Review: Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black + Giveaway

Review: Evergreen Chase by Juneau Black + GiveawayEvergreen Chase: A Shady Hollow Mystery Short Story by Juneau Black
Format: ebook
Source: purchased from Amazon
Formats available: ebook
Genres: cozy fantasy, cozy mystery, holiday fiction
Series: Shady Hollow #3.5
Pages: 32
Published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard on November 30, 2021
Purchasing Info: Author's WebsitePublisher's WebsiteAmazonBarnes & NobleKobo
Goodreads

It’s the winter solstice in Shady Hollow, that magical time of year when creatures of all shapes and sizes come together to honor the season and eat as much pie as possible. Reporter Vera Vixen is eager to experience her first holiday in town and is especially looking forward to the unveiling of the solstice tree. But then disaster strikes. The year’s tree—the tallest in the forest—has disappeared without a trace. Can Vera, her best friend, Lenore, and Deputy Orville Braun find the tree and save the season? Or will this year’s solstice be especially dark?

My Review:

Today is Black Friday in the U.S., that unofficial holiday after the official Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Traditionally, this was the day when holiday decorating ‘officially’ kicked off, and anyplace that had not already started playing Xmas carols started doing so with a vengeance. So, as this feels like the right day, at least to me, to start reviewing holiday books, I’m kicking off my holiday season with this Shady Hollow winter solstice story.

This is explicitly not a Christmas story, just as Phantom Pond was not explicitly a Halloween story. The historical and religious underpinnings of both of those holidays in our world don’t exist in the animal-centric world of Shady Hollow.

But that doesn’t mean that something like those holidays wouldn’t, doesn’t or hasn’t arisen in other cultures – and that particularly applies to the winter solstice. Many, many traditions have holidays around the solstice, and Shady Hollow wouldn’t be exceptional in marking the shortest day of the year – even if they might be a bit exceptional in just how they do that marking.

Along with the touch of mystery that makes the series so very much fun!

The tradition in Shady Hollow is to ‘walk’ the specially chosen Solstice tree from the surrounding woods to the center of town, where it will be decorated and feted and brightly lit to chase away the darkness of the longest night.

The trees are chosen decades in advance and tended lovingly by specially appointed treekeepers until their appointed day as the center of the whole town’s attention and celebration.

But someone has stolen this year’s tree – all FIFTY FEET of it – the night before its celebratory walk. The whole town is enraged, incensed, and practically in mourning over the loss of their tree.

It will take the efforts of every animal in town, from Police Bear Orville Braun to ace investigative reporter Vera Vixen to all the birds around town, led by night-owl Professor Heidegger and bookstore owner Lenore the Raven to find the tree in time.

The longest night comes early in Shady Hollow, and time is running out.

Escape Rating B: Shady Hollow may sound a bit twee, but it’s really a LOT more like Zootopia – at least if the movie had been set in Judy Hopp’s rural Bunnyburrow instead of Nick Wilde’s big city. A reflection that reporter Vera Vixen frequently makes herself, as she used to be a resident of one of those big cities but has found cozy Shady Hollow to be a lot more to her taste.

The Shady Hollow series as a whole, are lovely, charming, and very cozy mysteries – and Evergreen Chase is no exception. At the same time, the use of animals as people gives the author all sorts of opportunities to include comments about human behavior hiding in plain sight – or under the bare covering of a pawkerchief.

Like many of the stories in this series, there’s a mystery, but it’s a gentle one. No one is dead, no one is likely to end up dead, but the town’s collective anguish is still VERY real, as someone has literally stolen one of their beloved traditions right out from under them.

That the town pulls together to celebrate the solstice with or without the tree is all part of the series’ charm. That they have their own solstice miracle just adds to the sweetness of both the story and the holiday season – both theirs and ours.

So this feels like its a short story for the many fans of the series, of which I am mostly definitely one. And it turned out to be the perfect start for my holiday reading. (As much as I enjoyed The Wishing Bridge reading it last week made me want to give myself a ‘ten-yard penalty for rushing the season.’ Reading Evergreen Chase felt like a ‘proper’ start to the season.)

It did also remind me of another lovely holiday story that uses animals to tell an entirely different but equally charming human story. If Shady Hollow sounds charming but you’ve never watched Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, well, let this be the season to get the song, “There Ain’t No Hole in the Washtub” stuck in your head, just like it is in mine this time of year!

~~~~~~ GIVEAWAY ~~~~~~

Black Friday is just a weird day. It’s not a holiday, but it still feels like part of a holiday. Unless one works in retail, because it’s most definitely, absolutely not a holiday under those conditions! Also weird, but along the U.S./Canadian border, even though there is no Thanksgiving Thursday in Canada (Canadian Thanksgiving is in mid-October), there is mostly definitely a Black Friday complete with Black Friday sales.

But it’s a day when not many people may be reading blogs – possibly because in the U.S. they are either still in a turkey coma or because they’re off trying to grab the best Black Friday deals. So, for those who are staying home, I have a bit of a giveaway for you.

It’ll just be a little something to put in someone’s holiday stocking, but it’s just a way to say ‘THANKS!’ to all of you who have spent a bit of time with me over the year at chez Reading Reality.

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In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

Hopefully, we all have things to be thankful for this holiday season! In our house, we’re thankful that everybody’s healthy, we have all the things we need and just enough of the things we want to make life run more-or-less smoothly. Or at least as smoothly as five cats in the house allow it to be.

Looking back at my post this time two years ago for this same hop I was looking forward to our then upcoming bathroom remodel. Last year I was lamenting the sudden discombobulation of one minor bit of said remodel. This year I’m just thankful that things are one an even keel and all is well at Chez Reading Reality this holiday season.

I am also thankful for each and every one of you who drop in on Reading Reality from time to time, and especially those who follow and comment. Thank you everyone!

What about you? Is there anything special in progress or coming up that you are particularly thankful for? Answer in the rafflecopter for a chance at the usual Reading Reality prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books.

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For more festive seasonal prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Super Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Hop, hosted by  The Mommy Island & The Kids Did It!

Does it feel early to you? I mean, the whole idea of holiday stockings, stuffed or otherwise? I know it’s time to be thinking about what to stuff in said stockings, but it still feels early to me. Or perhaps it’s just that this year feels like it’s gone by very, very fast.

Thanksgiving will be over by the time this hop ends, and the Xmas Carol onslaught will be in full swing – if it isn’t already. THAT already feels way too early, and like it’s going to go on way too long. But it’s already started just the same. Along with signs advertising for Xmas Tree Lighting Installation. (I wonder if those services offer a discount for folks who need their Halloween decorations taken down and their Xmas Lights put up at the same time?)

But this hop is about the stockings, and the stuffing thereof. What would you like to see in yours this holiday season?

Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at the usual Reading Reality prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books.

Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays!

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For more prizes to stuff in your stocking, be sure to enter the other stops on this hop!

Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

The names of a lot of giveaway hops are pretty cute, but this one is an especially important pun on no matter how you flavor it!

There’s the easy and obvious first interpretation – without which a lot of us, including moi, don’t have enough spoons to figure out the second meaning. That would be the thanks for the latte, or any form of caffeine that gets us through the day. My personal latte of choice is Chai Latte, yours may be something more coffee flavored.

But the more important message of this hop is that it provides an opportunity for me to thank you, my readers, not just a latte but absolutely a whole LOT for visiting Reading Reality and following along on my reading journey.

Thank you so very much for being here, reading my reviews, commenting when the mood strikes you, and for loving the Sunday cat pictures.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled giveaway. Answer the question in the rafflecopter about your favorite flavor of latte for a chance at the usual Reading Reality prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or up to $10 in books!

And THANKS!

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For more terrific prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Silly Pumpkins Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

Notice that the pumpkin in the hop image isn’t a silly pumpkin at all? That’s because silly is in the eye of the beholder. Which leaves it to me to show you one very silly pumpkin:

I think he’s silly because he has FEETS. He’s adorable, but pumpkins can’t walk. Still, FEETS. (On a cat, they are feets and not feet, at least according to The Highly Scientific Anatomy of a Cat – and I’m sticking to that interpretation!

Admittedly, your own personal image of a silly pumpkin might be a bit more like this:

What a great big toothless smile that pumpkin has on its face! So cute!

Whatever lurks in your imagination under the phrase ‘silly pumpkin’, the giveaway for this hop is not imaginary at all. Answer the question in the rafflecopter for your chance at one of Reading Reality’s usual prizes, the winner’s choice of either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in Books. It might be enough for a couple of pumpkins to carve – or even a book about pumpkin carving!

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For more spooky and/or silly prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Howl-o-ween Giveaway Hop, hosted by  The Mommy Island & The Kids Did It!

It’s that time of year, again. Fall is most definitely fell, and spooky season is on its way! The new neighbors front yard is already fully tricked out as a haunted graveyard!

There have been a whole bunch of September 30 vs. October 1 memes out there. Most of the ones I’ve seen feature the witches from Hocus Pocus, which I’ve never seen. (That’s probably some sort of sacrilege, I KNOW!) But since I have not seen that movie, here’s a similar themed meme that I most definitely have seen, and still love:

I love how the difference is in their attitudes instead of their costumes or appearance. They’re just so BORED with us all until Halloween season, and then WOW!

Although I remember the original Addams Family TV series, and it was a whole lot of fun, Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia in the 1990s movies (how time flies!) are still my favorites. What about you? What’s your favorite creepy, spooky or Halloween-themed book, TV series or movie? Answer in the rafflecopter for your chance at our usual giveaway prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books.

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For more creepy and spooky prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop

 

Welcome to the Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop, hosted by It Starts At Midnight and Versatileer!

Once upon a time, this was the Month of Books Giveaway Hop, now it’s the Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop, with the hops starting on the days the seasons change. Today is actually the THIRD day of Fall no matter what it looks like where you are. I’m in Atlanta so the leaves have started falling and the cats are FASCINATED!

But the question this season is the same question it’s always been for one of these particular hops. What book or books are you most looking forward to this season?

I’m never looking forward to just one thing when it comes to books. Here are a few that are at the top of my list for this fall of 2023:

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty
Murder Crossed Her Mind by Stephen Spotswood
Shards of Glass by Michelle Sagara
Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

What about you? What books are you most looking forward to this fall? Answer in the rafflecopter for your choice of either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books so you can get one or two of the books on your list!

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For more fabulous fall prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop, hosted by  The Mommy Island & The Kids Did It!

It’s that time again! Or is it? Does it seem like the holiday season starts earlier to you? Is Labor Day too soon? When is it time to put up Christmas decorations? The day after Halloween? The day after Thanksgiving?

Is it too early – please, I sincerely hope it is – for the All Xmas Carol All The Time music channels to start playing everywhere?

When should the holiday season kick off? It seems like a question capable of being endlessly debated, with Thanksgiving and its poor, dried out turkey getting swallowed up in the middle. Maybe someone needs to pull the wishbone to get the best answer!

That IS the question for this hop’s rafflecopter, about when it feels like the holiday season – or what kicks that season off – in your mind. Let us know for a chance at Reading Reality’s usual hop prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in books.

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For more great prizes, whether for the holiday season or just because, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop, hosted by Review Wire Media!

Hello Autumn and Hello Blog Hop! I just found out about this hop late on Sunday, and here we are on Wednesday all ready to welcome in the new season with a giveaway.

As Autumn is football season, it could be said that there’s a ten-yard-penalty for rushing the season, as it won’t officially be autumn until later in the month. Howsomever, any excuse for a blog hop is a good one!

Spring may have sprung several months ago, but Fall is just about to fell – as are all the leaves on the trees if they haven’t started already. Making this the perfect time to start preparing for the season of leaf raking and the cooler temperatures ahead.

Of if you’d rather spend those chillier fall days indoors with a good book – or a bit of cheer from Amazon – enter the rafflecopter for a chance at a bit of one or the other, courtesy of Reading Reality.

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For more fabulous fall prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Glam and Glits Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

I have to talk about the ‘glam’ of this hop rather than the ‘glits’ because I still don’t know what a glit is. Glitter? Glitz? Something along one of those lines, I imagine.

But glamor at least is a word I’m sure of. Isn’t it funny how the definition of what that means changes over the years? Or at least the official definition. I’m pretty sure that ‘glamorousness’ is still in the eye of the beholder – adjacent to but not exactly twinsies with beauty being in the eye of its beholder.

Your mileage may vary, whether it’s glamorous or not.

Enter in the rafflecopter for your chance at one of Reading Reality’s usual prizes, the winner’s choice of either a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in Books. It might not buy a whole lot of glamor but it should be good for a glit or two!

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For more glamorous and/or glitsy prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.