REVIEW: Christmas Cow Bells

Christmas Cow Bells
Author: Mollie Cox Bryan

Brynn MacAlister moved to Shenandoah Springs, VA to start her dream business....a micro dairy farm. The old rectory building and its surrounding land is perfect for her and her 3 Red Devon cows, Petunia, Buttercup and Marigold. The locals are a bit standoffish. Most of then don't like change. Brynn is seen as a newcomer, along with her next door neighbor, Nancy. Nancy wants to remodel the Old Glebe Church into a farmers market. Local pushback turns to murder when the old church burns to the ground one night and Nancy dies from her injuries. When strange things start happening at Brynn's Buttermilk Creek Farm, she suspects someone is trying to scare her away. Is the fear of change enough to move a local to murder? And is she next? Brynn is determined to find out what happened to her neighbor and friend.

The front cover for this first book in the Buttermilk Creek Farm series is just too cute! The three cows are the stars of the show...with a santa hat and holiday garland even! :) Moo! I wish Brynn's LDG (livestock guardian dog) had been on the cover though! Maybe Freckles will make the next cover!

Great start to a new cozy mystery series by Mollie Cox Bryan! Having read her Cora Crafts series previously, I knew I liked her writing style already. But Christmas Cow Bells mystery caught me by surprise. Even the cows have personality! The characters are quirky rural villagers.....a whole spectrum of different types. Brynn is an interesting, intelligent and determined main character. She loves her farm, her cows and her new friends, and faces down local opposition with strength and wit. And, I love the background theme of cheesemaking and micro farming. The mystery progressed at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and twists. The cheesemaking theme did not overpower the mystery elements but added a nice rural farm feeling to the story. I will definitely be eagerly awaiting the next book in the Buttermilk Creek Farm series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. Moo!**