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!

A good first book in the series. I liked the realistic tone and interactions between characters. In cozy mysteries, the MC often crosses a lot of boundaries to get information. I like how the other characters call out Hannah for her intrusive actions; I wish this would happen more in cozy mysteries. I was caught off guard by the language. It is rare to find vulgarity, especially f-bombs, in these stories. I look forward to the next book.

This was a great start to a new cozy mystery series. Hannah and her sister Reggie are trying to get their Inn up and running in a profit, all while Hannah is also trying to preserve the wildlife and habitats of nature. Her friendship with an older, cranky man, Ezra, is the center of the mystery when he is found dead near the Inn. When the police start to ask Hannah questions as if she is a suspect, she begins to do some sleuthing and find justice for her friend. But, what she uncovers may just make her rethink how wells she knew Ezra!
Lots of twists and lots of motives, and the list of suspects seems to be piling up.
Love the characters, and looking forward to more in the series to watch the relationships among them develop.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The death of her friend spurs Hannah to investigate why someone would want to kill him. The more she learned about his prior actions, the more she understood the man he became, and she is more than determined to find his murderer. I like how the author staged this whodunit with a solid mystery and the backstory of the characters who had pivotal roles in this intriguing and suspenseful tale. From his relatives to passing friends and to people who he did business with, anyone could have murdered him, but it was what Hannah uncovered and the follow-through that would eventually lead to the apprehension of the person responsible. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to more adventures with Hannah and her friends.

It's billed and marketed as a cozy mystery. Cute cover, B&B setting, sister relationship. The crime happens and then the mystery gets going for good--at such a pace that I was flipping pages quite quickly. However, the language kept getting worse and worse until there were four letter bombs several times near the ending, and the profanity never lets up. (Even the preacher lady, who "hates cursing," takes pleasure in bandying about the more minor cuss of "hell.")

As far as crime solving, the procedural part from Hannah is pretty decent, but more than once the police pop out with a convenient fact that there's no way they could have known. For example, a man is put through a chipper and pulverized, but he's positively identified in less than 24 hours. No way can a small town police force get a DNA result that fast. Also the police repeatedly blab confidential case knowledge to several other characters.

Overall, it would have been a fairly solid story if I'd been expecting a hard-boiled mystery. As it was, the over the top language and the gory turn the murders took was not what I expected as a cozy mystery reader and I won't be continuing this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

This was a great start to a cozy mystery novel,it had everything that I was hoping for from the description. The characters worked well with this universe and had a strong overall feel to them. I enjoyed how everything worked in this universe and I got to find out what was going on. It uses the murder mystery perfectly and I thought the characters were great from the start. It left me wanting to read more in this series and from the author

This was a wonderful start to a new series. I really like Hannah, her B & B, the small town Vermont setting, and what she is trying to do with her property. Hannah had returned to her hometown to run the B & B she co-owns with her sister, after her old life crumbled around her. She has been working hard to refurbish the Inn, but more importantly, the gardens and property around it, creating a healthy ecosystem for bees, butterflies and birds, and growing the produce she uses at the Inn. She is also trying to find peace and joy in her life again. She has befriended a cantankerous old man who was a botanist, he helps her with her gardens and gives her advice on how to proceed while she brings him food and tries to elevate his situation, as his home is falling down around him and he just doesn't seem to care. When her friend is found murdered on her property, and she learns what he had planned for the future, she becomes a suspect in his murder. This information opens a whole world of history that Hannah starts peeling away layer by layer to try and find out what happened to her friend and why his plans for the future were what they were. This history forces her to look at all kinds of people in the town, including her parents, their friends, and relatives of Ezra. How did what happened in the past get them to this current situation? This mystery is a little deeper them most cozies, the characters are real with flaws and strengths, the motives are many and life altering and the atmosphere is so real you can hear the bees buzzing and smell the flowers. I can't wait to read more.

Hannah returns to Jasper VT to help her sister run a bed & breakfast. Throughout the story you learn more about the town, Hannah's past, and try to solve "who did it" to the "millionaire next door". Ezra (the deceased, led a quiet, unassuming life. He & Hannah become friends, and Ezra has "something important to tell Hannah", until he is found dead on her property. His money hungry family was already in the area, and the plot thickens. A new series, one that I feel will develop into more. I look forward to reading the next installment!
Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Rose, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

What a great cozy mystery. Hannah Solace, owner of the Hummingbird Hollow bed and breakfast in picturesque Jasper, Vermont, is hard at work beautifying the inn's grounds with indigenous plants to attract pollinators, and hopefully, guests. She's also enjoying getting advice on what best to plant from neighbor and friend, Ezra Grayson. Ezra is the town curmudgeon who lives like a hermit in his ramshackle old house near the b and b that plenty of people, including his niece and nephews, want him to sell. Ezra, however, has no such plans and let's that fact be known to one and all who will listen. Being a good cozy mystery, before long there is, of course, a murder to solve and Hannah takes it upon herself to investigate to find out the identity of the killer and their motive for killing. The characters in this delightfully well told tale are all believable and well written and you really get to know quite a bit about them throughout the story. There are several possible suspects and a really interesting look into the past to find motives that will keep you guessing who the killer is until the very end of the book. I totally recommend this book and am looking forward to more books in this series!
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Solace has returned to her hometown to renovate an inn she owns with her sister – and to build a new life for herself. It’s been a struggle – the inn is losing money – and it becomes even worse when she finds the murdered body of one of her friends on her property and most of the suspects are staying at her inn. Hannah wants to find out what happened to her friend but soon discovers that she will uncover secrets from the past – some that will involve her family. Is she ready to deal with the truth?

“Murder on Devil's Pond” is the very nicely done first book in Ayla Rose’s Hummingbird Hollow B&B cozy mystery series. There is a lot to like about this book starting with the setting –not only the B & B, but the property it is on and other property including the house belonging to the murder victim. Also well done are the characters, starting with Hannah, her sister, her niece, the murder victim, his dog, and so many more. The mystery is very well done and serves as a way for readers to get to know the characters better and for Hannah herself to learn about the past – there are many secrets unraveled including some very sad ones. The mystery is well plotted – I did figure out some plot points but not others – with plenty of suspects and a few surprises along the way. All in all, well done, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose is the first book in Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery series.

This is supposed to be a cozy mystery but for me it was more 'realistic' than majority of other of the same genre. The murder itself was grislier, the dialogues and the character were more relatable. I didn't mind at all.
The story was well presented, the mystery clearly explained.
However, I found characters slightly remote and undeveloped. I simply didn't warm up to them although they showed a lot of possibility.

This could be a good choice for those who liked both cozies and thrillers.

After a troubling event in her past, Hannah Solace returns to her hometown of Jasper, VT, to run her older sister's inn. When her friend and the town's curmudgeon, Ezra, is found murdered by Devil's Pond, Hannah feels compelled to find his killer. During her investigation, she uncovers decades-old secrets, blackmail, greed, and familial strife among the town's residents. She must also confront her own personal demons, both of the past and the present.

This mystery was well-constructed with a good plot and believable characters. I also enjoyed the novel's sense of place, painting a lovely picture of Vermont's great outdoors in the late summer. The MC Hannah seems to be a caring, if guarded, protagonist, as demonstrated in her relationships with Ezra, his dog, Moose, and her niece, Peach. Her relationships with her father, sister, and her late-mother's friend are complex, and will likely be explored in future novels as part of Hannah's emotional growth and healing.

Thank you, NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and author Ayla Rose for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

As far as mysteries go, Murder on Devil’s Pond is top-notch. The characters and story kept me intrigued and interested the entire time.

Hannah Solace has moved home to Jasper, Vermont to run a B&B she co-owns with her sister Reggie after Reggie’s divorce settlement. There are many skeletons in Hannah’s closet regarding her family and troubled childhood as well as the disturbing incident that resulted in her return home.

Hannah easily befriends her crotchety old neighbor, Ezra Grayson. Ezra is a recluse who keeps away from the rest of the town’s residents. When Ezra contacts Hannah indicating he has something important to discuss with her and will arrive at the Inn shortly, Hannah is bewildered. She had just seen Ezra at his house earlier in the day. But the biggest surprise comes when Hannah finds Ezra dead on her property a few hours later.

As the mystery unfolds the suspect list grows and secrets long ago buried emerge.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first book (of many, I hope) in this series.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and Ayla Rose for the opportunity to read this DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Solace has returned to her hometown to run the inn she shares with her sister. When
Ezra Grayson, a recluse she has befriended, is found murdered, Hannah is on the list of suspects
due to the will. As she looks into Ezra's background, there are so many unanswered questions, some
involving her parents. Are Ezra's niece and nephews who are staying at the inn involved? Or are
parties who are interested in developing Ezra's property behind his death?
#MurderonDevilsPond #NetGalley

Loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the start and kept me entertained throughout. I’ll be looking forward to the next one!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of MURDER ON DEVIL’S POND (Book 1 of the Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery series) by Ayla Rose in exchange for an honest review. Hannah Solace runs an inn she owns with her sister Reggie. Part of Hannah’s strategy is to focus on gardens and fields of native flowers. As Hannah struggles with a tight budget, sisterly resistance, lackadaisical and unreliable workers, and town drama, it sometimes seems like Hannah’s only ally is the local curmudgeon, octogenarian Ezra Grayson. After one of her visits with Ezra, Hannah goes home troubled by their conversation rather than comforted by his company. Once home, Reggie further stresses out Hannah, so Hannah takes refuge in the wilds of the inn’s property. Hannah’s day doesn’t improve because she discovers Ezra’s body while seeking her peace. Despite the unpleasantness inflicted on Ezra by his greedy family and disgruntled neighbors, Hannah finds herself a prime suspect in her friend’s murder. Hannah feels she must find the killer or else neither she nor Ezra will find peace.

I liked this book and thought it was a pretty good start to a series. At one time or another, everyone feels like the world is actively working against them, so I think most people will identify with Hannah. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, inns, small towns, town drama, family drama, financial struggles, future plans, loss, death, and grief.

#MurderonDevilsPond #NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. I do love me a good whodunit and this had my attention more than I thought it would. There were a few moments where I felt like I needed to skim because it was boring, but overall I kept thinking about this book and who could've murdered Ezra? I believe I noticed about eight spelling/grammar mistakes that will need to be edited before publication (especially when mixing up names like Hannah's and another female character, which happened approximately 3/4 of the way through the book). I was still a little confused after all the reveals and twists, which were chosen not to be explained. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something I'm going to need to think about to try to come to my own conclusions. I really liked Hannah's character and I liked while there was a hint of romance towards the end, it wasnt a big focus. And honestly, it came out of the blue like it was a Disney movie. There were two characters near the end that didn't really appear in 99% of the book until it was needed at the end for plot twists. In real life, this happens I suppose so I can't be too annoyed by it. Overall, this book kept me hooked and intrigued, though it was a tad boring to get through (but still worth the read) and some of the twists had me a smidge annoyed. I will be checking out future books from this author!

The author has done a wonderful job of keeping the reading interested in the storyline.

In Murder on Devil's Pond the characters were well-developed, and the twists and turns made this a great cozy mystery.

A must read!