It's official. I've been trying to read this book for 4 years now, and at 37% I have to just give up. The lead character is so obnoxiously weak as a person that she will never become a proper lead in a cozy mystery series. Do not read this book. Save yourself.

An adorable cosy mystery I really enjoyed getting to know Quinn and her world. The descriptions of food were completely mouthwatering and I will definitely be reading more in this series.

This was your typical cozy mystery. It was an enjoyable and easy read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

Quinn Bellandini runs her grandfather’s B&B with her sister, Delilah, in Savannah, Georgia. One evening, she goes to visit her friend, Drew Green, at his family’s restaurant but finds his brother, Jason, murdered in the kitchen. The police arrest Drew and wonder if Quinn is involved as well. Quinn believes Drew is innocent and wants to clear her own name, so she begins investigating with her sister to find the real killer.

This was a decent cozy mystery. I appreciated how clean it was since Quinn does not use or tolerate bad language (I read one of this author’s Java Jive mysteries, and one of my main issues with it was the amount of swearing). The mystery itself was decent if not super intriguing. It played out well without giving too much away too soon. Even though I’m not generally one for supernatural things, the additional character of deceased Uncle Frank giving hints to the few people who can see him was cute for some reason.

My main drawback was Quinn. She was the least interesting character of the book, which is kind of a problem since she is the main character. The author tried to make her interesting: she’s a nerd who loves baking but is also the lead guitarist in an all-girls band! But her personality was conflicting. Occasionally, she was very assertive with her investigating, and she very firmly held a grudge against her neighbor for something that happened in high school. Other times, she’s a shrinking wallflower, and she starts crying when one of the suspects says something mean to her. It just didn’t gel for me.

I am interested to see if Quinn becomes more interesting with more sleuthing and new relationships in her life, and I really did appreciate the clean language, so I’ll probably check out more books in the series at some point. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

This book follows the the typical cozy formula very well. Beautiful heroines, handsome hero who bickers with the heroine. Incompetent police who "force" the heroine to investigate and find the murderer and save the day. A solid read.

When Quinn goes by Green, her friend Drew's restaurant that he is part owner of she finds his brother's body in the kitchen. When both her and Drew are suspected of killing Drew's brother she starts to investigate the murder herself in order to clear their names. This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series with Quinn who runs her grandfather's B & B in Savannah, GA since it does display some of the character of the area in the book. There are also recipes of some of the baked goods that are mentioned in the book. This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

Sweeping, beautiful trees. Lovely historic homes. A quaint B&B. Sounds delightful, doesn't it? Quinn Bellandini loves where she lives, in Savannah. She helps run a cozy B&B with her sister. She adores baking up sweets for the guests and making sure their stay is everything it can possibly be. Paradise is shattered for Quinn as she discovers a dead body.

The murder impacts not only Quinn, but Drew, whose brother has been murdered. Quinn and Drew set out to clear not only their names but find out who the true killer is.

I love that this book is set in Savannah, GA. This has all the elements I look for in a cozy mystery.

This is the first in a new series by Caroline Fardig, A Southern B&B Mystery. Quinn and Delilah Bellandini run their grandfather's B&B in Savannah. In this first book, Quinn stumbles upon a local restaurant owner's dead body, in his restaurant. The dead man's brother, Drew, is a friend of Quinn's, and is arrested and charged for the murder. Quinn is also a "person of interest" so she decides to do some amateur sleuthing to find the real killer. There are a lot of suspects, as Jason Green was not well liked. Can Quinn and Delilah find the real murderer?

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. The characters are great. The sisters are smart (most of the time), loyal, caring and hard workers. Their grandpa Sal is in and out of the story, but you know he loves his granddaughters and wants the best for them. Then there is Uncle Frank. He is dead and both Delilah and Grandpa Sal can see and converse with his ghost, Quinn thinks it is a bunch of hokey. Enter Tucker, the boy who grew up across the street from the Bellandinis. He is attracted to Quinn and is working hard to get her to reciprocate his feelings. There are some chuckles as the girls develop their sleuthing skills and Quinn is a bit of a clutz so in between the more serious moments there are still some giggles. I enjoyed the setting of Savannah, with its sultry weather and tourist destination. The mystery was well written and developed and was sleuthing right along with the girls. I figured out the culprit before they did, but if they had, we would have missed the exciting showdown. Overall a fun and interesting mystery and a series I am looking forward to following. My one suggestion would be to have more involvement with the guests at the B&B. If you enjoy a southern mystery, then pick this one up.

Southern Discomfort
(A Southern B&B Mystery #1)
by Caroline Fardig

Kindle Edition
Published March 6th 2018 by Alibi


Goodreads synopsis:
Southern hospitality meets deadly deception in the start of a charming new mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of the Java Jive novels.

Quinn Bellandini loves her life in Savannah, Georgia, where she runs her grandfather’s B&B with her sister, Delilah. From baking fresh scones and serving up grits every morning to ensuring the guests see the best of their historic city, Quinn can’t imagine doing anything else—even if it means dealing with nuisances like the occasional malfunctioning commode. But when Quinn drops by the local restaurant owned by her friend Drew Green, and stumbles upon a murder, her whole world comes crashing down.

Drew’s brother was always a little surly, but Quinn can’t imagine that someone disliked the prickly chef enough to kill him. The police, on the other hand, don’t believe that Quinn was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before her guests can even digest the next morning’s gourmet breakfast, Quinn learns that she and Drew are suspects.

Drew thinks they should do some investigating of their own. Quinn is pretty sure she’s better suited to playing hostess than amateur sleuth. But with Delilah as her cynical sidekick, Quinn starts looking for the real killer—before she gets put away faster than you can say “sugar.”

***

4.75 Stars

This is the first book in the Southern B&B Mystery series by Caroline Fardig.

I was excited to finally dig into this book by Caroline Fardig. I have truly enjoyed her books over the years. This one features Quinn Bellandini and her sister, Deliah who run a bed and breakfast in Savannah, Georgia. When she goes to speak to her friend, Drew, a local chef, she stumbles over the dead body of Drew’s brother. She and Drew share the suspect number one title until Drew is finally charged with the murder and put into jail. Quinn makes it her mission to free her friend. But the police want her to stay out of it but she pays then no mind.

This book was quite the hoot. Delilah is bored running the B&B and wants more adventure. So, she jumps in to help Quinn. Most of the family seem to speak to the ghost of Quinn’s great uncle, Frank and he gives them clues along the way, But Quinn can’t quite believe in him since she has never seen any true evidence of his ghosty-ness.

Quinn proves to be an adequate sleuth but she is no good at trailing suspects. On her first try she gets caught immediately. She is also not too interested in her love life even when the guy who was the head of the football team in high school is making goo-goo eyes at her and wants a date. She has a grudge against him that lasts for most of the book and makes for good gossip fodder for her sister and friends who keep pushing the two of them together at every turn.

The conclusion turns out to be more complex than any of them realized and Quinn, of course, lands herself in dire straights.

What a great book. I am totally loving this new Southern B&B Mystery series. Such a smooth and easy read. I am hooked. If you love cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I enjoyed reading this cozy. This is the first book in the series. Quinn and Her sister help run the family BB in downtown Historic Savannah, Georgia. When Quinn finds a dead body at a local restaurant she sets out to clear her name and solve the crime. When her friend Drew is arrested she is sure he is innocent. I really enjoy the Savannah setting. The sisters have a fun relationship and there is the beginning of a romantic relationship with the boy next door, Tucker. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. It was not easy to solve and there were enough suspects to keep it interesting. I liked that she worked with police. The characters are fun but other than the sisters and Tucker there is not a lot of character development. I hope the next book improves on this. It does take place during Halloween but it did not have a lot of Holiday background. Overall it is a fun quick easy to read cozy. Enjoy

This is the first in the new A Southern B&B Mystery books, a cozy mystery series set in Savannah, Georgia.

Quinn Bellandini runs the family B&B with her sister, Delilah, and grandpa Sal doing the baking and managing the books. When Quinn literally stumbles upon the dead body at the local grocery store and contaminates the scene she ends up looking into the case to keep herself and the victim’s brother off the suspect list.

It was refreshing to have the main character be so reluctant to get involved with the investigation. Her foibles and trepidation felt more realistic. That and the twist at the end were my favorite part. My biggest struggle with this book was the litany of unlikable characters. Quinn’s naïveté and judgmental attitude, Drew’s manipulation, Tucker’s inability to take a no, and a bunch of other little things along the way. I can forgive a lot in a story if I’m invested in the characters, but unlikable characters is my biggest pet peeve. Overall the story was decent, so I might try another of the author’s books, but not one from this series.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Who is the man with the knife in his back? Who wanted Jason killed.?
This book will have you guessing to the end. I really liked Uncle Frank. He was a very real character.
I would recommend it. Fun read.

So the only "complaint" and I use that term VERY loosely is that the cover art doesn't match the story line. I originally thought it was a Halloween cozy but it neither takes place at Halloween or have an haunted element to it. sister Quinn and Delilah run the family B&B with Grandpa Sal in historic Savannah. With such a busy job she certainly doesn't have time to be a "person of interest" when she finds a local chef and brother to her buddy Drew Green dead. The only thing worse is when the police take Drew in for questioning and charge him for his own brother's demise. To complicate things a high school nemesis is back in town and swears that he has the best intentions and seemingly wants to sweep Quinn off her feet. Or is that so she would land on her face? For a small town feel it seems like you're not sure who you can trust outside of family and some of them, like Quinn's Mama are a little questionable as well.. Highly entertaining and I can't wait to what is next!

I have read quite a few other books by this author and loved all of them, which is what made me request this one. I have to say, this was one of the best books I've read lately! It kept me completely immersed from beginning to end, there was a lot going on including some paranormal elements in there. The murder happened pretty quickly and there was a long list of suspects. I was able to figure out who the killer was just slightly before the main character did.

This book is well written with a very varied cast of characters. Lots of suspense, some humor, some paranormal elements, a touch of romance, and a good solid plot make it a great book that you'll have a hard time putting down!

I love beginning a mystery series at the beginning. You would think I always do, but sometimes I dive in somewhere in the middle and go back to the first book. 🤷🏼‍♀️
This is a pretty good beginning. We have a heroine living in a small town and running an inn with her sister and grandfather. Oh, and there is the ghost of her great uncle that everyone sees but her. I can see some interesting stories in the future involving the side characters. The grandfather puts on magic shows and the sister was bullied in school because she spoke to the ghost.
There are the problems with murder mysteries set in small towns, of course. How many people can you kill off before you run out of citizens?
With this book our heroine is trying to help her friend who has been arrested for murder, especially when the cops try to link her into the murder.
I had a bit of a problem with the romance in the story. He is a friend of her sisters who moves in across the street snd seems to have arrived already in love with our heroine. Granted they grew up together, but what tripped his button into chasing after our heroine? He’s been gone for years. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is my first time reading anything by Caroline Fardig but it will not be the last time.

Quinn Bellandini and her sister Delilah run a B&B owned by their grandfather. When Quinn stops by after hours at a local restaurant owned by her friend Drew, she doesn’t expect to come across a murder. Drew’s brother, the surly chef at the restaurant is found stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife. Soon Drew is arrested for murder and she is believed to be either suspect number 2 or an accessory to the murder. Quinn starts to investigate to clear Drew’s name and her own.

This book involves a quirky set of characters and great detail. The story dragged a little in places but it picked up as the story progressed.

I know a good bit about Savannah, Ga. What fun to have this book set in that setting and done so well. As a cozy bed and breakfast story, this one is fun. It's the first in the series, and I think more will be in order soon and fun as well. This book has a good ending, and I appreciate that. I am Southern, and now my tea needs refiling.

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Net Galley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and this review is left of my own free will.

I have been a fan of Ms. Fardig's "Coffee House Series" for a long time. I was pleased to read this one and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
This is set in a family owned B&B in Savanah operated by the protagonist, Quinn Bellandini along with her older sister, Delilah, and grandfather "Sal". Quinn is the level-headed one who has always done the right thing and who basically has a heart of gold.
She finds herself up to her neck in trouble when she goes to visit a friend who owns a restaurant along with his brother down the street. She has the unfortunate fate of stumbling across the body of a very obnoxious man who has a lot of enemies. The police of course always suspect the person who discovers the body and she's run through the ringer. When they arrest someone who she is convinced couldn't have killed this person and she makes it her mission to find the real killer, the list is long because this person was very unlikeable.
This book is full of loveable characters and there is a little romance involved as well. Ms. Fardig has several series but I've only read the coffee house series and now this one, I sure hope she follows up with another one in "A Southern B&B Mystery", I loved it. I almost forgot to mention the wonderful recipes included in the back of the book, what a bonus!
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest opinion, the opinions expressed above are my own.