Member Reviews
Super cute cozy mystery! I wish I had ready them in order instead of starting with the last one but I’ll fix that really quick!
I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. genealogy, bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Murder in the Book Lover's Loft by Ellery Adams.
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*
This is a fitting ending to the series. The main mystery was an intriguing one that brought to
mind society’s obsession with true crime. Do true crime aficionados ever consider the people who were impacted by the crimes covered in their texts? It was difficult to feel sympathy for the victim of the central mystery.
I’m biased; I love this series and Ellery Adams can do no wrong! This and her other cozy mysteries are a MUST READ! Do it readers….obviously will continue this series!
Tanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read Murder in the Book Lover's Loft by Ellery Adams. I adore Ellery Adams' writing, and she never disappoints. i loved the characters and the setting and as always, waiting for her next.
Jane and her fiancé, Edwin, are headed to the North Carolina coast for a much-needed vacation. Their harborside loft has floor-to-ceiling bookcases and breathtaking views, but Jane’s hopes of exploring the town with her man are stymied when Edwin steps on a stingray. Things take an even less romantic turn when Jane stumbles across a dead body . . .
I have really enjoyed this series and this one did not disappoint. Not sure if this is planned as the last in the series but if so, they ended it perfectly.
I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley.
A cute cozy mystery with unique characters and I fun setting.
Jane Steward and her fiancé Edwin are traveling to Oyster Bay, NC to visit their friend Olivia Limoges. The activities are not picture perfect (Edwin ends up in the hospital) while Jane and Olivia work on solving the mystery of a body on the beach with a key to Storyton Hall nearby.
Unfortunately I believe this is the last visit with these characters from Storyton Hall. I was glad to see closure for many of them as well as their ability to solve the mystery. They will be missed.
A visit to Storyton Hall is a trip to a magical world. Jane and her fiance Edwin cannot escape the mysteries even on vacation. With several things going on in addition to the dead body, Jane wonders if it is time for Storyton Hall to have some major changes. I enjoyed the book but am left wondering where we go from here.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Check it out! It is worth picking up and taking home for the weekend! #NetGalley #Edelweiss
This is the 9th book in the book retreat mystery series, but I haven’t read the earlier books and I still was able to follow and enjoy the story. I am intrigued by what I read and definitely interested in reading the previous books. While I understand the main character’s logic it was a little disheartening to find a magical hidden library of amazing rare or unseen works only to learn it was being dismantled. Jane and Edwin are taking her first true vacation and spending a few days by the beach. Unfortunately Jane’s uncanny ability to stumble upon dead bodies has followed her on vacation and despite the police being confident in their arrest she doesn’t feel like things are really over. It was a pretty good cozy mystery series with some decent twists. I will admit the author did a great job making the murder victim unlikable which gave pretty much everyone at least a small motive for killing him.
From Fantastic Fiction :
Jane and her fiancé, Edwin, are headed to the North Carolina coast for a much-needed vacation. Their harborside loft has floor-to-ceiling bookcases and breathtaking views, but Jane’s hopes of exploring the town with her man are stymied when Edwin steps on a stingray. Things take an even less romantic turn when Jane stumbles across a dead body . . .
Instead of taking leisurely beach strolls, Jane is suddenly on a literary chase through time, unearthing a dark secret in her family tree that threatens all she holds dear back in Storyton. And it’ll take a whole village to help her make amends for the past—and stop a madman bent on exacting justice in the present.
“Readers will find themselves wanting to live in Storyton, no matter how many people end up dead there.” —Suspense Magazine on Murder in the Locked Library
This is the 9th book in the Book Retreat mysteries, set in the mountains of NC. The MC, Jane, runs a book lovers inn called Storyton Hall. In this book, Jane and her fiancé are on vacation at the NC shore, where they stumble upon a murder that affects the priceless book collection back at Storyton Hall.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.
I loved the intertwining of the two series with Jane and Olivia working on solving a mystery together.
It’s an ending but also a beginning with the secret library coming to a close but Edwin and Jane forging a future together.
The mystery part was good but the real magic is spun back at Storyton Hall.
The ending was sweet.
I love that we got to revisit Oyster Bay in this story! I missed Olivia, Captain Haviland, and the rest of the gang. I hope this isn’t the last book in this series, because I would love to see more of Jane, Edwin, and Olivia.
This is book 9 in the Book retreat mystery series. Jane and her fiancé, Edwin are taking a vacation from Storyton and visiting an island in North Carolina. When Edwin steps on a stingray, Jane is on her own exploring the town and discovers a dead body. With ghost aplenty Jane is tracking the island for the history of her own home, Storyton. With several twists and turns the story is a good one and Jane and Edwin have a great adventure. The book can e read as a stand alone.
Jane and Edwin are going on a couple's weekend at the beach in Oyster Bay. Things get off to a rocky start when Edwin gets hurt at the beach and is taken to the hospital. It gets worse when Jane finds a dead body outside of their hotel. Jane and Edwin go back to Storyton Hall, but the mystery follows them home. There were many possibilities with the murder and it was intricately woven together. I love all of the characters in this series and will be sad if this is the last book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I love this series. I'm glad they got to travel in this book. I can't wait to see what happens next. The mystery kept me guessing. I also love that we got to meet up with a character from another series.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I thought it was another person who had committed the murder. So much so, that I think I tuned out other possibilities.
As the book was winding down, it appeared to be the end, or possibly close to the end of this series. There are ways to branch off, especially with Jane’s Uncle Aloysius and his little secret, but that might have to wait until Hem and Fitz grow up. We will have to see since no one ends a series with book #9. Or do they? Maybe there is another secret that we haven’t yet been privy to. Wondering minds what to know.
Jane Steward and Edwin Alcott are off for some time alone, away from the cares of Storyton Hall and the Daily Bread Cafe. Leaving Jane's sons and their poodles (Merry and Pippin) in the care of Jane's aunt and uncle and all the faithful staff at the inn, the couple visits Oyster Bay. As Ellery Adams fans know, the bay is home to Olivia Limoges (from the Books by the Bay mystery series), who had visited Storyton and then invited Jane and Edwin to visit her when they had the chance. Sadly, their rest and relaxation is not meant to be. Edwin steps on a stingray and Jane discovers a dead body with a Storyton keychain nearby. Is this death linked to the inn somehow?
No matter where Jane and Edwin go they are always involved in some sort of mystery. And when they return home, the mystery follows along as they try to find out how that keychain fits in with everything they have learned. All the suspects in the murder were people whose life stories the victim had made his career out of fictionalizing and making a profit from. Could Jane have been his next target for a new book deal? Every family has secrets - the Stewards more than most.
It was entertaining to see Jane and Edwin without the buffer (or interruptions) of everyone at the inn for a short while. And with the tie between the characters from Storyton and Oyster Bay (see Murder in the Cookbook Nook) reinforced by this second murder investigation, fans may hope to see even more crossover between the characters from the two series. A satisfying murder mystery with plenty of book references. As Mrs. Pratt says, "Books can't solve all our problems, but they can always help us escape them for a little while." I hope readers find this an engaging escape from their own concerns. After reading the description of the book lover's loft that the couple stays in for their getaway, I want to find a similar spot to vacation.