Another really satisfying entry in a fun series, this book continues the story of a Texas family of 3 sisters who own and run a small-town record shop together (and who keep stumbling upon corpses). Juni is a great main character, riding her tricycle around town, trying to choose between the hot cop (with the complication that he’s her ex, so there’s a story there waiting to come out more) and the hot mailman as well as to make herself seen and heard as the youngest of the sisters (and the one who moved away to Oregon and only recently returned home). Uncle Calvin is a hoot - he’s one of my favorite characters from the last book and I love that he showed up here, though I wish he’d had a bigger role - and the other side characters are all a lot of fun, too. I do feel like the police work in these is pretty shoddy, but what do I know about small town fictional cops? And at least they have Juni to figure things out for them. This story definitely kept me guessing, and I loved how it all ended up shaking out - so many interesting surprises. Looking forward to the next one!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Three sisters run a vinyl record cum coffee shop that is doing fine. That is until the long time mayor of their little town is found dead with one of their coffee mugs in his hand and poison in his system. The rumour mill around town is soon abuzz and Juniper’s sister, Tansy, is convicted by the gossips. If they and third sister Marigold don’t figure out who killed the popular politico, their business and their lives will be in jeopardy.

Juni takes the lead since each of the other sisters have their favourite suspects and only Juni is looking at things with an open mind. Her mind is perhaps a bit too open. She has two fellows who both want to be her special guy and she cannot make up her mind. Since both of them are appealing characters, I cannot say that I blame her.

Lots of southern country characters in the book including their uncle who has an encyclopedic brain and a mouth without an off switch. It is an entertaining read and perfect for a late summer break. Four purrs and two paws up.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

***

It was nice to return to these characters again. Even though it's been a long while since I read the first book in this series, once I began reading I was right back there with the sisters.

The book is quick paced and I made my way through it in two or three days. I loved the new mystery even though we didn't get quite as much time with secondary characters this time around.

I'm definitely expecting a third and will be happy to read it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. This is the second book in the series.

Juni Jessup and her sisters are the owners of Sip & Spin, a record store/coffee shop in Cedar River, Texas. They are thrilled to be spinning vinyl and creating music themed coffee drinks at the annual Bluebonnet Festival until the mayor dies of suspected poison from their coffee! Juni's sister, Tansy, is the main suspect.

Juni is determined to prove her sister's innocence and investigates the beloved mayor's death with assistance from family and friends.

I love this series. The music references are great. I enjoy the family connections in this one, and I love Juni rediscovering her home.

The second book is just as good the first!

What a super cute book! I definitely recommend this if you need a palate cleanser or just need a fun book to read.

This is the second book in the Sip & Spin mysteries series so it follows sisters Juni, Maggie and Tansy as they investigate another murder,
Juni, of course, is the one to find the body and all signs point to her sister Tansy.
The case isn't looking good for Tansy so naturally Juni investigates to prove her sister's innocence. But during her own investigation, Juni always runs into some type of shenanigans.

The only thing I didn't like is how they wrapped up who the killer was; and how the ending took a totally different direction - but I guess it's a gear up for the third book! (which I will definitely be reading!)

This is the second book in the Sip & Spin series and I loved it!! I really enjoyed the first, and then this one was even better. It's Blue Bonnet Festival in Cedar Rapids, TX. Juniper "Juni" and her sisters Tansy and "Maggie" Magnolia run a record shop in town. They are running a music and coffee booth at the festival. The local mayor, Mayor Bob, who is more of a figurehead in town, than a leader. He stops by the festival and Juni serves him a cup of coffee. Later that day, she finds him dead in the town hall, with the Sip & Spin coffee cup right in front of him. Juni knows they are not responsible for Mayor Bob's death, but doesn't like how Sherrif Beau Russell, her former flame is sniffing around and questioning her sisters. I love the combination of the new mystery with an old mystery from 50 years before.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary ebook. Unfortunately, I didn't love this one like I loved book 1. I was missing the cool record shop vibe and just couldn't get into the story. I still finished it because I wanted to know who did it, but just didn't really enjoy it. I liked all the references to Texas and bluebonnets.

This is a perfect cozy mystery. I love the family elements and the strong sister bonds- especially in the face of one of them coming under suspicion for an unexpected tragedy. And like other books in the genre, the characters shine are are a service to the plot, which tends to be more formulatic or expected, but no less enjoyable.

Another entertaining cozy mystery from Olivia Blacke! I enjoyed her Brooklyn-set mysteries as well as the first in this series, about three sisters in small town Texas who have recently re-opened their family's record/coffee shop. A Fatal Groove is as cozy and enjoyable as the first in the series, with a rich small town setting, quirky ensemble of supporting characters, and all the music/coffee puns you could ever, possibly, conceivably desire. I'm looking forward to more stories in this series to come!

Thanks to the publisher for the advance review copy.

I really enjoyed this next chapter at Sip and Spin Records!

I had never heard of Bluebonnets before and they are very beautiful. The murder of the do-nothing Mayor Bob - not so beautiful.

Tansy is in the murder seat in this story as she is the one who served the coffee to Mayor Bob, but there is no shortage of other suspects and Juni is out to prove her sister's innocence.

I must say I am still on Team Teddy, but the hunky cop started to grow on me in this book.

I really like the family dynamic in this story, it's not just the protagonist solving the crimes with a friend occasionally helping or anything like that - this family works together and solves crimes together! Can't wait to see what the girls get into next!

It's spring in Cedar River, Texas, and that means the bluebonnets are in bloom and the town's annual Bluebonnet Festival is in full swing. Juni Jessop and her sisters, Tansy and Maggie, have closed up Sip & Spin Records (their record shop and coffee house) for the weekend to DJ and provide coffee for the festival. When the town's mayor is found dead, poisoned with a Sip & Spin coffee cup in his hand, town gossip is that Tansy killed him. Determined to clear her sister and protect their business, Juni starts her own investigation. This is book 2 in the Record Shop Mystery series but easily read as a stand-alone. Enjoyable characters and a solid mystery make for an enjoyable read.

This is a super fun series! I really enjoyed the first and was exciting to see the second one available. Juni is a thoroughly enjoyable protagonist and I particularly like the setting, super close to a large city while remaining a small town. The mystery this time was pretty complicated, with several different threads coming together and diverging. All in all, a solid second entry in a delightful series.

A Fatal Groove was a fantastic addition to this series. There’s just something about the writing and the characters that I really like and I don’t really know why. I just get excited whenever I see these books pop up and the deserve more acknowledgement then they are getting. Such a great, cozy mystery novel.

Its springtime in Cedar River, Texas, and time for the annual Bluebonnet Festival. Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie are the proprietors of the Sip-N-Spin, a record store and coffee bar. They have set up a DJ booth at the annual festival and will offer a coffee selection as well. They Mayor stops by for a cup of coffee on his way to City Hall. Juni later discovers the mayor dead in his office with his coffee nearby that her sister, Tansy, served him earlier. Now that her sister appears to be the prime suspect, and with the livelihood of Sip-N-Spin on the line; Juni and her sisters decide they need to solve this case, and quick!

While this is the second book of the series, you could easily read it as a standalone. The story pulls you in and the characters quickly become favorite friends. I like the close-knit family dynamic with the sisters, Uncle Calvin, JT and their mom. I enjoyed the budding love triangle as well. It is fun but does not take over and overshadow the mystery.

I LOVE this series and can't wait for the next installment so I can return to Cedar River and my friends there!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the chance to read this book and give my honest opinion.

Another great addition to the series. Blacke excels at developing character with charm and humor. Her world building really makes small town Texas sight bright.

Maggie, Tansy and Juni are back again in another fun episode of the Record Shop Mysteries.
This story brings us to the Bluebonnet Festival where they have a coffee and DJ booth set up. They operate the Sip and Spin store, and they are in need of getting more customers in the store. Being at the festival is just what they think will help. But that is not going to be how things work out for them. Instead, one of their cups is found in the hand of the dead body of the mayor!
So, solving the mystery is in their future. This book was so much fun to read.
Thank you NetGalley, Olivia Blacke and St. Martin's Press for the copy of
A Fatal Groove. This is my personal review.

More fun with Juni and her botanical named family.

Springtime in Texas means lots of small towns have their annual Bluebonnet Festival, including Cedar River. Juni’s sister Maggie is on the planning committee and gets their co-owned record and coffee shop Sip and Spin to sponsor it. Unfortunately, soon after picking up a cup of coffee (made by Juni’s other sister, Tansy), the manor is found dead. There’s some question about if it was accidental or murder, but people start pointing fingers at Tansy and start avoiding Sip and Spin. Given how much all three sisters have invested in the new store and how important family is to her, Juni feels she needs to poke around. Overlapping the murder investigation is the on-going treasure hunt (and obsession with the recently deceased mayor) to find money stolen from the local bank years ago.

I enjoyed this second book featuring Juni and friends. All the females in Juni’s family are named after plants; I loved how Juni accidentally won a cow and managed to name her Buttercup - another botanical name. Having the treasure hunt subplot over lap the main whodunit plot was a nice touch. There is the ongoing love triangle between Teddy (Juni’s bff growing up) and the local detective (Juni’s ex, who nobly broke up with her so she’d pursue her career outside of town); it might get tedious at some point, but for now it gives Juni a way to get inside info from the police while having someone to investigate with.

Recommended! I’m eagerly waiting to see what Juni gets up to next!


I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for an ARC of A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke, the second in the Record Shop cozy mystery series. I haven't read the first book, but the author provided enough background details that I had no trouble enjoying this one as a standalone.
The story is told in first person from the point of view of Juni, the youngest of three sisters who own a vintage record store/coffee shop called the Sip & Spin. It takes place in Cedar River, Texas, a fictional suburb of Austin, during the annual Bluebonnet Festival. But the celebration is marred by the murder of Mayor Bob Bobbert. Juni finds his body, and her oldest sister, Tansy, served him his last cup of coffee, which contains the poison that killed him. The three sisters launch an investigation to clear Tansy's name and save the reputation of their business.
Juni is in a love triangle with police detective Beau Russell and mail carrier Teddy Garza, a childhood friend. Another subplot is an unsolved mystery involving buried treasure; during the 1956 Bluebonnet Festival, four robbers held up a bank and buried the loot, but then were killed in a shootout with police. Every year, as part of the festival, hopeful contestants dig for the treasure. Juni discovers that Mayor Bob was obsessed with the robbery and collects memorabilia from that event. Also, he had a map of the area that might lead to the treasure. After his death, the map went missing—a possible motive for murder.
I grew up in Texas, and my brother went to the University of Texas at Austin, so I spent some time in the region and thus enjoyed the author's portrayal of the setting.
The characters are likable, and the mystery is well done. Recommended for cozy mystery fans.

Another great installment in this series! The characters are developing so nicely and the mysteries are interesting! I only wish there were more books in the series to read now!

I absolutely loved this book about a Record Store and coffee shop run by three sisters. There is a Blue Bonnet Festival in Cedar River Texas and Juni Jessup and her sisters Maggie and Tansy are running the Dj booth and serving coffee to the festival goers the Mayor stops by for a cup of coffee and is in a rush to go to the Courthouse after he receives a phone call. Juni stops by the record store and decides to brew the Mayor a cup of coffee and bring it to him since he was unhappy with the drip brew they brought to the festival. She is surprised when the Courthouse is open since the entire town is at the festival she finds the mayor dead holding onto the cup of coffee her sister brewed at the festival. There is also a cold case of a bank robbery that took place in the town at a Blue Bonnet Festival in the 50's and the Mayor was involved in buying things connected to the robbery like a map and a paperweight with a blue bonnet in it that was a clue from the robbery. This was so fun I enjoyed some laughs at things that happened and following along with Juni and her sisters.