I DNF'd this one at 40%
I don't think the writing was necessarily for me.

The concept is really good; but I felt all the mysteries were told very... bullet pointy? While the dialogue just didn't feel as natural as I felt it should be.
The pacing for what I'd read also just felt off/uncertain.

But I'm sure that this one will find it's audience in Christian Fiction.

This is a very fun collection. The stories are almost too short but will leave you delighted with the fun problems to solve in their bookshop settings.

The setting of a bookshop, mystery, Christian fiction, and a little romance are four elements beautifully blended together in these 4 novellas.

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

All four novella are cozy mysteries centered around a death in a bookstore.. Each had different locations and characters with a little romance mixed in. While I read a lot of Christian books and Christian fiction,in a couple of instances religion was injected into the story but but it seemed forced.. But I must add, it was refreshing not to read numerous four letter expletives or slang. The first novella was quite " amateurish" and lacked a good concealment of the entire plot. The other three stories seemed to have more realistic characters and might actually make a good full novel with a little more story. Overall they were quick reads and would make a good book to have when there isn't a lot of time to get enveloped into a story. I have never read any of these authors previously. I was provided a advanced reader copy of this book but was under no obligation to write review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read these novellas.

#1 Murder in the Mystery Section by Cynthia Hickey
This mystery was fun but had a high body count. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting that. I love that it featured a woman and her grandmother as the amateur sleuths.

#2 The Secret Passage Bookshop by Linda Baten Johnson
This mystery dealt with the tough topic of child trafficking. It was beautifully handled with grace and heartbreak. Well done, Mrs. Johnson!

#3 By Hook or by Book by Teresa Ives Lilly
This mystery was too cheesy and repetitive for my taste. I lost count of how many times the pirate theme was emphasized and how many times it was said things were “strategically” placed in the shop. Several characters also praised the shop, which of course cheapened the feel of the shop. I wasn’t impressed by the shop at all. The actual murder mystery was interesting, but it felt buried in false praise of the shop.

#4 The Missing Chapter by Marilyn Turk
This mystery was too repetitious for my taste. There were So Many introductions that were virtually the same. Even the author seemed annoyed by it as she had a character interrupt the final one with an “I already know who you are” moment. Also, it felt like the murder mystery, which was the most interesting thing, was buried among boring scenes—I found myself skimming a lot to get to the good bits.

These four short mysteries all followed a similar theme, which was nice. Each novella featured a strongly developed story with interesting characters. I do admit that the first one with an Alice in Wonderland theme was my favorite.

This book covers four newly-opened bookstores. Each of the owners find mysterious acts going on in their bookstore, and then death enters the picture. Will they be able to keep their stores opened by solving the mysterious happenings?
Thanks to the authors and Barbour Publishing for the advance copy of this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

I’m leaving a three-star review because I did not finish this book. The cover and title drew me in immediately! However, the first novella fell flat for me and did not leave me wanting to read the rest. It felt too unbelievable for me to enjoy- but maybe that quality is part of the charm for others! I thought the publisher’s mission statement included in the beginning was beautiful and I hope they are successful in it!

If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, you will want to take a virtual visit to the following fictional bookstore locations.

"Through the Looking Glass" in Hickory Hills by Cynthia Hickey.

This is a small-town mystery with long ago secrets. Some of the history is fictional as connected with the townspeople. But some is true to life. The bookstore owner is boycotted and has to stop the poor publicity. The romantic connection is not as anticipated. 4.5 stars

"The Secret Passage Bookshop" in Bailey, Wyoming by Linda Baten Johnson

This mystery was my favorite as the storyline was unexpected. The heroine fought for the underdog. The romance was mostly an afterthought, but I think that worked in this book. The Tetons are beautiful and work well as a fictional setting too. 5 stars

"By Hook or By Book" in Harbor Inn, Maine by Teresa Ives Lily.

This thematic bookstore was the most creative. I liked all of the costumes and thematic elements. Harbor Inn's history includes pirates, so I think it is great that the author connected the bookstore to real-life celebrations. The solution was unexpected. 5 stars

"Bayside Books and Reading Room" (and "Artistic Adventures") in Bayside, Florida by Marilyn Turk. The heroine in this book owned a craft store. I couldn't quite understand the feasibility of the stores, and the book store is more of an afterthought in the book. The suspense aspect started early, and one definitely wonders if the main male is not as innocent as he seems. 4 stars

The novellas are all connected by a common thread of being set in or around bookstores. Beyond that, none of the characters are connected. So you can read the books separately or all at once.

The novellas were good, but I did like some better than others. The mysteries were not obvious and the subtle romances were sweet

I enjoyed these short stories. The mysteries are interesting, & the characters are well developed. The only thing I didn’t like is the frequent injections of religion into the dialogue. If it isn’t relevant to the plot or story I don’t want to hear it. Then it’s just preaching. #SecretsBetweentheShelves #NetGalley

These four novellas, all set around bookstores, were super cute. I loved the quick pace and the fact that they were short easy reads. I love a cozy mystery vibe and these authors hit it out of the park.

Secrets Between the Shelves, Four Cozy Bookshop Mysteries
Murder in the Mystery Section by Cynthia Hickey, The Secret Passage by Linda Baten Johnson, By Hook or by Book by Teresa Ives Lilly and The Missing Chapter by Marilyn Turk
This is a collection of four clean, contemporary mysteries in bookshop settings with varying degrees of elements of Christian faith.
In the first story, Murder in the Mystery Section, Amber, the owner of the local bookshop, has purchased some rare books. One of the local residents, Mrs. Peabody, claims that the books were stolen from her and that Amber has purchased stolen property. She demands that Amber return the books to her. Unfortunately, Mrs. Peabody is murdered in Amber’s bookshop and Amber is their main suspect. Mrs. Peabody’s nephew, Brandt, comes to town and wants to ascertain what was so special about the books that someone would kill his aunt for them. He and Amber find themselves working together to solve the mystery. Are the books a treasure map? And if so, what is the treasure? Will Amber and Brandt’s blossoming relationship survive the revelation? This story is fast paced and easy to read with minimal faith elements.
The second selection, The Secret passage, Abbie bought a local building where she plans to open a bookshop and also works for a local rancher, Ben. He employs troubled youths in the hopes of helping them rehabilitating them. One day when Abbie is working in the building, she is attacked. Once she recovers, she and her friend Zach begin working on the renovations. She enters the shop one day and discovers the dead body of a young girl. In the process of renovations, they discover a secret door that leads to a secret room, apparently used for runaways to take shelter in. How did runaways know about the secret room? Is someone helping them? Will Zach and Abbie develop more than a friendship while renovating the building and solving mysteries? This story is easy to read and involves a strong element of faith.
In By Hook or by Book, the third story in the collection, Lily Carter has moved back home and opens a pirate themed bookstore in honor of local folklore. Someone tries to break into Lily’s bookstore and Dwayne Forgione, a policeman who loves to tell jokes, is sent to investigate. As the story progresses, there are two murders. One in front of the local thrift store, owned by Lily’s mother’s best friend Katie and the other in Lily’s shop. The list of suspects is plentiful. What was the murdered person looking for? Will Lily and Dwayne solve the mystery? Will they forge a lasting relationship? This story has a strong element of Christian faith and is an enjoyable who-dunit.
The final story of the collection is the longest of the four. Kelly moves to town and plans to open an art shop highlighting local artists. She meets Jeb, the owner of the local bookshop reading room, who has secrets. The locals suspect he had something to do with the disappearance of his wife. The rumor is that he killed her and set his large mansion on fire to cover up the crime. There is no proof he was involved and no body was ever found. He prefers to keep the truth private. When a local woman, Bunny, dies in his shop, the old rumors emerge. Kelly is determined to discover the truth and forms a friendship with Jeb. Was Bunny’s death a result of natural causes or was there foul play involved? Will Kelly and Jeb learn to trust each other and allow their friendship to grow? Will the mysteries of Jeb’s wife’s death and Bunny’s death be solved?
This was a fun story to read, not heavy or dark, very clean with an element of faith that was not pushy or preachey.
This is from the publisher’s website:
“Mysteries Leap Off the Page

Murder and mayhem haunt four newly-opened bookstores.

The mysteries enjoyed in books come to life, threatening four businesses. Amber’s new bookshop and tearoom draws rare book collectors, but when one ends up dead in the mystery section, the shop’s future is questionable. Lilly’s pirate themed bookshop fits right into Harbor Inn, Maine, but she never expected to find a young pirate dead on her shop’s floor. Abby opens Secret Passages Bookshop in a Wyoming mountain town, not realizing her historic building held a real secret passage and a missing teenager. Lauren moves to Florida and frequents the Seaside Books and Reading Room, where she is strangely attracted to the owner—who is suspected of killing his wife. Can the store owners and their patrons solve the mysteries before their businesses go under?”
All four of these stories are easy to read with varying degrees of Christian faith involved. All are clean with no objectionable language or inappropriate intimacy.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the Barbour publishing via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
(A word about ARC books. Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) are a preview copy and are not a finished product. They may differ from the final published work and may include additional editing. My reviews may include some things that vary from the final published book.)

'Secrets Between the Shelves' shares 4 cozy mystery novellas, all written by authors new to me. As is typical with collections of shorter stories, it is hard to dive into the puzzle or characters enough blow me away. The gentle reminder of God's sovereignty is a refreshing! I'm not used to getting that in mystery novels. I would be open to seeing what these authors can do with a full novel to explore the plot and characters more.

If you're looking for some quick cozy mysteries, then you should try this collection. Special thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is a collection of four cozy mysteries. Every story is different but every story starts with a murder at a bookshop and the mystery that follows after. The stories are short but not too short that the story and characters are just surface level.
I didn’t really enjoy the book as much as I had hoped. The stories were a bit underwhelming and at times predictable. It wasn’t really the thrill I was hoping for in a mystery novel. For me personally it took very long to get through the stories.
It was very cozy though and the faith references were really great throughout the stories. I liked the little reminders of faith even when they were going through very difficult or hard times.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was kind of a slow read. It wasn't my favorite and I got through it to finish it. This might not be my genre of writing or maybe for a different season.

I received a complimentary copy and this review is completely my own.
I enjoyed the stories and they were light-hearted and cozy mysteries.
They kept your attention and quick to read.

This book contains four charming mysteries to suit your fancy. A Murder in the Mystery Section was my favourite because it was the most light, fun, truly cozy and I just really enjoyed it. The cast of characters were quirky and likeable. I like how Amber's grandmother lets stress roll off her shoulders. Amber becomes the first suspect in this small town and a great many threats to her as well.
Short cozy stories are as follows:
A Murder in the Mystery Section by Cynthia Hickey
The Secret Passage Bookshop by Linda Baten Johnson
By Hook or by Book by Teresa Ives Lilly
The Missing Chapter by Marilyn Turk
I received this e-book for free from Bourbour Publishing via NetGalley, and the opinions I express are honest and my own. ☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎

This delightful novel brings the charm of bookshops to life—along with the unexpected dangers lurking among their shelves. Centered around four unique bookstores across different towns, the story intertwines mystery, suspense, and a love of literature, making it a perfect read for cozy mystery enthusiasts.

Amber’s bookshop and tearoom becomes the scene of a chilling crime when a rare book collector is found dead in the mystery section. Lilly’s pirate-themed bookstore in Harbor Inn, Maine, sets the stage for an unexpected tragedy when a young man dressed as a pirate turns up dead. In a Wyoming mountain town, Abby’s Secret Passages Bookshop lives up to its name when a hidden passageway reveals a missing teenager’s fate. Meanwhile, Kelly’s artistic shop in a coastal town witnesses a suspicious death that threatens her new business venture.

Each storyline offers its own unique setting, set of suspects, and amateur sleuths determined to uncover the truth before their livelihoods—and perhaps their lives—are at risk. The author skillfully blends intrigue with the cozy charm of bookshops, creating an engaging experience for readers who enjoy mysteries that feel both suspenseful and heartwarming.

With its mix of literary settings, compelling puzzles, and resourceful protagonists, this book is a must-read for fans of bookish mysteries. If you love stories where bookshops hide more than just good reads, this collection of mysteries will keep you turning the pages long into the night.

The four stories are a little underwhelming and forgettable as far as the plot goes, but the messages are great overall. Although this wasn’t the perfect book for me, the stories would be nice with a cup of tea on a rainy day.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

These were fun! Will I remember anything about them in a year? ... remains to be seen. More than anything, they felt like reading Nancy Drew mysteries, which isn't a bad thing, necessarily. Most of them gave the vibe that they were part of a bigger series (which I don't think they were?) which gave them all an element of "did I miss something?" as I was reading. But overall, quite fun, very cozy, and I enjoyed it! 3.5 stars from me!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**