From the beginning of my writing journey in 2000, all my girls have been full of spunk and sass and fighting every day to figure out life in the present while also dealing with the past, all while solving murders and mysteries and navigating relationships; oh my! The books I chose are all about that sass and spunk, those main characters in The Cozies (or RomCozies as I call mine since they have both murder and a budding romance) that not only make you snicker in the right places but also sigh when they’re over, you close the book, and hold it to your heart hoping the next is coming soon.
First up is Julia Ann Lindsey’s Bonnie and Clyde series. The laughs, the hijinks, the relationships, and the solved murders. It’s all a recipe for me to be pulled right into this series and away from anything I’m actually supposed to be doing.
I love the setting, the charm, and the way that the author gives us such a view right into the living room of Bonnie and her cat Clyde, so I want to go see if she’s available for a quick dinner! After she finds the killer, of course.
Bonnie’s embracing the big 4-0 and all it has to offer, including a celebratory night out with friends. The evening is a perfect blend of fun and fabulous, until the local love guru, Gretchen, is confronted by a client’s spouse, who’s displeased by a prediction of new romance in his wife’s future. Gretchen excuses herself to sort the situation, but in the morning, the man is dead. Stabbed with a cake knife from her True Love collection.
When Bonnie’s friends turn to her for help unwrapping the truth, she quickly moves saving Gretchen’s reputation to the…
Donna Andrews is next with her delightful Meg Langslow Mysteries. My book was the first book I read in this series, and then I had to go back and start from the beginning and wait (im)patiently between each release for the next one.
I love how Meg handles things and how she puts the pieces together. I often finish the books in this series and think, “I could have figured it out if I hadn’t been snickering so much!”
Poor Meg Langslow. She’s blessed in so many ways. Michael, her boyfriend, is a handsome, delightful heartthrob who adores her. She’s a successful blacksmith, known for her artistic wrought-iron creations. But somehow Meg’s road to contentment is more rutted and filled with potholes than seems fair.
There are Michael’s and Meg’s doting but demanding mothers, for a start. And then there’s the fruitless hunt for a place big enough for the couple to live together. And a succession of crises brought on by the well-meaning but utterly wacky demands of her friends and family. Demands that Meg has a hard…
I mean, who doesn’t love a book with the tagline: When she gets pushed too far, even her hot flashes won't hold her back? If you like women of a certain age, you will be highly entertained by Tootsie and her entourage. They get into some of the hottest water and hilarious situations.
I love the way the community is building and the things the author chooses to highlight to make these books very hard to get away from until after you’re done and gone.
When her elderly friends lose their jobs in a shady business deal, feisty fifty-year-old Tootsie Goldberg decides it's never too late to speak up.
Tootsie Goldberg was never one to rock the boat. Witnessing tragedy after a seemingly harmless protest taught the Jersey native to keep her mouth shut, even when she's fuming. But when her elderly coworkers lose their radio station jobs due to a shady business deal, this feisty fifty-year-old decides it's never too late to use her smart mouth for something other than talking in circles.
Standing up for her friends lights a fire in her to…
This book by Kimberley O’Malley has Addie as one of my favorite characters! With her spunk and her sass, she gets the job done, even when the journey is seriously rough!
I love the premise and the pets in this one as much as I love Addie. Make sure you’re prepared to be unable to put it down as we run from one thing to the next to a satisfying conclusion that I did not see coming because my eyes were squinted in laughter!
Something old, something new, something borrowed… Something evil? What should be the happiest day of Addie Foster’s life draws near. But so does her stalker. As the danger looms ever closer, her prophetic nightmares become more frightening. Who has Addie in their sights? Will she figure it out in time? Will she get to marry Jonah in the wedding of her dreams? Will Grey catch the bouquet?
Last but certainly not least, I can’t have a list of sass and spunk without mentioning a cat with both! Jennifer J. Chow’s book Mimi Lee Cracks the Code is not only highly entertaining, but it also takes place on Catalina Island, where my very own Whit and Whiskers live. I wonder what they’d do if they met each other?
I laughed, and then I sighed, and then I laughed some more at this book. It’s a delightful tale with twists and turns that I absolutely loved. And that cat is quite the character.
One of BookRiot's Best Upcoming Cozy Mysteries for the Second Half of 2021!
When murder follows Mimi Lee to her romantic island getaway, she puts on her best sleuthing hat with her sassy cat in tow in this adventurous cozy mystery by Jennifer J. Chow.
Mimi Lee just found an extra perk to being a pet groomer at Hollywoof (other than cuddling animals all day long, that is). Pixie St. James, one of Mimi’s clients and the investor behind Hollywoof, has offered her and her boyfriend, Josh, a getaway at her vacation home, nestled on beautiful Catalina Island. With the…
Welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the pancakes are fluffy, the bacon is crisp, and murder should not be on the menu…
Jax Tapman has lived in the same small town her whole life. On one hand, it's helped her dream of buying the local diner with her best friend come true, and their newly opened business is hopping. On the other hand, it means everyone knows her, and she pretty much never gets away with anything. There are a lot of expectations that come along with being the town darling.
So, when Jax finds a dead body behind her Aunt Hildy’s restaurant, surely no one will truly believe she did it, right?
Wrong. The victim was strangled with swag from Jax's diner, and suddenly every eye is squarely on her, town darling or not! Enter Eliot Taylor, Aunt Hildy’s new cook and a former cop who grudgingly agrees to help Jax clear her name and save the diner's reputation. Only the deeper they dig, the more dirt they churn up, proving there’s far more happening in the small, innocent town than meets the eye.
Together they’ll uncover more secrets than Jax can shake a spatula at and far more danger than she might be ready to handle. Can Jax save her reputation and solve a murder...or will this order be her last?
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
