This is one wedding party I would not want to be at, although the venue would be interesting. This was a fast paced, page turner, with short chapters that left you needing more. I couldn’t help but keep reading into the night.

A joint bachelor/ bachelorette party at the infamous Stanley House. A haunted house and also where Stephen King wrote The Shining. FBI agent Andi Castle has just solved a major case and agrees to be a plus one just to get away. But it seems that murder follows her, as the morning after the big party, the from to be is found dead, and the bride to be is covered in his blood.

I loved the character of Andi, and her father, the rouge police officer. Their banter and humour gave the story a great twist.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on February 20th

Thank you NetGalley and L.R Jones for the opportunity to ARC read The Wedding Party.

I was instantly hooked into this story. I love a modern day murder mystery, especially when there is a wedding involved (don't ask why, I don't know why). I enjoyed the setting in the Haunted Hotel for an extra spooky vibe and overall I had a really good time reading this.

I spent the entire time jotting down theory's, and although I didn't guess exactly what happened, I did guess who the killer was but also didn't find it TOO obvious. I will say the twist overall was a tad underwhelming, but the author did a great job at giving lots of red herrings in order to keep you guessing and theorizing.

The writing style was a bit repetitive and the dialogue was a tad cheesy, but those aren't factors that usually affect my enjoyment too much, and I had a really good time reading this story overall! I would recommend it to thriller lovers, and especially to people newly into the genre, as it's an easy read and an easy book to make theories about, which is a huge part of the fun. Overall I give this book 3.5 stars!

The Wedding Party by L. R. Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Oliver and Carrie are set to be married, they go all out and take all of their closest friends and wedding party to the Stanley Hotel (The Shining) for a combo bachelorette/bachelor party. When the groom turns up brutally murdered, the investigation begins.
A fun little psychological thriller that will have you wanting to read straight through to the end.

OK, the twists and turns in this? Definitely had me on the edge of my seat! It makes me never want to go on a bachelorette trip again, yet simultaneously would kill to be on this one. Ha! OK, not quite. But the characters were likable, and I was hooked after each chapter! There were parts that did feel a bit jumbled, and too fast paced? Left me wanting more. But overall, the plot definitely had me hooked!

Wow! This was a twisty, fun read. It was a book where I thought I had it all figured out and then there was another twist that sent me back to guessing. I enjoyed the short chapters, felt like the book flew by and I would finish a chapter and think "just one more, they are short." The dual point of view told the story from both main characters perspectives. and really enhanced the story.

Carrie and Oliver seem like the perfect couple, they are about to be married and are hosting a joint bachelor/bachelorette part at the historic and haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Co. But Oliver has seemed off and secretive since receiving a box wrapped with a red ribbon. Carrie is determined to figure out what was in the box and who sent it to him. Andi Castle does not know Carrie and Oliver but is attending the party as the plus one of a school friend that has just moved back to Colorado. Andi is an FBI agent that is looking forward to getting away and not working. Unfortunately Andi ends up on a case she never expected, the death of Oliver. What happened? And why is Carrie covered in blood and hiding? The more questions Andi asks the more complicated things become. What happened? How killed Oliver? What is the connection to the box?

First of all thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity for read this arc!

The concept of the book had a lot of potential but it was poorly executed. The characters were not very relatable or likable. The book was very repetitive and took a while to get anywhere halfway entertaining.

The book was kind of all over the place and contradicted itself several times. Unfortunately it was sloppy and boring in several parts. I read it pretty quickly just because I wanted to get to the end and move on.

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read The Wedding Party by L. R. Jones. I've been craving a thriller and this book satisfied . that craving. The twist and turns were beautifully done.

I’ve been reading mysteries, psychological thrillers and true crime novels since I was a preteen, so when I received the opportunity to read this one, I was very excited.
Without giving anything away, the storyline is overall gripping and keeps you guessing. It is quite literally a mindfuck- until you get to the end. Perhaps for someone that doesn’t know true crime as well, this will be a great read but it fell a little flat for me.
I would certainly take a chance on reading another book from the author, and appreciated the chance to read The Wedding Party.

I liked this book and it kept me engaged throughout, but for me it did feel like it lacked a lot of finesse. The quality of writing wasn't amazing and it felt as though little research went into the role and personality of an FBI agent. It constantly referred back to Andi's dad, and the Castle way. Which just felt unneeded and brought down the general feel of the story.

“But I’m missing something that’s staring me in the face.”

Oliver & Carrie are in love. The engaged couple plans their duo bachelor & bachelorette party together. Everything is perfect…but a box, a mix of passion, revenge, & a knife leaves someone dead. Lucky for them Agent Castle is on the scene and will stop at nothing to bring justice to the surface one lead at a time.

This book was AWESOME. Super fun thriller & truly kept me guessing right up until the very end. I did not expect that ending, it left me SPEECHLESS. I thought I had it figured out & I kept getting proven wrong over & over again! I loved the two points of view between Agent Castle & the prime suspect. This was my first read my L.R. Jones & certainly not my last.

This books is a super easy read & also grabs your attention quickly which I think is absolutely necessary in any thriller/mystery novel.

Thank you L.R. Jones & her team for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Wedding Party is set to release February 20th, 2024.

This book was rather frustrating, mainly because I don’t think that it is ready for this point in the publication process. It really needs to spend some more time with an editor. For example, clothing changing colors during the same scene, or changing types. The whole book is ripe with inconsistencies that it is just very frustrating as a reader. I understand that this version is an ARC, however, this reads more like a beta version.

Then perhaps a bigger issue is the cringe worthiness in the writing. Calling an elderly lady, a bimbo right at the start was the first red flag and this was minor compared to the others. There was talk about how the petite main character had “pudding pads” on her hips and how she could always stand to lose a few pounds. Then there was the character who was portrayed as having her life over because she was newly divorced at 32. Another one that stood out was the main character not believing that her fiancée’s assistant was gay because she was attractive. And all of this was in the first 15% of the book. It was a lot to take in, and just too much for me.

I wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t the right book for me and I did not finish it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant whodunit story with brilliant characters and an fbi agents search for the truth. Lots of secrets revealed and unraveled. Great story xx

I was pretty captivated reading this one and I enjoyed the short-length. I was disappointed in the amount of plot holes and in the ending. But I loved the multiple POVs and the beginning had me hooked immediately !

I think this could be a 4-4.5 stars if the plot holes, ending, and some repetition of character lines could be sorted through more!

Wow, that was an intense read ! First book I read from this author. I thought it would be a long book, but I was hooked since the beginning. The twists kept coming left and right, even when I thought I got it all figured out. I hope there will be more following agent Castle !

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this book! I wish the end was a little longer. I felt like it wrapped up too fast. I wanted to know more about Carrie’s dad and more about Lana’s comments and the whole thing.

It was a good mystery & I could vividly see in my head Carrie in the hospital and what that whole space looked like.

The haunted hotel was very easy for me to picture! We have one near us, the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas & it helped me vision this entire book!!! The detail was wonderful.

I also wanted more information about Brody. Can this be a series? Lol

This was gifted to me by Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book, based on the description. But I was unable to finish it. I was bored and it did not give what it could have given. I would not recommend this one unfortunately.

Some of the characters weren’t very believable but I still was rooting for everyone! I was sucked in immediately too.

This was a hard one for me to review. I really wanted to like it I've liked other books my this author but this one felt like it was written by a first time author. It felt very repetitive with the same things said over and over especially about the character of Andi and about being an FBI agent and all her issues with her father. The general concept of the mystery was good but just didn't feel like it was well executed that being said I was surprised by some of the twists and did want to see how the book turned out. Rated this 2.5 rounded up to 3 want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Even though the book was a page turner and featured an appealing protagonist, I cannot recommend this book. Despite the many twists, there were far too many plot holes and dubious motivations, as well as a rushed and to me an unsatisfying ending

What a wild ride ! I loved the pace of the book - a couple surprises and twists - this unfolded in the most fantastic way - I haven’t read this Author before , would definitely read again , 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️