Don't miss NYT bestselling author Ally Carter's new holiday mystery/romance!
I loved this smart locked-room mystery and charming rivals-to-lovers romance. It's
billed as Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist, which is spot on. Wildly entertaining and so much fun!
The setting is classic--an isolated, snowed-in English manor hosting a Christmas house party. Atmospheric, the house comes to life with descriptions that made me feel like I was right there with MCs Maggie and Ethan, exploring all the hidden spaces, evading danger, and searching for clues. The two are crime writers and rivals, stuck together with a mystery to solve if they can trust each other. But Carter takes this classic locked room mystery and gives it a fresh twist with a flirty romance subplot that I was just as invested in as the mystery.
Both Maggie and Ethan's characters are well-developed and have compelling backstories. Maggie has had significant losses around Christmas, making the holidays difficult for her. Ethan is charming and playful. I liked them both individually, but together, they are magic. Their chemistry is undeniable, their banter witty, and many scenes between them endearing. I rooted for them to find their way to each other and find the culprit.
Well-written and fast-paced, this has a clever mystery, engaging characters, action, humor, a peek at the publishing industry, and swoony romance. I was kept guessing and laughing all along the way. This was my first book by Carter, and I'm an instant fan. The ending was satisfying, but I hope that Maggie and Ethan will have additional cases to solve because I'd love to spend more time with this couple. Be sure to add this to your holiday tbr!
Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager Books for the gifted book.
Pub date: September 24, 2024
My steep was Almond Sugar Cookie black tea from Simpson Vail
This dessert tea is one of my all-time favorites and a staple at my house.
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.
The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.
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