Castle Dark Series by Veronica Bond

I first read Death in Castle Dark in August 2024 after getting the recommendation from the Cozy Mystery Book Club (though I read it too late to participate).

Death in Castle Dark by Veronica Bond. First read: It’s the first book in a cozy mystery series (A Dinner and a Murder Mystery Series). I love the setting of a castle used for murder mystery dinners because it’s already engaging and spooky - then add in a real murder, and I’m hooked! 

Re-read December 2025: I heard there was a new third book in this series so I wanted to re-read the first. This is SO cozy to me - I love the mystery dinner theater concept, and set in a castle makes it that much better. This is one I'll definitely re-read again.

Castle Deadly, Castle Deep by Veronica Bond. This one didn’t pull me in as much as the first. I thought Nora’s relationship drama seemed kind of middle school and immature, and that dragged on for most of the story. Some of the twists were good though, so the ending redeemed the book overall. Also too much dependence on the Doll's House play - explaining it too much.

Death at a Castle Christmas by Veronica Bond. This was a bit too sweet for me. It felt like it was more of a clean romance than a cozy mystery. The ending seemed especially over the top, with everyone getting engaged for Christmas? After dating six months? I also felt like the storyline of the men trying to find treasure in the castle was a bit too similar to the last book, which is disappointing. I’d read another installment if it went back to “seeing” the murder mysteries performed in the castle - I think there could be 3 or 4 unique storylines around that concept and I wouldn’t think it was too played out.

The first book will always be a cozy mystery I'd like to re-read. However, the second seemed like too much filler, while the third seemed like it was trying too hard to wrap up the series. I'd read further installments if they focused more on the mysteries than sugary-sweet romance, but I have a feeling the author was indeed trying to wrap up the series with this delayed third installment.

2025 Year in Reading

This was a good reading year for me. I feel like I read a lot of what I wanted, a lot that was recommended, and a lot for Cozy Mystery Book Club.

I read 182 books total (with a goal of 110), which blows my mind, honestly. Some years it's a struggle to hit 100, but this year I got sucked into a few series so reading all of those definitely upped my numbers.

I'm keeping my goal at 110 just because... why change a good thing? I'm also hoping to shift some priorities this year so more of my free time will be spent writing instead of reading... But we'll see how that turns out. Clearly reading instead of scrolling worked well for me, so maybe I should just stick with that for my mental health.

I also did a book bracket this year, and I'd like to do one next year, too. It was fun to sit and think about my favorite book each month. Some were clear standouts, but some were really close and I had to think hard about it. Here's my finalized bracket:

And the winner is...

Seriously, READ THIS BOOK if you haven't yet!

See the last few recaps:

2024 Year in Reading
2023 Year in Reading