The Linzer Cookie Murder by Trixie Silvertale

Cindy Claus, the daughter of Santa Claus, has been living her life away from the North Pole and following her dream of owning her own bakery. Baking is her passion, but when her mother calls to let her know that her father is extremely ill and may be dying, she must return home to help save Christmas. Because if Santa isn’t able to deliver presents a few days later, Christmas will be ruined for children around the world. Can she help save both Santa and Christmas without giving up her own dream? Or will she fail to find the cause of his sudden illness and be forced to remain in the North Pole, taking up the mantle of Santa herself, and giving up her dream of running her own bakery out in the human world.

This was the third book in the Christmas Catastrophe series. I read a review copy of this book and really enjoyed seeing how Cindy dealt with the traumatic occurrence of her near-immortal father, someone who almost never became ill, suddenly so near to death. Nothing her mother was able to do seemed to help Santa, so it falls upon Cindy to determine who is seemingly trying to kill Santa Claus and why. Elves can’t lie, but things at the North Pole seem to be much more troubling than they were when Cindy had last been there. And yet, it hasn’t occurred to her mother or those around her that someone may be trying to kill Santa. There is no apparent reason for anyone to want to kill such a kind and generous man, one who embodies what can only be describes as the spirit of Christmas. And yet, something is definitely wrong at the North Pole.

This was a fun cozy mystery with some interesting twists. I truly enjoyed reading this holiday story. (For those who have read any of Ms. Silvertale’s Mitzy Moon books, you’ll be as amused as I was by the brief appearance of a familiar character from the Harper Moon series, and no, I won’t tell you who shows up in this book.)

In my opinion, one of the best parts of this series is that the author includes the recipes for the holiday treats that Cindy bakes throughout the tale at the end of the book, and while I have not as yet tried to bake any of them myself, they certainly sound very tasty to me. If I don’t wind up trying to make any of them, I’m sure that someone in my household will. (I think the mini cheesecakes sound amazingly tempting.)

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

The Violins Played Before Junston by Lou Kemp

Celwyn is an ancient and powerful magician. He has roamed the world, alone, for a very long time. On his latest adventure, he is hired to capture and deliver the automat Kang to a priest. Celwyn is led to believe that Kang is evil, and thus deserving of the fate awaiting him. But as he travels on board a ship with the man he is supposed to be hunting, it soon becomes clear that he was lied to; Kang is not evil. And in many ways, even though he is an automat, he sometimes seems more human than many living people do. And as Celwyn gets to know Kang, the two of them become friends. And soon they find themselves on an adventure across multiple countries as their group seems to expand along the way, danger following them each step of the way.

I read a review copy of this book and enjoyed this steampunk adventure. The descriptions were vibrant. You could clearly imagine everything and every place being described. The story held my interest throughout. Each of the characters had their reasons for travelling together, and while they may have started out as nothing more than convenient travelling companions, the friendship and feeling of belonging that developed among them felt quite genuine. By the end, they were a sort of found family. Like all families, they did have their disagreements and issues at times, but in the end I believe it brought them closer together.

This was a fun story, with wonderful imagery. Not only was there travel by sailing vessel, but by train as well. Danger follows them, as well as adventure. This was the first book in the series. I am looking forward to seeing what further adventures these characters will find themselves on. I believe readers will enjoy this book as much as I did. It should appeal to anyone who enjoys reading Steampunk adventures with vampires, travel, and magic having a large part in the story. I do need to add a potential trigger warning though, as there is an instance of suicide and references to past child abuse within this book.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.