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coffee_books_breathe's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fast and fun little read. The wines and recipes throughout were a great little treat. I adore wineries, so loved the setting of this cozy mystery. There were a lot of characters that seemed up to no good, which keeps you guessing throughout the story.
I really liked Nikki and her Nancy Drew vibes.
I really liked Nikki and her Nancy Drew vibes.
magshugs's review against another edition
3.0
This was cute. The writing was a little strange at times, maybe it was that the dialog was a little unnatural? But I love learning about wine and the recipes were a nice touch. I think I'll give the books in this series another chance and see if it gets any better.
hugbandit7's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first in a series set in Napa valley in a vineyard. The book includes recipes and wine pairing suggestions.
Nikki Sands is working as a waitress and ends up quitting before she can be fired thanks to an ungrateful customer. However, the customer's date approaches her and gives her a job opportunity at his vineyard in Napa Valley. Nikki decides to check out the opportunity and stumbles across one murder and a second one within days of her arrival.
As with many cozies she decides to do some investigating to figure out who the killer is.
I enjoyed the book and will probably seek out others in this series
Nikki Sands is working as a waitress and ends up quitting before she can be fired thanks to an ungrateful customer. However, the customer's date approaches her and gives her a job opportunity at his vineyard in Napa Valley. Nikki decides to check out the opportunity and stumbles across one murder and a second one within days of her arrival.
As with many cozies she decides to do some investigating to figure out who the killer is.
I enjoyed the book and will probably seek out others in this series
monicamjw's review against another edition
2.0
Very light read, but good wine pairings and recipes included.
thatlemonadelife's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
4.0
Initial Impressions 6/24/12: A super quick and cute little cozy mystery! It was a really quick read and I had a lot of fun with it. As usual, I enjoyed the little mystery. It was hard to tell who to trust and in so many cozies, it's pretty black and white who the good guys are, but the author had me second guessing here! I really enjoyed Nikki's character and she seemed like someone pretty easy to get along with. I liked the developing romance between her and Derek. Definitely interested in reading more!
Full review as originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: A quick and cute little cozy mystery. I finished within a matter of hours and (maybe it's the wine talking), it was quite enjoyable and entertaining.
Nikki was an easily relatable character. Granted, I don't know much about LA or California, but as a Tennessee transplant, she comes from much less glamorous roots (to sum up her words (and more harsh words of the Napa Valley residents)), she keeps it real and is far from snooty.
The mystery was nice. I was actually surprised at the way things all turned out in the end. Throughout the book I kind of realized that the guy who was set up for the fall was set up (no spoiler -- that one's obvious), so I was right there along with Nikki trying to figure out who was really behind the killings. With a greedy family, we see that all of Derek's relatives may have a motive or two, so it's down to Nikki's amateur detective work to figure it out. It was actually quite interesting to see how it all came together in the end, and sometimes I really get impressed with these cozies to see the creativity behind it and how they put these mysteries together. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Even with cozy mysteries which I find to be a lot less serious, I could never come up with the twisting plots involved to make a real puzzler out of things!
I liked the growing relationship between Nikki and Derek. Derek seems like a real stand-up guy and there are times I really questioned if he was the killer (is he?) which was a nice set up by the author. I think it's always good when the author really makes you question who the good guys are when you think it should be so black and white. Anyway, it was really fun and a super quick read. Looking forward to more, which is always good!
Full review as originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: A quick and cute little cozy mystery. I finished within a matter of hours and (maybe it's the wine talking), it was quite enjoyable and entertaining.
Nikki was an easily relatable character. Granted, I don't know much about LA or California, but as a Tennessee transplant, she comes from much less glamorous roots (to sum up her words (and more harsh words of the Napa Valley residents)), she keeps it real and is far from snooty.
The mystery was nice. I was actually surprised at the way things all turned out in the end. Throughout the book I kind of realized that the guy who was set up for the fall was set up (no spoiler -- that one's obvious), so I was right there along with Nikki trying to figure out who was really behind the killings. With a greedy family, we see that all of Derek's relatives may have a motive or two, so it's down to Nikki's amateur detective work to figure it out. It was actually quite interesting to see how it all came together in the end, and sometimes I really get impressed with these cozies to see the creativity behind it and how they put these mysteries together. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Even with cozy mysteries which I find to be a lot less serious, I could never come up with the twisting plots involved to make a real puzzler out of things!
I liked the growing relationship between Nikki and Derek. Derek seems like a real stand-up guy and there are times I really questioned if he was the killer (is he?) which was a nice set up by the author. I think it's always good when the author really makes you question who the good guys are when you think it should be so black and white. Anyway, it was really fun and a super quick read. Looking forward to more, which is always good!
timeforbooksandwine's review against another edition
3.0
Mystery. Wine. Vineyards. Romance. By definition this was the perfect cozy mystery for me. While I did enjoy aspects of the book, I have to say this book wasn’t my favourite.
What I did really like about this book was that I could never fully predict the culprit(s?). After every chapter I was left with a new suspect, which kept me wanting to read more!
Something else I also really enjoyed was the wine knowledge within the pages! As someone who has a background in wine and the language associated with it, I always appreciate when a book can tie in the wine background and explain it well.
What I found this book to be lacking for me was that is seemed almost too unrealistic. While I do enjoy the cozy mystery Hallmark-esk book styles, I also like them to be a bit realistic. I found with this storyline, a lot seemed to happen very quickly, and that may have been my issue.
Overall, even though this wasn’t a favourite of mine, I did enjoy the book. I will certainly give the next book in the series a read to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery and wine.
What I did really like about this book was that I could never fully predict the culprit(s?). After every chapter I was left with a new suspect, which kept me wanting to read more!
Something else I also really enjoyed was the wine knowledge within the pages! As someone who has a background in wine and the language associated with it, I always appreciate when a book can tie in the wine background and explain it well.
What I found this book to be lacking for me was that is seemed almost too unrealistic. While I do enjoy the cozy mystery Hallmark-esk book styles, I also like them to be a bit realistic. I found with this storyline, a lot seemed to happen very quickly, and that may have been my issue.
Overall, even though this wasn’t a favourite of mine, I did enjoy the book. I will certainly give the next book in the series a read to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery and wine.
tash_turns_pages's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
This was a cozy mystery. Never even heard of that genre before this book. I had the chance to read this one with 14 others Canadian bookstagrammers thanks to @tandem. I have to say, I didn’t love it. It did have a good mystery vibe to it, but I feel like something was missing. I will say, it did keep me guessing as I couldn’t figure out whodunnit and was shocked. If you want a short story, this could be the one for you.
This was a cozy mystery. Never even heard of that genre before this book. I had the chance to read this one with 14 others Canadian bookstagrammers thanks to @tandem. I have to say, I didn’t love it. It did have a good mystery vibe to it, but I feel like something was missing. I will say, it did keep me guessing as I couldn’t figure out whodunnit and was shocked. If you want a short story, this could be the one for you.
taurusbooklover's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I love exploring wineries/vineyards so the setting of the Napa Valley wine region paired with the delicious food recipes and wine talk were easily my favourite parts.
I feel that there was a lot of potential here but unfortunately a lack of character development and a rushed ending just left me feeling underwhelmed overall.
Murder Uncorked was a light read and easy to get through. It will keep you guessing and the murderers motives was a twist I didn't expect at all.
There is still plenty of secrets to be unravelled around Malveux Estate as Murder Uncorked is the first book of the Wine Lover's Mystery series.
I feel that there was a lot of potential here but unfortunately a lack of character development and a rushed ending just left me feeling underwhelmed overall.
Murder Uncorked was a light read and easy to get through. It will keep you guessing and the murderers motives was a twist I didn't expect at all.
There is still plenty of secrets to be unravelled around Malveux Estate as Murder Uncorked is the first book of the Wine Lover's Mystery series.
deanie's review against another edition
4.0
Aspiring actress Nikki Sands is tired of the endless auditions, and tired of being treated like crap by the patrons at the restaurant where she works. So she jumps at the chance to work in management at a Napa Valley winery. She just wasn't expecting to find a dead body on her first day.
The characters are interesting and entertaining. The plot kept me involved through to the end. It's a great start to a new mystery series and I can't wait to read the next one.
The characters are interesting and entertaining. The plot kept me involved through to the end. It's a great start to a new mystery series and I can't wait to read the next one.