Book Review: Pulp Friction by Julie Ann Lindsey

Thanks to Winnie's new cider shop, Smythe Orchards is out of the red and folks can get their fix of the produce and other delectable products they love all year round. The locals are even booking the shop for events, including a June wedding! Winnie couldn’t be happier to see the barn filled to the rafters for the big bash—until her doting ex, Hank, is caught in a heated argument with the groom. Winnie plans to scold Hank after the party, but spots him running off instead. And when the groom turns up dead, apparently hit by the honeymoon getaway car, Hank is the main suspect. Now Hank is on the lam, and it’s up to Winnie to get to the core of the truth—before the real killer puts the squeeze on her . . .[summary via Amazon]

There is something delightful about apples. They are such a diverse fruit. They make the perfect pie, the perfect snack, and as I'm learning from Winnie Mae Montgomery ... the perfect cider too!

In the second Cider Shop Mystery, all is coming up roses for Winnie and her grandma, as Smythe Orchards and the Cider Shop are doing better than ever. They've planned their first wedding in the barn, and it looks to be a successful season. However, things start to go awry when the groom is killed the night of the wedding, outside the barn. With ex-boyfriend and now some-what friend, Hank, pinned for the crime, Winnie decides to investigate to clear his name.

I really liked the first book in this series, Apple Cider Slaying. There was something fresh and wonderful about it. It was the first series, that I've read, that centred around an apple orchard, and I instantly took a liking to all the characters in Blossom Valley. When the second book came up on my radar, I was super excited to dive in!

Smythe Orchard (and even Winnie Mae herself) is definitely a rag to riches story that I think readers will appreciate. After the death of her Grampy, Winnie is helping her Granny make Smythe Orchard a success again, with the help of the Cider shop, and it's heart warming to see their success pay off! One of the things I like about this story is that I really love the relationship between Granny and Winnie. Winnie's mom ran off when she was young, her Granny raised her, and their relationship is the sweetest thing!

Oh boy this mystery kept me on my toes!! Julie Anne Lindsey did a great job of deceiving me when it came to try to figure out the killer! It's been a while since I've been stumped completely, and I love that she managed to do that!!! For most of the book I was clueless to the killer's identify, and really just taking stabs in the dark!!! 

If you're looking for a new series to jump into I highly recommend the Cider Shop Mysteries. They are fresh, unique and a lot of fun. If you like animals in your mystery, then I suggest you run to the bookshop and buy them now... let me just leave you with... fainting goat!

Book Review: Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsay

Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny’s beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it’s struggling. That’s why they’re trying to drum up business with the “First Annual Christmas at the Orchard,” a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike—until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny’s long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .[summary via Amazon]

Welcome to Blossom Valley, West Virginia, where the sun shines over the mountains and across the farms. However, not all is perfect in Blossom Valley and the population is about to be one less... Winnie Montgomery is trying to help her grandmother save the struggling Smythe Orchards. To help during their slow season, she is planning a Christmas festival. However, what isn't in her plan is finding a dead body in their barn.  With the new Sheriff trying to peg the crime on her grandmother, Winnie must solve the mystery and keep the farm from going under!

Apple Cider Slaying is the first in a new series from Julie Anne Lindsey, who also writes the Kitty Couture Mysteries as Julie Chase.  With Apple Cider Slaying she delivers an intriguing mystery surrounding an apple orchard, that evolves into one of the most heart-felt mysteries I've read in a while.

What makes this series so special is the relationship between Winnie and her grandparents. Winnie has been raised by her grandparents, after being abandoned by her mother. The love between Winnie and her grandmother, Granny Smythe, shines through the pages, and as I read the story I wished I had a Granny Smythe in my life. Julie Anne Lindsey has perfectly captured the relationship between them, and I think readers are going to cherish these two long after they turn the last page.

The mystery itself is very compelling. I read over 100 cozy mystery novels a year, and I love it when I'm completely stumped and have no clue who the killer is. This happened with Apple Cider Slaying. Right up to the "big reveal" I was stumbling in the dark trying to figure out who wanted the bossy, annoying Nadine Cooper dead. 

Apple Cider Slaying will definitely be hitting my Top 5 favourite books of 2019. Beyond the mystery and wonderful relationship between Winnie and Granny Smythe, I can see there is a lot more to unravel in future books. I'm excited to dig into the lives of the residents of Blossom Valley again, and see what kind of adventures they go on!

If you're looking for the perfect holiday read pick up Apple Cider Slaying. It's got adventure, a little romance, intrigue and two cute feline sidekicks. However, this book comes with a warning.... it is so good you will want to finish it in one day (I did!) and want to eat apple pie and drink cider while you do (I did this too!)