Book Review of 'Bleeding Heart Librarian' by Jackie Layton

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

How is it possible that we’re already in the middle of May?! The busy spring season is in full swing, and I am doing my best to keep my head on straight. I hope everyone is staying happy and healthy and living in all the amazing moments that come along during this time of year.

Today I am featuring a novel that is perfect to escape into on a lazy spring afternoon, so I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this cozy mystery and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Bleeding Heart Librarian by Jackie Layton, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Bleeding Heart Librarian
Series: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery #3
Author: Jackie Layton
Publisher: Level Best Books
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Emma Justice is friends with the local librarian and brings her extra flowers once a week. On a hot July morning, when people are gathered outside the closed library past opening time, Emma calls the police. The librarian’s body is found in the building and beside the body is a pink and white bleeding heart plant.

Tess Carranza was a lovely person dedicated to children and patrons of the library in Lutz, Texas. Tess recently confided to Emma about her fear someone was using the library to gather information to commit crimes. Emma didn’t get the entire story from Tess before her death, but now she’s determined to stop the crime and catch Tess’s killer.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Review

Bleeding Heart Librarian is the third book in the Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery series and is a pretty decent whodunit. I am newer to the cozy mystery genre, and with that, there are adjustments to my thought process that had to be made while I was reading that are still a struggle, one being having to suspend reality, as this is by no means a story grounded in reality. Once I got past this fact and focused on the “investigation,” my reading became more enjoyable.

There is quite a bit of predictability, but I enjoyed this cozy mystery with its quirky and colorful characters, its picturesque setting (who doesn’t love the library of a charming small town?), and overall cozy feel. Though I read this as a standalone novel, I do feel like I would’ve benefited from reading the first two novels in the series before delving into this book.

It was nice to see a conclusion with a satisfying happily-ever-after and a surprise revelation that I hadn’t been expecting. With a hint of romance and an amateur sleuth that refuses to give up no matter what, Bleeding Heart Librarian is a winner.

My Rating: ★★★★

About the Author

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina, where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. Jackie always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Many of her ideas come from people watching and watching Dateline and American Greed.

Connect with Jackie by visiting jackielaytoncozyauthor.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a Texas-and-flower themed prize bundle which includes an ebook of Bleeding Heart Librarian, a $5 Starbucks card, lip balm and holder, a blue and white bag, a fabric coaster, a designer Wet-It swedish cleaning cloth, a journal, a car coaster and an alarm key chain!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight May 19, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 26, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!