Review: Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem: A Holiday Novella (Tara Holloway #6.5) by Diane Kelly

Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem: A Holiday Novella (Tara Holloway #6.5) by Diane Kelly

Published October 29th 2013 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

Ebook, 84 pages

Series: Tara Holloway

Genre: Chick-Lit / Cozy-Mystery

Heat Level: Kissing
Source: From the Publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Amazon |Goodreads 

Summary from Goodreads

’Tis the season for death, taxes, and maybe even love under the mistletoe…
Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem is a brand-new holiday novella from award-winning author Diane Kelly! 

Christmas is fast approaching when IRS Special Agent Tara is assigned a new case involving a jewelry wholesaler who’s repeatedly claimed large theft losses on her tax returns. Was Nadine Gramercy really robbed, or were the thefts a mere ruse to pocket tax-free profits? Tara believes Nadine belongs at the top of Santa’s “naughty” list. Her investigation takes her to Chisholm Trail mall, where she meets Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz and her fluffy K-9 partner, Brigit. Though Megan believes Tara is barking up the wrong tree, she agrees to provide backup if a bust goes down. Moreover, they decide to team up as matchmakers to find love for Chris Rasmussen, a pediatric nurse who moonlights at the mall playing Santa Claus. Chris has a warm heart and a body that’s hot enough to melt to the polar ice caps. This sexy-yet-sad shopping mall Santa was recently dumped by his fickle fiancée, leaving the not-so-old elf more jilted than jolly. Can Tara and Megan solve the crime…and lift Santa’s spirits in time for Christmas?

Yup another Christmas novella for you guys today. I am on the roll. But they are so quick to read, and fun that I just been eating the ones I have on my kindle up. The Holidays is still over a month away, but I am already itching for the Christmas season. Plus, last year I missed out on a ton of Christmas books and that made me kind of sad.

With Christmas on the horizon, an IRS agent Tara Holloway is assigned to investigate potential claim fraud against a jewelry wholesaler who has claimed theft multiple years and not paid her taxes. When she travels to Chisholm Trail mall, she meets an officer by the name of Megan Luz and together they attempt to get to the roots of the fraud and play matchmaker for Chris Rasmussen during the holiday season.

Cute story I really did enjoy it.

What I liked

• I thought the writing was once again, fast paced and sassy. It did made me giggle on multiple occasion. Both Tara and Megan had their own voice, which I found highly amusing. Even Brigit, the K-9 partner of Megan's had her own little chapters.
• It's Christmas time, so obviously that in itself played the large part in the book. A lot of the book actually took place at the mall, which was very different. But it included a hot Santa, kids and lots of Christmas decorations.
• The storyline was interesting, it was a cozy mystery with a mix of chick-lit and a bit of romance. A dash of this and a little scoop of that and you have a perfectly molded little Christmas novella. The ending was a bit over the top and action packed, but I still found it exciting. It was also very sweet how both Megan and Tara played matchmaker for Chris the Santa, and Charlotte who worked in Victoria's Secret, both broken and lonely people that needed each other for Christmas.
• This book was an introduction to me as far as this series goes because before picking it up, I never even heard of it or the author. I did enjoy her style of writing, it was fun. I also enjoyed both Megan and Tara. This book was also an introduction to Megan Luz, as it seems she will now be getting her own series with Brigit!!
• The author did another wonderful job at fitting a great story in just a few pages. It flowed nicely, everything clicked in the end. It was just a shame it ended so soon as always it made me crave more.

What not so much....

• This book was written in first person, which I do not mind but because the two women alternated the two chapters, I was actually confused for a little while on what was going on and had to back track to realize that it's from a different person's point of vie now. Also it had a Brigit chapter once in a while too, which was kind of interesting but I could have went without it I guess.

Memorable Quotes

• “The chaste bun my hair was pulled back into made me look a little silly, too, like some type of street smart ballerina. Appropriate, perhaps, given that my job occasionally required me to crouch, turn, leap, and kick derriere.”
• “I could tell you what the order and signal were, but then I'd have to kill you. I'm assuming you'd rather I keep that information to myself, right?”
• “Then again, since he worked in oil and gas, he was probably slick. Ha!”