This is the first book I've ever read of author Sherry Harris, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely continue the series and read more of her writing.

Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery series is set in Emerald Cove, Florida after Chloe moved there from where she had lived in Chicago. Chloe had promised her BFF, Boone, to look after his grandmother, Vivi, and to help her with her business, The Sea Glass Saloon. Well, at 70 years old, Chloe didn't expect a spry, very attractive and capable woman as Vivi was. But soon after Chloe arrived and began working in the saloon, a murder occurred and Vivi was suspect number 1. Chloe decided to do her own investigation of the murder.

I loved Chloe's character and I the plot was engaging. I loved how clean it was too, minus foul language but it seemed realistic. I liked all of the characters, and I was into the story from the first page. I also liked that I have been to places mentioned in the book, such as Destin, Panama City, and Pensacola, Florida. So I was able to visualize the community and the beaches, etc.

Another aspect of the writing that I liked is that there are a lot of allusions to fun things such as The Wizard of Oz and other very familiar allusions that most people would recognize. There was also quite a bit of humor in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review which I have given.

Great cozy series. Great and unique setting/theme (a saloon). I really enjoyed this fast and fun read and cannot wait for the second book.

This is the first book in a new series and I would say that Florida and its coast is the main character. The location is what draws you in and keeps you reading. I liked that Chloe came to Florida to keep a promise to her friend hat went to war and never came back. The characters are engaging and the mystery had me guessing all the way through. I can't wait to see where this series goes

I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. This is the first book in a new series. Chloe has arrived in the Florida Panhandle to keep a promise to her best friend, look after his grandmother and the Sea Glass Saloon. She gets a job as a waitress and learns about the people living in Emerald Cove and beach drinks. When a body is discovered behind the bar and Vivi is the suspect she stays to solve the mystery. I really enjoyed the characters and the small town setting. The mystery was good with enough suspects to make it interesting and the solution made sense. It was a quick enjoyable read. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy the beach visit

From Beer to Eternity

by Sherry Harris

When an author you like starts a new series, there are always some questions. Will I like this series as well as the last one? Will this just be a rehash of the previous series with new names for the characters and a different setting? Will the plot be fresh and intriguing? I can answer those questions for Sherry Harris’ Sea Glass Saloon Mystery Series. I really enjoyed the first book, From Beer to Eternity. She has started a completely different series, and it is good!

Chloe Jackson goes to Emerald Cove in the Panhandle of Florida when her best friend Boone dies while on deployment in Afghanistan. She had promised him that she would help his grandmother Vivi, owner of a bar on the beach, if something happened to him. Chloe takes a leave of absence from her position as a children’s librarian in Chicago to attend his memorial service and help Vivi who doesn’t seem to want her help.

It is hard to fit into the tight knit community of Emerald Cove, especially as a Northerner. After a local is found knifed outside the back door of the bar, it is hard to know whom to trust. From Beer to Eternity is populated with interesting characters. The first person Chloe finds she can open up to is Joaquín, a very handsome and skilled barkeeper. He puts on a show for the ladies to earn great tips, but his heart belongs to his husband Michael. Rhett is another interesting local—good-looking and always on hand to help Chloe. Is he a murderer keeping her in his sights? Who is this Ann Williams that Chloe keeps hiring as a handywoman? How about the two cowboys who try to run Chloe off the road?

As Chloe tries to find the killer and get the focus off of Vivi, she also struggles to find a place to live during high tourist season. She hopes to develop a relationship with Vivi who seems to want nothing to do with her. So Chloe starts working at the bar without being hired and noses around town, trying to ask questions without being killed.

Someone is not happy with Chloe and her investigation. Chloe turns over a lot of seashells that are hiding relationships and secrets and puts herself in danger. It must be time to return to bustling Chicago and immerse herself in books and children once more, leaving behind Emerald Cove and the small group of Heritage Business owners who are resisting change.

I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Sea Glass Saloon Mystery Series

Publication: July 28, 2020—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

The desk was old and scarred. The chair, modern and ergonomic. almost seemed like a metaphor for this area—the old and new trying to work together, but not always succeeding.

I wished I were back at my job in the library, wiping snotty noses and recommending books. That job was like being Santa Claus. Finding the right book for the right child was a great gift. To see their shiny, happy faces at story time brought me joy.

“Rumors? About me?” As far as I could tell, Emerald Cove thrived on rumors and innuendo. Unfortunately, so far almost everyone but Leah and Ivy had doctoral degrees in how to say something without saying anything.

This is the first in a series featuring a librarian who has temporarily relocated to the Florida beach hometown of her recently deceased best friend to help his grandmother (who has no interest in being helped). Of course, there is soon a murder that Chloe finds herself needing to investigate. I thought the atmosphere was well created in this one, and introduced a good cast of characters to follow in the series. Chloe's grief over her friends' recent death adds some somberness to this one that cozies don't always incorporate well.

This book is set in a fictional town that is supposed to be near my hometown in Florida and I really loved that! It was like reading a little part of home even tho it was fictional. I really enjoyed the setting (obv), character and the writing. Will def be checking out more from this author.

Princess Fuzzypants here: The night before Chloe’s best friend, Boone, shipped off to war, he made her promise him that if anything happened to him, she would go to the Panhandle and help his grandmother Vivi. But she also had to promise, she would never let on why she was there. Little did either expect that Chloe would have to keep that promise but keep it, she did.

When she arrives at the waterfront bar, she discovers not only is Vivi not some helpless little old lady but she quickly realizes Vivi wants no help from anyone. But it turns out she needs it. When one of her customers, a rather odd character, is murdered behind the building, Vivi is suspected. The two have a long and complicated relationship and the murder weapon was a knife from the bar.

Chloe enlists many of Vivi’s friends and associates to try and clear her name but one of them is not truly a friend. One of them is doing the dirty work to frame Vivi and is not afraid to use brute force and violence to get the desired results. But who is this villain and what is it the killer wants to accomplish? What comes out in the end is a sad tale of greed and revenge and malice but also some solid and promising friendships.
And a ton of potential for future adventures along the Emerald Coast. I’ll drink to that.

Five purrs and two paws up.

This is a great start to a new series by Sherry Harris. The writing was so descriptive that I felt like I was there in Emerald Cove with Chloe and could picture the Sea Glass Saloon and the other local businesses as well as the marina and the beach. I liked the characters, especially Joaquin and how he tried to help Chloe get to know the people and also help with the murder investigation. The references to the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz were a fun addition. There were many suspects and there were a few times that I was actually scared for Chloe, she felt so real to me. Reading this book was like a mini vacation, but with a murder to solve. I can't wait for the next book!

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Chloe’s best friend Boone had died in the line of duty, but before he did he made Chloe promise to take care of his grandmother down on the beautiful gulf of the Florida panhandle.
Chloe finagled a job at the Seaglass that Vivi, Boones grandmother, owns. While trying to figure out how to help Vivi she discovers a body outside the bar. Vivi is questioned repeatedly by the police as she had argued with the deceased the previous evening. Chloe doesn’t believe Vivi did it and starts her own investigation into the murder. This was a really fun story. The characters and setting are very interesting as the panhandle is a place I have never been to and would love to visit. Looking forward to book 2.

A debut book in a new cozy series and what a good Stu. The characters are interesting and I want to know more about them, I can't wait for the next one to come out.

This was a great start to this series! The setting was fun, and I loved the mystery. I will definitely be continuing with the series.

A fun first in series by Sherry Harris! I loved the setting and the backstories of the characters. A truly well-planned cozy mystery!

I was surprised by how much I liked this story. This cozy mystery starts off innocuously enough but peppered with witty commentary of everything that exists in the town.
Chloe is in Florida to fulfil a promise to a friend, although she is unsure of what that exactly entails. This last part becomes more precise when a man is found dead outside the bar she works at. The slow detective process then begins with a painstaking investigation into the doings of everyone involved. The descriptive voice continued to entertain throughout the book, which had me completing it in two sittings (it would have been one if I had not started reading it at eleven at night). I did not guess the ending of the mystery plot, although the end of the book itself I saw coming. Neither of these things bothered me, and I liked the experience of meeting Chloe and the people around her.
The main thing that struck me as out of place was the number of times we are told about Chloe's brothers and what growing up with them meant. While enjoying the narrative pace and intonation of a book, it is hard to come across something that many times. There were a few more repetitive mentions which might not exist in the next instalment. They did taper down the further into the book we went. I look forward to seeing what Chloe does next.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

The first book in the Sea Glass Saloon Mystery series by Sherry Harris is From Beer to Eternity. Chloe is a librarian in Chicago, but she travels to Florida to fulfill a promise to a friend. Chloe takes a job at the Sea Glass Saloon to keep an eye on her departed friend's grandmother, Vivi. It turns out that Vivi is not interested in help, but Chloe is determined to hang in there. When a bar patron is found dead, Vivi is the main suspect. Chloe finds her mission changing slightly as she tries to clear Vivi's name. This was a nice start to the series, and I am anxious to see how the characters develop over time.

From Beer to Eternity, the first book in Sherry Harris’s Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon mystery series, may just my favorite cozy of the year! Beautifully written and emotionally charged, it is an intriguingly complex mystery with tons of local color.

Chloe Jackson is a librarian from Chicago who travels to Emerald Cove, Florida to fulfill a promise to her best friend, Boone, who was killed in Afghanistan. Doing so becomes challenging as Vivi Slidell, his grandmother, is a fiercely independent woman who, seemingly, is not in need of the help that Chloe had promised to provide. Sensing this, she takes a job as a waitress at Vivi’s Sea Glass Saloon to keep an eye on things. When one of the bar’s regular customers is found dead behind the bar, Vivi becomes the prime suspect, and Chloe must use all of her considerable resources to vindicate Vivi and keep her promise to Boone.

Ms. Harris does a masterful job at setting a scene. I can picture myself sitting in the Sea Glass sipping one of Joaquin’s cocktails as the balmy sea wind ruffles my hair and the blue-green waves gently roll onto the sand. The characters and the Florida Panhandle setting, too, are vivid and robust. Vivi is charming, in a semi-cantankerous sort of way. Joaquin, the lead bartender, is multi-faceted, and may just be my favorite character. Rhett, too, is charming and mysterious. And Chloe is terrific. She is loyal and protective, with a logical practicality that allows her to see things that others cannot. I love how she uses her skills as a children’s librarian in reasoning with Vivi and the locals.

From Beer to Eternity is an excellent start to what promises to be a fantastic series. I can’t wait until the next installment!

Note: I received an ARC of From Beer to Eternity from NetGalley and Kensington Books. The above is my honest review.

Chloe Jackson went to Florida for the funeral of her best friend Boone, who was killed in Afghanistan. He made her promise if anything happened to him that she would stay and help his grandmother Vivi run her bar, the Sea Glass Saloon. But Chloe finds out that Vivi is perfectly capable of running the bar on her own, yet her promise to Boone is important, so with her leave of absence from her job in Chicago, she makes up an excuse to get a job at the Saloon, and is now their waitress. It's also apparent that Vivi doesn't really care for Chloe and doesn't trust her; but at the urging of the bartender Joaquin she allows her to stay.

At first, Chloe's been sleeping in her car but now while spending the night on Boone's boat, she's discovered by a local named Rhett, who promises to keep her secret. The next morning, while running on the beach, Chloe discovers the body of a local man who's been murdered. With Vivi as the main suspect, she knows the woman didn't do it and wants to find the killer.

But there's more in store for Chloe, and she's in for a big surprise of her own, along with surprises from the locals that keep her on her toes...and running from a killer...

This is the first book in a new series, and I must say that in the beginning I almost put it down and walked away. It began that slowly, and I didn't get the fact that she'd been sleeping in her car for days yet went to work and no one noticed the 'human scent' that must have been there, and I began wondering where she was changing her clothes and showering. But I continued on, and then the story line began to grab me, and I kept reading to the end (as I've said often, I pay attention to details, and these are details that bothered me).

After I started to get into the story, I enjoyed it quite a bit. You have a twenty-eight year old woman from Chicago who's found herself in strange waters in Florida, trying to fulfill the wish of her deceased best friend without his grandmother knowing about it. I do like Chloe quite a bit, even if she does take risks she shouldn't, but not so many of them that I'd call her stupid.

Vivi is another story. I don't get why she's cranky at all: she has a thriving business and plenty of money, so she pretty much has the freedom to live the way she wants. What's to be cranky about? You'd think she'd have a nicer personality, but I guess we'll see in future books if she's warmed up at all as a person.

Watching Chloe try to figure out who killed the man brings her in contact with many of the locals, and they're starting to warm up to Chloe while spilling their own pasts to help her in her quest to help Vivi. It seems everyone likes the woman and no one believes she's guilty. When the stakes are raised and Chloe becomes a target of the killer, she knows she must be getting closer to the truth. When it finally dawns on her who the killer must be, she ignore the danger to herself to help the woman.

It's an interesting climax and I do like how the story played out. I enjoyed this one so much that I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

From Beer to Eternity: A Sea Glass Saloon Mystery by Sherry Harris
Review by Sandra Murphy

Chloe and Boone were best friends from the day they met. When Boone was deployed to Afghanistan, he asked Chloe to promise, if anything happened to him, she’d go to Florida and help his grandmother.

The worst did happen. Boone was killed in action. Leaving snowy Chicago winters behind, Chloe takes a leave of absence to go to the warmer temperatures with Gulf and lake views, of the Florida panhandle. Picturing Boone’s grandmother Vivi, as a sweet little old lady was her first mistake.

Faking a needed repair on her vintage Volkswagen Beetle, she gets a job at Vivi’s Sea Glass Saloon—not that she’s sure Vivi will actually pay her. Still, wearing shorts and a tank top to work while looking out at the water is a lot better than professional clothing and frigid Great Lakes’ winds.

The bar has its share of eccentrics. For example, Elwell Pugh is a regular, sitting there with his drink, watching the water, wearing an armadillo shell on his head. He says it’s better than tin foil to protect his thoughts from the government spying on him. No one is sure if he’s serious. There are card players, beach bunnies who drool over Joaquin, the hunky bartender, and sailors on leave. All in all, not a bad gig, just for a while.

Of course, things change when Chloe finds a dead body by the bar’s dumpster, and Vivi is a main suspect. Boone would want Chloe to find the real killer and protect his grandmother.

Potential suspects include the man’s ex-wife, daughter, job-related contacts, local businessmen, and the bar regulars. There’s also a mysterious but good looking guy named Rhett who should be on the list since he keeps turning up where Chloe is.

The main thing for Chloe to remember is—everyone has secrets.

This is the first in a new series. Chloe is a woman who keeps her promises, no matter what. She may be a little too trusting but that’s not all bad—unless there’s a killer involved. Considering her quiet life as librarian, she’s able to relate to the bar patrons, ignore suggestive remarks, and dodge the butt-patter/pinchers. I predict a long life for this series.

Harris also writes the equally enjoyable Sarah Winston garage sale series (8, reviewed here). Look for book nine, Absence of Alice, due out in December 2020, available for pre-order now.

From Beer to Eternity by Sherry Harris the first instalment in the "Chloe Jackson, Sea Glass Saloon Mystery" series. Once again I think Sherry Harris has a hit series in the making! I really enjoyed this book and being set at the beach was added bonus as those can be my favourite.

I found myself engrossed in the story and I loved the setting of Emerald Cove, Florida. The way the author described it I could picture myself on the beach in Florida with a drink in hand.

The protagonist Chloe is a very likeable, smart woman with a great sense of humor. The characters are well-developed. The mystery had just enough suspects, red herrings, and twists and turns to keep you guessing till the end. I found it to be a fun fast read. I am looking forward to seeing what is next for her, especially in her relationships with Vivi and Rhett.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends. I have since purchased the book in paperback.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN

An excellent start to a new cozy mystery series. I fell in love immediately with the setting. I spent many a vacation in the Emerald Coast of Florida. Since traveling is limited currently this was the perfect staycation book. Beautiful scenery amidst the murder.

Many interesting characters that will build the series with their stories. I'm interested to learn more ViVi, Rhett and Joaquin. Plus many others.

I'm not much of a drinker but I think it would have been interesting to have some of the drink recipes included.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.