Death in the Romance Aisle

by Lynn Cahoon

As a cancer survivor, Lynn Cahoon, made an unusual decision with her Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series. Her protagonist Rarity is also a cancer survivor who leaves her corporate, big city life behind to open a small town book store which she names The Next Chapter. Within that context she starts a book club for cancer survivors. The goal is not to read books about cancer, but to bond with others who have experienced similar journeys. They mainly read mysteries and have a subgroup formed to informally investigate local murders that affect them in some way. In Death in the Romance Aisle, the murder victim is a new part-time employee at the bookstore.

Cahoon’s excellent writing skills are on display throughout Death in the Romance Aisle. There is tension related to the murder investigation especially when Rarity becomes a target. The characters are interesting with many of them becoming for Rarity the family she never had as they form bonds, support each other, and exhibit the dependability necessary to keep Rarity safe and the bookstore operating. Cahoon also includes romance threads. Rarity is dating Archer who owns a hiking tour service in Sedona, Arizona, and their relationship matures as they adapt to each other’s work needs. Rarity’s best friend is Sam who is dating the local police detective Drew. When Sam’s brother Marcus becomes a suspect, there is discord in Sam and Drew’s relationship. There are many other suspects, however, and thus the murder investigation and this book’s plot is involved. Cahoon also demonstrates her talents by including humor and friction among friends. Lastly, one of the characters is Killer, a little Yorkie that Rarity adopted when its owner died. He goes with her to work and is much loved by everyone. I just love his name.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #3 in the Survivors’ Book Club Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. It includes a recipe for Marbled Pumpkin and Chocolate Brownies that sounds delicious.
3. I enjoyed watching Rarity’s thinking as she develops ideas for improving her bookstore. She is very open to the ideas and suggestions of others, but she evaluates them carefully. Also, she always has notebooks at hand—one for the murder investigations and another for to-do lists and reminders.

Publication: September 9, 2023—Kensington (Lyrical Press)

Memorable Lines:

“We don’t want to have a killer running around free. It’s not a good draw for the town festivals.” Malia laughed spitting out her coffee. She wiped it up with the arm of her hoodie.

The one thing she’d learned after having cancer was that tomorrow wasn’t promised to anyone. And if you had a dream, you needed to fight for it. She was living her dream. Good or bad, she’d jumped. And her life was better for taking the chance. A lot better. Not just in her career, but in her life. She had a community here. And no one was going to rip that apart.

“That woman is a ball of energy. She sucks all the energy from the room, then shoots it back out at people, covered in pink and red donut sprinkles. She light up the entire store when she’s here.”

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Call me pleasantly surprised ☺. Death in the Romance Isle by Lynn Cahoon is an engaging cozy mystery which garnered my attention from the beginning and kept me captivated throughout the entire read. I don’t usually say such things when I enter a series late, but in this case, it is appropriate.

Death in the Romance Isle begins with the main protagonist, Rarity Cole, running her bookstore (The Next Chapter – love the name) as usual. What is disconcerting is that shortly after Marcus comes to town (the brother of Rarity’s best friend – Sam Aarons), a body is found – the body of a new hire of the bookstore (Janey Ford). Janey and Marcus had just met, gone to a party and a date the next day… and then she turned up dead. Yikes! To add in a bit of complexity – previously in Marcus’ life, he was briefly thought of as a suspect in a death of a previous girlfriend (her death was later classified as a suicide). So when the body of Janey turns up in the quarry – Marcus is thought of as a prime suspect. We cannot also forget about the other new hire at the bookstore, Caleb, as a suspect as he seems to be a love struck young man for the newly departed. Ah – unrequited love. And possibly more suspects (?) as one will find out as they read this engaging story.

Rarity does have a trusty side-kick – her tan Yorkie named Killer. Love the name – especially for such a small dog, who turns out to actually be a very friendly, but protective dog of Rarity. There are, of course, many other characters in the book whom I find endearing. Unfortunately, one of them is the newly departed Janey. Sure wish we had been able to get to know her a wee bit before her demise. But such is the life of a character in a cozy mystery.

I really enjoyed the progression of another character, Shirley, throughout the story. Good to see her place of importance as oftentimes it seems that senior citizens are portrayed with a brevity as to their life experiences. In this story – that is far from it. And I loved it!

One fact that made me bond with this book is that part of the story was centred in a couple of towns in Arizona – Sedona and Flagstaff. Flagstaff is the town I lived in for many years before my family immigrated to Canada. This definitely evoked warm and fuzzy thoughts of the location. As this is a series – I plan on going back and starting at book one – something I rarely do ☺. Okay to be fair – I also really loved that this book is centred around a book club…what is not to love about that?

As far as cozy mysteries go, Death in the Romance Isle contains many possible suspects, which the amateur sleuth works through. There are many red herrings but in the end, after much trial and tribulation, the sleuth (along with the help of the local constabulary) do solve the mystery. The other story lines were also engaging and entertaining. I am not giving many details of the solving of the mystery and I want each new reader to discover and enjoy this aspect of the story themselves. Suffice it to say – I recommend this book!I really enjoyed this story and if you were to pick up only one cozy mystery this year and you are a lover of books, might I suggest Death in the Romance Isle. Lynn Cahoon did justice to the mystery and the progression of the main character (and many others I might add) throughout the story. An enjoyable, engaging and a good whodunit right to the end. Had me guessing up to the end – just the way I like my cozy mysteries!

I am seriously loving this series. I shouldn't be surprised since Lynn is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I adore Rarity and Archer. I also love all of the friendships in this series. The mystery in this one was a little more predictable, but I still really enjoyed the journey.

Loved it! I'm excited to see where this cozy series goes. I love the characters & their relationships. Such a fun group.

Rarity is excited about expanding her book clubs to the community children and teens. She hires college students to help run the new book discussions. When one of her newly hired employees is found dead and her best friend's brother is a suspect. Rarity and the survivor's book club dive into the investigation immediately.

It is still early in the series (book 3), therefore the characters are still developing. I feel that I am still getting to know Rarity and her friends. Rarity is a survivor, she is smart and caring. The mystery is well-plotted. There are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings to keep you engaged in finding the killer. I look forward to the next book in the series and the development of the characters.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, I have not been influenced by anyone.

This cozy mystery book club series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. This book follows Rarity a bookshop owner in Sedona whose new employee ends up dead. The bookclub comes together again to find out who killed Jamie.
I loved this book I have read the first book in the series and enjoyed it but really loved this one the story felt a little more balanced and a little less rushed. The characters in this book were awesome and I could just read their everyday lives. The mystery was ok but the quirky characters had me flying through this book. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book by Lynn Cahoon. The cast of characters that she has created in the series is one that I really wish that I could be a part of the group. The mystery was interesting and had twists and turns to keep me guessing. However, this has become a series that I read because of the characters rather than the mystery itself.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Lynn Cahoon

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

This series is really enjoyable. I like the Sedona bookstore setting, which has a distinct atmosphere. The cast of characters continues to get richer/deeper and it’s an utter delight. Cahoon is a pro who knows how to write a well paced mystery, with this being no different.

I'm so sorry - as a recent cancer patient, I had to DNF this for now. Hopefully one day this series will be less real to me. I'm sure it's great.

Rarity Cole is living her best life in Sedona after leaving a fast pased, big city job and surviving cancer. Now she runs a book store and book club for cancer survivors. Her book club members happen to be very good at solving crimes so that's what they do.

Rarity's best friend, Sam is excited about her brother's visit from California. She brings him to a party and he quickly hooks up with one of Rarity's employees. Everything is great until the girl is murdered and the police suspect Sam's brother.

This was a great read with a complex storyline. I recommend this book and the series.
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#DeathintheRomanceAisle

"Death in the Romance Aisle" by Lynn Cahoon is a delightful cozy mystery that combines romance, humor, and suspense. The story unfolds in the charming setting of a bookstore, where the protagonist stumbles upon intrigue and danger. Cahoon's writing is engaging, and her characters are endearing. As the plot thickens and secrets unravel, readers are treated to a page-turning adventure. This book is a perfect blend of murder mystery and romance, making it a fun and enjoyable read for cozy mystery enthusiasts.

Death in the Romance Aisle, the third book in Lynn Cahoon’s Survivors’ Book Club Mystery series, is an entertaining visit with characters who are fast becoming good friends. It is a quick and enjoyable read, perfect for an afternoon break.

Rarity Cole, the owner of The Next Chapter bookstore is expanding the number of book clubs the shop will host and has hired a couple of new employees to run them. Caleb is quiet and almost reclusive, while Janie is warm and effervescent. It seems everyone likes her, including Sam’s brother Marcus who is visiting from out of town. So, when she is murdered, it is truly a mystery. Suspicion falls on Marcus based on circumstantial evidence, his alleged checkered past and the fact he had gone out with her. But when Sam withdraws from activity and even operating her own crystal shop, Rarity knows she must find Janie’s killer, whether it is Marcus or someone else.

The mystery here is a good one. As no one disliked Janie, there must have been another motive. And in true cozy fashion, suspects emerge. Was it her co-worker with an obsessive crush? Her twin sister? The roommate who inherited everything? Or Marcus himself? While I guessed the perpetrator early on, it was still fun watching Rarity unravel the threads of the mystery.

One of the best things about cozy mysteries is getting to know the characters who populate the (often fictional) towns. Here two supporting characters are in the spotlight (along with the usual characters – Rarity, Archer, Sam and Drew). Drew’s father, Jonathan emerges as Rarity’s protector and explores a new and potentially lucrative hobby. Shirley steps out of her shadow and her pain over her husband’s condition to become a beloved leader of the book clubs left bereft due to Janie’s absence. It is fun to see how much growth these two characters gain in this novel.

Finally, while most cozy mysteries are, well, cozy, this one has an even more heartwarming feel to it. Death in the Romance Aisle and the Survivors’ Book Club series are among my favorites.

Note: I received an ARC of Death in the Romance Aisle from NetGalley and Kensington Books Lyrical Press. The above is my honest review.

I enjoyed very much Lynn Cahoon's third installment of the Survivors' Book club. Her books including this series and the Tourist Trap/South Cove series are the definition of a cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth that you can get invested in and no death messiness on the page. I also loved that the greater community of minor character that are more developed as the book series moves forward and the reader learns more about each of them and see how they interact with one another.

Rarity Cole is the owner of Next Chapter, an independent bookstore in Sedona and in the third installment of the Tuesday Night Survivors' Book Club for women who have survived breast cancer. Soon, the Survivors' Club becomes the sleuthing club when suspicious deaths occur in their community.

A wide-ranging cast of supporting characters include best friend/fellow business owner Sam, police officer Drew, local tour guide operator and boyfriend Archer, and as well as the other book club members plus Rarity's Pomeranian dog, Killer. I love Lynn Cahoon's Tourist Trap/South Cove series and the Survivors' Book Club series is right up there as my favorite.

Thank you Net Galley and Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will post reviews on post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

3.5 stars

This is the third book in the series. While it could be read as a standalone novel, there will be a greater appreciation for the characters if the books are read in order. There are some parts that become a bit repetitive, but overall, this is a great addition to the series. It's fun to sleuth around with Rarity. There are a number of red herrings to keep readers guessing. This is an enjoyable story for those who love cozy mysteries.

Death In The Romance Aisle
A Survivors’ Book Club Mystery, Book #3
Lynn Cahoon
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Rarity Cole is taking full advantage of her second chance at life after recovering from breast cancer—running a bookstore in Sedona and a support group for fellow survivors. She’s also discovered a knack for defeating other kinds of deadly threats . . .

Rarity is excited about expanding the romance section of her store—but not nearly as excited as her best friend Sam is about reuniting with her brother after many years. Marcus makes the trek from California to Arizona, is welcomed with a party, and hints that he may stick around now that remote work is an option.

But is it just a coincidence that not long after his arrival, a body is found near a local swimming hole? Especially considering that the dead woman had recently gone on a date with him—and even worse, that Marcus has a startling secret in his past? The police suspect him, but Rarity hopes to find another explanation before Sam is once again separated from her sibling—by prison walls . . .

Includes a yummy recipe! (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Her best friend, Sam, is very excited to have her brother come for a visit. But that excitement turns to worry when a woman turns up dead and her brother was one of the last people to see her alive. Rarity and her book club will have to solve the case before her brother is sent away for life.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to look through and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. These books are quite good and you should check them out.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

I love Lynn Cahoon books! I see a new one and I just have to add it to my must read list. I really enjoyed Death in the Romance Aisle.

This is where I am going to part ways with this series. Read the first 20%, skimmed the rest, and then finished the last couple of chapters. This book was slow, repetitive, and felt like a fill-in-the-blank with no depth.

The third book in the Survivor’s Book Club series is a great addition. I have enjoyed all of the books I have read so far. The characters are well developed and there are such unique personalities. They all come from different backgrounds or histories. The “book club” has developed into an amazing group of individuals and their willingness to support each other while helping to solve crimes is admirable. I have fallen in love with Rarity. She is one tough cookie and I have enjoyed getting to know her. A wonderful mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. I love a book that keeps sprinkling clues throughout the pages but doesn’t give you the shocking big reveal until the end. I love that “ah ha” moment that has me gasping and saying, “You are kidding!” I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Lynn Cahoon is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors and I am always lined up to buy the newest book she has released in any of the series she has written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lyrical Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I was about 15% into this book when I remembered that I was not going to request/read this series anymore. This was just solidified by the end [which was so meh and anticlimactic and was not until 20min left in the book - so rushed and unsatisfying and just meh; I like to be a the edge of my seat, or close to it and this, much like book 2, did not do that at all. In fact all I got was sprained eyeballs from rolling them so hard] and to be honest, I am really disappointed.

Look, I really like this author and have read a lot of her books/series [I am in LOVE with the kitchen witch series - SO fantastic and I loved the Farm-to-Fork series and was so sad when it was finished], but I have struggled with this series from the beginning. I have a hard time believing the MC [who I like mostly - her caring heart and empathy really speaks to me, her ability to do REALLY dumb things, not so much] is in her 30's by the way she acts and talks [there is SO. MUCH. DRAMA. in this book I thought I was reading a book about 15 year olds in HS] and the way the group is when they are all together....sigh. I DID love that Shirley took center stage in this one and boy does she shine. What a glorious turn of events!! She was the very best of this whole book, and I will be honest, there were moments she was the only reason I kept reading [the MC thinking this "HOW could Sam let her love for her brother destroy her relationship with Drew?" almost made me rage quit. You are NOT supposed to pick a new boyfriend over family. Seriously. That whole line of thinking was infuriating]. Unfortunately, it was not enough for me to want to continue to read the series. Really, really, disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lynn Cahoon, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.