A Crafty Christmas

Finished September 19

A Crafty Christmas by Mollie Cox Bryan

This is the fourth novel in a series set around a group of scrapbooking friends in small-town Cumberland Creek, Virginia. In this novel, one of them, Sheila, has won a scrapbooking themed trip for herself and two friends on a cruise of the Caribbean. The trip takes place in mid-December and the novel begins with Sheila tripping over a body as she does her customer morning run on deck. She soon discovers it was a woman she'd been friendly with and who had been talking about hiring Sheila as a designer for her scrapbooking company. 

Sheila's friends Vera and Paige are on the cruise with her, and Vera had brought along her new boyfriend Eric, while Paige brought her pastry-chef son Randy. Randy has had some experience crafting before and is intrigued by a variety of elements of cruise ship life. Eric is a lawyer and relative newcomer to the group that they haven't entirely warmed up to yet. 

When the authorities discover that the victim was poisoned and become aware that Sheila had met with her recently, Sheila becomes a potential suspect in the case. When Sheila is on the scene of a second dead body as it is discovered, this becomes more of a threat. Thus the group begins to gather information to find the real killer before more deaths happen. Part of this is working with the friends and family back home, such as Vera's mother Beatrice and the crafting group member Annie. 

When odd occurrences begin happening back home in Virginia, the group begins to wonder if they are connected. 

This is a cozy mystery with lots of references to crafting and the specifics of the Christmas season. It also includes lots of references to delicious food from the gourmet offerings on the ship to the Christmas backing in both locations. 

The is a short section at the end with crafting terminology and Christmas scrapbooking ideas. 

I enjoyed the group problem-solving and the side stories around various of the characters. 

Mansion Beach

Finished April 25

Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore

This novel is supposed to be a modern spin on The Great Gatsby, and follows Nicola Carr as she spends the summer on Block Island, where she is doing an internship as a marine wildlife researcher. She has left her previous partner and career and is taking her life in a new direction. She is staying in a small house that is owned by her cousin's wife's family. David is her favourite cousin, and they grew up very close, almost like siblings, including spending the summers at the lake in a family home. Now he is married to a real estate heiress, Taylor Buchanan. Taylor is very involved in her father's real estate empire and does whatever he asks of her, leaving her little time for David and their young daughter. 

Nicola soon discovers that her next door neighbour is Juliana George, creator of a fashion-based social media empire called LookBook. Staying with David and Taylor is an old college friend of David's, Jack, who is a pro golfer, taking time for an Achilles tendon injury. 

As Nicola continues getting a variety of job experience and exploring the small island, she also gets to know her neighbour Juliana and learn a little of her story of building her business and how her life has changed over time. She also finds herself courted by Jack, and unsure about Taylor given her standoffish attitude and how little time she is spending with her family. Nicola tries to avoid being drawn into any of the drama going on, but she also finds it all interesting, seeing these people in a world she is unlikely to ever live in. 

The story is interrupted by transcripts from a podcast about what happened on the island that summer, but that part of it feels like it isn't really needed for the story. 

This is an interesting tale of questionable relationships, social class, and misadventure. 

The Mistletoe Motive

Finished December 19

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese

This Christmas romance takes place at a bookstore. The store is not doing as well financially since a chain opened a location nearby. It is down to only two staff: Gabriella (Gabby) Di Natale and Jonathan Frost, who are co-managers. Gabby was promoted to manager when the owners stepped back from being in the store, but she found it a lot to juggle and they noticed. They hired Jonathan who is more focused on the financial side of things, and Gabby has not been as aware of that since. 

When they realize that unless they manage a Christmas sales period miracle, one of them will likely be gone come January, Gabby suggest the decision of who gets to stay should be based on sales. Jonathan reluctantly agrees. 

Gabby is very good at sales and marketing and she has a lot of ideas to increase sales. She also is very good at customer relationships and creating a welcoming atmosphere. Jonathan has his own passions regarding books, but he doesn't give off a welcoming vibe. 

Gabby struggles with anxiety, but tries to hide it. She is autistic and is also very sensitive to sounds and smells and uses a variety of tools and actions to control that, including wearing noise-cancelling headphones when out in public (although not in the store). 

Jonathan is aware of some of her sensitivities since he is very observant, but hasn't made all the connections yet. This means that he tries to protect her from some things, but not always to good effect. He also has some personal secrets, which gradually come to light through the novel. 

She has a strong family connection, with her parents particularly. Her father is a famous ice hockey player, but she doesn't advertise her connection with him. It does mean that she knows a lot about hockey though. 

She has two roommates, and spends a lot of time with them. She also has a friend she's made online and has an ongoing conversation in the late evenings with him, talking about books and literature. 

I found the characters interesting, particularly Gabby, who see most of here. I enjoyed learning about her coping mechanisms and how I might interpret others I see in public differently based on learning about her sensitivities. This is an Own Voices novel, since the author is autistic as well. 

The book also includes a playlist, with a different song for each chapter. The playlist is also available on Spotify, so that's an interesting added element. Especially since music is very important to Gabby. 

A very enjoyable holiday read. 

The Merry Matchmaker

Finished December 17

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts

This holiday novel is set in the small town of Carol in the U.S. The central character, Frankie Lane grew up there and started a store called Holiday Happiness shortly before her husband Ike's death in a car accident caused by a distracted driver. She employs her daughter Natalie, her mother Adele, and a newcomer to town, Elinor. Frankie is a woman who is always trying to help those around her, whether they asked for her help or not. For example, Natalie makes small batches of delectable chocolates and Frankie often tries to get her to make it a full-time business. Natalie prefers to do it in small batches, and spend time with her husband Jonathan and young son Warner. She's also trying to set up friends and family who are single, despite not being interested in starting a new relationship herself. 

A couple of years ago she came up with the idea of having a Santa Walk shortly before Christmas, on December 21st. She's been Mrs. Claus the last couple of years and is looking forward to a repeat performance. Her late husband's best friend, Mitch Howard, who runs Handy's Hardware next door to her shop, has been Santa Claus. 

Besides her best friend Viola, Mitch is her closest friend. They watch action movies and a show called Cop Stop together, eat together often, and bring each other lattes from the local coffee shop.

The head of the Santa Walk committee this year is Barbara, a local businesswoman that Frankie doesn't get along with and she soon finds that Barbara's changes affect her own role. 

When she tries to set up her divorced little sister Stef with a new man, she finds herself the focus of male interest, which confuses her. Stef works at the local paper and is the person who answers the children's letters to Santa, although sometimes she doesn't get that right, and finds herself the target of a parent's frustration. 

It took me a while to get into it, as I could see one of the potential romances quite quickly, while the character seemed oblivious to blatant remarks from her admirer. But it improved as more romantic entanglements showed promise and didn't always move forward in a predictable way. An upbeat holiday read. 

It Started with a Dog

Finished July 14

It Started with a Dog by Julia London

This is another Austin, Texas set romance with a meet-cute that is chaotic and brief. Harper Thompson is rushing to catch the Megabus to Dallas, the last one that will get her there for Christmas. The Lyft driver is friendly and chatty, but the weather and traffic are both awful, and everyone is relieved when he agrees to turn off the radio. The SUV is full with someone in front and Harper squeezed beside two others in the middle, and all the luggage in the back. 

When the vehicle stops suddenly due to traffic everyone loses their grip on their phones and then wildly searches the floor. Harper doesn't notice that the phone she picks up, although the right colour isn't hers. She is the first to exit and runs for the bus, collapsing into the last seat available. Harper is taking a break from her job with a wacky boss who talks in riddles and yet somehow has created a thriving food truck and coffeehouse business. In the new year, Harper will be opening their newest location, and hopefully setting herself up for a promotion.

Jonah is headed to the airport, to Chicago to help a cousin move and get away from the family business which he has been trying to resurrect. The coffee shop was started by his grandparents, and now run by his parents and aunt and uncle, but when his father became ill, he took leave from his aerospace engineering job to run the business side. But the restaurant hasn't been updated in years, and is losing money. He's tried a few things, but nothing has worked yet. 

Jonah discovers the phone mix-up when he's at the airport, and with the slightly unbelievable fact that neither of the them locks their phone, is able to contact Harper. 

As they text back and forth, and surreptitiously check out each other's photo collections, they find a lot in common in terms of interests and how they like to communicate. But it is Jonah's picture of his dog Truck that really intrigues Harper. She would love a dog of her own, but feels she's too busy and instead does volunteer dog-walking at the ACC (Austin Canine Coalition).

Once the holidays are over and both Jonah and Harper are back in town and meet up to exchange phones, they discover a mutual attraction. But can it overcome the business rivalry that they find themselves in. Or would teaming up there as well actually work?

A fun story, with lots of interesting characters, including a few dogs, and an intriguing plot. I read it in one day. 

This is actually the second book in an Austin series, and some characters from the previous book You Lucky Dog appear here as well. 

Harmless

Finished May 14

Harmless by James Grainger

This novel was deeply unsettling. Set on a remote farm in Ontario, a group of old friends have gathered together with their families for a long weekend. The oldest children, Franny and Rebecca, are in their teens, good friends themselves, but in a state of rebellion with their parents. The hosts for the weekend are Jane and Alex, with their kids Rebecca and Liam. Joseph has travelled up by train from the city with his daughter Franny (he's divorced from her mother Martha), Liz and Mike live in the nearby town, but are staying overnight with their kids to avoid driving after drinking, and Julian, who they haven't seen for years is coming with his younger lover, Amber. 

As the adults let themselves sink into the long weekend, eating, drinking, and indulging in some weed, most of them wander, at sunset, out further into the property, exploring the field and the nearby forest. When they return to the house, they discover the two girls aren't there, and they don't know where they are. As the initial search of the house and area proves unsuccessful, they split up, each relegated to following up a different potential path for the girls. 

When Joseph offers to search the woods, Alex says they he will go with him, and grabs his rifle. The two used to be close, but haven't been since Joseph's divorce. As the two fathers go off into the forest, the story follows them, as they encounter wildlife, old signs of previous habitation, and disturbing signs of how the world seems to be moving forward. It is their actions here that are at the heart of the novel, taking the reader to places that seem both unimaginable and yet only too possible. The men's reactions to what they encounter as they act to protect their families is disturbing and sad. This is a book that will stay with me for a while.