Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge discussion

My level is 4B and I have to read two of each of:

- Two from culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)
1. In a Jam: A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery by Kathleen Suzette 05/15/21 *****
2. Chocolate Cherry Murder by Rosie A. Point 05/13/21 *****

- Two from animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)
1. A Dash of Sorcery by Constance Barker 05/06/21 ** (Cat Familiar)

- Two from craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)

- Two from paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)

- Two from cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))
1. A Not So Purrfect Murder by D. Watts 05/10/21 ***** (Cotswolds, UK)
2. Moonshine, Magic & Murder by January Bain 05/04/21 *** (Canada)

- Two career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)

- Two holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)

- One travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)
1. A Tale of Two Sisters by Bettina M. Johnson 05/23/21 (They travel in a caravan)

- Two historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)

- Two is your choice! (freebie!)
1. Deliciously Wicked by Audrey Brice 05/23/21
2. Birthday Cake and Burglary by Sue Hollowell 05/03/21 ****

Plus twenty Cozy Mysteries of my choice:
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You're doing fine. Enjoy the challenge!

I raised my challenge goal because I read eight books in the first month so...

May 2021 Reading and Reviews:

1. In a Jam: A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery
REVIEW: This was a really good book. Suzette strikes a nice balance between interacting with the characters and furthering along the murder plot. There were plenty of possible clues and possible suspects that kept me turning the pages and guessing until the very end. Easy to read and entertaining and although it is far from the first in the series, you can jump in and fully enjoy it with no spoilers from other books.

This and the rest of the series is currently available on Kindle Unlimited and is well worth checking out if you enjoy cozy mysteries with smart amateur sleuth heroines. I will read more by the author.

2. Chocolate Cherry Murder
REVIEW: I've read a few in this series (out of order) and I always thoroughly enjoy them. They can be read out of order without spoiling anything or being unable to follow the plot, which always helps in a long-running series.

Ruby and Bee are a little bit older and wiser and they make a great detective team. This book was no different than the others, in that the murder mystery was well-plotted and solved without being too complex to not fit into an hour and half read or so. Point always does a good job with the supporting characters as well.

If you like shorter cozy mysteries with engaging characters and a good, easy to follow plot, you'll like this and others in the series, all of which are available on Kindle Unlimited. I will read more by the author (and really should go back and read the whole series in order!).

3. A Dash of Sorcery
REVIEW: I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this one very much, even though I thought the characters had potential and the idea for the murder plot was decent. It feels as though there were two versions of the book and it was edited together and not necessarily well. Like from one chapter to the next something will happen and then it seems like it's happening over again slightly differently.

To give an example that won't spoil anything, the blurb for the book clearly states that the murder occurs in the MC's shop. It does not at all, no where near in fact. The blurb is written in first person, the book in third person. It's just disjointed.

I love cozy mysteries, so I will give this author another shot as I feel that bad editing really did play a huge part in what otherwise could have been a good story. Available on Kindle Unlimited, as are most of her other books I believe.

4. A Not So Purrfect Murder
REVIEW: A really excellent paranormal cozy mystery. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for any book with a talking cat, but Atticus is a very entertaining talking cat! Seriously though, the author has created a complex world both magical and mundane. I loved both Felicity and Benedict and thought the development of the characters throughout the story was very well done. All the other characters are also interesting and I look forward to more of their backgrounds coming out in future books.

The mystery was especially well done, I was guessing till the end and the conclusion was clever. Watts is a talented author who really knows how to craft both an interesting story and an engaging mystery. Available on Kindle Unlimited, I definitely intend to continue the series and read more by the author.

5. Moonshine, Magic & Murder
REVIEW: In terms of writing, this was an exceptionally written book. The characters were very endearing, the murder plot was involved and interesting and as a Canadian, I really appreciate a cozy mystery series by a Canadian author set in a Canadian province.

The advisory by the author should be noted however. This book is more serious in nature than a lot of cozies are. There are two sub-plots, one involving the family history of troubles and another a romance between the main characters. This takes up quite a bit of the book and sometimes overshadows the mystery.

For myself, I prefer the mystery to be front and center and hence the reason for the three stars. If you are a reader who is not bothered by this in your cozy mystery, then you would probably rate it five stars. Thanks so much for my copy which I have chosen to review. I would try to read another book in the series, because I do think the author is a skilled writer and I did like the characters.

6. A Tale of Two Sisters
REVIEW: So let me just say, get past the first chapter! I'll admit, I started reading this and thought I wasn't going to like it. Then it turned out to be a really great book. This is the first in the series and the author has a unique world- paranormal/magical existing alongside yet outside the human world, policing themselves. That first chapter had a ton of quick world-building to explain that which got a little dry, but I get it.

What I still sort of don't agree with is that in that same first chapter, she introduces a huge cast of characters- like a ten member team besides the two MCs, each with their own couple of paragraphs of who they are and what they do. I'd have preferred them to be a little more naturally introduced throughout the story. Honestly, there's some that played a bigger part who are clear in my mind now but a couple I am still unsure of.

With that said, when the story got going... the characters, the world that's been created and the actual mystery at the heart of the book were all very well done and developed. I had to keep turning the pages through every twist and turn to see what would happen next and I was guessing right up till the end. The writing style from the POV of Maggie was personal and engaging and ended up really enjoying it.

I'm glad I continued on and highly recommend getting through that first chapter because it's a very promising series. I will read more by the author and the other books in this series. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

7. Deliciously Wicked
REVIEW: No murder in this one, just delightful characters and a quirky, fun mystery to solve. Quite funny in places and very well written, this is an hour long read that kept me completely entertained. Although part of a series, it can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend it to fans of paranormal cozy mysteries. Available on Kindle Unlimited, I would read more of the series and by the author.

8. Birthday Cake and Burglary
REVIEW: I quite liked this. It was on the shorter side but had a lot of character and story detail. And while Tilly was working to solve the crime, there was more to the plot than just that. I do think a few more clues could have been thrown in for the reader along the way, but I still enjoyed the ending.

This was my first book by Hollowell but I enjoyed her style and I see she has several series available on Kindle Unlimited which all seem to be of the shorter, lighter variety so I will be checking out more of her work. If you want a quick cozy mystery with good characters and a neat resolution, you'll enjoy this.