Book Review ~ Deadly Ever After (Lighthouse Library Mystery #8) by Eva Gates @evagatesauthor #CozyMystery @vickidelany

 

About the Book:

Librarian Lucy's wedding is at stake when a murder interrupts her engagement celebrations. To make it down the aisle, she'll have to find the killer to save the date in the 8th book in the Lighthouse Library mysteries.

They're getting married! Lucy Richardson and Connor McNeil have announced their engagement. Their friends throw a party for the couple at Coquina Beach, close to Lucy's beloved Bodie Island Lighthouse Library.

As they're packing up the presents and the (few) leftovers from Josie's Cozy Bakery, who should arrive, but Richard Eric Lewiston III, Lucy's former almost-fiancé and his overbearing mother Evangeline. Push comes to love when Evangeline makes no secret of why she's here: to get Lucy and Ricky back together.

Lucy isn't tempted in the least, and Ricky is nothing but embarrassed at his mother's desperate ploy. Before returning to Boston Evangeline throws a dinner party at Jake's Seafood Bar for a reluctant Lucy and her family. Lucy hopes to get the dinner over with and see Evangeline and Ricky returning to Boson. But when a body is found at the restaurant's kitchen door, Lucy is again forced to unwillingly put on her detective's hat and do what she can to save her family and her engagement. Meanwhile, the classic novel reading club is reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, and open war breaks out in the Lighthouse Library when Lucy agrees to temporarily take care of a dog named Fluffy, but Charles the library cat has other ideas.

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55118926-deadly-ever-after

Purchase from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fzkttr

Book Details:

ASIN : B08FZLW1SB

Publisher : Crooked Lane Books

Publication date : May 11, 2021

Word Wise : Enabled

Print length : 298 pages

My Review:

Lucy and Connor have announced they are engaged and during clean up after their engagement party, some unexpected guests arrive. Lucy's ex, Ricky Lewiston and Evangeline, his mother appear at the tail end of beach party and Evangeline has one agenda: Get Ricky and Lucy back together. Of course, Connor has nothing to worry about, but Ricky's appearance is less than ideal. Ricky doesn't want to get back with Lucy any more than Lucy wants to trade Connor in for Ricky. When Evangeline insists on throwing a dinner party for Lucy, Connor, and Lucy's family, the event takes a disastrous turn. A body is found outside the kitchen door at the restaurant where the dinner party takes place. Now, everyone is a suspect as Lucy investigates the death at the door, especially when there are ties to the new faces in the Outer Banks.

I love the entire Lighthouse Library series and each book is fantastic. The novels are filled with terrific writing, wonderful character interactions, a plausible murder mystery, and include a fantastic and breathtaking setting. I love the anticipation the author creates with the death of the person at the restaurant and the whos and whys. There are so many potential suspects it becomes hard to narrow the list down to any one person. Means, motive, opportunity, lack of alibi all plague those who made it to the list.

Lucy is a wonderful character. She may come from money, but she doesn't act like it or flaunt her family's riches. Her character is down-to-earth and likeable. I enjoy the slow yet progressing relationship the author has built up between Lucy and Connor. She didn't just toss them together in book 1, she nurtured their connection and drew out the romance in a realistic manner. They are sweet together and you can definitely feel their chemistry. The secondary characters are unique in their own way and believable. Oh, and how could I forget about Charles?! The library cat is a delightful addition to the cast.

The story is well paced, enjoyable, and full of suspense, anticipation, joy, and redemption. The author did a wonderful job describing the characters and scenery within the book. I was able to visualize the story as it played out. Deadly Ever After is a fantastic cozy mystery and a wonderful addition to the Lighthouse Library series.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating:

Cozy Mystery Book Review ~ Post Mortem (Mail Carrier Mystery #6) by Tonya Kappes #TonyaKappes @tonyakappes11 #NewRelease

 

About the Book:

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes brings community, friendships, and family together in this heartwarming southern cozy mystery series.

Sugar Creek Gap is a southern small town where everyone puts their differences aside in order to come together for the greater good of the cozy knit community. But when a citizen, Jeff Faulkner, goes missing from the annual Sugar Creek Gap High School fundraiser, the rumor mill starts to turn faster and faster, churning up the past that puts Jeff Faulkner in the spot light.

Bernadette Butler, a local mail carrier, hears all the gossip swirling around while delivering the mail on route. Hearsay says Jeff ran off because his payment for an old gambling debt came due or he ran off with another women making both assumptions irrelevant after Rowena, Bernadette's feline, finds Jeff's lifeless body.

Heartbroken for Jeff's family, Bernie knows all too well what it feels like to become a widow and a son fatherless. Bernie can't help but collect clues with all the gossip flowing faster than she can deliver the mail, putting her smack dab in the middle of the investigation that has more twists and turns than the roads where Bernie drives her mail carrier truck.

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56686555-post-mortem

Purchase from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fOlcWE

Book Details:

ASIN: B08T63MB3W

Publication Date: May 27, 2021

Print Length: 175 pages

My Review:

Post Mortem is the newest cozy mystery in the Mail Carrier Mystery series by Tonya Kappes. When a prominent citizen, Jeff Faulkner goes missing from a golf fundraiser, rumors abound about where he went and why. All that gossip goes by the wayside when he's found dead. With Jeff's murder a whole new strain of rumors begins. Bernie begins to collect information to find out what really happened to Jeff.

The author did a fantastic job introducing potential suspects in the murder of Jeff. There were means, motive, and opportunity for everyone. I had a hard time trying to figure out who committed the crime. Every time a suspect was identified, something or someone was able to come up with an alibi for that person.

The characters are likable, realistic, and I loved them. The author tossed in a few other side stories to continue the small-town feel of the series. I enjoyed the story and how the author threw in red herrings to keep the reader guessing. I was also able to visualize the story as I read along.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating:

Book #Review ~ Al Dente's Inferno (Tuscan Cooking School Mystery, Book #1) by Stephanie Cole @BerkleyMystery #Cozy #Mystery

Book Details:

Print Length: 304 pages

Publisher: Berkley 

Publication Date: February 25, 2020

Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC

ASIN: B07TQKN23G

Amazon

About the Book:

An American chef will have to serve up more than good eats if she wants to establish a successful farm-to-table cooking school in Tuscany, in this charming first installment in a new cozy mystery series set in Italy.

When Nell Valenti is offered a chance to move to Tuscany to help transform an aging villa into a farm-to-table cooking school, she eagerly accepts. After all, both her job and her love life in America have been feeling stale. Plus, she'll get the chance to work under the acclaimed Italian Chef Claudio Orlandini.

But Nell gets more than she bargained for when she arrives. With only a day to go until the launch dinner for the cooking school, the villa is in shambles, and Chef O is blissfully oblivious of the work that needs to be done before a group of local dignitaries arrive, along with a filmmaker sent to showcase and advertise the new school. The situation only worsens when Nell discovers that the filmmaker is an ex-boyfriend, and he’s found murdered later that night. Even worse, Chef O has disappeared, and accusations of murder could shut the school down for good.

As tensions reach a boiling point at the villa, Nell must throw her chef's hat into the ring, and investigate the murder herself. Because if she fails to solve the case, her career, or even her life, could be next on the chopping block. 

My Review:

American chef Nell Valenti jumps at the chance to move to Italy and help her idol, Chef Claudio Orlandini open a farm-to-table cooking school. Leaving her stagnating career and disinterested parents, Nell eagerly accepts the job offer. When she arrives, Nell walks into a disaster zone. There is only one day until the kickoff dinner and Villa Orlandini is a wreck. The dinner is hosting several dignitaries and a filmmaker who will be featuring the new school. Making matters worse is the arrival of Nell’s ex, who happens to be the filmmaker, and his subsequent murder later that evening.

Al Dente’s Inferno is book 1 in the Tuscan Cooking School Mystery series by Stephanie Cole. The book was an engaging story with likable characters and a believable mystery. Nell is a hard-working American trying to get a culinary school in Italy off the ground. She’s at a serious disadvantage due to her lack of knowledge and fluency in the native language of Italian. She’s not completely devoid of the language and there are some employees and residents of the Villa that speak English. Nell is written with realism and her interactions with everyone fit the way a professional in a less-than-perfect situation would act.

The mystery surrounding the murder of Nell’s ex was well thought out. The suspects were plenty, even if unlikely and/or not plausible. The lead up to and reveal of the murderer, along with the means and motive, were plotted well. I had a slight inkling of who did it, but I wasn't 100% sure who the culprit was until closer to the reveal. Nell's amateur investigation produced far-fetched theories and her snooping around was borderline illegal, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

I found the story interesting and engaging. There was plentiful character development and wonderful world building. I was able to visualize every element of the story including the mouth-watering recipes. I'm excited to see what happens at Villa Orlandini in the next book.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating: