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| image copied from Goodreads |
This was a cute holiday mystery with lots of fantasy elements present as well. Rudie is a funeral director living in a holiday town where magic is everywhere and the North Pole is the big city. Despite her sisters’ insisting that Rudie is good enough just as she is, she has never felt like she fit in. Her insecurities are magnified by her childhood bully, Hayley. When Rudie volunteers at the annual holiday market to help raise money for the reindeer refuge, she is unexpectedly a witness to a homicide carried out via hot cocoa. Worse, her ability to see ghosts causes her to be ordered by the spirit of the murder victim to find her killer or be haunted by the angry ghost forever.
Rudie was an engaging main character and her low-spice romance with newspaperman and partner in investigating, Archer, was sweet. I loved that the author made Rudie a funeral home director in a holiday town near the North Pole. It added a unique twist to this cozy fantasy mystery and made Rudie's abilities to talk to ghosts plausible. Once she succeeds at resolving what happened and why it also allows Rudie to see the value of the service that she provides to her community through her work. This isn't something that I ever remember seeing in a fictional story before. Having the spirit of the murder victim insist that Rudie catch whoever killed her gave the story clear and believable stakes and a convincing reason for her to start searching for answers. The mystery was sort of predictable for me. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read and would happily read more novellas in this series.
I can't believe this is my last review for 2025! I hope they've helped you find some enjoyable reads to your collection. In 2026 I will be focusing much of my reading on mysteries as I work at promoting my debut book coming out in April 2027. But I was also honored to be given ARCs to read for some great fantasies coming out in the New Year. The first of which I'll be reviewing the first Sunday in January. It is for K.F. Breene's newest romantasy Diamond Dust the second and final book in her Shadowbound Fae series. I am loving it so far! Check out both the blurb and the cover for the ebook edition both copied from Goodreads below. Diamond Dust will be out for publication on New Year's Day, January 1, 2026. So, my review will come out a few days after publication. Until then, I hope everyone has a safe and very merry holiday season!
But I’m the only thing standing between their glittering world and the darkness waiting to consume mine.
To buy us time, Tarian enters me into the court games—a bloodsport for the bored and cruel. No allies. No protection. Just monsters wearing crowns and smiling as they watch me fall.
My odds of survival? Slim.
My resolve? Unbreakable.
They’ve always underestimated me. I exist in the shadows. I thrive there.
And when they push me too far… they’ll learn exactly what kind of carnage a cornered human can unleash.
The explosive conclusion to the Shadowbound Fae duet.
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