I enjoyed the half a book I read. I do not read the historical book segments that Sam, the main character, writes. Despite the contemporary story line only being about half he length of the book, i always find the books in this series to be a simple, yet complete, cozy mystery story.

So far, the characters and their quirks still amuse me with Grace, Sam's mom, the exception. With a mother like Nana Jo and children like Sam and especially Sam's sister, it's a bit difficult to believe Grace is as helpless a doormat as she is portrayed.

I'm wondering why the author decided to toss in two runaway children into the mix. They do provide a mini mystery of their own, but don't add much overall to the story (was it to make the book longer?). I've also started the next book in the series and so far they aren't mentioned.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha Washington's mother, Grace, has finally decided that it is the perfect time for her to marry her beau, Harold Robertson, and has set the date at 3 weeks! Sam is trying to be supportive but the bridesmaid dresses that her mother keeps picking are like trying to wear cotton candy - bright pink and very, very fluffy. Along with the dress disasters, her mom has yet to meet the groom's family. When she does, snobbery abounds. When Harold's sister insists on having a wedding planner take care of all the details, (details that Grace doesn't like) tears are abundant. Harold has a major disagreement with the wedding planner , and when she turns up dead, Harold is the main suspect. Sam and her friends decide if the wedding bells going to ring on time, they need to find the murderer and clear Harold of suspicion.

The story was terribly amusing as well as well thought out, and the characters and their reactions were great!

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

Wed, Read, and Dead by VM Burns is the fourth book in the Mystery Bookshop series. Sam's mother is getting married to her wealthy fiance. Sam thinks the worst thing is the bridesmaid dresses her mom has chosen until she meets Lydia the wedding planner. Lydia wants to do things her own way regardless of what the bride and groom want. When Lydia ends up dead, the suspect list includes the groom and a long line of people being blackmailed by Lydia. Sam must solve the mystery and save her mother's wedding. This series always includes a subplot in the book set in early 1900s England. Some people may find it distracting, but I enjoy this second mystery which always goes along with the first. The characters are fun since they include Sam's grandmother and various others from the retirement home. I always look forward to the next book in the series!

It's a case of art imitating life as Sam pens her next historical mystery set in England between the wars. Lady Daphne Marsh insists on marrying Lord James Browning on Christmas Eve, three weeks hence. But when the fop planning their wedding ends up with a knife in his back, she vows to nab the backstabber before she walks down the aisle.

Meanwhile, when she's not writing, Sam and her beloved and boisterous Nana Jo rush to shine a light on Lydia's killer so her mother's new husband won't spend his honeymoon behind bars.

I have enjoyed this series since the first book and this book doesn't disappoint. The mystery is well written and with enough twists and turns that you don't get frustrated about finding out who the killer is. The characters are well developed and very relatable, they almost seem like old friends.

I liked how Sam interacted with the children that were hiding in Franks restaurant, it shows what kind of parent she could be if she and Frank have kids later on in the series. I like how the mystery that Sam is writing is it's own subplot so you're getting two mysteries in one. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see what all the characters get up to.

I received and arc of this book from Netgalley and Kenstington Books for my opinion.

Title: Wed, Read & Dead

Author: V.M. Burns

Series: Mystery Bookshop #4

Chapters: 16

Pages: 263

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 Stars

Wed, Read, & Dead is the fourth book in the Mystery Bookshop series by V.M Burns. Samantha Washington's bookshop is doing great and she's still writing. But now she not only has to plan a wedding but solve a murder and find the real killer otherwise the groom's going to have to say I DO behind bars. I love all the characters in this series especially the sassy grandma who packs a pistol. She reminds me so much of my own grandmother who's gone now. I love the two dogs in the story they tend to remind of my friends dogs.
This cozy mystery set around a bookstore owner, writer and amateur detective is something that nerdy little me used to dream about as a child. The book is only 16 chapters long you can pretty much finish it in one day if you've got a couple of hours to read. It's a fast read for a cozy. I would recommend this one for anyone who loves cozy mysteries, books, and bookstores. And as always I look forward to the next book in the series.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This is the fourth book in the Mystery Bookshop series and the first that I have had the opportunity to read. Wed, Read & Dead is a two for one book.The mystery was well done an flowed nicely through the entire book., but the author does offer a nice handful of suspects for the reader to choose from in terms of guessing the identity of the killer. There are some nice surprises dropped about the various suspects as well, I enjoyed reading it and can't wait till the next one.

This is the first book in the series I have read but I definitely will seek out the others......the characters were engaging and the plot line moved along quickly enough to make it an easy read......especially loved the feisty grandmother and her friends who helped ferret out the murderer

I love weddings and mysteries so any book that combines both is likely to be a favorite and it was! I like the family dynamics and the way they interact with other. Well-written and nicely paced so it was easy to read. I'm ready to read the next one in the series!

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Very well written, however, I was not a fan of the story within a story format. I do realize that telling a tale within a tale takes talent, though, so for that & the main plotline I give it 5 stars.

Wed Dead and Read is such a fun cozy! Thus is the 4th book in the series and I cant wait for book 5. The characters are amazing, the writing just gets better with each book. The dual mystery is exciting. I loved the aspect of red herrings in the story. I highly recommend this story!

5 stars
Wed, Read & Dead is book 4 in the mystery bookshop series by V.M. Burns and it just keeps getting better! I truly love this series, the characters, and the unique double mysteries. I have read this entire series in the last two months and now I am more than a little sad that I must wait a while for the next one in the series!

Book 4 brings us back to Sam’s mom upcoming nuptials with a crazy wedding planner who is scamming everyone in sight. I loved the addition of Lexi and Angelo. I truly hope they stay around for the next book. I really enjoy the double mystery plots.
Burns writes truly relatable, fun people and stories that instantly grab you and keep you hooked until the last page. I recommend this book and the series to everyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own. #WedReadandDead #NetGalley

I enjoyed this book. It had a good plot and great characters. It kept me guessing which is a huge thing. The cover is what I drew me in. I'm most definitely one of those people who judges a book by its cover.

V.M.Burns gives the reader a double cozy with Wed,Read and Dead; there are dual stories with the crimes around a marriage by the mother of the heroine who runs a mystery book store and also is writing a 1930's murder mystery set in England before the second world war. Both stories involve hapless preparations for weddings and a pair of children in trouble. Worth reading.

Samantha is busy in her book store with the Christmas rush and solving the murder of her Mother's wedding planner. When Harold's snooty family insists that the wedding can't be home planned in the short time till Christmas Eve Sam's mom says ok. When the planner is murdered it seems there are quite a few suspects. Now Sam's deadline for her current book is due and she is juggling all with the help of Nana. Can be a stand alone read. Great story and a wonderful book 4 in the Mystery Bookshop series. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wed, Read & Dead was the first book in the Mystery Bookshop series that I've read, and while I enjoyed my time there, it wasn't my favorite of the mysteries I've read. Ms. Burns does a great job making sure you can jump right in at any point, I never felt lost with the characters I met or how they were related to our protagonist. The mystery was intriguing, and I was wondering who the villain was up until the moment it was revealed. Enough twists and turns to make you wonder, and quite a satisfying end.

Our lead, Samantha Washington, writes mystery books of her own in her spare time, that we get to read along with the story. Having your characters write a story of their own is a fun element that I tend to enjoy, but wasn't sure how I felt about it in this regard. I've seen it done quite well, and though the writing style itself I enjoyed, I didn't love it in this case. Our lead is rewriting the events of the main story into her historical novel. Perhaps in one of the earlier books she talks about how she does that to figure out subconscious clues in the mystery at hand, which is a very interesting idea, but somehow just felt like a chapter long rehashing of the events that have already happened. But if that is the case, then when she threw in her own spin into story, why did what she write happen in real life? Is she able to predict the future? Why was she not more surprised when her plot twist occurred in real life?
I think if the author had put Sam's chapter after the events then it would have felt more like her continuing to work through things and I would have had a better understanding of how it worked. As it is, I felt a bit confused about that whole part.

The secondary story that she weaves in was very interesting. I found myself caring about what happens for those characters just as much as I cared about discovering who the villain was, a rare feat. Without spoiling anything, I had no idea how the arc was going to end and that, just as much as the mystery, kept me reading.

Warnings for this book are, of course, murder, but on par with an episode of Murder She Wrote.

I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a free review.

Firstly, I must comment on the fabulous cover which was incredibly alluring!

This is the fourth book in the 'Mystery Bookshop' series by V M Burns and my first one. From the setting to the characters and the theme to the mystery, I absolutely loved this story. The author's character development was second-to-none and I delighted in the lively dialogue and the interesting plot twists. My best part of the book was probably the focus on family - especially the inclusion of those characters who were fully accepted even though they were not blood relatives.

The smooth, clean writing, wonderfully engaging characters, the comedic aspect and the clever, multi-layered mystery that kept me guessing until the end, all mean I have a new favourite author. I love the bookshop setting too. Kudos to V M Burns for writing a book within this book.

If you are new to this series as I was, this book stands alone, but I'll be going back to play catchup with the previous three books.

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.

This is the 4th book in the Mystery Bookshop series. Sam, Nana Jo, and her crazy friends are back for another installment. Sam's mother is getting married and her fiancee has hired a wedding planner whose ideas are a little over the top. When she's found dead, Sam has to investigate to clear her mother's fiancee. At the same time, Sam is busy writing her own historical mystery, which we get to read too, We get two mysteries in one!

This is a fast-paced mystery, filled with fun and quirky characters.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It has humour, well written characters and a few red herrings thrown into the mix. An added bonus was the dogs.