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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This is my second cozy mystery from this series and I don’t like them at all. Too many characters, completely unbelievable storyline and boring most of the time. Cozy mysteries aren’t for me.
I enjoyed every minute of 15 Minutes of Flame. Author Christin Brecher had me from the first sentence. I felt right at home in Nantucket and enjoyed the descriptions of Stella's candles. I would love to browse her shop and pick up a few of her themed candles! Stella is a great character--smart and resourceful. I did question her judgement a couple of times, however (of which my husband got an earful--and I will likely be talking about for some time to come because it hit on one of my pet peeves). While I never felt I was lost or missing something by starting with the third book in the series, I do have to wonder if there is some history between Stella and Andy. I suspected just about everyone in the book at some point or another and felt the author did a good job of weaving the history of the island in while building up suspense and keeping the readers (and characters) on our toes. I definitely hope to read more in this series at some point.
Such a fun cozy mystery!
Stella is investigating the mystery of a skeleton found on an old property. Murder & Intrigue start happening around her & she decides to help solve the crime.
I read it as part of the Once Upon A Book Club Sweet Halloween box. I had a ton of fun reading & opening presents.
Stella is investigating the mystery of a skeleton found on an old property. Murder & Intrigue start happening around her & she decides to help solve the crime.
I read it as part of the Once Upon A Book Club Sweet Halloween box. I had a ton of fun reading & opening presents.
This is the third installment in this series and I was not disappointed in what has become one of my very favorite series. I have grown very attached to Stella and her town of Nantucket. This story had an extra spooky vibe as Stella discovers an old skeleton while helping the local girl scouts set up a haunted house. Though Stella makes some questionable dangerous decisions, I did love following her sleuthing and putting together the very jumped pieces with her. The combination of a 100+ year old mystery with a present day one really kept me on my toes and an extra layer of suspense. There were also some tidbits about types of candles used on the island throughout history and I loved how they were incorporated into the plot in such a significant way! My only complaint is the ending seemed to wrap up was too quickly for all the build up. And more romance (which is always just my humble opinion). I am always eagerly awaiting more from this wonderful Candlemaker series.
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Thanks to Kensington for a netgalley copy! These are my honest thoughts.
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Thanks to Kensington for a netgalley copy! These are my honest thoughts.
Cute but nothing amazing here.
Just read it for the enjoyment factor.
Once Upon a Book Club title
Just read it for the enjoyment factor.
Once Upon a Book Club title
What a fun, cozy mystery. This pace was so easy to get into and I loved the main character. I will definitely be reading the first two books in the series.
An excellent addition to this excellent series.
I was happy to meet again the well thought characters, to travel to the Nantucket and to be kept guessing till the end.
The mystery is solid and the plot well crafted.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I was happy to meet again the well thought characters, to travel to the Nantucket and to be kept guessing till the end.
The mystery is solid and the plot well crafted.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
While setting up a Girl Scouts haunted house, Stella stumbles across an old skeleton entombed in the chimney of an old chandlery behind the house. Soon, police discover the bones are very old and call in an expert named Solder and his assistant Leigh to determine the age and origin of the remains. It comes to light that the victim is one Patience Cooper, who, as legend has it, was robbed of a collection of money raised to invest in merchant ships and then disappeared.
While researching the unfortunate victim in the chimney, another related case comes up of a friend of Patience who killed herself by jumping down a well, An expedition is formed to descend into the well, where another skeleton is found, clutching a map indicating the location of a treasure. When a tree suddenly falls over, trapping Leigh in its branches, Solder is found dead, strangled and bludgeoned. Can Stella untangle the threads of an old mystery while finding a modern day killer?
I found this on Netgalley and although this is the third book in the series, it's my first entry and you can bet I'll be reading the first two ASAP. I can safely say this can be read as a standalone or as an entry into the series, as it doesn't seem like many details from previous books are present, or if they are, are adequately explained.
I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the book from the first page! Great, engaging characters, a romantic setting at seaside Nantucket and an intriguing mystery spanning generations. What more could anyone ask for? I totally admit I had no idea whatsoever whodunit, the culprit was neatly hidden very well until the dramatic reveal at the end.
I did feel that the historical mystery wasn't tied up as well as the modern mystery, as what happened to the "treasure" and what was found at the location really wasn't explained or even brought up again. That would be my one gripe. Where is my happily ever after for Patience's treasure?
Overall, this was one excellent read and you can bet it'll be on my list of ones to follow eagerly for each new installment.
While researching the unfortunate victim in the chimney, another related case comes up of a friend of Patience who killed herself by jumping down a well, An expedition is formed to descend into the well, where another skeleton is found, clutching a map indicating the location of a treasure. When a tree suddenly falls over, trapping Leigh in its branches, Solder is found dead, strangled and bludgeoned. Can Stella untangle the threads of an old mystery while finding a modern day killer?
I found this on Netgalley and although this is the third book in the series, it's my first entry and you can bet I'll be reading the first two ASAP. I can safely say this can be read as a standalone or as an entry into the series, as it doesn't seem like many details from previous books are present, or if they are, are adequately explained.
I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the book from the first page! Great, engaging characters, a romantic setting at seaside Nantucket and an intriguing mystery spanning generations. What more could anyone ask for? I totally admit I had no idea whatsoever whodunit, the culprit was neatly hidden very well until the dramatic reveal at the end.
I did feel that the historical mystery wasn't tied up as well as the modern mystery, as what happened to the "treasure" and what was found at the location really wasn't explained or even brought up again. That would be my one gripe. Where is my happily ever after for Patience's treasure?
Overall, this was one excellent read and you can bet it'll be on my list of ones to follow eagerly for each new installment.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We arrive in Nantucket just before Halloween and Wick and Flame owner Stella Wright is helping the Girl Scouts set up a haunted house for a fundraiser. When Stella checks out a shack on the property she finds it used to be a candlemaking shop. With the owner’s approval, she is taking down a sign from the mantle to display in her shop. But she finds more than she bargained for. She finds a skeleton. From the clothing, it looks to be a Quaker woman and she has been there a while. It is not long before this skeleton leads to another and then a dead body.
To calm fears, Stella moves into the house while the police investigate, but Stella just can’t stop herself from doing her own sleuthing. When she starts to uncover some key facts she knows she is on the right track. A track that could get her life to be snuffed out next.
In this third installment, the author brings some of Nantucket’s history to light. With a 100-year-old skeleton entombed in the shack you know, there has to be a dark story.
I love the way Stella continues to develop over the course of this series. She is smart and truly has her friend and local cop, Andy’s number. She works her way into the police investigation and persuades him to fill her in on what they have and what they are working on. Reporter and boyfriend, Peter was a little distracted this time but by the end, we know why. Emily was under the weather but helped Stella as much as she could. All of Brecher’s characters are well developed and have a purpose in the story. The dialogues were also very well-written
Ms. Brecher unraveled the old story alongside the current one seamlessly with plenty of twists and turns. There is also quite a treasure hunt that ends up being very important to the story. The pacing was perfect. The ending was so well-played out. Finishing this book on Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie’s birthday was very apropos.
I do love the candlemaking theme. This time readers learn about candle clocks. I was totally captivated by them and loved that Stella was teaching a class on how to make them.
15 Minutes of Flame has it all, great characters, mystery, murder, betrayal, and secrets. There is a fair amount of humor too. I really enjoyed this story! I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
We arrive in Nantucket just before Halloween and Wick and Flame owner Stella Wright is helping the Girl Scouts set up a haunted house for a fundraiser. When Stella checks out a shack on the property she finds it used to be a candlemaking shop. With the owner’s approval, she is taking down a sign from the mantle to display in her shop. But she finds more than she bargained for. She finds a skeleton. From the clothing, it looks to be a Quaker woman and she has been there a while. It is not long before this skeleton leads to another and then a dead body.
To calm fears, Stella moves into the house while the police investigate, but Stella just can’t stop herself from doing her own sleuthing. When she starts to uncover some key facts she knows she is on the right track. A track that could get her life to be snuffed out next.
In this third installment, the author brings some of Nantucket’s history to light. With a 100-year-old skeleton entombed in the shack you know, there has to be a dark story.
I love the way Stella continues to develop over the course of this series. She is smart and truly has her friend and local cop, Andy’s number. She works her way into the police investigation and persuades him to fill her in on what they have and what they are working on. Reporter and boyfriend, Peter was a little distracted this time but by the end, we know why. Emily was under the weather but helped Stella as much as she could. All of Brecher’s characters are well developed and have a purpose in the story. The dialogues were also very well-written
Ms. Brecher unraveled the old story alongside the current one seamlessly with plenty of twists and turns. There is also quite a treasure hunt that ends up being very important to the story. The pacing was perfect. The ending was so well-played out. Finishing this book on Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie’s birthday was very apropos.
I do love the candlemaking theme. This time readers learn about candle clocks. I was totally captivated by them and loved that Stella was teaching a class on how to make them.
15 Minutes of Flame has it all, great characters, mystery, murder, betrayal, and secrets. There is a fair amount of humor too. I really enjoyed this story! I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I liked the first two adventures of the series, the first one better than the second. Although I am going to be rating this the same on the websites ( because of a woeful lack of .5 stars being available on Goodreads and other apps), I liked this best.
I highly recommend reading the previous ones before getting here just to keep the feel of the community alive, but even if you start the series here, you will not go amiss. We have our Nantucket candle maker, Stella gearing up for Halloween season. She is even helping kit up a house to be the scary sideshow. The same house incidentally that she lost her heart to in the previous book.
One thing newbies should know of our protagonist is the confidence born out of growing up in the same town all her life. Her curiosity drives her into investigating an open door and then in a random sequence of events uncovering a skeleton. This, in turn, brings some old scandals to the forefront and has (almost)everyone involved.
It was an intriguing concept to investigate an older crime by people who do not have the technical background to do so while at the same time, that very investigation might be the cause for a crime in the present. It was well executed and kept me hooked until I read the end. I am still not sold on the main couple, but am ignoring the urge to focus and/or harp on it!
I look forward to the next strange predicament that Stella will land herself in, given the way this book ended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review was entirely based on my own reading experience.
I highly recommend reading the previous ones before getting here just to keep the feel of the community alive, but even if you start the series here, you will not go amiss. We have our Nantucket candle maker, Stella gearing up for Halloween season. She is even helping kit up a house to be the scary sideshow. The same house incidentally that she lost her heart to in the previous book.
One thing newbies should know of our protagonist is the confidence born out of growing up in the same town all her life. Her curiosity drives her into investigating an open door and then in a random sequence of events uncovering a skeleton. This, in turn, brings some old scandals to the forefront and has (almost)everyone involved.
It was an intriguing concept to investigate an older crime by people who do not have the technical background to do so while at the same time, that very investigation might be the cause for a crime in the present. It was well executed and kept me hooked until I read the end. I am still not sold on the main couple, but am ignoring the urge to focus and/or harp on it!
I look forward to the next strange predicament that Stella will land herself in, given the way this book ended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review was entirely based on my own reading experience.