Scan barcode
bella_lettore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as I did the other book I read by this author Grave Errors. I felt the mystery in this one took a back seat to all of Lee's running around news reporting, which started to get a little boring after a while. I think the author could have dropped a lot of that and it would have tightened up the story and placed more focus on the murder mystery. There were also quite a few inconsistencies within the story, but hopefully, those will be fixed by the time the book is officially released. 
That being said, I still did really enjoy the characters themselves. Lee is a great leading lady. I continued to love Pete and their relationship. I loved Aunt Ibby, and O'Ryan the cat, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. Throw in a yummy sounding recipe, and it certainly made for an enjoyable (if not perfect) read.
bookishraccoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was actually a random find! I was surprised to find that I fell in love with this book! With that said, I realized I read the books out of order by starting the 7th book 1st (whoops). Regardless, I loved this book a lot! It’s a great series for picking up out of nowhere (they recap you so you don’t feel lost). It’s also an easy read, & you can get through it in no time! I loved the setting, cast of characters, humor, and I thought the story itself was unique! Lee Barrett is a great heroine in the story, & I look forward to reading more of her adventures!
Also, this book introduced me into cozy mysteries ❤️
Where have they been all my life??
Also, this book introduced me into cozy mysteries ❤️
Where have they been all my life??
ickijones's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.0
raemelle's review
3.0
Lee is the quintessential Mary Sue: Too perfect, with “faults” like her “too curly” hair and penchant for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. That’s it. Otherwise, she’s constantly talking about how well off she is financially, and finding ways to show how generous she is with her money by donating $5 to every bell-ringing Santa she sees.
She’s also been 32 for well over a year now. She was 32 during Halloween in book #5, Grave Errors, and 32 in June in book #6, It Takes a Coven. And now in book #7, set at Christmas. Time to update that copy and paste character intro that’s in every book! (“I’m Lee Barrett, née Maralee Kowalski, thirty-two, red-haired, Salem born, orphaned early, married once, and widowed young...”)
She takes really obvious clues and then acts like it’s because she’s an investigative reporter that she was able to figure them out (like mentioning her “reporter hat” being on as she decided that Eldridge was dead, when she was the one who found his body, and that “minimum rigor” means rigor mortis had begun - um, duh?) Then she misses super obvious ones, like recognizing a scene from A Christmas Carol, and which just goes right over her head.
The chapter endings are awkward, and end in the middle of a scene, but not during any sort of mysterious or dramatic moment. It’s like the chapter markers were just randomly dropped between paragraphs.
Regarding a pet peeve of mine in a scene early in the book (“All I could think of was one of those UNICEF Christmas card illustrations showing happy kids of every color playing together. That’s how those beautiful little ones looked to me. “): I hate it when people go overboard with how “beautiful” they find children who are poor or who are of other races. The people I hear talk like this are the same people who are okay with children of immigrants being locked in camps while their parents get sent to jail or back out of the country. Those who actually perform actions like they care about other races don’t feel the need to talk in this hollow, high and mighty manner. She does it again later: “I watched the rough cut of the shelter piece on a small camera-mounted monitor and marveled again at the beauty of those multihued children.” That’s cringe-worthy.
The Kindle edition I read was rife with typos and editing mistakes. These books are feeling like very cookie-cutter and slap-dashed. The only thing I like about them is they take place in Salem, Massachusetts.
She’s also been 32 for well over a year now. She was 32 during Halloween in book #5, Grave Errors, and 32 in June in book #6, It Takes a Coven. And now in book #7, set at Christmas. Time to update that copy and paste character intro that’s in every book! (“I’m Lee Barrett, née Maralee Kowalski, thirty-two, red-haired, Salem born, orphaned early, married once, and widowed young...”)
She takes really obvious clues and then acts like it’s because she’s an investigative reporter that she was able to figure them out (like mentioning her “reporter hat” being on as she decided that Eldridge was dead, when she was the one who found his body, and that “minimum rigor” means rigor mortis had begun - um, duh?) Then she misses super obvious ones, like recognizing a scene from A Christmas Carol, and which just goes right over her head.
The chapter endings are awkward, and end in the middle of a scene, but not during any sort of mysterious or dramatic moment. It’s like the chapter markers were just randomly dropped between paragraphs.
Regarding a pet peeve of mine in a scene early in the book (“All I could think of was one of those UNICEF Christmas card illustrations showing happy kids of every color playing together. That’s how those beautiful little ones looked to me. “): I hate it when people go overboard with how “beautiful” they find children who are poor or who are of other races. The people I hear talk like this are the same people who are okay with children of immigrants being locked in camps while their parents get sent to jail or back out of the country. Those who actually perform actions like they care about other races don’t feel the need to talk in this hollow, high and mighty manner. She does it again later: “I watched the rough cut of the shelter piece on a small camera-mounted monitor and marveled again at the beauty of those multihued children.” That’s cringe-worthy.
The Kindle edition I read was rife with typos and editing mistakes. These books are feeling like very cookie-cutter and slap-dashed. The only thing I like about them is they take place in Salem, Massachusetts.
pnw_michelle's review against another edition
4.0
Why do I love these books so much? Maybe because the heroine, though she does stumble into a disproportionate number of murders, and though she was widowed young, she has a really easy life. Free housing. Fancy car. Jobs she loves. She's obviously hot. She never really fights with her boyfriend. Everything always works out in the end. And this should be annoying but instead it's comforting. When I'm stressed beyond belief (and this has been a stressful year!), I love reading books where the problems aren't actually so bad. The murdered person wasn't a close friend. Life is great except for the pesky mystery. It all gets wrapped up neatly in the end. Thank the gods books like this exist to help keep me sane when, for example, I'm in the middle of moving!
patchworkwitch's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as I did the other book I read by this author Grave Errors. I felt the mystery in this one took a back seat to all of Lee's running around news reporting, which started to get a little boring after a while. I think the author could have dropped a lot of that and it would have tightened up the story and placed more focus on the murder mystery. There were also quite a few inconsistencies within the story, but hopefully, those will be fixed by the time the book is officially released. That being said, I still did really enjoy the characters themselves. Lee is a great leading lady. I continued to love Pete and their relationship. I loved Aunt Ibby, and O'Ryan the cat, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. Throw in a yummy sounding recipe, and it certainly made for an enjoyable (if not perfect) read.
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
Where did I stop? 30% in
Why? There was a lot of inane detail and superfluous information that I was just getting bored. It very much reads like there wasn’t enough plot to fill the book so we’re lighting every single cigarette the character has in order to fill space. Adding into that, there was a lot of repetition, both of character information and actions. Like a character would put her boots, coat, purse, scarf, and gloves down and a few paragraphs later she would pick up her boots, coat, purse, scarf, and gloves. It slowed the plot down to a crawl. Also, I wasn’t liking the main character. She’s a reporter so being inside her head was kind of ick. Just a very intrusive, vulture-like mentality that I wasn’t liking. Plus she’s kind of on the shallow side (we must mention the absolutely ridiculous Corvette she drives every time she drives it, but it’s okay because she recognizes it’s ridiculous, especially in a New England winter, and the designer shoes and purses she has, every time they come into the picture) and I wasn’t liking that piece either. There just wasn’t a lot going on for me to like here. I wanted to like it. Christmas in Salem is beautiful and magical. But this book was neither of those things. It wasn’t even interesting.