Another really enjoyable book from Ellie Alexander! I love the main character Annie, all of her friends, and the setting in Redwood Grove, Ca.

The action in this fifth book in the series is mostly at the bookstore as Annie is hosting a Valentine's Day weekend event run by a professional
matchmaker. Several new interesting characters are introduced and of course one of them dies after his death has been foretold by a crazy
psychic woman.

In the last book Annie and Fletcher had finalized their plans to take over the bookstore from Hal and also open a detective agency. We see the
romance between Annie and Liam progressing and new clues about the murder of her best friend 10 years ago. I love how the author has
introduced two "real life" crows into the plot who in a small way help solve the crime!

I highly recommend the entire "Secret Bookcase Mystery" series. The plots are interesting and have kept my attention all the way to the end of
each book.

I really love this series, the bookshop and the characters are so appealing. Reading this is like being in a cosy chair by a fire with a big mug of coffee and a pack of chocolate digestives. Cosy mystery escapism at its best.

This was everything I wanted and needed from a cozy mystery. The plot was solid, didn’t feel cheesy, and honestly had me guessing until the last few chapters. I feel like each suspect had solid reasoning to be the perp and all of them were definitely possible. This is a 5th book in the series but you absolutely do not need to read the others first; I didn’t and had no issues following the story! Big thanks for NetGalley for the early copy ◡̈

In the midst of hosting a match making event at the Secret Bookstore, Annie once again finds herself solving a murder. Lots of quirky side characters and several red herrings. I'm enjoying the progression of this series as each book focuses on a murder but continues as Annie tries to solve Scarlet's murder.

A Victim at Valentine's is the fifth book in the A Secret Bookcase mystery series, and it’s an absolute treat for cozy mystery fans. Set in the charming town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day takes a sinister twist when a beloved community member is found dead during a matchmaking event at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop.

The premise is irresistibly fun, with a bookshop-turned-detective-agency setting that feels both fresh and endearing. The romance between Annie and Liam adds a lovely layer to the story, though their Valentine’s Day plans are quickly overshadowed by the hunt for the killer.

This book works perfectly as a standalone, but after reading it, I’m eager to catch up on the rest of the series. The cozy vibes and twists, make this a mystery you won’t want to miss.

5/5 stars: This fourth entry in Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series, which is a Literary Cozy Mystery that takes place in California and features a bookseller and event organizer for an Agatha Christie-inspired mystery bookshop, who has a criminology degree and has started a PI agency, Novel Detectives. After finding a beloved pillar of the community dead, she assists the police in unraveling the mystery, quickly identifying a host of suspects and also uncovers new clues in two cold case murders. Suspecting that this new murder may be connected to the decade-old tragedy, she must solve the crime before she ends up on a hot date with a killer. With plenty of twists and turns, Alexander has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. I also really enjoy the unfolding of the overarching cold case murder investigation plot and seeing Annie moving forward in her life and career. Heartfelt and humorous, Alexander's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's great to catch up with Annie, her friends, her found family at the Secret Bookcase bookshop and the eclectic townsfolk of Redwood Grove. Annie's a great character and I really like seeing her relationship with Liam, a chef and bar owner, continue to grow. And then there's Annie's cat, Professor Plum, such a great name and so cute. Additionally, I adore the small town atmosphere and the Valentine's Day holiday vibes and events. Alexander touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, The Body in the Bookstore. Alexander's a favorite author; highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Delightful! This series is in close competition for my other favorite cozy series, The Bakeshop Mysteries, also written by Ellie Alexander.
The characters are well developed and likeable. The setting of Redwood grove comes alive and the food descriptions are wonderful. I was immediately engaged with the plot. Leading up to Valentine's day the secret bookshop hosts a matchmaking weekend during which a community member meets their death. The longer arc of the main character's best friend's mysterious death is woven seamlessly through the story.
The writing is good, the book remains upbeat. For cozy mystery lovers, highly recommended.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Absolutely LOVED this. Wanna go back & read the first 4 books in the series now because I really enjoyed how well this was written. One of the best cozy mysteries I’ve read in awhile.

This book will make your Valentine's Day 'deadly' perfect.

As we join up again with Annie et al, The Secret Bookcase is preparing for a matchmaking weekend, bringing a plethora of new characters into the mix that includes psychic Elspeth, matchmaker extraordinaire Aaliyah, and even a possible love interest for our beloved Fletcher. When a well-loved town benefactor is found dead, Annie is reminded that everyone has secrets. Along with college professor turned town detective Dr. Caldwell, best friend Pri, and love interest Liam, the gang works to find out just who the killer may be. All the while, Annie is still trying to puzzle together the mysterious death of her best friend Scarlet.

Filled to the brim with the hallmark cozy suspense of Ellie Alexander, this book will thrill new and old series readers' alike. The cast of main characters are more fully developed, giving further context to the motivations of the individuals who have become so familiar to me. The climax of the book had me tuning out the rest of the world so that I could finish it and find out more.

I should also mention that Redwood Grove needs to be a real place, because it would be at the top of my must-visit lists along with Leavenworth, Washington and Ashland, Oregon. The way that Ellie Alexander writes inspires the traveler inside all of us, with her true love of the locales she sets her books in and that ultimately makes the book all the better.

I, for one, look forward to the final instalment in this series with both excitement to find out answers and sadness that I will be closing the book on some of my favourite characters. Grab something red velvet or cinnamon-flavoured and enjoy this delight of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I have loved every single book in this series. I will be very sad to see it end. Hopefully, that won't be any time in the future though. I love that the cold case of Annie's friend Scarlett is in threaded meticulously throughout all of the books. You can feel her getting closer and closer to finally solving it. And closer to her to be able to finally put it behind her and fully move on. Not to forget her friend, but to just be able to go on and have an actual life of her own.

I wish this was a real bookstore, even with the murders, I would still hang out there. Everyone is so nice and supportive. Even the person in this story who you think is the bad guy ends up being so nice and having a special role later on. The mysteries are always good and getting just a few more clues to be able to put together Scarlett's story gets ever so closer to solving. You can just feel it.

Turning the bookstore into a bookstore/detective agency is just a brilliant idea. I hope maybe there will be a spinoff series on that? I would most definitely read that. Another brilliantly written book that leaves you feeling warmhearted. I love it. I happily recommend this book and all the others in the series.

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and to Ellie Alexander for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are my own and are completely honest.

I will be honest I completely based my want for this book on the adorable cover and the very clever title. I did not realize this was book 5 in a series and Ellie Alexander did such a fantastic job I didn’t even need to know what happened in the previous books, but of course, now I must go back and read them all.

This book has all the best vibes from small town murder mysteries from Agatha Christie, who we can only assume was goals for this book, Murder, She Wrote and my all-time favorite Midsomer Murders. There are a couple different murders that play into the story. A lot of trust issues and yet, a lot of trust among the tight-knit community.

Annie owns a little bookshop with her friend Fletcher, themed after Miss Christie, there is an ongoing murder they are trying to solve (assuming this case runs through the entire series) and then the one that suddenly happens while the bookshop is hosting a Valentines Weekend of match-making. Annie and Fletcher who are going to open a PI firm through the bookshop help the police solve this mystery.

This was such a fun, quick, whodunnit read. Although this book was short, Alexander did an excellent job of still making us fall in love with the characters, well almost all of them, and this is in book 5! I’m sure if you’ve read the series, you are completely invested in this tiny little community.

I love the simplicity of cozy mysteries, especially amidst the hectic days of life. Even better are holiday-themed cozy mysteries, which add an extra layer of charm. Ellie Alexander has a real talent for crafting engaging cozies, so I was excited to pick up A Victim at Valentines.
In this installment, The Secret Bookcase Bookshop is hosting a matchmaking event to celebrate Valentine’s Day. But, as expected in a cozy mystery, things don’t go quite as planned and somebody mysteriously ends up dead.

What I enjoy most about this series is its unique structure. Each book works as a standalone mystery while also contributing to a larger, ongoing storyline. Annie, the bookshop owner and aspiring private investigator, is steadily working to solve the mysterious death of her best friend Scarlett. Every book brings her one step closer to uncovering the truth.

If you love cozy mysteries, holiday-themed books, and clever stand-alone stories woven into a progressive series arc, A Victim at Valentines is a perfect pick for you!

I enjoy this series and Annie and her friends. Now the Secret Bookcase book shop is working with a matchmaking service to celebrate Valentine’s Day. All is going well until a ‘psychic’ predicts someone will die. Annie has also received a file with information about her friend’s long ago murder, but she’s too busy to look into it. Soon a death follows and threats continue, but Annie has the support of her friends.
This was a fun cozy mystery with an unexpected twist. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another great story in the A Secret Bookcase series! In this one, Annie has matched up with a local matchmaker to host an event at her bookstore to match up book lovers for Valentine's Day. Of course, a murder occurs, causing chaos to the event and the future love matches. I loved the progression of the characters' growth in the series and how each one is becoming fully fleshed out. Ellie always does a great job of creating rich settings with a fun murder mystery plot. Looking forward to many more in this series!

It's one of these books you want to give points for at least trying. So many good ideas, such a nice setup, and lots of great characters. But it's so crowded... There's too much going on right from the start in too many directions. Too many characters to keep track of. And Annie is a detective who doesn't really investigate... She finds the decisive clue by accident, and even with it, she gets it wrong... And the culprit falls in her lap, basically. Also, the romance side is way too cliché for me, sorry. I feel bad for not liking that one because clearly, there was potential, and the author has tried hard. But the plot is way too thin, even for a cozy.

A Victim at Valentine's is the 5th book in Ellie Alexander's A Secret Bookcase Mystery series and they continue to be riveting! Annie Murray is a part owner in the Secret Bookcase Bookstore along with Fletcher and their boss Hal. Annie and Fletcher are going to open a Private Investigation company as soon as Annie passes the PI test. It is almost Valentine's Day and the bookstore is hosting a Matchmaking event. It is a fun idea until a popular local ends up dead. There are only a few suspects and I guessed some of it, however I wasn't sure. Fletcher meets a lady and they hit it off but Annie doesn't like her. Annie's friend Scarlet's murder is a continuing storyline and progress is made. Annie's boyfriend Liam is a really nice character and we learn a little more about him. There is a lot going on and the book is hard to put down! I can't wait until the next book! #AVictimAtValentines #ASecretBookcaseMystery #StormPublishing #EllieAlexander

This book is the fifth in the series - I have read one of the previous books, and find they do work as standalone stories.

Annie finds herself hosting a Valentines love match event at the bookstore. When an important local is found dead, can Annie help police solve the crime and keep the event on track?

I liked the return of the running story of the death of Annie's friend Scarlet - this book gets Annie a lot closer to solving that mystery. The next book is the last in the series, so I am hopeful it will all be resolved then.

I also hope to see more of Fletcher and Victoria's relationship that blossomed so beautifully in this story, after a rocky start. I also liked seeing Annie and Liam's relationship get more of a solid foothold in this book.

A fun cosy mystery, a very quick read.

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of A Victim at Valentine’s by Ellie Alexander, the fifth book in a six-part series. While I haven’t read the earlier books, the author provided enough background and details to ensure I never felt lost. The story was engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, so much so that I now plan to read the entire series! My only critique was that the reveal of the murderer felt a bit anticlimactic, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. Ellie Alexander’s writing has definitely gained a new fan!

Another win for Ellie Alexander! Following the exploits of Annie and her friends in Redwood Grove is a pleasure. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, step into the Secret Bookcase and help Annie solve the mystery!