I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wedding Bells Brew Murder
by Carolyn Arnold
Series: Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery Series #2
Series Rating:
Published by Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc. on August 29, 2023
Setting: New York
Genres: Cozy Animal Mystery
Pages: 244
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Also in this series: Bowled Over Americano
With all the guests at Sara and Sean’s wedding suspected of murder, her walk down the aisle will need to wait...
Everything is going perfectly on the big day until Sara opens the door of her bridal suite. Darlene Day, who made the wedding cake, falls into the room, a serving knife plunged into her back.
As the organists start to play “Here Comes the Bride,” Sara calls a pause to the proceedings. There’s a murder to solve , and the motive may be in the icing.
Darlene wasn’t the most loved person in the small town of Cotton Spring Falls, but rumor has it that she refused the offer of a big franchise to buy her bakery. Did they go so far as murder to put her out of business?But when it’s discovered their wedding cake was poisoned, Sara and Sean could have been the intended victims all along . Did Darlene stumble upon the killer’s conspiracy and they silenced her before she could reveal their secret? Is it someone on the invitation list or the mysterious wedding crasher?
As long as the coffee is hot, and Sara has Sean and her beagle, Magnum, at her side, she isn’t going down in a heap of tulle and lace.
Wedding Bells Brew Murder is a closed-room mystery in the fashion of the great Agatha Christie that fans of Emma Davies, Verity Bright, and Helena Dixon will enjoy reading.
In Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold, we celebrate Sara and Sean’s wedding.
Who killed Darlene? What is in the icing?
Sara and Sean
Sara Cain can’t wait to begin her new life as Sara Cain-McKinley. Except that might have to wait as it’s minutes before she’s about to walk down the aisle when Darlene, the baker, comes to her suite with a knife in the back. Sara reluctantly pauses her wedding to figure out what happened to Darlene Day. I have to say that I liked Sara even more in this book as she has to get used to doing things without a badge. Another thing that I liked is how she was able to solve the case faster than the guy she called in.
Much like Sara, Sean McKinley can’t wait to get married but wants the case solved mostly because everyone at their wedding is a suspect, including them. He can look at the case levelheaded, unlike Sara, but not by much. Sean is a great detective, even without a badge, and is able to rifle through clues they find that help them find the culprit.
I have to say that I liked seeing the two of them working together without their badges, as it was great to see. Especially with Magnum in tow with them.
The Mystery
We have several mysteries to weed through this time. The first is who could have killed Darlene and why? Could it be that she didn’t want to sell her bakery to them, or did she hurt someone else in the past that they never thought of? It could have been multiple reasons why, especially some of the villagers who wanted change but not her. The second mystery is what is wrong with the icing, and could it be that Darlene wasn’t the intended victim but Sara and Sean themselves? Then there is the third mystery of what happened with some of their security detail for their wedding.
I have to say, even with all of these mysteries, I could follow along quite well, and I figured it out. Granted, I figured out the main one but not so much the other. Let’s hope Sara and Sean can have a lovely honeymoon without finding a dead body.
Five Stars
I am giving five stars to Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold, and I’m recommending it as well. Ms. Arnold has a great series, and I love these two characters. Sara and Sean are a great team as detectives and lovers. I hope that they get a bit of a married life before finding any more dead bodies, except I think that these two actually like being able to solve mysteries despite not being police detectives anymore and running at least some of their thirty-three companies.
Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery
Giveaway
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Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Carolyn Arnold
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2023 Beachcombers Mystery RC
- 2023 Cloak and Dagger
- 2023 Craving the Cozies
- 2023 Cruisin' thru the Cozies
- 2023 Goodreads RC
- 2023 Medical Examiner RC
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