Mistletoe and Murder

Amelia Adams #2

by Laura Stewart

Murder interrupts Christmas at a Scottish hotel, but which of the guests are guilty?

Amelia Adams has turned the Scottish mansion she inherited into a luxurious hotel. The holiday season is looking busy with the upcoming wedding of a self-made millionaire to his young fianc�e--and a wide assortment of guests.

When Amelia gets a mysterious call from a stranger who says he has something to tell her, she is intrigued. But as a string of shocking events unfold, Amelia must turn her attention from merriment to murder . . .

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Contemporary, Scotland, Ebooks, Cozy, Fiction

401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2022

Reviews

[Srivalli (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publication Date: 19th Oct 2022

4 Stars

One Liner: Slow but entertaining

Amelia Adams has turned her Scottish inheritance into a hotel. The Stone Manor Hotel is set to host its first-ever Christmas wedding of a millionaire and his young fiancé. Naturally, this resulted in an assortment of guests, quirky and annoying personalities, old grudges, buried secrets, blackmail, and high-voltage drama (with loads of booze for guests).

Amelia gets a call from a mysterious stranger who wants to tell her something important. This sets things in motion, resulting in a few attacks, deaths, and chaos. As if that’s not enough, her friend and celebrity painter, Lorcan, seems to be in trouble.

With the impending wedding celebrations and a killer on the prowl, it’s up to Amelia to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the day (without becoming the killer’s next victim).

The story is in Amelia’s third-person POV, with a few chapters in Lorcan’s POV.

My Thoughts:

The book is the second in the series but works well as a standalone (I haven’t read the first and could follow this without much effort). There’s enough info about the previous book but scattered in bits and pieces. This prevented info dump and kept the focus where it should be.

The pacing is slow and steady. It doesn’t pick up the pace, but the writing is easy and engaging. Also, the book is 400 pages, so the plot is detailed, and takes time to get to murder and sleuthing. While this usually irks me, I liked the (recurring) characters and their interactions, so it wasn’t boring at any point.

The generous doses of humor and the setting are major plus points in the book. The rooms in the hotel are pretty interesting and named after famous mystery writers. Guess what’s the best room in the hotel? Agatha Christie’s suite, of course!

The main characters seem easy to like and have a few quirks that make them a wee bit flawed. There are a few eye-roll moments (which are expected).

The climax and ending are well done without being over the top. It took me a good while to guess the killer, but I’m glad I got it right. A certain revelation was unexpected though it fits with the overall plot.

To summarize, Mistletoe and Murder is a solid cozy mystery and a wholesome entertainer. It is lighthearted, funny, and satisfying. A bit of pace could have made it even better.

I’m tempted to check out the previous book to know Amelia’s complete story and look forward to reading more from this series.

Thank you, Bloodhound Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

**

P.S: The word unkindly is used a few times (in similar situations), and ‘he said with a cool look’ repeats twice on the same page. Another round of quick editing should remove these minor bumps.

[Anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5-star read for me. I liked the setting very much. It's days til Christmas, it's cold, and there's also a wedding booked at the main character's hotel. All the ingredients for this girl to enjoy this. The characters were well done (Gideon could star in his own spin-off series) and the dialogue was tight but I have to admit the mystery felt a bit drawn out (seriously, there's no reason for this to be a 400-page book). Granted there's a lot else going on here and also many couples in various stages of couplehood are included. I didn't read the first book but it's clear that readers are supposed to care about the couples a lot here (and for those not quite coupled up yet, that they get there with the one they pine for soon) and while I didn't dislike any of that, I didn't care that much. I was much more here for the murder mystery.

I read this through Kindle Unlimited.

[Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistletoe and Murder was exactly what was needed to nudge me into the festive spirit this year. I didn't want to read a full on over-the-top holiday book just yet, it's just too soon, and this cozy little mystery was perfect.

Amelia Adams made her dreams come true when she refurbished her inherited Scottish mansion into a luxury hotel. This Christmas season the hotel is booked for an upscale wedding and she couldn't be happier. But things begin to go sideways as the guests arrive, each with their own dynamic personalities and, of course, a murder afoot.

Mistletoe and Murder is the second book in this series but I had absolutely no trouble at all knowing who was who and what was what. It easily could be a stand alone except for the fact that I now want to go back and read the first book. This is a wonderful cozy regardless of the time of year you read it but it is perfect for the holiday season, of course.

[Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts off nice but keeps going over the top in annoying ways. People traveling to a remote town for a wedding, and NONE know who will be there? Even 100 years ago, people invited to major events did have an idea of who would be invited. In the modern world, with social media, actors and film notables are definitely the subject of public scrutiny.

So that gets annoying. The usual collection of old lovers, past lovers, who have all become successful in their chosen fields, all sneaking and creeping around. The hyper-creepy goth daughter, why in the world would she attend this week with her parents and no other people her age? Any decent parent would have said 'bring a friend' or 'stay with your friend/cousins'. Why subject her to an adult WEEK over the holidays?

The 'oh, I was attacked, IN MY HOME, but don't bother the police? Complete bull. It also starts to seem highly odd that all of these people live in the country, alone or with one other person, and none of them keep a dog? Not even a small one, for company or to announce people coming up? Seems really odd. Convenient for the plot, not realistic. Its a dog-friendly country, they're even welcome in pubs. And NO ONE has one?

Nothing 'big' happens for so long one wonders if this is actually a murder mystery. After insisting on a f2f meet with a stranger (the FMC), a man dies sitting out in the cold. The autopsy "will take a while." In the meantime, NO extra precautions are taken. WHAT?!?

In winter, at night, in the country, people have no problem letting a single woman walk home, alone. During a storm. Really!?

A man is attacked, at night, from behind, in his own home. "Let's not bother the police. No doctor, I'm fine." What? The country has socialized medicine, so its not a financial issue. Sounds like the guy knows the attacker, right? Protecting someone? Or did something wrong and doesn't want it to come out?

And on and on. It sounds like none of the characters have a handle on basic life skills! Even the hotel chef is too stupid to NOT enter a 'fun' best cake contest. As he notes, "I'm nervous because what if I'm last? How will that look for the hotel?" Yes, stupid, that's why you don't ENTER such things in the first place. You apologetically decline due to 'professional responsibilities' or 'that's a fun sport for the amateurs, it wouldn't be fair.' With ... the grocery store owner as the sole judge. Yeah, that's just asking for humiliation, what an idiot.

Still, EVERYONE in town is fully committed to doing whatever it takes to help the MC's business succeed. They all profit when that happens. Because they are ALL so enlightened, so in agreement about what side their bread is buttered on...because this is a fairy tale? No resentment, no independents, no rebels.

And the kitsch of hotel rooms dedicated to various mystery writers seems forced, too narrow, and half-hearted. If it included having murder mystery events, or films, or readings, sure. But just because? The food doesn't even reflect the theme!

Back to the 'plot' - by 1/3 of the way through, the MC is withholding so much from the police it begs the reader to simply close the book and walk away. Sighing, not _another_ FMC who's just so much smarter than those boring old police guys. Those cops who 'take so long' and 'never get it right'. But that couldn't have anything to do with the MC obstructing justice and completely disrespecting the one person the town has put into place to take evidence and find patterns. Right? It's not HER fault if she found it first, and the police just didn't know. Right?

Fairy tale. Or, "How to hogtie your staff and set yourself up for violence." (Try these tactics at work with your manager if you want to see how well this plays irl.)

The characters are not compelling, the 'secrets' are trite, the 'love' connections and misses are tiresome. The characters aren't made to seem real, the reader doesn't really care about their trysts. The author goes to great pains to set up a convoluted 'mystery' but none of it rings true. Over-complicated and clumsy, with too many 'players' for anyone to imagine it would roll out successfully.

Perhaps the most insulting is the confession "I'm sorry, I didn't realise she'd go this far." Which gets the reply, "And you tried to warn me, didn't you?" Basically, the ENTIRE cast of characters are people who don't act responsibly or in their own best interests.

This book misses its marks. It tries to be cutesy, but hits annoying. It tries to be clever, achieves inane. Two people murdered, but hey, the guy proposes at the end, and lots of people find their match, so no biggie, that's the messed up message. Sure, one was a dedicated professional, a quasi-PI, but the other was after all a blackmailer. The thieves got caught, eventually, although a decent solicitor would call it entrapment. Just because it wasn't done BY the police, there was no chain of command, no official okay, no review of methodology or safety (and look! someone was murdered!) so that ought to all be either thrown out or, more likely, the instigator, Ms. MC, should be charged with a whole lot of things. Obstruction, coercion, fraud (advertises a hotel, uses the 'control' to trap criminals?)

NFM, not this book, not others by the author.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this novel was my book club read for December and as it's a #2 in a series I of course had to read the first novel first. I'm actually really glad I did. I think I enjoyed this story more knowing the characters and having read them back to back a lot of the placement of things made more sense. There's a lot of hidden passages and rooms in the manor and they're laid out more clearly in the first novel so I felt like I had a better idea of the floor plan than some of my friends did.

Like the first book in the series this is also a bit slower of a mystery to develop. The pacing in these books is a little drug out. They could both have stood to be around a hundred pages shorter and wouldn't have lost anything from the story. This time around the manor is fully converted into a luxury hotel and Amelia is prepping for her first holiday season, one with a big name wedding set to take place. Of course when bodies start showing up it throws a big old monkey wrench in the festivities.

For the most part I enjoyed this story. I would have preferred Jack to not have been gone for half the story, but otherwise we got to spend time with all the best characters from the first novel. There's some questionable decision making in this story as Amelia and Gideon get sucked into trying to figure out exactly what's going on. Those two are definitely the instigators to everything. Still this was a fun read and I'd look for further books in the series. I like the environment of this little Scottish town and the cast of characters that are friends and work with Amelia.

[Tracey Nesbit Gascoigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this.... I adore Christimas, snow and murder mysteries so it ticked every box!

[Dawn Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. Loved the characters so much that I will have to buy the first book

[Sandra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story comes out October 19, 2022. The paperback is available October 5, 2022. This is a delightful one of the best cozy mystery, with Amelia Adams from the 1st book titled" The Murderous Affair at Stone Manor," when you find out how Ameila Adams with her bother Toby, and her best friend, Sally, Amelia also inherited the place from her godmother, other characters that have become like family. The dilapidated mansion is turn into a luxurious hotel. The second mystery of the Amelia Adams is called "Mistletoe and Murder." by Author Laura Stewart. This story is so great with family and friends like, or just family. New additional characters come inside this story. A wedding parties coming to the mansion now a fancy hotel. Then something happens, a call for Amelia, then a mysterious death. Then also couples like Sally, and her groom to be, Hamish. Amelia is with Jack Temple. They all are in Glencarlach that is voted one of Scotland prettiest villages. A lot of winter times fun. Toby is with actor Gideon Fey. They have a place together in the village. This is a wonderful cozy Christmas theme, exciting entertainment, & great greeting for reading this time of year. I was hooked with each page of this novel to the ending.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cosy whodunnit set in a remote Scottish hotel at Christmas time, what’s not to love.
This is the second in the Amelia Adams series, I haven’t read the first and although it refers back to it in parts it didn’t detract from the story, it just made me want to go and read the first book next!
Amelia is hosting her first Christmas wedding at the hotel and really wants everything to go well but as the guests arrive, a lot of whom are very wealthy or famous, there are a series of break-ins, intruders, murders and missing items. On top of all that the snow starts to fall bringing with it the possibility of being trapped.
I really enjoyed this story however there are a lot of a characters and I did find it confusing at first. It is also a slow-moving story with regards the murder and mysteries but it is written in a way where you got to know more about the characters and I was quite happy to just follow along with them. Although it is set at Christmas it is not overly festive so if Christmas isn’t your thing, then don’t let it put you off.
An interesting read with lots of twists and turns, perfect for wrapping up warm on those cold afternoons.

[Alli Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whodunnit set over the Christmas period. Amelia Adams has turned the Scottish mansion she inherited into a hotel. The holiday season is looking busy with the upcoming wedding of a self made millionaire and his young fiancé. But as a string of shocking events unfold, Amelia must turn her attention from merriment to murder.
This was a nice murder mystery with just the right amount of humour. It had the feel of Agatha Christie and Richard Osman. It is the second book in the series and, although I hadn’t read the first, it didn’t affect my enjoyment. I will be getting the first book now though!! I really liked the characters, particularly Amelia and her boyfriend Jack. A great seasonal murder mystery, not too heavy. Thank you Bloodhound Books for the ARC.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should cure me of reading Christmas murder mysteries for all time. Well...at least for this year? Oh my goodness, how to describe the characters and action in this over-the-top Christmas offering. I didn't read the first Amelia Adams book where she apparently inherits a Scottish mansion and decides to turn it into a luxury hotel. There are signs early on that Amelia is not going to let the police take care of things when she is available for investigating, arranging, following up and recording conversations that should serve to hang a guest or two. The number of incidents and characters involved in these incidents is astonishing considering these people have come to her Inn for a Christmas wedding. The characters are colorful, the action non-stop.

Kindle Unlimited

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in the series but my first and I found it very easy to read as a standalone.

I loved the setting of the Manor in a very snowy winter and the whole locked room type vibe. It felt very atmospheric.

This was a nice cozy read despite the murders that took place, and I enjoyed the links to international events and particularly Agatha Christie. The characters were well done, some easy to like and some just downright nasty. I was quite captivated and read it in a day. I'm already looking forward to hopefully a third book.

My thanks to Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of this and this is my honest review

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It felt a little slow to begin with, but built up pace as the story developed. The sense of community and friendships were lovely to read about and I enjoyed it being set at Christmas time, although there were a lot of characters to remember. The story is well thought-out and humourous, and I can tell that the author spend a lot of time working on how all the characters fitted together and the outcome of the story. The ending did feel a little far-fetched and complicated, but all lose ends were tied up very well.

I received an ARC copy from BloodHound Books for an honest review, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.

[Sarahlovesbooks76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of Laura Stewart's series following Amelia and her Scottish literary hotel. I think it would stand alone as a story without having read the first, but I did find it easy to drop straight into, already knowing a number of the characters.

Amelia is holding a wedding ceremony during the Christmas period at her hotel. The bride and groom have a number of requests to fulfill, and Amelia is battling the weather to manage them all. When one of the hotel guests is murdered, will the wedding go ahead and can Amelia solve the crime before her name and that of her hotel are ruined?

I enjoyed the story, a lot of interesting characters, and a fun cosy Christmas mystery.

[Rebecca Charlesworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was great to catch up with Amelia and the gang, Gideon is just such a character he always puts a smile on my face. Although this is the second book by the author around the same characters, it can be read as a stand-alone. Amelia has the mansion she was left up and running as a boutique hotel up in the Scottish highlands. Coming out of a busy holiday season and in to a Christmas wedding and the chance of snow fall that may cut the village off Amelia has her hands full, oh and add to the mix there are some shenanigans going on between the guests, a body, an air of mystery and Amelia is playing Miss Marple. For me cosy crime that’s lighthearted and easy to read.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and am grateful to Bloodhound books for sending me an advanced copy to read and review.
I felt at times that I had missed out by not reading the previous book in the series, but overall it was fine and as the story progresses I was drawn in and didn't worry about it.
Amelia is a likeable main character and the other characters all bring alot to the party.
This felt slightly longer than your standard murder mystery, and yet at no point did the story drag.
Will look out for more books by this author.

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this holiday mystery. This is a new author for me which I look forward to seeing more from in the future. This is a well written story that brings Christmas and suspense together in one hard to put down story. A fast paced story that is engaging and had me turning pages fast. The characters are relateable and brought life to the story. They had me guessing on who done it and coming back for more. I really enjoyed reading this book. I highly recomend this book.

[James A. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s Next - A Wedding or Murder

Stone Manor is always full of surprises. Rather than a quiet Christmas in her new Inn Lucy has booked her first wedding! As the rich and famous guests begin to arrive a mysterious stranger dies when she meets him in her Folly. Then the secrets start to build…how many people will die…will one of them be Lucy. Help yourself to a healthy helping of mystery British style in this exciting read.

[Jane Welchman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulously well written book for sitting by the fire with the twinkling Christmas lights in the corner with a hot chocolate in hand. I loved this book and so happy I got an advance copy to read and review. The ending could well have been written by Agatha Christie herself.
A truly excellent read of crimes and whodunit.

[Sian Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Amelia Adams Sequel is absolutely fab, set at Christmas Amelia is about to host Christmas and a wedding at Stone Manor Hotel but not every guest is who they say they are and soon strange happenings and bodies are arousing Amelias detective instincts

This book is funny, page turning and romantic all in one

I loved it 😍

[Josephine Bilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with the start of this novel. It has a large cast of characters and it was slow. I felt it would have helped if there had been been less. Being a cozy the author gets away with it being unrealistic.

The novel gets into its stride at roughly half way through. The pace picked up and it began to pull together.
I read this as an ARC from the publisher the review is my own opinion.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A second visit to Stone Manor Hotel in the remote Scottish highlands allows us to catch up with Amelia as she develops the hotel into a posh wedding venue. The celebrities start arriving as the season becomes festive but the first death occurs to alter the mood and bring big worries for Amelia.

A great, enjoyable read with plenty of going ons to keep the reader fully entertained. Festive, fun and exciting.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistletoe and murder by Laura Stewart.
Amelia Adams has turned the Scottish mansion she inherited into a luxurious hotel. The holiday season is looking busy with the upcoming wedding of a self-made millionaire to his young fiancée—and a wide assortment of guests.
This was a really good read with good characters. Hope there is more to come. 5*.

[LadySmoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one. Although you could definitely read this one as a stand alone, I'm glad I read The Murderous Affair at Stone Manor first. I got a feel for the characters that made them shine all the more brightly in this second installment because of it. A cozy festive read, perfect for the season.

[Hannah Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and highly entertaining! A wonderful winter read full of Christmas magic, murder and mayhem. And the setting—both Scotland and the hotel, wow! Loved the diversity of characters who were all cleverly written. Definitely read this if you’re looking for a riveting, enjoyable, and cozy Christmas mystery! I’m gonna read the book before this now, too!

[Anna Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable second novel which centres around an hotel in a remote Scottish town. Quite a slow burner that takes a time to really get going but worth reading. Thank you Bloodhound ARC Books for the opportunity to read and review.

[Jude Srivalsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Christmas murder mystery in a lovely setting. I had read the previous book which does help you with the characters but is not necessary to the enjoyment of the story. The characters were well developed with some likeable and some not so!
An easy read that you won’t want to put down.

[Rhian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amelia Adams is hosting her first wedding at Stone Manor. But heavy snow closes the roads, then ther is a mysteriou phone call from a man who dies before Amelia can speak to him. Not to mention the Secret Guest! A thoroughly enjoyable cosy read - perfect for Christmas Eve.

[Leila Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect Christmas read. Things constantly happening to keep you guessing with a couple of massive twists at the end. I've not read the first one but that didn't make any difference. Really good and would recommend it to anyone wanting a Christmas themed murder mystery.

[Debbie Batt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Great characters, great setting and I loved the story. I couldn't put it down, I was drawn into the book as if I was there . Good read for a cosy winter's night in. I will look forward to her next book.