A fast-paced mystery with plenty of action and colorful characters.
Thank you to Jennie Marts, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of KILL OR BEE KILLED (Book 2 of the Bee Keeping Mystery series) by Jennie Marts in exchange for an honest review. It’s time for the annual Bee Festival, which means it’s an opportunity for Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch to shine. This year, the festival’s bake-off has drawn the attention of Hollywood, so a television crew is present to film the competition. When the celebrity host is murdered, Bailey’s best friend becomes the number one suspect and the Bee Festival’s success is endangered. So, Bailey, Granny Bee, and Granny Bee’s swarm of senior associates fly into action. They must save both Evie and the Bee Festival!

I liked this book and the first in the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring apiaries, honey, sassy grannies, senior sleuths, precocious children.

#KillorBeeKilled #NetGalley

Humble Hills, a charming town nestled in the heart of Colorado, is abuzz with anticipation as the annual Bee Festival approaches. Sponsored by Bailey’s Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch, this event promises a delightful weekend filled with festivities.

Picture this: a beauty pageant where local talents grace the stage, vying for the coveted title of Bee Queen. Meanwhile, seasoned experts conduct beekeeping demonstrations, revealing the fascinating world of these industrious insects. Culinary wizards battle it out in the local restaurant bake-off, creating sweet treats infused with the golden nectar of the bees. And don’t miss the heart-warming spectacle of the 3K Bear Run, where participants don bear costumes and sprint through the scenic hills.

But wait, there’s a twist! The bake-off takes centre stage, attracting a California TV crew eager to capture every flour-dusted moment. And then, tragedy strikes. The celebrity host, clutching her bracelet, meets an untimely demise. Suspicion falls squarely on Bailey’s best friend, Evie. Now, Bailey, Granny Bee, and their quirky gang of senior misfits embark on a mission to exonerate Evie.

Enter Sheriff Sawyer Dunn, who isn’t thrilled about Bailey’s amateur sleuthing. But Bailey won’t rest until she uncovers the truth, saves the cherished Bee Festival, and protects her loyal bestie.

This book had all the ingredients to be an astonishing book: a mystery, a strong sense of friendship and a captivating scenery. With such big expectations, it could have been easy to be let down by the novel. However, this could not be further from the truth. The characters were loveable, and you could easily empathise with them. The mystery was a REAL mystery. You really did not know who was the killer, and the hints slowly pointed you in the right directions at the same times as the characters followed the clues. Finally, the location felt like a believable cute little town I would love to visit.

The only aspect that felt a bit off was the daughter of the main character, Daisy. I sensed that she spoke like an adult, even though she was supposed to be a pre-teen. However, this small detail was not an obstacle to enjoy the cosy mystery novel.

Kill or Bee Killed was such a delightful read. I finished it and wanted to read it again.

Love the overall storyline, characters, and ending.

Can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this book. I think the BeeHive book club is great! I liked how the story is done, it flows fast but doesn’t scrimp on the characters. I felt like I knew all of them. The reasoning behind much that happens is realistical and believable. #KillorBeeKilled #NetGalley

Sizzles with snappy dialogue, action, and humor! I loved it! Thirty year old, Bailey Briggs is a mystery author living on Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch with her sweet Granny Bee (Blossom), in the Rocky Mountains. Along with her best friend, Evie, Bailey finds herself in all kinds of wacky situations! Sheriff Sawyer Dunn is Bailey’s romantic interest and he knows she is a lot to handle! She’s a single mom with a 12-year old daughter, Daisy, and their golden retriever, Cooper. Granny Bee’s in a book club—The Hive—and the members are a sassy bunch! Bailey’s Great Aunts Marigold and Aster are fun and feisty women; always up to a challenge.

When a murder occurs at the Annual Bee Festival, Evie is one of the top suspects. Of course, Bailey knows she’s innocent, and puts her sleuthing skills to work to expose the real murderer, helped by The Hive, family, and various acquaintances.

Humor galore throughout the story! The Great Aunts enter the Miss Honeybuzz Beauty Pageant, and it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious! The victim has a grim past, an alias, and knew some locals that he didn’t let on to—the question is, whodunnit? The author skillfully drops clues to help readers follow the premeditation—or is it to throw you off the real trail?

Prepare to be entertained! With an intriguing and amazing cast of colorful characters, Author Jennie Marts creates another 5 Star cozy mystery. I highly recommend this story and the first book in A Beekeeping Mystery series.

I honestly reviewed an unedited digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been on a mystery kick since the new year has started and have really been enjoying the books I’ve picked up. I’m glad I picked this one up. I love Bailey and the rest of her entourage.

I love these characters! Bailey is clever and smart. There’s a few red herrings. It’s a fun book I adore Bailey’s grandmother and aunts. There a lot of funny scenes. I liked following along the clues. The characters are colorful. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

3.5 Star read.
This book is a witty, cozy murder mystery that is part of a series (this being book 2). Bailey and Evie are best friends that solve their small town mysteries with the help of friends and family. I found the story to be well written (for this genre) and the characters pretty well developed. This being the 2nd in the series and not having read to 1st book, I felt I caught on to who the characters are and did not feel I missed anything not having read the 1st book. I enjoyed the homey feel of the setting and was kept guessing who the killer was until close to the end. One thing to note, the author leaves you hanging at the end, as a precursor to the next book. Overall: a nice light mystery read, perfect to cuddle up with on these cold winter nights. So grab your tea and a blanket and enjoy the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #KillorBeeKilled

Another great book in this cozy mystery series. Daisy and crew are running the Bee Festival, complete with beauty pageant, delicious food, vendors, and a cook off. When the host of the cook off, a famous TV cooking show is found killed, evidence points to Evie, Daisy's Best Friend. So the Hive, AKA Grandma and Great Aunts , put their heads together to solve the murder.
Love the characters - both fun and real. The plot was captivating from the beginning. Highly recommend if you are looking for an enjoyable cozy mystery.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The second book in the Bailey Briggs series is a hit! The Town Festival celebrating all thing honey is off with a bang when the tv host brought in to emcee the cookoff is found dead. Bailey, Evie, Grannie Bee, and the gang are hot on the trail if the killer. I love the small town, the eccentric characters, and chemistry between Bailey and Sawyer. Can’t wait for the next installment!

Bailey Briggs is one of my favorite cozy mystery characters - she's smart, funny, relatable and kind. This mystery finds Bailey and Granny Bee in the middle of murder during Humble Hills, Colorado popular Bee Festival. A beauty pagaent, delicious food and beekeeping demonstrations are just a small part of the busy weekend. A television crew will be taping the festival. When Evie, Bailey's best friend, is accused of murdering the celebrity emcee, Bailey and Granny are on the case.

Not only is Bailey a favorite, but the quirky and lovable supporting characters are wonderfully written. If you haven't read the first mystery, you can easily catch up with the characters. However, I recommend visiting Humble Hills for a great cozy mystery!

The opinions expressed in this review are my own and I received an ARC from NetGalley.

The characters and plot in this book are zany and over-the-top, but in a fun way. Besides murder, lots of humorous things happen, which I enjoy. And a cooking/baking show? Yes, please! From scene to scene, the story carries me along. One thing I don't love, though, is the fact that the honey company is Bailey's grandma's thing. Bailey is supposedly a mystery author? But her own vocation hardly ever even comes up. And when it does, she says dumb things like, "I'm learning a ton about how to actually process a crime scene." Writers do so much research. I feel like this series would be stronger if Bailey's own career were more of a centerpiece than the honeymaking--or if Bailey herself were part of the honey company. That way we'd have more depth to her character and more details about some world. I'd give this one 3-1/2 stars.

Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was entertaining as a cozy mystery. Bailey and Evie were fun and likeable characters. Their clumsiness makes like them even more likeable.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery or needs a little break between more heavily intense reads.
This is book two of a series, but I was able to pick up the characters stories quickly without having read the first one.
My only flaw (and this may sound like nitpicking) is the use of "Darlin". It is used by Sawyer, the cowboy sheriff, as a term of endearment but it did not seem to fit with the rest of his vocabulary.
All in all, I enjoyed the read. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book. My review is my personal opinions and I was not compensated in any way for this review.

The second installment in the Bee Keeping mystery series. Bailey Briggs has stayed in Humble Hills to live with her Granny Bee along with her daughter Daisy. Granny Bee and the “hive” are all working to finalize all the details of the upcoming bee festival. One of the events in the upcoming festival is a cook-off and Evie is hoping to be on of the final three finalists. The cook-off is being filmed and hosted by celebrity Rex Rafferty who is a TV show host. Rex is high maintenance and he has been hitting on Evie as soon as she is announced as a finalist. When Evie rebuffs Rex and threatens him if he gets out of line again it comes as no surprise that when he is found dead on day three of the competition, she becomes a top suspect. Bailey and Sawyer seem like they are getting close to be an official couple again but this puts a dent in it when she and Evie along with the whole gang work to find clues to prove Evie’s innocence. This was a solid mystery with a lot of emotion. The relationships of all the characters are what makes this mystery so special. The ending has a cliff hanger so I can’t wait for the next installment. Highly recommend.

Release Date: June 4, 2024
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Humble Hills, Colorado, is abuzz with excitement over the upcoming annual Bee Festival, sponsored by Bailey’s Granny Bee and the Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch. The long weekend of festivities includes a beauty pageant, beekeeping demonstrations, a local restaurant bake-off, and a 3K Bear Run where all the participants are dressed as bears. The bake-off brings in a television crew from California to film, so it’s the most drama-filled part of the weekend, especially when the famous celebrity host winds up dead. Evie is suspected of the murder–and Bailey is quickly on the hunt for clues to clear Evie’s name, alongside Granny Bee and the hive. Sheriff Sawyer Dunn, is none too pleased to have Bailey buzzing around the investigation, but Bailey’s determined to uncover the truth, rescue her grannie’s beloved Bee Festival, and save her bestie.
They say you get more flies with honey, but in this case, more honey may mean you end up dead.

#killorbeekilled is the second book in the #beekeepingmystery series. This series is less cozy than most cozy mysteries and this book is no exception. Granny Bee, the hive, Daisy, Sawyer and Griff all return only this time Baileys Bestie is the only in bee-ig trouble! I love Evie and having her be the murder suspect was kind of hilarious. We get a lot more background on the characters and it was a bit heartbreaking. I’m really enjoying this series even though so far the killers have been very easy to guess! I’d recommend as a nice beach read this summer!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#killorbeekilled #abeekeepingmystery
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Another enjoyable story in this series. Easily read and entertaining . Granny Bee and her super sleuth friends are a hoot! Humor, emotional moments, mystery and a festival that you won't forget.

I really enjoy this series. The characters are very likable . Fun storyline. I like h and h chemistry

Such an enjoyable read! Loved the characters, plot and everything about this book. Great mystery! Love the fact that the recipes mentioned in the book are at the back of the book. One of the best I have read this year! Can't wait for the rest of the series.

*4.3 ⭐️*
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bailey Briggs is a mystery novelist living in the town of Humble Hills, Colorado. The town’s annual Bee Festival is in full swing when disaster strikes: a body is found. And to make matters worse, Bailey’s best friend Evie is one of the suspects.

TW: sexual assault (first and second hand accounts), firearms, death by drowning, murder, bullying (told by someone who witnessed it)

I didn’t realize that this book was the second in a series, and although there were some references to what might have been the first book’s plot, I found that this book might work as a standalone. But I still plan on checking out the first book.

I am a fan of mystery and thriller, and this book did not disappoint. The idea of there being more than one side to every story rings true here. It was insightful to see all the different testimonies and try to piece them together, and I felt a sense of satisfaction when something big was revealed.

I loved the characters, and it makes me glad that there’s another book, so this gang’s adventures aren’t limited to this one. But that cliffhanger makes me wonder if there will be a third book? I wouldn’t mind that at all.