Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to review Ink and Shadows.

This is the 4th book in the Secret, Book, & Cone society series and is my favorite so far (always her latest books become my favorite of the series but this one I daresay really is ) we get to meet two new characters, Celeste and her daughter. They moved from the other side of the sate to start a new life. Unfortunately their old life catches up to them and we have the start of a new mystery that Nora and her friends must solve. I love these books because they bring out the humanity and character flaws we all have as human beings. All the characters are relatable - I just wished Celeste could ha e joined the society. I think she would have blended in perfectly but then we wouldn’t have such a great mystery. This book also delves a little more In Nora’s background as she is reunited with an old friend of hers

The book had lost is twists and turns and even some right wing mothers led by a new resident and wife of the pastor, are trying to sabotage the bookstore and Celeste’s store soothe. We later learn the why there to.

This book had a lot to offer and the ending was perfect. Yes you can read it as a stand a lone

I recommend all the Ellery Adam’s books as they have great characters that are relatable and great mysteries

Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams is set in the small town of Miracle Springs and it features an amazing bookstore run by our amatuer slueth Nora. The book starts with Nora planning her "Woman of power" October store windows and welcoming a new business run by a mysterious mother and daughter.
A local "morality" group in town not only has issue with the new shop owners CBD products, but also Nora's witchy windows and they are getting boycotted.
Then Nora finds a body outside her house and things turn even more dangerous.

I found this book was a little more dark and serious then the typical cozy. It definitely looked at more complex issues. I loved the relationship between Nora and her friends and I enjoyed this book!

I am always up for a new Ellery Adams book, and this did not disappoint. Her cozy mysteries have flawed but likable characters, and a believable plot and just a touch of magical realism.
The new installment of the Secret, Book & Scone Society has a fairly spooky plot, centered around a death and an ancient book page. Nora and her society try to help another shop owner, who like them seems to have a secret to hide. A great addition to the series.

What I love:

- The bibliotherapy

- The friendship between the women

- Sheldon: he says the best stuff, I love how his words feel like the hugs he is known for!

- Sometimes I struggle with grasping all the characters and the motivations the villains have. I admit that happened here too, but the more complicated a story, the more I expect that to happen. I suspect this is something others won't experience the way I do, lol.

- The list of books at the end: thank you for that!

- Ink & Shadows is what I’ve just dubbed “cozy mystery-plus.” What i mean by that is that it has something extra to it, beyond the tried-and-true formula of a cozy mystery — full disclosure— I love tried-and-true cozy mysteries! Ink & Shadows is one of those books that gave me more — more turns of phrase, more books to add to my list, more chuckles, more depth, more emotion.

- This may sound horrible but usually, the characters who meet their demise in the cozy mysteries I’ve read are peripheral, people I won’t miss because I didn’t get to know them. In Ink & Shadows, despite not knowing a character for long, I did miss them and mourned the loss.

- Ink & Shadows is the first book I’ve read in the 'Secret, Book & Scone Society' series — I’m pretty new to the cozy mystery genre and love it, so I’ll be reading the other books in the series, for sure!

- Ink & Shadows works as a stand-alone so you don’t *have* to read the other ones first, which I appreciate and imagine is challenging for authors to do well, and Ellery Adams does it well!

- Although I do know, if I had read the others first, I would have had more background, but I know when I read the others, the small gaps will fill in, which will be exciting.

- Also, Bobbie is the coolest college roommate ever, and I wish I had one just like her!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3597726227

The Secret, Book and Scone Society is hands down my favorite mystery series and this newest installment did not disappoint! Nora is fending off a new group of women who have appointed themselves the morality police in town. This group is also targeting a new shop called Soothe. Nora and crew befriend the new shop owner and her daughter and are also drawn in to solving their murders. Ellery Adams creates wonderful characters and there is always something new to learn about them. Once again she adds a few new characters that add to the story. Keep them coming!

Ink & Shadows was a "just what I needed" book for Halloween weekend. Nora befriends newcomers to town who are opening a healing shop. Bren, the daughter, is murdered behind Nora's home. At the same time, a mysterious paper is left under Nora's doormat. Nora is also dealing with the new ministers wife, who has is out to ruin the women run businesses as she has decided they are "non-family friendly". With the help of her friends, as well as an old friend from Nora's past, good wins.
Within minutes of reading, the reader feels they are in Miracle Springs & wishing you could work for Nora--or at least stop by daily! Excellent series. Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books & Ms Adams for the preread in exchange for an honest review.

Over the moon that I was able to read the next installment in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novels! Thank You to Ellery Adams and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook for my reviewing pleasure. I love returning to Miracle Springs, it's like visiting with friends, Nora, Sheldon, and The Secret Book and Scone Society, this was a heartfelt Whodunnit, I absolutely loved it!

I really like the Secret, Book and Scone Society series and this one was as good or better than the previous three in the series. Nora’s Miracle Springs bookstore is the kind of bookstore I’ve always wanted to find. The members of the Secret Society have bonded with each other and try to heal the damages each has suffered. In this book the ladies of the Society meet newcomers, Celeste and her daughter Bren, owners of a new holistic medicine business. Both need the friendship, healing and support offered by the Society ladies. There are a number of subplots both commercial, personal that keep the readers invested in the story.

The two things I like most about this series is Nora’s love and familiarity with books of all genres and her ability to recommend the perfect books for customers in need. The second favorite of this story is that we start to find out more about her life prior to coming to Miracle Springs. Her college roommate and long-time friend finds Nora and reestablishes their deep friendship while helping to solve the mysterious murders.

While this book can certainly be enjoyed as a standalone, the backstories of the three previous books enriches this fourth book.

The author has a way with words pulling you into her work the Miracle Springs series is no exception and it grabbed ahold of me from the first book. One of the most enjoyable parts is the camaraderie among the characters. Well written with a magical touch, a great addition to the series and very enjoyable.

The thing that makes this series unique is it almost feels optimistically sad. The story itself in this book in not unique, but the writing and characters are. Filled with emotion, tragedy, and the air of rising above, these ladies always step up to solve the mystery while leaning onto each other. It really is the most amazing story.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of INK AND SHADOWS (Book 4 of the Secret, Book, & Scone Society series) by Ellery Adams in exchange for an honest review. It’s fall in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, and holiday and festival season is nigh. Nora Pennington has created a magical Halloween window display celebrating powerful women. Shortly thereafter, a group of ladies purporting to be acting in the public and moral interests of the town demand Nora remove the book display because the fantastical and magical elements threaten to corrupt the youth. However, Nora refuses, and they threaten retribution. Soon, Nora’s business, a new mother and daughter art and holistic medicine business named Soothe, and Red Bird Gallery and Gifts selling Cherokee art are under attack by op-ed pieces in the paper, word of mouth campaigns, graffiti, and protests. When one of Soothe’s owners dies under mysterious circumstances, Nora and the Society work together to find out whether the death was part of the “morality” attacks or was related to a secret from the victim’s past.

I enjoyed this book. I’m a fan of the series and the author. I recommend this book to fans of the series. I recommend the series to fans of cozy mysteries featuring books, baked goods, secrets, secret societies, and damaged characters seeking redemption, grace, and refuge.

#InkandShadows #NetGalley

A Secret, Book and Scone Society Novel

This is the fourth in this excellent series! My three favorite things are in the name. Secrets, Books, and Scones! So what has our Nora been up to?

Nora owns the bookstore in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, and her window displays are always amazing. This Halloween Nora and her band of helpers decide on a showcase of strong, female heroines. Think Circe through Matilda! It’s a magical display and people are loving it. Well, not everyone. It seems the preacher’s wife has decided to be the moral police and has riled up some of her friends to force Nora to take down the display. And she isn’t the only one on their radar, one of the new businesses in town, owned by the mysterious Celeste, is also being targeted simply because she sells CBD oil products.

Nora isn’t going to let anyone push her around, but she is very worried about Celeste and her daughter. This is where the secrets come in. These ladies have some. And someone is willing to kill over them it would seem.

When Nora finds an odd paper under her mat full of strange symbols, a body is not far behind. Surely the church ladies aren’t behind this?

Nora and the Society are going to have to dig into Celeste’s background and figure out the who, why, and how before any more harm is done.

Oh, how I love this series! All the characters are so real. And there is always laughter. Okay, so there is also always murder, but the laughter and friendships these characters have are what keeps me coming back for more.

Grab a cup of tea and a scone and start reading!

January 26th, 2021 by Kensington Books/ NetGalley Review

INK AND SHADOWS is the very definition of a cozy mystery.

Set in a bucolic tourist town, Nora runs a indie bookshop where she offers "bibliotherapy" to her customers. When a town newcomer dies under mysterious causes, it sets off a chain of events including bullies protesting the bookstore, a visit from Nora's past, and a secretive community's leader making waves. Between deaths, vandalism, festivals, flea markets, and relationship turmoil, Nora is determined to solve the mystery and set things right.

I would love to visit Nora's cozy bookshop, and meet her secret society cohorts - but I'd especially like to give Sheldon a big hug.

As always I love every minute I spend with Nora and her crew. This is a series I stumbled upon a couple years ago and I have absolutely treasured it. Each addition is just as charming as the next and these have become some of my favorite stories. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

This series started out as a good cozy mystery series, but has quickly grown into much more. Solid characterization with a fast moving plot combine to more than satisfy the reader. Looking forward to the next one in a series at the top of its game.

Once again, Ellery Adams takes the reader to the magical Miracle Springs. While the town may seem like the perfect "healing spot" with tourists, evil and danger are bubbling up to the surface in this book. When Nora Pennington's window display sets off a torrent of protest from a group of women, unrest and murder are the end result. Nora and the book club have to bring justice to the dead and understanding and forgiveness to the living all while solving a mystery that has many dangerous twists and turns!

Reading Ink and Shadows was like coming home and visiting old friends. I love each of the characters for their struggles and their success in overcoming tragedy and creating a new life. The relationships between the book club/sleuths is based on trust and love and it's wonderfully written. Each character brings a viewpoint that readers can identify with and it's truly a group effort.

I enjoy these books and look forward to the next mystery.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Compelling characters draw you in, but an intriguing plot will keep you entertained and delighted for hours! The main characters are group of strong, intelligent, successful women who struggle with their own insecurities and issues, but always look out for what is best for each other, their friends, other business owners and even strangers. The author does an outstanding job of bringing these ladies and their friends to life in a way that makes you connect with them and root them on. The issues that are brought up in each book are realistic and on point with many people today thus making the stories more compelling as readers can connect to either a character or storyline that reflects something they are feeling or experiencing. Throw in a murder or two and the entertainment factor just shoots up more! If you haven't started this series yet, you absolutely should! I absolutely can't wait to see where the next book takes the book club ladies and gents!

A good cozy mystery by a great author. Nora has an interesting book store, and is famous for her window displays. When a new group of women, out to disrupt things evil heading into Halloween come after her and several other businesses it gets serious. A good book, but must admit I have not read others in the series, so at times I felt a little lost. Still though, these were minor and for the most part just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Would highly recommend this book and author.

I loved this book. I loved this message about powerful women. The characters are great. I can't wait until the next one. #InkandShadows #NetGalley

This series gets better and better! I truly hated to finish the book because now I face the long wait for the next SBSS book.
In Ink and Shadows, Nora encounters suspicious death, mean spirited protestors, and part of her own past. Jed is out ot town caring for his mother but her dear friends surround her with support and comfort as she navigates the challenges.
There are many things to love about this book: the literary quotes and references, the familiarity of the friendships, the lovely setting and the engaging plot. Overall, a well written and researched book. It earns a rare five stars from me.
Thank you Ellery Adams, NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.