Every town has its secrets…

Ellery Page finds himself the main suspect in a local murder -again-, and this time, secrets the small town of Pirate's Cove has fought to keep hidden the past twenty years are being revealed…

I liked the second instalment in this cozy mystery series. You get exactly that, a lovely small town murder mystery with no on page violence. The relationship between Ellery and police chief Jack Carson continues to be a mystery of its own (talk about slow burn…), and the locals continue to be a charming and quirky supporting cast. I especially love Ellery's sense of humor, and it's astounding that he can still be his reasonable, charming self surrounded by all the crazy shenanigans.

If you're looking for a good comfort read with a cozy, small town murder mystery, I can only recommend this series! I really enjoyed the two books, and I can't wait for more!

It's the second book I read in this series and it was a lot of fun as the first one.
I think this series and is becoming a favorite and I can't wait for the next instalment especially because I want to know if Ellery will have his HEA and go back to Pirate Cove.
It's an excellent cozy mystery with a cast of likeable characters, a solid mystery full of twists and turns and a lovely setting.
I like the style of writing and I love the humour that makes me laugh.
I strongly recommend it to cozy mystery lovers.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Secret at Skull House is a wonderful cozy mystery. I devoured this book in one sitting! They mystery part will keep you guessing and fully invested in the outcome. The very slow burn romance will hold your interest and have you rooting for Ellery to get his HEA. I can't wait for the next book in this addictive series!

This second book in the series is as much fun as the first. Once again Ellery is accused of murder, but this time he's got members of the community backing him. Not all of them of course, there's still Sue, the hateful newspaper reporter/owner spreading her particularly poisonous brand of story.
The mystery was clever and kept me guessing and I didn't work it out until Ellery had laid it all out for me.
The relationship between Ellery and Jack is so slow burn that it is literally going backwards at this point. But apparently there are a lot more books planned so hopefully it will progress eventually.

This is book two in the cozy mystery series Secrets and Scrabble starring book store owner and reluctant amateur sleuth Elliott Park. And once again, Elliott is driven to investigate a murder in order to clear his own name. How unlucky can one guy be?

Elliott is having a perfectly nice day and hoping for some forward movement in his crush on Police Chief Jack Carson, when he hears news that completely ruins his day…his ex has bought Skull House. Elliott figures he has a reprieve as it will take a long time before that house is inhabitable but sure enough, Brandon shows up that night. It quickly becomes apparent that there are secrets surrounding Skull House that people in town do not want discussed and when Brandon turns up dead Elliott becomes the prime suspect in a murder once again. So much for the burgeoning relationship with Jack!

The hunt for clues is interesting and the red herrings are plenty. I was pretty sure of the villain early on but it was fun to read Elliott’s trajectory of coming to the same conclusion. The ending is vintage cozy mystery though the rescue is never explained which is bothersome. The ending is bittersweet though I am anticipating the tension in book three with some glee.

The writing is crisp and clever as usual with Lanyon. And her development of setting is so well done I feel like I know these people and I could visit Pirate’s Cove…which I keep wanting to call Cabot Cove because there are so many similarities! A quick, fun read.

**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion.**

Secret at Skull House continues a few months where Murder at Pirate's Cove left: Ellery is renovating the crumbling mansion and starting to turn the failing bookstore into a bit profit. Not to mention, he's going ever closer to Jack, the handsome police chief. Except life's not easy for Ellery, because his ex shows up and seems to be staying, the eccentric author Brandon bought a haunted house and keeps pestering Ellery. And then he's in the middle of another murder mystery.

Cosy mystery is fast becoming a subgenre I like a lot. Quick and comforting, fun and cute, this book fits perfectly for the mood I'm in at the moment. A perfect escapism in the middle of the unknown of the real life, it is great to spend some hours at Pirate's Cove and follow Ellery and his developing detective skills. Hugely entertaining, I quickly devoured Secret at Skull House and I'd definitely continued with the series, but unfortunately I'll have to wait for the next instalment. Lanyon delivers fast paced, fun story with some twists, and it's a good continuity for the series. I continue to recommend Secrets and Scrabble for those who want something quick and fun, a cosy mystery that is perfect way to spend few evenings with such story, especially if there's tea to accompany!

Nobody crafts a story like Josh Lanyon, and this wonderful "cozy" mystery series really shows off her skills. I'm loving Secrets and Scrabble!

Ellery is a doll, and there's a fascinating cast of characters to back him up. The mysterious goings-on of Buck Island keep getting more interesting, and if Ellery and Jack just stay friends I think I'll be okay.

So much fun, and all I can say is: Josh Lanyon, please write faster!!!

4* Well written, with enough intrigue, characters and red herrings to make this a lovely little read.

This book was right up my street: a setting that feels like a little English village; a couple of really likeable leads; a host of side characters of an age (ish) that would normally not feature in your average (clearly, this is an above average tale) MM novel; a decent mystery; a baddie that I wouldn't have seen coming, and, lovely little Watson. Watson with his little doggy heart and his doggy devotion and doggy demands and his doggy bravery and looking out for his doggy dad. But, I digress (Brit and uber animal lover, here), sorry!

This is a lighter tale, by which I mean that there's not a lot of obfuscation-intrigue and the endless dot-to-dot that you might find in longer, darker mysteries, but that was perfect for me for the time we're living in, and it delivered what it promised. I got a simple tale, but one with 'body', with a feeling of familiarity (in the best way), and the usual suspects that either seemed to like or have a secret loathing for Ellery. I admit to going off track for both the bad guy and a certain character whom I've liked from the very start, and who's been perhaps the best friend Ellery has made so far on the island, and I was pleased to be wrong (unusual for a Scorpio!).

I got a little more in the romance stakes than I expected - the confession from Jack was kind of really romantic and really sad at the same time, and that Ellery understood and responded in the way he did made my heart hurt. But only a little, because I see this series with the potential to go on and on. I'm not sure if there will be 3 tales or more, but there are secrets to be discovered in Pirate Cove and the slow burn, is-it-on-or-off-or-am-I-reading-too-much-into-things-because-at-heart-I'm-a-romantic? relationship could grow over many more books. Though this series doesn't have an out-and-out romance at its core, that doesn't bother me with this author, as I'd rather take something that feels authentic and that's intelligent, over something faux and perfunctory, simply because there are expectations from the genre, to use 'genre' very loosely.

ARC courtesy of JustJoshin Publishing, Inc and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.

This is the second installment of the Secrets and Scrabble Series. It is a wonderful cozy mystery. It is set in this unique pirate themed town that allows for some interesting situations. The characters are interesting and the pace good. A wonderful read, I can’t wait for the next installment of the series.