Honestly this was not for me. It was interesting to a point but the writing felt very unfinished and juvenile. I could see where it was trying to go, but it didn’t make it there. The beginning felt stronger than the rest but the characters quickly became unlikable and some of the dialogue was truly cringeworthy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

🇺🇸 Set in Colorado, USA
POV: We follow the intertwined lives of a bride marrying into a wealthy family and an FBI agent attending the wedding. Told through first-person narration.

Mood Reading Match Up:
-A murder mystery with soap opera style romance and friendship drama
-Simplistic crime fiction with a touch of FBI procedural elements
-Commentary on father-daughter relationships and the darker aspects of inheritance

—
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕
✏️ Writing: The writing is simplistic, bordering on corny. The plot shows promise but is hindered by a writing style that lacks depth and consistency. Sometimes it tries to be deep and symbolic, other times over-the-top campy, suddenly switching to attempts at gritty sexy crime noir. It read juvenile and clumsy.

🫥 Characters: The characters feel one-dimensional and are reminiscent of outdated made-for-TV-movies. Their interactions and decision-making processes are frustratingly inconsistent. Also, some characters end up having crazy personality swings and to me, it totally flopped.
We also have an FBI agent that would have long ago been fired for incompetence. Amateur sleuth kids from cozy mysteries have had more sense!

🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting fails to stand out, with minimal effort to bring the story’s location to life. Descriptions are basic, lacking the detail to truly set the scene. We have an iconic hotel but it may as well have been set in the Best Western down the street. I’ve gotten more atmosphere from image alt tags.

🔥 Fuel: The murder mystery is straightforward with an obvious suspect. The plot revolves around uncovering the truth and feels heavy-handed in its execution.

🐢🐇 Pacing: The story’s progression feels stagnant, with repetitive internal debates and a lack of substantial development. The ending feels contrived, reminiscent of a rushed conclusion to a grade school creative writing project.

🎬 Scenes: There’s so much about this story that does not ring true and not in a fun over-the-top/satirical way either. It’s like the author took long breaks within chapters and came back forgetting what they wrote. We get disjointed transitions in dialogue and description, sometimes right in the middle of paragraphs.

🤷‍♀️ Problematics:
The book’s portrayal of relationships, mental illness, and social dynamics feels outdated and cringeworthy. I'm not talking about a few characters who are supposed to be cringey or have controversial opinions either...the narrative is peppered with problematic views on gender roles and body image, contributing to an overall sense of discomfort (not the good kind).

—
Overall, “The Wedding Party” offers a basic murder mystery but is marred by simplistic writing and outdated character dynamics. It might suit readers looking for a light, uncomplicated read but falls short in delivering a nuanced or engaging narrative.

Content Heads-Up: Sexual content (consenting). Murder. Blood. Potential false accusation. Personality disorders/pathologies. Fatphobia.
Rep: Centers around white American characters, with a focus on a female law enforcement figure.

Format: Digital copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley (I received an advance review copy at no cost and am leaving this review voluntarily.)

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”

This book was not for me. I couldn't get into the writing of this one so i couldn't be invested in the story as I normally am. The premise was great but didn't like any of the characters. I think this might work for other readers but it wasn't for me.

I thought it was decent it but didn’t love it. The beginning of the story drew me in right away and I thought this is going to be good and I’ll finish it quickly but sadly the story lost its luster and I found that I was getting bored at parts with the repetitiveness. The ending wrapped up way too quickly and left questions unanswered (like where was the murder weapon?!)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this ARC for my honest review.

The Wedding Party
By Lisa Renee Jones

I was just a little confused at the couple of chapters in the beginning (it all makes sense later though) so I was a little unsure until about Chapter 3 or 4. But, then I became engrossed. The plot was interesting, the twists started coming and for me as someone that has an interest in how crimes are solved and forensics I was interested in how the story unfolded.

We have Carrie and Oliver and engaged couple, Oliver comes from wealth and Carrie from a career-driven family when they invite their friends to a bachelor/bachelorette party and then someone ends up dead.

Everyone becomes a potential suspect but since the groom-to-be is the victim all eyes are on Carrie, a caring, sweet ER nurse but no one can see her killing Oliver but as the scrutiny comes full circle all the facts seem to point to Carrie.

From here we go through her grief and trying to help Carrie remember what really happened that night and without giving away any spoilers the real twisty ride begins. I thought I knew what happened so many times and then at the end I was “mind blown”. This was the first book I’ve read by Lisa Renee Jones but I am definitely going to check out her other titles. I give this book 4 stars!

Carrie and Oliver will be getting married soon. Oliver gets a box delivered to the house and he opens the box and is shocked by the contents. Carrie asks about the box but he will not reveal the contents of the box. This part of the story seemed to drag out to finally tell you what is in the box. Oliver keeps saying he is upset about a deal at work but the author didn’t portray well what was going through Oliver’s head or what was really going on.

Then at the party before the wedding a murder takes place. An FBI agent just happens to be at the party and leads the investigation. There were a lot of things that just didn’t fit in the story and made it so I didn’t love the book. It was entertaining just very far fetched.

Book Title: The Wedding Party
Author: L.R. Jones (aka Lisa Renee Jones)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 13, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars!
Pages: 327

The prologue opens six months ago when Elsa Ward is returning from her dog Moxy’s morning walk. She glances down and sees a white box with a big red ribbon on it – she is shocked at what is inside. Later Joe a neighbor finds Moxy running loose; when he returns the dog, Elsa doesn’t answer. He steps in and finds she has been attacked.

Carrie Reynolds and Oliver Phoenix are hosting a lavish pre-wedding party at the in Colorado's Stanley Hotel.
Carrie is an ER nurse and has invited work friends and a plus one who is FBI agent Andi Castle.
Prior to departing for their wedding party, Oliver also receives a white box with a red ribbon, the contents of which he does not disclose to Carrie,
Sure enough there is a murder.
Carrie and Oliver seem to have everything going for them. However, the murder makes it clear that there are secrets and someone is killing to keep hidden

I checked reviews before starting this and was discouraged by the DNF and the poor reviews.
I was curious about the boxes and the connection. So was willing to give the story a try.

It really was more involved that I expected. I debated with myself about whodunit.

About the author: Lisa Renee Jones writes dark edgy stories. She and her husband live in Colorado. They have a cat and a dog. The cat is chatty and the golden retriever is afraid of her own bark.
I love knowing more about her. I certainly hope she will include Andi Castle and her dad in another story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 20, 2024.

"The Wedding Party" by L.R. Jones is a psychological thriller revolving around a pre-wedding party gone wrong. The premise sounded promising, so I decided to give it a shot.

Carrie, a nurse, is engaged to Oliver, a successful businessman. They decided to combine their bachelor/bachelorette party and host it at the Historic Stanley Hotel located in Estes Park, Colorado. Lana, a good friend of the bride, invites FBI profiler Andi to come with her as her plus one, and after much hesitation, Andi accepts. She needs a break after all from her last case and from the constant references to her father, who was kicked out of the police force and opened his own agency. He is called Frank Castle, no less (is taking the name of the character Punisher even legal?). The plot thickens when a murder is committed at that weekend getaway. As Andi starts digging, curious tidbits pop up, befuddling the investigation.

The book opens with a bang, a murder that took place six months previously, then fast-forwards to the present. The book is written in the first-person POV, alternating between Carrie and Andi. I didn't connect to any of the characters, and some of Andi's methods of investigation made me raise an eyebrow. I liked the wink to the Punisher, but it seems odd to name a character after a TV series character. Also, to nickname a serial murderer 'Spiderman' seems a bit too much.

While this story has a lot of potential and is certainly entertaining, it does have its flaws. There were some plot holes - it wasn't clear why Oliver was bothered by Andy's presence at the party, for example, and the ending felt a bit abrupt, leaving me wishing for more closure.

I liked the dynamics between Andi and her father, but him calling her "daughter" all the time seems a bit strange. No one calls his daughter "daughter" while conversing with her. It doesn't ring true. Also, the repeated references to her father's conduct and to her being an FBI agent were redundant. We got it, she is an FBI agent, and he is like the Punisher. No need to rub it in our faces. Also, the writing was a bit stilted at times, and some of the dialogue didn't flow or feel natural.

Overall, I enjoyed the book despite it all. The execution of it was perhaps a bit lax in places, but I still enjoyed the journey and can forgive its flaws. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer, although I had my suspicions, and there were some interesting twists to the story I didn't see coming.

While I wasn't completely captivated by the tale, I wasn't bored by it either. I think the book does have potential, and straightening out its kinks will make this a better read. Until then, I rate the book 3.5 out of 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for some light reading in this genre. Just don't come with high expectations.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for the chance to read and give an honest review. I didn't like this book very much. There was a compelling set up with a bachelor/bachelorette party at the Stanley Hotel for newlyweds Carrie and Oliver; the next morning, there's a murder. Thankfully an FBI agent is part of the group at the hotel and can help solve the crime.

After that, this book is a mess. An editor will probably catch some of the errors. For example, the groom's sister says she owns a gun, then the next page says she doesn't own a gun. In another case, a lawyer wears a pink shirt that changes to red in the next scene. Not to mention there are many threads that don't make much sense (Elsa's box) or are introduced super late in the game (Morrow). I also found the ending to be flat and feed into stereotypes about mental illness.

It was a quick read, but the book itself caused me to give lots of eye rolls. However, if you like James Patterson books - with quick chapters, descriptions of outfits, and cringe-y dialogue about how one doesn't "fight like a girl", then you might enjoy!

𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐝.

2.5 stars rounded up. Based on the synopsis, I thought the focus would be more on the infamous Stanley Hotel, but instead, it was only mentioned at the beginning of the book. So if the plot could have happened at any hotel, why even mention the Stanley?

Carrie and Oliver are getting married, and friends and family gather at the hotel to celebrate the upcoming nuptials. FBI Agent Andi Castle isn't known to the bride or groom, but she's conveniently invited as a plus one of a friend. That was the first thing that just didn't make sense. Andi's character, especially her relationship with her father, was just strange, and I didn't enjoy reading any scene that featured those two.

When Oliver is found dead in his hotel room and Carrie is found cowering, covered in blood, it's a race to uncover who killed Oliver and why. I will admit that I had no idea who the culprit was, but the reveal was over the top and almost cartoonish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this early read. THE WEDDING PARTY will publish February 20, 2024.

save the date everyone!!! you will all want to read this!! so interesting and so fun to read!! if you like mystery you will love this book, would totally recommend to everyone.

I'm sorry, I can't read this. I literally can't make myself pick up this... this thing. It is SO badly written. The characters are SO terrible. Everything just feels off, like this is set in some Twilight Zone-y Other Dimension, one where plain girls with a heart of gold doing nursing work on a children's ward (where else, I ask you) snatch themselves millionaire bachelors who bonk them on "a comfortable mattress" (seriously) before leaving them notes saying, "I didn't want to wake you. I have to close up this deal I'm working on. Work now, play together soon. I can't wait to call you my wife." Who talks/writes like that?!? And if he's so busy with this deal or whatever, how does he spend half an hour writing some douchy note?

DNF@5% (new record) and deleted this from my Kindle. Life's too short for dross that should have stayed self-published (also for stuff set loose upon this unsuspecting world by Amazon Publishing, which I'll steer clear of from now on).
My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC; the "Read Now" button should have given me pause. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book. When I was reading this book kept me on my toes. I was blown away by all the plot twists.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

I really enjoy reading wedding thrillers so I thought this would be the perfect book to read. As it turns out it is the perfect wedding thriller. I enjoyed reading this book and could not put this book down.

This book has so many mysteries .. like why does a 300 page book have 92 chapters? If you are able to look past that and the other plot holes and unanswered character motives, it’s actually a quick read.

The story focuses on Andi, AN FBI AGENT (this is mentioned on virtually every page), as she attends the joint bachelor/bachelorette party of a friend of a friend. There is weird vibes but Andi looks past it … until a murder is committed. She works to catch the killer as secrets are revealed and the other guest’s true characters are revealed.

This is the kind of book that I would recommend to someone who wants a quick easy vacation read, you definitely don’t want to think too analytically about this book because it falls apart fast. This book could’ve benefited from either having less red herrings or more pages, to clean up some the murkiness.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up
Detective novel
Carrie and Oliver are getting married.
Is it wedding jitters, or is Oliver acting differently than usual
A strange box that he doesn't want to discuss arrives at the doorstep, and suddenly, he's working late at his tech firm trying to close a deal. The bridal party meets at a lodge for wedding activities, and yet Oliver is still acting out of sorts
Then Oliver ends up dead
Carrie is found hiding and covered in Oliver's blood. Did she kill him? She couldn't have. He is the man of her dreams
Agent Castle was invited to the wedding activities through a mutual friend of Carrie's. Now she finds herself on the case of who has killed Oliver and why

Carrie and Oliver are the ideal couple; sweet and caring Carrie who met her perfect match in the tall, dark, and handsome Oliver. Their wedding is all set, and their joint bachelor/bachelorette parties start off without a hitch. All until someone is killed and party guest, and FBI profiler, Andi Castle starts to uncover their secrets.

I don't normally read murder mystery/investigative thriller type novels, but I'm pretty happy I read this! Jones does a fantastic job with the way she set up the different POVs. The characters were decent and the ending was good, I wasn't expecting a few of the twists. I genuinely would read a prequel/sequel about Andi or her father, they're both so badass and hot.

*projected release date- February 19th 2024*
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC!

▪️𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪 𝘗𝘖𝘝
▪️𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳／𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺
▪️𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭
▪️𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵

this book is a psychologically charged whodunit following FBI Agent Andi, bride-to-be Carrie, and a few flashbacks to piece together this puzzling murder. FMC Carrie was so intriguing to me with her messy past, her secretive current life, i loved following her story. thank you for the author for the eARC via Netgalley for exchange of review.

Well paced mystery that grabbed me early on and kept me guessing. Didn't like the characters much. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

The pacing in this was good for the first 2/3 or so then got a bit wacky. The ending felt very rushed and not well fleshed out through the novel. Kinda felt like it was more for shock value than anything. I also wish Andi’s backstory played a bigger role - it made me wonder if this was a series (or the start of one) that follows her and her dad.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.