As professional wedding planner Mallory Shepard organizes a Christmas Eve gala for her best friend, Olivia, the obstacles are starting to outnumber Santa’s reindeer . . . Olivia’s dreaming of a white Christmas—as in a white wedding gown and all the trimmings. But that’s not the only event that’s keeping everyone busy. Olivia’s family are in real estate development, and they’re sponsoring Paws … they’re sponsoring Paws and Poinsettias—a benefit for the Port Quincy animal shelter. Meanwhile, Mallory’s mom wants to use her daughter’s connection to snag a job staging homes for the company . . . and the current stager is not filled with holiday cheer at the news that she might be replaced.
When the endangered employee downs some antifreeze-spiked punch at a party, Mallory has a murder to solve—among other mysteries including a missing cat, a toy-drive heist, and a baby found in a manger thirty years earlier . . .
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Mallory is planning her best friend, Olivia March’s wedding and preparing for the holiday season when she finds herself caught up in yet another murder investigation. This time, her mother becomes the prime suspect in the death of an employee of the March family. Mallory knows her mother is innocent and sets out to uncover the truth, and in the process, she uncovers dark secrets about her best friend’s family. This was a delightful Christmas themed cozy. The plot is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are likable and easy to relate to. The picturesque Christmas setting makes this a perfect read for December. I look forward to more books in this wonderful series. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Marry Christmas Murder by Stephanie Blackmoore is book five in the Wedding Planner Mystery series. I have read one other book previously and this can be read as a stand alone but you will want to read in order.
Olivia’s dreaming of a white Christmas—as in a white wedding gown and all the trimmings. But that’s not the only event that’s keeping everyone busy. Olivia’s family are in real estate development, and they’re sponsoring Paws and Poinsettias—a benefit for the Port Quincy animal shelter. Meanwhile, Mallory’s mom wants to use her daughter’s connection to snag a job staging homes for the company . . . and the current stager is not filled with holiday cheer at the news that she might be replaced.
When the endangered employee downs some antifreeze-spiked punch at a party, Mallory has a murder to solve—among other mysteries including a missing cat, a toy-drive heist, and a baby found in a manger thirty years earlier . . .
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish, there was so much happening holidays, parties weddings and a little murder. I liked how it was all woven together so neatly that nothing seemed out of place. We got to know the characters their feelings , relationships and care about the outcome. Amongst all this there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing on the identity of the killer.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series and book 6 when it comes out.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Wedding Planner Mallory Shepard is working with the March family on a few events including Olivia March’s wedding and a Paws and Poinsettias fundraiser for the Port Quincy Animal Shelter. Olivia is Mallory’s best friend and her family has recently come to town to do a large real estate development.
Mallory’s mom and step-dad have returned to Port Quincy too and her mom can’t wait to go back to work. She decides she wants to work for the March development group staging their new homes and wants Mallory to help her get the job. The problem is they already have a stager. Carole doesn’t back down, in fact, she works with just one member of the March family and changes all the decorations for the Paws and Poinsettias event without letting Mallory or the rest of the family know. The company’s current stager and Mallory had work hard to create the perfect theme and they are not happy.
When the stager dies suddenly at the party, the punch is suspect and so is Carole. Again, Mallory’s juggling talents come into play as she tries to solve the murder, put on a wedding, find a missing cat, locate some missing toys, handle unexpected guests, and find how a baby left in a manger 30 years ago ties into everything else happening this holiday season in Port Quincy.
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Let me just start by saying I now see Blue Hawaiian Punch and my favorite Blue Hawaiian Cocktail in a completely different way now that I know how easily they can become a weapon of murder!
I continue to be amazed by Mallory Shepard. Within this story, it seems everything is thrown at her but the kitchen sink but she handles it all with just a bit of assistance from her sister Rachel. Mallory is a strong protagonist. Working with family is tough but she and Rachel are pulling it off. It is made difficult this time when their mother and step-dad move into the B&B while they look for a new home. All these characters are well-written and are constantly evolving. The family dynamics are believable and fluid, especially when more unexpected guests need a place to stay.
Ms. Blackmoore fills these pages with drama and excitement. I loved the holiday theme and all the holiday events taking place. She blends mystery with family, friendship, romance, and humor in an entertaining way. We get to know the new characters a bit before the murder takes place. Then the author serves up twist after twist and assorted clues that are sure to keep all readers guessing. I really thought I was on the right trail only to have another clue explained to show me I was totally wrong. Driven to get the family under one roof for the holidays really drove the key character to solve the case.
Marry Christmas Murder is a fast-paced story that entangles several threads but Blackmoore unites them all by the end and just in time for a Merry Christmas!
The Wedding Planner Mysteries can all be read on their own, but I encourage you to read them all for maximum enjoyment.
Great book! Mallory and her sister Rachel are preparing for the holidays at their B and B. They are planning Mallory’s friend, Olivia’s, spring wedding when she decides to move it up to just before Christmas. Mallory has her hands full with the wedding planning, an animal shelter fundraiser, and a toy drive. Her parents are also in town and have decided to move there. Mallory’s mom wants to be the stager for Olivia’s family’s company and she ends up replacing the current stager, Lacey. Lacey dies at the fundraiser and it seems it was murder. All kinds of things start to happen at that point. The groom’s mother’s cat is taken, toys for the toy drive are stolen, Olivia’s family’s cabin burns down, and Olivia’s father is almost poisoned. Mallory is trying to hunt down a killer and her mom seems to be a prime suspect. Things also aren’t going well between Mallory and Garrett. I found this book to be very intriguing and it was interesting to see how various events connected to other events. This book had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened. I can’t wait for the next book and seeing what’s next for Mallory and Garrett!!
Holiday Time Cozy Murder Mystery
This book takes place between Thanksgiving and New-years and is full of holiday trappings and food. Plus, it is about an event planner with more party décor and food. Between the party planning, there are so many crimes to investigate! The story is pretty good and well-executed. The big reveal was not all that surprising, but it was well done. This book is 5th in a series and stands alone well. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
I have enjoyed every book in this series and #5 may be my favorite. Mallory has a stressful job as a wedding planner but she loves it despite all that can go wrong. Normally one thinks of bridezilla’s and control freak mother of the bride as the usual problems but homicide isn’t on the list unless it’s in a cozy mystery. Mallory was putting things together for her friend Olivia’s wedding in March and now, at Christmas, the big event is a charity event called Paws and Pointsettias. Soon enough Mallory is having to deal with much more than that. Olivia decides she wants to get married on December 23 – okay, that’s workable. Then her parents show up and say they are staying – again, that’s good. Things start to go pear shaped when her mother pulls a stunt that angers the house stager. Mom wants the job and goes behind the scenes and changes things that the current stager has set up. Not nice but would that conflict lead Mallory’s mother to commit murder? It sure has landed her as prime suspect.
The characters are well defined and are people I wouldn’t mind spending time with. Family and friends show their strong relationships and their support of each other. There is a very good puzzle with fair clues plus some red herrings as a deflection. This entry can easily be read as a stand alone but, if you are new to this series, go get the previous books and binge read them. I’m ready for the next mystery.
Marry Christmas Murder by Stephanie Blackmoore is book five in the Wedding Planner Mystery series. This is a great series. It can be read as a stand alone but you will want to read them all!
Mallory is serving a dinner tasting for the Spring wedding for her friend , Olivia March, at her B&B that is decked out for Christmas when a bomb is dropped, Olivia wants the wedding moved before Christmas.! Since she is willing to cut the guest list to family and only close friends, Mallory is confident she can pull it off and the date is changed to December 23rd. Now add her mother and step-father moving back to Port Quincy from Florida and staying at the B&B.
Mallory is also assisting the head stager for March Homes at a fundraiser when her mother goes behind their back and changes all of the decorations as she wants hired as a part time stager for the company. That night the stager ends up dead from drinking an anti-freeze spiked punch. Mallory knows it’s just a matter of time before her mother is arrested for the murder since all signs point to her.
Blackmoore gives plenty of twists and turns in this well written cozy. You have great characters, romance, humor, family love, and friendship. There are recipes included.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.
Marry Christmas Murder is the fifth book in Wedding Planner Mystery series.
Mallory and her sister, Rachel, are quite busy preparing or the Christmas season with their family and at the same time planning a charity event, Paws and Poinsettia, and the wedding of her friend Olivia. Then things start to go wrong, Mallory and Rachel’s parents have arrived planning on moving permanently back to Port Quincy, at the Paws and Poinsettia auction, a stager, Lacey Adams, for March homes and sponsor of the event, dies from a poisoned drink and Olivia wants to move the wedding to December 23rd, just a week away.
Mallory’s mother replaces Lacey at March Homes and when a bottle of antifreeze the type of poison used on Lacey, mom becomes the prime suspect. Now Mallory has to work to clear her mother’s name. A subplot to the story involves Garrett, the man is she is looking forward to having a relationship with has been offered teaching position in Pittsburgh. His job would take him far away enough that they would have to have a weekend relationship and Mallory doubts that will work. She doesn’t want to lose Garrett and his teenage daughter, Summer.
It’s always enjoyable to visit with the residents of Port Quincy to visit with the wonderful residents. This book has a well-written and plotted story with plenty of twists and turns and red herrings.
Delicious sounding recipes are also included with this book.
I will be watching for the next book in the series.
The Wedding Planner Mysteries by Stephanie Blackmoore have been a delightful must-read series for me from the first book. Marry Christmas Murder, the fifth book in the series, yields a tense mystery but still maintains the fun interaction between the sisters, the adorable Summer who is growing up too fast, and the winsome and hot Garrett. The girls have maintained a family holiday tradition my closing the B&B to both guests and weddings just before Christmas but when Mallory’s best friend insists on moving her wedding up to Christmas week, Mallory and Rachel can’t refuse. The change would be tough enough since time is so limited, but the death of an employ of the bride’s family complicates matters even more, especially when it looks like their mother is the most likely suspect. No matter how much they trust Truman to find the real killer, the twosome can’t help digging into the other possibilities. It seems that everyone is throwing suspicion on people that Mallory had not even considered leaving her perplexed and frustrated.
The mystery had me hooked the whole time and there was no way I could figure out all the nuances. I love that in a mystery. Since I always suspect everyone, I did hit on at least part of the resolution, but there were some real surprises at the end.
I requested and received an ARC of Marry Christmas Murder from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley. I enjoy sharing my delight in books through reviews and have done so since long before I knew what an ARC was. Books and authors deserve the recognition brought by reader reviews.
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