Apple Pies & Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall

Apple Pies & Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall (NetGalley ARC, pub 8/25) There’s a large family of minor characters (all named after apples), a lot of comments about bodies but no romance, (just an unresolved will they or won’t they storyline). They also fail resolve one of the storylines, perhaps trying to set up for a series? There was plenty to like about the autumn setting and pleasant characters, but this book needed tighter editing and maybe felt a bit YA to me. It dragged at times but was overall enjoyable and cozy. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

Christmas Mysteries at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8)

Christmas Mysteries at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8) I requested this book on NetGalley for kindle and the formatting was so bad it was barely readable. I relayed it to tech support who notified the publisher and they removed the kindle option but didn’t resolve it. I was stuck reading it on my computer - I would not have requested the ARC if it had not been available for kindle and this affected my reading experience. I enjoyed the variety of settings/characters for these stories, some of which had more prominent Christmas themes than others and of course being centered around a mystery bookshop was fun. I liked the concept but the execution was hit or miss, as happens with short story collections. Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the ARC.

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8)

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I definitely would not have grabbed this based on the title or description, but when I read the preview in the

Minotaur sampler I liked it and am glad I requested the book. This story is set outside of Toronto and has cozy

autumn vibes without being cheesy. The characters are likeable although could use some more maturity, and

there are interesting elements around tarot and I would pick up the next book if this was turned into a series.

The Art of Fighting by Priya Parker (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8)

The Art of Fighting by Priya Parker (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/8) ⭐⭐⭐⭐  There is a lot of conflict at work, so this book was often hard to read since it reminded me of those complexities and how many approaches are strategies could be tried. It also made me reflect on when or whether to have an intentional end to a collaboration. I liked this overall but it was really dense and sometimes felt like an overwhelming onslaught of information without enough road markers to help ensure the reader is tracking. Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the ARC.

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/1)

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury (NetGalley ARC, pub 9/1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 This had a bit of a slow start but I liked the setting (post-war Oxford University) and the characters, and they quickly won me over. I read the second half in one sitting and enjoyed the twists and turns and hope that this becomes a series. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.