Cute little cozy mystery. The quick jump from America didn't flow, but overall this was a cute quick read with lovely descriptions of historical sites, clever literary references, etc.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Molly and her mother Nina receive a letter about a book shop in England. They decide to move their after living in Vermont. While in England, strange things are happening. Molly will try to use all her skills as a librarian to figure out who the culprit could be. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next book.

"Chapter and Curse" is the first book in the new Cambridge Bookshop cozy series by Elizabeth Penney, who also has several books out in her Apron Shop series.

Molly Kimball and her mother move to her mother's home country of England to help Molly's aunt with her bookshop. During a poetry reading at the bookshop, Molly discovers the body of one of her aunt's friends. The police suspect her aunt, so Molly starts investigating.

The characters are engaging and the writing is so good that I didn't mind that I figured out the motive and the murderer before we got too far into the book. The characters are more than focus than the mystery, and that's perfectly fine, as I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them and hope for more books in the series.

4/5 stars

I received an advance copy from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A new cozy series from a popular author -- I look forward to recommending this title. A New England woman and her mother move to England, where the mother has inherited an historic book shop. Of course, there is a murder that must be solved. Very charming, and perfect for booklovers and Anglophiles.

This series is off to a great start. I adored Molly, Nina, and Aunt Violet. The Cambridge scenery is lovely and delightful. The mystery is well-crafted with smart red herrings. Penney keeps us turning the pages! Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries.

This is Book #1 in the Cambridge Bookshop series.
Molly Kimball and her mother Nina Marlowe need to leave their home in Vermont and move to Hazelhurst England to help Aunt Violet with “The Thomas Marlowe Book Store” a family run book shop.
Molly is a Librarian and due to budget cuts has been let go so this works out perfect.
We readers are introduced to other characters in town.
I am a big psychological thriller fan but I love both Libraries and bookstores ~ Plus I have a weakness for a kitty on the cover🥰
 Awww a four-hundred year old bookshop in Cambridge, England near the Trinity College towers
 The Tea and Crumpets ~ tea house
 The Magpie Pub
 Plus Fun Characters
All sound awesome!
This story was a delight to read!!
Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 28, 2021

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of CHAPTER AND CURSE (Book 1 of the Cambridge Bookshop Mysteries), by Elizabeth Penney, in exchange for an honest review. Molly Kimball and her mother Nina leave their life in Vermont to help Nina’s Aunt Violet run the family bookshop, Thomas Marlowe--Manuscripts & Folios. When they arrive, they find out that they’ve upended their lives for an uncertain future; the bookshop is in financial trouble and may soon be sold to a bookstore chain. Molly and Nina work together with Aunt Violet to attract more business to the store so they can meet exorbitant loan payments. One of the first new ventures is a book signing and reading by a treasured poetess. When one of the guests is murdered at the shop with one of Aunt Violet’s knitting needles, Aunt Violet becomes suspect number one. In order to save Aunt Violet and preserve their new future, Molly and Nina work with Aunt Violet’s friends to uncover clues missed by the detectives. Can they solve the mystery while salvaging the business?

I liked this book and look forward to the second in the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, blackmail, bookshops, and historic towns.

Do you love cozy mysteries and thrills? If so, Elizabeth Penney’s new series titled Chapter and Curse may be for you. Nina receives a letter in the mail from her sister Violet. She invites Nina along with her daughter, Molly, to help run her bookstore in England. Nina and Molly are so excited to start this new chapter in their lives and decide to make the move from Vermont to England. Things slowly start to turn from a dream to a nightmare. A party is held at the bookshop introducing a famous poet and before things can begin, Molly discovers a body. Who would do this? At a book reading no less. There are so many unanswered questions, suspects, and secrets to be revealed.

This was my first introduction to cozy mysteries and it won't be my last. This is a perfect book to curl up to on a rainy day. Each chapter left you wanting more. I found myself invested and caring for these characters, especially Molly. I am excited for this new series and where the story takes Molly. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been into mysteries lately, and my latest read was Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney. I rarely catch the beginnings of cozy mystery series, but that hasn’t ever stopped my enjoyment of later books. Chapter and Curse is the beginning of a new series, and so far I like what I’ve read. From the charming setting to the loveable characters (and cats), there’s already a lot of promising aspects to the first foray into The Cambridge Bookshop series.

Chapter and Curse was quite the mystery. The story had a strong beginning, which laid the framework for the events to come while also introducing an eclectic cast of characters. There was everything from a big move to another country, some family drama involving shady relatives, a struggling bookstore, and a cat. Oh, and books. The story mainly takes place inside of a bookstore, so there was a strong literary theme.

Molly Kimball, the narrator, was awesome. In general, I liked her personality and the interactions she had with the other characters, namely her family and new neighbors.

Chapter and Curse was also the kind of story where the more you find out, the harder it is to guess what’ll happen. It seemed like a standard whodunit, but the delivery was what set this one apart. The situation just got more complicated as it went, with a lot of clues and too many suspects to count. I’m not being dramatic. That’s just an accurate description, because the victim of the case seemed to have run afoul of a number of people. All of them had an adequate motive to commit the crime. It could have been anyone, literally; although, at times it was hard to imagine it because much of the cast was so charming.

It was complicated, but it made for a great story. I really enjoyed Chapter and Curse, and I look forward to what’s in store for the characters next.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) via NetGalley for this review, thank you!

I first discovered Elizabeth Penney's books through her apron shop series, which I enjoyed. This was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series that takes place in england.

I loved Chapter and Curse, the first in the Cambridge Bookshop Series. Molly Kimball and her mother, Nina Marlowe leave their home in Thorndike, Vermont to move to Hazelhurst England to help Nina's aunt, Violet with the running of The Thomas Marlowe Book Store, a family business. The reader is introduced to Daisy Watson, owner of the tea shop, Kieran Scott, owner of the bike shop the rest of the cast of characters that make this series so interesting. The book store has a reading of a famous poet, Persephone Brightwell, During the reading Molly and Kieran find her aunt's friend, Myrtle's body in the back garden. This is when the story gets really interesting with family treachery, blackmail, suspense and romance. It was such a joy to read this story and .I can't wait for the second in the series to see what is the next adventure for Molly and her friends

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for this ARC.

What a fantastic start to a new bookish cozy series! Loved the Cambridge setting, cast of characters, hints of romance, and intriguing mystery that sprawled over decades. Excited to read the next installment!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley # netgalley

This is my first book by this author. I got it for the cover but was extremely happy with the plot and characters. Very well developed

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about this book yet. It’s everything I should love, but I didn’t love it. That said, I also didn’t hate it; I mostly enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel any strong feelings for most of the main characters (or long term supporting characters). But, Molly wasn’t annoying and obnoxious about trying to solve the murder and the descriptions of Cambridge are lovely. The mystery itself was also quite fun; lots of clues and a few red herrings thrown in to mix things up. I am looking forward to the second book in this new series to see if I have stronger feelings one way or the other.

I really enjoyed the first adventure in this series! Molly Kimball is a wonderful written character that is easily to like. I loved the setting in Cambridge England. Overall lovely start to a fun series!
#chapterandcurse#netgalley

I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Paperbacks, in return for an honest review. I LOVED this first book in a new cozy mystery series, set in Cambridge, England. American Molly Kimball and her English mother, Nina, move from America to her mother’s childhood home in Cambridge, England, to help Aunt Violet run a wonderful historic bookshop that’s been in the family for generations. Sadly, Molly had never met Aunt Violet or anyone else in her mum’s family, so the move gives her a chance to do lots of firsts - meet family, work in the bookstore, and bring it ‘modern’ by doing online posting, sales, interesting tidbits about books, solve mysteries, etc. When an obnoxious neighbor is found dead and her aunt is considered a prime suspect, Molly and a new band of friends join their talents to solve the crime.
This is a wonderful first book - the characters are all well-written, the story moves along at a perfect pace; the setting is described clearly. I am really looking forward to the next in this series and I hope it comes soon!

I have a new author to add to my favourites!
This book is absolutely wonderful! I truly had difficulty putting it down, and stayed up way too late reading. The characters are vivid and alive, leaping off the page to make you care about them and their experiences. The story itself grabs you and won't let go, coalescing into an intriguing mystery that reaches across time, involving many unique characters.
Elizabeth Penney is clearly a romantic at heart, with her love of both history and literature apparent throughout the book. Her descriptions of the town of Cambridge are enough to entice anyone to visit themselves, and her insight into the business of bookselling and the appraisal of valuable volumes is fascinating.
This is, hands down, one of the best books I've read all year! I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.

After her father passes away, Molly Kimball and mother move from Vermont to her mother’s homeland of England. Her Aunt Violet has asked for their help in running the family business, one of the oldest bookshops in Cambridge, and they answered the call.

During their book club m meeting, an ornery neighbor is murdered in their backyard and Aunt Violet is at the top of the suspect list, so Molly can’t help but trying to clear her Aunt’s name. Molly works together with her neighbors and other business owners to figure out whodunit without become the next victim.

WOW! This is a great debut in this series and I cannot tell you how exciting it is to have a new series to add to my must read list. The setting and characters are perfect and the whodunit its well written with enough clues and red herrings to keep you working right along with Molly and the gang to solve it. I’m looking forward for the next entry in this series!

I enjoyed reading Chapter and Curse, a first in a new series by Elizabeth Penney.
The book introduces us to Molly Kimball and her mother, who are summoned to England to help with the family bookstore.
When a sudden death unleashes a series of secrets, Molly can't resist getting involved in the investigation.
I loved all the aspects of this book and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#ChapterandCurse #NetGalley

A wonderful cozy mystery that hit all the right notes for me. Molly and her mother get news from England that an elderly aunt wants them to come and work and eventually take over a family bookstore. Molly had never been to her mother’s homeland but soon fits right in. A murder, detecting, and lots of literary background. Liked this one a lot. Highly recommend this book and author. Fun read.