I received this ARC via Netgalley and Beyond The Page Publishing, in return for an honest review. While the eighth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Norrie Ellington is unexpectedly back at the Two Witches Winery she co-owns with her sister because of an unexpected entomology field trip by her brother-in-law. Unfortunately for Norrie, her extended stays always seem to coincide with a murder at one or more of the local wineries. This time, the Halloween weekend winery celebrations set the stage for a dead body and all the wineries having their displays disrupted. Are the two things done by the same perpetrator or is there more than meets the eyes? A fun cozy series. Norrie makes decisions that would probably get most people arrested for interference, but the authors wind the tales together to a satisfying end. Lots of food and wine in every book!

I can't believe this is book eight. How have I missed reading all the books this series?! I'm not sure, but I'm glad I didn't miss this one. It was interesting and twisty and had me going "hmmmm" several times as I tried to figure out whodunit. The main character, Norrie, is fun and funny and her brain (and her voice) goes about 90 miles an hour. LOL The rest of her sleuthing team are just as fun and engaging.

As I said, I haven't read all of the other books in this series, which I plan to do something about, but I followed along with no problems at all. I highly recommend this intriguing mystery.

Many thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

The best cozy mystery I've read in quite some time this book kept me engaged from page one all the way until they end there was always something happening or Norrie was uncovering new clues I loved it!!!! The writing style and writing itself was excellent and lots of humor and wit! I loved the setting and that it was Halloween themed plus the mystery was fun to try and solve!!!! I will highly recommend this book!!!!

Much thanks to #netgalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for allowing me to read and review this ARC all thoughts and opinions are my own

I will also be posting a review of this book on the Facebook page I created and run
@DOMESTIC THRILLER READERS BOOK CLUB

So cute and cozy!! I thought the humor was really well done and it got me in the perfect mood for spooky season. The MC was a little unlikeable at first, but I settled in. Might be because this is the first book of this series I’ve read.

Mischief, Murder and Merlot

The Wine Trail Mysteries #8

By: J.C.Eaton

Published By: Beyond the Page Publishing

Publish Date 30 August 2022

Cooking, food, and wine/ Humor/ Mystery and Thriller

#MischiefMurderandMerlot#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to first thank both NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for letting me read and review this book.

Book Review:

This was a fun book to read, and I gave it 4 stars. This is the 8th book in the series and the first one that I read in this series. I was a little lost at the beginning of the book in understanding who was who, but it cleared up for as I read along. I would suggest reading the series in order, so you are more familiar with the characters.

In this book Norrie is babysitting the winery that she co-owns with her sister. Norrie lives in New York and is a screen writer while her sister runs the winery with her husband. The reason Norrie is watching the winery during the fall season is because her sister and husband are off looking into a new kind of grasshopper or cockroach.

During her stay it is Halloween season and a weekend full of events to celebrate. There is also a wine journalist coming to interview some of the local vineyards to do an article about their Merlot. This year the Merlot is excellent, and this popular magazine wants to run an article about it.

After the interview the journalist is found dead in one of the displays. How did he get there and what happened. Norrie is well known for involving herself in solving crimes and this one is no different.

I love how the vineyards are friendly towards one another and are on the lookout for each other. They have a great time together and help each out. When Norrie goes out to investigate, they don’t allow her to go by herself.

Plott-hound, New-York-state, winery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, writers, lawyers, law-enforcement, family, family-business, friendship*****

Norrie is a script writer for Canadian films and co-owner of her sister's grapes and wine business. While sister and her entomologist husband are out of country, Norrie is covering the business. Norrie heads into things without thinking and is joined in the lunacy by friends and the other local wineries despite the head shaking attitude of the local law. Tons of situational and verbal humor! Fun characters and interesting observations. A great and fun whodunnit!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
This is not an unbiased review because my sister has a Plott Hound and I've never seen another in any other stories.

Disclaimer: not really into wine. But for all that I found it an interesting book and liked the characters. Although the MC did take a bit for me to start liking her. I liked the mystery and it kept me guessing. I'm willing to try another in the series. .
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the eight in the Wine Trail Mystery series. It is set in upstate New York in the Finger Lakes region. Norrie Ellington has been called back to their winery as her sister and brother-in-law are off on another trip to find a rare grasshopper.

It’s just before Halloween and the wine trail has a festival planned that weekend. The promotion decorations at each site play a large portion in our mystery. Brin Donovan is found dead in the Two Witches caldron after his interview with the three local wineries with the velvety merlot.

So, is this a prank that has gone wrong or a pre-planned murder or a crime of opportunity? Norrie’s on the case. There is plenty going on in this story. I feel for Detective Gary. He definitely has his hands full with Norrie trying to direct what he should do.

Norrie is a strong character and has a great supporting cast in trying to solve what happened and how the body wound up at her winery display.

The characters are great, the antic funny, and I was just turning those pages as fast as I could.
Hats off to J. C. Eaton on another superb book.

I was given an advanced readers’ copy and am not required to leave a positive review. I chose to do so.

Norrie is back at Two Witches Winery for a short stay while her sister and brother in law are away. During Hallow Wine weekend a dead body is found in a cauldron display. Norrie and her friends decide to investigate. Cute cozy.

Norrie is back at Two Witches Winery to cover for her sister and brother-in-law who are off researching bugs again. I just wish she'd move there for good! All the interesting things and people are in this delightful Finger Lakes, NY locale. In the writing team J.C. Eaton's latest 'Mischief, Murder and Merlot' a Wine Reviewer is found murdered in front of Two Witches. There is the usual charming cast of characters, especially more Norrie's boyfriend Bradley. There are lots of twists and turns that actually had me surprised at the ending. I love the humor and wit in this series and highly recommend it to all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An entertaining and compelling cozy mystery that I found enjoyable. Well plotted, solid mystery, fleshed out characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

J.C. Eaton’s latest installment in The Wine Trail Mysteries has our heroin Norrie Ellington stumbling herself into another murder mystery while babysitting the family vineyard.

Rumor has it that a Wine Enthusiast Magazine writer is set to visit Two Witches Winery to debut a piece about this years stunning Merlot. Norrie is attempting to make her venture quick this Halloween season, but is thwarted by said author being found slouched over in their yearly Halloween display, dead.

Norrie and her mismatched group of winery friends end up playing amateur sleuth to get to the bottom of this grisly mystery. Is everyone who they seem?

I found this book to be entertaining at a surface level. It was quick to read, easy to get through, but left some to be desired. The character arcs are not well thought out, and the buildup to the end was quite long. It seemed like the end came like a punch, and then it was just..over.

Also of note, lots of random discussion of food. Not sure if Ms Eaton was overly hungry while penning this?

Overall, a decent read. Distracted me from some heavier reads I’m currently on and was easily finished. Would recommend if you’re looking for something light and airy to read…and if you’re not starving.

I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley

Back at Two Witches Winery for a short stay, Norrie Ellington is warming to the holiday spirit and the upcoming Hallow Wine Weekend, and she’s happy to steer clear of the writer from Wine Enthusiast magazine who’s come to do interviews about this year’s spectacular Merlot. But then the critic’s dead body is found slumped over a Halloween cauldron display, and despite a stern warning from the local deputy to keep her nose out of it, Norrie instantly switches into sleuth mode.
Overall this was an amazing mystery.
#MischiefMurderandMerlot #NetGalley

I was glad to see Norrie back in Penn Yan for another mystery. Her sister and brother-in-law are gone insect hunting again. Of course, they may as well stay away for good so there will continue to be mysteries for Norrie to solve. This time a wine writer is found dead in the Halloween display at the winery. Norrie and her WOW pals set out to figure out who did it. Norrie is such high energy throughout the book. The ending did come out of nowhere a bit and seemed somewhat slapped together. I enjoyed the ride to get to the end, but the payoff was left wanting.

Norrie Ellington is a screenwriter in Manhattan, while her sister mans the family's Two Witches Winery. But when Francine and her husband Jason are off again on another quest for an elusive insent, Norrie makes the journey to take over the winery until they return -- which, she hopes, will be soon. No sooner does she arrive than she discovers that a writer from Wine Enthusiast magazine is visiting the local vintners to check out their Merlots. Norrie is more than happy to leave him to Franz, her own winemaker.

She has more on her plate than writing a new screenplay, she has to make sure the Halloween decorations and events are running smoothly, along with her meetings with the other local vintners. But one morning she gets a call from one of her workers who tells her that there's more than two witches near their cauldron decoration...someone has added a body and they're very much dead. After discovering the man's identity, she's told to keep it under her hat -- easier said than done. Now Norrie, along with her friends, is determined to find out who killed him.

But with people swarming the winery and others from the magazine, she's on the trail of a killer. But then there's another problem or two that arises, the least of these being that Norrie herself might have to sell her own soul to solve the murder...

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have enjoyed them all immensely. J.C. Eaton is indeed a talented author (and yes, I know it's a brother and sister team but I will refer to them as one) who can weave a story well, pulling the reader into the tale and making us see the winery and all the action surrounding it.

It is autumn, and you can almost smell the scents in the air as they bundle up for the season; trying to find a killer but stay out of the watchful eye of Deputy 'Grizzly' Gary, as Norrie has labeled him. This time out she manages to stay under the wire, but just barely. It was almost as if I wanted to ignore the fact of what she was doing at times.

The mystery is so well-wrought that even I had no idea of the murderer right up until the point that Norrie began to put it together. It is a taut tale of greed and murder, intrigue and secrets, and it is told well and leaves us wanting more. I eagerly await the next in the series. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

I do love a good cozy mystery and this just happens to be one. Even though I’m not much of a wine drinker I do enjoy the antics going on at the different vineyards especially over the Halloween weekend. The characters are likable , relatable and I look forward to reading more in the series.

Ms. Eaton’s Two Witches Winery series is fantastic.
Silent partner Norrie is back at the winery to cover for her sister at Halloween and is knee deep in prep for the upcoming festival.
A little surprise her sister neglected to mention was an interview the members of the wine association was supposed to give to Wine Enthusiast for an article on their Merlots. The vintners have it covered until the interviewer is found dead in a Halloween prop.
While the police investigate, Norrie does too, with the help of friends and the other wineries in their association. The tale has colorful characters, some nasty people and some great friends. We are given motives and possibilities, but are things what they seem?
I recommend this book highly, it was fun and entertaining with bits of humor and romance.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same.

Norrie Ellington is back at Two Witches for Halloween. She’s hoping this will be a quick visit, as her sister said it would just be a month or so. While Norrie was hoping for a quiet, quick visit this time, a murderer has other plans when she finds a body in the winery’s Halloween display.

Not just any body either, it turns out it’s the author from the wine magazine that was there to write about the great Merlot the local wineries have been producing. With a shot to save the article a close secondary thought, Norrie and the gang want to figure out why the writer was killed and why their wineries received threats. Can they figure out what happened and save the story, or will it all come crashing down around them like a rack of merlot?

I absolutely LOVE this series! I don’t ever want Norrie’s sister and husband to stop finding new insects to research…unless of course Norrie finally gives in and moves to Penn Yan for good. Either way, I want and need more time in Penn Yan at Two Witches and the other wineries!

I found this book to be a fun treat for the Halloween lovers out there, myself included.
A bizarre murder takes place and before long everyone is searching for clues and trying to make sense of the weird events.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
#MischiefMurderandMerlot #NetGalley

Mischief, Murder, and Merlot was a fun whodunit! Screenwriter Norrie Ellington is back at two witches winery for a few months. It's a busy time as they are preparing for events at their Hallow wine weekend at the same time a popular writer is scheduled to interview some of the wine owners about the successful new merlot. During all the preparations, the writers body is found slumped over their Halloween cauldron display with a dagger in his back. It seems the writer was an obnoxious snob who was a married womanizer with more than a few enemies. To the dismay of the cranky local Deputy, Norrie can't resist doing some sleuthing on her own to find the killer. This was a fun cozy with lots of red herrings and wonderful characters. I couldnt put this down til I learned whodunnit. Thank you to the publisher and to net galley for the advance copy.