Covering the Minnesota State Fair is a breezy assignment for reporter Mira James, until the main attraction becomes murder. Ashley Pederson, crowned Milkfed Mary, Queen of the Dairy, is getting her likeness carved in a block of unsalted butter when she drops dead, her face as red as a stoplight. Mira’s made a vow to the dairy darling’s grieving mother to find out.

It was September. I was in the mood for a cosy mystery. I saw this book. I think it was meant to be!

I knew this was part of a series, but I didn’t really want to get through four books before reading this, so I took a chance and just jumped in. I’d say this book could be read as a standalone! While I could sense there was a multi-book background story (and sexual tension building) that I was missing, overall I still enjoyed the book tremendously.

This was a funny, unique cosy mystery. You could tell immediately by the fact that the victim dropped dead while a statue of her was being carved from an unsalted butter! That definitely set the vibe for the rest of the book.

I fell in love with Mira, so now I’m going to have to try to fit the rest of the series into my TBR!

My least fav of the series but thats not saying much since the book was still fantastic. I found this series about 10 months ago and binged all the books. This one is book 5 and stands fine as a standalone but I urge you to read the entire series.

Its well written and brilliantly executed. I love MIra, she is the best kind of MC!!!

4 stars

This continues to be a great series, and a significant cut about most books in this subgenre.

It’s almost funny to me at this point that despite the fact that there are few settings less appealing to me than a small town in the midwest, I really enjoy these books, and Lourey has somehow even made the sense of place a success.

I continue to be impressed by the fact that the mysteries in these are well-crafted and well-solved, and they have a pretty light touch without feeling too silly.

I’m still not wild about Mira’s backstory, but I do like her as an amateur sleuth and in general as a character. Mrs Berns is the best, of course, but really the whole recurring cast is lovable and fun.

Lourey is legitimately funny and seems to be able to deploy really consistent humor throughout these books that ranges from sharp to silly but that always hits the right note and never gets irritating. I’ll be more than happy to read my way through the entire calendar of this by-the-month series.

4 stars

What a fun popcorn thriller! This is my first by this author and it seems like I jumped into this series on book 5. That didn't hinder me in any way from enjoying this or understanding the characters. It did make me want to go back and read books 1-4 to catch some history between some of the characters and also want to keep going to see how those characters continue.

This murder revolved around a Dairy Princess and a State Fair which is what grabbed my attention first. I ran for my town's version of this (didn't win lol) so this was just a fun trip down memory lane for me. Jess has a way of writing that really brings you into the world with Mira. You really do feel like her sidekick along this crazy journey. The side characters in this series are also such a hoot! Oh, my, lord I was laughing so hard my husband was worried about me in some parts (might've had to do with me laughing over an audiobook he couldn't hear while I was doing dishes).

Jennifer Jill Araya did such a great job with the narration! 5 stars for her part alone! The emotions she put into Mira and the humor she was able to inject into all the characters really elevated this story for me.

I came for the murder and I stayed for Mrs. Berns. I want to be just like her when I get old!

Thank you, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.

Mira finds herself in the middle of the Minnesota State Fair grounds murder investigation again!
Of course Mira will investigate what happened with Ashley Pederson, who was recently crowned as Queen of the Dairy. Let the fun shenanigans begin. From unique and quirky characters, competitors, animal rights activists, small town scandals, and affairs this story will keep you on your toes! Oh and I almost forgot a haunted house tour that left me holding my breath till I finished the outcome. It was such a fun and quick read. I have really enjoyed listening to Jennifer Jill narration. I feel like she does a great job portraying Mira and the other characters in the book well. I look forward to seeing what trouble Mira finds herself in next.

The best thing about this series being rereleased, is that is being done so monthly, by the books title. This meant, September was released in September. AND this book is all about the local fair. My biggest local fair just happened to be this weekend. So the fair had me thinking about this book, and vice versa. My local fair, The Woodstock Fair, didn’t have butter sculptures tho. I’m going to see those at The Big E.
I don’t know what I loved more about this book.. was it the Milkfed Mary’s or the Diamond Heads? Lmao I will never ever unread Mrs. Burns granny panties.. omg. Read this book just for the Neil Diamond experience. But wait, no read the book for the murder mystery. Cause you know Mira is caught up in solving another murder.
As usual I listened to this book, because I’m obsessed with the audio. I love the narrator’s voice, and how I can hear the humor in it. It’s like listening to your friend tell a joke, waiting for the punch line and laughing because she’s laughing and then it becomes a little crazy. Kwim?

witty, romantic-suspense, mystery, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, Minnesota, state-fair, poisons, murder, amateur-sleuth, unpleasant-victims, relationship-issues, relationships, senior-citizens, journalist, librarian, laugh-riot*****

OK, so I've never been to the Minnesota State Fair with its emphasis on dairy and unusual foodstuffs deep fried. But I've spent many visits to the Wisconsin State Fair (June is Dairy Month) so I think that's quite similar, if smaller. This hilarious cozy is Fun in Minnesota, complete with a part-time librarian/journalist, life-sized butter sculptures, and quirky senior citizens, a pageant, and a boyfriend. The story is a real hoot and the investigation is cleverly done. Hoping the next in series will be set in Duluth!
Voice actor Jennifer Jill Araya is perky, has clear speech, and good voice definition of characters.
I requested and received a free temporary audio from Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio via Net Galley. Thank you!
#MurderAMonthRomComMystery5

I love rom coms and I love mysteries so I thought I would adore this book. The mystery/investigation was pretty boring and the label of a rom com was a little misleading, or it was just poorly executed. I could see some people liking this book but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio! The narrator did a good job with her performance tho!

This is part of a series that has quickly become one of my favorites! I would consider it more cozy adjacent than a true cozy but every book has been fabulous! The characters are funny, the situations they get into are always interesting and the mysteries are entertaining. I’ve listened to the audiobooks and the narrator is amazing!

This series really makes me laugh! I'm enjoying watching Mira and Johnny slowly get closer, and following the antics of the wildly eccentric Mrs. Berns. In September Mourn, Mira travels to report on the Minnesota State Fair, where drama unfolds with the Milkfed Mary pageant winner, while her face is being carved in a stick of butter, of all things.
I was happy to hear Jennifer Jill Araya again as the audiobook narrator, she is perfect for Mira's voice and personality.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jess Lourey & Brilliance Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I am totally invested in this series & can’t wait for the future releases. With that said, I was truly “mourning” over September Mourn. It was by far my least favorite of the series so far. I think it was mostly because the setting was not in Battle Lake. I do believe this is just personal preference. Jess always does a great job with her writing, characters, plots, etc. – this one just wasn’t my favorite.

I do have an upcoming post featuring the first four in the series. I plan to do a post for every four books, plus one final post with all of them.

Overall, it’s a fabulous series that I’m in love with!