Feeling agitated, Hannah steps into her kayak for a short trip to relax. It turns out not to be a relaxing trip, when Hannah finds Moose, the dog of her friend Ezra, and soon after the body of Ezra.

Hannah has a good motive for her sleuthing: she wants to find out more about her friend and why someone wanted him dead.

I liked this story for the most part, except the last 8%. The ending was rushed. Is if the author had run out of ideas or time before her deadline.

Hannah, an extremely likable protagonist, has to weave people and motives from the past as well as the present to prove her friend’s death was in fact, a murder. With a healthy roster of people with motives, Hannah has her work cut out for her in this debut title. A promising start to the series.

How well do we ever know other people?

This is a promising start to a brand new series. I'm not quite sure it'd be accurate to say I immediately liked Hannah Solace, the main character, she's pretty intense, but I definitely found her intriguing. She's smart and does think things through....most of the time. What makes her tick? Why, aside from her sister, is she closed off from family? Her B&B seems to be struggling, so how is she able to just leave so often to pursue leads to the murder of 80-year old Ezra, who she considered a friend, even if he was always cranky and lived in an old house that seemed ready to crumple on his head just any time. What secrets was he hiding? This is the focus of the plot but, oh, my, so much more.

The mystery was complex, involving lots of possible culprits with motive. Ayla Rose did an excellent job introducing us to them, but also in weaving a bit of a mystery around who Hannah and sister Reggie were and where they came from. Each has had a rough time of it and are very different while still bonded together. We even learn that Ezra, the victim, had a far more complex, interesting life than "victim", too. I'm not going to detail the plot, see the blurb for that, but family dramas, intrigue, divisions, greed, secrets....oh, you get my drift. Danger? Of course, this is a cozy mystery. Grin. Lots going on, both related to murder and Hannah's Solace family and past. And, hey, you know I love books with dogs and this one has a sweet older dog, Moose, who belonged to the victim and is taken in by Hannah. You'll even learn a bit about plants and flowers as well as sustainable landscaping, so to speak, so have a note pad handy if you're looking for hints.

It was perhaps just me but I will note that I stopped reading at one point fairly early on to double check if I wasn't mistaken about the book being the first of the series. There were so many questions early on, mostly relating to Hannah and her return and relationship to others. That was both good and bad. It made me curious but, as noted, it also slowed me down as I couldn't quite figure out who was who and how they were all connected. I'm sure that will be less of an issue as the series goes along, of course, as first books in any series tend to be either info heavy or leave you scratching your head at times as the characters' actions and words don't quite make sense to you. By the end of the book I felt like I had a good handle on connections but, well, it did take awhile, which kept me at a four star rating rather than the five, which was actually rather tempting given the complex, well-fleshed out characters we got to know, albeit slowly. Also, a caution for cozy fans. This is what I'd dub a rather dark cozy with some rather grisly murder descriptions.

Bottom line, however, an excellent start that I'm looking forward to revisiting when the next book comes out. Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for introducing me to Hannah and her life in Vermont. I'm looking forward to delving into the complex lives and backgrounds of these characters, especially her old crush Noah and the still mysterious to me Ash. And, for the record, I didn't quite figure it out until the end even if all the clues were there. Let's just say, I got lost in the red herrings.

family-drama, suspense, Vermont, greed, inheritance, small-town, small-business, not-TTS-enabled, secrets, extortion, family-dynamics, family-business, family-history, first-in-series, new-series, murder, murder-investigation****

Interesting investigation and interpersonal interactions. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it had been TTS enabled. I tried!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.

This was captivating from the beginning, I thought Hannah and Reggie’s interactions with each other were the most engaging parts of this book. Since her sister’s timely intervention in her previous disastrous relationship, Hannah has morphed into a courageous lady with a knack for sleuthing. Now faced with the murder of her dear friend, on her property, Hannah’s sleuthing antennas were activated, and she refused to become another victim of someone else’s frame-up.

The start of a new series always excites me as a reader. Especially when it is written by an author I know and enjoy. MURDER ON DEVIL'S POND is the first book in Ayla Rose's Hummingbird Hollow B&B mystery series. (For those unfamiliar with Ayla Rose, you may know her as Wendy Tyson or Liv Andersson.) This first book lays a solid foundation for more to come at the Hummingbird Hollow Bed & Breakfast.

Protagonist Hannah has recently returned to her small Vermont hometown, lured home by the opportunity to renovate and operate the new B&B. She has dreams of converting large swaths of the land to be rich and colorful habitats for bees and other pollinators, and Hannah relies on the experience and expertise of her neighbor, Ezra, in her efforts. Ezra is cantankerous on the best of days, but he holds a special place in Hannah's heart. Their relationship makes his sudden and violent death all the more devastating for Hannah, and she soon finds herself embroiled in a contentious and acrimonious battle between Ezra's niece and nephews for a surprisingly large inheritance. As much as Hannah wants to stay out of it, she is inextricably linked to the life and death of her friend--and she might be harboring a murderer at the B&B.

Ayla Rosa paints a vivid scene of the Vermont mountains and the idyllic town of Jasper. She has also introduced a cast of characters ready for more complex revelations in future books of this series—one I'm looking forward to following and enjoying.

With an intriguing plot, plenty of town secrets, and greedy players fighting for an inheritance, MURDER ON DEVIL'S POND delivers a mystery that's sure to please and entertain readers.

A series debut! Hannah returns to Vermont with her sister to run a B&B. When a family friend is found dead on the property, Hannah sets out to clear her name. Lots of suspects to choose from. A good start to the series. Thanks #Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Murder on Devil's Pond was an interesting if slow-paced murder mystery. There were no real twists or turns in the plot as Hannah investigates the murder of her friend and neighbor Ezra. The usual suspects are family members who have been estranged for years and local real estate hounds who have been waiting for this old man to pass and free up a prime piece of land. I did enjoy the story and thought it was well-written overall.

Murder on Devil’s Pond

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder On Devil’s Pond is the first instalment in the Hummingbird Hollow B&B mystery series.

After Hannah Solace returns to Jasper, Vermont to run a B&B with her sister, Reggie, Hannah’s neighbour and friend, Ezra Grayson is found murdered on the Inn’s property. Hannah, along with help from her family and friends, must work to clear Hannah’s name and find out who the real killer is.
I am a big fan of small town cozy mysteries and this first instalment of Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery series did not disappoint. There is a colourful cast of characters, a potential love triangle and multiple small town secrets to be exposed. With several possible suspects, I was kept guessing until the very end. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

In the small town of Jasper Vermont Hannah Solace has moved back home to the place she grew up, She has come back as a part owner of Hummingbird Hollow Bed and Breakfast. She is now part owner with her sister Regina. They have now changed the name of the B & B. to The Jasper Inn. The B & B came Regina's way from a divorce settlement from her now ex Chad. Hannah has decided to redo the landscape at the B&B starting with the backyard. She has landscaper Ash to help her. Ezra Grayson is a family friend whose property boarders the B & B and he also had an adorable dog names Moose. Hannah is out walking at Devil's Pond when she ends up seeing Moose by himself which she finds very odd. Moose is a bit agitated and she take him home and ends up finding Ezra DEAD! Hannah calls the police detective Noah Booker comes to work on the case. Hannah takes Moose home with her as she doesn't;want hime to end up at the shelter, Ezra's nieces an. d nephews come and stay at the B & B along with Ezra's brother. They all think they are the heirs to Ezra's Estate. Hannah is determined to find out what happened to Ezra. Can she find out what happened to Ezra and who actually inherits the estate before another body appears, She also has to do this without annoying Noah and learn to work with Noah. As they start work together, be a bit reluctantly, Noah and Hannah
start become close. I'm looking forward to future books with this group of characters and seeing where Noah and Hannah's relationship goes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this new story.

This time, the driving force behind the story is an inheritance and long-ago family ties. Hannah is determined to find out who killed her friend Ezra. However, for this you have to dig deep into the past and the present, the only way to untangle the threads that seem to lead nowhere.
I loved Hannah's smart, clever character. I also found the mystery perfectly fine. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this interesting mystery.
The characterization, the writing style and the characteristics of the genre were all fine. I pushed Hannah until the end of the story and had a really pleasant reading experience.
Thanks to NetGalley for the novel!

This is such an amazing series! This author is wonderful and the book is very enjoyable. I can't wait for the next one!

So while it was a slow start to this book, I ended up falling in love!! Great read, and cannot wait for book 2!!!

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose
Who doesn’t love a good cozy mystery especially in the winter?!

Meet Hannah. A hard-working manager of a charming Victorian bed and breakfast in Vermont. Hannah has a vision for the house and grounds. When she finds her neighbour’s body on her property, her focus quickly shifts to sleuthing out what or who caused the death. Hannah’s list of suspects is long, but the police keep on circling back to her.

There are many interesting characters including 80-year-old Ezra, hard-as-nails Reggie, swoony Ash , and of course the dog Moose and Turnip the cat.

This is a little dark and there is a lot of family drama. If you’re looking for a light-hearted cozy mystery this might not be the one for you.

I’ll be back though to read more about Hannah and see what she can get done in her yard!

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for an opportunity to read this ARC

I enjoyed the journey this book goes through very much. It kept me engaged the entire way. The investigation is different than most mysteries. The characters & actions informative. I would like to see if Rebecca continues to come despite being fired. #MurderonDevil’sPond #NetGalley

4.5

This book sucked me in from the beginning. It kept me interested throughout and I absolutely adored the characters, including Moose. I really enjoyed following Hannah’s journey through her sleuthing and how she learns about herself too.

I cannot wait to see where Hannah and Moose adventure next!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

The mystery of this story was incredible. The author brought me into the world of Ezra and Hannah so quickly and did a wonderful job connecting me to the characters even before the first murder. And then afterwards as clues were revealed and Hannah fought for her friend, I found myself unable to put this story down. Each character was so different and so lifelike, and I truly found myself not knowing who did what and I was completely absorbed into the mystery with Hannah. The reason I docked a star was because I was not a fan of the swearing. One of the things I love about cozies is that they're usually light on sexual content and light on swearing, and it was disappointing to read a cozy where the author was dropping f-bombs by the end.

it took me a little while to get into this story. I liked how it started as some sort of mysterious real estate family drama, but it wasn't riveting enough to keep me hooked all the way. I think the issue with the uneven pace also contributed to this lackluster reading experience. I'm not on a good current reading streak, mystery-wise, but I'm still on the lookout for a five-star unputdownable mystery novel that will wow me.

I love cozy mystery books that are set at B&B's so this one really hit the spot for me! I can't wait to read more in the series. I have a feeling it'll be one of my favorites!