I was so on board with the cozy mystery featuring a badass, smoking, tattooed, queer nun who solves crimes. However, I think I liked the concept more in theory than in execution.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into the story. I found myself constantly zoning out and having to rewind, so I didn’t miss anything. In the end, I just didn’t care about the mystery or any of the characters. Even Sister Holiday didn’t seem as funny and interesting as I thought she’d be.

If you read the first book and loved it, you’re probably going to love this one, too, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator and the story was so fun! A not-so-perfect NUN how FUN! I need to check out the first book, but this seems like a very fun cozy mystery series.

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

What a great cozy mystery! A badass gold tooth nun! Yes please!! What a wild ride. Such a great story that takes place in New Orleans. I highly recommend this book!

This is the 2nd in Margot Douaihy's poetic and lyrical crime series, but my first featuring the wise cracking Sister Holiday aiming to take permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood in New Orleans, an unusual queer protagonist, a damaged woman, her body covered all over with tattoos, gold tooth, who has no qualms being critical of the Catholic church patriarchy. I listened to this on audio, beautifully narrated by Mara Wilson which had me immersed in the story from beginning to end, approximately 7 hours and 15 minutes long. After previous events, Holiday is planning to satisfy her inner curiousity by becoming a PI by serving her 100 hours apprenticeship with former fire inspector Magnolia's Riveaux's Redemption Detective Agency.

The story takes place over the 3 days, over Easter, but New Orleans is drowning in non-stop torrential rain, with flooding rearranging the city landscape, and bringing with it dangers. Matters kick off when Holiday sets off to meet a client over a case of infidelity, but the client never turns up, and Holiday ends up in the Mississippi River to try and bring in a gruesome dead body that she spots. To her surprise she recognises the murder victim, well known to her from the church, Father Reese, not a man she is keen on, but who would want him dead? There is a worrying abduction, and Holiday's brother, Moose, an army medic, returns, could he possibly be involved?

This is not a fast paced read, there is too much you are left to think over as we become acclimatised to Holiday's interior thoughts and all too chaotic, conflict ridden and messy life, her memories of lover Nina, and I was left to wonder at times why she had turned to the church given her animosity towards it. The swearing, smoking Holiday is like no previous protagonist I have ever encountered, and it was fascinating to follow her obstacle ridden path of twists and turns, baptisms, machinations, fights, and deceptions, right up to the surprising reveals and truth at the end. If you are looking for something different, this atmospheric series just might be for you and I can recommend the audio. Many thanks to Dreamscape Select for a ALC.

A rainstorm ridden New Orleans and Sister Holiday and her friend Riveaux gets a new case, and Sister Holidays brother Moose shows up unannounced revealing old wounds.

I liked the crime better than the first one and the setting of Easter in a storm New Orleans is really good but, still not a proper mystery and this one has more bible quotes than the first book. More mystery and fewer bible quotes for me. If you liked the first one you will like this one too.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect for the book! This is the second in the series and both are equally good. I love Sister Holiday’s prayers and the way she describes things. The mysteries are always intriguing and the clues are buried deep! I cannot wait for the next one in the series!!

I loved the FMC, Sister Holiday, in this book! She is a nun who is tatted from head to toe, has a gold tooth, is a lesbian, and smokes. She is also working with a fire investigator to solve crimes. In this case there is a priest who Sister Holiday finds drowned in a river, and a new priest who is missing. To make matters even more complicated, Sister Holiday's brother comes to visit her and help with the investigation. I absolutely love this nun! Such a fun read!

“I want you to crack me open like a wishbone”

Whew lord. We love a lesbian tattood nun over here. This was such a fun read for me. The narrator was spectacular. If you haven’t read the first book, make sure to do that first.

Blessed Water is the second book in a lovingly irreverent mystery series starring punk music loving, tattooed, queer nun Sister Holiday. After surviving the trauma of multiple fires and a devastating betrayal a few months before, Sister Holiday is once again challenging when on the same day she finds a priest dead in the bay, another priest is MIA, and her brother unexpectedly returns from his tour as a military doctor.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Sister Holiday’s wry humor is back in force, making me remember why I adore Margot Douaihy’s beautiful writing. The novel has all the twists and turns of the first novel, plus we get to dive a little deeper into Sister Holiday’s feelings regarding her faith and her family. I love how realistic her struggles with faith are: she is a true believer but has seen things that shake her faith in humanity, and she remains her wonderful, irreverent self through it all. Being religious doesn’t make everything you’ve been through in life and who you are go away. And for Sister Holiday a big part of her past is her brother. Their siblings relationship is strained, but loving and I’m excited to see it grow.

If you haven’t read the first in the series, pick that one up first. I can’t express how much I love this series and especially its main character. So if any of the above sounds enticing to you, please pick it up and spread the joy!

Content warning: talk of sexual assault, addiction, physical abuse

Readers are brought back to the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and it's no surprise that all is not well given the events from SCORCHED GRACE. Holiday's brother is in town... even though he should still be serving in the military, and now there is a dead priest. Riveaux and Holiday are reluctant PI partners as they try to work around the police to piece clues together to figure out what's going on.

BLESSED WATER is more brutal than the first book in this series, but the plots connect together nicely. I was happy to see Prince is back and I hope that Douaihy gives us more of his story as this series continues.

The mystery was interesting, the reveal of who the murder was (and why) was good, and the resolution was satisfying. This is definitely not a mystery series where our protagonist comes through each murder unscathed. Holiday has a lot of physical and mental trauma to work through. I look forward to seeing what trouble these characters get into next.

Mara Wilson does a great job with the audiobook narration, her voice fits Sister Holiday perfectly.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Gillian Flynn Books in exchange for an honest review.

"Even in death, when you're long gone, the you of you reaches back - reaches home."⠀
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Margot Douaihy, Blessed Water⠀
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I just finished Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy and I loved it! The narrator, Mara Wilson, did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and pulling me into the story. I adored Sister Holiday's spunk and sleuthing as much as in Scorched Grace and really liked the sibling dynamic of Goose and Moose! The author has such a lyrical way of writing that paints New Orleans in colors, sounds, and feelings that immerse the reader fully in the story. I felt like I could hear, see, and smell everything from the torrential rain and sticky marina to the nun's pilfered cigarettes and communion wafers. This is a great murder mystery with a fantastic cast of characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep you wanting more!⠀
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If you are in the mood for a noir style PI mystery that shares themes with The Sister act, this is a great pick.

It was a bit repetitive and full of cheesy one-liners for my taste. But it was entertaining enough that I could see my reading more in the series.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 3
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 3
Final Score - 3.4

Absolutely love this book/audiobook! You really grow to love Sister holiday. She is relatable and shows you religion can be embraced no matter your past. She is whitty, cunning, and empathetic to the ones that get overlooked in society. I have enjoyed seeing her grow stronger in her faith while still remaining true to herself.

Wow! When they say this book has a ticking clock element, they are not kidding -- and boy, does it work here!

I loved being back with Sister Holiday, even if I only read the first book a few weeks ago. She's just so freaking funny and real and easy to love and root for. Not that she's without her faults, mind you, but it's just written in such a way that I want to be friends with her and help her out. It's an experience I don't often have with a character, and it's such a treat when it happens.

Sister Holiday aside, I was completely invested in this mystery, in getting to meet her brother and figuring out what was going on with him, in the dynamic between Sister Holiday and Riveaux. It's such a fun read while still having a lot to say that I definitely vibe with. I especially recommend it to folks who like mysteries but not the copaganda elements, because those can be hard to come by and this does it in a great way.

So excited for the next installment! And it definitely helps to know that it's officially ending at 4 books. I just can't do a seemingly never-ending series, you know? Also, Mara Wilson is perfect in these audiobooks!

Blessed Water is short and sweet but with a punch. Sister Holiday investigates a disappearance, gets real with her faith, and still throws in some surprise spicy tidbits.
My favorite quote? “I want you to crack me open like a wishbone.” 🦴 🥵
I’m always a sucker for an LGBTQIA+ lead, but now there’s one in a habit? What’s not to love?! Sister Holiday is otherworldly yet somehow relatable, and I ended up enjoying Blessed Water more and more the further I got into it. I’ll admit it started a little rough, but as the story advanced, it hooked me.
The writing was beautifully done and extraordinarily descriptive, and the audiobook narrator was also quality. I would read another book in this series or listen to another audio by this narrator. 💯
I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review—thanks!

Blessed Water - A Sister Holiday Mystery written by Margot Douaihy and narrated by Mara Wilson is the second in the series and the first I have listened to (and I shall definitely be going back to listen to the first as I need more info!)

What a concept and what a protagonist! A PI Nun, a queer PI nun covered in tattoos with a punk rock attitude and the smarts to go with it. Snarky as all heck and with a backbone of steel, Sister Holiday is a character that has so much potential to make this into a big series

The narration by Mara Wilson was fantastic, matching every shift within the narrative and really engaging with the storyline

Margot Douaihy is exceptionally adept at weaving character development throughout the plotline in a subtle, yet significant manner, almost as if the characters are gaining xp at every turn, while still retaining their humility

Dark, gruesome, vivid and relentless, this mystery is a belter and then some

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, Gillian Flynn Books and the author Margot Douaihy
and narrator Mara Wilson for this great ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

#BlessedWater #NetGalley

Book Title: Blessed Water
Series: Sister Holiday Mystery #2
Author: Margot Douaihy
Narrator: Mara Wilson
Publisher: Dreamscape Select – Gillian Flynn Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: March 15, 2024
My Rating: 2. Stars
Pages: 279


When I saw the title and blurb on this story, I thought this was going to be a fun cozy.
Sister Holiday is simply a joy of a narrator—and definitely my kind of flawed, dark, buoyant, and often laugh-out-loud funny.”

Yikes I was so wrong. I do believe it could be fun.
Sister Holiday’s 'potty mouth’ just wasn’t funny to me I believe there are a lot of words that can achieve the same effect. Apparently it is – who she is’!

This is book #2 in the series. Sister Holiday teaches music but is she is not a stereotypical nun.

Story starts with Sister Holiday earning a PI apprentice certificate. However she as well as other nuns and priests are not typical, lie, sin and do illegal things

I was so disappointed this just didn’t work for me.
However, I did like narrator Maria Wilson.

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Select – Gillian Flynn Books for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 12, 2024

As a queer ex-vangelical and dabbler in mystery books, I absolutely loved the first book in the Sister Holiday Mystery series and have been highly anticipating Blessed Water. When I tell you, I genuinely squealed when my audiobook arc request was approved.

This one, like the first in the series is narrated by Mara Wilson, who is quickly becoming an auto-listen narrator for me! I’d definitely recommend the audio if you’re looking for a fun and engrossing listen.

I loved spending time with Sister Holiday and co. and enjoyed learning more about her past in this book. I was reminded of how much I enjoy the humour and subtle (or not so subtle) commentary on the church as an institution. Combine that with the genuinely intriguing mystery, frequent queer panic and the engrossing writing and you’re in for a fun time!

Whilst I did prefer the first book - as is often the case with series for me - this is a very strong sequel and I look forward to what’s next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the audiobook arc. All opinions are my own.

Very fun and exhilarating. It felt like a crime show I love. I do think it was very heavy on the religious stuff (maybe obviously).
I loved learning about a “weird” nun.

Another great cozy mystery set in New Orleans featuring a gay tattooed nun with a gold tooth and an ex-police detective who start up their own PI agency. In this book they are investigating the mutilation of one priest and the disappearance of another as well as dealing with the reappearance of Sister Holiday's ex-army medic brother. Full of snark, found family and lots of guilt, this was great on audio narrated by Mara Wilson and highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!