Deadly Vows
Britton Bay Mystery, Book #2
By Jody Holford
ISBN 9781516108701
Author Website: jodyholfordauthor(.)com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Summary:
Britton Bay is buzzing with preparations for a wedding at the bed and breakfast where Molly rents a small carriage home. Molly is even helping out and plans to interview the rising star caterer—until the woman is found dead. And then the bride-to-be goes missing. To make matters worse, the venue is owned by Molly’s new boyfriend’s mother—and Molly was among the last people to see the victim alive. All of which makes solving the crime her top priority . . .
With the nuptials indefinitely on hold, Molly will have to sift through a sticky mix of suspects, including a rival caterer with a short fuse, a groom with an illicit secret, and a wedding party riddled with personal drama. And if she doesn’t discover the truth soon, Molly might be her own front-page news . . . (Goodreads)
Review:
Heavy on the romance, Deadly Vows is an enjoyable cozy mystery.
Love is in the air in Britton Bay, Oregon, as Patricia Lovenly sweeps into her hometown with intentions of throwing the wedding of the century for her daughter Chantel. Protagonist Molly has a front seat view from her cottage behind Katherine’s Bed and Breakfast as it is grown zero for all of the wedding activities. Patricia hires an up-and-coming chef to provide all of the food, but when Chef Skyler drops dead, Molly puts her investigative skills to the test to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This is the first book in the Britton Bay Mystery Series that I have read, but I easily got into the story, and soon the recurring characters felt like friends. Molly is curious by nature and smart, and her job at the local newspaper provides a plausible reason for her to investigate. The other recurring characters, including Molly’s boyfriend Sam and his mother Katherine, are likable and endearing. Molly’s dog Tigger is also a nice addition for pet loving readers. The romance between Molly and Sam is front and center, almost more emphasized than the mystery, but I did not find it distracting. And, happily, there is no love triangle here.
The mystery itself is interesting with lots of suspects and red herrings. That said, as soon as one, obvious to me, clue was revealed relatively early on I knew the identity of the killer. I wish solving the mystery had been more challenging, but it was still worthwhile. The characters central to the murder mystery are almost unanimously unpleasant, and, at times, they are exhausting. Victim Skyler is particularly prickly, and I had trouble feeling sorry that she was dead.
Overall, I liked Deadly Vows.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
