This is the story of Jade and the crazy things terrorizing Mermaid Bay. Jade is kind of a classic mystery heroine in that she sticks herself into the middle of all the business even though it is not her job at all, she gets herself into trouble by doing this and has a budding romance with the main male character.

This was a light, fun cozy with some great characters. I love Chloe.
Many thanks to Level Best Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story was good but some parts lacked enough details. There was several spots that details and was hard to follow. I lost interest and could not finish the book

Fast pace, quick read, cozy mystery with a pup. The murder mystery includes voodoo dolls, Christmas in July, and bones on the beach. Multiple possible suspects keep you guessing till the end. Plus a spark of romance.

As always, it is an easy thing to try a start to any cozy mystery series. The stage here is set, and the town and its members are discussed before one of them turns up dead. I have read very few where the issue was just burglary since that seems more probable, but given how many of these I read in any given year, I am not actually complaining.
In this story, the lead protagonist is the proprietor of a year-round Christmas store, and she is one of those cheerful people who bind the community together. She starts to investigate the initial murder because it threatens the small-town feel that goes with the community.
One of the reasons that I was not wowed by this book is because it seemed that the culprit was quite obvious, with several actual clues strewn our way.
That said, the few red herrings and the people associated with them were a surprise addition to the overall narrative.
The plot comes with a solid cast of characters, some who know each other from before and others who just meet or get to know the other better in this instalment.
There are a lot of stores, the community works well together (for the most part), and the romance is not overpowering. This lays out the groundwork to build up for the future. The writing was simple, and I think I will reserve judgement on how I feel about the series as a whole after I read the next.
Fans of this genre will appreciate the simplicity of the tone and the progress of the investigation within the book.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

I recently discovered Heather Weidner and was really intrigued to read this book, the first in the series. I might be a little biased as I live in Virginia, but I enjoyed this book and hope to see more in the series. Mermaid Bay is a small town with old school charm, for which many of its residents love. However, there's a group who want to bring in big box stores and McMansions. That's where the clash begins, but it mounts quickly into more. Jade Hicks owns a year-round Christmas shop called 'Tis the Season and she's worked hard to find a balance that earns her money while tourists aren't in town. When one of the town's old school residents is murdered, Jade feels it is her duty to find out why and in doing so put a stop to big city ideas. The cast of characters was mostly charming and it really felt like I was in Mermaid Bay with them as Jade visited/supported local businesses who were unfairly targeted/sabotaged. There's never a dull moment in this town...a suitcase of washed up bones, voo doo dolls, threatening letters and smashed windows...oh my!

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones by Heather Weidner

Nothing ruins a good walk on the beach like finding a mysterious suitcase full of damaged bones and a skull. The discovery rocks the peaceful community of Mermaid Bay, known for its historic beach cottages. The gruesome find is nothing like the usual summer ills of litterbugs and teens drinking under the pier for the idyllic seaside community, located a few miles from Virginia’s historic triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.

Ominous posters, followed by threatening notes and voodoo dolls, push the already-worried town’s business owners closer to the edge. Then, while trying to cope with the onslaught of threats to their community, prickly bookstore owner Emory Jessup turns up dead, strangled with a string of holiday lights. Christmas shoppe owner Jade Hicks has to connect the dots among all the strange occurrences before the summer tourist season is ruined and the spotlight of blame is focused on her store.

This was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series, and I would definitely pick up the second! I enjoyed the cast of characters and the beach town setting. The story is as much about the relationships of the town residents as the mystery, making it a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for a free copy of Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #NetGalley

Thank you @Netgalley for the digital copy of "Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones" by Heather Wiedner. This is a great first book to the new "Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries" series. At first, I was a little thrown off by everyone getting threats right away in the book, but it made sense the further in we got. I was also slightly surprised who did it. I honestly wasn't going quite that way with what I was thinking was going on. I do feel that there's something going on in this world around that path, but it may have to get worked out in a different book. Or, at least, hopefully it will.

I don't think that the recipes at the end of this book were necessarily needed. This wasn't a baking book so why do we need recipes. It can be a cozy mystery without them.

This book was a nice cozy mystery book that you would read on a rainy day. My only criticism is felt like I needed a more on what made the main character tick in the beginning. You get to know her throughout the book but I felt like she was too hollow in the beginning and it took me a while to like her.

small-business, small-town, Virginia, new-series, first-in-series, cozy-mystery, pet-dog, law-enforcement, threats, murder-investigation, murder, amateur-sleuth, recipes*****

Fine start to a brand-new cozy mystery series! Mermaid Bay is a tourist town in coastal Virginia and has a bunch of small shops with Christmas themes. The first sign of trouble is a suitcase found on the beach with a collection of bones in it. Then there are the threatening notes, voodoo dolls, and finally a murdered (unpleasant) bookseller. Jade does her part to help solve the crime even though no all of her efforts are appreciated by her good friend Sheriff Nick. This one was good sleuthing, and I am sure that the others in series will just keep getting better!

The quiet beachside community was thrown into disbelief by the murder of one of their own. Jade couldn’t help being curious about the strangeness happening in their community, so she put on her sleuthing cap and began searching for answers. She was a businesswoman with a penchant for investigating crimes. This cozy was an intriguing and entertaining one.

I enjoy my visits to Mermaid Bay. I like the characters and enjoy the dialog between Jade and Nick. The mystery seemed to drag on a bit longer than necessary, but I did still enjoy the book overall.

A fun cozy, beach read. A quaint seaside village , dependent on tourist dollars, is fighting people who want to develop the town with high-rise condos when a bag of bones is found on the beach and a series of intimidating messages and stores being vandalized threaten their Christmas in July celebration. Then a murder occurs. Jade Hicks, owner of the Christmas Shoppe, is determined to find out who is responsible. But if she isn't careful, she may get a deadly surprise for the holidays.

I enjoyed the characters and the realistic problems of any town dependent on tourist dollars and the ever present problem in beach town areas of development vs. keeping a smaller town feel. There were plenty of twists and turns in this mystery to keep you guessing until the end. Of course, I loved the furry friends and the touch of romance. A good read when you are looking for a light cozy or longing for a beach getaway.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Quick, easy, entertaining and a year-round Christmas shop. What's not to like about that?

A good cosy mystery that takes you one a ride, entertains you and as it isn't too long you can read it quickly and easily. I love a book like that. Great characters, a bit of fun and of course a good old bag of bones!

I enjoyed this one and recommend as a fun, easy reading book.

An entertaining and compelling cozy mystery I throughly enjoyed. Well plotted, likeable and fleshed out characters, a lovely setting.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
It's the first I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is a fast paced, fun, easy to read, perfect cozy mystery. What a lovely trip to Mermaid Bay where Jade owns a Christmas shop and the adorable Chloe. When the bookstore owner is found dead, the Christmas in July festivities could be ruined. With a murder to solve, the duo jumps in to look for clues, solve a murder and save the festival and her business.

I enjoyed this first in the series book. Lovely characters, fun to read and a great mystery. I can't wait for the next book.

A great beach read!

If you can’t go to the beach, let the beach come to you. Heather Weidner has created a perfect book escape with waves rolling in on a sandy shore in a charming village complete with a bookstore, coffee shop, hotdog stand, and Christmas store, not to mention lovable fur babies. It’s a cozy read for those lazy, sunny days by the water, or for the winter season in front of a fire, dreaming of the sea.

Jade, owner of Tis’ the Season gift shop, loves her cottage life and the business she inherited. The tight-knit community of Mermaid Bay has maintained its laid-back small town atmosphere while neighboring populations have been taken over by big business. It’s a peaceful life.

Then a bag of bones washes up on shore. Jade, along with fellow business owners, is bullied by threatening posters, notes, and voodoo dolls. Someone wants to shut them down. When one of the owners is murdered, Jade’s childhood friend and potential love interest, Sheriff Nick, is on the case, warning Jade not to get involved. Of course, Jade investigates the murder, putting herself in danger. I would have liked to see Jade and Nick’s relationship develop further, but hopefully that will progress in the next book in this series.

If you love a good cozy mystery, Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is a fun read that transports you to a sunny paradise, where friends have each other’s backs, pets roam through boutiques, and romance is in the air. And of course, justice is served. How could you not love that?

Beach small town cozy
Jade runs a holiday themed shop in a small coastal town, inherited from her gram. Factions in the town are divided for and against ‘progress.’
Ms.Weidow gives us a front seat to the interaction between the groups as an individual tries to gain control over some of the properties.
She pens an intriguing tale of the lengths a shady character might go to. It is engrossing.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC and recommend it highly

I am not new to Heather Weidner's writing so I will say this: I knew this was going to be a brilliant series debut. I enjoyed reading every bit of this book. There were plenty of red herrings, an interesting set of characters and side stories, a couple of furry babies - a dog and cats, and, not to forget, a dash of romance.

The story begins with just another routine day in Jade Hicks' life. She works at the store, attends a meeting with the town's business council member, fills online orders, etc. Then comes a change in her daily routine - a threat in the form of a voodoo doll. Although the person who received it doesn't believe their life is at stake, Jade is worried. Then, that person is found dead.

The victim's niece, Amy, inherits the bookstore and decides to make a few changes. Amy and Jade become friends and sleuthing partners. Jade learns from Amy that a local real estate agent is purposely trying to tone down Amy's dreams of expanding the bookstore (Amy has plans to host a couple of events, add more genres to the shelf and so on.)

As Jade and Amy try to dig deeper into the case, they learn not everyone is happy with the town's zoning decisions. Was this the reason why Emory was killed? But that doesn't make sense because her store is under zoning regulations.

There were too many red herrings, making it impossible for me to identify the killer. Speaking of killer, their identity was an unexpected surprise. I was led to believe (ahem, red herring!) that a particularly nasty somebody was the culprit.

The mystery kept me guessing till the end. I loved the characters and their side stories. Apart from Jade, the one other character that I liked the most is that of Amy. She's so energetic, enthusiastic, and full of ideas - I would love to see a cozy series featuring Amy as main character.

If you are looking for a new cozy series, love year-round Christmas shoppes and furry babies, and excellent storytelling, you might want to give Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones by Heather Weidner a try.

4.5/5