#BookReview ~ Battered and Buried (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory #CozyMystery

Battered and Buried (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory

Battered and Buried (An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

7th in Series

Setting - Florida

Publisher: ‎ Beyond the Page (March 19, 2024)

Paperback: ‎ 188 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 1960511580

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1960511584 

Digital ASIN: ‎ B0CW18PPSQ

About Battered and Buried:

The best-laid plans may go awry, but the best-laid clues could frame a man for murder . . . Never one to let a day off work go to waste, café owner Gia Morelli and a friend head out for a blissful kayaking trip through the local national forest. But the peacefulness of the day is soon shattered when they come across Cole, her head cook, standing over a dead body. Worse still, the victim was a lifelong enemy of Cole’s, and clues found on the body point to the cook as the culprit. When the police take Cole in and subject him to an intense grilling, Gia vows to do everything she can to prove his innocence. As even more incriminating evidence surfaces—including when the murder weapon itself is found hidden at the café—Gia knows she’s up against someone brutal enough to kill and devious enough to frame Cole for the deed. With the police ready to make an official arrest and wrap up what they consider an open-and-shut case, Gia turns for help to an old friend who’s not above breaking the law himself. Because if she can’t find the killer, Cole may go from serving up hot dishes to serving a life sentence . . .

My Review:

Battered and Buried is the 7th book in the amazing All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery series. Gia finds her head cook embroiled in the murder of an unpleasant newcomer. The evidence against Cole continues to stack up but Gia knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's not guilty. Proving it, however, has become a full-time job.

I really enjoyed Battered and Buried. The book is perfectly paced - not too fast and not too slow. I was pulled in from the very beginning and engaged in the plot. The character development continues, and we learn more about the characters and learn backstory without being bogged down with useless filler. The story was fun, exciting, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns. I had a wonderful time trying to figure out just what happened and who was responsible. The continued world building is great, and I was able to visualize the story.

Gia came from New York one person and has since evolved into another as she gets used to the differences in Florida. Gia is a very strong character and I enjoy the books about her world. I love that the author does not, at any time, write her as weak or unstable. She's just had a very rough past that she thought she would escape by moving away from her former life and completely starting over. Samantha and Hunt are stability characters for Gia. Savannah is a wonderful best friend and Hunt is an excellent partner.

The characters are all likeable, the setting in Florida is nice. The chemistry between Gia and Hunt is sweet and believable. I prefer a little bit of soft romance in my cozy mysteries. I really enjoy the author's writing style and love her Bay Island Mystery series.

Previously reviewed on Sapphyria's Books.

I was provided a copy of this book.

My Rating:

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#BookReview ~ Double Scoop of Murder (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory ~ @LenaGregory03 #CozyMystery

Double Scoop of Murder (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory

Double Scoop of Murder (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)

Cozy Mystery

3rd in Series

Setting:  New York

Gemma Halliday Publishing (February 27, 2024)

Number of Pages: 226

Digital ASIN: ‎ B0CKV7QQB8

From author Lena Gregory comes a hunt for more than just treasure...

About Double Scoop to Murder:

Danika Delany is loving running her uncle's old fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island and putting her own modern spin on the treats they serve. Life is finally looking up for her! That is, until local billionaire Maxwell Crumbholtz dies and leaves his fortune in the form of a treasure hunt. Chaos descends on Watchogue, and Dani and the rest of the gang from the Coffee & Cream Café join the melee when they enter the contest, try to decipher the clues, and go in search of the treasure. But Dani digs up more than she expected when she discovers a dead body buried instead of a treasure! To make matters worse, a witness claims to have seen Dani at the scene of the murder. Now, instead of a four-billion-dollar payday, Dani is on the hunt for a killer.

My Review:

A Double Scoop of Murder is third wonderful book in the Coffee & Cream Café Mystery series.

Lena Gregory has dished up another winner with A Double Scoop of Murder. A cleverly crafted mystery, delightful characters, and a fun small town with the infamous busybodies. I loved being back in this world.

I love the treasure hunt aspect of Double Scoop of Murder. As the treasure hunt is taking place, a body is found, ratcheting up the intensity of the story. The murder mystery was well-developed, and I was completely engaged in the hunt for the suspect. There are many twists and turns, and every time I thought I solved the murder, the arc shifted, and we were chasing down someone else.

I loved every single page of this book from the characters, the setting, the mystery, and the author's writing style. I found myself totally immersed in every facet of Double Scoop of Murder. The pacing was perfect and once I started the book, I just couldn't put it down.

I was provided a copy of this book.

Review previously published on Sapphyria's Books.

My Rating:

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#Review ~ No Small Murder: A Mini-Meadows Mystery by Lena Gregory ~ #CozyMystery @LenaGregory03

No Small Murder: A Mini-Meadows Mystery

by Lena Gregory

About No Small Murder:

 

No Small Murder: A Mini-Meadows Mystery

Cozy Mystery 

1st in Series

Setting - Florida

Level Best Books (February 21, 2023)

Number of Pages 215

Digital ASIN: ‎ B0BHX5L1J4

Mini Meadows, a Tiny Home community in rural Central Florida, is home to Emma Wells, a downsize specialist who left her daddy’s mansion and her inheritance behind in favor of a simpler, more peaceful life in a tiny home that was once two shipping containers. But when she opens a shipping container and discovers her dead client sitting in a rocking chair, neatly wrapped and labeled, and two of her friends end up on the suspect list, Emma pitches in to help find the killer. With plenty of clues to unpack, Emma narrows down the suspect list, but as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes if she’s not careful she could end up in a box of her own.

My Review:

No Small Murder is a fun first book in a new series by one of my favorite authors, Lena Gregory. I've been a fan since I laid my eyes on Death at First Sight. I devour everything she writes.

Emma is fantastic and enjoyable. Her character, along with the rest, was well-written.  I was fascinated by the tiny home concept. I have way too many possessions to downsize. And by possessions, I mean a library's worth of books alone. I'd have to have a second tiny home just for them. :)

No Small Murder is a great book. The story grabbed my attention and kept me engaged. The story was fun, exciting, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns. There is plenty of character development and I loved getting to know these new characters.

Fun characters with a fantastic whodunit made this cozy mystery top-notch. It checked all my cozy boxes!

I was provided a copy of this book.

My Rating:

Review ~ A Waffle Lot of Murder (All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery, Book#4) by Lena Gregory @LenaGregory03

A Waffle Lot of Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery) by Lena Gregory

 

A Waffle Lot of Murder 

All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery, Book 4

Cozy Mystery 

Publisher: Lyrical Press 

Publish Date: October 6, 2020

Paperback: 208 pages 

ISBN-10 : 151611048X 

ISBN-13: 978-1516110483 

Digital ASIN : B082WR2ZHJ

Purchase Link: Amazon

For diner owner Gia Morelli, her seasonal fall menu calls for two main ingredients—maple syrup and murder . . .

While the first hints of autumn grace Boggy Creek, Florida, Gia misses the colorful harvest traditions she left behind in New York. On a scramble to make new fall memories—and promote her irresistible pumpkin spice waffles—things take a dark turn when she gets roped into the Haunted Town Festival, a spooky celebration held on deserted farmlands. The desolate area conjures plenty of eerie vibes at night, but Gia and her best friend, Savannah, are nearly frightened to death upon the discovery of the event organizer’s body buried in the nearby woods. More alarming, the local rumor mill says the woman’s shady dealings may have egged someone into sending her to an early grave. 

Now, there’s no shortage of creepy clues to feast on as Gia and her pals try to stop a killer with a very scary appetite . . .

Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

My Review:

Fall is coming to Boggy Creek, Florida but you wouldn't know it by the weather or foliage. Gia is still getting used to fall in the Florida where trees don't change colors and the weather stays warm. One thing that does ring in the changing of the seasons is the Haunted Town Festival and Gia has been invited to participate this year. To view their "house" and the general layout of the festival, she and bestie, Savannah make plans to meet the festival organizer on-site in the deserted plot of farmland complete with a spooky woods. Gia and Savannah weren't planning to locate an abandoned cell phone or find the body of the organizer. Now, Gia and Savannah and the rest of her crew go on a hunt to find out if the rumors about the deceased are true and if so, if her endeavors were worth killing over.

A Waffle Lot of Murder is another great book in the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series. The book is perfectly paced - not too fast and not too slow. I was pulled in from the very beginning and engaged in the plot. The character development continues as we learn more about the characters, old and new, without being bogged down with useless filler. The story was fun, exciting, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns. I had a wonderful time trying to figure out just what happened and who was responsible. The continued world building is great, and I was able to visualize the story.

Gia came from New York one person and has since evolved into another as she gets used to the differences in Florida. Gia is a very strong character and I enjoy the books about her world. I love that the author does not, at any time, write her as weak or unstable. She's just had a very rough past that she thought she would escape by moving away from her former life and completely starting over. Samantha and Hunt are stability characters for Gia. Savannah is a wonderful best friend and Hunt proves to be another person who has Gia's back. I'd like to see their romance expand a bit since they don't seem to spend a lot of time together.

As in previous books, Gia does some questionable things in A Waffle Lot of Murder that made me shake my head. Her shenanigans don’t detract from the story, though. The characters are all likeable, the setting in Florida is nice, and the assortment of suspects kept me on my toes. The chemistry between Gia and Hunt is sweet and believable. I prefer a little bit of soft romance in my cozy mysteries. I really enjoy the author's writing style and devour every book she publishes. 

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating: