I tried to finish this, I really did, but I just couldn't, although given the other reviews on this book, this is probably a "me problem" rather than an everyone problem.

The opening of this book reads like a bad Hallmark movie. "Oh look, the heroine is so smart she can run her own business but so stupid that she lost it all and needs to go to the country to get her mojo back! Let's laugh at her stupidity because she didn't bother to Google the weather in Ireland before she packed and now she's shown up in snow white shoes to a farm!" and it doesn't get better from there. I even made a bet with myself that it would end in true Hallmark fashion, and then gave up and skipped to the end, and I was spot on in all the details. Obviously, this didn't bother most of the other reviewers as much as me, but I just couldn't take it anymore and stopped reading. It's a shame, because I was really looking forward to reading this.

I really liked the character’s development in the story. I also enjoyed following both of the mysteries. It was a quick enjoyable read. Although it seemed to come together quickly and abruptly.

Murder at an Irish Castle is a strong novel in this new mystery series. I was hooked from chapter one. What I really liked is the double serving of mysteries (one in the US and one in Europe). At first, the main character is grappling with the treason from her boyfriend/business partner, and its financial impact on her bridal dress boutique in Los Angeles. Then some unexpected inheritance leads her to Ireland where she's faced with a life-changing dilemma: staying in Ireland for one full year to turn a profit with the family castle in the hope of getting some vital funds to save her own shop in the US, or lose it all... To top it off, there's the suspicious death of her relative and it's all but easy for Rayne to get her footing in this new environnement and culture.

The rural mood combined with the Irishness creates a lovely background decor. It offers a great moment of escapism. In the last quarter of the novel, my interest was fading off a bit, and I did find the cousin's personality/behaviour a bit too irritating at times, but overall, it's a good cozy mystery that promises a riveting series. Looking forward to book two!

What's not to love about a mystery in an Irish castle. Apparently a lot. I ended up hating this one.

There's something magical about castles. Toss in a gorgeous Irish Setter on the cover and I was hooked. Never mind that wedding gown designer Rayne McGrath's father had described his boyhood home as a fortified manor with a turret.

Rayne had always enjoyed her childhood visits there to her Uncle Nevin but never expected to inherit McGrath Castle. It's an inheritance with a catch, however. She has to agree to not just live there for a year but make a profit. You'll find out why that stipulation was almost a no-go for Rayne when you read the book. Let's just say, her birthday plans did not go as she'd hoped.

While the plot centers around "Who killed Nevin McGrath?" the book focuses as much on family and human relationships as Rayne and new-found cousin Ciara's search for answers to the death of Nevin. Ciara has her own issues to settle, both family and romantic, and is on the surface about as unlike Rayne as possible.

Let's just say that Rayne's Hollywood/Rodeo Drive background, including an actress mother, and designer shoes and clothes hardly prepared her for the occasionally hard-knock life of a small Irish village that relied on McGrath Castle for it's livelihood. Heck, she despairs of ever getting a steady internet connection. Then again, Amos, who is basically described as a blonde Viking type, provides a nice distraction, as does Blarney the Irish Setter, who plays a role in the story. Good boy, Blarney.

So, who would want to kill the man so many depended on? Why was he seeing a doctor? How many of us have a full suit of armor in your hallway? Would you climb up in a castle turret to get an internet signal? Will Rayne be able to make her wedding gown design business work there? Will Ciara and she ever work out a relationship? What other ideas will she/they come up with to help pay the bills? Why is the investigation taking so long? Too bad dogs can't talk.

Who....oh, nope. No more hints. You're just going to have to read the book. And you really should read it. It managed to keep me diverted and entertained while I was dealing with heating issues, a biggie in my home of Alaska, so it is a strong intro to this new series. Thanks #NetGalley and CrookedLaneBooks for providing my virtual trip to Ireland. I will definitely be back. This one is a winner.

First in a new cozy mystery series, Murder at an Irish Castle delivered a fun quick read. The mystery kept me guessing, but the ending seemed to come on much to quick. It has a great cast of background characters that I would like to read more of. I loved the settling and how the castle and village go hand in hand. My only true complaint is that I strongly disliked the main characters, Rayne and Ciara are both truly obnoxious until the last quarter of the book. Overall, I would recommend this to any cozy mystery fan though!

This is such a fun story about an LA native designer who loses everything, but gains everything that matters. Rayne inherits an Irish castle after her uncle dies mysteriously, but it comes with stipulations and a newly found cousin. If they can stop butting heads, maybe they can catch the killer. The characters are unique and the story has you guessing until the very end. Definitely worth the read.

Treachery and deceit caused a bucketful of heartache for these two ladies with their volatile temperaments.
This cozy was captivating and exciting, especially with Ciara and Rayne. They were very combative, which was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. It had a great flow with an entertaining storyline. It engaged your attention in every chapter, making it a great read.

new-series, cozy-mystery, culture-shock, conflict, resentment, antagonists, family, family-dynamics, family-drama, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor, law-enforcement, Ireland*****

Turning thirty could be traumatizing for an ultra-Californian but finding her almost fiancé/business partner had absconded with everything from home, business on Rodeo Drive, bank accounts, and more was far worse. At the same time as she was dealing with the police, her mother tells her that she must IMMEDIATELY go to her father's ancestral home in IRELAND where his brother resides. Turns out that said uncle is recently deceased and that Rayne has inherited a very grumpy cousin near her own age and also an imperative that she stay for one year on the "castle" she has just inherited from her uncle. And then things get REALLY messy (think murder). Happy sleuthing!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder at an Irish Castle has a lot to recommend it. This book is the first in a new cozy mystery series. It is also the first book that I have read by Ellie Brannigan, who writes under several names. This cozy mystery is very readable, but I found the opening a bit difficult to get into, but once Rayne flies to Ireland for her uncle's funeral, the book evens out and becomes a better read. There is a rich assortments of characters, and Murder at an Irish Castle is plotted well enough that guessing the murderer takes a bit of work.

Some of the characters work better than others. Ciare Smith is Uncle Nevin’s daughter, the product of an affair while Nevin was temporarily separated from his wife. Ciare expected to inherit the castle and was perpetually irritated, angry, and nasty about having to make space for the American cousin, whose existence seemed to be a total surprise. But since Ciare had been living at his father Nevin's castle for nearly 10 years, why would this be such a surprise? Rayne's father was Nevin's younger brother. How big a surprise could it be that Nevin's niece would be asked to attend the reading of the will? Plus, Ciare hates Rayne from the moment she meets her at the airport, which is before the reading of the will. is this young woman perpetually angry at everyone? Ciare's nastiness gets tiring quickly. No one can be that irritating and irritable full-time. She has a fiancé, and so she must be nice at least occasionally! Most of the other characters are interesting and engaging. So while I was not 100% sold, Murder at an Irish Castle was a fun read most of the time.

Thank you to the author and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to so many new and interesting authors.

Rayne McGrath thought everything she'd ever wanted was within her reach until she woke up the morning of her 30th birthday and found that her life had collapsed around her like a house of cards.

Her cheating boyfriend had cleaned out their bank account and business, and then disappeared without a trace. And she had been convinced that today was the day he would propose to her!

Then, to chalk it all up, she finds out that her uncle has left her his castle in Ireland, but with the stipulation that she must stay there for one year to inherit and help the failing castle and its town become profitable once more.

Wrapped up in her own problems, it's a lot to ask to take on someone else's, but she decides to go see what can be done. After all, it'd be a good way to take her mind off what her now ex-boyfriend had done.

This is one of those murder stories where the murder isn't immediately known to be a murder. It's almost the perfect crime, but not exactly. And if certain people hadn't started snooping, the murder would never have been recognized, much less solved!

So, I really enjoyed how this story played out. Well done!

Thank you to Ellie Brannigan, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Murder at an Irish Castle is the first in a new cozy series. Set in Ireland, I got to travel to the beautiful country without leaving my home.
Rayne McGrath is the owner of a successful bridal boutique in L.A.
On her 30th birthday her life gets turned upside down. On top of everything going wrong with her plans for the bridal boutique, she learns her Uncle has passed away.
A trip to Ireland to hear the Will read finds Rayne the owner of a Castle and responsible for the entire village as well.
Then she finds out her Uncle did not die of natural causes. He was murdered!
Will Rayne start to sleuth for answers or will she leave that to the local Garda?
I love the setting of the Castle. The descriptions of the Castle and towns had me feeling as if I was there with Rayne.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Murder at an Irish Castle is a fun mystery read with a lovable heroine, side characters, and Irish farm backdrop.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital review copy. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Rayne McGrath owns one of the hottest bridal shops in Beverly Hills and with her 30th birthday she’s expecting to finally say yes to her own wedding dress! However, things don’t go as she had hoped and boyfriend, who is also her business partner, cleans out their accounts and leaves her flat.

On the flip side, her Irish Uncle has passed away and leaves Rayne a castle with a whole staff that she has to turn around or the entire village will suffer. No pressure. With a cousin who is NOT happy and a lot of pressure on her, Rayne finds that not only does she have a lot to manage, but her Uncle didn’t die of natural causes and she’s got to add sleuthing to her list of to dos. If the disappearance of her boyfriend didn’t break her, her sleuthing may just be the death of her!

A great start to a new cozy series set in Ireland. The setting and the description of hit was absolutely fabulous and the characters are well developed with a few quirky ones in there for good mix. With enough red herrings sprinkled in, you’ll be surprised by the ending. Can’t wait for more in this series!

Murder at an Irish Castle is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Ellie Brannigan.

This is a fantastic mystery set in an Irish town. The descriptions of the town were atmospheric and left me feeling like I was right there.

The protagonist , Rayne has her life turned upside down when living in L.A. (where the book opens) and her partner/boyfriend steals all her money and runs off.

Rayne soon learns that she has inherited a castle in a small village in Ireland. So, she takes off to attend the reading of the will. She discovers the castle is not in ideal condition. Her uncle had stipulated that she needed to make the castle financially viable within one year. Not only to save the castle, but also the people in this Irish town.

The longer she is there, she discovers that her uncles death may not of been an accident.

I really loved this mystery. The characters are well crafted and interesting.

The location is described wish such wonderful detail.

They mystery is fantastic and kept me guessing until the end.

A fantastic debut!

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Rayne is a wedding dress designer in L.A. On her 30th birthday, her boyfriend and business partner leaves without a trace, emptying their bank account in the process. While Rayne tries to make sense of the situation with the help of her mother (a Hollywood actress), she gets a call - her Irish uncle has died, leaving her with a castle, a whole staff, and a very grumpy cousin who isn’t too happy her name isn’t in the will.

This was a decent read, I enjoyed the Irish flavour and the secondary characters a lot (Maeve, the cook, is a treasure). Rayne’s cousin, however, is insufferable (she has her reasons but their constant arguing put me off the book). Her uncle’s death is the murder they’re investigating and I enjoyed that part of the story the most.

My endless thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fun cozy mystery. Our main character, Rayne has her life together until she suddenly doesn't. We watch as she navigates her situation, which puts her completely out of her element and in a daunting situation. Seeing the support from her mother as well as the lovely people who live at the castle was my favorite. The story was light on the mystery but I did not guess who did it, which is always a plus! The other words for cuss words really tickled me and never got old. If Ellie Brannigan writes another in the series I would definitely pick it up.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite genres and this cozy mystery was a good one!

don’t know if this is a compliment or not, but I certainly intended it as one. I found myself so caught up in the relationships and characters in Ellie Brannigan’s Murder at an Irish Castle, that I forgot there had been a suspicious death, and there was reason for suspicion. Instead, I found myself involved with Rayne McGrath’s unusual problems.

As the owner of a successful wedding boutique on Rodeo Drive, Rayne expected her thirtieth birthday to begin with a lunch with investors, and end with an engagement ring and proposal from her business partner and boyfriend, Landon Short. Instead, she finds herself locked out of her shop, and Landon’s gone, taking all of the money in their business account. Her birthday celebration collapses, and she only has a message to call her uncle’s attorney in Ireland. Rayne’s Uncle Nevin has died. Although she needs to deal with Landon’s crimes, she finds herself on a plane to Ireland when the lawyer insists she must come talk to him in person.

An angry woman meets Rayne at the airport in Dublin, and they end up together at the lawyer’s office. It’s only then that Rayne is introduced to Ciare Smith. She’s Uncle Nevin’s daughter, although she only met him for the first time nine years earlier when Ciare’s mother died. But, Ciare has been living and working with her father for the last six years. It comes as a shock to both women when the lawyer announces that Rayne inherits the family castle, McGrath Castle as well as the responsibility for an entire village of four hundred people, Grathton Village. Ciare is to manage the property for a year, and Rayne has to live there for that year, or both women lose the estate and any rights to it. If they turn a profit for the estate by the end of the year, they will both inherit money, and have the opportunity to walk away.

While both women are shocked, Ciare is still mourning the recent loss of her father in a tragic accident she claims is a suspicious death. She suspects her father was murdered. Rayne is sympathetic, but insists she has a business and an entire life in California. She can’t give up a year of her life and her business to learn to run a castle.

As I said, for a while I actually forgot that Nevin had died under unusual circumstances. I’ll admit I was intrigued by Rayne’s problems and business, and felt little sympathy for Ciare, an angry woman who continually tried to best Rayne in every conversation. The cast who works at the castle, and keeps it operating, proved to be fascinating. However, Rayne proves to be an excellent amateur sleuth. Perhaps I forgot about the death because Rayne was so capable. Unlike so many amateur sleuths, she did not turn all of her time over to the murder investigation while neglecting her life and business.

I’m sure Ellie Brannigan’s Irish Castle Mystery is intended to be the first in a series. I’ll want to read the next one. I was pleased with this as the debut of a new series with a competent amateur sleuth, an intriguing cast, and a beautiful setting. There’s lots of potential with Murder at an Irish Castle.

Murder at an Irish Castle is book one in the Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan. Rayne McGrath was happy that her wedding busy is grown from strength to strength, hoping to marry her boyfriend and business partner. However, Rayne's dreams on her birthday shattered when she realised her business partner had stolen everything from her. Rayne McGrath did not know what she would do until her mother told her that her beloved Uncle was dead and she needed to go to Ireland. The readers of Murder at an Irish Castle will continue to follow Rayne to find out what happens.

Murder at an Irish Castle is Ellie Brannigan's debut in the beautiful cozy mystery world. Wow, if Ellie Brannigan continues writing in the same way, she will go a long way in the cozy mystery world. I had to laugh at times with the actions of her characters. I love Ellie Brannigan's portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other throughout this book. Murder at an Irish Castle is well written and researched by Ellie Brannigan. I like Ellie Branningan's description of the settings of Murder at an Irish Castle, which allows me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of Murder at an Irish Castle will learn about running a small estate in Ireland. Also, the readers of Murder at an Irish Castle will understand the consequences of embezzlement for everyone involved. I recommend this book.