Tied Up with a Bow by Sheila Connolly

Happy Sunday!  Did you know that you can find handmade gifts on Amazon?  I had no clue.  There are some lovely items.  As you can tell, I have yet to finish my shopping.  I do not know what to get my mother.  There is still time to order a gift and have it arrive on time.  On Sunday's, I feature a book that I was unable to when it was released.  Today's I am sharing my review of  Tied Up with a Bow by Sheila Connolly.  

Book Blurb

Pub owner Maura Donovan is still learning the local customs of the Irish village she now calls home.  With the holidays approaching, Maura is unsure how much or how to little to decorate.  She is also puzzled by the small construction project going on across the street which is shrouded in secrecy.  The whole of WEst Cork is guessing at what it might be.  Most troubling of all, though, is the secretive young boy who shows up at the pub's door who hints that he and his mother had to leave Dublin in a rush.  Maura becomes alarmed when an unknown man show up and begins lurking around the pub.  Maura has many questions, but few answers.  She turns to her village friends for help to sort out all the mysterious happenings and maybe deliver an unexpected gift to someone in need.

Christmas decorations in Dublin, Ireland

My Thoughts

Tied Up with a Bow by Sheila Connolly is A County Cork Mystery Novella (#6.5).  Maura Donovan has been Leap for over a year (maybe two) now since she inherited Sullivan’s.  Christmas is approaching and a mysterious holiday project is going on across the street from the pub.  A raffle is started so people can guess on the secretive holiday undertaking.  Considering the amount of time Maura has been in this village, she should know more about the running of the pub.  The first thing Maura should have done was learn all there is to know about running the pub.  Maura seems to have other priorities (does anyone know what they are).  She also does not seem to know where anything is in the village (the school for instance).  Maura makes contradictory statements as well (in the same book and information from previous books).  I have tried to like Maura, but it seems to be a lost cause.  I wonder if she has any common sense at all.  I am tired of hearing that she cannot cook (or make a sandwich) plus seems oblivious on where the local market is located. There is a lack of consistency in the series which is unusual for this author.  Tied Up with a Bow is not a standalone story.  It is a series that is best read in order.  I wish the pacing had been livelier and repetitive information had been eliminated.  I also would have liked more holiday spirit.  I did like young Danny.  The poor kid and his mother are having a rough time.  I do like that Maura is trying to help them (in her way).  Tied Up with a Bow was just not the right book for me.  I suggest you obtain a sample of Buried in the Bog (first book in series) to see if this story suits you.  Tied Up with a Bow transports readers to Ireland for wacky wagers, a puzzling project, a dangerous due, a concerned child and Celtic Christmas customs.  

Tied Up with a Bow is available here* (Amazon UK).  I suggest you read a sample of the book to see if it entices you.  The first book in A County Cork Mystery series is Buried in a Bog.  You can find a complete list of the books in A County Cork Mystery series here on Amazon.  The next novel in A County Cork Mystery series is Fatal Roots which comes out January 7.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will return on Monday to feature Christmas with the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell.  It is the seventh tale in The Shipyard Girls series.    I hope that you have a day filled with happiness.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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