The Sip and Spin record store is in trouble, financially, and an outside investor wants to purchase 51% of the store. The Jessup sisters aren't interested. Next thing you know, the investor is killed right outside the shop.

Olivia Blacke brings us another light-hearted cozy about Juni and her sisters. There's a lot of coffee shop slash music puns, some romance, and some bodies dumped in the river. Juni can't stay away from any of it. Daffy the shop cat plays a bigger role in this book, which is always a plus. Cedar River has its share of memorable characters for being a one-stoplight town. I want to come visit!

Juni Jessup is taking in her first hockey game with an entrepreneur who wants to invest in her family’s business. While her sisters have no interest in an investor, Juni figures there’s no harm and taking them up on attending her first hockey game.

Later that night, after the game, a huge storm blows into town. While Tansey and Juni head to their record shop to batten down the hatches, a car crashes into the back of their truck which is parked in front of the store. The passenger of the car, who happens to be the entrepreneur from earlier that evening, is killed in the accident and Juni becomes a suspect.

With other local businesses, who had taken the man on as an investor, Juni hears, mixed stories of and failure. But who could’ve wanted the man dead, and how did they leverage a storm to make it happen? That’s exactly what Juni and her sisters aimed to find out. but can they solve the mystery or will the music die?

Tansey, Maggie and Juni are their sisters I would’ve loved to had. It is both the mystery and the progression of their personal lives that keep me coming back for more.

Juni, along with her sisters Maggie and Tansy, are back as the owner/operators of Sip and Spin, an independent music and coffee shop in a small Texas town. In this third mystery, Juni isn't the actual lead suspect but the victim is known to her and he's discovered outside their store in the middle of a blinding rainstorm. I enjoy this series very much but I, like some other reviewers, am very happy that Juni is maturing in her personal life and approach to problem-solving. I look forward to the next in this series.

Now that's what I call a comfort mystery. Sip and Spin feels like a second home by now. And of course it's filled with coffee puns. Chai not to laugh, y'all. But I digress, let's talk murder.

Finally Juni isn't a suspect! We also get to meet a few new characters and explore the small business scene in Cedar River which I just loved. I do want to see a bit more of Tansy and Maggie in the future books, hopefully some of the resolution in Juni's love life that we get here will help in that regard. (And I am SO happy about that love triangle drama being over). I thought Savannah's introduction was great to add some DRAMA to the story and a bit of morally gray villainry. Will we ever see the Savage Garden shirt again?? Also I found the subplots here to be really interesting! A flood, a murder, and mysterious river findings? Yes yes yes!

I honestly can't wait for the next book in the series. They're consistently adorable and just get better and better with each installment.

*Thank you to St Martin's and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series but this one was a slow read for me. I like Juni and her family and friends. But there were too many plot points that just didn’t work for me in this one. And I’m not a big fan of main characters who do stupid things and then have to be rescued by someone else.

Rhythm and Clues is the 3rd book in The Record Shop Mysteries series. The characters are likeable but the.main character Juniper (Juni) Jessup is curious and smart enough but is a.little immature. Juni and her sisters, Maggie and Tansy opened a coffee shop/record store, Sip and Spin. It is struggling but they are managing. An investor that Juni knew in college is in town and is pressuring the sisters to let them invest in Sip and Spin. One of the investors ends up dead. Juni has 2 men who like her, Beau who is a detective on the local police force and Teddy who is a mail carrier. Beau was Juni's boyfriend in high school and.college until he broke up with her. Juni and Teddy have been friends since high school. Juni needs to make a decision and choose one of the guys but she likes them both. Juni finally picks one of them but I wasn't happy with it or how it was done. The discussion with the chosen guy was very anticlimactic and could have been an opportunity to portray
her feelings for the guy. It does happen later. The mystery kept me guessing and the ending had everyone as friends which was nice. Overall I enjoyed this book and the series.

The Record Shop Mystery Series keeps getting better and better! In this one, a killer strikes during a violent storm that knocks out the power and phones. The victim is an investor who had his eyes on Sip and Spin Records and was already involved with a number of local businesses, leaving some of his new partners thrilled and others unhappy...maybe angry enough to want to do away with him? The blocked roads and lack of communication really complicate things, making this one a slightly more suspenseful than the usual cozy. It's set in a tight knit community with a bunch of likeable characters and the quirky names of the shop's coffee creations add to the fun.

I found “Rhythm and Clues”, the third book in Olivia Blacke’s Record Shop cozy mystery series to be a mixed bag.

First the good: There is actually a lot to like about the book starting with the record store setting and the three sisters that run it. The sisters are close yet each has their own unique personality (and the fact that they and their mother are named after flowers is a nice touch). The book is from Juni’s viewpoint and I love the way that the struggles of owning the record store are portrayed and I love Juni’s quirky way of dressing including music related t-shirts and colorful eyeglasses. The setup to the mystery is also well done – almost a locked room mystery as it takes place during a violent storm that ends up with roads being blocked and the town without power. There is also some nice red herrings and misdirection in the mystery.

Now the bad: First, the love triangle. I’m not sure why cozy mystery writers are so fond of love triangles but I find they distract from the mystery. The writing is a bit clunky – while I love the fact that the book features a diverse group of characters every single one is described as either Black of white – a little variation would have been nice (since this book is focused on music it could be as simple as saying one character looked like a well-known singer). Finally, while I did appreciate the twists in the mystery, I felt like there weren’t enough suspects and the identity of the killer was a bit of a surprise.

Bottom-line: A few of the things I didn’t like were wrapped up at the end of the book – I’m just not sure I want to invest my time in future books in the series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Oh I liked this one. She is dating 2 guys, living with a sister and in business with both sisters. And it's a pretty cool store. But the dead body is not a good thing. Juni and her sisters start looking for clues. I found the story to be interesting and a good surprise ending. Very good reading.

This is such a fun series. In this outing, Juni and her sisters' record shop is being pursued by an investor. The author does a great job of setting up the story and Juni's connection to the victim quickly at the very beginning. And as a Shark Tank watcher, I enjoyed the business discussions sprinkled throughout (but not overwhelmingly). As always, I like the relationships between the sisters. I'm imagining my 3 sisters and I running a small business--mercy! The mystery part is well plotted, and I am overjoyed that Juni finally makes her decision re Teddy or Beau! I didn't really mind which one she chose--I just wanted the hand-wringing to be over. I like where this story ends up. The murder is solved, it makes sense, and Juni is entering a new phase of adulting. Go, Juni! I look forward to the next book!

I have been provided with a review copy of Rhythm and Clues from NetGalley for an impartial review. Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

Wow! What a start to Rhythm and Clues, the best book so far in the delightful Record Shop Mysteries series by Olivia Blacke. I love all three sisters: Juni, Maggie, and Tansey and drool over both Beau and Teddy. The interaction among them and is entertaining and feels real and their kindness is lovely but is balanced out with a little Texas attitude. That taste of the Austin, Texas area doesn't hurt either. From the storm of the century, not really but you know how that feels, to a deadly wreck, to Juni's reaction to Beau's song, all capped by the big reveal, the twists kept me pulled into the story as much as the wonderful characters. This is a third win in a series I recommend for any readers of cozy mysteries.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Paperbacks for allowing me to read an ARC of Rhythm and Clues; I had a blast!

#NetGalley #StMartinsPaperacks #TheRecordShopMysterySeries #OlviaBlacke

This third book in the Record Shop series is another outstanding installment in the series.

This is a fun cozy series set in small town Texas, near Austin, at Sip and Spin, a vinyl record shop and coffee bar owned by three sisters, Juni, Tansey, and Maggie. Also playing a prominent role are Juni's two boyfriends, the cop (who was her high school sweetheart) and also her best friend (who is the town's mailman and also a farmer).

Here, the shop is struggling financially and help, in the form of predatory investors firm, is offered to them. In trying to solve the murder, of a person involved with the investors, Juni sees both the positives and the negatives involved with the predatory investors firm.

All in all, a great plot, wonderful characters and just an overall charming mystery. I hope there are many more to come.

Juni has found herself caught up in another murder, her third one to be exact. During a terrible storm that causes the town to lose power and has enough fallen trees to isolate them from any other cities, a body is found … and not just any body, the body of Zack, an acquaintance from college who now buys up 51% stock in failing businesses … and he just talked to her about Sip and Spin. With limited resources, Beau finally asks Juni for help, even if not in official policeman capacity.

This is such a fun and well written series. I found myself constantly trying to figure out the killer. I also really liked what Savannah added to the story, I never knew if I liked her, hated her, found her innocent or guilty. My mind was on overdrive with this one!

While it is part of a series, this story could be read as a standalone.

Another fun entry in Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mysteries series! Juni is always lots of fun to spend time with, the coffee names were (again) to die for (pun intended), and the small town mayhem provides such a great backdrop. And thank you to Olivia Blacke for making the correct choice when resolving that long triangle!

Rhythm and Clues is the third in the Record Shop series. Juni Jessup and her sisters, Tansy and Maggie, run a record and coffee shop in Cedar River Texas. Business would be better if Juni didn’t keep finding bodies. Juni is also dating two men. Full disclosure, they know about each other. Beau is her longtime high school boyfriend. He broke up with her by text many years ago. Teddy is her lifelong best friend. When Juni moved back to Cedar River, she discovered he had grown up quite nicely. Beau also happens to be the detective in Cedar River. Juni finds herself overly involved in this murder partly because one of the suspects (and the victims business partner) is staying with Juni and Tansy. While solving the mystery for Beau, Juni also figures out which man she wants to be with. Coffee, murder and romance. A winner.

I had such high hopes for this book, and I was very disappointed.

The first promise of puns lured me in, but it certainly wasn't enough to save this book from its myriad flaws. The main character is the epitome of the Quirky Girl, and it was exhausting listening to her. You're telling me that this grown woman rides a TRICYCLE? The quirks can't possibly stop there...she loves to eat but can't cook! She's the only one in own who can solve crimes! She is the best barista in the entire world and her customers are completely fine having whatever she feels like making that day, no one actually has a coffee preference! And she has not one but two men head-over-heels in love with her and content that she's dating both of them (and not in a polyamorous way, in a "I can't decide uwu" way)?

The writing itself was just...not good. Every single character mentioned was introduced by their race first. The sentences were choppy; this book felt like the first draft a writer has ever produced, certainly not the third in a series and ready for the ARC stage. The only murder here was the murder of my excitement about this series.

Note: I have not read the previous books. It is fine as a standalone. Maybe if you've spent more time with Juni, you would like this, but otherwise I can't see why people would enjoy this.

The Jessup sisters, Juni, Maggie and Tansy, are approached by Fjord Capital, an investment firm,
about becoming partners in Sip & Spin Records. Zach Fjord was a classmate of Juni's who remembers Zach
cheating on one of her girlfriends. When Zach Fjord is killed , Juni ends up providing shelter for his business
partner Savannah. As Juni investigates the businesses Fjord Capital invested in, the owners either did
well or lost their businesses. Was a disgruntled business owner responsible for Zach's death?
Delightful addition to the series.
#RhythmandClues #NetGalley

What song makes you flashback to the past? Makes you remember who you were with and where? Makes you instantly remember the emotions that song conjures up?

Juni probably has that song on vinyl. She and her sisters operate Sip & Spin Records, It came into being on the back of nostalgia for vinyl records and although it's been doing okay, they are considering a proposal from a financier who turns out to have a sketchy record, both in business and his personal relationships. During a business meeting at a hockey game, he flirts openly with Juni despite "not my boyfriend" Beau being with her. I've been to hockey games and am amazed anyone would consider having a business meeting there but, well, to each his own. Not surprisingly, it's a no sale and Juni and Beau leave early.

Then a torrential storm hits, leading Juni and a sister to check out the status of the shop. Just as they're about to leave, they hear a horrible crash outside. Someone has hit their car during the downpour. Even worse, turns out someone is dead. Guess who? Yep, the too hands on financier, Zack. That's when things get complicated. Was it an accident or murder? Who'd be out in the middle of an almost historic storm, manage to hurl a brick at the windshield, and kill Zack? As it turns out, there are multiple suspects with good reason to wish him dead. Juni is determined to figure out whodunit, even while being warned away by Beau, the local detective and Juni's high school beau.

To be honest, although I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it, either, but never quite felt pulled into caring, if that makes sense. Although I like the characters and idea of the vinyl record shop, I just didn't feel invested enough in the story to care, although I will admit I was delighted to see the end of the love triangle. I don't care for that tactic in any book, to be honest. In this case, it seemed to be as much about that as it was the mystery. Juni's investigations seem to have even become a bit of a joke in the gossip-filled, or should I say fueled town, too, and the side stories were more a distraction than anything else. Toss in the weirdness of the unexpected guest and Juni's mom issues and it was hard to remain focused on whodunit.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike this book. It was a relatively quick read that did keep me reading until the end. I didn’t even have the culprit on my list. That said, I have enjoyed the series and look forward to getting back in sync with Juni and the gang next book. Curious to see if the end of the love triangle holds and what mischief Juni will get herself involved in next. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sPaperbacks for inviting me along for this nostalgic trip down musical lane.

This is the third in the Sip N Spin mystery series. This was another good addition to the series. In this one, Juni finds the body of an old college friend after a car accident in front of the record store. Then the town has to endure a storm and power outages. During which Juni tries to solve the murder. I suppose you could read this as a standalone, but it makes it easier to understand background with the characters to read this from the beginning. I am glad to see that the romance triangle has some resolution.