Thursday, March 17, 2022

Wedding Bell Blues

Title: Wedding Bell Blues
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Published: March 1st 2022 by Lyrical Press
Format: Kindle, 246 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Tourist Trap Mystery #13

First Sentence: Spring in South Cove, California, is beautiful. The days are warm, the nights cool enough for a firepit in your backyard or a bonfire on the beach.

Blurb: In the California coastal town of South Cove, Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, becomes more engaged in sleuthing than wedding preparations when there’s a murder in a dress shop.

Jill couldn’t love police chief Greg King more—so why does that engagement ring still feel funny on her finger? At least she’ll have a chance to show it off this Saturday at their engagement party. Just in time for the event, a new dress shop has opened in town, Exquisite Gowns for You, specializing in designer wedding gowns and other custom-fit dresses.

But Jill’s excitement turns to shock when she comes by to pick up her dress for the party and discovers a dead body in the shop. New owner Harper Sanchez is behaving strangely and becoming more mysterious than anyone expected. Despite Greg’s warnings to leave the case to him, Jill can’t help looking into the murder. Somebody in South Cove is dressed to kill—and if Jill’s not careful, she may not live to wear her wedding gown. (Goodreads)

My Opinion: This book bothered me. Parts were left dangling, there is too much repetition, and overall, there was a feeling of haven’t we read this, somewhere, before. I have continued with the Tourist Trap series since its inception because it reminds me of Cambria, California. I’m not sure how the author came up with the small town of South Cove, but for me, it is reminiscent of a stop I had made along the highway and a place I enjoy thinking about.

Lynn Cahoon is following the same formula throughout this series, and I hope for the sake of her readers, she starts to stir things up a bit. Something out of left field where her steadfast followers can say, I didn’t see that coming.

At the end of Wedding Bell Blues, there is an excerpt for a new book, The Tuesday Night Survivors’ Club. From the little bit that was shared, it sounds like it has protentional. We will just have to wait and see.

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