A set of cozy mysteries set in book stores. The romance and Christian aspects were woven into the stories, but weren’t too over the top. Cute, easy reads, nothing spectacular but held your attention. I think my favorite story was the one with the Secret Passages bookstore.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy, but the opinions are mine.

Secrets Between the Shelves is 4 short mysteries revolving around bookshops. I enjoyed the first mystery, Murder in the Mystery Section the most. The stories are short, of course, and heavily religious-oriented. The mysteries were quick reads and interesting, each with a different take on the bookshop angle.
Thanks to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Secrets Between the Shelves is an anthology of 4 cozy mysteries surrounding book stores. Each story was pretty light in regards to character development, story complexity and how detailed the mystery ended up being. These reads were fairly fast paced, but not for me. I found the lack of character development frustrating, wished that each story was longer and more flushed out. They had interesting premises, but there just wasn't the length each story needed to be fully rounded.

Really enjoyable collection of novellas!

I am pretty new to reading Mysteries that have Christian faith elements within them and honestly this collection made me want to read more. I thought the author's did a great job hooking and keeping my attention and I really loved that the stories were set in bookstores.

For someone like me this was a fantastic way to be introduced to four new authors and I look forward to reading more of their work in the future.

I'll definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you to the authors, Net Galley and Barbour Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Secrets Between the Shelves is a collection of 4 cozy mystery novellas. Each one is set in a bookstore. Each story has fun characters that are trying to solve the mysteries that occur. If you like cozy mysteries, you will enjoy this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review. #secretsbetweentheshelves #netgalley #barbourpublushing

For this book, I went in with your average mystery standards. It surely met the standards of mystery to me! With little snippets of who did it, it was fun to think through who did it!

But I did have a few qualms with this book. First off, the jump to who did it seemed too large. I didn't believe it. Then, there were a few comments made, such as fasting for the day because of eating a donut, that bothered me. Lastly, the use of Christianity seemed too cringey to me. I am all for a Christian mystery, but this one too much at times.

Overall, I wouldn't read this book again, but it could be exactly up others allies! Give it a try!

This is the best book with 4 short mysteries that I have read! I really just liked all of the stories. Of course, I work in a bookstore, so I like stories about bookstores, generally, but to me, this is a pleasant book. I rarely read these books with several short stories, but this one's title caught my attention. :)
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

"Secrets Between the Shelves" is another wonderful Barbour Novella collection! All four stories are well written novellas, just the perfect length to give good murder mysteries with a dose of Christian faith. I liked the bookstore setting in each novella, though the last one had a male love interest as the bookstore owner, rather than the main female character (she owns a small shop catering to local artists). I can't tell you which mystery was my favorite, just that they were all equally great and engaging to me as the reader.

These books all had unique stories set in bookstores, intriguing suspects, a dash of Christian faith elements and some wonderful male romantic interests to lighten up the stories. There were also good friends found for each of the main female characters in each story. They are all set in quaint small towns as well. None of the stories were gruesome and these definitely meet the "cozy mystery" definition.

I highly recommend this collection to readers of Christian Cozy mysteries ages 16+. They are all cleanly written with some having just a bit of kissing. There are murders and danger in each of the four stories but the murders are not descriptive. The stories are not connected in any way other than the bookstore settings in 4 separate towns across the U.S. so this book could be read in 4 parts spread apart if someone wasn't able to read the entire book at once.

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own. The book releases 2/1/25.

Secrets Between the Shelves by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly, and Marilyn Turk is a collection of four cozy mystery novellas. Each is unique but carry a common theme - the mysteries happen between the shelves of the bookstore. Amateur sleuths in each novella make the plot line interesting as clues begin to unravel. Fans of Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote and Agatha Christie mysteries will enjoy Secrets Between the Shelves.

Releases Feb 1st. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Secrets Between the Selves is a collection of four cozy mysteries all set in a bookshop of some theme. I really loved getting to know these characters, new ships and the authors themselves as these stories were a delight to read and a fun escape! These are Christen stories, so they are “safe and clean” but to tell you the truth, I didn’t really notice a major difference between these and non-Christen cozy mysteries, other then a bible verse or two. I am only mentioning this so that the religious label will not be a determination nor deterrent for some readers.

Murder in the Mystery Section:
As the title suggests, there is a murder in the bookstore of a women who has accused the bookstore owner of stealing one of her stories. There is a list of suspects, motives, and many bookish clues. This was a fun read and really brought me excitement to turn the pages. An enjoyable mystery

The Secret Passage:

A quirky main character, a unique opening chapter and an interesting plot line; this murder mystery was a ride with taking. I found the introduction to the characters like the beginning of a stage play and from there the nonstop verbal talking to be… well read it and find out! Fun characters.

By Hook or By Book:
Pirate themed books store. Do I really need to say more? Yes, okay, how about a murder mystery, a life book reading, a treasure hunt?! Really more?! Nope, you must read this to find out. I am not telling. LOL. Fun story, fun mystery, fun read!

The Missing Chapter:
Romance, vials, and murder. This is the story that was a bit outside the rest. It was colored outside the lines so to speak. It has a lovely romance mixed with the murder mystery and it was just framed and written differently. Still a great story.

Overall, this collection is a great one that introduced me to four new to me authors and some fun new cozy mystery worlds. I would check out a few of these series to continue and would recommend any cozy mystery lover who is looking for a new series to check these out. I liked the different takes on mysteries!

Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC, and I am leaving an honest review.

All four stories were cute and enjoyable. I loved the unique bookshop settings and appreciated that the romance part of the story wasn't crazy and forced.

Secrets Between the Shelves is a compilation of four stories that involve bookstores. Each story is unique and has a mystery that needs to be solved. The writers bring their own style to their story and they could be read in any order. The characters are very realistic and have their own issues beyond being sleuths. Each story shows Christian characteristics along with short comings which makes them seem like someone we may know.
I enjoyed each one of the stories.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Secrets Between the Shelves, a collection of four faith based mystery stories that take place in
a bookshop. While all four stories take place in small towns, the stories are very different from one another. This was my first time to read anything from these authors, but I can say that it won't be my last.

Secrets Between the Shelves is a delightful collection of cozy mystery/romance books perfect for a weekend read. These short stories are clean and engaging and give the perfect puzzle solving solution for the mystery loving brain. Since they are short stories you will easily be able to finish one in a nights read. I give this book 5 stars for easy ready and coziness. I received a complimentary reviewers copy of this book.

A wonderful series of mysteries in book shops. Quite inspiring and enjoyable reading. Each having their own details about family and community life.

Let there be books and bookstores. This is a nice and entertaining box set. Four different authors to discover. I truly enjoyed reading these stories. They are quite entertaining with likeable characters. I wouldn't mind reading more about them (new series ?). A recommendation.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Barbour Publishing and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Secrets between shelves is a collection of four bookshop Christian mysteries stories that have similar elements but are totally different from each other.
Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for this ARC.
I would like to say I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I was excited to read this one since it was my first Christian book ARC ever and I'm happy it didn't let me down. I'm gonna leave here my opinion on each book individually because I can't just review them all together when they are so different and unique in their own way.

<b>Murder in the mystery section</b>

We follow Amber, a young woman who has just opened a bookstore and dreams of it being a success. Everything turns upside down when she hears an accusation from a customer who claimed that she was selling a book stolen from herself. Amber had bought the book online and little did she know that it contained great secrets.
One day, Amber is in the back of her store and she hears people talking and then a scream, when she goes there to see what happened, she found the body of the woman who accused her of stealing.

After the murder event, we met Brandt, the woman's nephew, who wants to help solve the mystery since he is a suspect.

There is a lot of things we learn about this “stolen” book that we found out later and it is an important part of the mystery around Mrs Peabody's murder.

The murder was pretty obvious, so I even thought it would be someone else, but it was fine. The romance had a cute development but it didn't have a decent ending, I thought it was too rushed.

<spoiler>In the epilogue, Amber mentions that it had been days since she had seen Brandt until he showed up, asked to talk to her, didn't explain why she disappeared, and asked them to try a relationship. Why say he disappeared if he wouldn't explain where he was in the first place? Do an epilogue saying that they decided to meet and show it. </spoiler>

Comparing to the other books, maybe this one was my favorite and the romance was the most well developed as well. I believe that's due to the fact that they spend a lot of time together throughout the book.

<b>The secret passage book</b>

In the second story, we begin the book with our main character in the hospital because she was hit on the head when she was visiting her soon to be new bookstore. We met most of the characters in this scene and we can already see her dynamic with them.

The mystery in this book were quite surprising, way different than I thought it would be <spoiler>Child trafficking? that's pretty crazy</spoiler> but the reveal was too predictable <spoiler>of course the responsible for everything was the only annoying character</spoiler>
The romance was also something that didn't please me. It had no development and it seemed a little rushed at the end. I know both characters were friends and had a great relationship but we need to see a little development before we can root for them.
It wasn't a bad book, but it was my least favorite.

<b>By hook or by book</b>

In the third story, we follow Lily, who also have a new bookstore in town.

This story made me interested in the book again and I read this story faster than the previous one.

Lily has a pirate themed bookstore and wants to attract more clients. She has the idea of hiring a young boy to read stories while dressed in a pirate costume. Her store was almost invaded and a few days after, she finds a dead body. Apparently there was something inside a box of books she purchased online and people were trying to steal it.

The romance here was better. I found myself rooting for Lily and Dwayne, and his attempts to make jokes or ask her out in the worst timing ever was very funny to read. The mystery wasn't that hard to solve but it was enjoyable. It was a pleasant reading.

<b>The missing chapter</b>

In this last story, we follow Kelly, who just moved in town and is opening an artistic store (different from the previous ones who all owned bookstores). The bookstore in this story is the main character's love interest store, where the murder takes place.

The victim was a old high school rival and we can know much about her because she dies as soon as she sees Kelly. That was the strangest mystery compared to the others and it was nice to read about the resolution of this story.

I liked the romance too. I felt it was well developed and it was cute to read it.

The murder was a surprise for me, to be honest <spoiler>I thought the young girl was guilty by herself not because the hair salon lady asked her. I forgot about her existence throughout the book and only remembered her when Kelly wanted to have an appointment</spoiler>

I only wish it had a better ending. Her saying “I'm ready to dry my hair” wasn't exactly what I expected to be her answer to Jep.

<b>Conclusion</b>

It was a heart-warming book most of the time and seeing characters and their relationship with God was so nice to read. Especially when they prayed in moments they were feeling lost. I don't remember seeing Kelly doing this a lot but I remember reading a lot of prayers throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.

I enjoyed these short stories. I haven't read any of the authors before, but would be willing to find more from them. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets Between the Shelves features bookstores and mystery-a great combination for booklovers. I enjoyed each mystery and appreciate that there are four different writing styles by four authors. That's one thing I like about anthologies, there is a story for every reader. If you like cozy mysteries check out this collection. I received a free copy with no obligation to write a good review. Opinions are my own.

A delightful collection of cozy type mysteries, each one by a different author, and with a charm of their own. Set in small towns across the US, all of them included a murder mystery that happens in a bookstore.

I enjoyed all of them and liked how the heroines became amateur sleuths, sometimes clearing the name of a friend, and sorting through many clues to figure out 'who-done-it'. The settings were all interesting, with coastal towns and mountains, and a variety of unique villagers. Some humor in a few and a hint of romance in each made them fun to read. A few had more faith elements included, and deeper themes, but mainly they were good, clean stories.
Recommend to readers who enjoy a lighter mystery with a bit of romantic interest. 4.5 stars