This is the sixth installment in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series of cozy mysteries, and my introduction to the author’s work; I have to say upfront that the novel didn’t work for me, for a number of reasons.

Let me start with the things I liked.

I related a lot to Nora’s reaction when being confronted by Kelly; not just because she’s the woman Nora’s husband left her for, but because of what happened after Nora confronted him at his lover’s home. That night, Nora caused an accident that left her badly scarred, and with a feeling of guilt she still struggles with: she almost caused the deaths of two people, one of them a child.

I related so completely to Nora’s turtling in to escape the shock of her memories–not answering the phone, not seeking out anyone who would want her to talk about her feelings, or, god forfend, to regurgitate the whole sordid story of that night, instead just wanting to hide by herself, inside herself.

For the most part, I liked the epigraphs at the top of each chapter, because they aren’t all from self-important books, but rather from more accessible literature. I liked that when listing genre romance titles, we didn’t only hear about Nora Roberts, and that some of the authors listed aren’t white.

Other than that…Well.

For starters, this book needed a ruthless editor, to take out a good forty pages of inconsequential, extraneous detail.

It’s a mystery–we need details that actually have something to do with the mystery, or that build the setting, not just there to bloat the word count.

We really don’t need a description of someone making buttered toast with honey; we don’t need the title and author of every book that’s shelved or moved around or sold at Nora’s bookstore; we don’t need descriptions of every book display, or of every story hour activity; we don’t need descriptions of people doing dishes; we don’t need descriptions of every item Nora looks at while in the flea market; we don’t need a step-by-step of the process of Nora changing into pajamas while in a cast for a broken arm.

None of these lovingly detailed snippets further the plot. None of them actually contribute to characterization or build the world of the story.

All they do is add words.

Speaking of the setting; this is supposed to be a small town in South Carolina.

The author makes an effort to add non-white characters–Nora’s lone employee is of Cuban descent, which we know mostly because he drops the odd word in Spanish, and one of her three best friends is Black, which we know because we are told once that she is.

And that’s it. Everyone else is white. In North Carolina. (see footnote 1)

And there are a lot of other people in the story–over 26 named characters, a good 20 of whom actually have something to do with the plot. Unfortunately, other than their names, they all mostly sound the same, so I had to spend extra time trying to figure out who was doing or saying what when.

The one thing that was made clear though, is that none of the cops are racist–which strained my willingness to suspend disbelief, because this is small town North Carolina in 2023.

And speaking of cops, Nora and the sheriff are a couple, in a serious relationship; at one point, he tells her, “I love you, I trust you, I’m in your corner.” However, when Kelly’s body is found and Nora is the only suspect, he shows up at her house with a deputy, takes her to an official interview–without even telling her why–and never tells her she can (or should) call a lawyer.

In fact, at no point in the book does he tell her to get a lawyer.

But we are supposed to believe that he’s a good man and he loves her. (see footnote 2)

Instead, any time Nora pined for him, or he showed up, all I could think was that he would have let her incriminate herself on the record in a murder case. With love like that…

Though, to be honest, I was as annoyed at Nora–who already had a brush with the law because of that accident–not telling the cops that she would not say one word without a lawyer present; and even more annoyed when, a lot later, someone else mentions a lawyer who could help her, and she puts off calling him for a full day. (see footnote 3)

The one thing the lawyer (whose name I’ve already forgotten; there were too many one-dimensional characters to keep track of, sorry), tells Nora to do, is to avoid any and all contact with the dead woman’s family.

So of course she goes to see them when given the smallest excuse, and she does so without telling anyone–not the sheriff, not her friends, not the lawyer.

To no one’s surprise, this immediately results in further implicating her in yet another crime.

If you are getting the impression that Nora’s characterization bothered me, you’d be correct; she is supposed to be pretty smart, but her actions are not reasonable under the circumstances, and her motivation (that she was so worried/cared so much about the child) was not convincing.

Which brings me to Tucker, Kelly’s child.

The author goes out of her way to write an interaction between mother and son that spells out, “autistic child”; later in the novel, his uncle–who Kelly had already designated as his guardian, since she was dying of cancer–tells Nora that he had been “diagnosed with Asperger’s”.

And here’s the thing: Asperger’s has not been a valid diagnosis for a decade; certainly a child of Tucker’s age would not have been diagnosed with Asperger’s, but as being autistic.

This alone made me distrust the representation of autism in the book, but my skepticism was compounded by the facile aftermath of Tucker’s meltdowns.

To all this, add a slimy cryptobro, an Instagram influencer babe, a gang-tatted ex-con and his white trash girlfriend, and a female deputy with an ax to grind, and what you have is an overly complicated plot with little charm and far too many poorly developed characters.

Paper Cuts gets a 5 out 10.

This novel will be released on April 25, 2023.

* * * *

1 At least 20% of the people in North Carolina are Black

2 The idea that a small town cop in the U.S. would move to arrest the woman he’s in a relationship with, in a matter of hours, rather than stalling, or disappearing the evidence, or getting her a lawyer, is the same kind of fantasy the Law & Order shows sell: not only timely but unbiased justice. Which is, of course, fantasy.

3 We are never told what kind of lawyer he is–criminal law? intellectual property? tax? labor? Nope, just, “he’s a lawyer and he’s very busy, so he’s probably very good”, which…Really?

Nora is shocked when she realizes that the woman who came into her shop was Kelly Walsh, the woman her husband left her for. She came in with a cute little boy who like origami. She soon learns Kelly didn't come to rub her nose in her great life but to apologize, hoping to receive forgiveness from Nora. Kelly is very ill and is trying to right any wrongs before she dies. Nora is worried that her past will rear its ugly head and mess up the new life she has made for herself. Seeing her ex-husband is the last thing she wants to do. When Kelly is found murdered Nora is one of the first people to police look at thinking she might still hold a grudge. Why would anyone kill Kelly, she is new to town so she shouldn't have any enemies. Follow along as Nora delves into Kelly's life in hopes of figuring out who murdered her and why. This is such an excellent series and it's more than a cozy mystery. The author brings the characters to life in such a way that it is hard not to relate to them on a personal level. I always look forward to each new book.

Love it! It’s a winner! My favorite of the series. Nora and friends are once again wrapped up in another mystery but Nora is the police #1 suspect. All her friends are back and trying to figure out who the real murderer is. Nora boyfriend Grant can’t help much being that he is that Police chief. But then there is a break in at a house that Nora had been at to give her opinion on books and of course her fingerprints are found on the missing items. Didn’t matter that she never saw the piece. And then another body is found.
Definitely a page turner! Been awhile that I couldn’t put down the book and read it in a day. Helps if you read the previous books in the series, but can be a standalone. Looking forward to reading the next book. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #PaperCuts

Nora Pennington made a new life for herself after divorcing Lawrence, a husband who cheated on her. Now she is the owner of a bookstore and has a circle of friends who have become her family. She is also dating the town’s sheriff. When she and her friends visit a new tea and flower shop she is met with unexpected animosity from the owners. She later learns that Kelly, the owner’s sister, was the woman that Lawrence left her for. When Kelly tries to talk to her, Nora pushes her away in front of witnessses. The next day Kelly’s body is found and Nora becomes the prime suspect in her death.

Kelly was also divorced and was raising her son Tucker as a single parent. Lawrence went on to a string of women and amassed a fortune dealing in cryptocurrencies. His mother, who had a close relationship with Tucker, shared a secret regarding a treasure with her grandson. After her death he was allowed to share the secret with one other person. It is a secret that has now put the young boy in danger. Nora has grown fond of Tucker and is determined to find Kelly’s killer and keep him safe. Even though Lawrence was not in the area when Kelly was killed, he has now arrived in town and Nora is sure that there is some connection between his arrival and her death.

Ellery Adams has created an environment in Nora’s bookstore that any reader would be happy to get lost in. With her coffee bar, comfortable seating and numerous book recommendations it is a book lover’s dream. Nora’s friends are each dealing with complications in their lives, yet come together to offer support for each other. Adams’ mystery offers enough red herrings to keep you guessing right to the end. this is highly recommended for fans of Kate Carlisle’s bibliophile series. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book for my review.

Absolutely love the Secret, Book & Scone Society series...each one gets a 5 star rating wishing I could rate it higher.

The characters are amazing and the MC is one I would love to be friends with the most. She is complex and she holds her own. Even when she is a person of interest in a murder. The bookstore she owns and runs would be amazing to visit/work at. I'm not one to give away a story line and I won't start because it's not fair to other readers if they find out what happens. The closeness of the characters is something I would love to have with a group of women. All strong and independent but will run to help their friends in a heartbeat.

Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams caught my attention from the start. I read it within 24 hours and that says a lot about an author when she can capture her readers from page one so much so that her readers don't want to put the book down. Ellery Adams will always be an author that I go to when I want to touch base with wonderful, amazing characters.

My only problem with Paper Cuts is that I can't give it a higher rating. That is how much I loved this book and series.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me an advanced digital copy of Paper Cuts. My review are my words and my words alone...while not eloquent they are from the heart.

Ellery Adams is one of my absolute favorite authors and she never disappoints. This latest read is again set in Miracle Springs as we continue to follow the The Secret Book and Scone series. A violent death comes to the quaint community and Nora is unfortuantely the suspect. We also get to meet some new characters, Gus and Tucker. I thoroughly enjoyed Tucker's character, a neurodiverse young man, who loves to do orgami. I hope that he returns in future books.
This was a lovely read and a perfect escape. As usual, we are treated to Nora's bibliotherapy weaved throughout the book as the group sleuths to solve the murder mystery. Highly and enthusiastically recommend!

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing.

Nora has come so far since her arrival in Miracle Springs and found peace in her bookstore, finding just the right book foe each customer. With her friends around her, they form the Secret, Book and Scone Society. In this, the sixth book in the series, Nora's past comes knocking and she will need all of the support her friends can muster for her to get through it.
A woman comes to the store with her young son and Nora comes to realize that the woman, Kelly, is the woman who her ex dumped her for. Now Kelly has also been dumped and she's dying. What she has come to Nora for is her forgiveness. Before that can happen someone murders Kelly and Nora becomes a prime suspect.
After having read and enjoyed the previous five books I felt like I was watching a friend in trouble not just a character in a very well written mystery. Not only does Nora have a past to be dealt with but another member of the group has her past show up in the form of her father and a lot of issues in tow.
This can be read as a stand alone but to get the most out of this entry I would advise reading them in order. It's a must have on a well stocked TBR shelf.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Nora and the gang.
It’s spring and the little town is awash with color and tourists but the darkness of Nora’s past comes screaming back, full force.
It leads to Nora being in a bunch of hot water and her friends scrambling to help while changes are happening in Estella’s and Hester’s lives.
There plenty of coffee flowing and an equal amount of book recommendations to whet your bilbio heart’s desire.

Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams was an intriguing tale of misunderstandings and misplaced blame. Nora Pennington, the owner of Miracle Books, has just met a woman with a lovely son named Tucker. Kelly Walsh was obviously in the middle of cancer treatments and she didn’t look good. Her son seemed to be in the throes of Aspergers’s Syndrome and was fixated on origami. Nora found a book and a kit full of paper for him and sent them off happy. She only found out later that Kelly was the woman for whom her husband, Lawrence, had left her, and Tucker was Lawrence’ son. It all happened in public and shocked Nora to her roots. Kelly chased after her and Nora pushed her and sped away on her moped. It was the next day when Nora found Kelly had been found, murdered and it looked like maybe she had done it. By then Nora had regained her equilibrium but now there was this new challenge.

Nora has lived through a lot and she has the scars to prove it. She had found a new life in Miracle Springs and found a new love, Sheriff Grant McCabe. Their relationship had started as a friendship and morphed into so much more. Because of the accusations made against her and his position as sheriff, he had to stay away from her. She was hurting and so was he. She had her friends, all interesting characters with their own problems and thank God for them. It turns out Kelly had wanted to apologize for having wronged her all those years before. Nora got deeply involved with Kelly’s brother and his wife, and, of course, Tucker. That made it all look worse. This was a deeply moving novel, the reader feeling Nora’s pain every step of the way. It was a clever mystery to be solved, but the poignant part was Nora facing her past and seeing who the man she had believed to be the loved of her life had become. It was a masterful piece of writing by Adams. As are all cozies, it is entirely character driven and Adams excels at writing characters. Kudos, Ellery Adams!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Paper Cuts by Kensington Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley#KensingtonBooks#ElleryAdams #PaperCuts

There's nothing that I didn't love about this book. The mysteries in this series are really top-notch and I love the friendship between the friends. Nora is an amazing female character. I hope this series continues for a long time.

Nora has weathered her way through different hardships in life; however, she doesn’t expect to find her ex’s wife Kelly and child in her book store. Kelly is also now his ex and is dying of cancer. She wants to be forgiven. But before Nora can put those pieces together Kelly is murdered and Nora is the prime suspect. Join the usual delightful crew in trying to solve this mystery. Great Book!

This group of sleuths is one of my favorites. The group is made up of Hester, Nora, Estella, and June. To say that this is one of my favorite series ever is true. However, I suffered so much reading this installment, I had to reach out to a fellow reader who told me to keep going. I really do not enjoy when the main character has to deal again with being wrongly accused.

The sixth book in The Secret, Book and Scone Society starts out with Kelly Walsh and her neurodivergent son visiting Nora’s bookstore. Kelly has something she needs to confess to Nora. Later, when Kelly is found dead the newest police officer in the village who is a whole level of nasty is determined to pin the murder on Nora. For a while, Nora seems to have the only possible motive.

I gave this book four and a half stars. I am looking forward to reading more of Ellery Adams’ mysteries. I definitely will be recommending this series and this book to everyone. I look forward to next year and another adventure.

"Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is famed for its healing springs, but bookstore owner and bibliotherapist Nora Pennington has a tendency to land in a different kind of hot water. When she isn’t prescribing the perfect book to cure her customers’ maladies, she’s solving local crimes with the help of her Secret, Book, and Scone Society members. Just a touch of magical realism and strong, female-driven stories are winning this series raves from readers and fans of Kate Carlisle and Lorna Barrett."
This is a great mystery.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Outstanding plot! I absolutely don't know how the author keeps coming up with better and better storylines that make the characters even more interesting and likable. The author keeps expanding the circle of friends to include more interesting and diverse characters with unique backgrounds to draw the reader further into the story! The characters all have a messy backstory that has made them the wonderful people they are today, but sometimes the backstory comes to the present and that is what we see in this book. Once again Nora is at the center of the mystery and it looks like there is a new cop in town who is determined to destroy the quiet and happy life she has built with her eclectic group of friends. I absolutely can't wait to see what web the author weaves to capture me in the next book, but you can bet that I'll be first in line to find out!

Nora didn't kill Kelly, the woman her husband left her for. She knows that and so does her romantic interest Deputy Grant McCabe. Kelly was very ill and she came to town looking for Nora's forgiveness but she went about it in a strange way and the two argued. Who else was unhappy with Kelly? There's a lot going on in this latest installment of a well done cozy series, including the return of Estelle's father. The members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society turn out to support Nora, even as they deal with their own problems. I like the bookstore setting, the small town, and the characters in this series. While it might be just fine as a standalone, I expect those who have read at least one of the preceding books will take more from this one. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Nora left her old life behind her years ago and hasn’t looked back. That is, until a woman (Kelly) appears in Miracle Springs one day with her origami-loving son and happens to be the woman Nora’s ex-husband left her for. Kelly is terminally ill and wants to right her wrongs before it’s too late by asking Nora for forgiveness.

When Kelly turns up dead, Nora becomes the prime suspect. Multiple people saw Nora shove Kelly the evening before her death and since Nora doesn’t have an alibi for later that night, rumours start flying.

The Secret, Book, and Scone Society start investigating on their own so that they can clear Nora’s name and seek justice for Kelly.

I really enjoyed this novel and would love to read others in the series. I’ll definitely read more books written by Ellery Adams.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #PaperCuts

For me, a good cozy mystery series has a setting and characters that you come back to- like going to visit a good friend or family member. I have grown to love Nora and her group, and I am always ready for a trip back to Miracle Springs, if only to see what they’re up to. Add to that, there’s romantic relationships with real growth for both characters and an interesting mystery for each book. To me, Ellery Adams will always be in the top five cozy mystery writers. She built such a wonderful community, and introduced me to such lovely characters… then there’s the adorable book quotes at the beginning of each book.

If I had been paying more attention I could probably write a whole post about the books Adams has introduced me to. (This round, I held myself back and only bought The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See and a copy of Tea Time Magazine. I do have Rebecca on request from the library along with The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang). As I have read all the Books by the Bay series and several of the Book Retread mysteries, I know there are at least a dozen others I have bought after hearing about them in one of her books.

In this one, Nora’s past creeps up on her in the form of the woman her husband left her for. Kelly is in Miracle Springs looking for Nora, asking for forgiveness. Terminally ill, she already relies on her brother and sister in law for a lot of things- especially care for her son Tucker. I understand Nora’s reticence. If you left your world behind and made a new life, would you want to see your past colliding with your present? The fact that she could so quickly adjust her thinking as far as Kelly and Tucker went (too late, sadly) showed a lot of character growth since book one. I loved how Adams portrayed Tucker- so sweet, smart and loyal. His story, and the mystery for this book made for a fantastic story. On the other hand, I hated the addition of Deputy Hollowell- caustic, cruel and self righteous… I can only hope she isn’t a recurring character. That said, I loved the growth in the relationship between Grant and Nora, even as I hated that his job and procedures kept him from being able to openly be there for her.

The writing had a good flow to it, and most of the characters were beyond charming. I am hoping to see more of Estella’s father, Gus. As always, I found myself at ease in Nora’s world, worrying and caring for these people. They feel familiar now (six books in). For me, this is a five star book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
As far as adult content goes, there’s language, drinking, and violence (none are terribly over the top). There is also references to intimacy, and some very light sexual content. I would have still given this one to a young teen if they wanted to read it. It is definitely geared toward adults, though.


I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley, working with Kensington books in exchange for an honest review. My thanks! The book comes out next week and I highly recommend it. Also, look for Ellery Adams on instagram (elleryadams); she’s kind of awesome!

Once again, Ellery Adams proves why The Secret, Book and Scone Society is one of my favorite series. Violent death again comes to the town of Miracle Springs, nestled in the North Carolina mountains. This time, our main character, Nora, is a suspect. Along the way we learn more about her earlier life with her ex-husband. The four friends, Nora, June, Hester and Estella, show why they are such good friends, supporting each other. It was great to see Nora’s love life looking up! In addition to these friends, Sheldon is a fabulous character, who also works at Nora’s bookstore. Nora has a gift for finding just the right book for someone, a kind of “bibliotherapy.”

We get introduced to a couple of new characters who I hope will return in future books: Gus, Estella’s father, newly released from prison, and Tucker, a neurodiverse 10-year-old, who loves to do origami. The new deputy in town is written in such a way that readers will take a dislike to her, so it will be interesting to see how her character changes in future books, if at all.

Because this book gives a bunch of backstory detail, I think it would be ideal for someone who wanted to try this series but is reluctant to go back and start with book one (this is book six).

There are lovely quotations at the start of each chapter, each with some bearing on the action of that chapter. In addition, there’s a bibliography at the back of the book, listing all the books mentioned in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the sixth book in the A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Series. I’ve only read book one, however, when my booksta-friend Ellery Adams offered to send me a beautiful package that included an ARC of Paper Cuts, I couldn’t pass it up. I found that it is easy to read as a standalone without missing too much of the background story. I look forward to returning to book two and getting caught up on the series.

• Don’t tell Ellery, but I am not a big cozy mystery fan!!! Ellery is a friend, so I wanted to read her books and something magical happened…..I really, really enjoyed it!! It helps that Ellery is such a good storyteller and builds the most amazing heartfelt and complex characters that you can’t help but like. She also adds a dose of humor that kept me laughing and who doesn’t love to laugh, right? So, I am now converted to a #elleryadamscozymysteryfan

• Nora Pennington lives in Miracle Springs, NC and owns Miracle Books where she uses her ability and knowledge to match each customer with the perfect book.

• Nora becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her ex-husband’s wife Kelly and that’s when the Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the local police department to seek justice. Can the four friends handle the investigation?

• Adams isn’t afraid to touch on some of the more serious subject matters such as chronic illness, which you don’t find often in a cozy mystery. I felt it added a lot of depth to the story and the characters.

• Read until the end for a list of book recommendations from Ellery. I loved and hated this list….loved it because I love finding new books and authors, hated it because I don’t need to add any more books to my never-ending TBR.

• Read this book if you enjoy female friendships, small-town charm, books about books, light romance, good food, and a clever mystery.

It’s been a while since I read a book in this series, so it was nice to checkin on the characters. Having so many books in this series, the characters have really grown and I enjoyed this one much more than the last one I read. The mystery was zippy and I liked how they were able to solve it without taking unnecessary risks. And also liked reading how everything ties together.