Weekend Book Reviews

Something Borrowed, Something Mewed by Bethany Blake is book five in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series.  Daphne's sister Piper is getting married before her fiance heads overseas for a short term job.  Her mother and mother-in-law-to-be have worked up an Independence Day themed wedding.  The problem is that the wedding planner has organized several weddings at the same time and at the same venue.  When the wedding planner winds up dead, Piper's fiance is the prime suspect, and Piper worries her wedding will never happen.  I adore Daphne and her pets.  In this particular book Daphne and Piper seemed to have a better relationship.  The book includes a bit of romance but not too much that it becomes a romance novel.  While I did figure out the mystery portion early on, I still enjoyed the book.

The second book in the Very Cherry Mystery series by Darci Hannah is Cherry Scones & Broken Bones.  Whitney is working to get the Cherry Orchard Inn back on its feet after a recent murder on the property.  She thinks she is on the way to that goal after the popular artist Silvia Lumiere books a room for the summer.  What seems like a dream quickly becomes a nightmare after Silvia and her assistant move in.  When another death occurs on the property, Whitney jumps into action to save the family inn.  The mystery had several twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.  I enjoy the inn and cherry farm setting of this series, and Whitney is a smart, likable cozy star.  I am looking forward to the next book.

A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn is the second book in the Handcrafted Mystery series.  I had not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble following this one.  Sammy runs Community Craft, a store dedicated to selling items handcrafted by those in her community.  She took over the store after her best friend was killed.  Sammy is thrilled to be hosting a celebrity crafter for a book signing.  Jane stops by to meet Sammy and says she needs to talk to her about Kate.  Before Jane can reveal what she knows, she is murdered.  Sammy is faced with two mysteries finding out who killed Jane and what really happened to Kate.  I love the idea of this book based on a community craft store.  I guessed the solution to the mystery early on, but that was not my issue with the book.  Sammy went a bit too far in "helping" the police.  I have no problem with some cozy heroine meddling, but Sammy seemed intent on getting what she wanted no matter the cost.  That dropped the book from four stars to three for me.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!