I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. It takes place in upstate New York among the Wineries. Norrie's Winery has been chosen to celebrate the the harvest of the first Chardonnay grapes. A rent hike may cause her friend to lose her winery. When the landowner is found dead and Norrie's friend is the prime suspect she sets out to solve the crime. I enjoyed the winery setting and the characters. The mystery was good but I was able to solve the crime. Enjoy

A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

Norrie's winery was chosen for the honor of holding the celebration for the first Chardonnay grapes of the season. Rent hikes and landlords create the mystery and dead body, while Norrie gamely tries to solve the crime. The upstate New York and winery setting sound like a great setting.

Since I am not into wine, I wasn't sure I wpuld like this book but I did and I'm glad I took the chance! Lovely characters and wonderful plot that keeps you guessing. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

We are back at the Two Witches Winery just in time for the annual Federweisser celebration. Norrie tries to juggle the preparation for the event along with meeting here screenwriter deadlines. Thankfully the staff of Two Witches has things well in hand because Norrie receives a frantic call from Rosalee Marbleton telling her she has found a dead body on her property. The dead man turns out to Roy Wilkes, the man owns access to the water needed for Rosalee’s winery. He had recently raised the rent so high that it could put her out of business. It’s not bad enough that she found the body but the murder weapon also belongs to her. Rosalee knows it looks bad and begs Norrie to find the real killer. A task Norrie doesn’t take lightly. Neither does the killer as he sets his sights on her.

I really like Norrie. She takes on everything thrown at her. She has become to go to person called to investigate anything shady or nefarious in the Seneca Lake wine community. Heck, they call her before calling the authorities, something that really upsets Deputy Sheriff Gary Hickman. Norrie has a great group of people to support her. These characters are diverse and very well crafted. They have their gifts and idiosyncrasies, but they will do anything for Norrie and the Two Witches Winery. The author has done a great job of making these characters genuine.

J. C. Eaton has fermented a fun mystery for readers to enjoy. A victim no one knows much about except for the fact that he didn’t have any friends and that no one is upset he is gone. A little digging brings more suspects to light but the author also serves up a good share of red herrings to divert and confuse. I enjoyed following along with Norrie, Theo, and Don as they not only did the legwork but online searches too. Even following along I was surprised by the way the big reveal took place. It was exciting and loved that some assistance came from someone truly unexpected.

I was captivated from beginning to end. A real character-driven mystery with just a blossom of romance and glass or two of humor. This Wine Trail Mystery gives us a peek at winemaking and running a successful winery along with an entertaining story. Pinot Red or Dead? will be out March 26 and I am impatiently waiting 🙂

The Two Witches winery in hosting the annual Fedderweisser celebration this year in wine country, Seneca Falls, NY. Acting as caretaker while her sister is traveling, Norris is back in book 2 of the Wine Trail Murder Series. Neighboring winery may have to close as a new town resident raises her rent and high water rates. When he turns up dead it's pretty clear someone in town is a murderer. Lots of facts on wine and vineyards. The mystery is a good one and this story can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love learning something new especially about wines. I had not heard of a Federweisser, but it sounds wonderful. Unfortunately they only take place in the New York area or in cute cozy mysteries. The festival is set to take place at Two Witches Winery substitute operated by Norrie Ellington, a good friend and screen writer. After her neighbor is told to expect the rent to increase to the point of peril, the same man is found dead, and Miss Rosalee's flower stake is the murder weapon. Norrie tracks the clues at great personal peril while juggling wine tastings, food prep, and the Federweisser to worry about on top of a writing deadline. There are so many leads to chase down, but the locals are ready to do it as they look for the mysterious blue windbreaker. Great read am looking forward to the next and I hope to find a winery one day just like the Two Witches!

Fun cozy mystery that takes place in wine country and adds in some corgis to boot. Fun, fast read and second in the series.

Norrie Ellington is winery sitting for her family for a year since she can work anywhere (she's a screenwriter). One of the area winery owners is having difficulty because of an increase in the rent for the on which a water pipeline runs, and when the owner of the land is found murdered, Norrie is the one they turn to, after all she's been through this before.

Checking out the area where the body was found after the crime scene investigators are through, Norrie finds a clue and decides that rather than let the police run with it (would they even believe her?) she and her friends will track down the murderer themselves.

The mystery was a bit lacking but the characters were fun especially the bowlers and quilters in their capacity of sleuths. The plot seemed to be a bit of a rerun from the first book, just set at another winery, so I hope the next will be a bit different.

The charming setting of a winery in upstate New York is the outstanding back ground for this excellent cozy mystery series.. I have read the entire series and highly recommend all books in the series. Each book can be read as a stand alone. This is written by a husband and wife team who write a well crafted mystery with great charcters and a dose of humor.

Chardonnayed to Rest features wineries in picturesque upstate New York. The winery owners work together as friends and neighbors to put on celebrations. Everyone is busy working on a new event to be held at the Two Witches Winery. Norrie is managing the winery for her sister who is out of the country. When a murder occurs at the winery across from Two Witches Norrie is on the case and wants to clear her neighbors from any suspicion. She is a experienced sleuth and with help from her friends soon is deep into clues. Her life is in danger and attempts are made on her life . When someone is arrested she is sure that person is the wrong suspect and that she is still in danger. She is correct and soon solves the multi-layered mystery.

This is a well crafted mystery with charming supporting charcters and a beautiful winery as the back ground of the story. It is pleasing to read and has a fast pace to the mystery and plot. I look forward to the next book in the series. it has a aspect of a new romantic interest for Norrie which did not overpower the story but left the reader hoping for more in the next book. This series is always a fun and interesting mystery read. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review. Very well done to the author's
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The second book in the Wine Trail Mystery series by J.C. Eaton is Chardonnayed to Rest. Norrie is still at her family's winery, Two Witches, while her sister and brother-in-law are in Costa Rica. At the monthly wine owners' meeting, a neighbor, Rosalee, lets everyone know about her problems with a new land owner. When the land owner is found murdered, Rosalee is suspected of being an accomplice at the very least. Norrie jumps in to help solve the mystery. I enjoy the setting and the characters of this series. My problem with this particular book is that the guilty party was very obvious early on. It was a little frustrating that Norrie could not put the pieces together. I am looking forward to a stronger mystery in the next book.

Chardonnayed to Rest

by J. C. Eaton

Chardonnayed to Rest is a fun, cozy mystery authored by the husband and wife team that goes by the name J.C. Eaton. It features wineries in Penn Yan, New York. The winery owners there support each other and collaborate on various projects such as the Federweisser celebration which is slated this year to be held at the Two Witches Winery. Norrie, a successful screenwriter is maintaining her career while taking over supervision of the family winery for a year for her sister who is hunting an elusive bug in Costa Rica. With an experienced staff, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, a murder occurs at the winery across from Two Witches.

Norrie does some unofficial sleuthing with friends Don and Theo of the Grey Egret winery. Along the way she meets a handsome lawyer and a likable entomologist. There are also some attempts on Norrie’s life. Someone is arrested for the murder, but Norrie is convinced that they have the wrong person, and she is determined to prove it.

Chardonnayed to Rest moves quickly and has lots of suspects and a resolution I didn’t see coming. Some parts were amusing and some caught me laughing out loud. I can’t wait to see what adventures await Norrie in the next book in the Wine Trail Mysteries.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: # 2 in the Wine Trail Mystery Series, but works as a standalone. There may be a few references to characters who are not actually a part of this book, but that will in no way hinder your enjoyment of or understanding of this book.

Publication: September 25, 2018—Lyrical Underground (Kensington Press)

Memorable Lines:

Rosalee had told me Marilyn was somewhat of a drama queen, but she seemed to have reached full empress status by the time she placed the call to my number.

If my mouth opened any wider, every insect in the county would’ve had a new home.

I was no stranger to good-looking guys, but the minute my eyes landed on Bradley Jamison, it was as if all the other men I’d ever seen were reduced to toads. That was how gorgeous this guy was. Sandy blond hair, cobalt blue eyes that matched his tie, and a physique that could put Chuck Norris to shame.

I’m giving my feedback in exchange for ARC from NetGalley

I’m not a wine drinker so I wasn’t sure if I would get into this book. The setting and the characters started off strong. The book begins to unravel about halfway through and gets a little hard to believe. I found it very hard to finish.

I like the setting of this cozy mystery. The Finger Lakes region of upstate NY is charming. The Wine Trail Mysteries are set in Seneca Lake at the Two Witches Winery. In Chardonnayed to Rest, it is time for the annual Federweisser festival, a celebration of the season’s first fermentation of white Chardonnay grapes. But not everyone is in a festive mood and sourly Roy Wilkes isn’t making any friends while raising land rents and issuing threats. Soon, Roy is found stabbed and our heroine, Two Witches Winery owner Norrie, finds herself investigating the death in order to clear her friend and prime suspect Rosalee’s name. It was a bit slow moving for an avid reader like myself who has more than a dozen books she wants to start reading on any given week. Other’s may appreciate the pace. All in all, it is a fun read. 3.5 stars.

Chardonnayed to Rest is the second of the Wine Trail Mysteries, following A Riesling to Die. Having read the first, I was naturally curious to see what Norrie Ellington was up to at the Two Witches Winery. At the outset of the first book, we are told that Norrie has reluctantly agreed to oversee the family winery while her sister and brother-in-law take a year to go to Costa Rica to study bugs. As we know it is only supposed to last for a year (although there are more hints here that the BIL's grant may get extended and last longer), this book takes place a mere 2 months after the first.

Norrie is busily writing screenplays and attempting to enter the busy season at the winery. At the monthly winery owners meeting, she hears that Rosalee, owner of Terrace Winery, is having problems with the new owner of the neighboring property. Her water supply runs under his land and he has jacked up the prices for the land use. She's stuck with it because obviously without water, there are no grapes. A few days later, Rosalee finds the owner, Roy Wilkes, dead near the pump house. Rosalee calls Norrie and demands that she comes over and investigate. Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Hickman, whom by now Norrie considers her nemesis, warns Norrie to stay away from investigation. Naturally, Norrie doesn't listen and embarks with Theo and Don on a mission to save the day.

Just like in the first, the characters are unique, even the new ones added into the mix. This book has a little more danger for Norrie, but of course all turns out well. I did think the murderer was obvious, although the motive wasn't.

Looking forward to the next one, although near the end, Norrie does think: "At least I knew one thing—I was never, ever, going to go out on a limb to solve another murder. That was my plan on paper, anyway." Sure....

Chardonnayed to Rest by J.C. Eaton is the second book in the cozy The Wine Trail Mysteries series. Each book in the series has it’s own murder mystery to solve so they can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.

Norrie Ellington had been asked to return home to upstate New York by her sister to oversee the family business, Two Witches Winery. Norrie’s sister and her brother in law had been given a grant to study a species of insect in Costa Rica for a next year and while Norrie has made her life in New York City she would be able to continue her job as a successful screenwriter anywhere.

After a couple months back at the winery and one successful murder case solved Norrie has settled in to her new role until her sister’s return. But when a fellow neighbor stumbles on yet another dead body it isn’t the law she calls but Norrie having made a name for herself in the crime solving department.

Another great cozy read from the husband and wife team of J.C. Eaton. This second book improved over the first installment in my opinion. I thought the first was weighed heavily down on the winery setting and this one while still giving it that feel covered more in the character and story growth putting it right up there with my over favorites from the authors. If looking for a cozy with a lot of laughs and good mystery you can’t go wrong with their books.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

It's time for festivity at the wineries and everyone is busy getting ready. The only bad thing is that the new landowner has dramatically raised the rent on the water line crossing his land for one winery. They can't afford to pay that. Then there's even worse news: The new landowner is found dead...

Lyrical Underground and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on September 25th.

While the winery owners try to figure out who killed him, suspects are arrested and then released. In this story, the killer was one of the last persons I would have expected.

It was fun watching her take her evidence to the rascally detective who just tells her to keep her nose out of it. He ends up using her evidence to find the killer, so he needs to apologize. He won't though.

It was a fun cozy read.

I requested this book on Netgalley as I enjoy the first in this series and it is set in the picturesque Finger Lakes in New York. Also, the cover is hard to resist and the description was enticing.
Lots of suspects, twists and turns and great characters. I am having a hard time believing Norrie can write screen plays, manage a winery and sleuth at the same time. I do not believe the police in this story are inept even though Norrie feels they are. There is more of an adversarial tone towards the law than other cozies without supporting evidence for the underlying current.
We do find out what a scumbag the victim was and it isn’t hard not to be sad he is no longer among the living.
This can be read as a standalone.

In Seneca Lake, New York, Norrie Ellington’s Two Witches Winery has been selected by the local vintner community to host the annual Federweisser, a celebration of the season’s first fermentation of white Chardonnay grapes. But the festivities are spoiled when Norrie learns that landowner Roy Wilkes has raised her neighbor Rosalee Marbleton’s rent so high, she may have to close her vineyard.

Before the rent hike could go into effect, Wilkes is found dead on Rosalee’s property, stabbed to death, and she becomes the number one suspect. To clear her friend’s name, Norrie conducts her investigation. But as she gathers clues, Norrie finds herself targeted by a killer, and if she’s not careful, her desire to see justice done may die on the vine.

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Series: The Wine Trail Mysteries - Book 2
Author: J.C. Eaton (Ann I. Goldfarb & James E. Clapp)
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lyrical Underground

The work of J.C. Eaton (Ann I. Goldfarb & James E. Clapp) is always original. Their combined skill makes just about anything they write entertaining and fun. Chardonnayed to Rest is the second book in the “Wine Trail Mysteries” series. The writing is easy to follow with smooth transitions.

Norrie Ellington is a bit preoccupied with her own interests. Her writing career is on the line if she doesn’t meet her deadlines. Unfortunately, the winery and murder keep getting in the way. It is easy-to-understand Norrie’s self-absorption. What writer worth a dime isn’t self-centered? But this character takes things a bit too far.

Norrie is supposed to be looking after her family winery, which her sister- and brother-in-law take care of, while they are away for a year. She isn’t good at it. In truth, if this were real life, the winery would already be shut down with Norrie in charge. She pays no attention to the winery business, and it would be astounding if it actually made money and stayed afloat. The character is just a bit too inattentive, and her interests take precedence over everything, and everyone else. It appears that if her neighbor hadn’t been accused of murder, she wouldn’t even be aware that someone had died, or of the festival her winery is hosting, or anything else that takes place throughout the story. To put it simply, Norrie is not a pleasant character. Other characters are hugely more attractive to readers.

Rosalee, with her straightforward manner, and her ability not to know when to stay silent is endearing. Don and Theo are adorable as a couple and as neighbors. They play a pivotal part in the investigation and find most of the interesting clues. Readers will want to learn more about them and follow their antics in future books. The victim, although not necessarily likable is intriguing. The more information that is uncovered about him, the more the reader will want to know why, and who killed him.

The wine country setting is exciting. Having competing wineries working together and helping each other is a delightful idea that would be great in a world where it’s every man for himself. A sticking point for some readers will be the name of Norrie’s winery; Two Witches Winery can be misleading to readers who think they are getting a paranormal/witch-based cozy.

There is some humor in this book and an interesting plot. When the killer is revealed, it won’t come as a surprise but how it transpires might. In the end, if a reader is looking for a quick read where they don’t have to do a lot of deep thinking to figure out what is going on or who the killer is, then Chardonnayed to Rest is for them.


ARC Provided by NetGalley

An entertaining and enjoyable light cozy mystery. The winery setting is interesting. I look forward to reading the next one in this charming series.