Review: Secrets and Pies

Secrets and Pies by Jenny Kales
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story. I love cozy mysteries so I may be biased. It is set in the Midwest close to where I use to live. Every time Greek Fest was mentioned, I just wanted to be there! There was also a lot of Greek food talk which, honestly, kept me hungry. I made a few of the recipes from the back of the book though and that helped my hunger. The recipes I made were Avgolemono, Melopita and Rizogalo. Greek chicken and lemon soup, cheese honey pie and rice pudding. They were easy peasey and delicious. The Avgolemono has become a favorite.
But back to the story. This is the third book in the series but the first I read. I had no trouble at all following the story. Actually if it weren’t for references to previous murders, I might have thought it was a stand alone or first book. The mystery had some nice twists to it so it wasn’t too easy to guess at. Things flowed very nicely. I loved the characters. I felt like I was visiting with friends. I thought the author did an excellent job creating and maintaining the Greek ambience.
The only downside I had was how much I missed the Greek place, (and owner,Gina), that I use to eat lunch at in downtown Chicago. This book totally took me back there and made me ache with homesickness. I am definitely reading the first two books in this series and will be watching for the next book.

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Review: Krampus

Krampus by Brom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book! Who is the villain...Krampus or Santa? I personally found the narration to be excellent and Kirby Heyborne truly brought the story to life for me. I have been fascinated by legends and folklore since I was a teen. Having Odin, Loki, Hel and others included in this story just made it so much more entertaining for me. I want the illustrated version now. I know I will be listening to this book again.
For those who want to know. Probably not a book you want to listen to with children. It is scary and the f-word is used.

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Review: The Christmas Town

The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the message that family doesn’t have to be the one you are born into. I loved the characters. Yes the story was kind of sappy but I love that at Christmas. I enjoyed it. I didn’t know it was a part of a series so definitely worked as a stand-alone. I laughed out loud several times.

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