Veiled in Death is the 6th book in the Wedding Planner Mystery series.

The reader soon meets the star of the show, Mallory Shepard, who runs her own wedding planning business along with her sister, Rachel in the quaint town of Port Quincy, Pennsylvania. Mallory also has a B&B - Thistle Park - and she and Rachel are searching for an assistant to help out. Mallory’s equally busy shopping with her best friend Bev, the owner of Silver Bells Wedding Dress boutique, to find some accessories for Bev’s wedding to Jesse. When they find an old piece of lace for a veil, events take a downward turn...

Veiled in Death was my 1st in this series. Although it was book six, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events and it worked for me as an individual story. A fast-paced plot featured several intertwined mysteries and Mallory was an engaging and plucky heroine. The involved storyline held my attention, and the twists kept me guessing. Veiled in Death was a perfect blend of mystery, history, relationship conflict, and romance with some humour and heartbreak included in the mix.

Would I read more in this series from Stephanie Blackmoore? An emphatic... yes! 😊

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

Summer has begun in the Pennsylvania town of Port Quincy, which means that all eyes are on the upcoming Founder’s Day celebrations, complete with historical reenactments of the Revolutionary War battle fought here. Event planner Mallory Shepard is thrilled that she and her sister, Rachel, have been hired to oversee the Cordials and Cannonballs festival to go with the holiday, but is even more excited about the upcoming wedding of her close friend Bev Mitchell, an event that her company will also be handling. Bev, in turn, thinks that Mallory should consider speeding up her own nuptials to local lawyer Garrett Davies, even going so far as to suggest a double wedding with herself and her groom.

While Mallory definitely needs time to think about all that, she only needs a split second to decide to buy a beautiful antique veil that she and Bev spot while out shopping for wedding accessories. Unfortunately, as soon as they leave the antique store, Mallory’s nemesis (and, coincidentally, her one-time almost mother-in-law) Helene Pierce sees the veil and tries to snatch it right out of her hands. Helene claims that the veil is a family heirloom crafted by Betsy Ross herself, and that it went missing decades ago, after her husband was killed in a hit-and-run.

Sheriff Tucker Davies, Garrett’s dad, steps in before things can get ugly. Since there’s no proof of provenance besides Helene’s unreliable, self-interested word, he allows Mallory to keep the veil in a safe at Thistle Park, the estate-turned-B&B where she lives and hosts most of her events, until authentication can be secured. But when a re-enactor feuding with Helene is killed and terrible secrets about the hit-and-run resurface, Mallory is shocked to find Helene on her doorstep begging for help in clearing her name from suspicion of murder. Helene might be a pain, but she’d never stoop to killing, would she? And if the deaths weren’t her fault, then who could possibly be to blame?

The sixth installment of the Wedding Planner mystery series unfolds at a leisurely pace, letting readers get reacquainted with all the drama of Port Quincy life as a long-suffering Mallory puts up with some truly hostile behavior even from people she considers loved ones. At least Garrett and his daughter Summer are consistently on her side, even as my mind, like Rachel’s, boggled at the idea that 30-somethings running successful businesses wouldn’t have the “do you want to have kids” talk before agreeing to marry. I was also truly surprised by the identity of the cold-blooded killer, and pleased by the way the book handled the topics of adoption, immigration and what it means to belong.

Given that the truly lovely Summer is vegan, it’s no surprise that the three recipes included in this book accommodate her dietary restrictions. While she is too young for the two alcoholic beverage recipes listed, she’d likely enjoy these:

QUOTE
Chocolate Almond Cookies

2 cups flour
½ cup cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add almond extract and coconut oil, both sugars, and cream together. Form dough into small, teaspoon-sized balls. Roll in chopped almonds. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes.
END QUOTE

My husband and I loved these marvellous cookies! Just the right balance of sweet, salty and crispy, they make for a delightful dessert or snack. Bonus: our kids weren’t huge fans, so we had almost all of the thirty-five I managed to bake up from this recipe to ourselves! I did find that half a cup of coconut oil wasn’t enough to make the dough adhere, so kept adding by tablespoonfuls till I had a good consistency for forming little balls. I also decided to use sliced almonds on the outside, which I don’t think made an appreciable difference from chopped in the final product. I’ll definitely be baking these again come cookie season this winter!

Next week, we hop a few states over to make a yummy baked dinner and find another killer using a car accident to cover up their crime. Do join me!

Veiled in Death by Stephanie Blackmore is a Wedding Planner Mystery in which, the wedding planner, Mallory is getting married. As you can imagine, this will not be easy. The crime is twenty years old to begin with. Secondly, there are a lot of feuds, some of many years standing that tend to muddy the waters and make the mystery difficult to navigate. Mallory has seen the dress she wants but no one seems convinced but her. It is a vintage sundress in her friend, June's shop. When she finally decides, it's gone. This is after the disastrous Cordials and Cannonballs event, a revolutionary war re-enactment during which three people were actually shot, one killed, even after all precautions were taken, including the sheriff and his deputy checking the weapons as the re-enactors took the field. It looked like Mallory's stepfather, Doug, had been the shooter, but that theory was debunked almost immediately. But who?

This was an entertaining little mystery, full of so many ins and outs that the reader almost needed a scorecard. Some things happened that were unbelievable, almost. The good guys were not and the bad guys turned good. It was a very carefully plotted book with tremendously good characters, if a lot of them. People can be surprising: they can hide their crazy for years. Truman, the sheriff, had excellent instincts, the opposite of the caricature of a small town sheriff. The wedding came off without a hitch, so that's the good news. All the crimes were solved, and everyone lived happily every after. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Veiled in Death by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #veiledindeath

This is on my list of favorite cozies but I only gave it 4 stars because it took so long to get to the action. Not that it must happen on page one or in the first chapter but by 30% I was getting a bit antsy. Overall, though, I was enjoying the mystery, revisiting the usual characters and looking forward to Mallory getting hitched.
Mallory thinks she has found the perfect wedding dress and is thrilled to also find a lovely veil to go with it. She and Bev will both be wearing it - that is until Helene, Mallory's almost mother-in-law, the mother of Mallory's former fiance. Helene grabs the veil and proclaims that it was stolen from her 25 years ago and that it was made by Betsy Ross. That's the last thing Mallory needs on her very full plate. Then there is a cold case and a current death and things really heat up. Will her wedding happen? Will the cases be solved? Find a comfy chair and settle down to join Mallory investigate local homicide.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mallory Shepard is an event and wedding planner and after all her work making sure other people’s special day is perfect, it’s finally her time. Her own wedding is coming up, but she lets her involvement in solving a mystery get in the way of planning what should be her most important event. Will she and Garrett really make it down the aisle?

This is the sixth book in this series, and I’ve read a couple of the previous books. My favorite part of each of the books, including this one, is Mallory. I like her sense of humor and I enjoy seeing her solve crimes while planning and managing various events. Some of the prior books have tried to cover too many things going on at one time. This one, on the other hand, starts out slow before anything substantial occurs that moves the plot forward. I enjoy Mallory’s relationship with her sister and business partner, her husband-to-be, her future step-daughter. I wish a few of the other side characters would have been even half as likable as Mallory because there are a couple in this installment who are hard to take.

Although the mystery part of the book is a little light in this installment, I was still as surprised as Mallory when the villain is finally “unveiled.” I like the sweet and uplifting ending. There are three recipes at the end of the book and the very simple recipe for Sparkling Sangria sounds tasty. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would rate it 3.5 stars. Fans of the series won’t want to miss “Veiled in Death” because of the personal milestone for Mallory. Fans of Laura Bradford or Denise Swanson would also enjoy the book.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Veiled In Death is the sixth book in the A Wedding Planner Mystery series by Stephanie Blackmoore.

Mallory and Rachel’s wedding planner business is doing good, so well, they are thinking about hiring an assistant. But Mallory’s priority is to go shopping with her best friend Bev, owner of Silver Bells Wedding Dress boutique, to find some accessories for Bev’s wedding to Jesse. When the store owner’s daughter, Pia, opens a suitcase she has just brought up from the basement, Mallory and Bev gasp at the beautiful piece of lace they see. They love it and agree to buy the lace and divide it in half, and they will both be able to wear it for both their weddings. As they are checking out, Helene, Mallory’s nemesis and almost mother-in-law, enters the store and sees the veil and immediately claims that is her veil, and a tugging match ensues between the ladies. The veil, reputedly made by Betsy Ross, will need to be authenticated by an expert, and Helene will have to provide proof that she had owned it before the police will release it to anyone.

The Port Quincy residents are looking forward to its inaugural Cordials and Cannonballs, and as part of the celebration, there will be a Revolutionary War re-enactment. A controversy arises just before the re-enactment begins when a woman announces her plans to be a participant. Shortly after the mock skirmish begins, it has to be stopped when it is found that real bullets have shot some members. Someone killed the woman who was told she could not participate was dead, and bullets also injured Bev’s fiance and Mallory’s stepfather. Mallory proceeds to look into the senseless murder and the wounding of the two men.

The book is a well-plotted and written story. The characters are all well developed and believable. The text reads at a just-right pace, and there are enough twists and turns that kept me guessing until it is learned who the killer was.

Delicious sounding recipes are also provided.

I am awaiting the next book in the series.

Veiled in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the 6th book in the Wedding Planner Mystery series, and another great book. Mallory Shepard and her sister Rachel have opened the bed and breakfast and wedding planner business in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania. There is not a dull moment in this book, not only is this book funny, it has a great mystery. There are twists and turns around every corner. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I have read all the books in the series, and am never disappointed. If you love cozy mysteries full of quirky characters and a likable protagonist, I strongly recommend this book/series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my

Veiled in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the sixth installment in the Wedding Planner Mystery series. This is one of my all time favorite series. It can be read as a stand alone.
Mallory is a wedding planner, a B&B owner, a volunteer for the Revolutionary War reenactment, dealing with her mother, and trying to plan her own wedding. She is shopping at her favorite antique shop and finds a beautiful vintage gown that she falls in love with for her wedding. Then she comes across a piece of lace that could be a wedding veil. She is talked into leaving the dress because she "should" buy an actual wedding gown in the shop in Port Quincy. She takes the lace and while exiting the store, it is literally ripped from her hands by Helen Pierce. Helen would have been her mother in law if her son hadn't cheated on Mallory. The police are called and an investigation is started as the lace could actually been made by Betsy Ross! Then during the reenactment, one of her friend's mother is shot by a musket. Who shot the musket, Mallory's step father, Helen Pierce, or someone else.
There are plenty of plot twists that have you guessing to the end. You also get likeable characters and a great setting. As with most Cozies, there is some humor and romance. There are recipes included.
I was given an ARC by Kensington and NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a fantastic new book in the Wedding Planner mystery series. I really liked getting to see a little more of Mallory's life as she is trying to plan her own wedding as well as take care of her current events. This book had me guessing through out the book. The ending took me by total surprise. I really enjoyed the story.



Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thoroughly enjoyable new (6th) entry in the Wedding Planner mystery series. Mallory Shepard has been too busy to start planning her own wedding. Now her nemesis, the mother of her ex-fiancee, has stolen an antique veil that Mallory just purchased, and that it's only the beginning of this complex case that includes a possible cold case murder, historical reenactments and an actual murder. Always entertaining, the mystery is chock full of enough twists and turns to keep you guessing while visiting the engaging denizens of Port Quincy, PA.

I'm new to this series so although it is the sixth installment it did very well as a standalone. However, I enjoyed this book so much, I've already started in on the earlier installments.

Mallory Shepard is a wedding planner and bed and breakfast owner. She inherited the building that houses her business from the grandmother of her ex-fiancé. Mallory is helping her friend Bev plan her wedding and they are shopping at a local antique store where they stumble across a beautiful veil that was hidden away. Helene Pierce (mother of Mallory's ex fiancé) comes in to the store and sees the veil and claims it is hers and was lost years ago under mysterious circumstances when her husband was killed in a hit and run.

Is the veil cursed? A local woman is murdered in a Civil War reenactment and that sets off a chain of events that Mallory helps investigate.

I didn't see the murderer coming at all. I did guess some of the other minor mysteries rather early on and a few things felt a bit incongruous to me.

But a very enjoyable read that I'd recommend. 4.5 rounded up to 5

I received an ARC from Kensington via NetGalley but any opinions expressed are my own.

Did the veil really belong to Betsy Ross? Is someone really prepared to kill for it? Mallory is helping her friend Bev plan her wedding when they find what they think is the perfect dress and veil, only to be accosted by the nasty Helene. The small town of Port Quincy isn't big enough, Mallory must think, for her and Helene but there you are. Mallory, a wedding planner, is also an intrepid amateur detective so when there' s a murder, she's the one who goes out to find answers. Her own fiancé Garrett isn't always happy that she's sleuthing but he loves her. I admit to being a fan of this series largely for the characters- you'll be fine with this as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun cozy read.

I was hoping for a little more mystery in "Veiled in Death" book 6 in the Wedding Planner murder mystery series by Stephanie Blackmoore. I enjoyed the rich historical landscape that was painted in this book, but there were times of monotony where I really wanted to hear about more than the veil that was found, the history of the town, the relationships between all the characters, and the wedding planning itself - it wasn't until 50% of the way through the book that the murder finally occurred and the mystery began! I felt at times that the author lost sight of the mystery aspect. So while the pacing of this book was a little slow for me I can appreciate that all of the details mentioned will most likely form a solid foundation for future installments.

One of the great positives about this book was that both a cold case and a modern case of murder were solved together which is a more complicated plot choice that I greatly appreciate the author for taking on. This could account for the overabundance of relationship detail we received from the author. The descriptions for characters and settings were robust and fully formed so I had an easy time envisioning the scenes as they played out. And three cheers for representing vegans! I love that the fourteen-year-old step-daughter, Summer, is a vegan advocate and a solid example of newer generations taking on initiatives to be planet-friendly. This is an element in newer cozies that I love is coming out more and more.

More Facts for Readers about our Sleuth:
Main Sleuth: Mallory Shepard (age, early thirties)
Physical Description: White female, blonde hair, curly
Best friend: Bev Mitchell
Location: Port Quincy, Pennsylvania
Time of Year: June-July
Business: Wedding Planner (owns a mansion B&B "Thistle Park" with her sister)
Pet: 2 Cats. Whiskey, a tiny calico kitten, and Soda, a cream-colored cat.
Love Interest: Garrett Davies, he's a lawyer and has a 14 year old daughter (Summer).
Family: Mom, Step-Dad, Younger Sister, Dad (left when she was just a kid and never came back)
Cussing? No
Diversity? Not really. Every character in the book appeared to be white Caucasian. There was no real mention if any of other types of folks. There was a bright spot for vegans though since one of the characters (Summer) prepared and offered vegan food for town festivities.

Loved this story! Loved the stories of healing and forgiveness. Did not see the ending coming at all! Great story!

Veiled in Death is an entertaining and well written cozy mystery. A great plot and quirky characters. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I find each new book in this series keeps me more interested than the last. The characters are now like old friends that I love to visit. This mystery kept me reading until very late into the night with the subtle twists and turns. It well-written and easy to read.

Veiled in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore (Wedding Planner Mystery #6) 3.5 stars

I haven't read any the previous Wedding Planner Mysteries which may have influence my rating. The description of the plot intrigued me enough to request permission to review this book. Mallory Shepard is shopping for her wedding and a purchase of a lace wedding veil causes problems. As soon as she buys the veil, Helene Pierce accosts her and says that the veil is a family heirloom and made by Betsy Ross (yes, THE Betsy Ross). There is now an ownership question and a 25 year old mystery that rears its ugly head. In between Mallory has to put on several events and plan her own wedding with the interference of loved ones.

I though the mystery was very good, but since I didn't read the other 5 books in the series I was at a loss with the interactions between various characters. The villain of the book was a total surprise.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC

The narrative is fairly strong and while this book could be read as a standalone, it is better to read from the first book as there are some elements in the book that might not ring well with others.

'Veiled in Death' is the latest in Stephanie Blackmoore's A Wedding Planner Mystery series. Although the characters are likable, their dialogue and actions more often than not bordered on silly and unbelievable in this offering. There were well described, poignant events juxtaposed to ridiculous ones and the whole book fell short of what I've come to expect. I won't give up on the series, but I hope for better execution in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A wedding planner finds a veil, what could go wrong? murder of course, new and old with Mallory in the middle despite her vow not to sleuth. Fast paced and detailed, enjoyable.