Brew or Die by Caroline Fardig

This series is starting to redeem itself for me a little bit, a very little bit. Rather than Juliet Langley just bungling about, getting involved in murders, she's now a trained investigator. Her first job doesn't go very well (the man she's been trailing claims she's attacked him rather than the mistress he just dumped) but she is starting to get the hang of it when Shane, one of the coffee shop's workers, asks her to investigate the death of his fiancee. She apparently died of a drug overdose but Shane claims she's been clean for years. So Juliet (and, of course, Pete) jump into the world of party planning, once again even going undercover to help solve the case.

I still wish we didn't have the love triangle... which may not actually be a love triangle? This will-they-won't-they is cute enough for the span of a book, but not more than that. And we're now six books into the series. This is what got me off of Joanna Fluke and this series is heading that way for me. At least Juliet was slightly less ditzy in this book.

Three stars

This book comes out April 25

Follows A Whole Latte Murder

Dial P for Poison by Zara Keane

I requested this book from NetGalley on a whim. There are any number of cozy series that I'm already reading and I didn't really need another. But I found one.
Maggie Doyle is a former cop. She found her husband cheating on her, reacted badly, and then accepted her aunt's offer to help run a movie theater/cafe in Ireland. Even though Maggie can't cook. Like, really can't cook. Instead of finding a relaxing life, Maggie is surrounded by her aunt's cats, she struggles not to alienate her aunt's customers while her aunt is getting surgery, and then discovers the town's evil queen dead at the local movie night. And the local garda seems eager to pin the crime on her aunt. It's up to Maggie to keep her out of jail.
There are some issues with this book, as there are many when an author is trying to build a series, but I really enjoyed Maggie and hope to read more about her.

Four stars

This book came out April 12, 2017

Followed by The Postman Always Dies Twice

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby September 2023

A Good Day to Buy by Sherry Harris

At the end of the last book, I wasn't sure that I liked our narrator, Sarah, very much. This book got her more on an even keel for me. Her brother has mysteriously shown up in town after nearly two years of estrangement. And this is right on the heels of a sale where the husband and wife were viciously attacked while Sarah was running their tag sale.
Now Sarah has to balance the love of her ex-husband (who doesn't really impress me much) with the love she has for her brother. There is also still a lot of tension between Sarah and her ex, most-eligible-bachelor attorney, Seth.
I like the way this story is heading better than the last one. This is still a fast, fun, and fluffy series worth following.

Three stars
This book comes out April 25
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Followed by I Know What You Bid Last Summer

Slow Burn Cowboy by Maisey Yates

Lane Jensen has only just figured out that Finn Donnelly is a man. Well, she knew, but she didn't know he was A MAN. After being burned as a teen, she has never really considered that love could be something that she could have. And now that she's finally figuring out that Finn could be everything she's ever wanted, but will she be too late?
Finn has trained himself not to want more than Lane can give. But he's done. He's done rescuing mice, he's done being the handyman. Basically, he's done being the boyfriend who doesn't get the sex. So... he and Lane start having sex. All while his life is falling to bits. Well, sort of. All of his brothers have moved back to the family ranch since their grandfather left it to them equally. Even though Lane is the one who's been there, taking care of everything. Now he has to share with the brothers he hasn't seen in years; the brothers who all left Copper Ridge.
It was an interesting book trying to continue a series while bridging into a new set of siblings. The romance between Lane and Finn suffered a little because of it but overall I think Maisey Yates' readers will enjoy.

Comes out tomorrow
Three stars
Followed by Down Home Cowboy

Miss Feesenschneezen Is Ill by David Parmelee

I was really expecting this to be a picture book, something along the lines of the Miss Nelson series. But this was more of a chapter book. And it was definitely again about an unruly class in need of a substitute. But this time we get to see the varied substitutes that come in to teach our unnamed narrator's class. There's the teacher from overseas here on an exchange program, a woman who used to work in a juvenile detention center, and a host of others that try to come in and teach this class, and fail.
A nice book but without the fun of Viola Swamp.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 20

The Thing About Love by Julie James

I think that FBI/US Attorney fans are going to be very happy with this book. Not only do we get to revisit the Chicago office, we get a whole new couple to root for.
Six years ago, Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd were in the same training class and battled each other every step of the way. They parted thinking "good riddance." And never gave the other a thought as Jess moved to L.A. and assumed John was recruited into an elite team in D.C. But, after his mother's illness, John ended up home in Chicago. Too bad he just found out that his girlfriend of two years is cheating on him with one of his best friends. And found out in the worst way possible.
Jessi just went through a divorce and has moved back to Chicago to be closer to her family and to her best friend. She's a great undercover agent and isn't surprised to be picked for an elite op taking down a corrupt Floridian mayor. However, she is surprised to find out that her partner in the op is none other than her old buddy John.
We get to see both John and Jessica's versions of what happened six years ago which is pretty nice, to see where misunderstandings took place. And I liked that the two actually talked about their differences. There was a lot of angst and some Medium Misunderstandings at the end that were a little overdrawn but it was an overall nice story and regular James readers will be pleased. The tie-ins to previous books are incredibly light and this would work as a good stand alone for new readers as well.

Four stars
This book comes out April 18

Murder Is for Keeps by Elizabeth J. Duncan

Penny Brannigan is just spending a quiet afternoon painting at the local castle ruin. She follows a fox to what used to be a dog pen and discovers a dead body. It is the body of one of the local volunteers working to restore the castle to it's former beauty.
There are secrets to be discovered about the castle, both old and new. Penny's friend, retired policeman, Gareth is also drawn into the mystery when it turns out his grandmother was connected to a murder at the castle in the 1920s.
The mystery was a little hard to follow. I do appreciate that Ms. Duncan doesn't make Penny fall into the all-too-familiar trap of having a love triangle. It is always resolved by the end of the book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out April 11
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Followed by The Marmalade Murders