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Firefly Junction #4

A Humbug Holiday

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Book 4 of the Firefly Junction Cozy Mystery series.

It's holiday time in Firefly Junction but not everything is sweet sugarplums and glittery tinsel.

Sunni Taylor has been too busy to get into the holiday spirit, even with her mom coming to town for a visit. Her festive spirit gets a spark when Detective Brady Jackson asks her to attend the town's production of A Christmas Carol. But when the holiday classic takes a grim turn, Sunni's date night turns into a murder investigation. And in the middle of a winter festival, Sunni and Jackson must figure out who killed Ebenezer Scrooge.

204 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2018

160 people are currently reading
248 people want to read

About the author

London Lovett

98 books376 followers

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5 stars
298 (57%)
4 stars
159 (30%)
3 stars
50 (9%)
2 stars
6 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
1,383 reviews20 followers
August 7, 2021
I am enjoying this series very much. This is the 4th book and I've loved all of them. In this one Sunni and Detective Brady are solving the murder of a much disliked realtor from their area. It is Christmas time and Sunni's Mom shows up with a new boyfriend. I love the complexities of the mysteries in this series and especially the family relationships. The paranormal aspects are relatively minor in this one but Sunni does make a discovery about the ghost's past. The very slow romance between Sunni and Brady is fun too.
Profile Image for Elaine C..
404 reviews9 followers
May 30, 2024
I really like this series, the mysteries are always good, and there's an underlying story or two that follows each book. The books are more light-hearted than intense, and sometimes, I just don't need something intense that gets my heart about to pound out of my chest - LOL!!! In this episode, our journalist Sunni Taylor is assigned to write about the town's Christmas play, Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," which seems easy enough, until opening night when the play's main character Scrooge (played by Evan Weezer, #1 realtor in Firefly Junction), meets an early demise, ruining Sunni's already lackluster article. Instead, she takes it upon herself, as her civic duty, to try to solve the murder herself. In the meantime, her widowed Mother has some Christmas surprises, the hunky detective seems more than interested, and her resident ghost gets some surprising news.
Profile Image for Loraine Oliver.
685 reviews2 followers
December 4, 2018
There is nothing better than to get comfortable with some hot chocolate or wine and stay warm while reading London Lovett's latest cozy mystery-A Humbug Holiday! These are the kinds of books I really enjoy reading all year round, they are fun, entertaining, and a little bit of detective work is required.

What I love the most about this series is the characters, Edward the ghost, Sunni the newspaper reporter, and the one who lives at the Cider Ridge Inn along with Edward! Sunni's dogs Newman and Redford are very popular and Edward is known for throwing the tennis ball for them! They also see Edward!
Then there is Sunni's family her two sisters Lana and Emily, different as night and day, Nick who is Emily's husband and an all around wonderful guy. Sunni's friend Raine, the owner of a mystical business, she can see things and knows things before they happen. Then of course there is Detective Jax Jackson, and Sunni is enamored of him. He calls Sunni his little Bluebird,the reason can be found in book one!
Ursula and Henry are a brother and sister restoration team that do the work to restore Sunni's home, and Redford and Newman are so used to Ursula's "incessant harping" on Henry it does not bother the dogs anymore, however Edward is another story. Myrna and Chase work at the newspaper office and their boss Parker, who is obsessed with germs!
In this book we get to see Sunni's mother who has come to town-with a new boyfriend, Chris,
and Sunni does not know what to think. Once he mentions her adopted niece goats Tinkerbell and Cuddlebug, he gets a good point in his favor!
Sunni's assignment is to cover the play being put on by Scottie, a high school drama teacher that does a great job. It is part of Firefly Junction's annual Holiday Festival, this year's theme being Victorian! The people in the town attend the fair dressed up in their Victorian costumes, and the play Scottie is directing is A Christmas Carol by Dickens.
Det. Jackson brings Sunni to the play, which has everyone looking their way! Right before a new scene of the play is ready to be started-chaos breaks out. The leading man falls off the stage-dead!
You have to read this to find out what happened, along with seeing if Sunni and Det Jackson finally get to have their first kiss which has been put off over time due to circumstances, but will Jackson find the right moment for the 'kaboom' of a first kiss?
I gave this book 5 Winter Stars and can't wait for the next book already! Do yourself a favor and read this series from the first to the fourth book to get the full benefit of this awesome series.
Profile Image for Marsha.
3,053 reviews58 followers
December 12, 2018
"A Humbug Holiday" is a great holiday installment in the Firefly Junction. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. In some ways, it reminds me of "Murder She Wrote" but with younger characters. I especially enjoy the sibling interactions. It feels like home.

In this installment, Sunni has been given the task to write about the upcoming play, "A Christmas Carol" being performed by local business people. The humor isn't lost on anyone that the man playing Ebeneezer Scrooge is named Evan Weezer and he is not the most charitable person around. Sunni is pleased when Detective Jackson invites her to the performance. Of course he also gets a chance to meet Sunni's mother and her new boyfriend.

During the performance, someone decides to enact a little justice and Evan Weezer is killed. The question is who is the killer. With Evan being so vile to so many people this case is really going to take Sunni and Jackson to work together to solve the mystery.

Meanwhile our friendly ghost isn't so friendly to the contractors working on restoring the inn. Sunni decides that it is time that she does a little investigating into the child the ghost fathered so many years ago. We are finally getting some insight into the ghost himself. There is so much to recommend about this series from the ghost to the murders to the intrigue but my favorite part by far are the characters. They are just so real and fun. If you haven't put this series on your "to read" list, you definitely need to do so. Happy reading!
Profile Image for Andrea Stoeckel.
3,161 reviews132 followers
February 16, 2019
‘Real life is never like the movies. It seems far too often, the bad guys win”

In this, the fourth book in the Firefly Junction series, Sunni Taylor, intrepid reporter and owner of the partially renovated Cider Ridge Inn, is assigned to cover the town Christmas play: A Christmas Carol, basically writing a piece focusing on the local performers donating their time, money and talent to support the local Christmas Faire. All of this adds to the stress of Sunni’s mother being back for the holidays, something she’s really not sure she wants to celebrate although her sisters have gotten into the spirit of the season full force. Sunni’s new “beau”-Brady Jackson is also around to add a bit of spice....until date night becomes more than either of them bargained on.

When the star of the play is killed during the performance, Brady and Sunni work together to find out why, and who did it. The maze of missing and additional information needs to be sorted and since the police are short-handed, Sunni’s skills at organizing may just be what they may need to find the killer.

London Lovett is a great writer with a solid reputation as a cosy mystery writer. Although set during the holidays, this story doesn’t depend on the holidays as anything more than its setting...it can be read anytime of the year. Highly recommended 5/5

[disclaimer:as part of a holiday giveaway, I won this book from the author as well as a box of Christmas themed surprises. In no way did that influence my review of this book]
Profile Image for Kelly.
5,713 reviews228 followers
February 7, 2021
It's never a dull day (or a dull play, in this case) in Firefly Junction for Sunni and Jax. I do sort of worry for the state of their relationship when every date they go on ends with a dead body making an appearance. Just kidding about the sate of their relationship. I think those two will do just fine. They simply tend to have an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time when it comes to finding dead folks.

They also do a bang up job uncovering murderers. Which is fortuitous since it's Jax's ACTUAL job. Since Sunni's so good at sussing out clues, Jax has become a little more open to sharing details of cases with her. On the downside, Sunni's ability to figure things out puts her in danger at times and that stresses Jax out.

I'm don't know where I'm going with that, but Sunni is doing her thing. Jax is doing his. A person ends up dead and they're going to figure out the hows and whys and (most importantly) who did it. In other words, I'm still having fun in Firefly Junction!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
3,949 reviews1,764 followers
December 25, 2023
I zipped through the first three books in this series back in August, enjoying Sunni's sharp wit and dogged determination -- an equal opportunity snark/sunshine kind of heroine which is just plain fun. I put the brakes on the series when I realized this fourth book, aptly titled A Humbug Holiday, was a Christmas read but, at last, the time has come! And what an enjoyable read. I was reminded of how charming this town, these characters (including a fastidious ghost) are! And thrilled to pieces that romance is in the air for Sunni and a certain charismatic detective...at last! A great mystery with Dickens' Christmas Carol skillfully woven in was icing on the Christmas fruitcake. I'm still enchanted with Firefly Junction and Sunni's family and best friend and all the other quirky characters that do this cozy proud.
Profile Image for Cheryl A..
305 reviews31 followers
December 9, 2018
I just love the Firefly Junction Cozy Mysteries! The author introduces characters and slowly involves them into an intriguing story full of mayhem to delight the reader. This is the best one yet and I can hardly wait for the next book to this series! If you haven't already read any prior books from London Lovett, you are missing out on an opportunity for adventure, mystery and amateur sleuthing at its best!
Profile Image for Cathy.
429 reviews23 followers
February 10, 2019
I have really been enjoying London Lovett's, "Firefly Junction" series. Until this one. It took me forever to finish this book, mostly because life circumstances got in the way of my reading time. But I also wasn't looking forward to picking up this book, when time did permit me to. I loved the banter between Sunni and Edward in the first 3 books. And although this book is well written, it was more of a romance. I found it fell short and was disappointing for me.
Profile Image for Tammy.
702 reviews48 followers
November 19, 2022
Book 4 of Firefly Junction cozy mystery series. The play between Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol and the modern day was enjoyable. Add a variety of old and new whimsical characters, romantic attraction, a dog owner with a resident ghost, and the right blend of humor you have a great holiday read.
Profile Image for Carol.
1,093 reviews11 followers
January 4, 2019
Loved it!

This was an excellent book. I'm a big fan of this author and this series. A fun, well written storyline and quirky characters make for a fun read. And you can't go wrong with a resident ghost.
Profile Image for Karen Cino.
Author 53 books506 followers
October 16, 2019
Great characters. I love reading Christmas books all year long. Not only is Sunni investigating a mystery, but she's getting close and close to the hunky detective Brady Jackson! Looking forward to book 5.
333 reviews
January 17, 2020
Love these books. Can't get enough of them. Great story line in each one and great character development. Love seeing the people flesh out and watching the relationships of each character relating with each other.
27 reviews
March 30, 2020
So enjoying this series

I am enjoying the stories within THE story. I love the story of Edward, it is intriguing. The story between Sunni and Brady is just the right touch to keep me wanting more. The closeness of family is refreshing.
Profile Image for Peggy.
87 reviews2 followers
February 11, 2021
Fun cozy with great characters.

I am enjoying reading this entire series. Sunni and her sisters are realistic and not too perfect. The plot is believable and the ghost adds a fun twist.
Profile Image for Debra Salonen.
Author 97 books210 followers
February 12, 2021
So darn fun!

What a fun spin on a Christmas mystery/romance! Firefly Junction is a charming town with interesting and unique characters, including a tenacious reporter, a sexy cop, and a ghost. I’m so happy knowing the series goes on. Book 5, here I come.
Profile Image for Mary-Lynn St-Amand.
2 reviews
April 7, 2023
I have really enjoyed reading the series. I am just finishing book 15 of the series and have had a great time following the characters though each book. I love the way the author makes you feel that you are right there. I have laughed out loud several times.
Profile Image for Denise Ranck.
6 reviews
July 8, 2023
Great read!

Liked how well the book keeps you on you interested. The book full of action, some humor,and intense action. Makes you want to be there to be part of
F all the action and suspence.
Profile Image for Nancy Haddock.
Author 8 books421 followers
November 2, 2024
Another winner

Love the setting, love the characters, love the action! The plot had some good twists and the relationship between Sunni and Jackson heated up nicely. I'm ready for more!
116 reviews
July 15, 2019
Fun and surprises

A delightful mystery with a few surprises in store. I'd recommend these mysteries to anyone who wants to spend a few pleasant hours curled up with a book.
1 review
August 27, 2019
A fun holiday read.

I love the subplot with Edward. Love to try and solve the mysteries also! Can’t wait for the next book.
74 reviews1 follower
February 2, 2020
Hum bug Christmas

I have throughly enjoyed reading each book in this series! I’m looking forward to number 5. A great electric mix of characters and plots.
Profile Image for Trish.
523 reviews31 followers
March 1, 2020
I can’t get enough of this series....I love it!
Profile Image for Melonie Hill.
800 reviews13 followers
May 1, 2020
A Humbug Holiday #4 FireflyJunction Cozy Mystery

I love this series. Fun, delightful and suspenseful! Perfect for a cozy evening at home curled up with hot chocolate!
109 reviews
August 22, 2020
Wonderful story

As always, the characters feel like family. The story ended up surprising me with the ending. I never guessed who the killer was.
58 reviews2 followers
February 25, 2021
Enjoyable

A great addition to the original trilogy. Even the ghost has a well defined character and plot line! Looking forward to the next in the series and further adventures.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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