Heywood Herbalist Cozy Mysteries Books 4-6, by Carly Winter

 

 

I immediately fell into the easy flow and sense of community of this Heywood collection of stories. Even though I've never read this particular series, I did read the next, go figure, but would have had no problem sliding right into who was who and what was what, not to mention the relationships. In other words, it stands alone nicely. Of course, just my luck, having just discovered this series it seems to be ending but, hey, there's always the new series with Gina as the main character, right? 

Since others will have detailed the plots already, I'll skip to my reactions, so to speak. First, I definitely liked the characters. They weren't one dimensional and felt comfortable, like people I might know. That's the magic of a good writer, to not only create characters but pull you right in and make you feel at home. I wanted only the best for Sam, especially in her complicated relationship police officer Jordan. Both seem to have a mixed bag of experiences, making them all the more realistic, so there was none of the occasional "too good to be true" relationship vibe from them. 

I'll skip Gina since she now has her own series but will note that I took to her immediately given her love of dogs and that she rescues dogs. That's always a plus for me. She's definitely a dog whisperer. Annabelle is, well, a hoot. She's one part stereotypical "stuck in the 80's gal, another part calm, cool, and able to handle a gun without the qualms that would overwhelm Sam. She's one of the hold-over characters in the new series, btw. Gina and Annabelle accept Sam's big reveal from her past without question or even ado, albeit Jordan is a bit more rattled by the revelation. But, hey, he'll get over it. Right? As for the murders, read the blurb. The three stories of the collection are nicely described there. Interesting to see how Sam's mind worked to help solve them, not to mention keep from getting killed herself.

Heywood sounds like a place I'd love to visit. One of the things that stuck with me was that the shops mentioned seem diverse, not simply the frequent bookstore or bakery of so many cozy mysteries. Now, true, those are some of my favorites but variety is the spice of life and helps add to the atmosphere and story. Thanks #BookSirens for introducing me to Heywood. I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit. Here's hoping Sam pops up occasionally in Gina's story.