Lauren Bernese is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

I always read and enjoy books by this author. This one was a bit different. Rather than involve her Aunt Peg in the story, the author has highlighted another aunt, Aunt Rose. Aunt Rose is an ex-nun who continues good work since her leave from the convent. In this story, she coerces Melanie to plan and run an Easter egg hunt for children of residents in a home for abused women, her latest endeavor. When the home benefactor is found dead, Melanie become involved in doing what she does best, investigating the death. The story moved along rather slowly, and there was not all that much mystery involved. In fact, there was not all that much to the story itself. It came across okay, it just was not as exciting as her other books. Many of the characters we have come to know and love also either were not part of the story or had a very minor part in the story. Aunt Rose is nothing like Aunt Peg, believe me. I am not sure I liked her very much, as she was overbearing and a big do-gooder. Melanie, as usual, never neglected her beloved dogs throughout—one reason I like the series. I would have preferred more involvement on the part of her family members, rather than the quick in and out in the story. Even the dogs had minor roles. In short, the book was okay, just not great or as good as so many of the others in the series. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

This was a quick read. I managed to finish it in one sitting. The book has an Easter theme with a light mystery. Melanie is roped into helping her aunt Rose, a former nun, with an Easter egg hunt at the women's shelter Rose and her husband have started. When the shelter's benefactor is murdered, Melanie finds herself working to clear her aunt's name. It was an enjoyable read.

You’d think volunteering to dye three dozen Easter eggs would be a simple task. It would be for most people. However, Melanie was volunteered for the job by her Aunt Peg, the woman no one argues with, ever. The second complication was that the favor was for Melanie’s seldom seen Aunt Rose who does not get along with Aunt Peg.

Rose spent three decades as a nun before falling in love with a priest. Both left the church, but the calling to help those in need remains. They’ve started a shelter for abused women in a house that belongs to Beatrice Gallagher, a wealthy woman. Beatrice calls Rose and says there’s something they need to talk about—and Rose is anxious to tell what’s been done so far. Unfortunately, it’s a police detective who shows up in Beatrice’s stead. It seems Beatrice fell on the stairs in her home and died. Was it an accident? He thinks not.

Rose, determined as Peg always is although she’d never admit it, wants Melanie’s help to find the real killer. Beatrice’s son has already dropped the dime on Rose by telling the police she had a motive—Beatrice had second thoughts about the shelter.

There are other suspects, of course. Both of Beatrice’s adult children, Charlie and Cherise are spoiled. Charlie is especially aggressive. Beatrice’s best friend is a competitive woman who didn’t like being second best. Morty, Beatrice’s boyfriend, says he broke up with her, but that’s not the story Melanie heard. Cherise’s fiancé tells a different story about their breakup as well.

Can Melanie find the truth before the Easter Bunny hops?

As regular readers know, Melanie has six black Standard Poodles, the adults all finished champions. Then there’s Bud. He’s a spotted dog found alongside the road. He’s as full of mischief as a court jester. Aunt Peg makes several appearances but isn’t as involved as usual because of Rose. Berenson always features a different dog breed in each book and this time it’s an Italian Greyhound.

This is book twenty-nine in the series, many reviewed here. It’s an enjoyable journey to travel along with Melanie from the start of her love affair with dogs, Poodles in particular, to now. It’s one of my favorite series.

Fans of Aunt Peg will be excited to know, she and Rose are getting their own book. At the back of this one, read the first two chapters of their tale. Rose wants to join a bridge club and against all odds, wants Peg to be her partner. You just know this will not end well for someone.

I enjoy Melanie Travis and her family. this is book 28 in her series. The pets and family all play a part in this cozy mystery. Aunt Ruth and her husband appear at Melanie's door and want her help at the local battered woman's shelter planning the Easter Egg Hunt. They have just returned to town and are now in charge of the new home. Aunt Peg's sister becomes a suspect when the home's benefactor is found dead. A good story and the beginning of a new series featuring Aunt Peg and Aunt Ruth as sleuths. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read most of the books in this cozy mystery series and was excited to read the next installment. I loved re-visiting the characters, including the cute dogs. Highly recommend this series.

It’s almost Easter and Melanie Travis is suddenly busy with a new project. Her Aunt Rose, a former nun, has asked her to help with an Easter festivities for the kids at Gallagher House, the shelter run by Rose and her husband.

Rose is not a fan of dogs, which doesn’t endear her to Melanie or to Aunt Peg, who is Rose’s sister-in-law. The two sisters-in-law have never gotten along, but all these differences have to be set aside when Beatrice Gallagher, the shelter’s benefactor (she donated the house for the facility), shows up dead. Beatrice’s children don’t favour their mother’s philanthropy and the shelter is suddenly at risk.

With Rose and her husband in the sights of the investigation, Melanie has to dig in and find out who killed Beatrice.

It’s always a pleasure to sit down with a Melanie Travis mystery and Show Me the Bunny is not an exception. Ms. Berenson has crafted another mystery with plenty of twists, turns and suspects to keep you guessing and flipping those pages.

And if you’re an Aunt Peg fan, be sure you check out the bonus feature at the end of this story!

This is the 28th installment of the Melanie Travis series. I discovered this series at book #24 and was enchanted by it. I have read numbers 24-28. Of those 5 books, this was my least favorite. I kept waiting for more to happen. It was lacking suspense. There wasn't a lot of investigation or even suspects or clues. The climax was just so-so.

That being said, I did enjoy reading it. It was a very light read. I enjoy the characters. The Melanie Travis series is still one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I look forward to the next book. And in the meantime, I am excited to read the first book in her spin-off series, Peg and Rose Solve a Murder.

Introducing Melanie's Aunt Rose, former nun, current do-gooder along with her husband open a women's shelter close to Melanie. The shelter barely gets open and the benefactor gets killed. Wonderfully written with new "life" and still has Aunt Peg and all the poodles (2 new poodles too). Great story, quick, easy read.

I've read every book in this series and always look forward to the newest one. Although I wished we'd had a chance to visit a dog show, I enjoyed the mystery. We're introduced to Melanie's Aunt Rose, a former nun. I admit that I missed Aunt Peg but this novella was an interesting entry into the series.
I'm ready for the next one in the series.

Show Me The Bunny is a quick and light cozy mystery read.
The cover is cute and appealing though I do think the dog looks like he's saying, "why must I wear this silly headband?"
March in Connecticut is warming up nicely with daffodils in full bloom.
With Easter right around the corner as the weather warms people's mind may be on relaxing but not the case with Melanie Travis as she's kept busy with the planning of the Easter egg at Gallagher House that she promised her Aunt Rose she'd do.
Gallagher House is a newly opened shelter for abused women That is run by Rose.
The future of the shelter is in jeopardy though when the main benefactor and owner of the house dies in a mysterious tragic tumble down the staircase.
Realistic characters. Even though this is my first read in the series I have no problem following along and will now go back and read more books in this series.
It does not become apparent who the killer was or the motive for it until the end.
Solid mystery!

Pub Date: 25 Jan 2022
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the 28th installment in the melon is a Melanie Travis mystery series peris 3 series. 28!! Hokey Pete's, I've been reading this cozy mystery series for a long time😲 In this Easter addition, Melanie is conned into giving up her Spring break to help her thorny Aunt Rose pull off an Easter egg hunt. When a body tumbles down the stairs, up everything else ends up in the air. Melanie tries to unravel the mystery and tie up the loose ends as she always does. What's missing in this book is the presence of Aunt Peg and their appearances at dog shows. Although Peg is there, she's much more in the background than usual. I missed reading more about her strong presence and the dog shows. Still a fun quick read but I hope the next book features more of Peg and dog shows.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Aunt Rose and her husband Peter have arrived back in town after completing their good works abroad. They have been asked to run Gallagher House, a new women’s shelter by its benefactor Bea Gallagher. With Easter right around the corner, Aunt Peg volunteers Melanie to organize an Easter egg hunt for the children at the shelter. Melanie can’t say no to Rose, the former nun, without feeling buried by guilt so she agrees to the task. While meeting with Rose to iron out the details they learn that Bea Gallagher is dead following a suspicious fall. Rose’s son has pointed to Rose as the most likely suspect. He has also informed Rose he is closing the shelter and they have just 30 days to get themselves and the women and children they are helping out of the house. Aunt Rose asks Melanie to help prove her innocence and try to pen up the real killer as quickly as possible.

What an egg-cellent story! This time the focus is not a dog show but an Easter event. The dogs are still present in the story, in fact, there is a new puppy named Plum in the Travis household. Their elderly poodle passed away a few months ago. Faith and Melanie’s closeness always warms my heart.

Sam, Melanie, and their boys were planning a low-key relaxing Spring Break but Aunt Peg has other ideas. As we have learned over the course of this series Aunt Peg is always busy with something and she thinks Melanie should be too. So volunteering Melanie to help Rose wasn’t a big surprise. It was nice to have Rose and Peter enter the core cast. They are an interesting couple being a former nun and former priest and still driven to help wherever and however they can. As with all the characters in this series, they are well crafted and true to life.

The mystery this time was different too because it really took Melanie to a place she wasn’t familiar with and people outside of her usual circles. I did enjoy the way she worked with Detective Sturgill and the way Sam continued to just go with the flow knowing he wanted to have more family time during the break. He also knows how to handle Peg. The man is a total saint. As for Melanie’s investigation, serious issues and dysfunction are revealed. I did solve the mystery before all was completely spelled out but that didn’t limit my enjoyment of the story at all.

Show Me The Bunny is an entertaining quick read. It is always fun to check in with Melanie, Sam, Kevin, Davey, Peg, and the pups. It is truly like visiting old friends.

This is not the last we are going to see of Rose either. Rose and her sister-in-law Peg are branching out in their own story, Peg and Rose Solve a Murder. I can only imagine what kind of trouble these two are going to get into. Look for their book to be released at the end of August. You can read a teaser chapter at the end of Show Me The Bunny.

Lauren Berenson involves Melanie Travis in another murder mystery in Show Me the Bunny. Melanie's aunt Rose has become responsible for a new woman's shelter and the donor is found dead at the foot of the stairs in the home. Whodunit? Men tracking their battered wives? The children of the dead woman? Throughout the dogs provide humorous relief. Enjoy this light hearted cozy.

Melanie Travis agrees to help her Aunt Rose organize an Easter egg hunt at Gallagher House, Gallagher house is A newly opened home for abused women, managed by Aunt Rose (an ex nun) and her husband Peter. Beatrice Gallagher who is the benefactor of the shelter dies from a fall down the stairs in her home. After her death Her children want the house back and gives them one month to vacate. Suspicion falls on her Aunt Rose as the fall may not of been an accident. Can Melanie find the real killer and save the shelter? This was an enjoyable read. Thanks Net galley for the advance copy

Show Me the Bunny is the 28th book in the Melanie Travis series by Laurien Berenson. This book revolves around Melanie Travis and her Aunt Rose as they prepare to make Easter a little bit better for the kids who are currently living at a shelter for domestic abuse victims that Rose and her husband Peter run. Even though the shelter has just barely opened up, its future is in jeopardy when the main benefactor and owner of the house it is in dies as the result of a suspicious fall down a staircase. Melanie is placed in a rush against time to figure out what really happened.

Although this is the first book in this series that I have read, I was able to easily follow the storyline and backstory of the main characters. The author does an excellent job of creating multidimensional characters and setting the scene. She also brought in enough backstory to let a new to series reader understand the history of the characters without being repetitive or boring. Because of this, I will probably go back and read the remainder of the series.

I also enjoyed the fact that, while a number of suspects and motives were identified throughout the story, the final revelation of the person, motive and circumstances involved with the death came as a complete surprise and was nowhere on anyone's radar until the very end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Melanie agrees to organize the Easter festivities at the local women's shelter even though she doesn't care for her Aunt Rose who asked her to take on the task. When Melanie arrives to the event she learns that the benefactor Beatrice Gallagher has fallen to her death. Melanie doesn't know why so.done would murder this elderly woman but she means to find out. As she begins looking into Beatrice's background she soon learns that the woman wasn't as sweet and warm as she thought her to be. Melanie knows that even though she wasn't the woman she though she was she will still look for her killer. She can't let Gallagher House fall to the way side and leave all those women lost and without help. Follow along and see if Melanie can find a killer and save the women's home.

Princess Fuzzypants here:: In spite of the fact that the main animals in this series are Poodles and not kitties, I still have a fondness for the books. It is nearing Easter and Melanie’s aunt Rose who has been off doing good works in the Third World has returned to town. She and her husband, a former nun and priest, have opened a shelter for abused women. It is thanks to the generous gift of a benefactor. Melanie and her other aunt, Peg, are about to meet the woman when they learned she has fallen to her death.

The death is sufficiently suspicious to bring in the police and when the son of the deceased announces his mother was going to pull her offer, Rose suddenly becomes a suspect. She asks Melanie to investigate. It is the second big ask she has made. The first one is to run the big Easter Egg hunt for the kids whose lives have been disrupted. Ergo, the bunny. It is a cute little lop ear who will be awarded to the child who collects the most eggs. Very nimbly the author gets in a plug for responsible gifting as it is decided the bunny will not go to someone who is not able to give it the lifelong care and love it deserves.

It turns out the victim was not the “saint” she seemed at first. There are some very serious things that get revealed, not the least of which was the highly contentious relationships in her family. It is never revealed whether the death was an accident or on purpose but it tells a sad story when the killer is revealed. Entertaining and a bit different in that there was less focus on dog shows than in some of the books. But I confess I missed Melanie’s “conversations” with Hope, her main poodle. Four purrs and two paws up.

One of the things i love about Laurien Berenson's books, besides the wonderful characters and mysteries, is the covers. This one drew me into a mystery that showed the best and worst of humanity. Melanie's Spring Break and Easter holiday is "hijacked" by her Aunt Rose, a former nun who is full of surprises. Rose wants Melanie to coordinate an Easter Egg hunt at the women's shelter where Rose and her husband work and live. Little does Melanie know, the murder of the shelter's benefactor will lead to danger and betrayal.

I enjoyed seeing Melanie flex her sleuthing muscles and show how she has grown in solving mysteries. The addition of her Aunt Rose, instead of Aunt Peg as a sleuthing partner, adds a new twist to the series. Peg is still there, just not as vocal. The mystery was fast-paced and was full of twists and turns. Of course, the poodles and Bud brightened the story and the Italian Greyhound, Lazio, was fun.
NOTE: An excerpt from the new book, Peg and Rose Solve A Murder, looks fabulous!

Grab a blanket, a favorite snack and settle in to enjoy another winner in the Melanie Travis Mysteries!I

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

Although this is the latest book in Laurien Berenson's series featuring Melanie Travis, and I have only read one other, volume 27, Pup Fiction, in the set, I still thoroughly enjoyed Show Me the Bunny. I had no difficulty finding my feet dropping in so late though no doubt I have missed some terrifically good reads. In this tale, it's March in Connecticut and frayed wife and mum Melanie is organising Easter festivities at Gallagher House, a new women's shelter. On her first day helping out, Beatrice Gallagher, the patron of the estate has a fall and dies.

A thrilling ride from start to finish I find protagonist Melanie to be a very likeable main character who is devoted to her family and friends. Her family is involved in showing champion Standard Poodles at dog competitions. Though there is no dog show in this tale, the mystery is well crafted and thought out and I loved the subtle clues and I had lots of fun solving this whodunit. It took me a while to work out the motive. All of the action kept the story rapidly moving toward the conclusion. Delightful and entertaining, Show Me the Bunny is a highly recommended, quick, light read for all cozy mystery fans.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.