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mhite11's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thepeachmartini's review
5.0
Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
Date Read 6 Dec 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I ended up switching out the original book I selected for this prompt (set somewhere new to me) when this became available from the library. Set in Maine, I immediately wanted to buy a Christmas tree farm complete with cafe and gift shop.
It was a simple mystery, neatly wrapped up like a pretty package of festive cookies. My only nit-pick with this was the weird avoidance of the word ‘stomach’ - everything was ‘tummy’ and it began to grate on my nerves. Other than that, it was a very pleasant cozy read.
Date Read 6 Dec 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I ended up switching out the original book I selected for this prompt (set somewhere new to me) when this became available from the library. Set in Maine, I immediately wanted to buy a Christmas tree farm complete with cafe and gift shop.
It was a simple mystery, neatly wrapped up like a pretty package of festive cookies. My only nit-pick with this was the weird avoidance of the word ‘stomach’ - everything was ‘tummy’ and it began to grate on my nerves. Other than that, it was a very pleasant cozy read.
katreader's review
4.0
TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Jacqueline Frost
The First Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe, Maine, but not for her Christmas Eve wedding. Confident that she actually dodged a bullet when her fiance left her for a yoga instructor, Holly is throwing herself into the Reindeer Game festivities at her family's Christmas tree farm. But when the president of the historical society, who had been wreaking havoc with several residents including Holly's dad, winds up murdered at the farm Holly finds she has more on her plate than Christmas cookies! Holly needs to get the farm back in business after it's closed to the public as a crime scene and decides to show that good looking sheriff that there are much better suspects than her family and the farm's employees.
Reindeer Games Tree Farm is a magical place for a mystery. Filled with winter traditions and all the Christmas trimmings, reading this book made me want to snuggle by the Christmas tree and drink some of Cookie's special tea...even though my tree isn't up yet! Despite the joy to be found at the farm, there's also a killer on the loose adding fear and suspicion. I appreciate the fact that Holly visibly reacts to the threats and scary occurrences with realistic emotions. She's affected and struggles to deal with what has happened, but doesn't let it stop her from trying to find the killer.
TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a charming Christmas read, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit. I can easily picture it transformed into film and watching it on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel! It's a perfect holiday blend of mystery and romance with enough chills to be exciting and the right amount of sweetness to make you smile. The first Christmas Tree Mystery is a feel good story flavored with the joy of Christmastime as well as a good mystery!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
The First Christmas Tree Farm Mystery
Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe, Maine, but not for her Christmas Eve wedding. Confident that she actually dodged a bullet when her fiance left her for a yoga instructor, Holly is throwing herself into the Reindeer Game festivities at her family's Christmas tree farm. But when the president of the historical society, who had been wreaking havoc with several residents including Holly's dad, winds up murdered at the farm Holly finds she has more on her plate than Christmas cookies! Holly needs to get the farm back in business after it's closed to the public as a crime scene and decides to show that good looking sheriff that there are much better suspects than her family and the farm's employees.
Reindeer Games Tree Farm is a magical place for a mystery. Filled with winter traditions and all the Christmas trimmings, reading this book made me want to snuggle by the Christmas tree and drink some of Cookie's special tea...even though my tree isn't up yet! Despite the joy to be found at the farm, there's also a killer on the loose adding fear and suspicion. I appreciate the fact that Holly visibly reacts to the threats and scary occurrences with realistic emotions. She's affected and struggles to deal with what has happened, but doesn't let it stop her from trying to find the killer.
TWELVE SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS is a charming Christmas read, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit. I can easily picture it transformed into film and watching it on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel! It's a perfect holiday blend of mystery and romance with enough chills to be exciting and the right amount of sweetness to make you smile. The first Christmas Tree Mystery is a feel good story flavored with the joy of Christmastime as well as a good mystery!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
mermommymoni's review
4.0
Perfect cozy murder mystery for the holiday/winter season. It was like drinking a hot cup of cocoa next to a fire, enjoyable quick read felt like I was watching a Hallmark movie.
debyik's review
4.0
A cozy mystery with a touch of romance. Such a fun setting with Holly moving back home after being dumped by her fiance to her parent's tree farm in Maine celebrating the 12 days before Christmas. I had no idea what to expect going into this series as I hadn't heard of it before but it was so much fun. The cozy loving friends and family vibe had me hooked and adding the mystery into that made it even more fun trying to guess the "who-done-it".
kristinakaldenbach's review
4.0
Okay, I loved this! If you are looking for a cozy mystery with serious Christmas vibes, this is the book for you! I want to live in Mistletoe and take part in the Reindeer Games.
I really wanted a book that had all the Christmas, heart-warming vibes I could find and boy did this deliver. It was magical. I loved this town and all its people, especially the Whites and their Christmas tree farm. I loved that Holly wasn't that typical type who begrudgingly moves back home after a failed relationship and just feels down on herself. No, Holly realized she missed a bullet with her ex and absolutely loves being home. She has a few things to figure out but has a great family to support her.
The mystery aspect was really good. I definitely felt suspense and wanted to know who the killer was. While I don't really love the trope of your average citizen with no detective experience trying to solve the mystery on their own instead of trusting the police, that didn't bother me too much in this book. Mostly because I really liked Holly and her interactions with the sheriff.
Holly did make some kinda dumb decisions. And I didn't love who the killer ended up being. It didn't make too much sense to me. And I really hated that sort of love triangle that might have been going on. Also, all the mentions of food Holly brought up didn't sit right with me. She talked about gaining too much weight because she was eating too many sweets and she would skip entire meals or have hot chocolate for dinner. I think none of that needed to be mentioned.
Overall, I LOVED this and would definitely continue on with the series.
SPOILERS below!
Really? Mr. Nettle, the accountant, was the killer and did all of that to Holly because he moved some funds around? I did not like him as the killer and didn't like his motive.
Ray was the WORST!! I hated his character so much. It seemed the author was trying to have some kind of love triangle going on with Ray, Holly, and the Sheriff and that was garbage. Ray was an obsessed stalker that Holly just blindly trusted for no reason. She doesn't remember him from school at all but takes his word for it and then says in complete confidence that there's no way he could be the killer. SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIM! I was really hoping he was going to be the killer and one of his aunts was the woman who screamed and it was all a setup to get the farm closed down so his family could get that land. I don't know. I just didn't like him and him probably being in future books for a love triangle angle really makes me not want to read on.
I really wanted a book that had all the Christmas, heart-warming vibes I could find and boy did this deliver. It was magical. I loved this town and all its people, especially the Whites and their Christmas tree farm. I loved that Holly wasn't that typical type who begrudgingly moves back home after a failed relationship and just feels down on herself. No, Holly realized she missed a bullet with her ex and absolutely loves being home. She has a few things to figure out but has a great family to support her.
The mystery aspect was really good. I definitely felt suspense and wanted to know who the killer was. While I don't really love the trope of your average citizen with no detective experience trying to solve the mystery on their own instead of trusting the police, that didn't bother me too much in this book. Mostly because I really liked Holly and her interactions with the sheriff.
Holly did make some kinda dumb decisions. And I didn't love who the killer ended up being. It didn't make too much sense to me. And I really hated that sort of love triangle that might have been going on. Also, all the mentions of food Holly brought up didn't sit right with me. She talked about gaining too much weight because she was eating too many sweets and she would skip entire meals or have hot chocolate for dinner. I think none of that needed to be mentioned.
Overall, I LOVED this and would definitely continue on with the series.
SPOILERS below!
Really? Mr. Nettle, the accountant, was the killer and did all of that to Holly because he moved some funds around? I did not like him as the killer and didn't like his motive.
Ray was the WORST!! I hated his character so much. It seemed the author was trying to have some kind of love triangle going on with Ray, Holly, and the Sheriff and that was garbage. Ray was an obsessed stalker that Holly just blindly trusted for no reason. She doesn't remember him from school at all but takes his word for it and then says in complete confidence that there's no way he could be the killer. SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIM! I was really hoping he was going to be the killer and one of his aunts was the woman who screamed and it was all a setup to get the farm closed down so his family could get that land. I don't know. I just didn't like him and him probably being in future books for a love triangle angle really makes me not want to read on.
clwolff27's review
5.0
I just loved this book. Nothing remarkable, just a fun, charming, quick Christmas read.
travelandreading's review against another edition
3.5
A fluffy Christmas mystery that was enjoyable to listen to while baking.
lauralou811's review
5.0
Such a fun, realistic cozy mystery! The setting was the perfect amount of Christmas without being over the top and unbelievable. For a made up town, Mistletoe seems like a quaint, real town. The characters were charming and the relationships were authentic. I’m excited for the rest of the series and hope more get added!!