Small town nun who is a sleuth? Sign me up x10!
I love the plot, the scene, the characters- it's the perfect cozy mystery package. The mysery was done very well!

I like this series that has a good cozy mystery and a set of characters that are refreshing and fun. Sister Lou is helping plan the annual Advent retreat but Sister Marianna is haggling with Autumn Tassler, the owner of the resort. When Autumn is found strangled with a scarf owned by Sister Marianna the police are looking at the sisters as suspects. Lou, with the help of her nephew Chris and the local news reporter Shari have a list of suspects way too long. This is book 2 in the Sister Lou Mystery series and is a great addition. You might think this book would have a strong religious presence but it doesn't. The main characters might be sisters but there is no preaching . I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Hermione of Ephesus are holding their annual Advent Retreat at the pastoral Briar Coast Cabin Resorts. It should be peaceful and serene but when Sister Lou and hot-headed Sister Marianna witness issues with the owner at a planning session and then the owner is murdered, Sister Lou has to trade her running shoes for her detective gear to clear Sister Marianna.

I love Sister Lou (had nuns as teachers through 12th grade) for her vitality, determination and her willingness to help others even if they aren't necessarily her favorite people.

I just wish the police in these mysteries would stop thinking that the nuns are the bad guys immediately.

Olivia Matthews continues the Sister Lou mysteries with the second of the series Peril and Prayer. Sister Lou and her Congregation of the Sisters of St. Hermione have contracted to have a retreat at Briar Coast Cabin Resorts. Autumn Tassler, the owner of the resort, has just gone head to head over the food for the retreat with Sister Mariana when she is found dead. Lots of suspects from the sisters to the new wife of Autumn's ex husband. Whodunit? It's a race between Sister Lou and her assistants and the police to find the murderer. Enjoy the read.

The second installment of the Sister Lou mysteries does not disappoint. The three sleuths, Sister Lou, nephew Chris and newspaper reporter Shari, find themselves involved in another death that touches the congregation, college and community. The ties between these three are very well established and I enjoyed the struggle of donors and understanding the community. The addition of more about the sisters is a welcome source of humor and delight. I look forward to the next installment!

Sister Louise “Lou” LaSalle of Congregation of the Sisters of St. Hermione of Ephesus plays mediator when Sister Marianna clashes with co-owner of the resort holding this year's Advent Briar Coast Cabin Resorts in upstate New York, Autumn Tassler.

When Autumn is found dead by strangulation, Sister Marrianna is number one on the suspect list.

Book two in the Sister Lou Mystery series by Olivia Matthews is Peril & Prayer. The advent season is nearing, and Sister Lou's congregation is having a retreat at a local resort. She is tasked with planning the retreat and with keeping Sister Marianna in line. Things are not going well when Sister Marianna has a confrontation with the owner over the menu. When the owner is found murdered, Sister Marianna is at the top of the suspect list. Sister Lou, her nephew Chris, and journalist Sheri are determined to solve the latest mystery. Sister Lou is a wonderful cozy heroine. The mystery kept me guessing up until the end. I also like the side stories involving Sheri's job and Chris and Sheri. I look forward to more in this wonderful series!

I was so excited to get to review the second book in this series. I loved the first in this series. It was great to read about Sister Lou again. I can't wait to read more from this author.

When Sister Lou agrees to help with her Order's Advent Retreat at a local resort, she didn't know she was getting into murder. But when the resort's owner is killed and her fellow nun suspected, Sister Lou gets to work. Along with her nephew and her reporter friend they dig up possible suspects, question folks and, ultimately find the killer in the second in this delightful series.

Full of great characters, I love the way the book combined a tricky plot with moving the on-going story along.

I loved this book. The charaters are likeable and well developed. I like small town stories. the town comes to life in the story. I eagerly await book 3

This is the second in the Sister Lou mystery series and a fun whodunit ! I loved this book and it was one of my favorite Net Galley reads of the year. I look forward to the next in series by this fabulous author.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

What a fun series this is. Being a Christian I enjoyed the religious aspect and how endearing the rituals are to the Catholic religion. The emphasis here is on morality and good works which is rare to read about in mystery books. The author emphasizes the good works of the Nuns which I really enjoy reading about. They are involved in retreats, schools and fund raising on a regular basis.

The congregation is planning a retreat . The retreat is important as preparation for the Christmas season for all the Nuns. The site is selected then the owner of the resort is murdered. One of the sisters who is difficult is suspected. There are many possible suspects and Sister Lou and colleagues work to clear suspicion from the sisters they known are innocent of charges. .
This is a sweet and endearing story without violence. i enjoy this as a series I can depend on to provide me with relaxation, interesting charcters and a great sleuth. Well done to the author.
Cross posted. I highly recommend this series. A very enjoyable read !

This is the second in the cozy mystery series that follows Sister Lou, her colleagues, nephew and friends. In this one, the congregation is planning a retreat in order to get into the proper frame of mind for Christmas. The site is selected when the owner of the resort is murdered. There are numerous suspects, police who could use help (although they don't think so) and a desire to clear the congregation and the college they support of suspicion. This is very much a domestic mystery, as you can tell from the cover. There is little violence and all, of course, is resolved. For those who like to know that there will not be too much blood or gore, this may be a good series to try.

Somehow I missed reading the first in this series but I had no trouble enjoying this one as there is enough backstory to make it clear. Sister Lou, her nephew Chris and Sheri, a journalist, are on another case. This time it's the owner of the lodge where Sister Lou and her fellow sisters hope to hold a retreat. One big snag comes in the form of Sister Marianna, a very stubborn, opinionated and seriously difficult woman. Sister Lou goes with her when she meets with the owner of Briar Coast Cabin Resort. Sparks are threatening to fly over the menu, of all things. Sister Marianna is of the opinion that this is a retreat and not a vacation so there should be an austere menu but Autumn offers more pleasing fare. As the calming influence, Sister Lou comes up with the solution (fingers crossed) of putting it to the other sister for a vote. A good set up for things to come, except for poor Autumn, as she has been cast as the murder victim. Did the police call it right when they focus on Sister Marianna as the killer? Well, she may be disagreeable and more than a bit unlikeable but no, not a killer, unless they could arrest her for killing the patience of many people. Time for Sister Lou, Chris and Sheri to investigate the life of the deceased as there are plenty of suspects there. Top of the list for a motive for her killing might just be that she took on a partner (bad move on her part) who is determined to get her to sell the resort to a developer and Autumn will have none of it.
The mystery is solid and the characters are delightful and I now have the previous book on my to be read list. I will agree with other readers that there is an overabundance of colorful description but, setting that aside, the structure of the mystery is very good. Maybe in the next outing there will be a bit less setting detail but, if not, I will not let it deter me from enjoying another investigation with such a entertaining trio of sleuths.

I liked this book: there's an interesting plot, a likeable cast of characters that are well written, and an interesting description of life of the sisters and of the little town.
I loved the two main female characters who are strong and not over the top.
There're some cons: too many descriptions of clothes/food and a bit of repetition of the same concept. I don't think it's relevant to the plot to describe nth time the cross the sisters are wearing.
This series has potential: some editing would help to turn it into a very good one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley.

This interesting mystery is more than just a crime novel. It is also a look at the life of a religious Sister and shows us that not all Sisters are cloistered nuns, but that many are out in the community performing good works. Sister Louise (Lou) LaSalle is a member of the Sisters of St. Hermione of Ephesus, a religious order which founded the adjacent college of the same name. Sister Lou, along with her nephew Chris, the director of development for the college, and their friend, local reporter Shari, has recently received publicity for solving the murder of a friend, and because of that has gained the enmity of the local police force. She and Sister Marianna are planning the convent's retreat at a local resort when the resort owner is found murdered. Because of their past relationship the detectives are eager to pin the crime on Sister Marianna and the connection to the crime has led several large donors to the college to rethink their gifting. So both the college president and the prioress of the convent ask Lou to once again investigate. Lou knows Marianna is not capable of murder so she reluctantly agrees to help her fellow Sister. There are several other good leads that Lou knows about and so she and her team are off and running again. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the lifestyle of the Sisters and would recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.
This is the 2nd book in the Sister Lou Mystery Series and I was lucky enough to have read the 1st book, Mayhem & Mass.
I really like this series because of the location and the relationships & friendships that are developing between the 3 main characters.
I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Alibis & Angels, when it comes out.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a nicely written cozy mystery.

“ She appeared rigid in her navy skirt, red blazer, crisp white blouse, and red, blue, and black- patterned silk scarf. Her blue, gold ,and white
Hermionean cross was pinned to her blazer’s right lapel.”

There are over three hundred references to colour in this book. The author’s other obsessions, with fashion, soft furnishings, food and scents are under better control, but still obtrude. Several reviews of the first in this series, “Mayhem and Mass”, noted these distracting preoccupations, and recommended some editing, but the comments do not seem to have had any effect.

That is a pity, as Sister Lou LaSalle, nephew Chris and reporter friend,Shari, are potentially an interesting and worthwhile detection team.This leads to another issue. There really is not much detection here, and the plot, centred on the murder of resort owner, Autumn Tassler, is full of implausibilities and repetitious going-over of the same ground.

I had the suspects down to two fairly early on, although the motive was harder to figure out. Too much time is spent on side issues such as the fundraising campaign and on Sister Marianna’s negative bickering. The official detectives, Ted Tate and Fran Cole, are unrealistically focussed for too long on one suspect with a very inconsequential motive.The only rationale behind this is that it gives Sister Lou a reason to investigate the murder.

I will persist with this series-number 3 is scheduled for March 2019- because the main characters and the set-up are basically good . However the author needs to address her over-use of colour adjectives.

2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the digital ARC