I received an advanced copy of this ebook from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed this authors writing style. I would recommend reading the first book in this series to get to know the characters better. Overall this book is good. It has the suspense that a good mystery needs. This book is in stores for $8.99 (USD).

My Thoughts📖

Who would have ever thought that a murder mystery wedding would be a thing? It might be fun actually! Unless of course, one of the members of the bridal party actually ends up dead. That would definitely change the mood real quick. This book was such a fun book to read. I don’t think I’ve ever read a cozy mystery quite like this one with a murder mystery wedding theme, but it was fun! I seriously loved the southern sass vibes. Georgia has got to be one of my favorite settings for a book. I thought it was a neat element to have the main character and sleuth Marygene to be able to see and talk to her deceased mother. The characters were enjoyable, many having quirky witty personalities which just added to the sass. I loved it! This was the third book in this series, though it works as a standalone. I would really like to read more of this series.
Thank you Netgalley, Kate Young and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m so thankful to Kate Young for the chance to read an ARC of Southern Sass and a Battered Bride!

While this is the third book in the Marygene Brown Mystery series, it’s the first I’ve had the pleasure to read. While I’m sure there’s back story that I would benefit from knowing, this book was still very enjoyable as a stand-alone.

Marygene is an amateur detective, much to the chagrin of her father, the local Sheriff, but she just can’t seem to help but find herself in these situations. And this time she not only finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation but also in a complicated love triangle. The characters were likable and relatable and I love the small town setting in Georgia, as I’m a Georgia girl myself. This book was fun to read and had plenty of unexpected twists, with a good dose of suspense and intrigue too.

This is the second book I’ve read by Kate Young and I know I’ll be reading more as I just really enjoy them. Not only is she a great author but she’s a great cook as well and I look forward to trying out some of the recipes that were included in the book.

I recommend Southern Sass and a Battered Bride to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, lighthearted feel good reads and great small town settings.

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.

Kate Young was a new author to me, Southern Sass and a Battered Bride was the first book i have read of Kate's and i loved it!! it was a great greatr book!!

A Wedding should be a joyous occasion but this one has its problems, starting with the fact that only the groom seems to like the bride (who is a total Bridezilla), secondly Peach Cove Diner are catering the event (where everyone thought that Marygene would be the bride as the groom is her ex-boyfriend Alex!), the groom seems to be getting cold feet, but not half as cold as the bride's when post ceremony they are having a murder mystery game as part of the celebration with the bride playing the corpse, only she isn't playing - she IS a corpse, only then she goes missing.

Now someone seems to be setting up Marygene and Betsy as the killers and the only local Deputy able to help is Javier, so the Detective that tried to pin a previous death on Marygene has to be brought in, will Marygene and Betsy survive everything or will they be joining Marygene's Mama as ghosts?

Release Date: April 27th 2021

📖 📖 📖

Marygene is catering her childhood sweethearts wedding. When the bride turns up dead, Marygene is a prime suspect. With help from her mamas spirit, she needs to figure out The Who done it and quick!

I wanted to love this series. I LOVE cozy mysteries with ghosts in them but something just didn’t click for me with this book. Everything was just fine, I wasn’t in love.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #marygenebrownmystery #kateyoung #southernsass

This is the third book inthe series but the first one I read. It can be read as a standalone and I had no trouble following the story.
When a local is getting married everyone is going to be there. It is a conflict for Marygene as it is her ex getting married and not to her, howevr her family is still catering it. When things start going wrong the book twists and turns. From the monet I picked up the book I was sucked in.


I received a copy of this book form NetGalley in exchange for a honest review

This is such a fun book in a great series. The characters are quirky and the storyline is well written and the dialogue is witty and downright snarky sometimes. I found myself literally laughing out loud at times. The real beauty of this series is that I know I can sit and read and be thoroughly entertained.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 3 in the series.

Not a great place to start. While the author does attempt to fill in some background, there's just too much going on that I feel like I missed.

The characters are mostly fun, though the MC's best friend, Betsy, is so over the top Southern that I really would like to smack her. She's really just too much.

All in all, the book was okay, but it certainly didn't make me want to double back and read the previous two.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is book three in the series. Marygene’s mama’s ghost warns her that all is not well with the wedding she is catering. Besides the fact that it is for her ex-boyfriend and the bridezilla from hell. She expected everything would not go according to plan, mainly because the plans keep changing. But Marygene never expected the bride to end up dead at the reception, and her body goes missing.

Characters in this series are always exciting to read about. They have great personalities, even when they are not at their best. The locations, food, and people of the town are described so well you can almost hear and see it all. A bridezilla is nothing new in a story or real life, but how many people have to put up with one that is marrying their ex? This bride has caused a great deal of anger, and it looks like someone wants revenge. Suspects come out of the woodwork, the evidence doesn’t match up for the investigators, and where is the victim’s body? Marygene’s mama, a ghost, isn’t helping matters when she keeps popping in to warn Marygene that bad things are happening. It seems that not only is Marygene a suspect, but so is her best friend.

This is a tantalizing story filled with wit, fun, and action. The killer comes as a bit of a surprise, but more the motive than the actual character. The bride, whom it seems no one likes, treats everyone as if she is entitled to their worship, and the bridezilla part isn’t just because it’s her wedding. After some harrowing action, Marygene, Betsy, and mama, even though she is a ghost, solve the crime and catch the killer, but not before the girl’s lives are put in danger. Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is an excellent story that will keep readers guessing and eager to read the next book in the series.

Love the quirkiness of the characters, especially Marygene and Bets, and how together they are a formidable force. A well-written plot, fast paced and an intriguing mystery that I could not put down. Loved how the pieces fell into place with the right amount of push from Mama. Another satisfying read and the best book thus far.

Love this series! So fun and intriguing! You will laugh, cry, and be at the edge of your seat! Highly recommend this book! It's a must read.

This is the third book in the Marygene Brown Mystery Series.

Along with her siblings, Marygene Brown owns and runs The Peach Diner. As this book opens they are catering the wedding of Alex Myers, Marygene's childhood sweetheart. They are working with an event coordinator specializing in murder mystery-themed wedding receptions. In this case the bride wants to play the part of the victim.
The reception is about to start and the bride is doing a great job. Too great. She's really dead. The reception tent is cleared out while they wait for the police. But when the police arrive the tent is empty.
It seems that there's no shortage of suspects since nobody liked the bridezilla.
Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) are determined to solve the mystery before one or both of them is arrested. Of course they have some help from Marygene's sassy mama's ghost.

Princess Fuzzypants here: With every visit to Peach Cove, I have enjoyed the trip. From Marygene, who owns with her sister the Peach Dinner and who sees the ghost of their late mother, who is there to help Marygene- at least ostensibly, the characters are well constructed.. Her father who is the police chief and his deputies including her former boyfriend and who future one add spice to the stories as do the various other people around town. It is a town with deep roots and folks who care deeply for each other. So when someone new comes to town and steals Alex from Marygene and ups and marries him, it turns the town against the usurper.

Things do not improve when the bride is murdered at her wedding, that Marygene is catering, and then her body disappears. Woosh. Gone in minutes. Marygene is high on the suspect list with her best friend, who is Alex’s cousin. Alex and his mother could give the Hatfields and the McCoys pointers. The two do everything in their power to get the two women arrested but Marygene, and surprisingly her former nemesis from Atlanta, both think there is more going on than meets the eye. It is a real spider’s web of lies and deceipt and real danger that confront Marygene. I must confess I twigged immediately to what the final twist would be but the story held my attention and I found I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to confirm my original suspicion was correct and there were times when I began to doubt it. Well done for keeping me guessing.

If you are looking for a good summer read, pick this one up. Better still, go reread the back catalogue too. While the book could be read as a standalone, it would be more fun to know how the relationships have been building. Five purrs and two paws up.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young is book three in the A Marygene Brown Mystery Book. It can be read as a stand alone.
Marygene's Peach Diner has been hired to cater a wedding. The only thing is, it's the wedding of Marygene's ex. Add to the mix, the bride doesn't like Marygene and is a total bridezilla. Bride Lucy's theme for the wedding is a Murder Mystery and of course, she is the star. Or she would have been if Marygene and her BFF, Betsy hadn'r found her murdered at the reception. They are placed at the top of the suspect list, even though they also were almost murdered when a bomb exploded in the diner's van. Marygene starts her own investigation to clear her and Betsy,
This easy to read Cozy has plenty of twists and turns with a jaw dropping end. There is romance, likable characters, family and friendship, and laugh out loud humor.
I was given an ARC by Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride
Marygene Brown Mystery, Book #3
Kate Young
5 Stars

Synopsis:

At a murder mystery-themed wedding reception on Georgia's picturesque Peach Cove Island, the bride is doing an awfully good job playing dead...

Marygene Brown always figured she'd marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up--although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn't have to hold her peace--especially since only Marygene can hear her mother's ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride's body simply vanishes, it's up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery--with a little help from Mama's sassy spirit... (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. Marygene and Betsy, her best friend, get along really well and they are more like sisters than best friends. They will do whatever needs to be done to be sure that each other is safe. When they are both accused of a murder, they know that they have to find the real killer before they get put away. There was a lot of family drama going on and most of it was bad. Marygene’s Mama, who happens to be a spirit, is very helpful and watches over Marygene and her family.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could see in my mind’s eye all the chaos going around me. The mystery was well plotted and it had numerous twists and turns that kept me guessing. I was totally surprised with the reveal at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Whenever you get to spend time with Marygene, Betsy and Mama. you know you are in for a fun time.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young is spectacular. Marygene and Betsy are the best. The mystery keeps you guessing and has wonderful recipes that I can't wait to try at the back.

Who killed Lucy, and why are they framing Marygene?

Marygene Brown
Honestly, I had to pop back into the last book. I was so shocked that Alex was marrying Lucy, I hoped that Marygene and Alex would patch it up. Alas, that is not happening. However, Marygene seems to be in a better space mentally in this installment, well, part of it. She has way more strength than she thinks she does. I also enjoyed her relationship with her mom, and they are getting along better now.

Marygene seems to have moved beyond how she defined herself before. She has a truly great bunch of friends and family around her that love her. Although, she does go through some scary things in this story, especially with her dad, Eddie. Oh, and Javy, is he turning into her newest love interest? Only time will tell.

Betsy Myers
Betsy is the best friend that anyone could ever have. Seriously, she is always there for Marygene. Betsy is scary funny. She packs a gun that she can't shoot; she has style and is a foodie. Who wouldn't want her for a best friend? These two are the perfect sleuth partners, Betsy is the comedian of the two, and Marygene figures it out.

Clara Brown
Clara is Marygene's mom; even though she isn't a tax-paying citizen anymore, don't count her out. She is there when Marygene needs her. Really you could say that they are there for each other in the only way they can be.

These are two quotes that tell you a little bit about Clara.
"Ugly words shouldn't come out of pretty mouths. No matter how much paint you put on the barn, the ugly taints the whole structure,"

"Marygene, my word, wipe that ugly look off your face. Your eyes are bugging out like a Pekinese. It's mighty unbecoming."

The Mystery
I will tell you that Ms. Young spins quite a tale. She had me guessing all the way up to the end. I thought I had it, and then I dismissed it as speculation. I should know to stick with my gut.

Anyway, Alex is marrying Lucy because she is supposedly knocked up. Marygene and the Peach Diner cater their wedding. Oh, and it's a murder mystery reception, and the bride wants to be the victim. Do you see where this is going? So, she is presumed murdered, but her body disappears. Then Marygene and Betsy are almost killed when their van has a cut brake line and a pipe bomb under it. Alex is distraught over losing his bride and their unborn child. Marygene and Betsy are then accused of the murder. It doesn't stop there, but you will have to read the book for the rest. It is so worth it. Believe me.

Five Stars
My rating for Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is five stars. I finished this book in a matter of a few hours. Marygene is fabulous, and their island is filled with the greatest characters. They make me laugh out loud and tear up too. Ms. Young is an awesome author. I highly recommend this book and the first two in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young is the third book in the Marygene Brown Mystery series..
This is a great cozy mystery series that I really enjoy!

Peace Cove Island, Georgia is a place I really want to visit and I would love to eat at the Peach Diner.
Such a fun vibe. at the diner and I love how it is a family business.

The characters are well written and well developed. I laugh so much at Aunty Vi.
The mystery is perfectly plotted and well paced.

The ending was such a surprise! I loved it.

Southern Sass And A Battered Bride by Kate Young

Marygene Brown’s ex is getting married! In a fit of sadism, his fiancee Lucy Carmichael has hired Marygene’s diner to cater her murder mystery-themed wedding banquet. Alex Myers is more than just an ex-boyfriend, though: Marygene is best friends and co-workers with his cousin Betsy, and Alex himself is a deputy to Marygene’s dad, Sheriff Eddie Carter. Even though Marygene and Alex weren’t fated to be together, their bond is deep and long-lasting. So Marygene doesn’t rightly feel like she can say no to catering his wedding, even if Lucy is doing her level best to make her life a living nightmare.

When Marygene and Betsy stumble over Lucy’s body sprawled on the floor of the wedding tent after the ceremony, they assume it’s part of her murder mystery setup. But Alex’s reaction to seeing Lucy lets them know that this tableau certainly was not planned. In the hubbub of calling a doctor and trying to calm the wedding guests milling outside, Lucy’s body vanishes. Alex proceeds to lose his mind, accusing Marygene of murdering his bride. When neither she nor anyone else is arrested for Lucy’s murder, Alex decides to go over the sheriff’s head and bring in outside law enforcement from Atlanta, in the form of the maybe-corrupt Detective Thornton.

Detective Thornton and Marygene have history, but even he seems reluctant to pin the crime on her, given the facts of the case. With wild accusations flying and various members of the Brown and Myers clans in and out of either custody or the hospital, Marygene must get to the bottom of the turmoil roiling her peaceful Georgia island, with a little help from the spirit of her deceased Mama.

I love spending time with the good-hearted Marygene as she and her Mama’s ghost try to right wrongs and help the souls of those who met violent ends find peace and closure by bringing their killers to justice. Marygene’s family is also a soothing, supportive presence, in stark contrast to the Myers clan, who were even more of a headache than usual in this third installment of the series. I can mostly understand why she puts up with Betsy’s well-meaning if completely insane shenanigans -- at least Betsy is entertaining! -- but Alex is just The Worst. It was also nice to see Marygene’s relationship with Deputy Javier Reyes progress, as I finally get over shipping her with the reporter from the first book.

There were seven recipes included, and I decided to try this savory dish after our recent run of sweets:

QUOTE
The Peach Diner’s Cheesy Potato Soup

½ pound smoked bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 peeled carrot, chopped
3 pounds gold potatoes, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
¼ cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of thyme
Scallions for garnish

Cook the bacon over a medium heat until crispy in olive oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add butter onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the flour, making sure to coat the vegetables. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook, partially covered, for fifteen minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Place the shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl and add a quarter cup of the hot soup, mixing until smooth. Return it to the pan. Gradually add in the cream, salt and pepper and thyme. Heat until almost boiling.

Serve garnished with bacon, chopped scallions, and extra cheese.

Some good crusty bread for dunking is also delicious.
END QUOTE

I love a good cheesy soup and this did not disappoint! It was rich and tasty, though if you want it to taste better as leftovers, I recommend peeling the potatoes, as I did not (I’m weird about getting rid of nutrients that way.) Unpeeled potatoes taste just fine in a fresh soup, but can taste a little bitter after a day or two.

As for the recipe itself, I did find that I had to add significantly more than the quarter cup of hot soup to the shredded cheese in order to get a smooth mix. I just kept adding ladlefuls until I got the consistency I was looking for, then poured it all back into the pan. Overall, this made for a lovely, filling meal with baguette slices on the side.

Next week, we travel to the opposite coast to bake some bread and bring another killer to justice. Do join me!