Engaged in Death

Happy Saturday!  I hope all of you have had a wonderful and relaxing day.  If you are like me, though, you spent the day running errands (groceries, drug store, put gas in the car, etc.).  I could not wait to get home and out of the heat (the high was 104 with 62% humidity).  You step outside and it reminds me of when I open the oven to check on the cookies!  

Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the first book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series.  Mallory Shepard is engaged to Keith Pierce and busy planning her wedding with the “help” from Keith’s overbearing mother, Helene.  Mallory may not love Helene, but she does adore Keith’s grandmother, Sylvia.  Sylvia is 99 years old and has lived a full life (Mallory visits her frequently).  One day Mallory receives an envelope (sent anonymously).  When she opens it, she finds pictures of Keith in a compromising position with another woman.  Mallory breaks off her engagement to Keith (talk about a lucky break).  Then Sylvia passes away.  Sylvia’s attorney, Garrett Davies asks to speak with Mallory.  Sylvia cared for Mallory as much as Mallory cared for Sylvia and had deeded (instead of leaving it to her in her will) Mallory her home Thistle Park in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania.  Thistle Park is in bad shape, but the home has great potential.  This really puts Helene’s nose out of joint.  Helene was counting on inheriting this home to sell the fracking rights (Sylvia was against it).  Shane Harley of Lonestar Energy immediately approaches Mallory (she was just moving in) about selling the fracking rights on the property.  Mallory refuses since it was not what Sylvia wanted.  The next morning Mallory and her sister, Rachel (who moved into the house with her) finds Shane dead on the front lawn.  Can anything else go wrong for Mallory?  Well, it turns out that it is too late to cancel all aspects of her wedding reception (with all the hoopla that Helene wanted and Mallory did not).  Mallory works to find someone that would like to use her reception (because Mallory was paying for the wedding even though Keith’s family has money).  Helene is not done with Mallory.  Helene is determined to get her hands on Thistle Park and is going out of her way to make Mallory’s life miserable (in her private and professional life).  Mallory is going to have a busy time trying to get her name off the suspect list, find someone to take over her reception, and decide what to do with Thistle Park.  Will she succeed?  You will have to read Engaged in Death to get the answer.

Engaged in Death was a good cozy mystery.  There are actually two mysteries going on in the book.  They are both interesting, complex, and fun to solve.  I liked the characters and the home of Thistle Park.  There is also some romance in Engaged in Death.  I look forward to seeing how it develops during the course of the series.  I will be curious to see what happens with Thistle Park.  Engaged in Death drew me in right from the beginning and I did not want it to end.  I give Engaged in Death 4.5 out of 5 stars (I loved it but downgraded since I did solve the mysteries).  I cannot wait (but I know I have to) to read the next book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series.

Murder Wears White is the next book in A Wedding Planner Mystery series.  It will be out January 31, 2017 (subject to change without notice). I received a complimentary copy of Engaged in Death from NetGalley (and Kensington) in exchange for an honest and fair evaluation of the novel.

I am currently reading Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine (it is not as good as her vampire novels).  I was lucky enough to receive both books in The Great Library series in exchange for a review.  I am off to have dinner and then watch the season finale of Outlander. May all of you have an enjoyable evening.  Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader