This collection of short stories by some of the best cozy mystery writers is just in time for the upcoming holidays! Three novellas are included in this volume and each story features a mystery with a Yule Log as a centerpiece. Because these are short stories, they go by fast but set a great tone for the holiday season. Each author brings characters into their short stories from their popular series, but you don't necessarily have to be familiar with the characters to appreciate the writing. I was pleased to see the release of another compilation from this publisher as I have been quite fond of the previous holiday story collections released. Don't miss out on the newest collection - you will be pleased - so pull up your favorite blanket, cup of hot cocoa and let this book set the scene for this years holiday season!

I loved this book for a number of reasons. First of all, I like all three authors. They write the sorts of books that just make long weekends better. To have all three in one volumes is a treat. Secondly, I love the recipes. By the time you read one of these stories, you are really pretty hungry and definitely in the mood to try one (or all) of the recipes. Then, I think it's brilliant to have the stories be shorter than a book but longer than a short story. During the holidays, it can be hard to find enough time to get a whole book read in a short enough period of time to get to the ending before you forget the beginning. I don't like short stories because if they are good, you feel like they are over way too soon, and if they are bad, you feel shortchanged and like you've wasted your time. These stories are short enough that you can get them read quickly and long enough that you don't feel like something got left out to save time.

I love this book! It's the perfect Christmas cozy. The three novellas in this book make it very easy to fit into a busy holiday schedule. I loved the characters in all three stories. Grab this one now! You want be sorry! Thank you netgalley for the free arc. The review is my honest opjnion

This book includes a trio of novellas with traditional yule logs in the stories. Lucy Stone, Leslie Meier's amateur sleuth in small-town Maine, enjoys being an extra in a historical film. But when a death occurs, issues come up among her family and friends. She's left with important decisions as well as a tough case to crack.

Lee Hollis's story focuses on tough family relationship issues as well as a potentially murderous cake.

Barbara Ross serves up a creepy story with plenty of detailed baking as a traditional Buche de Noel takes shape. The question is -- will it be safe to eat?. Her surprising story lingered in my mind long after I finished reading it.

A few quick stories may be just what you need in the busy run-up to Christmas. Use the recipes in the book to bake yourself something delicious, pour a cup of tea, and enjoy a quick read.

I love these Christmas mystery compilation books by Kensington and this one was as wonderful as expected! There are 3 different stories, each set in snowy Maine. Each author’s story involves Yule logs in some way and by the end of the book I was definitely hungry for one.

The Lucy Stone story involves a visit from Lucy’s son and grandson and foreshadows some tension in the family.

The Lee Hollis mystery features Hayley Powell- her daughter returns home for Christmas with a man who Hayley believes may not be who he says he is.

Finally, the Barbara Ross mystery may be the coziest of all and it was my favorite. Julia Snowden checks in on her elderly neighbor during the holidays, gets lessons in how to make the perfect Yule log cake, and begins to suspect her neighbor is a murderer.

I wish they oublished these Christmas compilations every year!

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

This Christmas theme book was a pure joy! I have read every single book written by Leslie Meier and have watched the Stone family through many life stages.

While reading about Lucy's over-the-top hectic days, with many activities - and a murder to solve - I actually felt her exhaustion. A person can only handle so much, especially with the holiday stress. I felt we got to know a little bit more about Phyllis and her role in Tinkers Cove, and her big heart (along with her ample bosom).

This is a can't put down book and I also got introduced to two other author's, Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross that will be joining my must-read list!

Do yourself a favor, pick up this book for yourself and for a gift for a special gift. It's a triple treat!

100% pure holiday entertainment!

I thoroughly enjoyed this set of three cozy Christmas mysteries. Quick fast reads making me think about plans, gifts and foods for the upcoming holiday. They seemed to cool off this hot Texas fall.

I'm curious to see what's up with Lucy's son and daughter-in-law in Leslie Meier's story and was pleased to meet the new-to-me characters in the other two stories. I'll definitely be looking for books by Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.

Oh wow !! three cozy murder mysteries in one and all of my favourite authors with Christmas added to the mix .
Brilliant fun read I couldn't put it down . I would highly recommend this book and these authors.

I loved this book of 3 cozy stories from 3 different authors. I really love that they are set in Maine, because I live in Maine and the descriptions are so accurate.

All three cozies included food elements (YUM)!, Christmas and Maine, did I mention Maine?

Enjoy the season with these stories that will warm your heart.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Yule Log Murder. I truly enjoyed these short holiday mysteries by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross. It's nice to read some of your favorite authors and to be introduced to ones you have never read before.
I am a huge Lucy Stone fan and enjoyed the titled piece Yule Log Murder. Once again she was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but thankfully she figured out who was left with chocolate on their hands and solved the case.
Death by Yule Log and Logged were also very enjoyable and kept you guessing to the end. I never read Barbara Ross's books before, but now I am definitely going to seek them out.

This is actually a collection of three Christmas themed novellas, each Involving a Christmas dessert known as a Yule log.

I have read and enjoyed most, if not all of Leslie Meijer’s Lucy Stone series but this particular story just didn’t grab me. Lucy seems to be a little out of character in this one. Her overly negative attitude toward her son and especially her daughter in law seemed unlike her, although I suppose you could argue that it makes her more human. The story as a whole was ok, not up there with Meier’s best, but certainly worth reading.

The other two stories in this book both featured new to me characters. Since I had no preconceived notions about the characters, I enjoyed them both,

In general, if you like to read Christmas themed books, you will find much to enjoy in these stories. These are light hearted, cozy style mysteries, great for when you want to read something with a bit more substance than a short story, but not as time consuming as a full length novel.

So, this is a bit of a challenge for me to review as I had very different responses to the three books. I’m going to split the reviews up, and comment based on my most enjoyable read to least.

“Logged on” by Barbara Ross
5/5

I have made no secret of the fact that the Barbara Ross books are my favourite cozy series. I love following Julia Snowden and her family through their experiences of running a clambake business. In this book, Julia struggles with making a Bûche de Noël in order to impress her boyfriend’s family. She finally relents and asks her cranky neighbour, Mrs. St. Onge, for help but quickly becomes suspicious when she learns about all the family members who died quickly after eating her desserts!

This was a sweet, fun story. Most of the story revolved around Julia and her cooking lessons with her neighbour, which I loved! The murder mystery didn’t really show up till towards the end, but I would have loved to have an entire book devoted to this story. I also love reading about how Julia and her family live during the off-season (I am always fascinated by what it must be like to be a permanent resident in a high-tourist area — what happens when all the tourists leave? What are the stores and hangouts like that are popular only for locals?)

I loved how Busman’s Harbour (Julia’s town) started participating in new events to make the winter season less dreary, including having big light shows at the botanical gardens.

This was a quick visit with a great community of characters that I really enjoy. This truly felt like a cozy book — it was warm, fun, and made me so excited for the Christmas season.


“Death by Yule Log” by Lee Hollis
4.5/5

The Hayley Powell series is another cozy series that I always enjoy, and this story was no exception! Hayley has started to feel a bit of empty nest syndrome, as her son is unable to make it home for the holidays and her daughter has brought home a new boyfriend, Connor, that she just can’t bring herself to like. Plus, a local ruffian is found murdered after he gets into a fight with Connor at a party! Hayley must investigate the murder in order to clear her daughter’s boyfriend (even if she doesn’t like him that much!)

This book started off so sad! Hayley’s son wasn’t able to catch a flight home and now she has to deal with her daughter’s too-perfect boyfriend! Thankfully, Hayley was able to lift her spirits and try to enjoy the holidays as best as she could until the murder takes place. I liked how much this book focused on the murder mystery — Hayley was able to do a lot of investigating in a short amount of time — but I also loved her attempted investigation of her daughter’s boyfriend, which ends in hilarity. This was a light-hearted murder mystery that also had lots of laughs.

“Yule Log Murder” by Leslie Meyer

So, this is where I get stuck. I don’t like to write reviews of books that I do not enjoy, but I feel like I should, given that this is part of the set.

I’ve often wondered about whether I should start reading Leslie Meyer books, given that there are so many, but after reading this one I don’t think they are for me. I found the book to be so judgmental (the murder suspect who has five kids with five dads, the way Lucy looks down on how her son and daughter-in-law raise her grandson), I just really could not enjoy the book. I felt like the daughter-in-law character was almost purposely painted in such a deliberately awful light that I found myself wanting to skip to the end.

This series may be for someone else, but it just wasn’t for me.

This is one of the best, if not the best, long lived mystery series that I have ever read. Lucy and her family and friends manage to continue to grow and develop as the story continues. Each mystery is entertaining and well developed. When I read this series, it's almost as if I am visiting old friends.

I loved everything about this! It is always so amazing to read a book that has multiple authors and they are wonderful additions to the ongoing series!

There are 3 short stories, all based at Christmas with a mystery theme. All are based in Maine and involve food in some way. All the stories are easy to read and perfect for the festive season.

I usually read Leslie Meier's book, but it was nice to read a couple of short stories by other authors. I really enjoyed all three stories! I look forward to reading more by Lee and Barbara. The stories were all quick reads with interesting plots. I wanted to know how they ended. The plots moved along at a great pace and kept me interested and wanting more!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this set of cozy mysteries.

The first short novel is a Lucy Stone story. A movie is being made in Tinker's Cove and Lucy is an extra. One of the catering staff is murdered and the main cook is a suspect. Lucy and her friend Sue get talked into doing the catering for the movie staff, even though Lucy has a house full of guests (her son and his wife and son). When the murdered is discovered, he agrees to accompany Lucy to the police station and turn himself in. Not the usual ending for a murder mystery!

The second story also takes place in Maine, in Bar Harbor. Halley is a mother of two and a food writer for the local newspaper. She also makes and gifts Yule Logs for many people in town. A young man is murdered in the woods with a some of the yule log in his stomach and bludgeoned to death with an actual wooden yule log. Again, the murderer meekly turns himself in.

In the third story, Julia wants to learn to make a French Canadian Buche de Noel, and her mother's reclusive neighbour is willing to show her how. Julia gets concerned that the old lady's elder care assistant and her nephew have both gone missing. Is the old lady a killer, poisoning them with her cooking? This was my favourite book of the three stories, completely light and enjoyable.

These three stories all involve food and Christmas and take place in Maine. I enjoyed them.

I look forward to this collection each Christmas and this one didn't disappoint. These three authors make my holiday season.

This book is an absolute must read! Three fantastic cozy authors and a Christmas theme. Each story is clever and set the mood for the holidays with mystery and laughs. Grab a cup of cocoa, a fuzzy blanket and curl up by the fire with Yule Log Murder. You won’t be sorry.

Combining three great cozy mystery authors together for a holiday feast of murder and Christmas cheer is a great way to get into a suspenseful holiday mood. These short themed stories are sure to delight the fans of theae three authors as well as garner a slew of new cozy mystery buffs.