Tag: author Corrine Winters

Review:  Morning Glories & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 6) by Corrine Winters

Rating: 4⭐️

Morning Glories & Murder is the sixth novel in Winters’ Willowmere Cozy Mysteries series and I find that, in a 17 book series, there’s elements of this that I still love and others that I find less appealing at this point. 

Number one is the gorgeous language and the absolute beauty of the words Winters uses to convey a sense of character or atmospheric magic in her work. Succinct, poetic and witty, I love the expression of her voice here.  

Her ability to create a mystical, living almost sentience that flows from the dirt and wood in Willowmere is amazing. It’s believable in feeling both ominous and beautifully ancient simultaneously. 

The murder mystery each book is occupied with are also good. But each has felt a bit flat because of there’s been so much time spent on a convoluted, investigative work that apprehending the culprit is a rushed affair, concluded all too briefly. 

Relationships too are sparsely linked, dryly written about and even more weakly linked. The reader must infer from bits of information where different relationships might be headed, if anywhere. I’m actually ok with that. 

But it’s with the main character of Maeve Everhart where I personally have the most problems connecting. She’s been hinting at having considerable power but time and again she’s attacked. Yet Maeve is passive against violent aggressive tactics or undermining maneuvering. 

Throughout story after story, she avoids taking evidence to the town’s sheriff, keeping clues to herself ( sometimes losing the key material), waiting and watching for “the soil” and Whim, the familiar to point to a possible motive or culprit. 

It’s frustrating to read. Because essentially it’s wandering around as the culprit continues to escalate “evil doings” right until the last few pages. Then it’s boom, it’s whoever. Done. 

Here she’s personally attacked in a number of ways, professionally, personally etc. And again, it’s an approach of “ idk, not sure what I can do about it “. 

For me, I’m not sure if this type of character is worth the effort. Love the language, not connecting with any but the cat, a snarky wry individual on his best days. 

Think I’ll give it a rest for now. Come back later when I need a hit for sentences like this: 

“From his perch atop the hanging planter by the window, Whim offered a disdainful yawn and flexed one white-tipped paw. “It’s not the rosemary. It’s the coming crowd. You can feel the potpourri energy swelling already. Too many amateur aromatherapists. Not enough dignity in the ceramics.”

Sigh. 

Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book. 

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries (17 book series):

1 Mildew & Murder (2025) 

2 Moss & Murder (2025) 

3 Marigolds & Murder (2025) 

4 Mulch & Murder (2025) 

5 Magnolias & Murder (2025) 

6 Morning Glories & Murder (2025) 

7 Milkweed & Murder (2025) 

8 Mulberries & Murder (2025) 

9 Mint & Murder (2025) 

10 Moonflowers & Murder (2025) 

11 Marjoram & Murder (2025) 

12 Mandrake & Murder (2025) 

13 Meadowfoam & Murder (2025) 

14 Mayapple & Murder (2025) 

15 Mallow & Murder (2025) 

16 Mist & Murder (2025) 

17 Mosswine & Murder (2025)

Buy link:

 Book 6 of 17: Willowmere Cozy Mysteries 

Blurb 

Willowmere’s Summer Artisan Faire was supposed to celebrate beauty, craft, and memory. Instead, it begins with the discovery of a beloved potter’s body beneath her own shattered booth.

Maeve Everhart wasn’t looking for another mystery. But the clay doesn’t lie—and neither does the soil. As whispers of sabotage echo through the town’s sunlit streets, she’s pulled into a web of rivalries, forgeries, and unfinished work that someone was desperate to keep buried.

With her greenhouse rattled by secrets and old friendships tested by fire, Maeve must piece together a broken charm, a fractured legacy, and the truth that lives in what Petra left behind.

Because in Willowmere, every creation carries intention—and some were made to remember what others wanted to forget.

Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!

Publication date

May 21, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

151 pages

Book 6 of 17

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries

Review: Marigolds & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 3) by Corrine Winters 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“It smells like someone overwatered ambition,” Whim muttered from beneath the herb stand, his tail flicking toward a pot of mint that looked more like mush.

It’s Spring Planting Weekend in Willowmere and the commentary is flowing fierce. 

My favorite paranormal mystery is back in force. High quality language, mystical imagery, scenes that feel both gothic and cozy along with a haunting landscape follow Maeve and Whim, her familiar, when beloved florist Marigold Bloom is found dead, holding a bouquet of flowers whose language sends a bite instead of a message of love. 

We get an excellent story, a serious mystery and series of clues to lead to a complex albeit mystical investigation. 

However, the language and phrases by the author just continue to delight me. Clever and creative, conveying a sense of humor and character with a conciseness that is perfect. 

Example:

“Good morning, Dorian.” 

He tipped his glass. “The garden’s looking well-fed. Much like the town’s curiosity.” 

Maeve shook her head and tried not to smile. Dorian was charming, curious, and a little too good at circling truths without landing on them.

That’s Dorian Quinn owner of the Lavender Lantern, one of the several unique community members of Willowmere. 

Always a tad too charming, too much, too perfectly put together, even at a murder scene, sipping a cocktail. 

There’s an ongoing sense of grief and hidden secrets that are unraveling under Willowmere now that Maeve has returned home. Secrets that her great aunt Hazel knew about and helped seal. 

Along with her familiar, Whim, and Silas Merrick, a local beekeeper, one death at a time, (one story at a time) the secrets are being revealed. 

It does make me wonder, like that old joke about (Midsomer Murders) Cozy Mysteries, how many people are still living at the end of the series in such a small village?

I’m throughly enjoying the process, the mystical elements, and the fabulous writing. 

I’m highly recommending this for anyone who loves great writing, interesting mystery attached to a bit of mysticism. Haunting and poetic. 

Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book. 

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries (17 book series):

1 Mildew & Murder (2025) 

2 Moss & Murder (2025) 

3 Marigolds & Murder (2025) 

4 Mulch & Murder (2025) 

5 Magnolias & Murder (2025) 

6 Morning Glories & Murder (2025) 

7 Milkweed & Murder (2025) 

8 Mulberries & Murder (2025) 

9 Mint & Murder (2025) 

10 Moonflowers & Murder (2025) 

11 Marjoram & Murder (2025) 

12 Mandrake & Murder (2025) 

13 Meadowfoam & Murder (2025) 

14 Mayapple & Murder (2025) 

15 Mallow & Murder (2025) 

16 Mist & Murder (2025) 

17 Mosswine & Murder (2025)

Buy link:

        Marigolds & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

    

Blurb 

The garden blooms again… but something beneath it never died.

Spring in Willowmere is in full swing, and Maeve Everhart is trying to keep her hands in the soil and her heart out of trouble. But when beloved florist Marigold Bloom is found dead among her foxglove and rue, the scent of grief is laced with suspicion. The bouquet wasn’t accidental. And neither is the silence blooming in its wake.

Everyone in town has something to protect—some secrets are personal, some are poisonous, and some are old enough to be buried in the land itself. As whispers curl beneath fresh blossoms and intentions are masked with petals, Maeve finds herself unraveling a plot that roots back generations… and may still be growing.

Because in Willowmere, the soil remembers. And this time, it might not forgive.

Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!

date

May 14, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

149 pages

Book 3 of 17

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries

Review:  Moss & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Corrine Winters 

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Moss & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Corrine Winters is another excellent read in this mystical mystery series by Corrine Winters. 

I confess to reading them for the lyricism of Winters’ language and the intelligence of her sentences. The beauty and almost poetic nature of the narrative is what continues to draw me to this series. 

There’s the very essence of strangeness that wraps around the characters and town from the beginning of each story. The soil itself is hiding dark secrets, rejecting something or someone that is not completely welcome in Willowmere. And it’s talking, in its own way. 

Maeve Everhart and her cat, the familiar Whim, are listening. 

What Maeve is isn’t ever revealed. At least not yet. But human she’s not. Nor are all who live there. Everyone has hidden secrets, hidden agendas, and Willowmere itself a foundation based upon lockes and hidden knowledge. A foundation that’s slowly becoming undone. 

The mystery here is who poisoned Howard Fisk. The investigation is one of listening, to the land, the community and all that is left unsaid.

As Whim, the snarky familiar often reflects upon when a certain unpleasant woman makes an appearance. 

“Whim made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “She’s the kind of person who alphabetizes her sins.”’

I could actually quote passage after passage. But it’s a quick terrific read at 135 pages. They all are. 

I’m highly recommending this for anyone who loves great writing, interesting mystery attached to a bit of mysticism. Haunting and poetic. 

Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book. 

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries (17 book series):

1 Mildew & Murder (2025) 

2 Moss & Murder (2025) 

3 Marigolds & Murder (2025) 

4 Mulch & Murder (2025) 

5 Magnolias & Murder (2025) 

6 Morning Glories & Murder (2025) 

7 Milkweed & Murder (2025) 

8 Mulberries & Murder (2025) 

9 Mint & Murder (2025) 

10 Moonflowers & Murder (2025) 

11 Marjoram & Murder (2025) 

12 Mandrake & Murder (2025) 

13 Meadowfoam & Murder (2025) 

14 Mayapple & Murder (2025) 

15 Mallow & Murder (2025) 

16 Mist & Murder (2025) 

17 Mosswine & Murder (2025)

Buy link:

        Moss & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 2)

    

Blurb 

The past wasn’t buried. It was sealed. Now the earth wants it back.

Spring has come to Willowmere, but something in the soil still remembers winter’s dead. When a beloved gardener dies under mysterious circumstances, Maeve Everhart senses more than grief clinging to the air. The town whispers heart failure. Maeve hears the hum of old magic—something patient, poisoned, and planned.

As moss curls into forbidden spirals and long-lost artifacts surface from the dirt, Maeve digs deeper into a mystery tangled in land deeds, vanished women, and truths rewritten by those desperate to keep power. Her only allies: a sharp-eyed cat who talks too much, a quiet craftsman who never asks the wrong questions, and the land itself—if she can learn how to listen before someone silences her too.

Because the boundary has cracked.

And what was hidden never meant to stay quiet.

Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!

Publication date

May 12, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

135 pages

Book 2 of 17

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries

Review:  Mildew & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Corrine Winters 

Rating: 4.75⭐️

“Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.”

If ever there was a perfect example of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover “ it’s the haunting, beautifully crafted Mildew & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Corrine Winters.  

The cover, a brightly colored, almost whimsical comedic Candyland of a piece, complete with a cat that bears no resemblance to the highly intelligent familiar inside, gives a reader a totally different feel than what this novel is about. 

The expectations might be for some lighthearted funny cozy mystery. Because that is what the cover infers. 

However what author Corrine Winters delivers is entirely different. We immediately get Maeve Everhart and her familiar, Whim, returning to Willowmere after a long absence. She’s not been back since her beloved great aunt died, her grief still very strong, along with other aspects that kept her away, secrets that are buried deep within her and the town.

Winters builds up the town , the atmosphere and tension within it continually throughout the story.  It’s a beautifully crafted element of the book, creating the suspense as well as crafting a mystical foundation for the characters and setting. 

This is a place where the deep woods and actual dirt talks, it remembers, the mystical nature of the forest breathes here, through moss and mycelium. And it’s sometimes threatening. There’s murder and more threats from many sources. 

It’s layers of intrigue, fascinating characters and landscapes that feel simultaneously sinister and ancient.

Winters’ Willowmere, Oregon, a small town famous for its mushroom festival, and its inhabitants has so many hidden secrets and journeys ahead that I can’t wait to read more of these books. 

Highly recommended. Just a fabulous read. Just not sure why the disconnect between the book and that cutesy cover. Very jarring.

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries (17 book series):

1 Mildew & Murder (2025) 

2 Moss & Murder (2025) 

3 Marigolds & Murder (2025) 

4 Mulch & Murder (2025) 

5 Magnolias & Murder (2025) 

6 Morning Glories & Murder (2025) 

7 Milkweed & Murder (2025) 

8 Mulberries & Murder (2025) 

9 Mint & Murder (2025) 

10 Moonflowers & Murder (2025) 

11 Marjoram & Murder (2025) 

12 Mandrake & Murder (2025) 

13 Meadowfoam & Murder (2025) 

14 Mayapple & Murder (2025) 

15 Mallow & Murder (2025) 

16 Mist & Murder (2025) 

17 Mosswine & Murder (2025)

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 17: Willowmere Cozy Mysteries 

Blurb 

Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.

When Maeve Everhart returned to the fog-draped Oregon town she once called home, she expected grief. She didn’t expect the body of a celebrated truffle forager to be discovered during the festival meant to crown him king of the forest. The town whispers “accident.” Maeve, whose magic stirs beneath her skin like the soil under stormlight, knows better.

With her sarcastic familiar cat as unwanted backup and a reluctant handyman-turned-ally watching her back, Maeve digs into the mystery growing in Willowmere’s woods. The deeper she goes, the more tangled it gets—false trails, altered spores, and someone rewriting the land’s memory for reasons that could turn deadly.

And the moss? It’s not just remembering.

It’s watching.

Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!

May 9, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

142 pages

Book 1 of 17

Willowmere Cozy Mysteries