Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
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Book Review: Halloween Cupcake Murder (Irish Village Mystery, #9.5) by Carlene O'Connor, Carol J. Perry, and Liz Ireland

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Halloween Cupcake Murder (Irish Village Mystery, #9.5) by Carlene O'Connor, Carol J. Perry, and Liz Ireland is a collection of three novellas by three different authors, all having to do with Halloween.  I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of this collection that I received for free in exchange for my honest review.

The first novella in this collection is part of a series and is named Halloween Cupcake Murder (Irish Village Mystery, #9.5) written by Carlene O'Connor.  Tara Meehan owns an architectural salvage yard and in search of new products for her store.  When she receives a cupcake and a cryptic message from a stranger, Tara becomes entwined with an ancient mystery tied to Samhain.  I found this story to be intriguing but a little hard to follow at times, but all in all, I really enjoyed this novella.  It was suspenseful without being scary, and I loved that their was a secret society involved.  It made me want to re-watch the movie The Skulls.  Four out of five stars.

The second novella is also part of a series and is entitled Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper written by Liz Ireland.  Mrs. Claus has introduced the holiday of Halloween to Christmastown, and the locals are planning a huge celebration that includes a candy corn themed bake off.  When an employee is found dead at the newest bakery in town, Mrs. Claus is determined to save the holiday by find out who would be so awful to kill.  I loved the concept of this novella because I love both Halloween and Christmas, but the story seemed to be targeted more towards tweens and teens instead of adults.  For that reason, I had a hard time connecting with this tale.  However, I am will to read other stories written by this author.  Three out of five stars.

The third novella is called A Triple Layer Halloween Murder written by Carol J. Perry and is part of a series as well.  The town of Salem, Massachusetts is amping up for its month long celebration of Halloween, and Lee Barrett is looking forward to covering all the festivities for the local news station.  However, when a local bakery owner goes missing, and Lee's security system captures the bakery owner catching a ride in front of her house, she knows she has to help solve this mystery.  This story was somewhat predictable, but I absolutely loved the fact it took place in Salem, which is one of my favorite places to visit.  The author did a fantastic job of keeping me engaged in the plot and wanting to know what happened next.  I definitely want to read more books in this series.  Four out of five stars.

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