4.25 out of 5 stars
E-book. 300 pages. Published January 21st 2020 by Dreamspinner Press (first published October 22nd 2019)
Blurb:
Many consider Naomi Teedle the village witch. Most people avoid her except when they have need of her herbs and potions. She lives alone on the outskirts of Merrychurch, and that’s fine by everyone—old Mrs. Teedle is not the most pleasant of people. But when she is found murdered, her mouth bulging with her own herbs and roots, suddenly no one has a bad word to say about her. Jonathon de Mountford is adjusting to life up at the manor house, but it’s not a solitary life: pub landlord Mike Tattersall sees to that. Jonathon is both horrified to learn of the recent murder and confused by the sudden reversal of public opinion. Surely someone in the village had reason to want her dead? He and Mike decide it’s time for them to step in and “help” the local police with their investigation. Only problem is, their sleuthing uncovers more than one suspect—and the list is getting longer…
Likes:
- Solid mystery.
- More local flavor.
- Mike’s point of view blended well into the story.
- Mike and Jonathon’s relationship is sweet.
- The monkey wrench Jonathon’s father tried to throw into their lives didn’t accomplish much.
- Jonathon had a reason to be in Mrs. Teedle’s house.
Dislikes:
- I wish the first meeting between Mike and Jonathon’s father had been shown.
- Some name confusion.
- It took weeks to solve the murder.
I like this book better than the first for the simple reason that I already know and like the characters. Even though Jonathon and Mike haven’t gotten any more unique than the first book, I was predisposed to them this time. And I ended this book with a much higher rating for them, if for no other reason than that they are a cute couple.
Mike and Jonathon are a good pair, and it really is their relationship that makes the book fun. I’d definitely say that, as a couple, they’re more than the sum of their parts. Their relationship took more of a center stage in this book, and I liked that. It’s still a very fade-to-black book, but the way both men were worrying about saying ‘I love you’ first was sweet.
Jonathon’s father tried to throw a monkey wrench into their lives, but Jonathon deflected it really well. The book’s ending was particularly satisfying on that account. I do wish that the first meeting between Mike and Jonathon’s father had been shown, since it was referenced several times. Because Jonathon’s father is something of a roadblock, I’m glad he finally showed up in person.
It felt like there were more side characters this time around. One of my complaints about the first book was that there wasn’t a ton of local flavor or standout side characters. There was definitely more this time around, especially since the book began with a village event.
The mystery was solid overall, even if it did fell like it was a little less prominent than the romance. I liked the various twists and turns, and how some of the fallout for one of the side characters was shown at the end.
I did end up confused several times about two characters – John Barton and Joshua Brent. I wondered why there were characters with names so similar. It turned out to be important to the plot, so I wasn’t as mad. But seeing how both men were involved with politics, and I tend not to pay too much attention to side characters, I do wish the names had been a bit more unique.
It was nice that Jonathon had a reason to be in Mrs. Teedle’s house, seeing as he was her landlord. It gave him and Mike a reason to investigate her murder, other than just being busybodies. I also liked that Mike’s point of view was shown. It added to both the murder and the romance.
I’m really looking forward to the final book in the series.
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