Book Review: Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams

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Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Book Retreat Mysteries series and is set in western Virginia at a charming resort called Storyton Hall. This unique resort is designed specifically for book lovers who want to escape, unwind, and immerse themselves in their favorite stories. The resort’s manager, Jane Steward, decides to host a themed “Murder and Mayhem Week” inviting mystery enthusiasts to gather, role-play, and solve fictional crimes. However, the event takes a dark turn when one of the guests is found dead in his suite and a valuable prize goes missing. Jane must uncover which guest is responsible for the murder before the retreat is ruined . Before picking up this novel, I had only read one other book in the series. I decided to start from the beginning as part of my New Year’s resolution to finally read books I purchased years ago. I’m so glad I did. Starting with the first installment allowed me to fully appreciat...
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Book Review: A Catered Wedding (A Mystery with Recipes, #2) by Isis Crawford

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book review a catered wedding isis crawford

A Catered Wedding (A Mystery with Recipes, #2) by Isis Crawford is a cozy mystery that takes place in New York. When Leeza Sharp is found murdered on the morning of her dream wedding, caterers Libby and Bernie Simmons take it upon themselves to figure out who murdered Leeza and why.

This installment in the A Mystery with Recipes series, A Catered Wedding, was definitely written better than its predecessor A Catered Murder for the simple reason that the author refrained from using as many unnecessary synonyms for words that didn't need a fancier meaning. Don't get me wrong; she still did this, but just not as often. A prime example is she used the word lummox when clumsy or klutzy would have worked just as well. Another illustration of this is that when a character was eating a cookie, and instead of just saying he put it in his mouth or ate it, Isis Crawford wrote that he "conveyed it to his mouth". 

At one point in the story, one of the supporting characters talks about how his father runs ten miles a week and insinuates that it is a lot of miles being logged. For people who don't run, I guess that seems like a lot, but it really isn't unless he does it in a day or two as his long run.

Although this was a cozy mystery, I didn't correctly guess who the murderer was much to my dismay. Don't worry. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it. I gave A Catered Wedding (A Mystery with Recipes, #2) by Isis Crawford three out of five stars. I will likely read more of the series as the books are a quick read and hold my attention.  If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Killer Cupcakes (Lexy Baker, #1) by Leighann Dobbs.

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