This is book 2 in the Murder by Month mystery series and this series is being re-released. I d the protagonist better in the first book than this one, but the way it ended left me hope I will her more again in future books. Mira is continuing to work as the librarian and reporter in the small town where she is house sitting for her best friend. In the middle of the night she was surprised in bed by Jason, an old friend of her best friend, who she can’t stand. He’s back visiting because of a contest to find a replica of a necklace that went missing under suspicious circumstances. The person who finds it and opens the box it’s in will get 5000 dollars. Mira knows something more than meets the eye is going on with Jason and what happened back in the day when the jewelry went missing. I that these mystery books have humor woven in. I Mira as an amateur detective and I was glad to see she gained some gumption to protect herself in this one. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up because I have a soft spot for a librarian amateur sleuth. 23 s Megyn332 8

June Bug is the next book in the Murder by Month Mystery series that follows a woman who moves to a small Minnesota town and becomes a librarian. She keeps stumbling onto different mysteries in this small town. This one is about a missing necklace and people diving in the lake to find it for a competition.

I these books. They are quick reads with a bit of humor, a bit of romance, and some mystery. I all of the unique small town characters. I also love the small town, I would love to live in a small town this one. It reminds me of Gilmore Girls or something that. I loved the description of the nature settings as well.

I think the mystery was good too. It had a few different mysteries sprinkled in and it kept me interested throughout the story. Some of it was maybe just a bit dramatic but it didn't take away from my reading experience.

My biggest complaint is that I feel some of the dialogue was just a bit weird. I feel some of it just didn't feel real.

I did still enjoy this one and I'll continue on with the series! It is a cute series and I can't wait to continue.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!10 s Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading)935 11

Easy, fun summer read... I already have the next book in this series ready to read... chick-lit cosy-mystery fiction6 s The Honest Book Reviewer1,217 21

The second book in the Murder by Month mystery series, and I'm starting to wonder about how the author is linking the protagonist to the mystery. I didn't really buy into the motivation for Mira to get involved in the hunt for the jewels in this book. The structure of the mystery was fine, but the impetus for her involvement, that seemed just to be because of spite, felt strange for a mystery series this.

Part of me acknowledges that this book is probably meeting its brief. It's touted as a romantic comedy mystery. Maybe it depends on the humour you enjoy? I don't mind a bit of slapstick comedy, but not thrown at me for the entire book.

What we're given is a mystery that turns into a treasure hunt and has a coded message to solve. If anything in a mystery is going to grab my attention, those two elements will. But it's not the elements in the book, it's the characters and the plot that were lacking. The same issues I had with book one are prominent in the second book. Far too many of the characters are just too quirky. I wasn't enthralled with the comedic attempts - found them too forced. And much of it wasn't really funny at all. No doubt there are other readers who will find it funny, but this just feels too Stephanie Plum for me. And I looked up June bugs, or June beetles (which I think they are called), and why would the author have the protagonist colliding with one and being knocked out? That scene alone is enough to emphasise issues the the plot. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but having a June beetle hit your head is not going to knock you out and give you a huge lump on your head that is prominent for days. Am I wrong?

What saves this book for me are three things. The author included a threat that did seem real to the protagonist. Secondly, the action at the end. You could feel suspense in that scene. It was strong and well written. From that scene I could tell the author knew how to write. I just wish the rest of the book was written in that way. The final thing is, despite my thoughts on how quirky the characters are, the author is giving me a sense of community in this small town, and that feels real. And I think small town settings need that sense. It's vital for making the setting more realistic.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book for a review.2024 mystery3 s Karen1,770 38

This is a very fast read.

I just had to google a june bug to see what it looks . I find it hard to imagine contact with one resulting in an injury as described in this book.

There is a lot of oogling of the opposite sex in the beginning. Just not my thing. It tapers off as the action takes place but is involved with the ending. Not really integral to the plot.

The plot is very imaginative and the violence is not excessive. This is a fun series that most of my reading group is planning to approach to read December Dread.

I will get there too eventually.

I bought a copy of this installment in the series because the library did not have a copy.free-ebook not-in-pls own-copy3 s Sonia Rudolph30 2

This book made me laugh out loud while reading it. It's a funny series with some am sleuthing thrown in. Chech it out. 3 s Kevin751 15

Mira James and the residents of Battle Lake, Minnesota, are growing on me. Looking forward to the next book in the Murder-by-Month series.3 s Megan200

I LOVED Bloodline and Unspeakable Things, but YEESH I don't know if I'm going to be able to get through this first series of books Jess Lourey wrote when she was very obviously still green as a writer. I rounded up the stars for book 1 in the series because the afterward was so sweet and cool, explaining she knew it wasn't great but it had been personally significant to her as a coping strategy to get through a traumatic time of her life. And while this second one is better written as a whole and far less cringy crass, I struggled even more to finish it than I did the first one. I guess knowing the characters in this one made the uneven story and shallow characterizations seem even more campy and silly. And I really don't the main character at all, which makes it very hard to care. I bought a bundle that included the first 4 of this 12 part series, but I don't know if I can do another. I am not looking forward to another ridiculous plot with still way too much awkwardly inserted sex stuff about characters that are genuinely unble. I am absolutely NOT a prude, but one of the things I hate most in arts, entertainment, advertising, or conversation is anything done just for the sake of shock value. While she harnesses this and the small-town weirdness expertly in her later books, in these? Not so much.2 s Amy D.80 8 Read

This series is pretty darn funny and quirky for a mystery series, maybe even cute, if that can be used to describe a mystery series. Having read the books for July, May and now June (in that order), I plan on continuing. Mira's adventures in small town Battle Lake, MN are a bit addictive for me, and I'm excited to see what body she stumbles upon next.

Plenty of little one-liners - "'... and come alone, or I'll disappear dust in the wind.' Good lord. What sort of self-respecting circus performer quoted Kansas?"

And plenty of self-deprecation (but not in a whiny way), "If you look up 'dumb' in the dictionary, you would see as the definition 'one who meets a carnival performer on the lam in a secluded area at midnight.'"

And I don't have a handy example, but the descriptions of some of the side characters are usually quite creative and off beat (un the basic adjectives I'm using here!)

I'm not sure why these didn't take off Jess Lourey's other books, but I'm ready to book a trip to Battle Lake, MN just because of them! (Also, to the publisher or whomever makes these decisions - why not audio books?)seasonal-and-holidays2 s Courtney212 28

I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with the series after the first book, but I love the idea of monthly-themed cozy mysteries, so I gave it a shot. I didn't love the story. There were some darker elements that stretch a little outside the cozy subgenre. However, it's the way the main character talked about men that made it a DNF for me. It was a little vulgar and distasteful. It's definitely a personal preference, but it's not for me. There are too many other books I'd rather be reading.dnf z-20212 s Jody Blanchette821 56

Mira James is back in another Murder by Month book! I fell in love with her character in the introduction book, May Day. Now I find I adore her just a little more in this book. I feel she is an old friend, who calls once a month to catch up.
Mira is a reporter/ librarian, and now a treasure hunter, lol. This girl has many tricks up her sleeve, and always surprises. Didn’t know she could scuba, especially since she’s in Minnesota. But I’m here for it. When she’s not diving for treasure, she’s finding bodies and trying not to get murdered. lol I love the trouble she gets into and her determination to get answers.
I laughed out loud a little too much, panicked in certain situations, and frantically page turned to see how this story was going to turn out. Now I’m ready for the next book! 1 Candi47 5

This book made me laugh out loud. The first book in the series was humorous, but this one topped it. I'm looking forward to reading the other 10 books in the series.2024-new-to-me1 Ann1,436

This book is wrong on so many levels: 1) Mira James is surprised when a man climbs into bed with her but doesn't do anything but yell at him and even fixes him breakfast. 2) She goes diving alone and almost drowns when she gets tangled up in ropes. 3) She thinks it is OK to walk into a hotel room and search it without permission from either the guest or the owner. 4) She agrees to meet someone she doesn't know alone at midnight on the edge of a lake. I could go on. This book attempts to be witty and funny but falls flat. It is an OK read but the mystery isn't good and you know who did it and why so it is not a very interesting read. I won't waste my time on any of the others.1 MasterGamgee1,437 22 Read

I felt I walked into a conversation already in progress with the start of this book. The heroine woke up early one morning and found a man in her bed. She wondered how he got there, and so did I. It was never really explained how this guy managed to get into this woman's trailer. Turns out she knew him from years before. She fed him food before he left. Then I find out this guy presumably would have raped her years earlier if he wasn't interrupted. Huh?? She fed him? Talked civilly with him?

Sorry, I want to read a story with a smart character, not a stupid doormat.did-not-finish1 Minnesinger829

This is the second book in the series. Not as dark as book 1. It appears that some readers assume this is a “cozy” series, but it’s not, strictly speaking. There is plenty of humor, but there is a lot of not-sweet-or-cute-at-all, too. Plenty of humor, which is why publishers compare Lourey with Janet Evanovich, but there are also more than a few instances of darkness: mainly abusive men. This may be small town Minnesota, but “Minnesota Nice” is a myth.

You just have to be willing to accept that there are dark parts in the book—which makes this and the other books in the series more real, less ‘cozy’. But I don’t want to dissuade anyone from the series: examples abound of humorous small town life. I nearly choked laughing when I first realized this was set in Ottertail County, MN, because I have a 2nd cousin who lives there and my family visited theirs a few times during the summer during my childhood. Lakes are ubiquitous in Minnesota; you can’t avoid them here. Minnesotans head to their lake cabins in summer lemmings to the sea.

Lourey is a hoot—she absolutely nails the characteristics of small town people. These folks are from Minnie-SO-tah, though, doncha know. (Ja sure, you betcha!) Lourey is a cross between Evanovich and Garrison Keillor and Lorna Landvik. ;)

June bugs are real, btw— giant flying beetles, the size of cockroaches. Gross! I remember more than a few times growing up when one would fly into me, smacking me in the face. Not hard enough to bruise, but still… Yeesh! Just another one of the many joys of rural America—ha.library-librarian-archivist-fiction mystery-murder-fiction romance-contemp-funny-fiction ...more Kristen2,089 148

In Jess Lourey's June Bug, the 2nd installment in the Murder-by-Month Mystery cozy mystery series, this tale will keep you in suspense and at the edge of your seat. A month after Mira's boyfriend Jeff was found murdered, life was never a dull moment for her at Battle Lake Minnesota. While she wouldn't mind lended a hand with the local paper, there was a story about a contest to find the legend of a fake pasty diamond at the bottom of the lake. At first, Mira had a run-in with someone from her past to stir things up, namely Jason Blunt. Then when she went diving to the lake, she uncovered a fake corpse to propel people away from looking for buried and lost treasure. She had ran into some nefarious people and ran into snags along the way. While there was a report about Mrs. Krupps at age 103 had passed away, her philanthropy had became legandary with her missing husband who had strangely disappeared. She also tried to piece together the mystery, when there was a circus act in town and someone had "faked" his death to stir up new buzz to promote new business. But that's when Mira had gotten entangled with being part of another "disappearing" act and ended up in the woods. As she prepared to solve the cryptic mystery, there was a kidnapping, and then she had to fight for her life with her own hands.2017 serial-cozy Suzi (Lil Bit Reads)598 48

Welcome back to Battle Lake, Minnesota for the second installment of Jess Lourey’s Murder by the Month series. June finds the town gearing up for a local treasure hunt of sorts – a faux diamond has been hidden in the depths of nearby Whiskey Lake, and the lucky person who finds it will win a prize of five thousand dollars! But it’s not the only treasure in the area; legend has it that an eccentric woman (and rumored thief) hid a stash of stolen jewels somewhere around town.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries but have sometimes wished for one with a bit more edge, you just might enjoy June Bug and the Murder by the Month series. (If you’re a cozy reader who s their cozies without any language, this one might not be for you.) Mira is such an appealing character, feisty and independent, with a saucy and sweary sense of humor. We get to see some of the same characters from May Day as well as meet some quirky new ones. I found this installment a bit slow, feeling nothing much happened for almost half the story, but overall, I still enjoyed this quick, lighthearted read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of this book.
netgalley Liz V.840 18

A librarian started me on this series, which I have read out of order so perhaps the improvement in the later books offset the silliness of this one. The humor has always been over the top but irritatingly so in this book.

The owners of a local bed and breakfast persuade a newspaper to run a contest to find a fake diamond, based on the loss of a real jewel years before in the lake on which the inn is located.

Mira had no clue about the contest, despite being a part time reporter, and must play catchup. A treasure hunt is not the only game in town, however, and soon bodies--fake and otherwise--are showing up.

On the whole, the story is interesting enough. What boggles my mind is that Mira, who has neither been married nor had a child, decides that a single mother is too strict and, therefore, sneaks the child treats and books, all without a clue whether there are food allergies or other issues dictating the mother's decisions, aside from any parental rights.
Sue1,108 16

June Bug is a decided improvement over May Day. It's much less crass, though it still has its moments. Here, Mira James is now the full time librarian and more than part time reporter. Local legend has it that many years ago, a large diamond was lost in the lake near a favorite resort. A contest is sponsored to find a fake diamond (planted in the lake by said sponsor) in its honor.

Lots of people show up, including Jason, a friend of Sunny, who tried to assault Mira years ago. One of my big problems with this story is Mira's attitude toward him. She is creeped out by him but never reports him (back then or when he vandalizes her home). He is abusive, but no one wants to report him so he continues to hurt people.

This is still not a family friendly book, but it is fairly entertaining. Diane568 11

I'm being rather lazy about reviewing the books in this series individually. I binge read the entire 12 books after starting with the last one. While some were better than others, the series in general is a light-hearted, wacky, veering into politically incorrectness mystery series focusing on Mira James, a young, dysfunctional woman who not only stumbles into a new home complete with a dog, and new employment but oh, also just happens to become an amateur detective by finding a dead body each month. Her sidekick is a feisty octogenarian, Mrs. Berns who keeps her honest. This might not be a series for everyone, but it kept me entertained and I was sorry to see it end.

May Day
June Bug
Knee High by the Fourth of July
August Moon
September Mourn
October Fest
November Hunt
December Dread
January Thaw
February Fever
March of Crime
April Fools
Farah G1,117 25

This is the second in a series of monthly mysteries penned by Jess Lourey, and will have appeal for those who love cosy mysteries.

We catch up with the protagonist of the previous book in this series titled May Day. Mira James is now apart time reporter, and caught up in the treasure hunt in the small town of Battle Lake. But the search for the fake diamond hidden in the waters of the lake is sidelined by an entirely unexpected discovery for Mira...

While the storytelling here is un Lourey's usual style of exploring secrets and lies, it does reflect her established skills in creating eccentric characters. The humour is also well done, the book providing an introduction to midwestern culture as practiced in Minnesota.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Kari348 9

June Bug by Lourey was an entertaining, easy mystery read. This is a perfect mystery book to get you into the summer spirit. It follows Mira as she tracks the story of a necklace being left in the lake for a promotion based on a previous real event in town. As with other mystery series, there were little side quests that helped tie up the overall mystery in a neat little bow. For me, the best part of the story was the overall cast of characters. There were so many unique personalities that Mira found herself surrounded by that made it easy to connect with Mira and her Minnesota town. Lourey also added some pretty great lines that will have you laughing as you read. I had the audiobook for June Bug and while I enjoyed Jennifer Jill Araya’s narration, I think this book could easily be enjoyed either way. Araya did well bringing Mira’s quirky personality to life. This is perfect for cozy mystery fans especially for those that enjoy matching their read to the season.
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ALC courtesy of Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing Kristi Lamont1,781 58

BOOK REPORT
”Good lord. What kind of self-respecting circus performer quoted Kansas lyrics?”

I don’t know why those lines made me laugh out loud as hard I did, but here I am, wondering if Jess Lourey is as funny in real life as she is on the page. I sure hope so.

June Bug was ridiculous, and in many ways wildly implausible, and none of that prevented me from enjoying it a great deal and wishing I could go straight to the third in the Murder by Month series.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get my hands on a copy of it until June 25, 2024, which is when my Amazon pre-order will be fulfilled with delivery of Knee High by the Fourth of July to my Kindle app.

Something to look forward to!

PS
I’m still taking this series one book at a time, not going ahead and pre-ordering all the others. A bet-hedger, that’s me!
1 Nicole Shaw705 10

Reading Between the Wines book review #45/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3
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