Big disclaimer: I like Kate Carlisle's style of writing but I've only read the first book in the series so I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it but I really did! 

The Knife Before Christmas is another great book written by Kate Carlisle that follows Shannon, a contractor working on the Cliffs Hotel in the charming town of Lighthouse Cove. She is having to deal with tough personalities during her job including the ghastly Randi who is the daughter-in-law of the owner of the Cliffs Hotel. Randi is found murdered and Shannon's curiosity takes over which makes her play the "Scooby-Doo" game, trying to figure out whodunit. 

I thought this book was very clever and fun. The setting was warm and cozy and I liked the mystery a lot. I got to know the characters very quickly because I haven't read the whole series but I thought the book was very easy to follow and the mystery was challenging enough. I really liked the character growth that we see in this book. I'm sure it must be a really nice payoff for the people who've been following the series for a long time. I'm for sure going to pick up the other books in this series to check them all out. The only thing I did not like was how long the chapters are, I wish the chapters were shorter so it would be easier for me to ready. Even with that I highly recommend this for the cozy vibes and for people who enjoy a great cozy mystery! 

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Kate Carlisle for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.