For fans of Sophie Kinsella and Janet Evanovich… Fashion can be deadly… Jenna McGovern’s strappy shoes and sundresses are not going to cut it when she makes the move from Hollywood Hills to Blueberry Lake, Minnesota in the stone-cold dead of winter. A former stylist to the stars, Jenna’s determined to bring the latest red-carpet fashions back to the Midwest in an effort to revive her mother’s … effort to revive her mother’s floundering thrift shop.
When Jenna finds out her first client is Grant Mark, the best man in a high-profile winter wedding, she’s thrilled. However, when Grant gets a little too handsy in the dressing room, Jenna is forced to fend him off with her stiletto and send him packing. While she’s glad to be rid of the difficult groomsman, it’s pure bad luck that Grant is found dead later that afternoon from a high heel to the throat. What’s worse is that the attractive chief of police is convinced Jenna’s the one who put it there.
If Jenna doesn’t clear her name quickly, she’ll not only lose the chance to style the biggest winter wedding Blueberry Lake has ever seen, but her mother’s thrift store will go under for good—and Jenna will be stuck flaunting the worst fashion of all time: a neon orange jumpsuit.
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I’ve loved all of Gina’s books so far, and this new series is now different. I loved the quirky town and characters and had a lot of fun meeting Jenna and watching her hold her own with Matt and Cooper! Great back and forth between these three and I honestly can’t tell you which one I’m rooting for more. Started book 2 this week and loving it as well!
I love all her books, but I think this is my new favorite. Great start to a new series. Well written with great characters & setting. I look forward to reading more!
What a fun read. The mystery, the clothes, the romance! I read a lot of cozies, so when I find the first in a new series and one that takes place in the Midwest, I get super excited. And Gina LaManna’s, Secrets and Stilettos did not disappoint.
Although Jenna makes a lot of fashion faux pas when it comes to dressing properly for a Midwest winter; stilettos, fluffy boots, and mittens not tightly woven, I found it amusing and could totally see someone coming from a warmer climate doing the same thing. I did worry that she was going to freeze to death before the murderer had a chance to try to kill her. Hopefully Jenna gets a little smarter in future books…. but if she doesn’t I’ll probably keep reading the series.
I’m a bit sad in the direction Jenna decided to go in the love triangle. Personally I would have gone in the other direction, but I do enjoy a man who can cook. And if she’s not friendly with the police, where is she going to get some of the intel that she’ll need. I did enjoy that the sheriff realized early on that Jenna was going to investigate so he may as well help her instead of continually telling her not to try to figure out the killer. I also really enjoyed the pool that the whole town had going in regards to Jenna’s love life, it added a great touch of humor.
I didn’t see the killer coming and I do love when the killer is just crazy and it comes out of nowhere, it’s one of my favorite tropes. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of mess Jenna gets into in book two, Lipstick and Lies, of the Murder in Style Mysteries. I also want to return to Blueberry Lake to get to know the characters more since I can relate to a lot of them or see traits of theirs in various people I know.
Another great cozy series that I recommend. And if you like suspense, you may want to check out her novel, Pretty Guilty Women, which I really enjoyed.
The first in a fantastic new series that I plan to follow.
Another hit out of the ballpark for this author. This is the start of a new series that has a lot of the humor you may be familiar with if you’ve read books from this author before, but not as silly or ridiculous as the humor is in the Lacey Luzzi series. Returning to her the small town her grandma had lived in, Jenna almost immediately regrets her decision. To say she got off to a rough start is an understatement. But being accused of murder on their first day in town would make anyone resentful. Having come from a glitzy career in Hollywood, she’s having trouble adapting to the bitter cold lifestyle that is winter in Minnesota. Who else would wear stilettos in five inches of snow? While she is in a bit of a culture shock, I love her character. She is honest, and says what’s on her mind, but not in a witchy sort of way. She is friendly, even when faced with less gracious folks. She tries to take the high road. (Of course part of the fun is listening to her inner dialect while doing so.) She is also a bit sarcastic. There is some romantic sentiments throughout even if she isn’t in a romantic relationship. Everything is on the up and up. (Everything clean and safe for teens and up.) There are a couple romantic prospects (who are equally qualified and each perfect in their own way.) The mystery is too convoluted, but just the perfect combination of suspects and clues. There is the inevitable reveal that includes a minor altercation between detective and suspect, and even this has humor in it. 😀 This is an easy read, and well written.
Talk about killer fashion! Gina LaManna takes readers on one helluva ride in her latest series, Murder in Style!
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The pleasant old Midwestern town of Blueberry Lake, Minnesota gets its first lesson in fashion with Secrets and Stilettos. Our leading lady, Jenna McGovern, isn’t one to be framed! Living in the spotlight and having styled many episodes of NCIS back in Hollywood Hills, she’s picked up a thing or two. Whether the local chief of police likes it or not, she’s not about to be caught in a neon orange jumpsuit!
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This story is entirely narrated by Jenna with believable supporting characters that are hard not to fall in love with. All Jenna wanted to do was come home, help her Mom and get her fresh start… but LaManna just kept throwing her one obstacle after another! Every time I thought I had it all figured out and the unlikely killer pinned down, I found out just how wrong I was! All I knew was that I didn’t want to put it down and that I needed to figure out how to get to June’s Blueberry Jam Café!
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What can I say, what can I say?!?! I absolutely relished in reading Secrets and Stilletos! LaManna’s style, especially in this latest series, reminds me so much of Janet Evanovich. I was engaged and laughing the entire time, so much to the point that my husband started asking me what so funny only for me to read him a line or two, and we’d laugh together! I am very much looking forward to number two in the series, Lipstick and Lies!
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Many thanks go to the author Gina LaManna for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of this stylish little number! I’d recommend this to fans of her previous works as well as fans of Janet Evanovich! A cozy mystery favorite for sure! This is one you won’t want to miss; pre-order now on Amazon or check it out on Kindle Unlimited starting January 10th! #mistyscornerreviews
Again Gina LaManna surprises with a delightful new series.
Jenna was a stylist in Los Angeles but after being dumped she decides to go help her mother with her thrift shop in Blueberry Lake, Minnesota. Losing her luggage and snow hampering her style (stilettos don’t do well on ice..) Jenna also has to fend off a handsy customer on her first day. This customer is found dead later on (killed with a stiletto heel) and handsome Chief of Police Cooper Dear knocks on Jenna’s door, considering her a suspect.
Jenna decides to do some sleuthing of her own. In the meantime the town has a bet on which guy Jenna will get involved with. Will it be the Chief of Police or Jenna’s firefighter neighbor Matt? Both guys seem interested but Jenna wants to get over her breakup first AND solve the murder she is accused of. The book is written in the easy-going style this author is known for. We do get little information about the murder or the murder victim himself, but somehow that did not matter at all.
I really enjoyed this first in a new series. I also liked Jenna, even when she seemed a bit obsessed with clothes and makeup. She is no ditz! The town with its inhabitants seemed friendly and I can’t wait for more stories about Jenna and her new friends.
*** I received an ARC from the author, but I also pre-ordered a digital copy for myself. This is my honest and voluntary review. *** (2020)
The was a light hearted mystery about Jenna McGovern who is from Hollywood and moves to Blueberry Lake, Minnesota who worked as a stylist to the stars and now is helping her mother with a thrift shop. You can almost guess what will happen and it’s a lot fun and suspense.
I love this author’s Hex Files and Magic & Mixology series, but this one was just average for me. I am past the stage of worrying about fashion, makeup and accessories so these details in the book were boring to me – perhaps not to others. I also thought the tone of the book was fairly young-ish nor did I particularly like the main female character, Jenna.