November was a very murder-y month of reading and in December, I really doubled down on some cozy holiday books. Just lots of light and easy reads to wrap up the year. 

Four Stars

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this book after lots of reviews, and I did largely enjoy it. But I kind of hated the twist. Not that it wasn't well written or wasn't entertaining, I just really wanted a different person to be the killer because to me that would have seemed way more intriguing. Either way this is still a good book and a vey fast thriller-y read.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Sarah Pekkanen's books. They are twisty and fun and bonus set in the DC area. This one did not disappoint and delivered on super strange family dynamics that the main character had to peel back to determine how the family's nanny mysteriously died.

After the Storm by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the two competing storylines in this book that both sprung from a violent tornado ripping through the town of Painters Mill. A body is discovered when a barn is destroyed leading Kate and her officers to investigate this cold case. At the same time people seriously wounded in the storm are angry at Kate for her rescue efforts. I like the way the stories interweave, though I will say I didn't love Kate's personal story line in this book as much and thought the ending there was just a little too convenient.

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sparks seem to fly between the best man and the maid of honor at their friends' wedding, until the maid of honor finds out the best man left her book a one-star review online. Unfortunately because their best friends are married to each other, the arch nemeses find themselves forced to spend a good amount of time together, and maybe there's still a spark there. Fun fast read!

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a cute and fun book to read during the holiday season. It's about a group of four friends who are "Christmas orphans" meaning they have don't leave New York to celebrate the holidays with their families. Over the years they've celebrated in all sorts of ways, but one friend gets a new job across the country and their annual tradition is threatened. Light and fun and great for the holidays.

Candy Canes of Christmas Past by Leslie Meier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was trying to end the year with a few lighter and fun books, and this cozy mystery did the trick. I've read a few Lucy Stone books this year, and I enjoyed that this one flashed back to when Lucy first moved to Tinker's Cove. It was a nice chance to see how all the characters that have been featured in other books started to appear in Lucy's life. Plus this was a short and fun holiday mystery too.

Three Stars

Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really went all in on the holiday themed murder mysteries this end this year. This book was a little slow at parts, and I didn't love the way I felt a bit beaten over the head with the immigration theme, and I thought the twist was a bit predictable, but it wasn't a bad read and I enjoyed a book set around a running-ish theme.

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I typically really enjoy the Will Trent books, but this book was really, really long and I thought very slow at parts. The book opens pretty early with the murder, but then I feel like there's a lot of long slow build up before we get into any sort of crime-solving. I would have preferred if some of the slow burn had been cut to get right into the action.