A perfect example of a cozy mystery including the most loveable canine sleuth you could hope for. The author writes in such a way as to bring great colour to the setting, the people and the plot itself. It’s a lovely, enjoyable story with the added benefit of being a clever enough mystery to keep you guessing.

I spent many happy days in Beaufort and was thrilled to find a cozy mystery set there. The setting is ideal for book 2 in A Book Lovers B&B Mystery. Charlotte Reed owns Chapters Bed and Breakfast, a lovely 18th century inn. One of the main advantages of a stay at the inn is the chance to meet and chat with well known authors; Charlotte organizes sure to please devoted fans. When the president of an author's fan club turns up dead, Charlotte and her friends spring into action to solve the crime. A delightful mystery from this talented author.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Chapters Bed and Breakfast is all set to welcome popular romantic fantasy author Amanda Nobel. The author is really coming to get some downtime but has agreed to a book signing at Bookwaves, a meet-and-greet tea, and a small cocktail party to promote her new release. Three of her fans have won a stay at the B&B and some one one-on-one time with the famous author. Lisette Bradford is the head of a major Amanda Nobel fan club and a fan fiction author. Harper Gregg and Mollie Zeleski are huge fans of the author. All three are excited about their win.

After the meet and greet, Charlotte's guests go their separate ways but Lisette was the only one that didn't return. The next morning Detective Amber Johnson calls with bad news. Lisette's body was pulled out of the water near the Beaufort docks. There was obvious trauma to her head not consistent with a fall. The police and Charlotte already have a suspect in Lisette's ex-husband but they quickly find there are others that could have killed her. Charlotte and her neighbor Ellen along with Ellen's Yorkshire terrier, Shandy quickly start their own investigation to ferret out the killer.

Charlotte has one more concern . . . Who is the man staying with Ellen? She never lets anyone stay at her house.

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Former school teacher Charlotte Reed is a strong protagonist. Her years as an English teacher have prepared her well for hosting authors from various genres. The skills also aid her when she starts sleuthing. Her neighbor, Ellen has some great skills from her previous job as well. They make a great team when trying to catch a killer. Charlotte has Alicia to help her at the B&B. She kinda came with the place and they are finally figuring out how to work together and even become friends. Damian is a wonderful chef who works for Charlotte when there are guests at the B & B and at most of the events she hosts. Julie Rivera owns Bookwaves. She and Charlotte are friends who work together on literary events. We meet several new characters and revisit others who were in the first book, Booked for Death. All of Ms. Gilbert's characters are cleverly crafted, have a purpose in the story, and feel true to life.

I was entertained by the mysteries that unfolded in this book. As an avid reader, I found the themes of fan fiction, ghostwriters, pitfalls in publishing, and stress when writing a long-running series to be very captivating. Ms. Gilbert did an excellent job of blending them all together in a compelling murder mystery.  I did my best to follow all the clues but I was surprised when the guilty party was revealed. The showdown was tense and a little help came in an unexpected way that made me smile.

A subplot deals with something from Ellen's and Charlotte's great-aunt Isabella's past. That was interesting too. It gives us a little more of Ellen's backstory but does detract just a bit from the main mystery.

If Chapters Bed and Breakfast were a real place I would visit often and probably stay until they kicked me out. Being surrounded by Isabella's collection of books would be absolutely fabulous. Add to that the visits by authors and all the other literary events and it would make me very happy and content. Helping to solve a murder mystery or two would be icing on the cake.

Reserved for Murder was a very enjoyable read. I am excited to see who visits Chapters Bed and Breakfast next and what Ms. Gilbert has in store for them.

I have read other books in this series and keep coming back to this series as it's one of my favorite cozy mystery series that I'll come back to time and time again.
The concept of the story is a great plot that kept me reading. I enjoyed the plot and couldn't figure it out myself.
I liked the idea of the different types of rooms and will read more by the suthor.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. It's set at a B&B where each room is decorated according to a genre of book - there's a classics room, mystery room, romance room, etc. A book club sets up a conference at the B&B to discuss the works of a certain author, and then a murder happens. The MC has to work with others and the local authorities to figure out who did it. I liked the interplay between the characters, and would love to stay at a Booklovers B&B if one really existed. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

This is a cozy mystery and I very much love these books. I recommend this book and this author if you like mystery and don't want to put this book down.

I'm sorry, I loved your book, I've tried, but I could not finish the review on time due to corona.
I hope to get another chance

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Publishing for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy. This is the second book in the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series featuring B6B owner Charlotte Reed. I think you could jump into the series at this point without a problem.
I actually enjoyed this book more than the first book. Charlotte is a young widow. Charlotte doesn't seem as disconnected from life as she did in the first book. She is coming into her own as a Bed & Breakfast owner and as a detective.
There are different plot strands which consist of fan fiction, plagiarism, ghostwriting, and old spies. Charlotte and her next door neighbor are forced to think about the ethics of using civilians in spywork. The killer was a surprise to me. It seems that a new character was introduced in this book as a romantic interest for Charlotte. I felt it was a bit too soon for that.
However, all in all, I gave this mystery 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone.

Reserved for Murder

by Victoria Gilbert

As mysteries go, this cozy, Reserved for Murder, has a plot with its share of suspicious characters and motivations for murder that bubble to the surface. In keeping with its bookish nature, Charlotte’s B&B is called Chapters as a tribute to Isabella, the great-aunt she inherited it from. Isabella collected rare books. Although not a spy like her aunt, Charlotte has a nose for sniffing out clues and it gets put to the test when one of her guests is murdered.

The book focuses on a whole week set up as part of a promotional event and also intended to be a short break for famous romance author Amanda Nobel. It includes accommodations for the three winners of a fan contest, a book signing, a tea party, and a cocktail party. Several locals play important roles including Charlotte’s very private neighbor Ellen who used to be Isabella’s handler. Ellen also has a charming but mysterious “cousin” Gavin staying with her.

I enjoyed this mystery. The murderer is revealed in a dramatic scene. Charlotte has a finale party after her her last guest leaves and explains the details to the locals exposing the secrets and putting everything in order. It was a nice wrap-up for the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #2 in the Booklover’s B&B Mystery Series
2. I enjoyed this not-quite-spy, but all mystery, story. Background from the first book in the series would be helpful but is not essential.

Publication: June 8, 2021—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

“It is astonishing, isn’t it? Books, I mean. All the books by so many authors. You’d think all the ideas would be used up, but somehow they’re not.”

If there was anything likely to toughen someone up and teach them how to play a long game, dealing with a classroom full of high-energy, hormonal, sometimes oppositional, teenagers was definitely it.

While there are many well-written bestsellers, there are some that aren’t, and yet are still inexplicably popular. And you know, trends come and go. What’s popular one day can change the next.”

Reserved for Murder was a very enjoyable mystery. I loved the first book in this series and this second book was even better. Victoria Gilbert is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery authors. Admittedly, it has been a long time since I read the first book so this one was like I was meeting all the main characters for the first time. Charlotte is an interesting character and so is her neighbor, Ellen. I really hope we learn more about both characters in future books, especially Ellen's past spy work. The murder mystery was very cleverly plotted. I kept going back and forth between a couple of suspects because the author made them all viable suspects. I really expected there to be more going on with one of the side mysteries, so that was a little disappointing. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see what Charlotte, and possibly Ellen, get into next.

For some reason I have trouble getting into this book. I loved the idea of a "Chapters" B&B, and I loved the idea of a mystery room. I even went back to this book and started from the beginning again. I'm going to blame my unhappiness (not dislike) on the flow of the reading. I think the amount of dialog caused a sort of ping-pong effect for me. It seemed as if I had to keep looking back and in truth I got bored with all of the talking. Doesn't mean this is a bad series by any means.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great mystery that kept me guessing until the end, I can't wait to read more.

I really enjoyed this story! When I requested it I did not realise it was the second in the series however I read the first one, I really enjoyed this story.

The first book in this series was good. Though I did find myself struggling to keep interest at times. The same applies to the second book. I do know that it can take 2-3 books sometimes for a series to pick up. I hope the spy subplot is dropped, I think that is what is the main issue with the series.

I loved this book. It kept me engaged and wondering. I liked the characters and the writing style. It was a quick, fun read and exactly what I look for in a cozy!

Charlotte Reed, the owner the B&B known as Chapters, is hosting a private get together with an acclaimed author and her fan club contestant winners. Things are a bit tense when one of the winners turns up dead and the reason could be plagiarism. Charlotte needs to figure is there a guest in Chapters who's also a murderer.

I liked the story but the ex-CIA operatives seems to be pushing it. Is each book going to have some link to Charlotte's dead aunt and her past? I hope not.

This was a quick, and fun murder mystery. Characters were interesting and I enjoyed the setting. Would definitely read more from this author.

Loved reading this book. Looking forward to the next book in the series. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her

I loved the North Carolina setting, and Chapters Bed & Breakfast. Their literary themed events and book themed rooms are the perfect place for any book lover. Charlotte, the woman who owns the B&B, is a wonderful main character and amateur sleuth. She, along with her neighbor Ellen, work together to help solve the mystery. I love the characters and how multi-faceted they are. The mystery is well planned and paced, and there were several red herrings. This is a series that I am looking forward to reading more of in the future.

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

Charlotte, owner of Chapters B&B, is hosting an author for an event and secret getaway. Among the guests are winners of a contest - all fans of the author. When one of them is found dead, all of the B&B guests are suspects. The motive for the murder is complicated but believable. To add to the mix Charlotte's neighbor is a former spy and also playing host to a current spy. The setting is lovely, and the characters are engaging. I am sure as the series progresses I will feel more connect to the spy story line. This book stands on its on for those just joining the series.