If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know I’m a big fan of holiday reads. I started a little early this year, and did some Christmas in July reading. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year releases on September 24th, and today I want to tell you about this book with a review where I talk about the top 5 things I loved about this book!
A big thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.
The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.
Review
As a big fan of anything Christmas themed, I needed this mystery, rivals to lovers rom-com in my life. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was so hard to put down and left me in such a good mood. I loved this one so much that it’s really hard to put down in words what I loved in a review. So I’m going to try something a little different for this one. I want to talk about the top 5 things I loved about this book!
1. The Setting
A mansion that could house tons of people, in the middle of nowhere, during a snowstorm? Yes, please! It really added to the atmosphere in the story and had me even more invested in this story. It’s also Christmas time and the library with the fireplace and such sounded so cozy. I could see myself curling up by the fire reading the day away.
2. Bookish Characters
If a book has characters who love or write books, I’m always sold. Maggie and Ethan are both authors and we learn about what got them writing and that was really special. I also loved Maggie’s love for Eleanor’s books. As a lover of books I could really relate. Also, the fact that they talked about Eleanor’s books and used it to figure things out made my bookish heart very happy.
3. The Banter/Romance
Ally Carter knows how to write characters with chemistry! The way Ethan was with Maggie at the beginning had me laughing out loud. Even Maggie who didn’t want anything to do with Ethan at first, couldn’t always resist his charms. I also really appreciated that this romance was a bit of a slow burn. I’m not someone who enjoys instalove and their connection was really special. There were a few really special moments and how Ethan remembered them meeting was a swoonworthy moment.
4. The Mystery
Eleanor going missing wasn’t something anyone was expecting, but Maggie really thought it was a game. I loved her trying to figure out where she went. Even more so when people started coming after her. I really didn’t know who to think of as a suspect and the author kept me on my feet. Every time I thought I had something figured out, she threw something into the story that had me thinking again.
5. The Reveal
Of course, I’m not giving you any clues on how it all plays out, but I love a good reveal when reading a mystery book. Ethan and Maggie set it up perfectly and I couldn’t imagine a different ending. The epilogue was the cherry on top I didn’t know I needed!
As you can see, I really loved this book! The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is perfect for this holiday season and I see myself doing a reread before the holidays. This was also my first book by Ally Carter, but it definitely won’t be my last.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a rivals-to-lovers holiday mystery romance before and I really hope more authors make it a thing. This was also my first Ally Carter book, but it won’t be my last. I really recommend picking up The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year!
