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jodyladuemcgrath's review against another edition
3.0
This collection is three short stories all featuring eggnog. All of the stories come from current cozy series, so some of the characters and situations will be familiar to readers. I will preface my review by letting you know I have only ever read the Leslie Meier series before.
Story#1 :: Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier
When a bottle of eggnog, supposedly from the Real Beard Santa Club poisons a woman with a nut allergy, it is shown that the eggnog was made with cashew milk instead of dairy. The Santa Club does not make a version without dairy. Was this just an accident of not labeling a bottle correctly or was it murder? Lucy is determined to find out and have a fantastic Christmas, while her entire family is home.
This was the only series I had any prior reading of and I thought that it was the weakest of the three. That really surprised me. The mystery is pretty non-existent, a certain memberof her family needs to be smacked upside the head, and the conclusion is ridiculous. I know it is suppose to be a lighthearted Christmas read, but even the scenes that were about family, made me want to smack people. This one was a big let-down.
Story #2 :: Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis
Hayley is invited to the town's charity Christmas dinner fundraiser, where all of the restaurants in town offer up a delectable treat. Already complaining about the menu is the town cranky librarian, Agatha. She does not think eggnog should be served because she has a serious allergy to dairy. She makes a huge deal about this to one of the committee members, Fannie, who brings eggnog but has both a dairy and non-dairy version. Both pitchers are clearly labeled. After eating a spicy hot wing, Fannie rushes to give Agatha a glass of the non-dairy eggnog, only to have her drop dead from anaphylactic shock due to dairy. Was it an accident, did Fannie purposely get rid of a thorn in her side, or is something more sinister going on?
I really enjoyed this mystery. It was short, but the mystery aspect of the story was well thought out. I do not think that Hayley really "sleuthed" any clues. One just fell into her lap and she started guessing. The characters were well written and I wouldn't mind reading more of this series. Interspersed throughout the story are little "columns" Hayley has written with recipes. This confused the heck out of me, because I didn't understand that they were meant as an aside. I hope the publisher fixes this, so it is easier to read.
Story #3 :: Nogged Off by Barbara Ross
Julie Snowden is finally letting her New York apartment go and moving to Maine without a net. When the girl subletting her apartment has a crisis and cannot keep it, Julia packs up the whole apartment into a moving van, including the girl, Imogen, and heads home. The girl had served eggnog at a business function and made the entire office so sick they had to be admitted to the hospital. After arriving home, the moving van is stolen and when it is recovered they find the dead body of Imogen's ex-boyfriend in the back end. Who killed him, why, and what are they going to do with Imogen?
This was my favorite of the three. I really liked the characters. I have a few books in this series and they have definitely been moved up in my TBR pile. The mystery was good, even though the conclusion was sort of stupid. It didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story though.
I think that mysteries have a hard time being short stories, because it makes them have to be so simple or sort of stupid. I think the authors did a decent job of trying to get over this gigantic hurdle. Unfortunately, I think Leslie Meier struggled the most. Her writing is so character driven, that it just doesn't work condensed. I think this is a 2.5 star, but I will round up for Christmas.
* I voluntarily read an Advanced Reading Copy of this book and honestly reviewed it*
Story#1 :: Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier
When a bottle of eggnog, supposedly from the Real Beard Santa Club poisons a woman with a nut allergy, it is shown that the eggnog was made with cashew milk instead of dairy. The Santa Club does not make a version without dairy. Was this just an accident of not labeling a bottle correctly or was it murder? Lucy is determined to find out and have a fantastic Christmas, while her entire family is home.
This was the only series I had any prior reading of and I thought that it was the weakest of the three. That really surprised me. The mystery is pretty non-existent, a certain memberof her family needs to be smacked upside the head, and the conclusion is ridiculous. I know it is suppose to be a lighthearted Christmas read, but even the scenes that were about family, made me want to smack people. This one was a big let-down.
Story #2 :: Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis
Hayley is invited to the town's charity Christmas dinner fundraiser, where all of the restaurants in town offer up a delectable treat. Already complaining about the menu is the town cranky librarian, Agatha. She does not think eggnog should be served because she has a serious allergy to dairy. She makes a huge deal about this to one of the committee members, Fannie, who brings eggnog but has both a dairy and non-dairy version. Both pitchers are clearly labeled. After eating a spicy hot wing, Fannie rushes to give Agatha a glass of the non-dairy eggnog, only to have her drop dead from anaphylactic shock due to dairy. Was it an accident, did Fannie purposely get rid of a thorn in her side, or is something more sinister going on?
I really enjoyed this mystery. It was short, but the mystery aspect of the story was well thought out. I do not think that Hayley really "sleuthed" any clues. One just fell into her lap and she started guessing. The characters were well written and I wouldn't mind reading more of this series. Interspersed throughout the story are little "columns" Hayley has written with recipes. This confused the heck out of me, because I didn't understand that they were meant as an aside. I hope the publisher fixes this, so it is easier to read.
Story #3 :: Nogged Off by Barbara Ross
Julie Snowden is finally letting her New York apartment go and moving to Maine without a net. When the girl subletting her apartment has a crisis and cannot keep it, Julia packs up the whole apartment into a moving van, including the girl, Imogen, and heads home. The girl had served eggnog at a business function and made the entire office so sick they had to be admitted to the hospital. After arriving home, the moving van is stolen and when it is recovered they find the dead body of Imogen's ex-boyfriend in the back end. Who killed him, why, and what are they going to do with Imogen?
This was my favorite of the three. I really liked the characters. I have a few books in this series and they have definitely been moved up in my TBR pile. The mystery was good, even though the conclusion was sort of stupid. It didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story though.
I think that mysteries have a hard time being short stories, because it makes them have to be so simple or sort of stupid. I think the authors did a decent job of trying to get over this gigantic hurdle. Unfortunately, I think Leslie Meier struggled the most. Her writing is so character driven, that it just doesn't work condensed. I think this is a 2.5 star, but I will round up for Christmas.
* I voluntarily read an Advanced Reading Copy of this book and honestly reviewed it*
katkinney's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful collection of cozy mystery novellas with a Christmas theme. Eggnog galore! In the first, which I particularly enjoyed, reporter Lucy Stone has to track down the culprit after a bottle of eggnog turns out to be deadly. Also, her daughter Elizabeth is home from France for the holidays and with a full house at the Stone residence and everyone forced to share sleeping corners, sibling fights abound. This one was super-funny and extremely well written, a perfect combination of mystery and funny Christmas and family scenes. I always love seeing Maine and Nantucket books when Santa arrives by boat!
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
Spoiler
mass shooting, suicide, disabled character portrayed as faking disabilityraemelle's review against another edition
3.0
A quick and easy holiday read. Nothing mind blowing. Incredibly simple.
Eggnog Murder:
Better than the first Leslie Meier story I read - which was in the Gingerbread themed Christmas anthology. But awkwardly ended. The discovery of the culprit and subsequent arrest was very sudden, and didn’t fit with the pace of the rest of the short story.
Death by Eggnog:
Hayley Powell is a super boring character! I can’t put my finger on why she seemed so much more bland than any other cozy mystery heroine, but she was. And her dog and cat were introduced by name three times within this short story, which was just weird.
Nogged Off:
The most enjoyable of the three stories by far. Weirdly convoluted explanation for the events - especially for such a short story - but still not bad. My only issue was that (slight spoiler, but not naming names) even if identical twins have similar fingerprints that are more difficult to tell apart, wouldn’t the similar prints be on opposites hands in the case of mirror image twins? That would have sped up identification and not required submitting them to the FBI, right?
Eggnog Murder:
Better than the first Leslie Meier story I read - which was in the Gingerbread themed Christmas anthology. But awkwardly ended. The discovery of the culprit and subsequent arrest was very sudden, and didn’t fit with the pace of the rest of the short story.
Death by Eggnog:
Hayley Powell is a super boring character! I can’t put my finger on why she seemed so much more bland than any other cozy mystery heroine, but she was. And her dog and cat were introduced by name three times within this short story, which was just weird.
Nogged Off:
The most enjoyable of the three stories by far. Weirdly convoluted explanation for the events - especially for such a short story - but still not bad. My only issue was that (slight spoiler, but not naming names) even if identical twins have similar fingerprints that are more difficult to tell apart, wouldn’t the similar prints be on opposites hands in the case of mirror image twins? That would have sped up identification and not required submitting them to the FBI, right?
daybreak1012's review against another edition
3.0
I managed to slip this one properly into place for two of the three series included in this collection of novellas. (I accidentally read book five in the Maine Clambake series just before reading this one, so I didn't get too far off track.) This is the first time I've come to one of these holiday collections and actually found that I read all the series included.
Eggnog Murder (Lucy Stone mystery #23.5)
Good grief. Somehow Lucy managed to annoy me in less than 150 pages. Usually these holiday novellas take on a lighter, more festive air, but this one was rather sinister. Top that with the fact that Lucy spent the better part of the story being ungrateful, ungracious, and judgmental, and this felt like the least festive holiday novella ever. In addition, the author somehow managed to get political on multiple fronts, despite the abbreviated length: allergies, opioid crisis/NARCAN, no longer teaching cursive in schools, gun control, veterans' affairs, PTSD, caregivers' fatigue, mental health, suicide. It was a little (a lot) too much for what should have been a fun holiday adventure. I also have to wonder...how does Lucy not manage to have even ONE likable offspring out of four?! One star for this. Begrudgingly.
Death by Eggnog (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails mystery #8.5)
Like Lucy in the first novella, the Hayley Powell contribution remained true to series character: in this case, more obnoxious and silly than irritating and sinister. Funny thing, I figured out the inspiration behind the murderer's plan but not the proper culprit or motive; I was applying my suspicions to the wrong individual! This one was somewhat more festive as well, so that was a plus. However, the author felt the need to continue beating the reader over the head by repeating several facts (I realize this reiteration of details for for readers unfamiliar with the series but, yes, by the third time they were mentioned, I think everyone has understood that Leroy is Hayley's dog and Blueberry is her cat, thank you!), pushed into the area of being a little bit raunchy, and somehow managed to write a story that was very close in content to the one before it. It appears the authors did not coordinate with one another on what they planned to write. Two stars for being festive and moderately entertaining.
Nogged Off (Maine Clambake mystery #4.5)
My favorite, by far, of the three. Perfectly paced for a novella; it felt neither rushed nor incomplete. I was completely engrossed in figuring out what was going on, blindsided by the twists, and totally satisfied with the ending. I also liked that it furthered the ongoing personal stories of the recurring characters. (You won't be lost if you skip it in the series, but you'll enjoy it if you include it.) To top it all off, the author shared that she incorporated some of her town's and family's Christmas traditions into the story, which explains why they felt so genuine. A solid four stars for the final novella in this collection.
With the authors all following the eggnog theme, I would have liked to see a bit more variety in plot. The first two novellas are not my favorite series that I read to begin with, so the fact that they basically also wrote slightly different versions of the same story really helped the final story shine with a plot that was entirely original, in addition to the fact that it is also one of my favorite cozy series. Unfortunately, the one novella I did really like couldn't save the book from maxing out at 3 stars cumulatively. Nogged Off was well worth enduring the first two though.
Eggnog Murder (Lucy Stone mystery #23.5)
Good grief. Somehow Lucy managed to annoy me in less than 150 pages. Usually these holiday novellas take on a lighter, more festive air, but this one was rather sinister. Top that with the fact that Lucy spent the better part of the story being ungrateful, ungracious, and judgmental, and this felt like the least festive holiday novella ever. In addition, the author somehow managed to get political on multiple fronts, despite the abbreviated length: allergies, opioid crisis/NARCAN, no longer teaching cursive in schools, gun control, veterans' affairs, PTSD, caregivers' fatigue, mental health, suicide. It was a little (a lot) too much for what should have been a fun holiday adventure. I also have to wonder...how does Lucy not manage to have even ONE likable offspring out of four?! One star for this. Begrudgingly.
Death by Eggnog (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails mystery #8.5)
Like Lucy in the first novella, the Hayley Powell contribution remained true to series character: in this case, more obnoxious and silly than irritating and sinister. Funny thing, I figured out the inspiration behind the murderer's plan but not the proper culprit or motive; I was applying my suspicions to the wrong individual! This one was somewhat more festive as well, so that was a plus. However, the author felt the need to continue beating the reader over the head by repeating several facts (I realize this reiteration of details for for readers unfamiliar with the series but, yes, by the third time they were mentioned, I think everyone has understood that Leroy is Hayley's dog and Blueberry is her cat, thank you!), pushed into the area of being a little bit raunchy, and somehow managed to write a story that was very close in content to the one before it. It appears the authors did not coordinate with one another on what they planned to write. Two stars for being festive and moderately entertaining.
Nogged Off (Maine Clambake mystery #4.5)
My favorite, by far, of the three. Perfectly paced for a novella; it felt neither rushed nor incomplete. I was completely engrossed in figuring out what was going on, blindsided by the twists, and totally satisfied with the ending. I also liked that it furthered the ongoing personal stories of the recurring characters. (You won't be lost if you skip it in the series, but you'll enjoy it if you include it.) To top it all off, the author shared that she incorporated some of her town's and family's Christmas traditions into the story, which explains why they felt so genuine. A solid four stars for the final novella in this collection.
With the authors all following the eggnog theme, I would have liked to see a bit more variety in plot. The first two novellas are not my favorite series that I read to begin with, so the fact that they basically also wrote slightly different versions of the same story really helped the final story shine with a plot that was entirely original, in addition to the fact that it is also one of my favorite cozy series. Unfortunately, the one novella I did really like couldn't save the book from maxing out at 3 stars cumulatively. Nogged Off was well worth enduring the first two though.
lunifur's review against another edition
4.0
**I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**
Eggnog Murder – To me, this was the weakest of the stories. It might be because I've never really been a fan of Leslie Meyer's stories, but it just didn't keep my interest as much as I hoped it would. There were just so many characters that got on my nerves. The mystery itself was well-written, and I liked it drawing attention to PTSD.
Death by Eggnog – Is it bad that I couldn't stop snickering at the inappropriate jokes in this one? Some of the phrasing just really cracked me up. I also love Hayley's articles sprinkled through the story. One of them actually had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. The mystery was just wow. I was shocked at how it all played out.
Nogged Off
I do wish the eggnog played a real part in the story. In the previous two, it was used as a murder weapon, but in here it was more of just a funny anecdote. The mystery was just amazing, and a bit freaky. I've never read this series before but had no trouble at all following along. There is enough information given to get you familiar with the characters, but not so much that the story drags.
Eggnog Murder – To me, this was the weakest of the stories. It might be because I've never really been a fan of Leslie Meyer's stories, but it just didn't keep my interest as much as I hoped it would. There were just so many characters that got on my nerves. The mystery itself was well-written, and I liked it drawing attention to PTSD.
Death by Eggnog – Is it bad that I couldn't stop snickering at the inappropriate jokes in this one? Some of the phrasing just really cracked me up. I also love Hayley's articles sprinkled through the story. One of them actually had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. The mystery was just wow. I was shocked at how it all played out.
Nogged Off
I do wish the eggnog played a real part in the story. In the previous two, it was used as a murder weapon, but in here it was more of just a funny anecdote. The mystery was just amazing, and a bit freaky. I've never read this series before but had no trouble at all following along. There is enough information given to get you familiar with the characters, but not so much that the story drags.
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****
This book features a trio of novellas with an Egg Nog theme - each sampling a different cozy crime series. I'm always looking for more cozy series - and had only read (one) Leslie Meier before so was keen to get a taste of the others. I have to say that I found it a bit variable. My favourite story was the third one, by Barbara Ross, which felt the most fully rounded of the set - with a proper mystery, and an interesting set of characters. I found the interruptions for recipes in the Lee Hollis story messed with the flow of what was happening - and felt out of keeping with the narrative at several points (a jolly holiday recipe right after someone dies?!) and I was disappointed with the Leslie Meier which had a journalism 101 howler to generate a plot point as well as a really irritating character.
On the basis of this, I would consider reading Barbara Ross's series if I could find it at the right price, and possibly the Lee Hollis - depending on the plot summary.
This book features a trio of novellas with an Egg Nog theme - each sampling a different cozy crime series. I'm always looking for more cozy series - and had only read (one) Leslie Meier before so was keen to get a taste of the others. I have to say that I found it a bit variable. My favourite story was the third one, by Barbara Ross, which felt the most fully rounded of the set - with a proper mystery, and an interesting set of characters. I found the interruptions for recipes in the Lee Hollis story messed with the flow of what was happening - and felt out of keeping with the narrative at several points (a jolly holiday recipe right after someone dies?!) and I was disappointed with the Leslie Meier which had a journalism 101 howler to generate a plot point as well as a really irritating character.
On the basis of this, I would consider reading Barbara Ross's series if I could find it at the right price, and possibly the Lee Hollis - depending on the plot summary.
jevvec's review against another edition
5.0
It’s hard to rate a book of short stories. I liked the first one, loved the last one and had to struggle to finish the middle one as I didn’t get invested in any of the characters and the pace was quite slow
bookswithbec's review
4.0
I received this novel for Christmas and enjoyed reading the three enclosed stories. Each one brought their own mystery to solve while combining Christmas and my love of EGGNOG! The best part of all three stories/books is the recipes that were included within the print. I cannot wait to try them some time.
EGGNOG MURDER - Leslie Meier
Eggnog Murder was my first book where I was introduced to Lucy Stone. She was a fun character that although I had never read one of her stories before, she was developed well in the short book. I was not a huge fan of her children's dynamic throughout. I also fell in love with all the local Maine spots. As a girl who always visited the Maine seacoast is was great to read about them in a fun way. However, my only downfall with EGGNOG MURDER was the very last chapter. I feel like it was a bit extreme and over the top. Other than that, I look forward to reading another Lucy Stone book in the future.
DEATH BY EGGNOG - Lee Hollis
Again this was a first time meeting Hayley, the protagonist in Lee Hollis's series. I feel the authors did a great job introducing the characters to you so you do not have to go back and read other books in the series. I was in love with the full diverse set of characters in the book, although it was not my favorite story/book out of this three book collection. I would like to try and give another opportunity to the authors and Hayley to see if maybe it was just this story I did not connect with.
NOGGED OFF - Barbara Ross
Julia is the last protagonist in this 3 book combo and it was also my first time meeting her as well. She seemed like a typical New England citizen that I instantly fell in love with; however, I was not at all a fan of Imogen from the moment I read her in the book. The settings were great and I could really picture the scenes. Overall this story seemed the most realistic with their characters, setting, timeline and mystery of who done it. I am hoping to find another one of these books real soon.
EGGNOG MURDER - Leslie Meier
Eggnog Murder was my first book where I was introduced to Lucy Stone. She was a fun character that although I had never read one of her stories before, she was developed well in the short book. I was not a huge fan of her children's dynamic throughout. I also fell in love with all the local Maine spots. As a girl who always visited the Maine seacoast is was great to read about them in a fun way. However, my only downfall with EGGNOG MURDER was the very last chapter. I feel like it was a bit extreme and over the top. Other than that, I look forward to reading another Lucy Stone book in the future.
DEATH BY EGGNOG - Lee Hollis
Again this was a first time meeting Hayley, the protagonist in Lee Hollis's series. I feel the authors did a great job introducing the characters to you so you do not have to go back and read other books in the series. I was in love with the full diverse set of characters in the book, although it was not my favorite story/book out of this three book collection. I would like to try and give another opportunity to the authors and Hayley to see if maybe it was just this story I did not connect with.
NOGGED OFF - Barbara Ross
Julia is the last protagonist in this 3 book combo and it was also my first time meeting her as well. She seemed like a typical New England citizen that I instantly fell in love with; however, I was not at all a fan of Imogen from the moment I read her in the book. The settings were great and I could really picture the scenes. Overall this story seemed the most realistic with their characters, setting, timeline and mystery of who done it. I am hoping to find another one of these books real soon.
dontmissythesereads's review against another edition
4.0
Book #50 read in 2017
Great group of short stories. Interested in reading more of the other series as well.
Great group of short stories. Interested in reading more of the other series as well.