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: The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath

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Book Review of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath
The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath is a psychological thriller due out on January 5, 2023 and about Lucy Ross coming back to her childhood summer home in Queen's Point, Australia to pack up her grandmother's belongings.  When a dead body is found coincides with Lucy's return, she finds herself and her wealthy childhood friends being questioned in the murder.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath.  I was thrilled to be approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Told from alternating time lines, this book started off slowly for me, but as I got further into the story, it really picked up for me.  I found myself wanting to rush through the novel to see the who, what, when, and how, especially since I was leaning towards one of two people being the murderer.  There were quite a few red herrings, but when it came down to who the murderer was, I was a bit shocked and didn't see it coming.

As far as characters go, I really liked Lucy Ross, and at first, I really like Jake.  However, the further into the story I got, and the more I learned about Jake, I started disliking him.  You'll see what I mean if you read the book!  Other than that, I didn't really like any of the other characters with the exception of Lucy's stepdaughter . . . the more we learned about her, the more I liked the character.

I also really liked Lucy's dog despite me being a cat lover.  With that being said, there was one situation with the dog that made my heart sink . . . I thought the dog was going to die, but he didn't.  I really don't like it when bad things happen to animals.  Yes, I know, it's a work of fiction, but those type of things really upset me being an animal lover.

All in all, this was an intriguing read that kept me guessing. I gave The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath four out of five stars.  As mentioned before, the expected publication of this novel is January 5, 2023.
 
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