If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece, it's an absolute gem that deserves every one of its five stars. With its charming small-town setting, and during characters, and intriguing whodunit, this book is the perfect blend of suspense and comfort. The author’s storytelling prowess shines through as they skillfully weave together clues, red herrings, and surprising twists, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the satisfying reveal period from the delightful amateur sleuth to the quirky supporting cast, each character feels like a beloved friend, adding depth and warmth to the narrative. With its cozy atmosphere clever plot and satisfying resolution, Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece is a must-read for anyone seeking A delightful escape into the world of cozy mysteries.

A solid start to what promises to be a fun series. Celeste and her cheeky chihuahua, Van, are on the case! When a local craft fair organizer is murdered, Celeste hones her detective skills to track down the killer. At the same time, she discovers her uncanny ability to paint hidden images in her paintings. When one of her masterpieces comes to life and a ghost named Elizabeth starts appearing, Celeste knows something is definitely not what it seems.

I enjoyed the addition of Elizabeth, and would have liked to have seen her more involved in the case to solve the murder. Same with Van. These supporting characters have so much potential!

While a fun, light read, it' reads like a first novel. Sentences are choppy, dialogue is stilted, and the characters are fairly flat. The setting lacked any detail, which is a shame, considering how rich of an area Gatlinburg (and craft fairs) is. I hope future novels have more descriptors, more personable characters, and more fun puppy antics!!

I tried numerous times to read this book and I just couldn't get into the story. The characters weren't engaging enough for me to want to finish the book.

Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece is a masterpiece. Rose Pressey has brought her imagination alive. The story is believable, easy to read, and entertaining.

Really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery and I highly recommend the book.

Artist Celeste Cabot welcomes the chance to show her paintings at a craft fair in her hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She and her Chihuahua, Van Gogh, parks her vintage camper trailer and stays on site. Things take a strange turn when a customer returns a painting claiming it’s haunted. Celeste is then visited by a ghost in the middle of the night. Soon the manager of the craft fair is found dead. Can the ghost help Celeste solve this murder?

This is a fun new series. The characters are entertaining, likable, and quirky. Living in a nearby state and having been to Gatlinburg before, I enjoyed reading a book that takes place there. The mystery is well-developed with several twists and turns along the way. I look forward to the next in the series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way, I have been influenced by anyone.

This was a fast, fun read that left me with a smile on my face. Murder, mystery, ghosts, adorable pups and even a little romance, this book has a little something for everyone. This is the first book in a series I can see myself becoming very quickly addicted to.

A fun cozy mystery with unique twists and quirky characters Celeste's adventures with her doggie sidekick and new found physic abilities had me cracking up full of charm and lots of fun this is a fast fun read perfect for a palette cleanser

I'm not sure that I'm really into a paranormal artist but it was interesting to read. In this first Haunted Craft Fair mystery, Celeste Cabot is an artist who seems to be able to paint spirits into her artwork, without knowing it. And in one instance, the spirit starts to haunt her literally stepping out of the portrait and helping her to find out who murdered the fair coordinator.

I think that I'll have to try one or two more of this series to see if this type of paranormal suits me.

We have Celeste Cabot who paints and sells her art full time. She is setting up her pink and white Shasta trailer at the four day annual Summer Arts and Craft Fair. Her dream is to travel the country and selling her art to each and every state. She has a furry companion, a perky Chihuahua named Van Gogh because one of his oversize ears flops down. On the first day a women returns a painting saying it is haunted. Celeste downplays her complaint and puts the painting back for sale. Another woman, a vendor, told Celeste she sees a skull in her painting. Celeste doesn't see them until she wears the lady's eyeglasses and she sees hidden images of skulls and skeletons in all her paintings. The event manager Evan is a jerk to the vendors. He comes up dead by the end of the first day. The rest of the vendors start avoiding Celeste cause she was the one that found the body and she doesn’t like that. She wants to clear her name. That is the start of the mystery.

It's weird how Celeste saw hidden images of skulls and skeletons in her paintings that she knew she didn't put there and the eyes on one painting seemed different but she is all of a sudden not worried about it. She went to check out the craft fair grounds and then went back to the trailer to lay down.

A section in chapter 2 was very confusing. When Ruth was going to pack up her things in the evening and Celeste said “yea, me too.” Celeste places Van into the trailer, gives him food and water and then she collapses on her bed for a moments rest, but not too long, there was so much work to be done. Celeste than starts telling us that her trailer has limited space; her brothers installed a storage area to the back of the trailer. Then the story goes on to her gathering up the paintings and placing them in the storage area. Locking the storage area and picking up trash in the front of her area. Then she drifts off. That she didn't mean to nap. Than night had come and darkness had taken over. The stringed lights her father installed lit up the small area around her. She just tossed the trash into the garbage can. When shouting caught her attention. ----- Yea, all this confused me. She was awake, asleep, awake, asleep and now awake.

At the start of every chapter the author writes Travel Trailer Tips. She forgot one. Chapter 4 should have been Do not leave your cell phone in your trailer, keep it with you at all times, especially if you’re traveling alone. When Celeste finds the body, she is without her cell phone. Earlier, she leaves the trailer to go talk to Evan, they previously had a thief on the fairgrounds, but she doesn’t think to take her cell phone.

Sometimes the conversations did not make any sense. When she first met Caleb, she ran into him after the finding the body, the only conversation between them at the time was call 911
and he asked her if she had a dog. That was it. Then he tells her “And you're just so sweet. Like I said, no killer would want to do anything to you.”
How does he know she's even sweet? With just a few words exchanged earlier.

Another thing that didn’t make sense was Celeste couldn’t sleep that night, she blamed it on all the crazy events happening. But she failed to think maybe it was her long nap she took while packing her paintings and picking up trash.

Ok, here is another one:
Celeste is thinking a killer is on the loose on the craft fair grounds, then she sees a woman ghost materialize in front of her, she panics but doesn’t freak out and run from the trailer. Her dog is scared of the ghost, and because her dog is scared, the ghost must go. Wat?!
Then, when the ghost goes back into the painting, her way of dealing with it was to throw a blanket over the painting, and then she snuggles down to go to sleep.

Another thing that quirked me was Celeste goes back and forth considering selling the haunted painting. She is not one bit curious about what just happened with the apparition showing up, she just wants to pawn the painting off to an unsuspecting innocent person.

Here is another one:
When the detective asks Celeste what happed to her hand. I was like “What?!”
Carly was the one that cut her hand, I did not read Celeste cutting her hand. But, apparently she did.
She told the cop she cut her hand when she broke her glass jar she used to clean brushes. When did that happened? I guess it happened when she was awake, asleep, awake, asleep, awake while packing up her paintings and picking up trash.

Then the detective proceeding to tell her “A few people said you were unhappy with the lack of security here.” Again I was like Wat?! I checked back in the previous chapters and Celeste did not tell ANYONE about her concern for lack of security, she only told detective Pierce when he questioned her about why she was at Evan’s. In the previous chapters, when Celeste came up with the idea / concern for security, she was alone in her trailer. The next person she saw was Evan and he was dead.

It was at this point, I was wondering if the author had an editor. I did not want to read any further.

Celeste is always brushing off incidents. Like it’s no big deal she saw a woman apparition, it’s no big deal she is hearing voices, it’s no big deal all her paintings have hidden images of skulls or skeletons in them, it’s no big deal one customer returned a painting saying it was haunted, it’s no big deal selling the same haunted painting to another buyer, it’s no big deal to sell a painting with a hidden skull or skeleton image to a couple expecting their first child and is going to hang the painting in their baby's nursery (can we say Rosemary's baby). Yea, It’s no big deal.

The writing style seemed amateur. The conversations between characters seemed forced. I didn't care for any of the characters and I felt Celeste was just lazy and didn’t want to deal with anything. The writing didn’t flow at all.

I give this book 1 star.
The book cover was very cute, I give it 5 stars.

Quotes:
She was a few strokes short of a finished portrait. - Celeste Cabot

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an advance digital copy. The review expressed here are all my own.

The writing is solid and the plot moves at a good pace. I liked the unique setting and the quirky cast of characters. The mystery kept me in suspense and I really liked how the paranormal played a role in catching the culprit. This book has wonderful potential and I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for these characters.

Celeste Cabot is excited about her new trailer, painted pink,.. her home away from home for traveling to crafts fairs and selling her paintings. On her first trip, money gets ripped off from one, then another of the artists. When murder strikes the fairground, Celeste and her chihuahua start to investigate. This is a solid debut of a new series for Rose Pressey. As with her other series that I have read, there is a supernatural component in the story. Her paintings all seem to have a hidden skull or skeleton that Celeste was unaware of painting. But that's nothing compared to one of her paintings being returned, as haunted. Celeste and her family have a great deal of potential as characters to populate this new series

Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece, is a fun cozy. It has a few twist and turns to keep you guessing and hold your interest till the end. I loved meeting the characters and will definitely read book 2.

Title: Murder Can Mess up your Masterpiece

Author: Rose Pressey

Series: Haunted Craft Fair Mysteries book 1

Pages: 288

Genre: Cozy Mysteries

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Murder Can Mess up your masterpiece by Rose Pressey is the first book in the Haunted Craft fair mysteries. This first one take place at a craft fair in the tourist town of Gatlinburg Tennessee. Celeste Cabot has finally taken the chance to pursue her art professionally, but then one of her paintings is returned because the person who bought it claims it is haunted. She then finds a dead body and trouble breaks lose. Celeste is determined to find the murderer before she becomes the next victim.
All in all, this is a fairly quick read for a cozy. I enjoyed it. It’s the first cozy that I’ve read that has such a well know tourist spot. 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.

Cute start to a new series. I enjoyed getting to know Celeste and her ghost “friend” Elisabeth. Hopefully, Elisabeth will continue to be in future books. Fun travel trailer tips are included at the start of every chapter.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

Murder Can Mess up Your Masterpiece was a really fun cozy mystery. This book is the first book in the series, by an author that I have read before. The mystery was fun, the characters were great. The mystery took some twists and turns that I really enjoyed, definitely will read the next book in the series.

Great start to a new series that I can't wait to read more of, it had me smiling all the way though the book.Wirh that said I want to say thanks to NetGalley for letting me read and review it

Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece: A Haunted Craft Fair Mystery
By Rose Pressey
Kensington
November 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Before she begins traveling across the country selling her art wherever she can, Celeste Cabot has parked her trailer in front of her family’s home in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She and her adorable Chihuahua Van Gogh may be the most normal members of the Cabot family, who include overbearing big brothers, a stubborn father, and a giftwrap-loving mother who does her best to keep them all in line. Celeste is thrilled to be starting her new career with the four-day annual Summer Arts and Craft Fair, where she plans to sell her painted portraits. She could never have expected that one of her paintings would returned by an infuriated buyer, especially when the woman accuses it of being haunted. Even Celeste can’t ignore the appearances of skulls that seems to be in every one of her oil paintings, especially when she has no memory of ever placing them there in the first place. Further casting shade over Celeste’s hope for a successful fair are a series of burglaries at the booths, all topped off by the murder of the event’s extremely organizer.

An undeniably talented portrait artist, Celeste quickly discovers that her inspirations may come from more than just her imagination. For reasons she cannot explain Celeste was compelled to paint the image of a beautiful Victorian woman, and that very same woman is now appearing in a decidedly ghostly form. Claiming to have been born in 1852, Elizabeth Mallory declares that Celeste has essentially painted her into “life” and becomes Celeste’s Watson as they investigate the murder. The challenge will be not just in dodging her own meddling family members as they question suspects, but in avoiding their protective interference as Celeste begins dating a handsome wood artist with his own mysterious past. Clues given by a ghost and psychic are not evidence that can credibly be taken to the police, so it’s up to Celeste and her best friend Sammie to deliver the hard proof that will convince the handsome detective to take them seriously.

This first in a new series takes a decidedly light-hearted approach to murder, with the tone never becoming too dark or dour. The lively writing will appeal to younger readers as well, although they may not be able to take advantage of the Travel Trailer Tips given at the start of each chapter. Practical (don’t park next to convenient snack bars if you want to sleep at night), as well as wryly funny (Keep a fire extinguisher handy in case you are accident-prone), these advisories play out on multiple levels, often as metaphors to following chapter. A Lavender Blueberry Peach Pie recipe, immature siblings, and a helpful ghost ensure that this romp of novel will appeal to a wide array of cozy mystery fans.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I always enjoy reading this author so I decided to try this new series. It’s got lots of good elements. Celeste is an artist whose paintings call forth spirits and the first ghost turns out to be someone special. Celeste and her chihuahua Van are attending a weekend craft fair. But when Celeste discovers the body of the organizer the first night, she is going to need all the help she can get.
Will that help come in the form of the hunky wood carver who is second at the crime scene or will it be the even hunkier police detective assigned to the murder? It won’t come from the other artisans who are attending the fair. It seems each of them is not only a suspect but none of them like Celeste. But she cannot stop herself from getting involved in the investigation even when it gets dangerous. In fact she does some pretty dumb things. It is a good thing her dog is there. In fact, there is a cute rescue scene that compensates for Celeste’s naivety.
I did enjoy the ghostly parts and there were some promising threads. It is worthy of four purrs and two paws up.

Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece is a great new cozy mystery. It has a unique plot with haunted paintings. Great characters and storyline.

This is the first book in a new series by Rose Pressey. One thing she does well is paranormal cozies and this one is a great start to this series. They are not "witch or ghost stories" per se, but there are ghosts attached to some of the pictures that her protagonist, Celeste Cabot, paints. There is a lot happening at the local craft fair where Celeste is hoping to sell her work. One of her paintings is returned with the buyer claiming it is haunted, money is being stolen from some of the vendors, and the organizer of the event ends up dead. Celeste realizes that the painting has a ghost attached to it, a woman named Elizabeth, that actually assists Celeste in solving the murder.

I enjoyed this story very much. The writing is good with a well-plotted and developed story. The setting of craft fairs is interesting and a great place to meet some quirky characters. I liked Elizabeth and we find out a bit about her life in this story. I am hoping that she continues to be a character and that we will learn more about her life. Van Gogh, Celeste's chihuahua was wonderful. He is smart, adorable, but fierce when necessary. His picture on the cover is great, and he does play an important role. I found the role of the "ghosts" in the story interested and well done. The mystery was interesting and even though I thought I had it figured out, I didn't know the full story. The final reveal or show down was great and had me racing through the end to find out what was going to happen. Not sure if there will be a love interest developing or not, but the potential is there. I am definitely looking forward to the next in the Haunted Craft Fair Mystery series.