3.75⭐️ This was a typical fluffy cozy mystery by Ellie Alexander. I found it entertaining but I find the plot thin on spots which is why I rated it the way I did how we it’s enjoyable enough to round up to 4⭐️.

It’s the type of formulaic mystery that is low stakes to read as you don’t have to think too hard and can just go along for the ride.

I listener to the audiobook and the narrator Ellen Quay does a good job with the material. Although I did need to speed things up to make it easier to listen to. It’s only 6 hours and 16 minutes long so with speeding up the playback it can easily be consumed in a few hours.


I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Dreamscape media through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

You know what I am appreciating more and more these days is a clean story. And this is certainly one of them.

This was a quaint mystery story. I now need to read the previous books in this series.

I recommend reading this light hearted mystery. Cheers!!

Annie is planning for Valentine's Day when it was suggested that her bookstore hold a matchmaking weekend. She agrees it's a good idea, until the next morning when she finds a man dead behind the store. George, an investor in the matchmaking business as well as many others in the area, appears to just have sat down and died. With plenty of suspects and the permission of the local authority, Annie begins investigating. But there are several viable candidates. And to pile it on, Annie has received an envelope with notes about her best friend Scarlett's murder that she can't seem to find time to review. Can Annie figure out who killed George so she can concentrate on Scarlett's case?

I have read 2 of the author's other series, but this is my first Secret Bookcase Mystery. Set in a bookstore, the mystery is engaging and the perpetrator is not obvious. All in all, a fun book for Valentine's Day.

I loved this book! Many cozies center around Christmas (which I enjoy) and it was fun to read about a mystery during a different time of year. This was my first book in the series and I will certainly read into the backlist. The perfect read for a cozy Valentine's night in.

This was a fun Valentine’s Day themed cozy mystery. Annie’s shop and friends are really charming and the storyline flowed. It combined matchmaking, psychics, small town benefactors and more.

This isn’t the first in the series, and I wish I had read them in order. There’s clearly an overarching storyline about her friend’s death, which I was missing and not explained fully. I think it would probably have been best enjoyed in order, so I’ll definitely go back to read earlier books in the series!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

What a combo a matchmaker and a mystery, who knew. This was a fun audiobook, great voices that really captured the characters.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC.

#AVictimforValentines #NetGalley

Quick Summary: A cozy mystery/thriller

My Review: A Victim for Valentine's written by Ellie Alexander and narrated by Ellen Quay is book #5 in A Secret Bookcase Mystery series.

About the Book: "In the cozy town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day plans take a sinister turn when a beloved pillar of the local community is found dead at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop."

In My Own Words: A beloved community member with an unclear past is murdered. Possible suspects are all around. All the while, a murder of old is not forgotten. How do the old and the new MDK-unalive situations tie together?

About the Narration: This novel was narrated by Ellen Quay. I have had the pleasure of listening to her before. She always does an excellent job of communicating the story, expressing character and plot movement, as well as emotion well.

My Final Say: This was my first time reading an installment from this series. I quite enjoyed it. Annie Murray is an interesting lead character. I loved that her backstory was tragic and helped to shape her path going forward. I also really liked that she had a good relationship with the lead detective. That was unexpected. The boyfriend situation was sweet. I thought that it was nice how they supported each other.

I do plan to go back and read this series from book #1.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heartfelt appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley. Thank you for providing an audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. It was a pleasure to review. I very much look forward to continuing with this cozy mystery series.

"A Victim At Valentine's (A Secret Bookcase Mystery #5)" by Ellie Alexander is set around Valentine's Day and the Secret Bookcase bookshop is partnering with a professional matchmaker to provide a romance themed weekend. A friend of Annie's helped to set it all up since he's helping finance the matchmaker's business. Things get off to a little rocky of a start when Annie's friend has a few odd encounters on the first night. He's then found dead on the back patio the next morning.

Annie, of course finds him, despite the crows, Jekyll and Hyde, trying to warn her off. Yes, we get the start of the Secret Bookcase shop murder of crows. I do wish the crows got to do a bit more in the book. Maybe get credited with tracking down the culprit once it was known it was them or more directly helping Annie when she is in danger.

As far as figuring out the culprit of the book specific mystery, I was waffling between who it turned out to be and some unknown person. However, what did throw me was the motive. I was totally all for the same motive Annie was thinking before the culprit told her their true motive. Shows I read too many cozy mysteries that I went there rather than a more likely reason.

With the carry over mystery for the series, I am glad it seems to be pretty much solved. Now it's just getting the proof while not getting hurt in the process for Annie. I am betting there will still be some plot twists with this part of the series though.

A murder mystery set in a bookstore I could immediately go visit. The setting and pacing of the book was phenomenal and the cast of characters were enjoyable. While I originally guessed the murderer the investigation threw in many other suspects that had me second guessing myself. The method to which the victim was murdered was shocking and had me gasping out loud. There were great twists and surprises throughout.

I love everything that Ellie Alexander writes, and this book is no exception. I love the journey of Annie, and I can't wait for the next book in the series. The narrator was great. Five stars is not enough!