Book Review: All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emmy Kastner

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All the Ice Cream in the Land  by Emmy Kastner  is about a princess, the kingdom she lives in, and her loyal subjects. Full of twists and turns, children will surely delight in this story about ice cream. When I saw the title and cover art of this kid's book, it made me instantly think of my childhood and how I would've loved a book like this one. A huge shout out and thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for approving my request to read this book. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. The storyline is very easy to follow, making it especially suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers, particularly children between the ages of two and six. Its straightforward narrative and clear structure make it an excellent choice for read-aloud sessions at home, bedtime stories, or classroom story time. While there is limited character development, which is typical for a picture book format, the princess is still an intere...
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Book Review: Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis

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NetGalley ARC Book Review: Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis
Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis opens with Tom Farley and his neighbors in a snit because he's the last holdout to sell his house to a property developer who wants to build a resort. When Tom is shot at a pre-Thanksgiving community gathering and hospitalized, Hayley Powell puts her amateur sleuthing skills to good use.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this cozy mystery. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange of my honest opinion and review of the story.

I loved the fact that this latest installment of the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series had a theme around the Thanksgiving holiday and included live turkeys in the plot. It was good to visit some familiar characters. Since this is the eighteenth installment in the series, Lee Hollis didn't go into much detail of the background of those reoccurring characters; however, she did provide some cursory details for those who may not have read any of the previous installments in the series. With that being said, there were more details given about new characters featured in Death of a Tom Turkey. There were lots of red herrings and motives of who would've wanted to harm Tom, but I couldn't figure out who the culprit, or culprits, were.

As much as I enjoy this particular cozy mystery series, I just wasn't feeling this one. It was well written with a few twists and turns and a big courtroom trial. With that being said, it was slower paced than I would have liked with very little clues given along the way. Some of the clues and twists given seemed convenient or appeared abruptly.

Three out of five stars is what I rated Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis. Where this may not have been my favorite installment, it may be one of your favorites, so give it a read. This book was published on September 30, 2025.

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