A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family's ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she's going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.

To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It's not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she'll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown..."

My Thoughts:

A Deadly Inside Scoop was a laugh out loud, delightful beginning to this new cozy mystery series!  I am so glad that I requested this book from NetGalley.  I cannot remember where I first heard about this one but I'm so thankful that I had it on my radar!  Let me tell you all of the things that made this book standout for me.  One, the author is obviously a mystery lover and threw in references to author mystery authors/books here and there that I couldn't help but appreciate.  Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is just one example.  I loved the nod that she gave in this book to that classic - it just warmed my book loving heart!  I also adored ALL of the characters in this book!  Win has a large family that is also her support system.  She also has two best friends that were absolutely hilarious.  I was reading this one in bed just giggling to myself while my husband gave me strange looks.  But I just couldn't help myself - it was too funny!  The banter back and forth between the three friends as well as the situations that they found themselves in at times were just too great!  I know this is going to sound wrong to many of you - but I'm not a huge ice cream person usually.  I enjoy it to be clear but it just isn't my go to treat or snack.  I will say that the different flavors that Win was making though helped to give me some serious cravings for ice cream while I was reading.  The mystery was solid and kept me guessing.  This was just such a great beginning to this cozy mystery series overall that I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

All in all, this book was a refreshing and enjoyable beginning to this new cozy mystery series!  I was super excited to have found out that this author has two other cozy series under a pseudonym that I can check out while I'm waiting for book two to release.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries with great characters, laugh out loud moments, and just a plain fun read; then check this book out!  I can easily recommend it especially to all of my other cozy mystery or suspense readers!  

Bottom Line:  I'm so excited to have found both this series and this author as this book was an absolute delight!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  Honest thoughts are my own.

A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, are in need of a bigger office and a secretary to handle the growing demand. Unfortunately, they don't yet have the necessary means. So when a woman arrives—a cousin of Gwen's—with an interesting and quite remunerative proposition, they two of them are all ears.

The cousin, one Lady Matheson, works for the Queen in "some capacity" and is in need of some discreet investigation. It seems that the Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a dashing Greek prince and a blackmail note has arrived, alluding to some potentially damaging information about said prince. Wanting to keep this out of the palace gossip circles, but also needing to find out what skeletons might lurk in the prince's closet, the palace has quietly turned to Gwen and Iris. Without causing a stir, the two of them must now find out what secrets lurk in the prince's past, before his engagement to the future Queen of England is announced. And there's more at stake than the future of the Empire —there is their potential new office that lies in the balance."

My Thoughts:

This series and this book are just a delight to read!  I enjoyed the first book in this series (The Right Sort of Man) last year so I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book.  This book was just as fun and pleasurable to read as that first book!  One of the things that I adore about this series is the two main characters of Gwen and Iris.  They are two very different women but they work together so well and really complement each other.  With a book that has two main characters, as the reader I sometimes can end up preferring one over the other but that just isn't the case in this series.  I'm constantly rooting for Gwen as she works to take back control of her life.  I'm also constantly rooting for Iris to actually find love and maybe even settle down one day.  They are just so much fun to read about and I love reading about the different types of trouble that they constantly seem to find themselves in.  At first, I had a bit of a time keeping track of all of the different kings, princes, and the like that were possibly caught up in the mystery both present day and in the past.  Happily enough, I just allowed myself to go along for the ride and before I knew it I was able to  figure out who was who.  The mystery was one that kept me guessing but honestly I really read this one for the characters and just the adventure of it all.  Both this book and the first were just fun books to read!  I found myself laughing out loud a few times with this one - especially over some of the comments Iris and Gwen would make.  This book really just was a delightful read and I'm eager to continue on with it in future books!

Overall, I cannot say enough good things about this series and this book!  They are just fun, light reads that I enjoyed immensely.  I don't think that you have to read these book in order necessarily but as there is only two books...I feel like why wouldn't you want to?  They are both completely worth it in my opinion!  I am so glad to have found this author and series!  It is one that I will definitely be both continuing on with and recommending!  This is a book that I definitely think historical mystery fans will enjoy, one that I would also recommend to cozy and mystery readers, and I would also recommend the series to fans of Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series!

Bottom Line: A delightful addition to what is becoming a favorite series of mine!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Tuesday's Gone by Nicci French (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"In Tuesday’s Gone, a London social worker makes a routine home visit only to discover her client, Michelle Doyce, serving afternoon tea to a naked, decomposing corpse. With no clues as to the dead man’s identity, Chief Inspector Karlsson again calls upon Frieda for help. She discovers that the body belongs to Robert Poole, con man extraordinaire. But Frieda can’t shake the feeling that the past isn’t done with her yet. Did someone kill Poole to embroil her in the investigation? And if so, is Frieda herself the next victim?"

My Thoughts:

I am well and truly hooked on this series at only two books in (wait...make that three books in - I just remembered that I started off this series with like the 6th book)!  My one regret is that I waited so long after finishing the first book before grabbing this one.  I can already tell that this is a series where things that happen from the first book will continue to play an important role in future books in this series.  This book had such a creepy premise with a woman with mental issues having tea with a dead man.  How could you not want to read this one based off of that premise?  I was intrigued instantly by that summary!  This book was a slow build whereas I remember blowing through the first book (actually I think I read that one in just a day).  I loved that it was a slow burn though because I took my time with it and was just so completely immersed in Frieda's world.  Her character is SO intriguing to me - I hope that we continue to learn more about her background as the series goes on!  I also enjoyed the fact that we got to see all of the other characters that we met in the previous book.  This is definitely a series that I would recommend reading in order.  There are major things at play (cannot say more than that) in this book that are carrying over from Blue Monday.  And the ending of this book - let me tell you what - I didn't see that coming whatsoever!  I'm so glad that I already have the next book waiting on my shelves.  This is a series to check out if you haven't already in my humble opinion!

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book immensely!  I loved that this one was a bit slower so that I ended up taking my time with it.  I'm really loving the characters in this series and especially Frieda herself.  I'm so intrigued by the way this book ended - I'm itching to grab that next book (especially just thinking about it all over again).  I would recommend this series (start with that 1st book please) to mystery lovers, those readers who enjoy a suspenseful read, and those readers that really enjoy character focused mysteries.  More readers need to find this series!  I can easily recommend this one!

Bottom Line: This series has become a standout series for me!

Disclosure:  I checked this book out from my local library.  Honest thoughts are my own.