This probably a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” I’m kind of enjoying cozies less than I used to and this was never my favorite series by this prolific author. I just couldn’t get into it but to be fair I will give it three stars because I’m sure it is at least that good to lovers of this kind of book.

Wedding time for Violet Waverly and David Rainwater, which means it is time to find something old, new, borrowed, and blue. How about an old book, a new acquaintance, a borrowed book, and a lady with the blues and a questionable family tree? Speaking of trees, one thing to know about Violet‘s family bookstore, Charming Books, is that it has a birch tree in the middle of it that is very, very special. While is not magic, the tree or perhaps the essence of the tree has a magic about it. I also believe that Faulkner the store crow and Emerson the store cat are both smarter than the average cozy companions. Perhaps it is the tree, or maybe it is the spring from which Violet must gather water from each day to keep the tree alive. Books can appear as if you summoned them and often times they give hints to help figure out which way to go with a mystery. Ah yes, the mystery. What do you say to someone who believes so passionately that they are in fact a descendant of a famous author of days gone by? Believes to the point of obsession? Violet, like all cozy main characters, has a heart of gold and the tracking abilities of a bloodhound. How she makes time to solve a mystery surrounding a rare book, solve not one but two murders, make a small bit of peace with her traveling troubadour father, and get married is completely beyond me. Must be all the help she gets from her BFF Sadie, Mayor Grandma Daisy, Faulkner & Emerson (the cat who knows how to slip out in and of most places) and her new husband Police Chief Rainwater. All of the aforementioned characters have been expertly created with such unusual and original personalities that you feel like you know them or at least would want to get to know them.

With #CrimesandCovers Amanda Flower has penned, if you will pardon the pun, a charming book, with a bookish mystery with plenty of suspects to keep the reader turning the pages. Thank you to #NetGalley for providing a copy.
This is the first of the series that I've read and I'm sorry that it is the last of the series as well. Flower is a talented writer, and the book stands well on its own and commends to the new reader the books that preceded it. The characters are likable, the story fast-paced and fun, and the mystery fascinating, especially for lovers of all things bookish.

A fitting wrap up to the series. I’ve really enjoyed it… I’m a sucker for a sprinkling of magic, and any book about books is a winner in my mind! Charming Books is a place I’d definitely feel at home!

One of the things I appreciate is the level headed strength of Violet. Lately there are quite a few cozy series that seem to have a heroine whose personality can be summed up as: “I’m a big girl and don’t need a man to look out for me”… before pulling shenanigans that make no sense at all. Violet isn’t scared of much and certainly skirts the line, but she and David have had a better balance.

This book wasn’t my favorite of the series. I suspected the murderer early on, but somehow after working our way through the mystery it seemed off. And for being the last book, there were a couple things that felt rushed… it would have been nice to get a little more closure on a couple of characters/storylines. All in all though, one of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Amanda Flowers for this ARC. I’m a big fan of Amanda Flowers books, so this one was a treat for me to get an ARC. But this one was just okay for me.. I don’t feel as if the mystery in this one was as good as the other books I’ve read of hers… if I wasn’t such a big fan of her cozy mysteries, I would have stopped half way through. I didn’t like the side characters as much in this one and felt some of their storylines were just to put more words in to fill the book.
So this for me was a 3….sorry.

Unfortunately, my ARC is missing all the letters f, t, and h which makes it difficult to read. I’ve enjoyed the other books in this series, and I’m sure this one is just as good.

This was such a cute cozy read. The Christmas wedding, the magical bookstore, I really enjoyed this. I would love to go back and start the series from the beginning because I think I would enjoy it even more if I did so because I would feel more connected to the characters.

The mystery aspect had me intrigued and that it was about books made it all the more interesting.

I definitely want to read the rest of this series and maybe I will reread this book closer to Christmas so I can get the entire cozy effect!

⭐⭐

This one was just okay for me. I didn't realize it was the last book in the series. It held up well as a standalone, but if I had been waiting 5 books for this couple to get married and that was the wedding the author gave them, I would be big time annoyed.. It was like an afterthought. The same with the fact it was Christmas, and there was nothing festive about this book. I also found it predictable and figured out the "baddie" right from the start. Perhaps this was just one of those books that works better if you've read the prior books in the series. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was just okay.

Book 5 and the final book in the series.

I've read every book in this series and enjoyed them. But this one, let's just say the series went out with a whimper instead of a bang.

I found it to be super repetitive and strangely stilted. It also didn't help that my personal opinion of Thoreau is that he'd never have really survived in solitude, since everything was done for him by family members and he was really a weanie, haha.

The plot seemed to plod along, with way too much wedding minutia and not enough mystery. In fact, for once, I picked out the killer right away. And darn it, I'd have liked to have seen more of Emerson and Faulkner! I adore the cat and crow.

All in all, it was a disappointing end to a series I loved.

I have been intrigued with this series from the start, have looked forward to each book in the series and enjoyed every one. Violet and Rainwater's story has continued to evolve and they have been through much together as they get to know each other and solve various crimes. Amid their developing story are very unique, complex, and engrossing literature-themed mysteries!

Crimes and Covers revolves around a supposed first edition of Thoreau's Walden and a self-identified relation of the author himself. Violet finds herself in the midst of a murder when the women who tried to sell the first edition book to Violet is found dead by Violet and Rainwater on the way to their wedding reception. The essence of the bookshop continues to place copies of Walden in front of Violet, pulling her more and more into the solving of the murder as well as trying to determine if the woman claiming to be the book's owner and descendent of Thoreau is really who she says she is.

There are many potential suspects, however each one is eliminated in some way throughout the book. When the reveal occurs it is not who you are expecting to have committed the murder - a total surprise!

As in the other books, Violet is aided in solving the crime by Faulkner the crow and Emerson the omnipresent tuxedo cat. The many other residents of Cascade Springs who we've grown to love over the series are there supporting Violet not only in her crime-solving but as she prepares for her wedding: mayor Grandma Daisy, retro clothing shop owner and best friend Sadie, restaurant owner and high school friend Lacey and her husband Adrien, as well as Rainwater's sister Danielle, and many others. They are all are important to this well-developed and thoroughly engaging cozy mystery. There are several story strings woven together which only add to the 'real world' feel of the book.

This is a great book, as are the others in the series, and I will miss reading more of the adventures of Violet, Rainwater, and Grandma Daisy. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

Release Date: January 11, 2022

Violet and David are getting married! With all the chaos and stress that is associated with weddings, the last thing Violet needs is to find a dead body. But that’s indeed what happens and not only that it’s the body of a women who tried to sell her a first edition Walden book. Can Violet and David tie the knot or will the murder tie them in knots?

I really liked this book! I’m taking off one star because Violet keeps calling Savid by his first and last name and it irked me for some reason! I really enjoy @amandaflowerauthor books and this one was no exception, it was twisty to the very end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #bookreview #amandaflowers #crimesandcovers

This is the 5th and final book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series and it's quite enjoyable. I'm a longtime fan of the series and while I'm sad to see it end, the ending was just right. Violet and Rainwater are finally getting married and of course there's a body. There are plenty of twists and turns as Violet sifts through the clues. The book is charming and engaging and the setting is perfect. A magical bookshop, a magical tree, Faulkner the crow and Emerson the cat how can you go wrong?!

itle: Crimes and Covers
Author: Amanda Flower

Ch: 28 Plus Epilogue

Pg: 304

Series: A Magical Bookshop mystery book 5

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher: Crooked Lane books



Crimes and Covers by Amanda Flower is the fifth book in the A Magical Bookshop mystery series and it's the book I been waiting for since I started this series. Though I liked how the book ended I do hope it's not the end of the series and Violet's mystery solving. I loved this book and series because of the bookshop setting and the little bit of romance. I am one of those cozy readers who enjoys a bit of rom com with my mysteries. I look forward to the next book by Amanda Flower and hopefully the next book in the A Magical Bookshop Mystery series.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

One of the winning pieces of the entire Magical Bookshop series is the setting - beautiful Ithaca with a small-town vibe and the magical bookshop that always knows what you should read next. I adore our main little group of characters and often picture them in the bookshop even when not reading the books. This setting really leans into the "cozy" part of a cozy mystery for me, and I love that. This is a great holiday read with the Christmas wedding of our heroine, but the bookish references and lovely relationships work for a year-round read.

Princess Fuzzypants here; What could be better than a magical book store that knows the perfect book for you, even if you have no idea yourself. It has a beautiful tree growing in its middle that holds the essence of the store that has a couple of tricks up its branches. Guardians of the tree and the store are a crow named Faulkner and a cat named Emerson. Hooked yet?

I find I am more drawn into the series with each passing book. This time Daisy is getting married to Chief Rainwater who understands and accepts the gifts and responsibilities that Daisy has. As chaotic as things might be, they are about to get far more so. An older woman comes in and tries to sell a first edition, signed, copy of Thoreau’s Walden. She is a very strange bird and Daisy is highly skeptical and passes.

When the woman shows up at the wedding and then ends up dead in the Niagara River just before the reception, both Daisy and David know the honeymoon will have to wait. Complications continue when another woman shows up accusing Daisy of stealing HER book and claiming she is a direct relation to the famous author. Since there is no evidence to show there were any children, everyone is convinced the woman is mad. But mad or not, the valuable book is gone. Who stole the book and did it have any bearing on the death of the first woman?

It is quite a fascinating story with oodles of twists and fascinating characters. It is a strong story. I confess I had one of the “villains” pegged from the start but there were still lots of surprises before the story wound down. Five purrs and two paws up.

Fantastic series and such a charming read. The characters are amazing and I get invested in them more every time I read anew book by Ms. Flowers. Can't wait to see what's in store for these characters.

Violets big day is almost here. There is about to be the wedding of the season when violet is marrying david the chief. Her grandma and Sadie are wanting to make this a wedding you won't soon forget. They are absolutely right because a woman's body came floating downstream. This book had my attention in the first chapter. I always enjoy a good mystery and this was definitely brilliant. The characters are realistic. The clues were simple but fun to figure out. I really enjoyed this quirky old times read. I recommend this book.

Death Mars Nuptials…
The fifth in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series and Christmas is about to descend on the village, along with a long awaited wedding. When death mars the nuptials, Violet needs the help of the bookshop to get to the bottom of the tragic events. With a delightful and well crafted setting, a colourful cast of characters and a solid mystery at it’s heart, this is an enjoyable and entertaining read.

This is the first book I’ve read in the magical bookshop series. However, I enjoyed it enough that I will go back and read the first our books. I love the primary characters, even the nonhuman ones, and the delightful magic to the bookstore. There were lots of twists and turns that kept my interest. Between the Christmas season, a wedding, a magic bookshop, and a murder mystery, you will be sucked in and held captive until you have read the last word and closed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Wedding bells have come to Charming Books and Cascade Springs, New York. Unfortunately for Violet and David, a dead body is also invited.
This is the fifth and final book in the Magical Bookshop series. I will greatly miss Violet, Faulkner, Emerson, and Grandma Daisy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this book for review.