Thank you to Netgalley, Jody, and Lyrical Press for an advance copy of Deadly Vows and forgive me for taking 3 years to read and review it 😅

Molly is really starting to feel comfortable in her new town (Britton Bay) and new job (Editor in Chief). She loves her home which is a rented cottage at a local B&B (owned by her new boyfriend’s mother) that is so charming that it has become the wedding destination for a young couple. Molly has taken to helping the B&B prepare and make a feature out of it in her paper, as there is an up-and-coming chef catering the event…even though the local bakery ALWAYS handles things at the B&B.


When the caterer in question turns up dead and the bride is missing, Molly realizes that she may hold the clues to solve the murder / mystery as she was one of the last people to see caterer alive. The more that Molly digs, the more the finger points at everyone. This wedding may be cursed!

Deadly Vows is the second book in the Britton Bay series, but the first that I read. No worries, as with every cozy mystery series each book can stand on its own and you do not have to start at the beginning to enjoy this incredibly fun cast of characters.

I feel as though I read quite a few cozies and I don’t see this one talked about very much, which is a shame because I really did find it delightful. The town is so charming, I could picture it and practically feel the sea breeze in my hair.

Molly is a lovable character. Sometimes I find cozy MC’s to be a little too aloof or kind of too much of the “quirky girl” trope, but Molly was great. Her living situation (on her new boyfriend’s mother’s property) makes for an easy way to bring in a personal connection to the characters and the story. We get to see quite a bit of her love life – an aspect that is typically just touched on briefly in other cozies.

The plot itself moved quickly, kept me invested and guessing until the last minute!

This is the second book in the Britton Bay series. I do recommend reading them in order.

Britton Bay is buzzing with preparations for a wedding at the bed and breakfast where Molly rents a small carriage home. Molly is even helping out and plans to interview the rising star caterer—until the woman is found dead. And then the bride-to-be goes missing. To make matters worse, the venue is owned by Molly’s new boyfriend’s mother—and Molly was among the last people to see the victim alive. All of which makes solving the crime her top priority.

This was a fun cozy mystery that I read through on a rainy day. I enjoyed the characters and story.

3.5 stars rounded up. Britton Bay is in full gossip mode as one of the residents who fled years before is back, planning to hold an elaborate wedding for her daughter at the B&B where Lucy lives in the carriage house on the property. She has brought her own team, including a well-known, up and coming chef. Molly plans to interview the celebrity chef for the paper, but before she can do that, she is found dead. Who had it out for the chef? Can Molly help solve the crime before the wrong person is arrested?

I am enjoying the Britton Bay mystery series by Jody Holford. It is a charming series with a beautiful setting, interesting characters, unpredictable mysteries and even a bit of a romance. Molly is a wonderful character. She is smart, doesn't take anything from her co-workers and is perseverant. I also like Sam Alderich. He is the son of the owner of the B&B, where Molly is living and they have begun dating. He is extremely protective of Molly and wishes she wouldn't investigate and put herself in possible danger, but he doesn't smother her. This mystery has a few suspects, some twists and red herrings that made it difficult for me to guess the actual culprit. The final reveal was an interesting showdown with some danger that was a good ending for this mystery. This was a light read without a lot of suspense, but still an enjoyable cozy mystery read.

I really loved this book in a new to me author. The characters and location really and to the story. I can't wait to read the next one. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

Deadly Vows was enchanting and left you guessing until the very end. It was truly an enjoyable read with well-crafted characters. The storyline was believable and it made me even want to visit it seemed so real.

Definitely adding this author to the “must read” author list. If you enjoy a good whodunit then this is the book for you.

I have truly enjoyed diving into the Britton Bay mystery series by Jody Holford and Deadly Vows did not disappoint. What I love is that Holford is taking a classic cozy and adding some great romance elements to the story. I could say so many great things about this novel and highly encourage you to dive in! Though these do not need to be read in order (different mystery in each book) I do recommend reading them in order so you can get a full picture of our main sleuth!

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Deadly Vows by Jody Holford is the second book in the Britton Bay Mystery series. Molly is happy with her new life in Britton Bay as well as her carriage house home at a bed and breakfast. The entire town seems caught up in the upcoming wedding of a former resident's daughter. A murder puts everyone on edge and threatens to derail the wedding. I loved the first book and liked this one. The second book in the series seemed more romance than mystery. If you enjoy romance novels, that is a good thing. I am not a romance fan. While I can tolerate a bit, this was a bit over the top for me.

Deadly Vows, the second title in the Deadly series by Jody Holford does not disappoiint. We pick up where we left off with Sam and Molly getting closer in their relationship and Molly second guessing herself. Sam's mom is also busy hosting a a young couple at her bed and breakfast as they prepare to get married. Unfortunately something goes wrong in the wedding preparations as the celebrity chef is killed and now Molly is back to sleuthing another murder in Britton Bay.
It is clear this author is proficient in another genre, Romance, as the story of Molly and Sam draws the reader in nice and cozy. I really love Sam!
Anyway, looking forward to reading the next in the series, Deadly Ride....thank you NetGalley and Lyrical Underground.

The wedding of the century (at least that is what the Mother of the Bride thinks) is taking place in paper editor, Molly Owens' front yard or rather at her boyfriend's Mom's B&B. Molly resides in the cottage just out back and will have a front row seat to all the goings on. Including the friction from a newly discovered Chef who may or may not have been poisoned (by someone other than herself). Several possible suspects and Molly's investigative skills are put the test as she tries to help the bride clear her groom's name without all the drama of her mama. Molly is great character and one doesn't need to have read Book 1 to be able to catch up with the different character nuances or just how much Molly cares for her new beau Sam who is as taken by her as she is by him.

I really enjoyed this clean, cozy mystery. My rating 4.5 of 5.0

Molly Owens has been settling into her new life in Britton Bay. She is editor-in-chief of the local paper and has gotten a bit of a rep as an amateur sleuth after recently helping to solve a murder (book one Deadly News). During the first investigation Molly found a cute dog abandoned in an alley. Now she travels through the day, to work and about, with Tigger either at her feet or getting sitting and walking help from her new boyfriend, Sam.

Molly lives at a carriage house on the grounds of the local B&B which happens to be owned by Sam’s mother. Things are buzzing as the B&B prepares for an upcoming wedding. The wedding set up comes with tension as the Mother of the Bride, who is at odds with the groom, is dictating and controlling all aspects of the wedding, including hiring a celebrity chef rather than using local catering.

Molly and her news team are doing interviews of the wedding members and Molly manages to set up an interview with the rather solitary chef. When Molly arrives in the morning for the interview, she finds a crime scene set up around the dead body of the chef. It just so happens that Molly observed some bickering involving the lady and also overheard her in a heated argument the night before. Molly doesn’t really set out to investigate the crime but she walks a fine line seeking news and uncovering clues. The sheriff investigator gets pretty frustrated as Molly finds people keep talking to her and she comes up with clues which she gets around to sharing with him when she can/chooses.

I like how Ms. Holford has provided plenty of suspects with a variety of motives. The method of death is interesting too…a good choice rather than a usual weapon. The pacing makes for an easy and quick read.

Molly’s relationship with Sam is a strong element developing along with the sleuthing. They have a lovely friendship of respect and caring that is warming up in a nice way. This adds a fun romantic element to the mystery. I like Tigger too even if he isn’t a big part of solving the crime. I want to read more in this series and I recommend this to readers who enjoy a clean romance with a good cozy mystery.

Received from NetGalley.

This was just an OK cozy mystery for me. A wedding has come to Britton Bay and the mother of Bride wants to make sure it is the biggest wedding the area has seen. She has taken over the Bed and Breakfast and hired a celebrity chef. When the celebrity chef is found dead at her hotel Molly insists she is just going to report the story and not get involved. She does uncover some clues and does work with police which I did like. She never does really solve the murder. Too much writing was spent on her romantic worries and not enough on the mystery. The mystery was not very interesting and it was easy to solve. With so many wonderful cozies being released there is little to make this one stand out. The series does not have to be read in order. Much of what happened in the first one is summarized in this one. I found the repetition to be annoying.

DEADLY VOWS by Jody Holford is the second book in 'A Britton Bay Mystery' series. I haven’t read the first book in this series, but there was sufficient background information that I didn’t feel lost. This cozy was all about romance, relationships and the murder of a chef who was catering for a wedding at a Bed & Breakfast. The plot was fast-paced with only a few suspects and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the exciting ending. This book had a fantastic combination of mystery and everyday life, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to other cozy mystery readers. Well worth the five stars!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Deadly Vows is another solid entry into the Britton Bay cozy mystery series. The emphasis on romance continues as Molly and Sam sort out their feelings for each other, and because the backdrop is a wedding being held at Sam's mother's bed and breakfast, there are lots of reasonable excuses for him to be around. I don't always love secondary romantic plots in cozies, but this one works well.

The wedding-related plot also reminded me of the first Meg Lanslow book, Murder with Peacocks (which I loved) and the fact that an award-winning chef was involved in the story put me in mind of some of the food-themed cozies I've read lately, especially Restaurant Weeks Are Murder, The Diva Runs out of Thyme, and Murder Lo Mein.

Combining the popular themes of wedding and food is a great way to engage lots of cozy fans, and this will be a great summer beach read. I'm excited to visit Britton Bay again in Deadly Ride, coming in October!

Molly Owens is savoring her life as editor-in-chief in the seaside town of Britton Bay. She loves her job, her new boyfriend Sam, and the fact that she rents a cottage on the grounds of a B&B owned by Sam's mother.

When a former resident arrives and rents out the B&B for her daughter's wedding, things are busy, busy, busy. But the celebrity chef turns up dead, and then the bride-to-be goes missing. Molly doesn't want to interfere, but it's her job to keep the town informed, so she keeps her finger in the middle of the investigation. It's up to Molly to get to the bottom of things, before she becomes a headline in her own newspaper.

Anytime I read a second book in a series after I really enjoyed the first one, I worry about a sophomore slump. But that did not happen with Deadly Vows. Jody Holford kept the action hopping, and the story fresh. The town of Britton Bay appeals to me as a reader, and I love the residents and the way they interact with each other. There is a lot of emphasis on the romance between Sam and Molly, but it did not detract from the mystery.

I figured out whodunit before the end, which was the only thing that kept this book from being a five star for me. I look forward to seeing what happens with Molly and her crew next.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Molly Owens, army brat, is settling into a new life in Britton Bay. She is employed at the Editor in Chief of the local paper. There are preparations under way for a wedding to take place at the Bed and Breakfast. Molly was helping. A Celebrity caterer is found dead and then the bride goes missing. Molly had to sift through all of this and come up with some answers before she becomes the next victim. There were many characters, but friendly ones. Surely an adventure until the killer is found. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to review this advanced reader’s copy.

This second Britton Bay mystery had little resemblance to the first one in this series, and this new book was very disappointing, as I had quite enjoyed the first one. The heroine is no longer focused on her new job, as she was before (very little happens in the newsroom), and she's quickly sleeping with her new boyfriend, something I haven't often run across in a cozy. Also uses the GD word, which I find especially out of place in a cozy. Found it strange that the second book would differ so sharply from the first.

Molly, the editor of the local paper, has a knack for stumbling into crime scenes. This time, she's in the middle of a wedding featuring a momzilla from hell, a groom with a criminal past, and a bride who just wishes she could do things her way. The wedding hits a hiccup when the caterer is discovered dead. She had severe allergies, so was it just an accident? It's looking more like murder when they learn how cautious she was, and that she never ate or drank anything she hadn't prepared herself with her own ingredients. Molly attempts to dig into the caterer's life to help out the despondent bride, who just wants to get married. But is Molly putting her own life in danger?

Another cozy mystery. It doesn't really stand out from the pack. Another woman amateur investigator with a complicated romantic past who has a boyfriend but doesn't want to/is afraid to get close to him. Honestly, really nothing about this book stands out from other cozies. The setting seems nice, you don't get a lot of cozies in Oregon (Maine and the South, yes). People don't think of the beach when they think of Oregon, but this series is on the Oregon coast. If you love cozies, this isn't a bad one, just run-of-the-mill.

I truly enjoyed this book! I loved meeting the characters. I liked the writing style. It was a quick, light, and fun read. I would recommend it.

I am already looking forward to book 3!!

Britton Bay has that small shore town vibe that we all fall in love with in our cozy books and television shows. It actually has a strong Hallmark town feel to it. The protagonist, Molly Owens, had a rough start in book 1. Not only is she new in the small town, she helped solve a murder.
Settling in to her new life, slower paced reporting, small town, and budding romance; everything is just like it should be for Molly.... but for how long?

Things become a bit chaotic when a large party shows up to host a wedding at the B&B. Things get even worse when a member of the hired staff is found dead in her room at the B&B. Just doing her job for the newspaper, Molly uncovers a few things that lead her to believe the police have the wrong suspect in custody. Will she be able to find the real killer before its too late?

I will also add, I am totally in love with Sam too!!