Clara put it in her apron pocket so she and Amelia could figure it out together. Apparently someone is searching for the valuable crown ornament, and with the storm preventing the arrival of help, can Amelia, Clara, and Lady Grey discover and decipher the clues needed to solve the murder? Will Sheriff Daniels ultimately be able to get to them through the storm? Or will someone else be killed before help can arrive?
Amelia Farnsworth, joined by her cat Lady Grey and Clara Henderson, a worker at the Inn, are delighted to welcome her guests to the Tumblebrook Inn. The Inn is clean and decorated for Christmas. Clara is sliding a sheet pan with delicious scents from the oven. Unfortunately, a snowstorm will be keeping everyone inside and isolated.
When the lights go out momentarily, Amelia is startled at seeing renowned ornament appraiser Edward Covington's body on the floor amid broken antique ornaments! This was not an accident! Clara reached for something she saw sticking out of the victim's vest pocket. The small gift tag had something written on it which may be a clue... so Clara put it in her apron pocket so she and Amelia could figure it out together. Apparently someone is searching for the valuable crown ornament, and with the storm preventing the arrival of help, can Amelia, Clara, and Lady Grey discover and decipher the clues needed to solve the murder? Will Sheriff Daniels ultimately be able to get to them through the storm? Or will someone else be killed before help can arrive?
December 31, 2025
Detective Lady Grey is on the case!
This Christmas, Amelia has decorated Tumblebrook Inn to be ready for the Christmas festivities. There is a special event, and they have a special guest—an appraiser and Amelia just knows he’s after her grandmother’s ornaments. So when he ends up dead, during the middle of a snowstorm so bad no one can get through, Amelia knows it will be up to her, Clara and of course, Lady Grey to solve the mystery. I really enjoy these stories. I love the relationship between the characters, including Lady Grey, who feels it’s her job to not only protect Amelia, but the inn as well. The fact that parts of the story are told from Lady Grey’s point of view, makes this even better in my opinion. And the two poems at the end—just the perfect touch to end the story!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This Christmas, Amelia has decorated Tumblebrook Inn to be ready for the Christmas festivities. There is a special event, and they have a special guest—an appraiser and Amelia just knows he’s after her grandmother’s ornaments. So when he ends up dead, during the middle of a snowstorm so bad no one can get through, Amelia knows it will be up to her, Clara and of course, Lady Grey to solve the mystery. I really enjoy these stories. I love the relationship between the characters, including Lady Grey, who feels it’s her job to not only protect Amelia, but the inn as well. The fact that parts of the story are told from Lady Grey’s point of view, makes this even better in my opinion. And the two poems at the end—just the perfect touch to end the story!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 14, 2025
Misdeeds and Mistletoe by Ellen Le Teace
I found this book very engaging and a nice addition to any cozy mystery collection.
Amelia is the innkeeper of the Tumblebrook Inn. When the ornament appraiser is found dead, it is up to her to keep the other guest safe. With the help of her friend Clara and her very smart cat by her side to help her, she goes through clues to find the killer.
I really liked the cryptic messages as they made me think and added a lot to the storyline.
This is a wonderful story for the holiday season, and I am looking forward to more stories of Amelia and Lady Grey in the future.
I found this book very engaging and a nice addition to any cozy mystery collection.
Amelia is the innkeeper of the Tumblebrook Inn. When the ornament appraiser is found dead, it is up to her to keep the other guest safe. With the help of her friend Clara and her very smart cat by her side to help her, she goes through clues to find the killer.
I really liked the cryptic messages as they made me think and added a lot to the storyline.
This is a wonderful story for the holiday season, and I am looking forward to more stories of Amelia and Lady Grey in the future.
December 30, 2025
Misdeeds and Mistletoe is an Excellent story about Amelia Farnsworth an Inn Owner with her special, clever sleuthing cat Lady Grey and Clara who works at the Inn. There is a snowstorm and the lights go out and the body of a guest is found in the Inn. They are cut off from outside help. So Amelia with guidance from Lady Grey she starts to investigate with support from Clara until Sheriff Daniel's can arrive. But can Amelia and her team find all the clues and discover the truth?I
Superb story and series that I enjoyed reading and I highly recommend that you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Superb story and series that I enjoyed reading and I highly recommend that you.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 9, 2026
Another great read by this author. Misdeeds and Mistletoe is a wonderfully well-written Christmas Murder Mystery that takes place at Tumblebrook Inn. This particular book has secrets that are more involved, characters that also become suspects, and lots of mystery from the past.
Lady Grey, the house cat, of course did her part at helping solve the mystery while sniffing out clues. I really enjoyed her antics.
The story is intriguing, mysterious, and has lots of twists, keeping me guessing until the end. The ending wrapped everything up nicely.
I received a complimentary copy from the author; a positive review is not required. All opinions are my own.
Lady Grey, the house cat, of course did her part at helping solve the mystery while sniffing out clues. I really enjoyed her antics.
The story is intriguing, mysterious, and has lots of twists, keeping me guessing until the end. The ending wrapped everything up nicely.
I received a complimentary copy from the author; a positive review is not required. All opinions are my own.
December 4, 2025
This Christmas story of innkeeper Amelia Farnsworth and her quick-witted friend Clara Henderson, and Lady Grey the inn’s intuitive British Shorthair cat. I have to say this one was suspenseful and a page turner. I have not read any other books from this author but will now. This murder mystery was filled with twists and turns and few times had me telling the characters Not to go in there. Truly amazing story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 14, 2025
Lady Grey, Tumblebrook Inn’s cat really stole the show in this edition. With the help of innkeeper Amelia and friend Clara, the trio sniff through clues and cryptic messages delivered in the form of gift tags.
So much is tied to a past that so many want to keep hidden but we all know the truth must come out especially when an ornament appraiser becomes a murder victim. However, even after secrets are revealed, the culprit is not who you would expect.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So much is tied to a past that so many want to keep hidden but we all know the truth must come out especially when an ornament appraiser becomes a murder victim. However, even after secrets are revealed, the culprit is not who you would expect.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 3, 2026
The most unique thing in this book is the occupation of the murder victim, an ornament assessor. Who even knew?! I love the setting, at Tumblebrook Inn at Christmas with lots of snow. It's the perfect place, escape for that pesky murder. Amelia and her best friend have to investigate and find out more secrets about the town than they ever wanted to know about.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 4, 2026
no chance to escape! I liked the book; it's exciting and the reader can follow clues to identify the culprit. It's easy to follow and perfect for a quick read where you can unwind.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 29, 2026
I read all of the other reviews, and decided I must be dumb. I spent a lot of the book confused, feeling like I was missing information that was needed for things to make sense. And I have to say that I never really got it. But I did love the cat.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews