Series: A Magical Bookshop Mystery, #3
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★

Niagara region booksellers Violet Waverly and Grandma Daisy sleuth the slaying of a sommelier whose book signing turned into her sayonara.

January means ice wine season in the Niagara Falls region, but the festivities leave Charming Books owner Violet Waverly cold, still reeling from a past heartbreak. A past heartbreak who will be present at the annual midnight grape-harvest festival, and no magic in the world or incantation powerful enough could get Violet to attend. But Grandma Daisy, an omniscient force all on her own, informs Violet that she’s already arranged for the mystical Charming Books to host celebrity sommelier Belinda Perkins’s book signing at the party. Little do either Waverly women know, the ice wine festival will turn colder still when Violet finds Belinda in the middle of the frozen vineyard—with a grape harvest knife protruding from her chest.

Belinda grew up in Cascade Springs, but she left town years ago after a huge falling-out with her three sisters. One of those sisters, Violet’s high school friend Lacey Dupont, attends the book signing in the hope of making amends with her sister, but Belinda and Lacey end up disrupting the signing with a very public shouting match and Lacey quickly becomes the prime suspect in the sommelier’s murder.

Violet is sure Lacey is innocent, and to keep her friend out of prison, Violet asks for guidance from her magical bookshop. The shop’s ethereal essence points her to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, but what have the four March sisters to do with the four Perkins sisters? If she can’t figure it out, Violet, herself, may turn as cold as ice. Violet, Grandma Daisy, Emerson the tuxedo cat, and resident crow Faulkner are back on the case in Murders and Metaphors, USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower’s enchanting third Magical Bookshop mystery.

I’m thrilled that the Magical Bookshop Mysteries found a new home at Crooked Lane Books, because it’s one of my favorite cozy mystery series. With a little magic, a little romance, and a quaint bookstore setting, I was hooked.

How many bookshops have an enchanted tree growing right in the middle of the store? This ancient tree provides the store’s magic that helps Violet solve mysteries with messages through its books. This time around it’s Little Women that Charming Books wants Violet to focus on. Her good friend Lacey is in hot water after Lacey’s estranged sister is found murdered in a local vineyard. What clues are hidden in the passages of the classic novel that will point Violet to the killer?

I enjoyed this third installment in the series. It was fun to be back among the interesting characters of Cascade Springs. The murder mystery was solid and not easy to figure out. I liked learning more about Lacey and her family, and also learning about ice-wine! Before reading this book, I had no idea frozen grapes could be harvested and turned into a sweet dessert wine. Looking forward to the next in the series!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Series: Magical Bookshop, #1
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: NAL
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★★

From Amanda Flower — who writes the national bestselling Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries as Isabella Alan — comes the first in the new Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you…

Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good…

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, the first in a new magical mystery series. CRIME AND POETRY was absolutely delightful, and one of the best cozy mysteries I’ve read.

The book begins with Violet Waverly frantically running back to her hometown of Cascade Springs, New York, after a twelve-year absence. Her sly Grandma Daisy claimed to be at death’s door, but it was all a ruse to get Violet to come home and take over the family’s bookstore. Well, before Violet can go storming back to Chicago, a dead body ends up in front of her grandmother’s house, and the initial evidence makes Daisy look guilty.

Violet is a wonderful character – smart, witty, bookish, a bit goofy, and totally relatable. She has a darn good reason for avoiding Cascade Springs, and what happened to her twelve years ago adds a second intriguing puzzle to this story. I love how this book jumped into the murder mystery right away, and Violet’s amateur sleuthing skills kicked in, with a little help from the charmed books in her grandmother’s magical bookshop.

The main mystery in this book was very interesting, combining a bit of history from Cascade Springs with some sneaky stuff going on in the town today. Violet’s research skills came in handy with her investigation. Along with a touch of the paranormal, there’s also an intriguing family secret, a little romance times two, and two cheeky animals to help (and pester) Violet. CRIME AND POETRY is sure to please cozy mystery fans, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.