Reviews

Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle

git_r_read's review against another edition

5.0

This one of my top favorite cozy series. I was pleased that I won this from Cleo Coyle's site, CoffeeHouseMystery and it's a signed copy! This is chock-full of a superb story and loaded with foo-foo coffee info like Tips For Being Your Own Barista, Coffehouse Terms, Guide to Roasting Terms, and (my favorite) Coffee Drink Recipes, Coffee Syrups, Caffe Latte Recipes (including the Fa-L-La Lattes in the book). And there are Holiday Recipes for the food depicted in the book too. YUM!
This one is my favorite of the series. It shows even more the growing relationship between Mike and Clare and the difficulties and wonderfulness that it is. Clare's ex-husband, Matt, is in the throes of his new marriage and all that that entails and it's causing headaches for Clare as well.

I am always curious how the author will have the main character get involved in the mystery that needs solving. Sometimes they can be a wee bit awkward, but Cleo Coyle always has Clare getting involved rather seamlessly. It's because it's someone she knows or someone she cares about asks her to get involved.

Five yummy holiday beans....

pianorunner421's review against another edition

3.0

Very much enjoyed this book. I think I have read at least one other of these mysteries, but it has been a long time. This one had some fun twists and turns and I did not figure out who did it until very close to the end.

paige1947_'s review against another edition

5.0

Another great book from this wonderful series. It is Christmas time in NYC and at the Village blend nothing still and quiet. When a sidewalk Santa is shot Clare jumps into motion. With each addition to the series the reader gets to know and love all the characters more and more. And also with each book Clare gets more and more into crime solving. A nice Christmas read.

rhubarb1608's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

dtaylorbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Having not read any of the other books in this series (this is book 8) and keeping when it was written in mind, I thought HOLIDAY GRIND was solidly okay. Even for the time it felt like it was trying too hard and made some poor taste references (calling her all black outfit her Boyz in the Hood outfit, for instance), along with having some stereotypically poor representations of anyone who wasn’t Italian (like literally anyone, pretty much all the secondary characters were some level of stereotype). I think it’s far enough on that we can call it a product of its time, but it was still off-putting to read at times.

The story itself was fine and enjoyable. Sufficiently Christmas-y and a nice departure from other Christmas cozies I read that are all small town [usually] Maine since it’s set in New York City. I think a lot of people who are more familiar with cozies do tend to think small town mysteries first because they’re so prevalent. But New York City can be cozy too!

I liked how Clare was sufficiently involved with the plot and couldn’t leave it. I’ve read a few cozies now where the protagonist was just skating along the periphery of the story and wasn’t really invested in it. Not Clare. The ramifications of her involving herself were clear and kept the story exciting and intriguing. Every time I thought the plot was starting to lull, something would happen to Clare that would snap me out of the fugue and bring me back in. So spot on pacing there.

Definite cop romance here so if that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned. I don’t seek out cop romances and this felt like Clare’s boyfriend just happened to be a cop instead of the story focusing around him being a cop. I was getting the vibes, though, that other books in the series were a bit more invested in the cop life just based on references to past storylines by the characters. I’m not sure, though, how divested a cozy mystery can be from at least some police involvement just by the nature of the genre. But I guess it’s all in how it’s handled.

Overall HOLIDAY GRIND hit the spot to an extent. I wasn’t thrilled with the book, but I wasn’t disappointed either. I good mid-realm novel if you’re looking for something easy to read during the hectic holidays.

3

karen_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

thegeekyblogger's review against another edition

4.0

Listened for Fun! (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.25

Audio Rating: 4.50 (Not part of the overall rating)

Part of my 25 Books for the Holiday for 2012

How Holiday Grind put me in the holiday spirit: This was a great little Christmas who-done-it and the Holiday setting was perfect. It was one of those stories the was enhanced by the Holiday spirit.

What I thought of Holiday Grind's Story/Characters: Characters are what make this story shine. I haven't read a Coffehouse Mystery book before but I will be reading them all now. I really loved all of the characters: Clare's family, coworkers, and friends. I was rooting for them all the way. I kinda love how they all got involved. I did think Clare was a little pushy at times (I would have told her to take a long walk off a short pier) but I loved her gumption and stubbornness. Overall this is making my cozy mysteries to read shelf (I will catch up)!

Audio Thoughts: Rebecca Gibel did an excellent job with narration, pacing, and characterization. This is going on my series to listen to on audio :)

manda7179's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoy her books. Clare always cracks me up with her interactions with Madame and her staff at her coffee house

justkeyreads's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ewil6681's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5