40) Fate of the Fallen by Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible Study Group are enjoying a glorious summer day in the park, complete with picnic, hiking, swimming, and a local bluegrass band. But Cooper knows that no good day goes unpunished, and when a man turns up dead in the nearby woods—and the sister of Cooper’s fiancé is named as the prime suspect—the group may have to trade in their prayers of thanks for pleas of divine intervention.

Cooper knows her future sister-in-law is innocent, so when the police arrest her for the murder, the Bible study group must step in to catch the real killer and prevent a grave injustice. Following a twisted trail of clues that leads to a hit-and-run driver, a homeless veteran, and a park full of suspects who may hold more secrets than solutions, Cooper must hold firm to her spiritual convictions before an innocent woman faces a conviction of a more earthly nature.

My Thoughts :

The Hope Street Church Mysteries have been a pleasure to read and the first four books were well written with great plots.  However this fifth book in the series, while enjoyable enough to read, lacked some serious skills which left me wondering if Ellery Adams really had any input in this book because I know from experience that she can write much better mystery plots.

So the story wasn't that bad and the plot wasn't too much of a stretch.  A day in the park, running into the sister of Cooper's fiance, having fun and then finding a body.  It all went like you expected with the main suspect being connected to the Bible Study group and them having to get involved to find the real murderer.  However there were huge clues, clues that were mentioned with great emphasis and they still weren't followed by the group.  

It was frustrating that a huge song and dance was constantly made about a certain tracking item but nobody, none of the clever mystery solvers, even thought about check it out in more detail. There were other things that stood out in this fifth installment and it had me mentally screaming at the characters to finally figure things out.  Especially with the authors plainly pointing out the obvious for the reader to see.  It went on for practically the whole book.  

Other than this difference to the mystery dynamic, I did enjoy the book.  It is  full of nice, interesting and unusual characters who constantly keep you entertained as a reader.   Despite the Church angle there is hardly any religious references in this cozy mystery with the aspect centered around a Bible Study group and their involvement in the mysteries.   So anyone who feels put off by the Religious series twist shouldn't be.  It is hardly there.

Well worth reading if you are a fan of Ellery Adams.  I am not sure how much she really offers to the series now that she has taken up a partner to write with but she invented the series and founded the basis so there is a lot of her work still in there.

I hope there will be at least one more book in the series and look forward to seeing how things pan out for Cooper.  I hope she gets a nice happy ending even if there is a murder mystery to solve while getting it.

30) The Root Of All Evil by Ellery Adams and Elizabeth Lockard

The Blurb :

Cooper Lee has never been happier. She has terrific friends at Bible study, a great boyfriend in Nathan, and best of all, a new niece or nephew on the way. But storm clouds are gathering when a string of church robberies comes to Hope Street and an art teacher is found dead in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong. With Halloween approaching, Cooper’s beginning to think there are far more tricks than treats coming her way.

No sooner do she and her friends step in to help the police unearth a killer than they discover a con artist among their flock. Lost in a morass of confusing clues—and even more confusing signals from Nathan—Cooper’s not sure which way to turn. With the stakes so high, she sends up a prayer for some divine guidance, because Cooper knows that sometimes it takes the help of a higher power to bring down the lowest form of evildoer.

My Thoughts :

I am very behind on my reading and it showed when I went to read a review copy of a Hope Street Mystery and realised it was book five and I hadn't read book four yet.  So I found my copy of The Root Of All Evil and gave it my full attention.

Ellery Adams is a well known cozy mystery writer but this series is one of her older ones.  This fourth book however seems to be a newer addition to revive/continue the series and also has another author credited.  Now I can imagine why Ellery needs some help with this series, after all she has how many others she is busy with?  But I have to admit seeing another name made me very wary but it turned out fine.  I didn't notice another writer and the book felt just like the previous installments.

Many people would be put off by the so called theme of this cozy.  The Hope Street Church angle and the Bible study mention in the blurb may keep some fans away.  However I have to say that this series is not at all preachy or religious.  There are references now and again but this isn't in your face god and bible quotes.  Just a general theme, a location and some very nice characters to back things up.

This time around the mystery plot was a little dry but it was still interesting.  The smaller mystery going on at Cooper's workplace was a nice touch but easily solved.  Copper's sister was a nice diversion but Cooper's relationship angst was a little annoying.  The con woman twist was a nice plot thickening but the guy who outed her seemed to disappear from the story altogether and I don't even remember his name now.  I hoped he would play a bigger part in everything.

A nice read, a pleasant enough mystery and an interesting continuing story.  I am looking forward to seeing what book five brings to the series and wonder what trouble Cooper can get herself involved with this time.  Well worth checking out if you like this author.

27) Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Ella Mae LeFaye’s delicious pies are still drawing long lines—as well as the attention of Beatrice Burbank, president of the Camellia Club, a philanthropic organization comprised of high-society Southern ladies from the charming and affluent town of Sweet Briar, Georgia. To ensure the success of their centennial dessert cookbook, Bea hires Ella Mae to teach the tasty tricks of her trade to the club’s members at their annual retreat. Eager to work on new recipes for customers with food allergies and dietary restrictions, Ella Mae readily agrees.

But when Ella Mae finds Bea’s body floating in Lake Havenwood, she wonders what she’s gotten herself mixed up in. Someone certainly wanted Bea to eat humble pie, and the retreat offers no shortage of unsavory characters, including Ella Mae’s longtime nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor. Ella Mae definitely doesn’t need magic to tell her she must find the killer before someone else gets panned.

My Thoughts :

I will start off this review by saying that I really love this cozy author.  She has some amazing paranormal cozies under her belt and also some great regular cozies too.   I have enjoyed all of her books so far and I actually have a couple more of her books on my to be read pile that need my attention.  However I picked this one to read first because I have always enjoyed the series.

This time around I have to say I wasn't as impressed as I have been with the previous books.  I wasn't too happy with how the last installment ended but this latest release (which comes out next week) wasn't my favourite so far.  There was a severe lack of the magical and a very dragged out mystery that wasn't very exciting.

While I did enjoy reading more of Ellery Adams work I have to say that the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries are not turning out to be what I hoped.  The first few books were excellent but now the series seems to be taking a weird turn.  Despite having a lovely ending, some lovely characters and a nice location, Breach of Crust fell short of my expectations and I feel sad having to write not so positive review.

A nice read but not as good as some of Ellery's other books.  Make sure you check out this installment if you have been following the series.  Maybe I didn't enjoy it but that doesn't mean nobody else will.  Also make sure you check out some of the books by this author.  She can write a great cozy and they all prove that.

117) Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Jane Steward is organizing a week of activities for fans of love stories at her book-themed resort. But her Regency readers barely have time to brush up on their Jane Austen before tragedy strikes Storyton Hall. Rosamund York, one of the most celebrated authors in attendance, is killed.

Rosamund had as many enemies as she did admirers, including envious fellow novelists, a jealous former lover, and dozens of angry fans. It’s up to Jane, with the help of her book club, the Cover Girls, to catalogue the list of suspects and find a heartless killer quickly—before the murderer writes someone else off…

My Thoughts :

I think I need to stop pre-ordering books.  Why?  Because it isn't worth having them arrive asap on my Kindle.  This newest addition to the Book Retreat Mysteries releases back in August and I pre-ordered it...and only just got around to reading it.  Oh and I only read it because I was too lazy to go check which book was up next on my review reading list.

All that said and done, this was a nice read.  I love the concept and like the fact that the leading lady has children amongst other responsibilities.  All too often the leading character has no dependents or ones they can just ignore.  With Jane actually invested in everything it means she comes across as more realistic than many of the characters we meet in so many other books.

Murder in the Paperback Parlor is only the second book in the series and despite there being a nice helpful map at the front of the book it didn't help me really envisage how the village looks.  Also I am finding it really hard to decide how Storyton Hall looks with all the secret places.  The author does a great job of describing it all but obviously my imagination is keeping things to small because the places seems to be huge.

The plot was interesting enough and well thought out just like any Ellery Adams mystery.  The author is a pro and knows how to write a great cozy, after all she has quite a few of them under her belt already.  The continuing story of revolving around Jane and Storyton will keep me coming back for more from this series but I have to say this isn't my favourite series by this author.

Ellery Adams continues to be one of my favourite cozy mystery writers and I look forward to reading more of her books.  There are still a couple on my Kindle and I can't wait to catch up with her other series I enjoy so much.    I also look forward to the next Book Retreat installment.  It will be interesting to see where the author takes this series and how many murders the place can suffer before it starts losing guests....

68) Lethal Letters by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Everyone’s got their hands full in Oyster Bay, North Carolina. Aside from two upcoming weddings, there’s also the historical society’s annual fund-raiser: the Secret Garden Party and Candlelit Ball. Adding to the excitement, Olivia witnesses the discovery of a time capsule in the foundation of a local church. The historical society president hopes to display its contents at their party, but when the items are finally revealed to the public, Olivia notices one of them has vanished.

After a frightening find beneath the pier—the body of Ruthie Holcomb—Olivia is certain there’s a connection between the young woman’s death and the missing piece from the time capsule. With the help of her fellow Bayside Book Writers, Olivia sets out to uncover some clues and ensure a killer has no reason to celebrate…

My Thoughts :

I have been following this series since it began and even though I had this sixth book on pre-order, it somehow got lost on my Kindle among all the other to be read books.  So while I could have read this back in November I have finally read it now, over six months later.  It isn't a bad thing though.  Now I won't have to wait as long for book seven.

Once again Olivia does a great job of accidentally getting involved in a murder case.  With her fiancé doing the legal route of investigation, Olivia has the time and means to go around asking questions in all the right places and piece together a motive and find the killer.  There are always some interesting twists and turns along the way and the Bayside Book Writers are eager to help.

However this time around I was pretty sure I knew the solution straight away and I was actually right.  It didn't take me long to solve the case and it was quite frustrating to see everyone looking for more answers when I found it was all right there in front of them.   The mystery was good though.  The time capsule was a great start to things and despite figuring things out quickly it was nice to see the history of everything unraveling.  I knew who but the why wasn't completely clear till later in the book.

On the other side of things there was some wonderful developments with the regular characters and some new ones.  The on-going story of the Bayside Book Writers is very compelling and the visit to Oyster Bay is always a lovely getaway.  The writer always manages to make me want to visit Oyster Bay and her fun doggy character Haviland nearly has me turning into a dog lover.

A great series and a must read cozy mystery.  Ellery Adams is one of the best in the genre and I can't get enough of her books.  I am looking forward to the next installment and will make sure to keep catching up with her other books while waiting.

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57) A Killer Collection by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

In the world of antiques and collectibles, it helps to have a sharp eye for quality, a good ear for gossip, and a nose for murder.

Molly Appleby is a young writer for Collector’s Weekly, and when the attractive reporter isn’t covering auctions and antique shows all over the South, she’s trying to get her new relationship with a coworker off the ground. When her latest assignment takes her to North Carolina pottery country to cover an exclusive kiln opening, she’s certain the show promises surprising offerings and rare finds. What she doesn’t expect to find is a dead body.

George-Bradley Staunton is known throughout the antiques world as a very wealthy and very ruthless collector, and when he drops dead just after the opening, there are all too few mourners and a seemingly endless list of suspects. When the local police are stumped, Molly steps in to put her journalist’s nose to work sniffing out the culprit. But no sooner does she start collecting clues than another dead body falls into her lap.

As Molly digs beneath the genteel surface of antiques and collectibles, she finds a world filled with backstabbing and competition, and what started as a story about rare collections might leave Molly with nothing more than a collection of corpses.

My Thoughts :

When some authors finally make a name for themselves their previous books will often get re-released. This is what seems to be happening for Ellery Adams.  Her Hope Street Mysteries have already been released again and now her Collectable Mysteries are also back out. So J.B. Stanley is just a blast from the past and the name Ellery Adams is showing up on more books.

Even though Killer Collection was originally released nearly ten years ago this new edition released just after Christmas and I will admit it has taken me a while to get around to reading it. I was looking forward to trying another series by this author and was interested to see if this is as good as her other works.  She has proven to me that she used to write great cozies before changing her pen name but would this series also hold the same tantalizing twists and turns that make a good mystery.  Would the amateur sleuth manage to be as likable as the other characters I have had the pleasure of solving mysteries with?

While Killer Collection was a fascinating read it didn't manage to rise up to the heights of my previous encounters with the author.  I am not saying this was bad but it isn't the best offering I have read by this author.  I found it hard to keep track of the characters and was confused by some of the time frame.  Also the storytelling wasn't as fluid and well thought out as I am used to.  The characters were ok and I did enjoy the mystery. The pottery theme was interesting enough but I hope the next book isn't just about those kinds of antiques/collectibles.

All in all it wasn't a bad read but it came across as not quite as polished as I am used to.  A good start to the series but one that could put off people from reading further into the series.  Now that there are so many cozies out there to choose from this one seems of low standard.  If people realise this is a re-release then they will hopefully understand the slight amateur feeling to this one but I fear anyone trying Ellery Adams for the first time may not continue to read her books and will miss out on the really amazing mysteries she has written.

I will check out the next in the series at some point.  I am intrigued to see how this series develops and if it manages to find its feet.

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45) Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Ella Mae LeFaye’s Charmed Pie Shoppe has become a phenomenon beyond her wildest dreams, providing the enchanted town of Havenwood, Georgia, with spellbinding desserts and magical pies. Her personal life is also heating up as she takes on the responsibilities of leadership within her magical community. In fact, the only thing weighing her down is the fact that handsome Hugh Dylan won’t return her calls…

Still, when Havenwood is rocked by a series of mysterious deaths, Ella Mae must put romantic longings aside—especially when she realizes that the mystical symbols left at each crime scene are dangerously personal. Now she will have to whip up all her supernatural skills to uncover a killer out to settle an ancient score—before the murderer devastates everything Ella Mae is determined to protect…

My Thoughts :

The fourth book in the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series was a pre-order book and I was looking forward to this tasty treat.  However this wasn't my favourite so far.  In fact there were some very depressing moments and a few events that made me worry about the direction this series is going.  The cozy mystery feels more like Paranormal Urban Fantasy and the magical fun is more doom and gloom this time around.

Despite the black clouds there was enough sunshine in this book to make it worth reading and to give it four stars.  The characters continue to be darling and the author makes things cute and cheerful when she can.  The pie aspect is delicious and I wish I had the means to go off and get a slice or two from the tasty wares in this Charmed Pie Shoppe.  The business seems to be booming and I love how the recipes are added in the back of the book.

So much happened in this fourth installment and it is hard to accept some of the revelations that took place.  It will be extremely interesting to see how things continue in the series and I wonder what Ella Mae will do with her new situation.  She seemed ok with things but I don't think it will last.  There were some very dangerous events in this book so I also hope everyone will be feeling better in the next book.

While this wasn't my favourite in the series so far it was still a magical read.  I am enjoying the series and while I would prefer the usual cozy murder mystery plot that I am used to from this author I can see why she is making this series stand out more.  It is after all paranormal and can therefore be more dramatic and go in different directions.  So I also have to admire her flair for the nice helping of history and fantasy she has woven into this book and the series.

Well worth checking out if you like anything magical and fantasy related also a definite must read for cozy mystery lovers who know and love Ellery's other amazing series.

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16) The Graves of the Guilty by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee is on top of the world, thanks to her great friends at Hope Street Church and the satisfaction of having solved two perplexing mysteries. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, she’s hoping that love is in the air for her and her new boyfriend, Nathan. But Cooper’s faith is about to be tested when her sister, Ashley, discovers a corpse and is implicated in the gruesome murder. And just as troubling, a darkly handsome and exciting man has come into Cooper’s life and just might tempt her to stray.

As Cooper and her friends from the Bible study group once again spring into action to root out a killer—and Cooper digs deep to solve a more personal mystery—she discovers that following the clues is raising more questions than answers. But one thing’s for certain: when cold-blooded criminals mess with Cooper’s family and friends, the killers haven’t got a prayer.

Or is there?

As if things weren’t bad enough, Rose’s older sister Violet is going through a mid-life crisis. Violet insists that Rose stop seeing her sexy new boyfriend, Arkansas state detective Joe Simmons and date other men. Rose is done letting people boss her around, but she can’t commit to Joe either. Still, Rose isn’t about to let the best thing in her life slip away.

My Thoughts :

The Hope Street Mysteries have been very enjoyable reads.  I am really happy that these books were re-released because, despite having read other books by this author, they had never been on my radar.  It has taken me a good few months to get the three books read but there are always so many books and so little time.  I rarely marathon read a series and this wasn't a series I really felt like reading it one go.  It was good but not compelling enough to have me grabbing the next installment straight away.

Cooper grows a lot throughout the books and it is wonderful to see her move along in her life instead of getting stuck as plain old Cooper.  The Hope Street Church plays a big part in her life but I think it was just a little push she needed to get her going.  Nathan of course is a huge influence in Cooper's life but it will be interesting to see how their relationship fairs if just thinking about another person romantically is a big deal for them.

The plot was good and interesting.  I can't believe Cooper didn't realise who was involved in the business and actually went to that person for help.  Even I had figured out that the person ad something to do with it.  Although I think Cooper is a thrill seeker and enjoys getting into the bad situations.  Maybe she deliberately forgets the smallest detail so she will get into trouble?

I look forward to reading the next book in the Hope Street Church Mysteries.  They have been a lovely cozy experience with some great varied characters and some interesting stories.  The church aspect isn't too overwhelming and is not off putting.  It will be nice to see how things turn out for Cooper in her job and relationships.  It will also be good to see Ashley get what she has wanted since the series started.

Well worth checking out if you have read any of Ellery Adams other books.  If you enjoy her style, characters and mystery weaving then you can't go wrong with a quick visit to church.

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11)

143) The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible study group have just volunteered for a local charity, delivering much-needed food and cheer to shut-ins in their community. It seems like the perfect way for the group to do good, and to Cooper it offers the welcome opportunity to get out of the house and spend more time with her new boyfriend, Nathan. But when one of the charity’s recipients is murdered, the police have no choice but to single out the church group and their fellow volunteers as the prime suspects.

Determined to make sure no evil deed goes unpunished, Cooper and her friends decide to discreetly interrogate each volunteer in their search for the killer, even if it means putting themselves at risk in the process. And as serving the needy becomes more treacherous than any of them could have imagined, they just might discover that the road to murder is paved with good intentions.

My Thoughts :

I am a huge Ellery Adams fan and until the Hope Street Church Mysteries were re-released I didn't know she wrote other books under a different name.  Her Books by the Bay and Charmed Pie Shoppe cozies are both in my list of favourite cozy mystery series.  So of course I was really excited about being able to try another series by an author I enjoy so much.  I snapped up the three books on Netgalley and have been trying to fit them in between my other reading commitments.  Way of the Wicked is the second book in the series and a poor sequel to the debut but still a great read.

The plot is sometimes a little complicated but the story gets you there in the end.  The Hope Street Church angle is a lot more present in this second installment but the religious content is still minimal.  I continue to like Copper, her family and most of her friends but the addition of Emilio was something that could have been spared.  Also Nathan's client problems was also something I didn't need to have added to the story.  It was actually quite obvious what was going to happen there.

Sometimes the story felt a little long-winded and I lost track of how long the mystery actually took to solve.  The weekends seemed to be the only time that progress was made but little was said or done during the weekdays.  I was happy to see Cooper and Nathan get closer and it was also nice to have Coppers work colleagues finally get together.  For such detailed relationships it amazes me that there is only a third book.  I wonder how the author will leave the characters that have worked so hard to get where they are.

Not bad but not the best.  I have come to expect more from Ellery Adams and I should try and remember that this series came before her newer and obviously better cozies.  I am not saying that I hate this series and won't continue.  I just find it a little bland and slow.  However the third installment may just turn things around!  Only time will tell.

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125) The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee was at a crossroads. Her boyfriend of five years had just left her for another woman, she was living in an apartment above her parents’ garage, and her job as a copier repairperson was feeling a little, well, repetitious. Hoping for a fresh start and a new outlook on life, she joins the Bible study group at Hope Street Church. The last thing she expects while studying the Bible is a lesson in murder.

When Brooke Hughes, the woman who first invited Cooper to Hope Street, is found murdered in her home, all signs point to her husband as the culprit. But Wesley Hughes was an elder at Hope Street Church, and the members of the Bible study are filled with disbelief that such a kind and loving man could take a life, much less his wife’s. Unwilling to let an innocent man and friend be railroaded into prison, the Bible group decides to investigate on their own.

My Thoughts :

I am a big fan of Ellery Adams books so when I saw “The Path of the Crooked” and the next two books in the series on Netgalley, I snapped the up.  It seems that Path of the Crooked is the first of the three Hope Street Church mysteries that were originally published under the name Jennifer Stanley. At the beginning of the book Adams has added a comment saying that she has kept the main plot from the original series but has polished up the writing in the three books. After reading the opening comment from the author I realised that I actually have all three of these books on my shelf in paperback.  Knowing that they have been 'spruced up' I decided that I should read the new editions and started with this one asap.

Cooper was a nice character from the get go.  Her named bothered me and I kept thinking she was a guy but I liked her and she has some interesting things about her.  Her hockey accident past made me laugh because I was one the one holding the stick that hit a friend in the eye back in my school days.  Luckily she only had a nice black eye but it was funny that an unusual past memory of mine was thought up by an author and used in a story.

The church aspect had me a little worried at first but the story didn't get religious and the author doesn't used the concept to preach.  Hope Street Church is just a setting and a chance to add some interesting characters to a really nice cozy.  The plot was a little slow going at times but it was nice to figure things out as they happened.  What surprised me about this one was the lack of police presence.  Usually in a cozy there is some one Detective or otherwise from the law telling the amateur sleuth to stay out of things.  Maybe it will come in the next book but it was certainly refreshing for the time being.

Books two and three are on my Kindle waiting to be read but I have some other commitments to read in between.  I look forward to visiting Hope Street Church very soon and can't wait to see where the author takes the series.  There is even talk of her adding more books to the original three installments.  I hope that readers of the original books don't pick these ones up by mistake but find out that this series has been republished and has a new future.  Well worth checking out if you like Ellery Adams other books.

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101) Murder at the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Tucked away in the rolling hills of rural western Virginia is the storybook resort of Storyton Hall, catering to book lovers who want to get away from it all. To increase her number of bookings, resort manager Jane Steward has decided to host a Murder and Mayhem week so that fans of the mystery genre can gather together for some role-playing and fantasy crime solving.

But when the winner of the scavenger hunt, Felix Hampden, is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the valuable book he won as his prize is missing, Jane realizes one of her guests is an actual murderer. Amid a resort full of fake detectives, Jane is bound and determined to find a real-life killer. There’s no room for error as Jane tries to unlock this mystery before another vacancy opens up…

My Thoughts :

Ellery Adams is one of my favourite Cozy Mystery writers so this new first in a series was on my pre-order list as soon as I heard about it.  The Book Retreat Mystery series is the third series the author has penned under this name and I couldn't wait to see what she was going to spoil us with this time.  Her Books by the Bay series is one of my all time favourites and her Charmed Pie Shoppe series is just magical!  Could the Book Retreat series make it a hat-trick?

The book started off well but the size of the Book Retreat, Storyton Hall, was hard to grasp.  I tried to map it out in my head but I gave up after a while and could really do with some kind of plan in the next book to be able to put everything into perspective.  As the story continued things got bigger and instead of the quaint hotel with a few staff I realised that this was more of a manor house with a huge staff.  Maybe the picture of the cover made me think too small.

I was very impressed to find that the leading lady, Jane, was a mother of twins and also the manager of Storyton Hall.  It isn't often that the main character has so many responsibilities and I have to give the author a huge thumbs up for going there and doing that! However I hope we find out more about Jane's situation in the next book.  Her past wasn't really explained and I feel I need to know more to really like her.  So much about her is also a mystery.

The plot was well thought out and it was a good cozy but if you are thinking that this is your typical hotel murder story then you are totally wrong.  Somewhere along the way there is a huge twist that makes this one really stand out and make you take notice.  I wasn't expecting something so daring and complicated, especially with the whole retreat to run, her family and the twins!  A surprising tangent that will definitely make this series very special and original.

All in all this debut was, in my honest opinion,  a success.  Ellery Adams gives good cozy and she has once again managed to come up with something different and exciting.  I look forward to the sequel and hope that this is the first of many Book Retreats I will be spending at Storyton Hall.  Where can I book a week there?

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66) Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

When Olivia Limoges and other Oyster Bay patrons of the arts sponsor a retreat for famous storytellers, one of them is going to have a very unhappy ending…

Olivia thought gathering some of the most renowned storytellers in one place would be a nice, simple way for herself and the Bayside Book Writers to appreciate their talents. But things take a dark turn when the most famous storyteller in the nation—the captivating performer Violetta Devereaux—announces onstage that she will meet her end in Oyster Bay.

When Violetta is discovered murdered after the show, everyone involved with the retreat becomes a suspect. There are rumors that Violetta, who grew up in extreme poverty in the Appalachian Mountains, possessed an invaluable treasure. Now Chief Rawlings and the Bayside Book Writers must work at a frenzied pace to solve the crime before someone closes the book on them.

My Thoughts :

Ellery Adams is a Cozy Mystery wonder!  Her books are some of my favourites in the genre with some amazing characrers, plots and locations.  The concepts are fresh and not unrealistic while her writing style is a delight.  Her Books by the Bay series is like taking a vacation and I have to say I would love to see Oyster Bay.  It sounds lovely.  I am not sure the murder rate would impress me as much but with Olivia Limoges around to find the guilty party then maybe I would chance it.

This fifth book in the series continues on with the life of Olivia and her writing club friends.  There is of course a murder but that thread of the story can't dominate the on-going saga of the characters I have come to know and love.  One of the writers is about to get published while another one will be getting dumped.  Another of the wannabe authors needs to think about the next step in their relationship or face losing the best thing that has ever happened to them.  All this and more makes up the wonderful and exciting background story for this super series.

The mystery was, as always, well thought out and exciting.  There was research to be done, links to be made and surprising revelations.  The whole event left some scars on the residents with one of the regular characters leaving the bay for good while another one left to get away for a while.  Also the whole situation left an opening for someone to come to the Bay that Olivia would rather not have there in her town.  So I am eager to see what the next book will bring for her.  Especially after the nice ending.

If you are a cozy lover then this series has to be on your reading list.  It is simply delicious!  If you like the occasional cozy but are more of a paranormal lover then try Ellery's Charmed Pie Shoppe series.  That one has a magical twist which makes the whole thing taste even better!  Oh and fans of this author be on the lookout for a new series!  The first installment in the Book Retreat Mystery comes out in August.  I am off to pre-order it now!

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