peggyemi's review
4.0
Have a Holly, Haunted Christmas is a holiday novella in the Kitchen Witch Mysteries. I enjoy it when this author provides her readers with these novellas in her series. They give her readers a quick visit with the characters during a specific period of time or during the holidays. I think the novellas also help with character development which I think is coming along nicely with these characters. Mia is in the process of preparing for a holiday open house when she is visited by a ghost whose mystery must be solved before time runs out. The only problem is that the deadline is right after the open house so Mia must multi-task and solve the mystery while cooking and baking tasty treats. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt rushed. One minute Mia was asking questions and investigating and the next minute the culprit was on trial. I wish the author had provided a short chapter bridge between those two time periods.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own and were in no way influenced by the manner in which I received this book.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in my review are my own and were in no way influenced by the manner in which I received this book.
disorderlydaydreams's review
4.0
I received this from a Goodreads giveaway.
Cozy Mysteries aren't my usual genre but I quite enjoyed this one as an all-in-one-sitting read. I had a holiday playlist going from youtube on my tv with a picture of a big cozy fire and tree and it helped settle me in for the holiday spirit jam-packed in this short book. The descriptions about decorating at the beginning of the book really made it feel like it was Christmas time.
I was very interested in the details on Mr. Darcy sharing his little cat body with a human. I might have to pick up the previous book in the series to learn more about that.
I think the magic could have been shown a bit more. She's supposed to be a kitchen witch but nothing she did really made it seem like she was magical other than being able to see and talk to a ghost. Oh, and her having a familiar that was mentioned a whole two times. It would have been nice to see how her magic affects her baking skills.
I liked Mia and her companions a lot. Her friends and grandmother were complimentary to Mia's life, especially her boyfriend Trent who seemed to be more like a guiding light as he helped Mia solve her little crisis'. He was also pretty charming. It was mentioned that he had a grimoire and a magic name and came from magic parents, but I couldn't tell if he was a practicing magic user or if he'd given up his magic as was briefly mentioned as something he thought about when he was younger. So I was at a loss there still by the end of the book. Maybe it's explained in book 1?
The town sounds down right charming. I wish the book had taken the time to expand upon the town and it's magical feel. Descriptions of the people and places would have been a big bonus.
The ending was pretty good and mysterious, as I didn't see it coming. I thought maybe the but was glad it turned out differently because that would have been too obvious.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It put me in the holiday spirit and I want to decorate today, even though Christmas is still over 3 months away. I think that with a good editor and some additional details to make it a longer book, it would have been excellent.
Cozy Mysteries aren't my usual genre but I quite enjoyed this one as an all-in-one-sitting read. I had a holiday playlist going from youtube on my tv with a picture of a big cozy fire and tree and it helped settle me in for the holiday spirit jam-packed in this short book. The descriptions about decorating at the beginning of the book really made it feel like it was Christmas time.
I was very interested in the details on Mr. Darcy sharing his little cat body with a human. I might have to pick up the previous book in the series to learn more about that.
I think the magic could have been shown a bit more. She's supposed to be a kitchen witch but nothing she did really made it seem like she was magical other than being able to see and talk to a ghost. Oh, and her having a familiar that was mentioned a whole two times. It would have been nice to see how her magic affects her baking skills.
I liked Mia and her companions a lot. Her friends and grandmother were complimentary to Mia's life, especially her boyfriend Trent who seemed to be more like a guiding light as he helped Mia solve her little crisis'. He was also pretty charming. It was mentioned that he had a grimoire and a magic name and came from magic parents, but I couldn't tell if he was a practicing magic user or if he'd given up his magic as was briefly mentioned as something he thought about when he was younger. So I was at a loss there still by the end of the book. Maybe it's explained in book 1?
The town sounds down right charming. I wish the book had taken the time to expand upon the town and it's magical feel. Descriptions of the people and places would have been a big bonus.
The ending was pretty good and mysterious, as I didn't see it coming. I thought maybe the
Spoiler
mystery adopted child would have been Trent's dadOverall, I enjoyed this book. It put me in the holiday spirit and I want to decorate today, even though Christmas is still over 3 months away. I think that with a good editor and some additional details to make it a longer book, it would have been excellent.
cats_coffee_chaos's review
4.0
I received this from a Goodreads giveaway.
Cozy Mysteries aren't my usual genre but I quite enjoyed this one as an all-in-one-sitting read. I had a holiday playlist going from youtube on my tv with a picture of a big cozy fire and tree and it helped settle me in for the holiday spirit jam-packed in this short book. The descriptions about decorating at the beginning of the book really made it feel like it was Christmas time.
I was very interested in the details on Mr. Darcy sharing his little cat body with a human. I might have to pick up the previous book in the series to learn more about that.
I think the magic could have been shown a bit more. She's supposed to be a kitchen witch but nothing she did really made it seem like she was magical other than being able to see and talk to a ghost. Oh, and her having a familiar that was mentioned a whole two times. It would have been nice to see how her magic affects her baking skills.
I liked Mia and her companions a lot. Her friends and grandmother were complimentary to Mia's life, especially her boyfriend Trent who seemed to be more like a guiding light as he helped Mia solve her little crisis'. He was also pretty charming. It was mentioned that he had a grimoire and a magic name and came from magic parents, but I couldn't tell if he was a practicing magic user or if he'd given up his magic as was briefly mentioned as something he thought about when he was younger. So I was at a loss there still by the end of the book. Maybe it's explained in book 1?
The town sounds down right charming. I wish the book had taken the time to expand upon the town and it's magical feel. Descriptions of the people and places would have been a big bonus.
The ending was pretty good and mysterious, as I didn't see it coming. I thought maybe the but was glad it turned out differently because that would have been too obvious.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It put me in the holiday spirit and I want to decorate today, even though Christmas is still over 3 months away. I think that with a good editor and some additional details to make it a longer book, it would have been excellent.
Cozy Mysteries aren't my usual genre but I quite enjoyed this one as an all-in-one-sitting read. I had a holiday playlist going from youtube on my tv with a picture of a big cozy fire and tree and it helped settle me in for the holiday spirit jam-packed in this short book. The descriptions about decorating at the beginning of the book really made it feel like it was Christmas time.
I was very interested in the details on Mr. Darcy sharing his little cat body with a human. I might have to pick up the previous book in the series to learn more about that.
I think the magic could have been shown a bit more. She's supposed to be a kitchen witch but nothing she did really made it seem like she was magical other than being able to see and talk to a ghost. Oh, and her having a familiar that was mentioned a whole two times. It would have been nice to see how her magic affects her baking skills.
I liked Mia and her companions a lot. Her friends and grandmother were complimentary to Mia's life, especially her boyfriend Trent who seemed to be more like a guiding light as he helped Mia solve her little crisis'. He was also pretty charming. It was mentioned that he had a grimoire and a magic name and came from magic parents, but I couldn't tell if he was a practicing magic user or if he'd given up his magic as was briefly mentioned as something he thought about when he was younger. So I was at a loss there still by the end of the book. Maybe it's explained in book 1?
The town sounds down right charming. I wish the book had taken the time to expand upon the town and it's magical feel. Descriptions of the people and places would have been a big bonus.
The ending was pretty good and mysterious, as I didn't see it coming. I thought maybe the
Spoiler
mystery adopted child would have been Trent's dadOverall, I enjoyed this book. It put me in the holiday spirit and I want to decorate today, even though Christmas is still over 3 months away. I think that with a good editor and some additional details to make it a longer book, it would have been excellent.
scoot16's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
tcameron85's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
3,5* rounded to 4
I found it quite entertaining, a novella set at Christmastime, with an enjoyable plot.
Trent, Mia's boyfriend, is the reason of the low rate as he's quite full of himself in this story and quite overbearing.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I found it quite entertaining, a novella set at Christmastime, with an enjoyable plot.
Trent, Mia's boyfriend, is the reason of the low rate as he's quite full of himself in this story and quite overbearing.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
abeautytoyourbeast's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
angiedaz's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Wrapped up too quickly.
ewil6681's review
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
morticia32's review
2.0
This is a novella length story in the newish series.
Ms. Cahoon seems to be fond of novellas, (Three in this series so far, with only two full length books), but in most cases I find they're too short to do the characters justice. There was a lot of decorating for Christmas but not a lot of story. It was an okay blurb, but I'd like to have had more. Mia and her grandmother are fun characters in the full length stories, so I will just have to sit back and wait for the next one to come out to really show them off.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*
Ms. Cahoon seems to be fond of novellas, (Three in this series so far, with only two full length books), but in most cases I find they're too short to do the characters justice. There was a lot of decorating for Christmas but not a lot of story. It was an okay blurb, but I'd like to have had more. Mia and her grandmother are fun characters in the full length stories, so I will just have to sit back and wait for the next one to come out to really show them off.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*