I get the gest of this book bit it had way too many things going on in it for my taste. Amy is a interesting protagonist I'll see how book three turns out

I had high hopes for this cozy- loved the idea of bird watching- but was disappointed with the theater theme, which I think is overdone in this genre. I did like Amy and appreciated her struggles but really think she should have left the sleuthing to the police. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is nicely written and a quick read- and it's actually perfect if you want to relax with a mystery that's neither especially hard and not at all violent. The bonus is info about birds, which I hope there will be more of in future outings. I'm going to look for Ripley again.

Amy owns the Birds & Bees store and she volunteers to be in the town play, Annie Get Your Gun. This is set at Ruby Lake, North Carolina. The play seems to have a lot of bad luck. People getting hurt on stage. Even a murder. Amy seems to get caught up in it all and solving what happens while running her store and staying ahead of the police. I found Amy to be a floor mat and she let to many people walk all over her. A tenant that won't leave and a new one that moved in. The story was a cute cozy mystery and I received this from NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the protagonist, Amy is the first amateur sleuth I have read that enjoys her passion for birds. I went into reading this unsure how I would connect with her, but I was happily surprised. She was a great character to join crime solving forces with, and her compassion for birds pulled on my heart strings. I found myself to be drawn to wanting to solve more crimes with her, as I also really enjoyed having the twists and turns created in each chapter. The victim was an interesting surprise, but that is how the author wrote the book, giving us hints that made us think one thing and then shocking us with a different outcome. I enjoyed my mental who-done-it list growing and changing with each new hint.

I would have to agree with the series name, that if you enjoy the fowls this is a great book for you to read. As a reader that loves mysteries, this is a great mystery to dig into! Mystery lovers around will really find this to be a charming and fun read!

In Towhee Get Your Gun, the second book in the Bird Lover's Mystery series, author J.R. Ripley weaves an intriguing cozy mystery tale that follows the latest amateur sleuth adventures of Bird & Bees shop owner Amy Simms. Amy unexpectedly finds herself embroiled in the mysterious mishaps that plague the local community theater, Ruby Lake Theater On The Square (TOTS), and solving the murder of theater crew member Patsy Klein.

Set in the southern town of Ruby Lake, North Carolina, Amy is busy with running Birds & Bees, a birding supply store in an old three story Victorian home with her best friend and business partner Kim Christy. But when mysterious mishaps sideline some of the cast of the theater's production of Annie Get Your Gun, Amy unwillingly finds herself substituting for the wounded actress in the production, which turns tragic with the mysterious death of crew member Patsy Klein, and Amy's cousin Rhonda is implicated as a suspect in the murder. And if that isn't enough, Amy continues to have problems with the town wanting to demolish her Victorian house / shop; rescues a injured Eastern Towhee; and has neighbor issues with Paul Anderson, who is opening a new beer garden next door with partner Craig Bigelow, who happens to be Amy's ex-boyfriend!

Towhee Get Your Gun is an entertaining whodunit tale that has enough quirky characters, witty banter and humor, drama, secrets, clues, frenemies, romance, a growing list of suspects, and intriguing twists and turns that will keep you guessing the identity of the murderer. You can't help but get caught up in the drama and calamity that ensues as Amy tries to balance solving the murder while trying to save her Victorian home/shop from having a date with the wrecking ball. Amy's amateur investigative adventure unfolds with a wonderful balance of comedy, drama, and suspense that easily kept me guessing, and left me wanting more.

Towhee Get Your Gun is an entertaining southern cozy murder mystery that will engage you to join in the crazy adventures and trials and tribulations that occur in Ruby Lake, while providing you with a dose of good ol' southern charm and humor. I really enjoyed the author's rich description of the charming western North Carolina small town of Ruby Lake and it's colorful townsfolk, and his impressive knowledge of birds and flowers. So pull up a rocking chair and set down for a spell with some sweet tea while Amy takes you on her latest madcap adventure!

RATING: 4 STARS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/01/towhee-get-your-gun-by-jr-ripley-book.html

I was excited to continue this series. I always enjoy new cozy themes The author has created a wonderful small town setting that I enjoy with all of its “crazy” townspeople. It was fun to meet some more locals and also the newly moved in. And I mean literally moved in and building a biergarten next to Birds and Bees.

The murder was intriguing and difficult for me to decide who dun it. Lots going on at the local production, many different personalities, it could almost be anybody.

My favorite part of the book was when Amy took charge at the senior living facility. Karl and Floyd are also quite the pair. Plenty of laughs throughout the book!!

I recommend this book to all cozy readers. It’s a great new series.

3.5 out of 5

What do you get when you cross murder with theatrics and bird watching? Mayhem and madness! This is a very well-written book. I really enjoyed the story line and the setting in this book. Ruby Lake sounds like a lovely small town. I wouldn't mind visiting it or even living there if it wasn't fictional!

The story line of the actress, the play in town, trying to save the town theater, and Amy still somehow run the birdwatching supply store made for a compelling plot. It was well-written and I had no idea who the villain was until it was revealed, which is always a plus in my opinion. In fact, I was totally off on another tangent and didn't foresee the villain as the villain at all until it was revealed!

Nevertheless, I did not care for the characters much. I felt like Amy didn't have much of a backbone and that she took far too many chances. I felt that Kim was far too overbearing and overstepped her boundaries many, many times, without Amy sticking up for herself and saying "no".

I don't mind amateur sleuths who pass information on to the police because of things they hear about in their jobs or while out and about in town. I don't mind amateur sleuths who attempt to talk about the crime with people in the town in hopes of eliciting clues. I do mind amateur sleuths who deliberately take chances that they really don't need to take. I do mind amateur sleuths who think they're smarter than the police and seek to upstage the police by solving the crimes themselves. Amy, I feel, falls into this latter category. Some of the chances she takes in this book are ludicrous to me. I just could not like her and her antics.

However, don't let this discourage you from reading the book. It is very well-written and has a great plot to it. I didn't care for it only because of my preferences when it comes to amateur sleuths, not because it was a horrible story. If you don't mind your characters taking what seem like unnecessary chances, you will probably enjoy the book!

Towhee Get Your Gun by J.R. Ripley is the second book in A Bird Lover’s Mystery series. Amy Simms is the owner of Birds and Bees in Ruby Lake, North Carolina. After having a frustrating discussion with Paul Anderson about his camper (which is parked in front of Amy’s store), Amy’s cousin Riley enters the shop. The Theater on the Square (TOTS) is putting on a production of Annie Get Your Gun, but they have been having some difficulties (people injured, thefts of small items, a small fire). He has just come from the theater where the stage curtain rod gave way and injured two of the actors. Riley wishes to recruit Amy to play Winnie (keep in mind that Amy cannot sing and it is a musical). Ava Turner, a movie star who lives locally, has agreed to star as Annie (she played the role on Broadway when she was younger). A few days later, Amy is at TOTS for a rehearsal. Amy is on stage with Riley when they hear a shot ring out. Amy runs towards the back of the theater to find Lou Ferris, the theater manager, trying to get into Ava’s dressing room. After getting the door unlocked, they find Patsy Klein, Jill-of-all trades, dead in Ava Turner’s dressing room. There is no one else in the room and there is a prop gun on the floor. It looks like Patsy committed suicide, but, as we all know, looks can be deceiving. The police discover that Patsy was stabbed to death and Rhonda, Amy’s cousin and Riley’s fraternal twin, ends up being the prime suspect. Amy sets out to find the real culprit and clear Rhonda’s name. In between sleuthing, Amy must deal with her shop, her nosy and annoying second-floor tenant, her new disrupting neighbor, her plans for Seeds for Seniors program, and the town trying to take over her land under eminent domain. Amy cannot say that life is dull in Ruby Lake. Will Amy be able to find the real culprit and rescue her cousin, Rhonda from the hoosegow?

Towhee Get Your Gun is easy to read and has a good pace. I thought that the author included some good information on towhee’s and rehabilitating injured birds. While Towhee Get Your Gun is the second book in the series, it can be read alone (the author gives the reader all the needed information). I personally thought that there was too much going on in Towhee Get Your Gun. We have the murder, Amy’s new neighbor, return of Amy’s old boyfriend, a towhee left on the store’s front porch, the Seeds for Seniors project, Amy’s annoying second-floor tenant (I would find a way to toss that woman out of on her posterior), meddling friend, Kate (the meddling friend) and Randy flipping a house, Barbara (Amy’s mother) illness and meddling, and the possibility of romance for Amy with Derek (despite warnings from Derek’s ex-wife). I am sure that I left something out of that list. I found Amy a hard character to like. She runs around town probing the murder (while her mother and friend try to ruin her life and shop) while alienating the citizens of Ruby Lake with her questioning (which comes out accusatory). I can see why many of the townspeople are not fond of Amy (and she needs them on her side in order to save her home and shop). You know you do not like a character when you keep hoping the killer will bump her off next. Amy also over indulges in food and then laments about her appearance (more than once). I give Towhee Get Your Gun 3 out of 5 stars (okay, but not for me). I thought the mystery was too simple. I could identify the killer before anyone had been murdered (one little detail gave away the perpetrator’s identity). I believe that many readers will be able to figure out all the parts of the puzzle long before the reveal. Towhee Get Your Gun is the type of cozy mystery for readers that like zany and over-the-top antics (and humor).

Love this book. Adore this series. An entertaining, fun, and quick read. I say quick, but that may be because I didn't want to put the book down. Lots of heart, lots of mystery, a little romance. I had other books I should have been reading, but since I knew I would thoroughly enjoy Towhee Get Your Gun, I slipped it into my reading schedule a tad early. Of course, now I have to wait even longer for The Woodpecker Always Pecks Twice to be published. I do so look forward to reading it. Bird lover or not, cozy mystery readers will enjoy this enjoyable story. The character names are an added treat, especially for those of us old enough to notice the similarity to famous names. Different, but do ring a distant bell of familiarity.