Deadly Vows is the second installment in the A Britton Bay Mystery series set in Britton Bay, Oregon and featuring newspaper editor Molly Owens and adorable rescue pup, Tigger. Molly is settling into life in Britton Bay, things are going well at the Britton Bay Bulletin and now she is looking forward to the wedding her landlord, Katherine Alderich will be hosting at her Bed & Breakfast. From the comfort of her guest cottage in the backyard, Molly has the perfect view of the preparations and the first thing she notices is how difficult the mother of the bride is going to be.
Patricia Lovenly grew up in home turned B & B, and she's determined to host her daughter Chantel's wedding there to show off to the townspeople how wealthy she's become. She's planning a week long event with over the top decorations and a celebrity chef. Skyler Friessen won a TV reality competition and even though she's temperamental and abrupt, Patty is adamant that the woman prepares their food for the week, and this means that local baker Bella who supplies the B & B with pastries and breads is out a week of wages.
Residents and guests alike are shocked when Corky Templeton, homeless and mentally challenged stumbles across the body of Skyler lying in the open doorway of her hotel room. Had someone finally had enough of the nasty Chef or did she accidentally die from an allergic reaction? Despite the warnings from her boyfriend Sam and Officer Chris Beatty, Molly soon finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation.
A well crafted plot that will keep the pages turning. This series is a little too heavy on the romance for me, while I don't mind a relationship for the main character, the constant mentions of hand holding, gazing into the other person's eyes, and the sappy dialogue does take away from the mystery. I'm hoping that the author will move on from this now that a stable relationship has been formed.
Patricia Lovenly grew up in home turned B & B, and she's determined to host her daughter Chantel's wedding there to show off to the townspeople how wealthy she's become. She's planning a week long event with over the top decorations and a celebrity chef. Skyler Friessen won a TV reality competition and even though she's temperamental and abrupt, Patty is adamant that the woman prepares their food for the week, and this means that local baker Bella who supplies the B & B with pastries and breads is out a week of wages.
Residents and guests alike are shocked when Corky Templeton, homeless and mentally challenged stumbles across the body of Skyler lying in the open doorway of her hotel room. Had someone finally had enough of the nasty Chef or did she accidentally die from an allergic reaction? Despite the warnings from her boyfriend Sam and Officer Chris Beatty, Molly soon finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation.
A well crafted plot that will keep the pages turning. This series is a little too heavy on the romance for me, while I don't mind a relationship for the main character, the constant mentions of hand holding, gazing into the other person's eyes, and the sappy dialogue does take away from the mystery. I'm hoping that the author will move on from this now that a stable relationship has been formed.
Deadly Vows is a light hearted and romantic cozy mystery. This second installment in A Britton Bay Mystery series can be read as a standalone. I like how the information from Deadly News was incorporated into the story. Molly Owens is happy with her new home and job. She enjoys spending time with Sam and her puppy, Tigger. Molly has the perfect location (her cottage) to watch the wedding drama at the B&B unfold. The mother-of-the-bride is controlling the wedding. Patricia Lovenly grew up in Britton Bay and has come back to gloat over how rich she is by throwing a spectacular, over-the-top wedding for her daughter. It does not seem to matter that this is not what her daughter and the groom want. Skyler Friessen is the chef for the event, and she is a prickly. It is no surprise when she turns up dead. Molly just needs to figure out which individual disliked Skyler enough to kill her which is easier said then done. There are a couple of suspects, good clues and misdirection. Deadly Vows is nicely written with steady pacing. I could have done with less repetition (I get it the first time). I did not like how many times Molly was told to keep her nose out of the investigation (it was not going to happen). I also felt the romance between Molly and Sam was too much for a cozy mystery. It came across as sappy (especially the dialogue) and their relationship progressed too quickly. We are introduced to numerous characters in this book and many of them had nothing to do with the plot. An example is Clay, the newspapers supposed social media coordinator. He added nothing to this story, and I am shocked he has not been fired. Some tweaks would enhance this cute mystery series. Deadly Vows is an easy breezy cozy mystery with a dead chef, a battling wedding party, an adorable pup, a handsome beau, and one a nosy reporter.
