Action and comedy abound in book #4 of the series for the romantic mystery- solving team of Nick Santiago and Riley Thorne (and her spirit guides! 😉). With Beth/Seasame located and the company coffers depleted, they’re taking on the protection of Griffin Gentry, Riley’s cheating, vapid, over-tanned, newscaster ex-husband. Hilarious hijinks ensue as Nick, Riley and their partners work through their list of suspects alongside their pack of zany, elderly roommates.

I love Nick and Riley’s relationship and I love the Riley Thorne series. The Body in the backyard is a great addition. Crossing my fingers for #5 and for Jasmine and Weber to get together! ✨🤞

This book is technically a stand alone, but reading book #1 in the series will set you up with the background you need.

Thank you to Bloom and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

More laugh out loud hijinx, romance and mystery served up by Lucy Score. Riley and Nick have good chemistry. This series is fun and entertaining

I just adore Lucy’s books! I loved this one the most out of the other three in the series. I adored Riley and Nick’s story. They balance each other out beautifully. The humor in this book was perfection. Loved

The Lucy Score books are so fun to read! I love this series and flew through all of them so fast! These are perfect for summer. Really enjoyed them!

Lucy Score has done it again with another action-packed, laugh out loud romcom mystery. I absolutely love Riley and all the books in the series. Read these in order for the best experience. Thanks so much for allowing me to read in advance!

Lucy Score does it once again!

We are back with my favorite duo, Riley Thorn and Nick Santiago! This time they’re working a case for Riley’s ex husband who is convinced somebody is trying to kill him.

One of my favorite things about this series is that you get to stick with all the same quirky side characters from the very beginning! The gang of geriatric crazies are definitely getting crazier as each book goes on!

I love the dual POV between Riley and Nick. The two as a couple are honestly perfect. Their banter back and forth, the way they protect and look out for each other and only strive to do things in their best interests is my favorite.

This fourth installment just like all the others will leave you laughing and kicking your feet all the way through!

I highly recommend to those who love a rom-com vibe with light spice!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc!

Another fast-paced, hilarious adventure for Riley, Nick and their wacky cast of sidekicks - reading the previous books in the series is recommended, not only for all of the background but because they’re just as much of a wild ride as this one. It feels like the author has a lot of fun returning to these characters and developing them against the backdrop of snort-inducing situations, snappy dialogue, psychic insight and mild-to-middling peril. Definitely recommended.

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞

"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘦𝘹-𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺."

In true Riley Thorn fashion, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 starts off just as wild and chaotic as always!

Riley, Nick, Burt and their band of geriatric sidekicks once again try to solve a murder. They must all work together to keep Riley’s ex-husband Griffin from being murdered. Unfortunately, the suspect list is MILES long!

I love these characters so much. Every time I pick up a new Riley Thorn book I know I am going to literally be put into a coma from laughing so hard. Over the course of 4 books, Riley and Nick’s relationship has grown stronger and stronger. I seriously love them together so much. They both thrive in chaos and are perfect for each other. This is a closed door romance.

“𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘴. 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥.“

If you like romcoms that will have you cackling, go read this series right now! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝, comes out July 16!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🔮 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦
😂 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
🫶🏼 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
🔍 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺
💗 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

The Riley Thorn series is SO MUCH FUN!
This is the fourth installment of this romantic mystery series and it was filled with all the mystery and antics I could have asked for!
The cast of characters are delightful. Riley and Nick have great chemistry and are learning to work together well. The elderly neighbors wreak all sorts of havoc as the PI firm (grudgingly) accepts a new case and begins working to solve it. The interactions with Riley’s family and Nicks family are perfect. And the humor I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book-sometimes from a hilarious or sarcastic quip-sometimes from the unbelievable mayhem.
I do recommend reading this series in order to enhance the understanding of the connections between these characters.
Thank you to BloomBooks for the opportunity to read an early copy via NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley/Lucy Score for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

This series is so so fun!! I’m having a great time reading it, and I hope it never ends. I found myself super hooked and interested from start to finish. So fun and easy to binge!!

This series has been on my TBR for some time now. When I was approved for an ARC of book 4 in the series, I considered whether it was a possible to read as a standalone. Let me tell you, I am so glad I didn't! First off, I'm such a rule follower, it would have made me crazy to not read them in order! But without the first book, you can't really appreciate this crazy quirky cast of characters. The octogenarian roommates are the perfect comedy relief. Riley and Nick's families are both, let's say eccentric. And following Nick's transition from permanent bachelor to loving first time boyfriend is an absolute swoonfest!

The fourth book in the series finds Riley and Nick working a case for Riley's pathetic ex-husband, Griffin. Who would want to kill Griffin? Well, pretty much everyone with a pulse.

Please never stop writing this series Lucy Score! I don't know that I've ever loved a series so much! It has everything you could want in a story; kick-ass psychic heroine, dimples-for-days sexy boyfriend, romance, humor, murder mystery, shootouts, elderly roommates that know no boundaries. I could go on and on!
Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom for the ARC.

I really like main characters Riley and Nick, and I enjoyed the first couple of books in this series a lot. However, the silliness has become over the top. Aside from Riley and Nick, nearly every character in this book felt like a caricature. Multiple characters were completely unbelievable and beyond annoying. I was annoyed with Griffin and Mrs. Penny for 300+ pages.

As far as the plot, I would have loved to see more of Riley using her powers. For the “most powerful psychic in her family” she hasn’t used her skills much lately. Also, the mystery in this story was unsatisfying, but I won’t spoil the whodunnit aspect for anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

I’m assigning this book two stars because it is readable, a complete story, and not socially problematic. I just didn’t enjoy it.

I think the thing I love most about the Riley Thorn books is that I can feel how much fun Lucy Score has writing them. This series is her allowing herself to go as off-the-wall as she can come up with because there’s no boundaries to the chaos Riley, Nick, and the whole crew can find themselves in.

It is a series that needs to be read in order as, for example, this book picks up right where book 3 left off. Nick’s PI firm is hired to find the person trying to off Riley’s narcissistic ex-husband, who is even more of a sewer person this time around. There’s no shortage of suspects. It was entertaining to see Nick have to battle with needing the money that will come from solving the case and adding himself to the top of the suspect list.

All of the zaniness found throughout the series is still present four books later and doesn’t show any signs of venturing into the land of ‘normalcy’. That’s a good thing for those of us who love an escapist romance read that is silly and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is my fourth book in the Riley Thorn series and maybe the last one I will read. Then again I may change my mind when we get to book five, we'll see.

Not as pleasurable as the first one, this one still contained the humor from the previous books which, for the most part, works. However, the geriatrics are ridiculous, not in a good way, and Griffin Gentry was more insufferable than Mrs. Penny, never thought that was possible. Mrs. Penny and Griffin are not plausible characters, and that detracts from the story. Overall, this was still a lighthearted mystery comedy and was quick to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lucy Score has done it again! Riley, Nick and the gang trying to save Riley’s horrible ex-husband but he has so many enemies it’s comical. Loving the relationship that grew between Riley and Nick. Loved the series before and love it even more now!

The Body in the Backyard is another great Riley Thorn adventure! I absolutely love this series, from the romance between Riley and Nick to the hijinks of their geriatric neighbors. These are such a fun, fast read. You do not need to read the entire series, but I would highly recommend it so you can fully enjoy getting to know these characters as they solve mysteries. I can’t wait for the next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Riley Thorn, Nick Santiago and their elderly group of misfits are back and on the case in the 4th book of the series- The Body in the Backyard. While the case is closed by the end of the book- this series does contain the same MCs and it builds up on itself so I think it's important to read in order for the best enjoyment.

3.5 ⭐

The Body in the Backyard is filled with all the fun and quirky humor that I love from Lucy Score while also having this kind of fun suspense as Santiago Investigations try to figure out all the pieces of the mystery surrounding none other than Riley's ex- Griffin Gentry- and figuring out who is out to kill him. And naturally- the list is quite extensive.

This book is a fun little escape- it's got all these pops of humor and despite the fact that they are investigating a death threat the story is light and entertaining. Unlike many of Lucy's other books the focus feels like it isn't really on Riley and Nick as a couple. Sure there are pieces of it as they try, and fail, to have romantic times together in between their investigations and Nick's over the top desire and attempts at keeping Riley out of harms way as his love language. But I felt like we were kind of missing more of that in-depth dive into their budding relationship. I was actually surprised a bit at just how little time has passed over the course of this series- as they mention several times that Riley and Nick have only been together for 4 months.

But overall the story is entertaining. The group of elderly sidekicks always bring laughs and while I sometimes was stuck between being entertained or annoyed with Griffin or his fiance Bella because their personalities were so over the top at times I still read the story in one sitting. I adore the surprise that Nick was able to pull off and I can't wait to see where all the tensions between Jasmine and Weber go!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks/Bloom Books, and to Lucy Score for this arc!!

I never want this series to end! I want to be reading about Riley and Nick until they’re old and grey, and have dimpled grandchildren that they’re chasing around amongst all of the chaos that is still very much their lives. Please, Lucy Score, never stop writing these characters that cause such lovable mayhem!!! I want to continue to be wrong about who the killers are. (Literally, every time!) I NEED to know Riley’s middle name. Also, the hinting at Riley’s nieces’ psychic abilities?? This series is so special to me, and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it. I promise to continue to lovingly force everyone I know to read it.

The Body in the Backyard is classic Lucy Score a story filled with laughter chaos a bit of drama and mystery with a fun quirky cast of likeable characters that keeps you engrossed and engaged from the beginning to the end.
I received a advance readers copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

This has been one of my favourite series.

Mystery ✔️
Romance ✔️
Adorable Elderly Neighbours ✔️
Big Dog ✔️

Lucy Score is one of my favourite authors.