Crazy for Christmas by Penny Zeller Review

 

Crazy for Christmas by Penny Zeller is another fun-filled visit to Cloverdale Falls. This is the second time we get to visit during the Christmas season. Our FMC, Juniper, is a bit over the top when it comes to Christmas decorating and finds the MMC, officer Aiden Lockwood, too serious and "sullen," figuring he didn't care for Christmas. But, in his defense, he is just trying to keep law and order and Juniper, the Crazy Christmas Lady, does seem to find herself in some interesting predicaments. 

Of course, they then find themselves in each other's company again and again. Sometimes accidentally, other times being finagled together by town and family matchmakers. There were definitely some hilarious laugh out loud moments. Plus there was a mini mystery for CFI (Cloverdale Falls Investigations) to solve. 

I loved the small town vibes, as always. Especially the fun Christmas traditions. And I loved seeing Juniper and Aiden's attitudes toward each other slowly changing. And we also get to see past characters and even little reminders of some fun (and funny) moments. 

And of course, there is little Jingles, Juniper's doggy who is always decked out in Christmas gear. Such a festive story, sure to get one in the mood for Christmas. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Dressed for Success . . . Turned Out for Murder by Donna Mumma Review

 

Dressed for Success. . . Turned Out for Murder by Donna Mumma is the awesome third book in her Women of Wynton's Mystery series. I was so excited that I was able to visit with Mary Jo, Audrey, Vivien, Gigi, and Mirette again, along with other beloved characters from Levi City, Florida. It was another intriguing trip to the late 1950s and Wynton's Department Store where another murder mystery gripped me and wouldn't let go.

Mary Jo declared at the beginning of the book that 1957 was going to be their year. Unfortunately, that was not going to be the case. Not when her husband was accused of murdering his boss, and because of the head injury he sustained, he can't remember what happened, and has no defense. Even though her friends and her boss are behind her, Mary Jo is now being ostracized for being the wife of a murderer, and she also has to deal with her bitter, complaining mother who is living with her and her two girls. As you can imagine, she is quite stressed and it is a struggle to make it through each day.

But Audrey, and Gigi, and Vivien, along with Immogene and Mirette, are helping her try to figure out who the real murder is, because they just know there is no way her husband killed his boss. . . is there? Unfortunately they don't have much to go on. And the police have their hands full with the two rival families. Throw in a gambling ring, loan sharks, a missing ledger, and annoying, slimy, stalkerish men, and you've got a book that kept me turning the pages. 

One of the things that keeps me glued to a book is having a character that is wrongfully accused. I NEEDED to find out who the actual murderer was. Plus, I love a book with suspense, and even though this was more of a cozy mystery, there was definitely some suspense, but not too intense. In fact, I think there was more intense suspense in the first two books. And oh boy, I have to say, I did not see the big reveal coming. What a twist. Definitely NOT on my radar. Though, looking back, maybe this person should have been. 

It wasn't just the mystery that kept me turning the pages either. I loved going behind the scenes in the department store again. I loved seeing the camaraderie that the women shared. I loved following each of the four characters in their own lives.I loved seeing them standing up against racism (remember this is set in the 1950s in the south). I just loved all the little things that brought these characters and this setting to life. And I just found out today that this series is going to continue, and I can not wait until book four is here. 

This is definitely a book, and a series, that I recommend. And yes, to get to know these characters and truly understand their lives, you will want to read the books in order. Though each books' mystery does get solved nicely with no cliff hangers. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Royal Chef's Kiss by Mandy Boerma Review

Royal Chef's Kiss by Mandy Boerma was an awesome romance set in a fictional European country of Nevive. I know I say I always want to read books in order, but I didn't have time to read book one before reading this sequel. And let me just mention that I really wish I had found the time to read the first book, Royal Runaway's Holiday first because there is so much back story that I seem to have been missing, plus the reader already knows how the romance in book one turns out. So, yes, I loved this book. But this has reminded me why I always read series in order. 

So, I don't know for sure, but I'm assuming some things I mention will be spoilers for book one. Just my normal warning.

Our main characters are Orlin, who is the uncle of the MMC from the first book, and Jamie, who was best friends with Orlin's late wife, along with the late queen of Nevive. I'm assuming I will discover more of their story by reading the first book. 

Orlin in the head chef in the palace of Nevive, and he is friends with the king. He has taken in three children whose parents are being searched for which is turning his ordered life a bit topsy turvy. Jamie has just lost her teaching job and is asked to accept a position teaching these children, which turns Orlins life completely upside down seeing as she is quite the opposite of his "ordered" life. So, things are a bit rocky for them. And complicating it more is that they have known each other for years, and the losses that they share make things even more tense.

And to make things even more fun, they don't realize that they have been in contact with each other for a year online, using only their screen names, Whisktaker and SeasonedChef. 

This was an amazing opposites attract story. I loved seeing Orlin and Jamie's relationship evolve. And I just loved getting to know the children and watch the relationships that developed between all of them. I was both hoping their family could be found, and dreading what it would mean for Orlin and Jamie if/when said family was found. 

And let me just say, all the food, and there was quite a bit of it seeing as Orlin was the palace chef, really sounded mouthwatering and intriguing, making my own cooking/baking abilities seem so ho-hum. 

I also loved that faith was important in the characters' lives. There was some amazing truths shared as they leaned on God. Here's a passage that really spoke to me:

"Faith isn't taking a step once you can see where your next one will be. True freedom happens when you step out, even when you don't know where your foot will land. Freedom is found in letting go of worry and fear and letting God take control of your life. Trust Him to have your best interests at heart."

Highly recommended, but make sure to do what I didn't, read book one first. I can't wait for book 3 to release. I don't know how many books the author is planning on writing in this series, but I can't wait to return to Nevive, and there are many characters I would love to see stories for. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - October 29, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: First Line Friday, Friday Book Snippets, and Book Blogger Hop.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm starting Dressed for Success. . . Turned Out for Murder by Donna Mumma. This is the third book in her Women of Wynton's Mystery series and it releases next week.

I'm also starting Lost Without You by Emily Conrad. This is the second book in her Chimney Creek Romances series and it also releases next week.

   

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my First Line Friday selections:

Dressed for Success. . .Turned Out for Murder by Donna Mumma:

"Here and now, she declared 1957 as their year."

Why did I have a feeling this wasn't going to be their year?

Lost Without You by Emily Conrad:

"In defiance of the blizzard barreling toward Chimney Creek State Park, a one-hundred-thirty-pound lump of fur lazily peered up at Luke Fielding from a snowbank."

Well, said lump of fur must be enjoying the snow, or is stubborn, or both.

Friday Book Snippets    

 

Friday Book Snippets is the new weekly blog party that has combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56. Participants can link up at either Bemused & Bookish with Olivia or Head Full of Books with Anne. Here are the instructions:

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

Here is my selection from page 56 or 56% of the way through the book:

Dressed for Success. . .Turned Out for Murder by Donna Mumma:

"'We need to get you on your feet and take you up to Miss Vivien's.' Audrey stretched her hand out to Mary Jo.

Mary Jo took the hanky and put it to work blotting the tracks left from her river of tears. 'I'm so embarrassed.'

'None of us could handle the strain you've been under.'

Mary Jo allowed Audrey to help her stand. 'You would.'

Audrey looked her directly in the eye. 'Don't fool yourself. I've crumbled plenty of times.'"

Lost Without You  by Emily Conrad:

"She grabbed her coat and struggled to juggle her computer as she pulled on her sleeve. 'What time?'

'You tell me.'

'Really?'

'Doesn't the time matter to you? For the light or whatever?' He lifted her coat from her hands and held it open for her.

If he'd considered lighting for her photos, he wasn't a complete lost cause."

Book Blogger Hop.

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ranblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer. The hop occurs weekly, starting on Friday and ending the following Thursday, featuring a specific book-related prompt each week. The main goal is to connect bloggers, encouraging them to follow each other, discover new titles, and grow their audience.

This week's question is: If you could retell a Halloween story or trope from a fresh angle, what would you choose and why?

My answer: Well, I'm not a huge fan of Halloween or the goriness or spookiness that goes with Halloween stories. But I love how Jaime Jo Wright can make a story creepy, but also have  no real ghosts, but lots of spiritual truths. 

And now it is time to share my current Reviews:

 

Last week I shared about two books. I finished one of the books, but I'm still reading the other. Here is the review:

Royal Chef's Kiss by Mandy Boerma

Secrets in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell Review

 

Secrets in the Castle Library is an awesome conclusion to Ann Swindell's In the Castle Library series. I only wish it wasn't the last book. I have loved visiting the fictional European country of Lethersby. What a wonderful set of modern princess stories. Throughout this series more and more discoveries have been made regarding the life of Queen Alma, the queen who disappeared a hundred years earlier during the Great War. It was thought that they had discovered all they could, but there was still more that needed to come to light. 

Melanie is the friend of Ellie, the woman who was the FMC of the first book. She is in Lethersby to accept a job at the university in teaching American History, one of her passions. However, she also desires to delve into the Queen Alma mystery, being sure that there is still more to learn from the diaries that had been found, determined to find another hidden code or clue to lead them to further truths. However, our MMC, Eddie, who is the curator of the museum and part of the team studying the journals, is not happy to have this outsider try to tell him that he and his team in essence have missed something. So, their relationship was off to a rocky start.

I loved seeing their relationship evolve while working together. Loved seeing their perspectives change and both of them grow as characters. Melanie was searching for a sense of self, a sense of identity and belonging. But through her life she had always been looking in the wrong places. Eddie had been striving for accolades and self-importance. He was a new Christian while she had put up walls and didn't see a need for religion. Christianity was a central theme in this book, with the plan of salvation brought up multiple times, Scripture was read, characters prayed, the Lord's will was sought, and truth was shared. Through Alma's journals we also saw how faith was important in her life.

I loved watching Melanie and Eddie scouring the journals for clues, and I loved when inspiration struck. I loved the new twists in this story, but also I loved getting to see all the main characters from the previous books. I loved that all these characters were important in this story, and we got to see them interacting. 

Definitely an emotional read, but oh, so, so good. I've loved each book in this series and can't pick a favorite. They each contained sweet romance, intriguing mysteries, and truths brought to light. Highly recommended.

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. There are my own honest thoughts.

Friday Fun - October 22, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with three different book parties that post on Fridays: First Line Friday, Friday Book Snippets, and Book Blogger Hop.

This week I have two books to share with you.

I'm starting Crazy for Christmas by Penny Zeller. This is the newest book in her Love in Cloverdale Falls series, and it just released this week.

I'm also starting Royal Chef's Kiss by Mandy Boerma. This is book two in her Nevive Castle series.

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here are my First Line Friday selections:

Crazy for Christmas by Penny Zeller:

"Nothing could ruin this day. Absolutely nothing."

Why did I have a feeling this day was going to be ruined somehow.

Royal Chef's Kiss by Mandy Boerma:

"Who would have guessed that sumac, not the poisonous kind, obviously, would be pleasant in mashed potatoes?"

Okay, so I didn't know there were different kinds of sumac. And, no, I would have thought of putting sumac in my mashed potatoes. I needed to find out more about this intriguing ingredient.

Friday Book Snippets    

 

Friday Book Snippets is the new weekly blog party that has combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56. Participants can link up at either Bemused & Bookish with Olivia or Head Full of Books with Anne. Here are the instructions:

Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

Here is my selection from page 56 or 56% of the way through the book:

Crazy for Christmas by Penny Zeller:

"Dad thumbed at his chest. 'Me? I'd never breathe a word to Maeve about scanners. Can you imagine?'

'As of now, I don't think she even knows they exist, but if she found out, her CFI business could be trouble. Can you imagine her showing up at every call?'

'Not every call,' said Kirby, 'just the interesting ones. Those three women showing up in that van hoping to get the scoop and offering to provide backup.'"

Royal Chef's Kiss  by Mandy Boerma:

"Warmth filled him. She liked mushrooms. They didn't swap cooking tips too much anymore, but that she was willing to try something different--as the children had made him feel like he was poisoning them when he made them soup--it made a difference.

Tucking his phone away, he headed to the kitchen. He'd respond later. For now, he had time to regroup. To savor her thoughtful words as he worked on new desserts for the competition."

Book Blogger Hop.

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ranblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer. The hop occurs weekly, starting on Friday and ending the following Thursday, featuring a specific book-related prompt each week. The main goal is to connect bloggers, encouraging them to follow each other, discover new titles, and grow their audience.

This week's question is: What's the creepiest book you've read that isn't officially horror, but gave you chills?

My answer: I would have to say several of Jaime Jo Wright's books would count here. 

And now it is time to share my current Reviews:

 

Last week I shared about two books. Here are my reviews:

Ghosts We Unmask by Chelsea Michelle

Secrets in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell

I also finished a book I shared about two weeks ago. Here is that review:

In Fairy Tales & Fraud by Heather Tabers

Ghosts We Unmask by Chelsea Michelle Review

 

Ghosts We Unmask is another awesome book in the Watson Twins mystery series by Chelsea Michelle. In fact, it might just be my favorite in the series. This one was the fourth mini mystery, though I think it would have been even more awesome if it was one of the full length mysteries. As with the other books in the series, there is the main mystery that is presented and then solved in the course of the book. All nicely tied up. However, there is still a separate mystery that has been continuing through the series. So, this is one reason I would recommend reading this series in the recommended order. Additionally, the friend group keeps expanding and evolving, so it would be spoilerish to read this most recent book and realize everyone who is in this group, because then you would know too much about them.

As this story begins, Michelle comes to the aid of a lady who they discover has just purchased a farm that is rumored to be haunted. Michelle and Chelsea befriend her and, along with the rest of their friends in the Dinner Detectives group, they agree to help prove that the house is not really haunted by staying there overnight. And, as you can imagine, stuff begins to happen. Are they dealing with the famed "ghost" or is it some teenagers pranking the occupants of the house, or is it something even more sinister? But, not too sinister of course because this is a cozy mystery. But there was definitely a creep factor.

So, I went into this, knowing it is a Christian book, so ghosts aren't real. However, as it is mentioned in the book, there is a spiritual world and there are angels and demons, so could there be something supernatural? Or would they eventually unmask a human villain like the gang from Scooby Doo did in every episode. I loved all the references to Scooby Doo, from them choosing who was going to be who from that classic show, to certain snacks and famous expressions. 

There were multiple human suspects, even though Hazel, the supposed ghost, kept getting brought up too. I could definitely see how all of these suspects could be behind what was going on. In fact, I had started suspecting a certain person before our friends brought it up. But were our thoughts going in the right direction? Anyway, I wasn't entirely surprised when the mystery was solved, but I was definitely intrigued when everything came to light. Definitely lots there to keep you guessing.

And, as always, faith is an important part of this story, which I always appreciate.

Definitely highly recommended. 

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.