Tittle           : Jingle All The Slay (Marshmallow Hollow Mysteries #1)

Author        : Dakota Cassidy

Pub Date    : October 12, 2020

Pages          : 230

My Rating   : ★★★

The Summary

Halliday Valentine, a psychic witch who recently relocated from New York City to Marshmallow Hollow, a very normal community, where she operate the family business that specializes in all things Christmas she got the factory from her mother, who in turn acquired it from her grandmother, Nana Karen, but now it's just me (kind of...long story), Her grumpy British pet hummingbird Atticus, one unappreciative rescue cat, her talking reindeer Karen, and my best friend Stiles (the only human aware of her witchy side).

Oh, and Digby Dainty, a tall drink of water who leases her guest cottage, is also known as Hobbs. And who she'd be interested in learning more about. They share many interests, including a passion for true crime. As macabre as it may sound, her excited to spend time with Hobbs exercising our amateur sleuthing abilities when a crooked real estate tycoon turns up dead in the middle of the annual ice festival.

She guess not thrilled. After all, a guy is dead. He did, however, attempt to scam several residents out of their hard-earned businesses. In fact, how many of her amiable, loving neighbors seemed to want the man dead was the only thing that surprised her more than a murder in their quaint Christmas town.

My Review

A tacky holiday paranormal cozy mystery set in a Christmas-loving Maine hamlet. The lavish Christmas theme with a hint of magic was fantastic. It combines various genres without favoring any in particular. Simply said, it fits.

In contrast to most cozy mysteries, the first chapter made me feel cozy right away. The mystery was intriguing, and the magic is amazing. The plot was also interesting. It didn't take long to get going, but it wasn't rushed either.

The connections are interesting, the characters are likeable, and throughout the story, Dakota lets the reader feel various emotions. Although there are obviously some major secrets there, their courtship is still a touch awkward as they get to know one another while investigating a local murder. Only passable writing was done.

Those who enjoy clean mysteries without any profanity and who like to always be reminded of Christmas should definitely read this novel. There is little to worry readers about in light of the awful crime. I can understand why it could appeal to others. It's cutesy and has talking animals.

All in all, it was a fun holiday read, and if you've never read anything by Dakota, this is a great place to start!

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.