3.5/5 Holly and Holidays, Another Murder by Christa Nardi

picture from audible

Narrated by Jeanne Pilgrim Mayo

Run Time: 2 hrs and 46 min

Genre: cozy mystery; Christmas theme

Summary:

The description says it all. There’s a holiday charity thing to raise money for a dog rescue. The dinner gets a whole lot more exciting when people get sick and somebody drops dead. Sheridan and Rachel investigate on behalf of the dead guy’s daughter.

Additional Comments:

  • Typical cozy.
  • This might be a series you need to read in order to fully know the characters. This entry is book 4.
  • Cozies are all about the nondetective cracking the case. In this one, I don’t think the main character has much to do with the solution, though the crime gets solved.
  • There’s usually some kind of cute animal presence in cozies. This is accomplished through the pet rescue.
  • The husband is a cop.
  • There’s good personal drama from the lousy ex being a lousier mother. The main character and the husband look like saints in comparison.
  • Title fits. Holiday theme works.
  • Side characters are forgettable, but I think that’s the nature of the beast when it comes to a very short book.

Conclusion:

Short cozy that hits most of the right genre beats.

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Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Aeris Legends – Wrath and War (LitRPG, gaming, fantasy) This takes a box-of-chocolate approach to providing lore entries (creatures, quest descriptions, game mechanics) and short stories for a fantasy world.

Trials, Tribulations, and Trust Issues (Superheros, superpowers) A young woman who can access almost any superpower gets manipulated into testing them for the government.

4/5 Stars The Mysterious Package by Christa Nardi and Cassidy Salem

pic from audible

A Hannah and Tamar Mystery

Narrated by Julie McCarthy

Runtime: 2 hrs and 5 mins

Summary:

On the train ride up to see their grandparents, Hannah and Tamar stumble across a distraught, haughty woman and a scruffy looking dude. Things get weirder when the woman slips a strange package into one of the girls’ pockets.

Additional Comments:

  • Simple, kid safe mystery. Probably going for the market that loves Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, Mandie, and such.
  • Half the book is mystery and half is managing semi relationships with some nice guys from the town.
  • No real peril to the characters. Normally, that would annoy me, but it fits here.
  • Performance was good.
  • Main characters did have differences but sort of blurred into one type.
  • Conclusion works well and is satisfying.

Conclusion:

Clean, peril free mystery aimed at 10-14 year old girls. Fits that well.

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Audiobook Promotions …

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Many of my 57 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)

4/5 Stars Prestige, Privilege & Murder by Christa Nardi

pic from audible

Narrated by Naomi Rose-Mock

3 hrs and 43 min

Summary:

Stacie Maroni’s bitter divorce proceedings come to a screeching halt when her soon-to-be-ex winds up dead.

Additional Comments:

  • Jasper is a lovely name for a Maltese.
  • 4/5 Performance – well handled; narrator fit the MC nicely
  • 4/5 Plot and conclusion – There seems to be enough action to sustain the mystery. Everything isn’t always as spiffy as it seems, and that’s kind of refreshing.
  • I like that Stacie’s job has some relevance here. It’s a little ironic.
  • 4/5 Stacie is well off, but she doesn’t come from money. Therefore, she doesn’t bleed a sense of privilege. She’s not quite down-to-earth, but she’s also got a nice sense of normalcy about her that makes her likable.
  • The romance angle seemed a hair forced, but the cop’s a nice enough guy.
  • Title fits the story well.

Conclusion:

Nice, very short mystery.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Audiobook Promotions …

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is rc-1-3-audio-ad-1024x536.jpg

Many of my 57 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is DC-set-ad-1024x536.jpg

Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)