What a fantabulous cozy series debut. The story starts with a bang. Well, not literally but the main character wakes up on her birthday to learn her boyfriend has run away with cash and bridal wear (lingerie included), leaving her with nothing but betrayal and hurt. She then learns (from her film-actress mother) that her Uncle Nevin has passed away in Ireland.

Rayne goes to Ireland to learn she's inherited a castle and has a cousin named Ciara - Nevin's illegitimate daughter. Rayne is torn between selling the castle - which means the whole village will suffer - and going back to LA and restarting her bridal wear business from scratch. She picks the former and decides to work on her bridal store from Ireland.

Ciara is quite sure her father's death was no accident. As Rayne starts to dig deeper into the case - after calling a truce with Ciara, the cousins learn there's a lot more to Nevin's death than it seems to be. The list of suspects isn't long but the guarda do not believe someone killed Nevin - at least not at first.

There's one suspect who bothers Rayne - mostly because of their closeness to her cousin. Even I was under the impression that Ciara might end up like Rayne, broken hearted and pauper. Thank god I was wrong!

Speaking of suspects, the identity of the killer was totally unexpected and shocking. This was a case of wolf in sheep's clothing.

Ciara's banter was the most entertaining part in the story. As much as I understood her anger, I felt bad for Rayne being at the receiving end of it. Rayne was already going through betrayal and hurt, you see.

This was a perfect mix of character introduction, series-plot setting and scene setting. Add a murder mystery on top - the kind that keeps you guessing till the end - and there's nothing else a cozy mystery lover could possibly ask for.

I loved Ellie Brannigan’s debut cozy mystery. It's set in rural Ireland where Rodeo Drive bridal designer Rayne McGrath inherits her Uncle Nevin's castle along with a cousin she's never met. . It's stipulated that she MUST stay at the castle for at least one year and the castle must show a profit by the end of that year.

Rayne decides to accept the challenge with the help of her cousin and the castle staff. Additionally, Rayne's cousin believes Nevin's death was a murder and Rayne agrees so they must identify the killer. The killer must be close since this is such a small community.

This was a great story. Getting to know all the new characters was fun. I felt like it was more about Rayne adapting to her new life than solving the murder. It was a good balance. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

A list of the Irish words Rayne is learning with their translations would be a nice addition. Kindle doesn't have the translations in their database. .

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

Another new crime series, Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan is a debut cosy mystery series. American woman, Rayne McGrath is a wedding dress designer who learns she has inherited her Uncle Nevin’s run-down castle in Ireland. She is obliged to turn its finances around within a year or the local village will be ruined. Initially planning to stay a week, Rayne comes to enjoy herself and then she discovers her uncle may have been murdered. Sadly, the narrative fails to capture the ambiance of an Irish setting and the tale is somewhat pedestrian, making for a disappointing two stars crime read rating. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

I loved this debut cozy with a Irish castle as the atmospheric setting. The charcters are fun to read and richly drawn to the culture and mystery. The castle is somewhere we all want to be. The mystery was crafted with red herrings and surprising to conclusion. A most enjoyable read that I look forward to continuing with the second in series.

Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher. My review opinion is my own .

What a wonderful new series! The cast of characters is extremely well-developed with back stories that add depth to their characters that is usually not found until you are several books into a series. I am loving the characters and being set in an Irish castle is a delightful setting that really kicks the plot into high gear! The characters need to figure out if there was a murder and if so who committed the crime while trying to figure out how to relate to each other and how to live together. The plot is truly wonderful with so many layers that you will be wonderfully entertained for hours to come! I absolutely can not wait to read the next book in the series as there is so much more for these characters to figure out!

I loved this one! The setting was fantastic – who doesn’t want to inherit a castle and why doesn’t this ever happen to me?!!! – but I think what I really enjoyed was getting to know Rayne McGrath and her cousin, Ciara, particularly their relationship and how it grows as the book goes on, as well as how Rayne changes as she spends more time with the residents of the castle. The writing flows so smoothly and I got so wrapped up in the story, I didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to see what happens next and how Rayne can continue to grow her business from across the pond.

This book features: Rayne McGrath who is a down-on-her-luck bridal dress designer used to California glitz thrown into the low-tech Irish world; Uncle Nevin, who passed under questionable circumstances, left his castle to be run by Rayne-but she has to live there; Cousin Ciara, an out-of-wedlock daughter of Uncle Nevine, is to co-own the castle and run the livestock and land; Hunky Amos who works on the castle grounds and immediately likes Rayne; plus the adorable dog Blarney.

The castle and people are great and I felt like I was there with them. The plot really got going when Ciara insists that Nevine was killed-it was no accident. I really felt Rayne's distress with all the dramatic events in her life and being in a foreign county. I was glued to the book and sped through reading it. The killer confrontation was short but effective. I really liked the wrap-up that left me wanting the next book. This was an enjoyable mystery filled with delightful characters.

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

Murder at an Irish Castle the first in the new Irish Castle Mystery series. When Rayne McGrath turns thirty and her world turns upside down, she finds herself in Ireland after her Uncle Nevin’s passing. Finding that Uncle Nevin has put conditions in his will that require Rayne to stay in Ireland for the next year, she has to find a way to adjust her while life and get on board with the cousin she never knew she had. Rayne finds herself on the search for a way to save the castle as well as on the hunt for a murder when the suspicious circumstances around her uncle’s death are proven to be anything by ordinary.

For me, this book started really slow and I didn’t really like the characters. I found Rayne to be too cliche Hollywood and clueless to reality while the Irish characters were too ready to jump to conclusions and write Rayne off as this rich American. The mystery pet of the book also took a bit too long to get started for my taste. By the end though, I started to come around to the characters and see how they were changing and developing as their new circumstances sunk in. Overall I did enjoy this book, but at the beginning there were parts where I thought about stopping and I would have missed out on the ending I enjoyed. So, I guess what I’m saying, is that you shouldn’t give up on the book if it sounds interesting to you. There are still parts that weren’t my favorite, but but the end I did end up enjoying the book and would read the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Ellie Brannigan for the E ARC of this cosy mystery.
Rayne is a bridal gown designer and with her business partner. She has just turned 30 and is looking forward to a business lunch meeting that could see their business get to some really important funding which in turn would launch the business even more. However, things do not end up that way, she instead ends up on a plane to Ireland, is flat broke and may have inherited a castle.
As Rayne navigates the conditions of the will, she has to deal with a cousin who is not that happy to have her there, staff who are fearful that they will lose their jobs and a village that Rayne and her cousin have to save – all in a year. Add to this, that her uncle may have been murder you have a great plot for a new cosy mystery series.
I really enjoyed this book; the plot was good and well-paced. Great characters with whom you connected. I really liked the interplay between Rayne and her cousin. I will definitely be reading the next book to find out what happens next.

This is book 1 in the new series from renknowned cozy writer Brannigan, and ithe series holds lots of promise! Rayne is literally a fish out of water when she finds herself in Ireland, as inheritrix to an estate she had no idea would be hers one day. But she wasnt the one who thought she would be inheriting it, and the rules of the will mean she not only has to try yo stay and run her buisness out of the castle, but to get along with her new foudn family and make the village a success, so she can keep the estate. But there's also the question of whether her uncle died from natural causes or not, and if her new found family might have hastened his death...so many hurdles as she tries to settle into her new life. Characters are charming (even her new dog) and you'll wish you were with her in Ireland! This is a fun 'reader getaway' as well as a well paced cozy, so don't miss this new series!

Give me a castle and a foreign land and you’ve hooked me. This was a nice cozy, be prepared to dislike the main characters at first. But keep with it, because they tend to grow on you. The only fault I can really find with the book was it ended kind of abruptly- I had turned the page expecting more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own. This review can be found on my Goodreads page.

Rayne McGrath had a really awful 30th birthday. She was expecting a ring from her fiancé and news that he had secured a loan to let them move her designer wedding gown business to Rodeo Drive in LA. Instead, she found that he had taken everything she owned including wedding dresses and their joint bank account and disappeared. Then she learns that her Uncle Nevin in Ireland has passed away and she's required to come there for the reading of the will.

Rayne borrows the money from her mother who is an actress who stars in a long-running sit com. When she arrives in Ireland, she's picked up at the airport by a cousin she didn't know she had. Ciara is Uncle Nevin's illegitimate daughter. And after visiting the lawyer, she learns that she has inherited the castle but with conditions.

Rayne has to stay in Ireland for a year and turn the castle into a money-making operation or the castle will be sold and everyone who lives there will be displaced. Ciara is supposed to manage the estate in order to get her share at the end of the year. Rayne is torn. Her business is in LA and needs her. But she doesn't want to be responsible for putting so many people out of work.

Adding to this stress is that Ciara is convinced that the accident the ended Uncle Nevin's life wasn't an accident at all but was instead murder. Unfortunately, the suspect pool includes all of the people at the castle none of whom Rayne wants to believe is guilty of murder.

The story was engaging. I liked watching LA girl Rayne adapt to the much more rural and laid back atmosphere in Ireland. I liked the way she managed to build a relationship with Ciara. I also liked that she used her business skills and career to find a way to save the castle.

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this story.

3.5 stars

An interesting mystery cozy debut featuring Rayne McGrath, who unexpectedly inherits an Irish castle from her uncle and is left to sort out the logistics.

Rayne had a rough 30th birthday: she was expecting a business meeting with happy financial implications and possibly an engagement ring from her partner and boyfriend. Instead, she finds out he is a skunk and a crook who stripped her custom Rodeo Drive wedding gown shop and her bank account.

Rayne is a stereotypical California girl in many ways. The early sections of the book have a lot of eye rolling scenes where Rayne expects to troop through the muddy and rugged Irish countryside in her Jimmy Choo stilettos and fashion togs and she bitches about the lack of internet service.

But Rayne is not that easy to write off. She has the Irish temper of her father but worked hard to learn to deal with problems in a level-headed and unemotional way. She has a business degree and is plenty smart, and every time the locals think she is an airhead, she proves that there is a lot more to her than her glitzy appearance. And the situation has a lot of challenges: her uncle chose to mostly ignore his daughter who has lived at the castle for years and leave the property to Rayne with a lot of stipulations. Rayne and her cousin have to overcome the huge cultural and personality gulf between them.

One thing they agree on is that the uncle's death was not due to natural causes. Which of the supposedly loyal residents of their home might have wished him dead? As you might expect, Rayne and her cousin learn to work together and grudgingly appreciate each other by book's end but it is an entertaining journey. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A very fun albeit very trope-y cozy debut! Rayne is reeling from the failure of her relationship when she learns she's inherited a castle in Ireland from her uncle Nevin. And then she learns she has to make it over with Ciara, who thought she was going to inherit. Ciare is angry really angry about Rayne's intrusion but these cousins soon learn it's to their advantage to work together, especially wen it comes to solving the question of who murdered Nevin. This has all the feels- two opposites with a common goal, a puppy or two, fun scenes in the village and a murder. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Made me smile.

Rayne McGrath designs wedding gowns, and on her 30th birthday, she’s expecting to finally get engaged to her boyfriend, but things start falling apart for her as her boyfriend cleans out her accounts and heads for the hills. Then she learns her uncle has passed away and left her with a castle in Ireland that has its own problems. On top of all of that, she learns her uncle died under mysterious circumstances.

The castle setting and all of the quirky villagers are a great backdrop for this new cozy mystery series. The situation with Rayne's boyfriend seemed to wrap up a bit too neatly and is treated like an afterthought when it feels like it should be a bigger deal.

I love when mysteries are set abroad — it’s always fun to explore the Irish culture set through stories. This was a great read.

I gave Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan 3 stars.

I read a lot of cozy mysteries, so compared to many others I have enjoyed, this was just so, so. It was okay for the moment, but nothing that will last in my mind.

I didn't really care for the main character and the ending finished a bit too fast. I like the premise, and an Irish castle is an amazing place for a cozy mystery.

This book comes out 07 feb.

Thank you Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is another of the American woman has something bad happen in her life when she suddenly inherits someplace that will require her to move and start fresh cozy mysteries that seem so popular lately. In this case Rodeo Drive bridal gown designer Rayne McGrath’s funds and merchandise are stolen by her business partner and she inherits her uncle’s Irish Castle but she must live there for one year.

The author’s writing style was easy to read and the characters were well developed and their personalities played well off of each other. The setting of a small Irish village was a plus.

After a night of celebrating, famous bridalwear designer Rayne McGrath wakes up on her thirtieth birthday hoping it will be the best of her life. She's counting on her business partner and boyfriend Landon to help her business go global -- and maybe with an engagement ring in the process. Instead, she discovers that isn't going to happen.

Now, she's broke and angry and wondering how she could have let this happen. Then she receives a message that her Uncle Nevin has passed away, and she's required at the reading of the will. In Ireland. With no other choice, she reluctantly arrives in the Emerald Isle, and is greeted by a sullen young woman named Ciara. What she also finds out is that she now owns the castle, and Ciara and she together must manage the place for one year and make it profitable -- or the castle goes up for sale and everyone on the grounds and in the town will be bankrupt.

Struggling with her choices -- although there isn't really one -- she agrees. But with Ciara resenting her, and others wanting her gone, Rayne has her own ideas, which aren't heartily welcomed. One other problem: Ciara believes that Nevin was murdered, and so does Rayne. But proving it is another matter, as no one wants to believe someone on the farm could have killed him. But if not them, then who?

This is the first book in a new series and I found it entirely enchanting. I love the premise of the book, and most of the characters. I will say that Amos wouldn't have attracted me because I dislike men with long hair (my own opinion), but I did like him as a character -- intelligent, open, witty. Ciara took a lot longer, as she bristled far too much; but in the end all the characters won me as a friend; they are loyal, friendly, sharp. I also loved Blarney the dog.

Rayne also struggles with the fact that she needs to keep her bridal gown business going or she will lose her customers, but how to do that in another country? Especially when there is no reliable internet? Her problems aren't the same as the Irish, and Ciara doesn't care as long as the farm keeps running. But there doesn't seem to be enough money, and their problem is where to find it.

Watching Rayne -- who is obviously intelligent, sharp-witted, business-minded, and lovely to boot, try to figure things out and solve her uncle's death, is worth reading the book. While it starts out a bit slow, and there are many descriptions of the grounds of the manor house, these are central to setting the theme and show us exactly what Rayne is up against. It's a tough decision I'm not sure I could have made.

But when Rayne discovers the truth, there is a climax that no one could have seen coming, and even something to give us a taste of the next book. The reason for the murder is one of the three true ones, and is done nicely. Now I just have to be patient enough to wait for the next one. Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

This is a sort of Marmite book: you love or hate it. It wasn't my cup of tea as I hated the MC.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine