#CozyMystery #Review ~ Twelve Slays of Christmas (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery, Book 1) by Jacqueline Frost ~ #Christmas @JulieALindsey

 

ASIN: ‎ B06XWDL7YW
Publisher: ‎ Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: ‎ October 10, 2017
Print Length: ‎ 317 pages

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3kQlFOw
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34507286-twelve-slays-of-christmas

About the Book:

When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor ordered. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grinch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.

When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father and is determined to exonerate him.

The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn't watch out, she'll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.

My Review:

Twelve Slays of Christmas is the first book in the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries. The mystery was solid, exciting, and kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the small-town setting and the main location of this book being a Christmas Tree Farm named Reindeer Games.

Holly is a fantastic, down-to-earth heroine who wants nothing more than for her father to be cleared from the suspect list and for the local sheriff to allow Reindeer Games to reopen. Her family depends on the income from the holidays to keep them afloat throughout other parts of the year. Plus, Mistletoe Historical Society president, Margaret Fenwick didn’t deserve to die, no matter who might be upset with her.

I love Twelve Slays of Christmas. The murder isn’t the only theme in the book, giving the book realism. There is also a potential romance between Holly and Evan, the sheriff. I love their chemistry. The reader is also provided excellent imagery, character development, and a great story.

The author's writing style is fluid, the pacing is perfect, and the story is so easy to read that when I reached the end, I couldn’t believe I was done already. I found myself engaged and completely captivated in the story from the very beginning. I really enjoyed Twelve Slays of Christmas and can't wait to start reading the next book.

My review copy came from my local library’s MelCat eLibraryprogram.

My Rating: