Sara and Sean are getting married! Since the news of Sean’s inheritance things have been busy, but the day has finally come. Security is tight as they don’t want media and others crashing the party. But when the baker comes into the bridal suite with a knife sticking out, the day turns out a bit different then expected. Sara and Sean retired from the police force, but they have not lost their touch, especially when the local detectives seem to not follow the clues really well.

This was my first read of this author and I’m grateful for the opportunity to read this story for a review!
Despite it being a “free” read, I loved it it was such an easy read & i read it so fast. I would definitely recommend when you want something different & easy to get through.

4.5 ⭐️

Book Review: “Wedding Bells Brew Murder (Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)” By Carolyn Arnold

Full disclosure - I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the author or their representative but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.

Wedding Bells Brew Murder is scheduled for an August 29,2023 release

Finally married…. Or not

For Sara Cain and Sean McKinley their wedding day was to be the end of a long wait. Having denied their feelings up until just recently for professional reasons, the pair have both resigned from the police force and are ready to live a life of happiness chasing their dreams with their beagle Magnum. This day should be perfect, but when Darlene Day stumbles into the bridal suite minutes before the ceremony with a knife in her back, Sara’s world comes to a halt. A murder at her wedding is just about the last thing she had expected, but with Day’s final word being “icing” the intrigue rises. Calling in an old friend from the local police force to investigate, Sarah hopes this will open the door for her to join the investigation. But with both her and Sean mere civilians, their assistance is neither wanted nor welcomed. However, not ones who are easily deterred, the pair launch their own down low investigation. Even under the threat of arrest, Sara will not be deterred, but is the culprit a culinary rival of the deceased or is this a revenge attempt from someone from their past.? Dodging the bad guys and the good guys both, the pair have their work cut out for them to apprehend the culprit before any other lives are lost.

Sara and Sean are back in this second cozy mystery from author Carolyn Arnold. Finally, having made it through hardships and loss during Bowled Over Americano, the couple are finally ready to tie the knot in a meticulously planned ceremony surrounded by all their friends and family. But when the cake maker comes up murdered, their big day turns into a crime scene, and they try to unravel the clues to catch a killer. To make matters worse, the lead detective on the case seems to have a long-standing personal grudge against the pair due to a seemingly unrequited crush. Even this does not deter the almost-newlyweds and Sara in particular as she resolves to investigate the murder alongside the police whether they condone her actions or not. With the crime scene and suspects basically confined to the wedding venue, Arnold has crafted a “closed room” murder mystery that is not as easy to unravel as the reader may think. After following the duo in Bowled Over Americano and now with the events unfolding as it has in Wedding Bells Brew Murder, it is easy to imagine this couple establishing their own private detective agency going forward to investigate murder and other situations in a way that the policy force can’t.

If you are a fan of cozy mystery or police procedurals and love stories that jump off the page with their cast of easily relatable characters and situations, Wedding Bells Brew Murder will delight. And if you are new to this series, check out Bowled Over Americano, the first book for Sara and Sean’s origin story.

Wedding Bells Brew Murder, the second book in the Sara and Sean cozy mystery series, is a fun read. The wedding day has finally arrived. The guests are all there, Sean is awaiting his bride. Sara, dressed in her wedding gown, opens the door Darlene Day, the woman who has baked her wedding cake, dying. Murder is now at the forefront of this very special day. As Sean and Sara, with Magnum’s help of course, try to solve this murder, it seems that someone may be trying to kill them. The story is a clever, nicely paced, cozy mystery with likeable characters. It has a fast-paced plot with a unique mystery and twist. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

I am a fan of Arnold’s writing, particularly the Madison Knight, Amanda Steele, and Brandon Fisher books. I was pleased to learn that she has branched out a bit in genre, starting a new cozy mystery series. This is the second in the Sara and Sean mystery series. I missed the first one. Although there are references to the case solved in that one, Wedding Bell Blues Murder works well as a standalone.

Sara and Sean, former police detectives, gave up their jobs when they fell into a fairytale life of an inherited fortune. Now, on their wedding day, the local baker, Darlene, who made their cake, is murdered just before their ceremony. When she makes her way to the bridal suite and says “icing” just before she dies, Sara and Sean are desperate to investigate. There are a few people who might have a motive to eliminate Darlene.

While I tend to choose the more hard boiled mysteries that Arnold usually pens, I enjoyed this story. With some quirky and interesting characters, it was a quick, engrossing read. I loved Magnum, the helpful Beagle with the great nose. I will certainly add this series to my other must reads of Arnold’s.

Great continuation to a great series
I’ve always appreciated Carolyn Arnold’s attention to detail and authenticity in her police procedural novels, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when she brought out her first (to me) cozy mystery series. I needn’t have worried. Even though the first book in the series, Bowled Over Americano, was different to anything else I had read from her, it ticked all the boxes of a great cozy for me.
And book two in the series, Wedding Bells Brew Murder, has proved no different. All the classic elements of an engaging cozy mystery – a wedding, a murder and a mysterious final utterance by the victim - are there. As is Magnum once more, Sara’s lovable Beagle.
Again Carolyn weaves many strands together along with fun twists making the plot as three-dimensional as the characters.
So, like the first book if you want an entertaining read with humor, romance and plenty of guessing, you can’t go wrong with Wedding Bells Brew Murder.

WEDDING BELLS BREW MURDER- Carolyn Arnold
Hilbert + Stiles Publishing
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-989706-92-3
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-989706-91-6
August 29, 2023
Cozy Mystery

Outside of Albany, New York-Present Day

Sara Cain and Sean McKinley are excited to get married. As former homicide detectives and after Sean inherited billions of dollars, they have been traveling the world and enjoying life but now they are back in Sara's hometown for their wedding. What could go wrong?

The day of the wedding, Darlene Day, the wedding cake baker, comes into the bridal suite and says, "Icing" and then dies. Someone drove a knife into her back. Who killed Darlene and why did she whisper, icing when she was dying? This is the start of WEDDING BELLS BREW MURDER. An entertaining fun whodunit that will have you guessing to the end.

There are quite a few suspects in WEDDING BELLS BREW MURDER. One being Trinity, the victim's niece and her boyfriend, Austin. Someone heard Darlene and Trinity arguing before Darlene was killed. Sara and Sean, although they are no longer detectives, feel an obligation to solve the murder but local police want them to stay out of it but they don't.

With the help of their friend Jimmy, also on the police force, and their dog Magnum, will they find out who the killer is? Also, there may be someone else out to interrupt Sara and Sean's wedding day. This is the second book in Sara and Sean's cozy mystery series, so the beginning of their romance will be missed by readers. If you like cozy mysteries with a twist or two, check out WEDDING BELLS BREW MURDER.

Avis Yarbrough

eived an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story has Sara and Sean preparing for their wedding. All the guests were here and waiting, Sean is waiting and Sara is putting her wedding dress on. Before Sara leaves there is knock on the door and Darlene enters the room and she has been stabbed in the back. Darlene is the person Sara had make the wedding and the last words Darlene said was icing. Well, this was certain to kill the wedding. After the police arrived everyone was being questioned, Sara and Sean were anxious and started investigating on their own even they no longer had a badge. The lead detective on the scene told them to stay out of investigating. There were not a lot of clues, but they began trying to figure out who wanted Darlene killed and why. Later it was discovered that someone had put something in the cake icing to make people sick. Sara and Sean trying to figure out who might be at the wedding that wasn't invited. They were able to learn that one of the security people might not be the right one.

To discover who killed Darlene and what a potential reason was, what the security imposter had to do with the events and how everything worked out in the end, then you need to read this book.

Sean and Sara's big day has finally arrived. Everyone is ready for them to say the "I dos" when all of a sudden Darlene Day comes in the bridal suite with a knife stuck in her back! She says one thing, "Icing". What is that supposed to mean? Who would want to hurt Darlene, she is loved by everyone. Now a murder must be solved before Sean and Sara can 'get back to the business on hand'. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

"Everything is going perfectly on the big day until Sara opens the door of her bridal suite. Darlene Day, who made the wedding cake, falls into the room, a serving knife plunged into her back. As the organists start to play “Here Comes the Bride,” Sara calls a pause to the proceedings. There’s a murder to solve, and the motive may be in the icing.
This is a good book. It's a cozy mystery with a murder.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

I adore this couple! This book is a cute and a well written book. A quick read that will leave you satisfied.

Just an ok read. Too sugary sweet in parts for my liking. A few twists to keep me reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Absolutely fantastic addition to the series. I was hooked from start to finish and couldn't put it down until the end. The whole story is set at the wedding venue, on the main characters' wedding day - and the murder happens just before the bride is to walk down the aisle.

The mystery behind the murder kept me guessing till the end. There are a handful of suspects, and each have a motive for murder. But which one of them actually committed the crime? Sara and Sean are torn between believing their alibis and wanting to catch killer soon and be done with the already-bad day.

As this is a Carolyn Arnold novel, it goes without saying that the storytelling is absolutely fantabulous. I am a huge fan of Carolyn Arnold's writing and the second installment of Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery; Wedding Bells Brew Murder is an excellent addition to the series.

An exciting second in the series! Sean and Sara are home from traveling. Now they have planned the wedding of Sara’s dreams. Sara’s dressed and ready to go downstairs when Darlene, the baker of the wedding cake, rushes in with a knife in her back! Of course, the wedding is on hold and the police are called to the crime scene, but Sean and Sara as ex-detectives feel they are personally involved and also need to investigate. Ryan, the detective in charge, does not welcome their interference! The list of suspects is unfortunately large, but watching everyone investigate makes for an interesting story. I received a free copy of this book and write this review voluntarily.

Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold combines police investigation and sleuthing in this story filled with humor, a murder, a wedding, and inquisitive characters. It’s Sara Cain and Sean McKinley’s wedding day. When Sara opens the bridal suite door, Darlene Day, who make the wedding cake, falls into the room with a knife in her back.

Sara and Sean were homicide detectives for Albany, New York police department until recently and can’t seem to let go of their investigative instincts. However, they’re in Sara’s nearby hometown of Cotton Spring Falls and the lead detective isn’t being cooperative when they want to do their own sleuthing. With over 400 guests, this is a closed-community center mystery instead of a closed-room mystery.

Sara is smart, independent, grounded, and has faith in humanity. Sean is more guarded and skeptical, but he’s also positive, confident, and charming. For those who read book one in the series, Magnum is back. Sara and Sean have adopted the beagle and he shows up frequently in this story.

Once again, there are multiple story arcs to follow in this novel. Why was Darlene murdered? Was this a murder of opportunity? Did the killer a history with her or did she witness something and someone else was the intended victim?

The story flows well and includes a couple of suspenseful scenes. The plot is good, but I was disturbed by the main characters’ tendency to go into crime scenes when they shouldn’t. Nevertheless, I was drawn into the investigation. One thing that stood out to me is Sara’s and Sean’s sense of purpose for finding justice for victims. How will that ultimately play out in their lives since they are no longer police detectives?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which was engaging, entertaining, and humorous. While it’s very different from the other series I have read by this author, I found the writing style relatable, vivid, and irresistible. This is the second book in the series but enough background is given that this novel can be read as a standalone.

Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc. and Carolyn Arnold provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for August 29, 2023.

This was one of the best cozy mysteries I've read. I used to watch a lot of Psych as a kid and even still and it reminds me a lot of one of those episodes. I do appreciate how it didn't take multiple chapters to get to the point and how it was constantly rolling in an accurate way. I do think having the main characters as detective was perfect.

What should have been the happiest day of Sara and Sean's lives is shattered by the murder of their wedding cake creator, Darlene Day.
The case is further complicated by events at the venue, and a teasing array of red herrings, that lead to multiple suspects being considered by the investigating officers. But whodunit?

A shocking denouement and deadly danger for our favourite sleuths and faithful beagle, Magnum, ends with a HEA for our duo, but to get the full story, grab a copy of Wedding Bells Brew Murder by the multi-talented Queen of the Murder-Mystery-Thriller, Carolyn Arnold, today!

Wedding Bells Brew Murder by Carolyn Arnold is the 2nd book in her Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery series. I am a big fan of Carolyn Arnold, having read all her different series; and I am happy to say I have been enjoying Sara and Sean Cozy Mysteries.

Sara and Sean are getting married, with Sara, her mother, and bridesmaids ready to move out of the dressing room, when Darlene, the wedding cake baker pushes through the door. She stumbles and collapses, with a knife in her back, crying “icing” and dies. Of course, the wedding is now on hold, with 400 guests locked in the venue, while the police arrive and begin their investigation.

Sara and Sean decide to do some of their own investigation, since it was their wedding and the victim was a friend. The detective in charge, Ryan, who used to work with Sara, was very belligerent, threatening them to be arrested, if they tried to do their own sleuthing. In time, Ryan and his partner agree to let them help with the investigations, especially with so many suspects. Darlene, it seems had enemies, since a company was pushing to sell her bakery to them, and many townsfolk wanted her to sell, so that it will help promote the town better. We learn that another person was also out to hurt Sean from a past case. Who poisoned the icing on the wedding cake? Who killed Darlene and was the person trying to kill Sean part of the murder?

There were so many suspects, with Sara and Sean looking at every angle; Darlene’s niece, Mercer the bad guy after Sean, Bakery company owner who wanted her to sell, a wedding crasher and other suspects along the way. I really loved Sara and Sean together, as they made such a great couple. I adored their dog, Magnum (a beagle), and their ex-Sargent, Jimmy was a great help.

What follows is an exciting, suspenseful, entertaining, and fun story. Both Sara and Sean manage to find a number clues with some twists, that will help find the real killer. To say too much more would be spoilers, especially with so many suspects that keep you on the edge of your seat. Wedding Bells Brew Murder was a wonderful murder mystery, in a small town, dangerous killers, as well as a fun romance. Wedding Bells Brew Murder was very well written by Carolyn Arnold. This is a fun series, which I suggest you start to read with the first book.

A light, fast, cozy mystery that is perfect for relaxing with on a weekend .
What can go wrong on the day of your wedding? Well, with Sara and Sean you just know it will be something exciting.
Loved the continuation in the series. Sara, Sean and puppy dog, Magnum, make a great team.
Please read the first book in the series so you know the background to the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book wasn’t for me. First things first - I missed that this was the second book in a series (my fault), but that didn’t turn out to be a problem. There were mentions of what happened in book one and I was still able to follow the storyline. Sadly, the whole of the book was way too clinical and cold for me. I couldn’t quite warm up to the characters (there was way too much talk about how perfect they were and I missed seeing some of their flaws and/or weaknesses) and there was way too little emotion in the ongoing dealings. On top of that I often found them to be quite rude. What bothered me most was that one of the story’s premises (the cake being poisoned) didn’t show up until 70% unto the story, which left me restless. If it’s this big of a plot twist, why put it into the blurb? I did like the animal companion (go Magnum!), but other than that sadly didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.