Stephanie Blackmoore

I'm so happy that the first read for Cozy Escape bookclub for 2022. We just had the live stream last night and everyone was in love with it. I don't think it got less than 3 stars from anyone and it mostly received 4 stars.

Mallory is down on her luck. You'd think getting ready to be married and start a new chapter in her life would be a highlight. However her future MIL has taken over the wedding, commented on Mallory's weight, and to top it all off she finds that her fiancé Keith has been cheating on her. Who told her? Well, you'll have to see.

She found out about the cheating and left Kieth only to find out that she had inherited Thistle Park from Keith's grandmother. The only family member that she actually loved. But there is a history of missing paintings, oil & gas, and even more cheating under the roof of the dilapidated victorian.

It is up to Mallory, her sister Rachel, and a hodgepodge of quirky characters to figure out the MURDERS and save the house.

I truly loved this book so much and will be picking up the next in the series.… (altro)

Mallory Shepard owns and operates Thistle Park B&B, a mansion that was left to her by its late owner. She's usually busy, but even more so since she's planning a wedding for the local bridal shop owner and catering the food for a Revolutionary War re-enactment, along with trying to find time to get married herself. When she's out shopping for antiques for her friend Bev, she spots a length of lace that she thinks would be perfect for a veil, so she and her friend split the cost and leave the store. Unfortunately, they come across Mallory's ex-mother-in-law-to-be, except for the fact that she broke it off with her son. However, Helene Pierce isn't a woman who takes things lightly, and sees the veil, insisting it belongs to her and rips it from Mallory's hands. When the police chief, Truman Davies, shows up, it's shown that the lace is legally Mallory's, and Helene insists this is not over.

But Mallory has bigger problems: her mother wants her married -- and pregnant -- now, and is setting about insisting she do so. She's telling her that her younger sister can run the B&B while she's having babies, and is pushing her. Mallory's at her wits' end, which doesn't help when there's a murder. Now she's looking for a killer -- and a thief -- and trying to figure out how it all ties together...

I have read every book in this series, and especially enjoyed the last two, but this one seems different, almost as if the author was just trying to finish it. There are inconsistencies -- in earlier books, Rachel was seven years younger, then six, and now she's only four years younger. Huh? And how could Rachel be part owner of the B&B when it wasn't left to her and she didn't put any money into it? Rachel, in my opinion, is selfish, self-serving, and extremely vain. Mallory's mother isn't much better; if I had a mother like that I'd ship her off to parts unknown to live. I really don't like either of them at all. (Besides, who wears jelly sandals?)

The murder didn't occur until the book was halfway over, so you had to read about a lot of 'filler' until you got to it, including her mother and sister hounding her constantly. (If her mother wanted grandbabies so bad, why wasn't she hounding Rachel, too?). It was starting to get annoying. Not to mention, when did Summer become vegan?

Now that I've got that off my chest, the identity of the murderer was a complete surprise, which I do like, and Ms. Blackmoore has been able to pull off in other books. It's always nice to be as surprised as the protagonist, and this book was no different. So there's the big plus in the book. But I get the feeling that this book may be the last in the series, and I could be wrong, but there were some things which seemed out of place that made me think so. I would have loved to have seen a different ending altogether, but oh, well. I would love to see this series continue, as I do like Mallory and many of the other characters and enjoy spending time with them. At any rate, the book was a nice read, and I am still glad that I read it.… (altro)

Mallory Shepard inherited a mansion from her ex-fiancé's grandmother, and turned it into a B&B. She left her law practice and decided to become an event planner. Now she's exited to plan the wedding of her friend Olivia, who is getting married in the spring...or was, anyway. Olivia wants her to move the wedding up to December 23rd, and while Mallory is busy with other commitments, she wants to help her friend, so agrees.

But things aren't going the way she planned. Olivia's family are in real estate, and they've decided to build in Port Quincy, where Mallory lives. Not many people are happy about it, but the Marches don't care. They run roughshod over everyone, and now Mallory has to deal with them, too. As if that isn't bad enough, her mother Carole and stepfather Doug have decided to move back, too, and are staying with Mallory at her B&B.

What's even worse is the fact that Carole wants a staging job with the Marches -- one that is currently held by Lacey Adams. So it's a surprise when Mallory goes to check on her decorations for Paws and Poinsettias that she and Lacey designed, and discover her mother has redone everything to her own design instead. When Lacey calls Carole out on it, she feels terrible, and when Lacey is later found poisoned by a drink that Carole handed her, she's the main suspect in the murder.

Now Mallory is planning a wedding and trying to keep her mother out of jail, which isn't easy since her mother keeps doing things that might put her in there. With problems on the home front, and her boyfriend Garrett considering a move to a different job, she's heartsick, but hoping the wedding will keep her mind off it. It might work since she's also trying to solve the origin of Olivia's birth, but someone doesn't want her to, and it might be deadly if she tries...

This is the fifth book in the series and I've read every one. What I think about Mallory isn't that she's weak; it's just that she's used to her sister and mother being the way they are and she's given up trying to do anything about it. I have said in previous posts that I didn't like Rachel because she's selfish and self-centered and doesn't help much around the B&B other than baking. Well, now I see where she gets it from. Carole is worse than Rachel. She totally destroys Mallory's work, saying she 'didn't think she'd care.' Excuse me? You just go in and ruin what your daughter has worked hard to do and think it's alright? What kind of mother is this? Also, she says when Mallory and Garrett get married (and he hasn't proposed yet) that they can move out of the B&B and leave the apartment for Rachel. Say what? The B&B belongs to Mallory. It's her home. Why should she move? Rachel should move instead. She doesn't own the place. Nothing like figuring out who the favorite child is. Certainly not the one who works her fingers to the bone, but the one who's centered on her looks. How shallow is this woman that she can't see Mallory's worth? Tell Rachel to move her butt out. That irritated me no end and made me dislike Carole even more. (Also, I don't care for her tropical designs, but oh, well).

Anyway, with what I've said above, I just wanted Carole to go back to Florida but I suppose that won't happen. So, while Carole won't keep her mouth shut Mallory is on the hunt to find a killer. But she never thought it would trace all the way back to Olivia's birth. It's an interesting story line, and I did enjoy reading about it. I liked the way it all came together, and I will read the next in the series. I did have to take away one star because of the other two Shepard women, who distract from the mystery.… (altro)

Mallory Shepard owns a large mansion she's turned into a B&B and runs it along with her younger sister, Rachel. Currently, they have their hands full with a baby shower, Mother's Day tea, and two weddings coming up - those of Mallory's ex-fiancé Keith and Becca; and another couple who are arriving from Columbia, Eric and Piper.

While wedding dress shopping with Becca, Becca spots a dress that looks like it stepped right out of the film Gone with the Wind, and decides she must have it for her wedding. But then Becca's old enemy Felicity sees it and a fight ensues, with Becca winning the dress. Mallory hopes that will be the end of it, but no such luck. Things get worse when Felicity is found floating in Becca and Keith's swimming pool wearing the dress. Now there's a murderer on the loose, and Mallory knows this could spell disaster. But things soon dissolve into chaos, with arson, attacks, threats, and a shooting -- and Mallory is stuck right where she doesn't want to be -- in the middle of it. Hopefully, police chief Truman Davies will be able to solve the crimes before Mallory becomes another victim...

I have been reading this series in order and so far this is my favorite book. However, what I have never understood is Keith's malice toward Mallory. He's the one who ruined their engagement, so he should be somewhat remorseful, and at least civil toward her, but he's more malicious instead. How long can someone hold a grudge for something they did?

I did like that the plot was filled with several red herrings, and suspects almost everywhere you looked. It left me to my own devices to see if I could ferret out the killer, and I was right in nearly everything, but still it was a bit of a surprise when the murderer was discovered. The climax was as I would expect it to be, with peril to innocent people, but it all came about right in the end, as we knew it would. I will continue to read this series and look forward to the next. Recommended.… (altro)