Pleading the Fish by Bree Baker is a wonderful cozy mystery that is the seventh and final installment in the delightful Seaside Cafe mystery series.

This is such a cute series. While I have not read every book this far (I have read 4/6 of them), I had no problems filling in the gaps and following along. However I have to say, I enjoyed it so much that I am making it a priority read the remainder of the series.

I love Charm, NC. It is fun, quirky, and a great backdrop for this series. I enjoyed the full cast of characters, especially Everly. I will miss her and the whole series in general. As usual, the murder/mystery plots were enjoyable, creative, and kept me turning pages to find out the resolution. I also enjoyed the satisfying ending. I won’t say any more, so as not to spoil it for other readers and fans.

This series has been well-crafted, and it is bittersweet to see it end.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Poisoned Pen Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/29/22.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Poisoned Pen Press (a favorite if I can admit that) and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Pleading the Fish is sadly the final installment in the Seaside Cafe Mystery series. Bree Baker is a lovely novelist who who knows what fans want. I’m sad to see this cozy mystery series end. I can’t wait to see what else this author has in their pen.

It's the end of a series that I've truly enjoyed! Whenever a new Seaside Cafe shows up, it goes to the top of my tbr pile (don't know how I possibly missed book #5, but I'll be going back to rectify that).

This book gets 4-1/2 stars from me. I really love Everly and her family and friends. Everly encounters and solves or tries to solve several mini-mysteries along the way to solving the murder in this book. The mystery itself is well plotted, with a fair sized cast of characters that might or might not play a role. The resolution of the mystery feels solid.

Although there are the usual ridiculously over-the-top events (unrelated to the mystery) for various characters, like Savannah and Everly's aunts, somehow I can let them slide because I like them all and want ridiculous fairy tale things to happen for them :>)

Also, I'm glad the Swan family curse is somewhat brought to a resolution, and that Everly and her nemesis are finding a peaceful way forward (that one might go a little TOO far toward friendship, but nice that the childish behavior is over).

I might have given this one 5 stars, but the melodramatic epilogue knocks it down to a four. I don't want to hear the unrealistic, sappy musings of Grady, Denver, etc. years (or decades!) into the future.

Still, this has been a lovely escapist series, and I've enjoyed all my little vacations to Charm Island. Thanks, Bree Baker!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pleading the Fish is the last installment in this series by Bree Baker.
I enjoyed the books, and I'm sad to see it end. The last few books didn't have the same tone as the previous ones.

I've read every book in the series and the fact that this is the last instalment is bittersweet. I loved Everly and Charm, NC when the series began. Her aunts were a riot and her friends were sweet. However, the last few books didn't have as many scenes with the aunts or townsfolk and Everly has become a bit of a pill. She's now headstrong and obstinate and not very considerate of her fiancé, yet expects everyone to understand why she is behaving badly. For instance, she is worried she is cursed and the man she loves is destined to die. However, when he is repeatedly put into danger by her sleuthing and he asks her to stop, she claims she can't help herself. Um, a curse is out of your control. Your behaviour is not. The mystery in this one was difficult to solve and I still love the aunts. I would definitely recommend starting with the first book in this series, because it's great, and then see how you feel about the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Everly Swan and Grady Hays are getting married. That is if he can help her find evidence that her family curse isn’t real.
A friend is murdered and Everly jumps in to investigate. I am sad this series is ending I love the characters of Charm.
#pleadingthefish#netgalley

It's so sad to see the end of the Seaside Cafe mysteries, but Bree Baker ended it in a satisfactory way. I'll miss the town of Charm and its residents!

A Perfect Finale…
The seventh, and what is the finale, of the Seaside Cafe Mystery series finds wedding plans gone awry for Everly with the discovery of a dead body. Poor Everly is now multi tasking in a big way. Will the happy couple ever get to walk down the aisle? With a likeable protagonist and a cast of colourful characters this is a fun, entertaining read and a perfect finale to the long running series.

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

She does it again! Julia is such a great author. I hated that this series has to come to an end but at least I know it ended well.

While I’m heartbroken that this marks the end of a wonderful series, I’m completely delighted with this fantastic ending.
Everly finds yet another body, this time with Grady by her side. Investigation, mystery, love, and laughter ensue. The Swan curse is also explored and solved. I loved the heartwarming epilogues. I’ll miss these characters enough to re-read the whole series fairly soon.
My favorite thing about this series is there introduced me to Bree Baker/Julie Anne Lindsey/Julie Chase/Jacqueline Frost. She is the most creative and fun author, and I’m up for reading absolutely anything she writes. I’ll bet even her grocery list is entertaining!
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

Everly Swan is finally getting married. Well, if Grady Hays can prove to her that the Swan family curse where husband die young isn’t real. As much as Everly loves Grady, she would never put him in that position, not with a young son who already lost his mother. To help with the research, Everly hires a local historical researcher to look into the Swan family curse as well. When the researcher is murdered, Everly needs to do two things: find out what the woman found out and find the woman’s killer. All while planning a wedding that may, or may not, take place.

As Everly and Grady conduct their own investigations, the killer makes their displeasure known as they appear to be getting closer to the truth. Will the Swan family curse strike yet again, or will Everly and Grady get their happily ever after? it’s touch and go and only time and fate will decide their ending.

I hate saying goodbye to one of my favorite cozy series. The characters and town of Charm have come to be old friends and I will miss them, though I am sure the author has new friends and locations to share in future works. However I loved the ending and feel like she wrapped everything up with satisfaction. Fate.

Another great cozy mystery in the series. The curse distracted me a bit, but the murder and snooping and HEA are fun. Would recommend this book and series.