Mallory Shepard inherited the Thistle Park bed and breakfast in Pa. She and her sister, Rachel, also work as wedding planners. She will be hosting the wedding of famous couple Dakota Craig and Beau Wright. The reality show, “I Do” will be filming the wedding. At the same time, she is busy organizing the Winter Ball for the Dunlop Academy. She has to work with a lot of strong personalities and then two murders as well. This book had many interesting twists and turns. It was a fast read, with humor mixed in. I enjoyed this book very much and you will too. Thank you to Net Galley for giving me an advanced reader copy to read.

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue is one of those books where only a few pages in I know I'm going to have to find and read everything else written by the author! This 3rd installment in the Wedding Planner cozy mystery series by author Stephanie Blackmoore finds heartthrobs Dakota and Beau ready to tie the knot at Thistle Park Bed and Breakfast. B & B owners, and sisters, Mallory and Rachel, have also agreed to let the reality tv show, I Do, film their nuptials on site, and follow along with the wedding preparations. Too bad that while filming, a local woman and friend of the bride is found murdered in the same manner as a Hollywood starlet had been thirteen years earlier. Is there a connection? Will the murderer be caught? Will the wedding take place? Suspects are everywhere, and at times my head was spinning, but I really enjoyed this fast-paced cozy! 5 stars!

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue is the third book in the A Wedding Planner Mystery series.

Renovation of Rachel’s Victorian home, Thistle Park, have been completed and the wedding planning side is starting to take off. Mallory and her sister, Rachel, have to events coming up almost back to back. The first is the wedding of Dakota Craig, a former teenage star in a teenage based soap opera, and her intended, Beau Wright a Country music star and the second is to provide the venue for the Winter Ball for the Dunlap Women’s Academy, which she was conned into by her almost mother-in-law. She was excited to be hosting Dakota’s wedding as it was to be part of the reality TV show, I Do, and would provide some great publicity. That excitement was quelled when she learns that the host of the show, Adrienne Larson, is the mother of Summer, daughter of Mallory love interest, Garrett.

Mallory begins to wonder if being on I Do is going to worth the publicity, having to deal Adrienne’s continuing cutting comments and changes and with Roxanne, the bride’s mother, is bullying stage mother that tells her daughter what she will have in her wedding.

Soon, the question was whether there would be a wedding. As things were beginning to wrap at The Winter Ball For Dunlap Women’s Academy, it was noticed that the Head Mistress, Ginger, and also the maid of honor for Dakota’s wedding is missing. When Mallory goes to her office she finds the lifeless body of Ginger at her desk.

There is no shortage of suspects for Mallory to sift through. Helen Pierce, a member of the board at Dunlap, who had had a not so nice discussion with Ginger about policy at the school, Dr. Jennings whose daughter was about to be expelled and several members of the bridal party, itself will need to come under close scrutiny. Dakota, Ginger and bridesmaids had all grown up to together. They had all visited Dakota on the set of the show she was in and when the star of that show died. Mallory will discover that death had similar to Ginger’s.

Another well-plotted and written story with a cast of interesting and believable characters. This has plenty of twist and turns.

Delicious recipes are also included in the book,

I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this great series.

Just like the previous two books of this series, such a fun read! Mallory and the other characters come off the pages as friends. Ms Blackmoore writes cozy mysteries to perfection. I look forward to reading more.

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue is the third installment in the Wedding Planner Mystery series set in the small town of Port Quincy, PA featuring Mallory Shepard, owner of Thistle Park B&B. Mallory and her sister Rachel are looking forward to a busy week at the B&B. They'll be hosting the debutante Winter Ball for the posh Dunlap Women's Academy followed by the celebrity wedding of actress Dakota Craig to country music superstar Beau Wright.

The celebrity wedding also brings the cast of the reality show, I Do to the B&B, which includes the ex-girlfriend of Mallory's boyfriend Garrett Davies. Mallory's got her hands full trying to deal with the demands of the producer, the ever changing ideas of the show's hostess and Dakota's bullying mother and momager.

To add to the complications Mallory is butting heads with her ex-fiance Keith's mother, Helene over the preparations for the Winter Ball. Helene is on the board of Dunlap and wants things done her way including crowning the Belle of the Ball with the schools recently discovered and valuable tiara. Helene, who helped get the B&B on its feet, thinks that Mallory should do whatever she demands including siding against the school's headmistress Ginger Crevecoeur.

A murder, poisoning, theft, drug abuse and academic cheating quickly overtake the small town and Mal is determined against the advice of Police Chief Truman Davies to find the killer and save the reputation of Thistle Park. With plenty of suspects all of whom are either related or share a past, Mallorys snooping lands her front and center in the killer's sights.

A fast paced plot with well-developed and returning characters. The author's finely tuned writing style will transport any reader into the heart of Port Quincy.

I received an advanced copy of Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I tried hard to get engaged in this book but it never seems to work for me.
It seemed to me that the mystery part took a back seat to the romance and the problems of the characters involved.
The characters were a bit lifeless and quite stereotypes.
The pace was sometime a bit to slow and the plot a bit confused.
It starts really well but then it went oomph .
It is well written but not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley

I went back and read the first two books in the series before I treated myself with 'Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue'. I love the characters, the location, the romance and the mystery of the series. This third booked exceeded expectations and I am excited for more. I would give it more stars if I could!

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue: A Wedding Planner Mystery
By Stephanie Blackmoore
Kensington
January 30, 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

It seemed like a wonderful business opportunity at the time. A celebrity wedding featured on a reality television show would provide an immense amount of publicity for her wedding planning business and new Bed & Breakfast, so Mallory Shepard is initially thrilled to have a famous couple as clients. Dakota Craig left Port Quincy, Pennsylvania to star on a high school soap opera, and now she is returning with a reignited career as America’s Sweetheart. Her fiancé Beau Wright is a famous country singer himself, although his reputation as a playboy gives him a shadier edge. Mallory’s definitely going to have her hands full negotiating between the down-to-earth bride and her demanding momager, not to mention having committed to planning and hosting the Dunlap Women’s Academy debutante Winter Ball. It’s going to be an insane two weeks, and no one could have predicted that yet another murder would threaten to stop both events in their tracks.

Dakota’s mother isn’t about to let a little thing like the death of the maid of honor stop the wedding of the year, and Mallory’s almost-but-thank-goodness-not-mother-in-law Hurricane Helen Pierce demands that Mallory fulfills her obligation to the Winter Ball. As a result, she and her cake baking sister Rachel are forced to revise and juggle their plans while ignoring the fact that murder, theft, and even more poisonings are centered around their clients. A camera crew recording their every move only increases the pressure, as does attempting to plan an increasing number of undercover ceremonies.

Perhaps it’s appropriate that in a mystery where the characters are wedding planners who bake wedding cakes while running a Bed & Breakfast, there’s a lot going on. Warring clients, romantic escapades, Hollywood intrigue, and academic infighting all intertwine in this complicated and always unpredictable novel. Mallory’s sister still borrows her clothes and is ruthless in her pursuit of attractive men, but her professional ambition has leveled her out and allowed her to mature. There looks to be no end in sight of the war between Mallory and Helen, although Mallory is gaining the skills to outmaneuver the ruthless manipulator. Mallory’s own romantic life gets complicated when her boyfriend has an unforeseen connection to I Do’s host, leading towards more drama than even the Ice Queen could have planned. The details of a wedding ceremony are as delightful as the shenanigans of a reality television show, ensuring that readers will be entertained on so many levels. This is a treat for those who appreciate fashion, food, and the drama of weddings.

This is one of my favorite series. I love when settings feel authentic, and I always feel like I'm in the Pittsburgh area when I'm reading these books. I really liked the plot. Mallory has the chance of a lifetime with this show, only to have it marred by a murder. There are also a few interesting surprises along the way. The ending was a major shock.

Poor Mallory! She's excited because a star (!) is going to have her wedding at the B&B Mallory owns with her sister Rachel AND best of all- it's going to be filmed for a reality TV show. Well, if you're a cozy reader, you can guess things aren't going to go as planned. Mallory has to contend with all the problems inherent in a wedding (the mother of the bride, the bridesmaids, etc.) all while running the rest of her business. Then there's a snow storm. AND then there's a murder. An intrepid amateur, she works with Truman, the chief of police, to untangle all the characters and the secrets they're hiding. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a nicely written and entertaining cozy- I'm looking forward to the next one.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Our started off with a bang and never let up. Ms. Blackmoore handles all the characters so well and never once shorts the reader on action. I really did have a hard time figuring out who the killer was.

Reality TV invades small Pennsylvania town B&B for a celebrity wedding. An engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. Many possible suspects. Just when you think the murder(s) solved, another possibility arises. Fun guessing game.

Filled with twists, turns and shocking revelations, this is an extremely satisfying cozy mystery.

This is the third book of the series and could be read as a standalone. I haven't read the others but felt I was fine with reading this without the first two. A lot of strange personalities. A few suspects and some secrets. What goes where? There were so many things to figure out- murder, posion, lies, cheating, and a whole lotta drama. We have more than one mystery on our hands. An old murder and a new murder had my guesses all over the place. A good mystery! Recipes included!

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue is a whirlwind cozy mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
There are many twists and turns and other mysteries all centered around the anticipated marriage of Dakota Craig and her famous country musician fiance.
Planning weddings is what Mallory and her sister Rachel do best- but neither of them are prepared for all the drama that comes along with this wedding.
A missing tiara, a momager who doesn't give her daughter a chance to think for herself, old grudges and murder are just a few of the goings on in this fantastic story.

Fans of this series will enjoy all the dynamics that make this story a wonderful addition to the series.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
#MurderBorrowed,murderBlue #NetGalley

Loved this book! It was fun, filled with crazy characters and the mystery was complex. Cannot wait for the next one!

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue is the third book in Stephanie Blackmoore’s Wedding Planner Mystery series. The story flows at a steady pace that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The storyline is well plotted and the characters are well developed and likeable. There are enough twists and turns, red herrings, and suspects to keep the reader guessing.

Mallory Shephard and her sister, Rachel, have renovated Thistle Park, the home Mallory inherited from her ex-fiancé, Keith Pierce’s, grandmother in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania and turned it into a B&B and wedding/event venue. Mallory and Rachel find themselves extremely busy. They are preparing for the wedding of actress, Dakota Craig, and country singer, Beau Wright, which will be filmed for the reality television series, I Do, and a modern-day, debutante ball for the Dunlap Women’s Academy, the local girls boarding school, that Keith’s mother, Helene Pierce, forced them to host for free. Dakota grew up in Port Quincy and wanted the wedding to take place there and have her childhood friends take part in the ceremony. They are also having to deal with Dakota’s demanding mother, Roxanne, and I Do’s host, Adrienne Larson. Mallory is taken aback when she learns that Adrienne is the mother who abandoned thirteen-year-old Summer Davis shortly after her birth. Summer is the daughter of Garrett Davies, Mallory’s current boyfriend. Dakota’s best friend and maid of honor, Ginger Crevecoeur, is murdered during the Winter Ball and before Chief of Police Truman Davies and his partner, Faith Hendricks, can apprehend a suspect, Xavier Morris, I Do’s director, is poisoned. When Adrienne is arrested, Garrett volunteers to represent her and Truman asks Mallory, who people tend to confide in, to unofficially help him in the investigation.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Mallory was faced with a dilemma her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend was back in town along with camera crew for the reality wedding her B and B was hosting, but this stressful event was marred by jealousy past and present, murder, attempted murder and a lot of he did it, and she did it, fingers pointing all over, even Mallory got in the game. I find she was a bit too emotionally involved to do a great job of investigating and it took too long for her to figure out the clues and culprits, almost getting herself killed on two occasions. This story had a few unrequited loves and loves gone sour, it also showed that a second chance could be the charm, not just in love but catching a killer. The storyline was okay and the characters were not bad, just the sleuth was slow on the draw, I guess she had too much on her plate.

Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue, Book three of this series has Mallory hosting the wedding of famous stars while being filmed for the reality tv series, I Do, as well as throwing a debutante ball for the local girls boarding school. When the brides close friend is murdered there are too many suspects to rule anyone out. I really enjoy this series. Each book is better than the last, the characters are great, and best of all I can't figure out "who dunnit" until the end. I hope there are many more books in this cozy series and highly recommend each one.