Get a Candle on Crime (Glenmyre Whim Mystery 4), by Sarah E. Burr

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It's Christmastime in Crucible! Since the moment I read the jaw-dropping last sentence in the third installment in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, Flying off the Candle, I've been waiting for book 4. The cliffhanger and the fact that this is my favorite series written by Sarah E. Burr left me wanting more. So of course I jumped at the chance to read an eARC.

Book 4, Get a Candle on Crime, begins in the midst of a widespread power outage in Crucible. To bring a little light into their lives, the town's residents are flocking to A Wick in Time, the candle store owned by Hazel and her aunt Poppy. Unfortunately, things turn deadly when a body is found behind their store and one of their handmade candles is the murder weapon. Hazel and Poppy are determined to get to the bottom of this murder investigation where they uncover secrets and a scandal they didn't see coming.

This book makes one ponder the question, "What if...?" I'm not going to go into exactly what happened at end of the previous book because I don't want to share spoilers, but I will say it changes the way the Glenmyre Girls must proceed with this investigation and with their lives. I was a little concerned about how much I was going to enjoy this new (and possibly temporary) direction, but I ended up appreciating it in a way I never have before in a cozy mystery. It caused me to reflect on my own life and ask "What if..."

The mystery is strong in every way. There are several viable suspects with motives. There was misdirection and red herrings that made it a fun mystery to try and untangle. In the end, I was surprised at the whodunnit, yet, in retrospect, all the clues were there. I figured it out right about the same time Hazel did. Even after Hazel and I figured it, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how they were going to address the culprit. 

I also loved how the themes of the series played roles in the mystery. All I'm going to say is that it covered both themes of the candle shop and the Glenmyre Whims. I really appreciate when the overall theme of a cozy mystery series is part of the mystery.

In this installment, we meet the suspects, but we're also reunited with the main cast of characters. There are also some supporting characters that I love to see. One thing you can be sure of in any book that Sarah E. Burr writes is that everyone will feel welcome. The worlds she creates are diverse and accessible. Most personal to me in this series, and specifically in Get a Candle on Crime, is Holly. Holly is a wheelchair user who works at the police department and she has children. She is disabled and she's just going about her life with everyone else in Crucible. Often in books, disabled characters are elderly, which is fine, or they're ill. It's refreshing to see someone like Holly who is healthy, younger, working a day job, and being a mom. She represents so many of my friends. I don't want to downplay the struggles that the disabled community experiences, because that is real, but we also live our lives. 

Since the detective, Holden, is related to the Glenmyre girls, he has a unique relationship with them. He is concerned about their well-being, but he also discreetly does what he can to help them with their part in the investigation.

Just like there is just a touch of paranormal, there is also just a touch of romance in this installment. I like the way things are progressing for the main characters. One of the Glenmyre girls faces some unique challenges in this installment. It was refreshing to see the way she navigates through them and how her loved ones support and encourage her.

As I mentioned earlier, this book is set around Christmastime, and the festive atmosphere is captured perfectly. The merry mood is well-balanced with the challenges of the season, too, with the power outage and the weather. If you enjoy Christmas-themed cozies, you will enjoy the festivities happening around Crucible.

I'm glad to see there will be a fifth installment in this series. There's so much more to uncover regarding the Glenmyre girls. There are certain issues that are unresolved. While not every issue needs to be tied up in a neat bow, I would like to see them addressed in future installments. The Glenmyre Opus is very briefly referenced at the end of this book. I want to know what's inside! 

If you haven't read any previous books in this series, you won't feel lost if you jump in here. Sarah E. Burr does a great job of catching us up on everything without spending too much time on their history. And as with most cozy mysteries, this is a self-contained mystery that is solved at the end of the book.

 

However, there are events leading up to this book, so if you don't want spoilers and if you want to follow the character development, I recommend starting with book 1, You Can't Candle the Truth, and reading the series in order.

Thank you to Booksprout and author Sarah E. Burr for providing me with an eARC of this book.

Puzzle 144 - Candy-themed Cookies

Today is my 4-year blogoversary! Let's celebrate with a puzzle.

This one took me 2:47 using 35 non-rotating pieces. Remember, you can modify the number of pieces, etc.

Enjoy! And thank you for being part of my blogosphere.

Tides Wait for No Witch (Spelltide Bay Magic Mystery 1), by Natalie Summers

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So, I will admit, the one thing that pulled me into this book was finding out that it had a sea otter in it. I was already hooked from this alone, but I also loved the fact that a witch (okay, a half witch) was a main character. And look at how gorgeous that cover is! They say don't judge a book by its cover. Well, I say, why not? So based on all of that, I dove into Tides Wait for No Witch, never before having read anything else by Natalie Summers. I'm happy to say, it exceeded my expectations.

Sara Rivers has inherited a house from a great aunt she never met. Her plan was to stay in the house for six months so she could get the inheritance, sell it, then move on to whatever came next. Life had other plans for Sara.

While there, she discovers that the island is magical, she is half undine and half witch, she's inherited a game shop along with the house, and she has a family history of secrets never before uncovered. 

Until now. 

A journal that she found in the house leads Sara to believe that maybe her great aunt's death wasn't due to a heart attack on the beach, as everyone around town has been saying. And then another dead body turns up. Sara realizes she needs to get to the bottom of everything before someone else becomes a victim.

This book was the warm hug I didn't know I needed. The descriptive words about the setting made me feel like I was there soaking in the beauty the way Sara did. It felt refreshing during these hot summer days. 

While the story certainly does revolve around a compelling mystery, found family is at the heart of it. It isn't long before Sara discovers she has family, something she's truly never had before. Not like this anyway. This family is chaotic, but caring. I loved getting to know each and every one of them, and whenever they got together, it made my heart so happy. They made me cry tears of joy, and at times, tears of laughter. The are supportive of Sara every step of the way.

I mentioned earlier that there's a sea otter, one who is prominently shown on the cover of the book. I wondered how this talking sea otter, who also happens to be a kleptomaniac, would be portrayed. How could he possibly mingle with the land characters? Ollie, that's the sea otter's name, is perfectly included in this story. He isn't in as many scenes as I thought he would be, but when he does appear, he really makes a statement. Quite literally, actually. This character could have just been silly, but he wasn't. He was funny, but not over-the-top. He was also quite charming. I couldn't help but love him.

There are quite a few characters who have different magical abilities. There's even a gnome! I love gnomes, so I was delighted to meet this character. He's grumpy, but friendly. He's absolutely perfect. Every character, in fact, was well-crafted.

There's also the subplot of Sara learning the ropes of her magical ability. She's gone from not even knowing magic existed to realizing she is capable of making magic happen. It's complicated being half undine and half witch, so she has someone who teaches her all about it. Her teacher is tough on her, but she's also very likeable. All of the characters are multi-dimensional and Sara's instructor is certainly no exception.

Sometimes in magical cozies, I find the magic to be overwhelming. I did not feel that way while reading this book. The rules of the magic were gradually introduced. We were learning about it at the same time Sara was. It was just the right amount magic that made me curious and left me entertained. While the characters are an eclectic mix of magical beings, they also felt human and relatable. This is important to me. Even in a fantasy world, I want to be able to connect with the characters.

If you like romance in your cozies, there is a budding relationship. It's quite entertaining to see Sara swoon over her love interest. He may or may not be swooning over her as well. You'll have to read to find out how all of that unfolds. I like where it's going.

All that aside, a cozy mystery is not much without...well... a mystery, and we have a solid one in Tides Wait for No Witch. On top of being a "fish out of water" in Spelltide Bay, Sara has a mystery to solve. She makes for a very likeable and intelligent amateur sleuth. There are plenty of suspects to consider, but not too many to overwhelm the reader. There are also lots of unexpected twists and turns along the way. In the end, I did not figure it out. I was surprised at the whodunnit, but it came to a logical conclusion. However, it didn't even end there. There was still lots of suspenseful action even after Sara figured it out.

While going through all of this, Sara finds comfort in crocheting. She finds the repetitive hand motions relaxing and it also helps her to process her thoughts. I have never been a crocheter myself, but I loved these scenes. Just reading about her crocheting made me feel more relaxed. I also appreciated the brief mention of mental health regarding another character. Seeking professional help is okay and often necessary, even when you're not going through all of the events like what are in this book.

This book is mostly free from foul language. There was only one use of it that I noticed and it was close to the end. While I prefer cozies to be completely free from swearing and I did find this one word jarring, I'm glad it only happened once.

There is a cliffhanger at the end and I'm glad to know the next book is set to release later this year. Even before I read the cliffhanger, I knew this was a series I'd want to continue reading. Tides Wait for No Witch was a definite page-turner. At the end of every chapter, I was eager to find out what would happen next. Each chapter ends at a logical point and they were just to right length for my attention span. They were not too long and not too short. Each chapter felt complete, while still leaving me wanting to find out what happened next. 

I already feel like the main characters are my friends and I want to spend more time with them. I am also going to look into other books written by Natalie Summers. If you enjoy magical cozy mysteries, found family, and all of the other aspects I mentioned, I highly recommend picking up Tides Wait for No Witch. I'm confident you'll be glad you did.

Thank you to Booksprout for providing me with an eARC of this book.

Sunday Post 143

Hi everyone!

Through Monday, I am linking with the following: 

Reading Reality, who hosts Stacking the Shelves

Readerbuzz, who hosts Sunday Salon

Caffeinated Reviewer, who hosts Sunday Post

The Book Date, who hosts It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy 250th Birthday, America! I hope my American friends are having a safe and Happy Fourth of July weekend. If you reside in another country, I hope you are also having a safe and happy weekend!

It's been excessively hot in my neck of the Hundred Acre Wood. We've had consecutive days with "real feel" temperatures of around 116 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual parade that goes down my street on the 4th still happened, but everyone was required to ride in or on a vehicle. No one was permitted to walk this year due to the heat. Our temps were already in the 90's at 9 a.m. when the parade started. Using vehicles helped not only participants, but also spectators because they didn't have to stay outside as long as usual for this event. The parade moved much faster. I did not go outside, but I have a good enough view from my condo. Some of the vehicles were decorated very creatively!

After some storms, we are finally starting to cool down a little. By Tuesday, we'll have highs in the low 80's (but possibly with more storms).

Another event that happened this weekend was Tinker Bell and Fiona observed their Gotcha Day. It was July 3, 2022 when, as kittens, they chose me to be their cat mom. Four years really has flown by. They celebrated with a few rounds of cat and mouse. Fiona played her favorite game of Shadows and Refractions. Bell cannot understand why this game fascinates Fiona so much. Bell just sits and watches her every single time.

Last week, I met with some of my puzzling friends to practice for a competition we're participating in on Saturday. We certainly don't claim to be the fastest puzzlers in all the land, but we do plan on having so much fun trying.

Back at home on the puzzle board, the 1000-piece 80's themed puzzle I recently shared with you is now complete!

This was a really fun puzzle to put together. Instead of sorting (except for the edge pieces and the 1980s label), it was easier to just place pieces generally where they belong. It came together pretty quickly doing it that way.

I have to say, though, I wish Whitney Houston and Murder, She Wrote were included in this puzzle. 

Anyway, it was fun. Here is the info.:

Title: The 1980's

Brand: White Mountain

Artist: James Mellett

Piece count: 1000

Size: 24×30 in.

Sadly, James Mellett passed away on April 12th this year, which happened to be my birthday. He created a lot of cool puzzles like this one. There are several decade puzzles he created, as well as other collage-style puzzles.

IN THE BOOKS

RECENTLY FINISHED

None finished this week.

IN PROGRESS

I read Summer Week 2 in The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, written by Margaret Renkl and illustrated by Billy Renkl. In this chapter, the author describes her struggle to attract frogs to a pond in her yard. As is the case with most of the chapters, her experience was bittersweet.

I'm very close to finishing an ARC of The Masala Chai Mystery Club, by MJ Soni. I'm enjoying the latter part of the book more than the first. The mystery is strong and there is some edge-of-your-seat action in it. It's a definite page-turner (or page tapper in the case of e-books). However, the frequent swearing is a huge turn-off for me. 

I have less than an hour left to listen to in Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, written by Sarah Graves and narrated by Susan Boyce. I'm enjoying the mystery overall, and the descriptive writing is strong, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. There is some swearing in it, which if you've been following me, you know that kind of language never appeals to me.

UP NEXT

I picked up an ARC of Tides Wait for No Witch (Spelltide Bay Magic Mystery 1), by Natalie Summers. I love witches (the friendly kind!) and sea otters, so I have to read this one. Also, I simply adore the cover. This is still up next.

I will also start listening to another audiobook, but I haven't decided which one yet.

ON THE SCREEN

• The Brady Bunch - I finished watching season 4, at least all the ones that have aired on television. Next week I'll start on season 5, which is shorter than the rest of the seasons. It's also the final season. I'm already feeling sad that I'm almost done rewatching the series. It's going by so quickly.
• A Castle of Our Own - This was Hallmark's final Summer Nights movie in June. It's one of my favorites of the year. It was such an easy, pleasant watch, and it was so good to see fan favorite Brennan Elliott back after taking a two-year break. I don't spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer, but I do enjoy watching movies where the characters do. There were a lot of fun outdoor summery scenes in this one.
• Catch of the Day - This Hallmark movie premiered last fall, but it's clearly set around the 4th of July. So I decided to re-watch it this past week. I didn't love it. It's pretty slow-moving. I thought maybe watching it during the season would enhance my viewing experience. It did slightly, but not enough to put it high on my list.
• Alice in Wonderland (1999) - I had never seen this version, so I decided to watch it after having watched The Way Home series (which references Alice in Wonderland). I thought the special effects were really good, but it was very slow. I prefer the 2010 version.

ON THE BLOG

• Sunday Post - 06/27 - Weekly Recap
• Book Review - 07/02 - Witches, Walkie-Talkies, and Warnings, by Emily Fluke
• Puzzle - 07/04 - 4th of July Cupcakes (and Cookies)

Have a great week!