Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Mystery, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Contemporary, Part of a Series, New To Me AuthorLeave a comment

Deadly Does It (A Mason & Mann Mystery)Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Mason & Mann Mystery #2

Release Date: July 21, 2026

Sober alcoholic Natasha “Mason” is now working full time for Julia Mann, a fellow alcoholic, former famous actress, convicted murderer and now a lawyer. After closing their most recent case, Mason’s AA sponsor Alexa Rousso hires Julia to find out who has been sending her harassing letters. The letters state that Alexa did something in her past that the sender knows about and threatens to destroy her. Alexa claims to have no idea what the sender is talking about but concedes she did her fair share of bad things before getting sober. Julia accepts the case and so begins a deep dive into Alexa’s former life.

Julia along with her amazing team; Mason, her investigator in training, Will her legal assistant (and resident Know-it-all), Claudia, a former prison mate and cook extraordinaire, Teddy, PI and Claudia’s long time lover, and Archie, who is not technically part of the team, but is Julia’s agent and sometime lawyer, start checking out Alexa’s past and find way more than they were expecting. And with each clue they uncover, the more the letter sender begins to escalate their reign of terror on Alexa. Julia is sure Alexa is holding out on them, but when the threats turn deadly, they will need to solve this mystery before anyone else gets hurt.

This is the second book in the Mason & Mann Mysteries, but if like me, you missed the first book, worry not! The author does a great job of giving the reader plenty of backstory on the characters, so you don’t feel lost. Mason and Julia have an interesting relationship, not quite family, not really friends, but somewhere in-between. I enjoyed the interaction and banter between them, as well as all the secondary characters, including Mason’s family. The story takes lots of twists and turns, which left me thinking I knew who the villain was, but then had me second-guessing myself on more than one occasion. I was totally invested in this story and loved the ending! As I mentioned, I didn’t read the first book, but it is now on my TBR and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next installment of the series!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

 

Summerween by Joss Wood

On By TracyIn Contemporary, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Rom Com, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Summerween (Halloween Town, #1)Summerween by Joss Wood

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Halloween Town, #1

Release Date: July 16, 2026

After a soul-crushing breakup with the man she thought was her soulmate and an even more humiliating livestream proposal from her rebound fling, choreographer Wren Dunlop needs a break from the madness that is her life and longs for her childhood home of Solstice Springs. She arrives to town to see that her godmother, Luna, the mayor, has gone all out turning Solstice Springs into, Halloween Town (aka H-Town), a year-round Halloween destination and Wren arrives just in time for Summerween. Though Wren plans to have a romance-free, work-free and drama-free summer – it is clear that fate has other plans for her – as do the ghosts that call Solstice Springs home.

After suffering from PTSD, trauma surgeon Dr. Dane Trafford needs to relax and regroup. He loves his work, but the pressure of the job and everyone’s expectations have left him burnt out and he needs time to heal. He recalls spending a happy summer in Solstice Springs with his father as a child and longs to recapture that happiness. He was not expecting to find the town had turned into a supernatural tourist hot spot or that the mayor of the town would insist that he become the town’s new doctor, and he certainly didn’t expect to fall in love. This summer is going to be interesting!

What a fun start to a new series! I loved Wren and Dane, they are such relatable characters, they both have their own reasons for being in Solstice Springs, and falling in love was not one of them. But they have instant chemistry and the heart wants what the heart wants. This story has that delightful small-town vibe, great secondary characters, ghosts (think the TV show Ghosts), some self-worth issues, healing, steamyish love scenes, compromise, mutual support and true love. This author is new to me, and as an American reader, reading a book about Americans, I did get a giggle or two about some of the phrases that clearly called the author out as someone who doesn’t use American English, but it was completely endearing and I can’t wait to check out her backlist! If you enjoy a fun, spicy, small-town romance with a hint of supernatural – this is a book you need to read!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *