21) Home for the Homicide by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Avery Baker was a big city textile designer, until she inherited her aunt’s old Maine cottage and found her true calling—home renovation. But she never expected her latest job would come to such a bone-rattling dead end...

For Avery and her husband Derek, renovating the Craftsman Bungalow was like stepping back in time. The quaint old home was just as its original owners had left it—from the beautiful butler’s pantry to the surprisingly exquisite ribbon tile. But it’s the attic that yields the most heart-stopping surprise.

In a discreetly hidden antique crate, Avery finds a clue to a decades-old missing persons case. As Avery works on the house and delves deeper into the sinister story, it becomes clear that someone very crafty wants the Craftsman home’s secrets to stay that way!

My Thoughts :

I have so many books to read and I am way behind on my review book reading but I started this one the other week when I thought I had time to read and then I had guests etc etc and this one got forgotten.  The Kindle was actually dusty when I picked it up so I was determined to finish this one and not start one of the other books that I should of been reading.  After all it seems this is the last book in the series.

The Do-It-Yourself Mysteries have been lovely to read.  I have loved the characters and location throughout the series and the mysteries have been well worth reading.  I wouldn't say that this seventh installment was one of the better ones but it was interesting enough and had some nice twists.

It is is a shame to see this one end.  I would have liked to have at least one more installment.  This didn't feel like the end at all and I really enjoyed the concept.  I wonder if the author will do what many other writers have done and self publish or maybe this was supposed to be the end.

Anyway, if you like a good cozy and you enjoy home renovation then you will love this series.  I have to say I am not a big Do-It-Yourself person but this series is certainly inspiring and I really liked the houses they worked on and even ended up looking the styles up online.

6) Wall-to-Wall Dead by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Avery and her partner, Derek, are fixing up a cute little condo in homey Waterfield, Maine, hoping for a quick turnaround and some extra money. It seems like a simple project—and Avery is looking forward to using her big-city experience with small spaces.

But they didn’t expect to have their every move watched by the resident busybody in the condo, Hilda Shaw, who loves snooping on everyone’s comings and goings. When the busybody becomes a dead body, Avery suspects foul play. Soon she’s doing some snooping of her own—and it seems everyone in the complex has a secret. Could one of them be worth killing for? Avery needs to work fast, before someone decides to fix her...for good.

My Thoughts :

I continued to get on top of one of my reading challenges for this year by reading another book from a series I have been working on for a few years.  There are quite a few series that I have neglected or just need the next installment for so I am trying to do some serious catching up this year.  I may even be able to get rid of some if I find I don't like them anymore!

However this series is one I really do enjoy.  Although this installment wasn't the best of the bunch so far I still liked it a lot.  The renovation aspect was a little thin this time around but the murder mystery was interesting if somewhat confusing at times but by the end I could even see what had happened and who the murderer was and why they did it.

With only one book left in the series I am pretty sure this is a series I am going to be able to cross off my challenge list within a couple of weeks.  I plan on reading the last part as soon as possible and see how the author closes the series.

65) Flipped Out by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Avery and her hunky handyman boyfriend are renovating a house belonging to a local news anchor who's thrilled to be filmed as part of a home renovation show. But cable television fame proves fleeting when the man is murdered and Avery faces the task of nailing the killer. Fast.

My Thoughts :

This series on my list of series I need to catch up with/finish.  Seeing as there are only seven books in the series I think I am doing well with my goal because this is book five!  I actually plan on finishing the series off within the next month so I can cross it off my list.

Now it may sound like I am pushing or forcing myself to complete the goal I set myself but to be honest I am really enjoying the series and can't wait to read the final two books.  It will be sad to see things come to an end but I hope the series ends in a good way.

This fifth installment was just as good as the previous books.  Great characters and location with a well thought out mystery.  The theme is always the same with Avery and Derek 'flipping' a house.  However this time they are taking part in a TV series and the renovation and decoration has to be done in record time.

There may not have been as much location candy this time and there also wasn't much history to delve into but the story was good and I enjoyed getting to meet some different characters.  I was also happy to see some of the regular characters making some progress in their relationships.  So the on-going story made some progress.

What else can I say?  The series is definitely worth checking out if you like cozies.  Home improvement aside this is a great series mostly because of the characters and location.  The theme just makes things more interesting even if all that DIY stuff isn't your thing.

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51) Mortar and Murder by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Avery Baker was once a New York textile designer, but inheriting her aunt's old Maine cottage has led her down a new career path-home renovation. Finding a property's hidden potential has rewards and challenges-especially when a mystery surfaces from behind the walls of a centuries-old house on an island that has more than its share of deadly secrets.

My Thoughts :

A good cozy mystery theme is one that makes me take a break from reading to actually google the content because it sounds so interesting.  It may sound cool or it may just be something I have never heard of before but usually it is because the author manages to get me curious and fascinated by the content.  Jennie Bentley has me turning to google.  Looking at pictures and reading up on history.  This series is just so impressive as far as depth and knowledge is concerned.

I have never been one for renovation and I have never been to Maine but this series is really giving me a taste for the history of both.  This fourth installment in the series tells stories of smugglers and the revolution.  There are hidden rooms and secluded islands.  There are also Russian immigrants and some other mysterious goings on but how the author brings them together and makes them so interesting is just pure writing genius.

To say I am enjoying this series would be an understatement.  There isn't one big thing that stands out above other cozies but just a great combination of characters, location, writing style and well researched content.   The story flows, is interesting and keeps you guessing.  I love the setting and would pack my bags straight away and travel off to see Maine if I had the money.  I would also be happy to go buy myself one of those amazing houses and try and renovate it.  The author doesn't make it sound easy but she definitely makes it sound rewarding.

Avery and Derek are great leading characters and I enjoy seeing their relationship grow.  Avery getting involved in the strange and mysterious murders always makes for great reading and I am just as clueless as she is and love unraveling it all with her.  This series is well worth checking out and I am pretty sure I will be reading the fifth installment very soon.  I can't wait to go back to Maine and see what delights await me on my next trip.  Even if the place seems to be getting a lot of murders lately I would still love to go there.

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44) Plaster and Poison by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Ex-New York designer Avery Baker left the bustle of the big city to start her own home renovation business in Maine. But as she renovates an old carriage house on behalf of a soon-to-be wed friend, she stumbles across a lifeless body-a person known all too well by the blushing bride. The small town is abuzz with big suspicions, and Avery realizes she must unravel a matrimonial murder.

My Thoughts :

This review was actually scheduled to post automagically yesterday but for some reason the magic failed and the post disappeared.

As I mentioned in my previous review I decided to keep going with this series and read the third installment straight after the second.  I don't usually do this but I am very behind on this series and the majority of the books have been on my Kindle for a while.  I actually read the first book back in 2011 and despite enjoying it I haven't had the chance to go back to it till now.  I think my goal of catching up with all the series I am behind in has helped motivate me to get books like this back on my To Be Read list!

Anyway what can I say about this third part?  It was as good as the previous two and I enjoyed it.  The characters are friendly and mysteries are interesting but not too taxing.  It isn't hard to figure things out but it isn't boring going along for the ride as Avery sleuths things out.

This time around we get to know some of the characters better with a lot of history being brought out into the open.  Also the character count increases with some additional family members coming to town for the holidays.  Some twists and turns make the on-going story worth continuing although I hope that Avery stops doing the whole jealous thing in regards to Derek's ex.

Can't understand why Avery went off on a tangent in this book and spent so much time on a cold case.  It was a nice enough story/mystery but with everything going on in the present it seemed weird to have her trying to hunt down something that happened 100 years ago.

This series has been sitting on my shelf long enough and I am determined to get them all read asap.  So expect a review for the fourth book sometime soon.  I am really enjoying the series so far and I don't want to leave it to get all dusty again!

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43) Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bentley

The Blurb :

Avery Baker and her boyfriend, Derek Ellis, are flipping a seriously stigmatized house rumored to have ghosts. Soon they'll have even bigger problems-and this renovation project might haunt them forever.

My Thoughts :

I actually read this book last weekend but for some reason I totally forgot to write my review.  So better late than never and all that ;)

The Do-It-Yourself Mysteries is a series I started reading back in 2011 and only got as far as the first book.  Since then some of the other books in the series have been on my Kindle/wishlist waiting for some attention and over the Easter weekend I finally got around to this second installment.

I was worried about going back to the series after such a long break and also if I would still like the series.  I remember enjoying the first book but after all this time there is the chance that my tastes have changed or I was mixing up my memories with another series.   Well I didn't remember much about the main characters but within a few chapters I knew all I needed to know.  They were lovely people who were enjoying their jobs and lives.  The discovery of a dead body was just a spanner in the works and the sleuthing began!

This turned out to be a great read and a super cozy mystery.  I enjoyed it and loved the renovation aspect. The characters are really easy to like and the location is definitely a place I would love to visit.  The plot flowed nicely and even though I thought it was pretty obvious who the murderer was, it was a worthwhile read to follow the story to the end.

It is a shame that it took me so long to go back to this series and it is only because of a a reading goal I have set myself that this series has been picked back up again.  So I am going to read the next part straight away so I can catch up a little more.  After all there are seven books in the series and this is only number two!

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