When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical … Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.
When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.
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A perfect cozy to snuggle up with during the holidays. I’m very much looking forward to reading more in this series!
Fun Christmas set cozy with a touch of romance. Loved the main character and her sleuthing style. It was a nice light story to start my year out with.
This is the perfect cozy mystery to get you in the Holiday Mood. Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe, Maine after cancelling her wedding. Her parents own and operate Reindeer Games a Christmas Tree Farm. There are twelve days until Christmas and the Reindeer Games are getting ready to begin. The head of the local Historic Society has been causing trouble all over town. When her body is found on the farm Holly sets out to solve the murder. The local Sheriff is a transplant from Boston who is determined to solve the murder and keep Holly safe. The mystery was good, lots of suspects and red herrings, and the solution made sense. The town and characters are a lot of fun. There is a lot of Christmas, Cookies and Hot Chocolate. Enjoy
Great Holiday read. I love the setting of Mistletoe and the Christmas Tree farm. I would love to attend the Reindeer Games Activities. The characters are delightful and the storyline keeps you engaged and entertaining. I recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy mystery for the Holiday Season.
Until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of this author or series. I entered a giveaway contest for a cozy mystery group and won the second book late last week. Since I usually try to read in order, and I had some time this week, I got a copy of this first book, Twelve Slays of Christmas, from the ‘A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery’ series by Jacqueline Frost and devoured it throughout the last 24 hours. I needed a little Christmas cheer this week and this book brought it!
Who wouldn’t love a series about Christmas on a tree farm in Maine? I dream of moving to Maine one day, so this was a good alignment for me as a reader. I have a few other Christmas series I enjoy, and now I’ll be adding this one to the list of regulars. Holly White was dumped by her fiance just weeks before her Christmas Eve wedding. She trudges home feeling sad but hopeful for a new life. She’s just in time to help her parents coordinate and run their annual holiday shenanigans. This year they’ve added fun new Reindeer Games for 12 days to help bring spirit to the town. At least until a prominent member of the town’s historical society threatens to shut them down for falling out of ancient building or land code. But then… the poor woman’s found bludgeoned to death by the very wooden tree signs she complained about to Holly’s father. Which citizen was so angry (s)he took matters into their own hands? Holly’s determined to find out all the while fighting her attraction to the sheriff who’s moved to town from Boston to get away from major crimes. I guess life never goes the way you plan, huh?
As a new series, it’s off to a great start. I really like Holly and Evan (the sheriff). It will turn romantic, which will be fine, but I’m hopeful that’s not the center of the stories. There is also a younger guy, a reporter she knew years ago, who might give the sheriff some competition. And Caroline is a charming potential best friend, not to mention the cute and lovable parents and employees at the tree farm. I like the premise and the setting. The writing is good and felt natural for most of the narrative and dialog, only a few forced areas which I believe will disappear as the series matures. There’s a mature subtle humor at times, but it definitely still falls within the cozy realm. I recommend it for all cozy fans and holiday story readers alike.
I’m giving 4.25 stars to this debut and feel really excited to dive into the second one later this month — ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas. Sounds scary!
When Holly White calls off her wedding, she returns to her family’s tree farm in Maine just in time for the annual Reindeer Games, which take place in the twelve days leading up to Christmas. However, the night before the games are set to start, Margaret comes in causing problems in her quest to keep the town exactly historically accurate. When Holly finds Margaret dead among the trees a few hours later, the police start looking a little too close to home. Can Holly clear her family and friends before Christmas?
If you are looking for a Christmas cozy, this one is perfect. Each page oozes Christmas cheer, and the games sound like a ton of fun. I’d love to visit and play myself. Unfortunately, I did feel this got in the way of the mystery at times, and Holly spent quite a bit to time reacting to events rather than actually investigating at other points. Still, it held together well overall, and we got a great climax. The characters are already sharp, and their relationships help add to the Christmas cheer.
Twelve Days before Christmas is the big money making event
at the Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm in the historic
town of Mistletoe, Maine. The farm has been in the White
family for generations.
Holly White comes home to the farm after her fiancé cancels
their wedding planned for Christmas Eve. She starts helping
her parents at the farm. Will the magic of Christmas, make
her forget her hurt and woes and get back to being the
former happy, creative Holly?
Margaret Fenwick who is president of the Mistletoe Historical
Society, is busy running around town enforcing minuscule
regulations. She comes to Reindeer Farm then has an
argument with Holly’s father, Bud.
Later Holly discovers Margaret bludgeon to death with a
wooden stake use to mark trees at the farm. Margaret’s
body was in one of the farm’s sleighs. When Sheriff Evan
Grey seems to have Bud as his main suspect, Holly begins
her own investigation. Despite several warnings and threats
to her family to back off from sticking her nose where it
doesn’t belong, she ploughs ahead until death is at her
door. How will she escape in the cold, snow covered tree
farm or will she end up frozen to death?
This was an exciting Christmas read. The description was
deftly woven into the story. You could feel the cold, smell
the fir trees, enjoy the games played, taste the cookies
and cupcakes plus take a sleigh ride.
There was a myriad of well fleshed, colorful, well rounded,
well developed and three dimensional characters. The
White family is close knit and always happy to help each
other out when needed. They were always open to help
workers, customers, neighbors and town people.
A very well plotted mystery adventure with plenty of twists
and turns.
An exciting, captivating story with Christmas magic
abounding throughout the book.
I volunteered to read Twelve Slay’s of Christmas. Thanks
to the author and publisher via The Cozy Mystery Review
Crew for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost is the first book in A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe, Maine and her parents Reindeer Games Tree Farm. Her fiancé, Ben called off their wedding. Margaret Fenwick, head of the Mistletoe Historical Society, has been causing havoc around town with her tickets and demands. Margaret’s reign of terror comes to end when she is found dead in the snow. Sheriff Evan Gray arrives and closes the tree farm. Margaret was killed with one of the tree farm’s wooden candy cane tree markers for the trees which were last seen in Bud White’s (Holly’s father) possession. Holly’s family relies on the income from these weeks prior to Christmas to live on the rest of the year. Holly sets out to find Margaret’s killer and get Reindeer Games Tree Farm reopened (prove her father’s innocence). The killer, though, is unhappy with Holly’s investigation and sets out to dissuade her. Can Holly prove her father’s innocence and get the tree farm reopened? Or will Holly become the killer’s next victim?
Twelve Slays of Christmas is a cute story. I found it easy to read with a nice writing style and good pace. I liked the characters but they were not fully fleshed out. The author left out details such as people first or last names (we may be given one but not the other). Twelve Slays of Christmas is more cozy than mystery. I liked the descriptions of the tree farm, café, craft store and the reindeer games. Christmas is a wonderful over-the-top event in this town. I am still not sure who owns the craft store (the person who runs it or is it part of the tree farm). My rating for Twelve Slays of Christmas is 3 out of 5 stars. I wish the mystery had been more dynamic. I found it simple with a limited suspect list. I enjoyed the descriptions of Holly’s jewelry designs and how she created them. I was surprised with the romantic element in the story considering that Holly was going to be married in two weeks. I did, though, like her love interest—Sheriff Evan Gray. Twelve Slays of Christmas will put you in the mood for Christmas.
A perfect Christmas cozy mystery!
The colourful, whimsical cover design caught my attention and I wasn’t disappointed. This story is a wonderful read that combines the spirit of Christmas and an exciting and fast paced cozy mystery that I couldn’t put down.
It left me with warm feelings and looking forward to the cold Christmas season.
Wonderful characters in a village that I would love to visit.
This book makes it on my Top 10 list of 2017.
Grab a hot apple cinnamon tea and some yummy cookies and enjoy the magic of Christmas with this mystery.
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Crooked Lane Books and the author provided me with a copy.
This book was a good solid read. I’d totally try another future book by this author!
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/4980Oxe0wpM
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/cozy-escape-book-club-chat-12-slays-of-christmas-by-jacqueline-frost-a-christmas-tree-farm-mystery/
The cover of this book caught my eye and I fell in love with the story and characters as soon as I started reading it.
In a town called Mistletoe where everything is Christmas, how could you not fall in love with this book. There are some wonderful characters but my favorite was Cookie who always had a special tea on hand with her.
Read 8.31.2018
This was much better than I had anticipated [as I knew nothing about this author and only read this because I got the second one from NetGalley because it sounded so good!] and I am really looking forward to reading the second one. The narrator is one of the better ones in the cozy genre and the story was unique and funny and I had no idea who the bad guy was until Holly did! And I was TOTALLY surprised!
I really look forward to more from this author!
I thoroughly enjoyed this first in the series. Holly comes home after her wedding is called off, while home they find the President of the Historical Society dead in the display on her family’s tree farm.
I loved the characters, they are real and people I would love to hang around with, along with the tree farm setting, I want to move there. The mystery was good and kept me guessing as to who did it. This book ties a murder mystery in great with the holidays. I will continue on with this series.
Holly White has just returned home to Mistletoe, Maine after her engagement was unexpectedly broken. Just in time for the best time of the year for her parents at their Farm, Reindeer Games, she is more than happy to partake in the festivities. It was all fun and games, until Holly stumbled across the body of the cranky Ms. Fenwick, President of the Mistletoe Historical Society in a display at the farm. Who would do something like this is such a small town like Mistletoe? Holly is determined to find out who the mysterious killer is, and ends up being the next target. Can Holly and Sheriff Grey find out the killer is before the killer strikes again?
This was an audio book I chose to read in the spirit of Christmas. It was a pretty cute book! I really enjoyed it! I really enjoy a good cozy mystery. I rate this book .
Holly White has returned home to Mistletoe after a broken engagement. Determined to start over and help with the family business she jumps in, almost like she never left.
During a shift at the Hearth, Margaret Fenwick, President of the local historical society, has an altercation with Holly’s father. That same night Holly finds Margaret…dead.
With the Reindeer Games now on hold, and her family’s only income in jeopardy, can Holly solve the murder in time to save the farm?
What a cute Christmas cozy read! Who wouldn’t love to visit a Christmas tree farm and participate in 12 days of reindeer games! I would love to find something like this and participate in a blindfolded gingerbread competition, sleigh rides, snowball rolling, tree trimming and more!
The only thing that irked me a tad is that Holly is 27 BUT a lot of the time her character was portrayed with a lot less maturity for someone of that age. BUT this is a cozy mystery so it didn’t take away from it too much. I will definitely be checking out the next book.
Twelve Slays of Christmas the first instalment in the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series by Jacqueline Frost. I am a huge fan girl of author Julie Anne Lindsey and been wanting to read her earlier books especially the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries as I had heard fabulous things about them and book 3 is coming soon. My Cozy Mystery group on Facebook chose this book as our December read and I’m glad we did!
I really enjoyed this story, and it has made me want to catch up on the series. What a great story to get me in the Christmas spirit. I loved the characters and want to be friends with Holly, Cookie, Carolyn etc. as with most of Julie’s books you fall in love with the characters.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had just enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed in the story till the end. I had an inkling on who the villain was but was just happy reading the story and seeing how it unfolded. I’m super happy that the publishers decided to extend the series!
I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When Holly White’s father is accused of murdering the president of the local historical society, Holly springs to her father’s aid.
Holly is such a relatable and likable protagonist. The secondary characters are quirky and fun. The intriguing plot moves forward nicely and contains plenty of twists.
An all around good read for the holidays.
A Great way to start my holiday reading! If Mistletoe was a real place I would pack up and move there in a heartbeat. Every character was unique and I liked them (even the killer, until I found out they were the killer). The ending was so perfect, who doesn’t love a happy ending?
Mistletoe, Maine is the setting for this whimsical holiday story where Reindeer Games Tree Farm kicks off its Twelve Days of Reindeer Games with tantalizing treats, delightful characters and festive activities. All is merry and bright until the president of the historical society is murdered. That’s when the protagonist gives the sheriff a run for his money with her sleuthing abilities. The story is lots of fun, meeting the residents and sheriff of Mistletoe, watching the countdown to Christmas while solving a murder mystery, and virtually imbibing on hot cocoa, Christmas tea with peppermint schnapps, gingerbread cookies and apple pie.
Holly White has returned to her Mistletoe, Maine home after her Christmas Ever wedding is cancelled. Her heart is broken, but her parents and family home bring comfort. She jumps right into helping her mother run the cafe and holiday events at their tree farm. Unfortunately Holly makes a horrible discovery and her father becomes a suspect in the heinous crime. She is determined to uncover the real criminal. Holly soon finds herself a victim of serious threats.
I enjoyed this book. The characters were well-developed and realistic, although I totally misread one of the characters. The setting is easy to picture and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy, especially if the Christmas Season is one of your favorite times of the year. The plot in the book moves at a nice pace and engages the reader. I listened to the audiobook. The reader did a nice job representing all of the characters, though her Boston accent was a bit grating. I recommend this book.