A new series by Caroline Fardig that boasts a lot of southern charm, introducing the Bellandini sisters, Quinn and Delilah. The author does a good job laying out the character backgrounds, so that the reader has an idea of what is to come. When Quinn accidentally stumbles upon a dead body, it is a shock to realize that she knows who the victim is- Jason Green, her friend Drew Green's brother. Granted Jason Green was not the most friendly guy, and there was no love lost between him and Drew. However, Quinn doesn't believe he would literally stab his brother in the back. When he is accused of murder, the cops insinuate that it won't be long before Quinn joins Drew in jail. Knowing she has to clear both their names, she naively sets out to find the real killer. Well, mess with one Bellandini sister, and the other will have her back, therefore Delilah will not let her do this alone and joins her to keep her out of trouble. With additional help from the family ghost, Uncle Frank, and grandpa Sal, Quinn will need all the help she can get. What follows is an engaging read with the occasional magic touch thrown in. Looking forward to see what surprises the next book will reveal.

Southern Discomfort

by Caroline Fardig

Southern Discomfort introduces the sweet and naive Quinn Ballandini, who was raised by her grandmother to have impeccable Southern manners. She and her more rebellious sister help their grandfather manage a successful bed and breakfast in Savannah, Georgia, where Quinn does most of the cooking.

Quinn discovers the dead body of a friend’s brother. This too trusting B & B manager tries to transform herself into an amateur sleuth to get her friend and potentially herself cleared. She is pretty bad at it, but she is persistent. There are lots of interesting characters including her magician grandfather, Papa Sal, her mother who is into drugs and auras, her older sister Delilah, and her Uncle Frank’s ghost who appears to Delilah and Papa Sal. Additionally, former high school football star Tyler re-enters her life with a love-hate relationship. There are also a lot of suspects Quinn has to interview to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Southern Discomfort was a satisfactory read but not as well written as the one other book by Caroline Fardig that I have read from a different series. I would be willing to read the next book in the series, but the extent of the paranormal in the next book will determine further readings in this series.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Random House (Alibi) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery, Women’s Fiction

Notes: 1. #1 in the Southern B&B Mystery Series.
2. There are some paranormal elements that I found more amusing than offensive.
3. A few delicious sounding recipes are included at the end of the book.

Publication: March 6, 2018—Random House (Alibi)

Memorable Lines:

Well, I’d had a fleeting moment of calm, thinking it might not be so bad to tell my sad story to my old friend Rufus. But with Detective Angrypants staring me down, my nerves frazzled again.

I’d always thought culinary reviewers were highfalutin foodies who savored their food morsel by morsel so as to taste every note and nuance of whatever they were eating. This guy was a inhaling his food. There was a no way he was savoring anything at that pace.

Her words stung me and brought tears to my eyes. Why did she have to be so stinking mean all the time? It was like I was back in high school again, getting picked on by the cool kids.

Southern Discomfort by bestselling cozy author Caroline Fardig is the very charming debut book in her new Southern B&B Mystery Series. Sisters Quinn and Delilah Bellandini, along with their Papa Sal, are the proprietors of Bellandini's B&B in Savannah, Georgia. It doesn't take long for Quinn to find herself embroiled in murder when her friend Drew's brother, Jason, is found brutally murdered in the kitchen of their restaurant, Green, and Quinn is the first on the scene. Longtime secrets are revealed, as well as hidden relationships, as Quinn and Delilah work to uncover the killer - with a little help from Papa Sal's late brother (and ghost!!!) Uncle Frank!!! A true southern gem of a cozy, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading!

A solid start to a new series. The setting of this story was just picture perfect. A family business, mystery, a beautiful setting, everything you need to start a well written story that just grasps the reader and doesn't let go. The characters were well rounded and relationships made sense between them, I cannot wait for this series to hit its stride because I am totally hooked.

A Sweet Southern Mystery with a dash of romance.
It was nice to meet new characters in a beautiful city.
Will leave review on Amazon under name of Connie

Quinn Bellandini runs a B&B with her grandfather, her sister Delilah, and the ghost of her late uncle Frank—whom everyone but Quinn believes in. She bakes scones, keeps the B&B running smoothly, and plays guitar in a band with her friends. She doesn’t even have time to date.

Her friend Drew runs a restaurant down the street, with his brother Jason, a surly, argumentative guy who fights with everyone—including his wife. When Quinn finds Jason’s body one night, she’s horrified—but not really surprised, considering how everyone disliked Jason.

What does surprise her is her presence near the top of the list of suspects, along with Drew. When Drew suggests they try to uncover a more-likely suspect to save their own necks, Quinn reluctantly agrees. She’s more suited to baking than investigating, but she finds her talent for killing people with kindness to thinly disguise her pointed remarks comes in handy. And she’ll need every trick she has to stay out of jail while she searches for a murderer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Southern Discomfort. I’ve never been to Savannah, but as a born-and-raised Southern girl, I found the setting believable and familiar (especially the popularity of sweet tea). Quinn and Delilah’s relationship was fantastic, and their interactions made the book even better! A great read for cozy mystery fans and anyone who loves Southern fiction.

(Galley provided by Alibi in exchange for an honest review.)

Southern Discomfort is a new series (Southern B&B mysteries) by Caroline Fardig, who is a season author, and is a little edgier than most cozies. There is more sex (not explicit) and maybe a little more double-dealing. Quinn and her sister Delilah have mostly taken over the running of their grandparents' B&B. Grandma has passed away but Grandpa Sal is still the personality of the place, if largely not involved in the day-to-day operations. He does do a magic show very day for the guests who often include families with children. He and his brother, Frank, had been professional magicians in their youth. Frank still sticks around in his ghostly form to help the family out.
Quinn's friend, Drew, runs a restaurant in town with his brother Jason and Jason's wife Val.

One evening after closing, Quinn delivers a homemade treat through the back door, for Drew, as an apology for what she considers a misunderstanding she wants to clear up . Instead of Drew in the kitchen she discovers Jason, dead on the floor with a knife in his back. She calls the police and discovers the good cop half of the good cop/bad cop set of detectives sent to interview her is a good friend from lower elementary school. She and Drew meet up the next day to talk about the crime and decide, since neither of them has any money, that they need to investigate. Before long, Drew is arrested on murder charges and the bad cop lets Quinn know she is a suspect as well and can expect to be brought in shortly.

Delilah, meanwhile inserts herself into the investigation. It turns out she is better at being subtle than her sister, Quinn. She is also arranging to set Quinn up with the guy from high school that has just arrived home and moved in across the street. Quinn is not interested. She still holds against him a transgression she believes he committed in high school, but Tucker is omnipresent, turning up everywhere.

I quite enjoyed this book. There were plenty of subplots, not the least of which is the presence of Uncle Frank (who not everyone believes in). The characters are well developed but leaving plenty of growth for future books. The murder was plotted well and there was plenty of misdirection, which kept both Quinn and reader engaged. Sadly, there were also friendships gone wrong and people misunderstood. The setting is ideal. No one ever has to die at the bed and breakfast and Tucker across the street is the cherry on top.

I liked this novel and think it is worth a read. Enjoy!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Southern Discomfort is a cozy mystery set in Savannah. Quinn Bellandini helps run her family’s bed and breakfast with her sister Delilah, Papa Sal and the ghost of Uncle Fred. Her friend Drew owns Green, the restaurant down the street. Former high school heartthrob Tucker lives across the street. Quinn finds Jason, Drew’s brother, in the restaurant after hours with a knife in his back. Quinn and Drew are both suspects but since no one liked Jason there are countless suspects so they decide to investigate on their own. When Drew is arrested, bumbling investigator Quinn enlists her sister Delilah to help. So far the book has been a formulaic cozy mystery but then Quinn gets sassy and things get interesting. The characters were well developed with enough background on their relationships to satisfy readers. The reader is given several possible killers but the ending was surprising. This is a statisfying cozy mystery with pleasant setting and a likeable heroine. I look forward to more books in this series. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to check out this new series because the author's Java Jive Mysteries series is one of my favorites. I was not disappointed.

Quinn Bellandini, along with her sister Delilah and grandpa operate a B&B in Savannah. When Quinn's friend is arrested for murder and she thinks she is suspect #2 she decides she needs to take action. Unlike most cozies Quinn realizes this is dangerous and wishes she did not have to investigate but she feels this is the only way to save her friend. In the process she finds out a lot of unsettling facts about both friends and foes.

This is a very good start to a new series. We know enough about the characters to like them and want to know them better. Savannah is a great setting and I find Uncle Frank's ghost to be a fun addition to the storyline.

This book was positively delightful! I've loved Caroline Fardig's other book series, and this book was no exception. Her characters are so we'll rounded and masterfully created. I loved the Southern element and local history she brought into this novel. The insertion of Uncle Frank's ghost was so entertaining and true of many historic cities lore and draw for some. Thank you for this remarkable tale! I can't wait to see what will be in the next books!

I want to start by saying I am a big fan of Caroline Fardig. I have read and loved all of her books so I had been waiting for this Savannah mystery series to come out. That being said I did not enjoy this book as much as her others and there are a few reasons for that. First of all, this book did not pull me into the story like her other books have. I really was not interested until 50% into the book which drew out the reading for a week and a half or so when I usually would finish a story like this in 2-3 days. At 75% into the book I was hooked but that seemed like a little late in the game. Secondly, the main character, Quinn, was not very interesting. I have always felt like Caroline Fardig develops her characters really well and this was no different but what I didn't like is that Quinn is such a dork (not in a good way, more in an uncomfortable way). I cringed at some of the things she said. I would much prefer to read about her sister, Delilah! Quinn definitely felt like she should be the sidekick and not the leading lady. I am also always thrown by a story that throws a supernatural twist in WAY late in the book. In this story, Delilah and their grandpa talk to the ghost of Uncle Frank throughout the story. So although that is happening, everything throughout the story is very easily explained without a ghost being present but then the rescue-part of the story has one main piece of information that would be missing without the ghost angle which I totally wasn't expecting. All that being said, many of this book was quite enjoyable and I thought it was a good mystery and storyline. I did suspect the ending but that didn't stop me from wanting to know for sure. Also, the romance between Quinn and her neighbor was sweet. I will definitely continue with this series!

A new cozy mystery series that will leave you wanting more. Centered around Savannah, Georgia a family run B&B and the two Bellandini sisters. Quinn discovers the body of Jason her best friends Drew brother. Quinn becomes a person of interest and Drew gets arrested for his brother’s murder. Quinn with the help of her sister needs to figure out who the killer is before she ends up in a cell next to Drew or worst yet six feet under.

Caroline Fardig doesn’t disappoint with this new series. It has a little bit of everything. Some romance, mystery, ghosts, and paranormal activity. A great way to curl up on the couch with a drink and enjoy reading.

I am always excited to dive into a new cozy series. I anticipate meeting new "friends" and discovering new situations and activities. In Southern Discomfort, we meet a family who own a small town B&B, supported mainly by the seasonal tourist trade. The grandfather oversees everything while his two granddaughters take care of the day to day dealing with guests and housework. There may or may not also be a ghost keeping an eye on the house and family.
Quinn is the most outgoing of the girls, but her sister has her back when necessary. Except when Delilah tries to push Quinn towards a neighbor in a more social way than Quinn is comfortable with. I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters.
Quinn is friends with a local restaurant owner, Drew. Initially I liked him but my feelings changed the more I got to know him. She is going above and beyond to help him beat a murder charge and he isn't as appreciative or reciprocal as you'd expect. Regardless, she keeps investigating due to fear that she will end up arrested also for one reason or another.
Besides the obvious mystery of discovering who murdered the abrasive and oft disliked Jason, Drew's brother, there are questions about what really happened back in high school. And then there is the question of if ghosts are really hanging around town, particularly at the B&B. That added another layer to the story. I am curious how it will be developed as the series progresses.

I appreciated the diversity of suspects and motives as we got to know more about Quinn and Delilah as well as learning how their thinking patterns worked on chasing clues while staying safe. You learn alot about people from their behavior choices.

Love the sister act of Quinn and Delilah. This is the first of the Southern B&B mystery series. Quinn and her sister Delilah run the family B&B in historic Savanah. Quinn finds herself a suspect in a murder after she goes to apologize to her friend Drew and finds the body of his brother Jason. Quinn and Drew both become suspects and Drew wants to investigate. After Drew’s arrest, Quinn and her sister Delilah begin the search for a killer. Plenty of suspects to look at. This is a fun fast-paced book with a solid mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end with lots of great secondary characters (like Papa Sal and Uncle Frank the ghost). I have never been to Savannah and have always wanted to visit and this just reinforces the desire to go. Can’t wait for the next installment!

Will be leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon when available to post

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

This is a new series by the author of the Java Jive Series, which I just loved. Here we have Southern hospitality meeting murder, and another heroine who is out to prove her friend didn't do it. The story starts slow, but picks up pace quickly and I didn't see the baddie coming.

Quinn Bellandini and her sister Delilah run a charming B&B owned by their grandfather in Savannah Georgia. She loves her life and her wonderful, historic city and enjoys sharing it with the B&B guests. When she has a misunderstanding with a good friend, Drew Green, Quinn takes him a plate of scones as a peace offering only to fine his brother, Jason, dead in the kitchen of Green, the restaurant they owned.

Jason would never win a Mr. Congeniality prize and generally had not a kind word to say about anyone, even his own wife, but he was a good chef. Who would want to kill him? Maybe a better question: Who wouldn't? The police quickly zero in on Jason, with Quinn as a person of interest. Since the police have their man, even if Quinn knows it's the wrong one, she decides to find a better suspect for the police.

B&B Owner Solves a Murder in Savannah

Quinn Bellandini loves Savannah, Georgia and the B&B she and her sister, Delilah, run for her grandfather. Life is good except for her new next door neighbor. On a surprise visit to her friend, Drew, who runs a restaurant with his brother, she stumbles on his brother’s corpse. Life gets much more exciting from there, especially since the police think she might have had something to do with the murder.

The police are not really serious about Quinn. They’ve transferred their interest to Drew. This is not a good situation since Drew and his brother, a difficult person at best, did not get on well. Worried that he might be tagged with the crime, Drew convinces Quinn to help him solve the murder.

This is a new series by the author of Java Jive and has many of the interesting features of the other series. I enjoyed the setting in the B&B and the city of Savannah is delightfully described. Quinn loves to make breakfast for her guests, with grits and scones. Some of the recipes are included. They make your mouth water.

I found Quinn a much harder character to connect with then Jules, main character in the Java Jive series, but she may get more interesting as the series progresses. The pace was moderately fast and there is a love interest, in fact, more than one.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Southern Discomfort by Caroline Fardig is the first book in the new cozy A Southern B&B Mystery series. This cozy little adventure comes with southern charm and a touch of paranormal with the resident ghost at the B&B.

Quinn Bellandini works in the her grandfather’s B&B with her sister, Delilah located in Savannah, Georgia. Quinn’s friend Drew owns a local restaurant and when wires get crossed between the friends Quinn heads over at closing to apologize. Instead of finding Drew closing up however Quinn finds his brother with a knife in his back on the kitchen floor.

When detectives arrive Quinn gets the distinct feeling that finding a body has put her up at the top of the suspect pool. When Drew is arrested for the murder though Quinn knows she needs to help investigate before they both wind up in jail for a crime they didn’t commit.

When I saw Southern Discomfort up for review I knew I needed to read this one since I’ve seen nothing but good things about the Java Jive series by Caroline Fardig. I’m happy to say for the most part I came away completely happy with this first installment of the series.

The one thing with this first book I would have liked to have seen though was a bit more into Quinn and Drew’s friendship before the murder happened. I didn’t get the feel of them being close enough to warrant putting her life at risk for him really but that in no way made her investigating any less fun.

The book had all of those other elements I look for in cozy mysteries though that held my attention quite easily. There’s a humorous vibe to the story while hunting the murderer, there’s the slightly quirky vibe from some of the characters and to top all of it off there’s some spirits in the B&B that like to be helpful. With all of those fun elements I’ll definitely look for the second book in the series to see what happens with Quinn and company next.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

First off, the cover was inviting. I’m a Caroline Fardig fan and couldn’t wait to see what was in store for the reader in this new series. Her heroine/sleuth is on the timid shrinking violet side but there is great growth potential.

The bed & breakfast is set in Savannah, GA. Quinn and her sister Delilah help run the family business. A friend, Drew Green, is a major suspect in the death of his brother, Jason. Quinn is desperate to clear Drew and herself as suspects. Quinn is a little inept at the investigating aspect but has a lot of heart. Without giving anything away, I thought a character was a little sleazy and did not deserve her care and concern. Nor was I surprised by a revelation about 60 to 70 % in the book.

I liked how Quinn and her sister had each other’s back, the polite way Quinn told people off, and the family interaction. Her mother is self-centered and I hope to see less of her in future books.
All in all, I see great potential for this series. It is well-written, smoothly plotted and had enough twists to keep me interested.

I loved this book, I am so glad it is the first in a new series with more books to come. Quinn is a quirky and delight main character that helps draw you in to s great mystery. I stayed up way to Kat e reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves great characters and mysteries.

Here is a review by Terri: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2314087091