* I won this book on Netgalley for my honest opinion*

This was my first book by Eileen Goudge and it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a little slow in the beginning but I quickly became interested when Bradley was introduced. I enjoyed the mystery involved around Tish's mom's death. It was interesting to see how that played out. The dialogue was witty and was fluid. I liked it so much that I bought the second book in the series!

I liked the mystery story line in Bones and Roses, it develops into more than Tish, the main character, getting a trunk of bones and rose as mentioned in the blurb. There's no surprise as to whom they belong, but that's just the start. The mystery fizzled out in the end with the murder outing themself which is a big no-no for me.

I also appreciated that Tish had an unusual job for a mystery as a property manager which she actually works at (how many mysteries do the characters just seem to be able to abandon their jobs at will?). However, she and the other characters never really struck a chord with me. I did not mind that she was an alcoholic and that her personal experience with alcoholism and AA visits are part of the story. It seemed realistic and didn't detract from the rest of the story. I just didn't find them that interesting despite the quirky, earthy ex-cop and bon vivant best friend.

So, while there were no real negatives for me, I probably wouldn't have started book 2 in the series, Swimsuit Body, if I hadn't already been given a copy in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley as well.

NetGalley and Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller provided me with an electronic copy of Bones and Roses. This is my honest opinion of the book.

As the owner of Rest Easy Property Management, Tish Ballard looks after the vacation homes of her clients. A recovering alcoholic with issues stemming from her mother abandoning the family, Tish is given a storage locker by an anonymous benefactor with a shocking parcel inside. Tish enlists the help from an unlikely source, in an attempt to resolve her past, but will this look back be her undoing?

Bones and Roses features a great main character in Tish Ballard, as her checkered past, her interesting job, and her inquisitive nature make her someone worth getting to know. I thought that the plot in this cozy mystery was good, but I wish that the book had ended right after the resolution. The last few chapters, were unnecessary in my opinion, although they do help to set up the next book. The end of Bones and Roses would have been stronger, as it would have helped emphasize the impact of finding out the truth. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries may enjoy Bones and Roses, as well as those like mystery/thrillers.

As a recovering alcoholic, Tish's memories are, at best, hazy. She admits that there are gaps in her recollections, although she believes she recalls precisely her many nadirs.

All alcoholics drink for a reason, and Tish's is fairly simple: she drinks because she believes her mother abandoned her and her troubled brother in order to run off with a man friend. It isn't so much that Tish blames her mother for all of her troubles as it is that Tish knows her life would have been vastly different were it not for her mother's defection. That she calls her business "Rest Easy Property Management" is ironic, to say the least, although I suspect the irony is lost on Tish. She is categorically unable to rest easy in any aspect of her life. She is ever vigilant against drinking, and as an advocate and caretaker for her brother. Even her romantic partner is someone with whom she cannot rest easy.

Upon the discovery of her mother's remains, Tish's already tense life takes on even greater stress. Clearly her mother did not run away. Clearly she was murdered. Clearly someone is responsible.

Because Tish doesn't think the police are as interested as she is in finding the killer, she becomes a de facto investigator, occasionally dipping a toe over the line of legality. She is surrounded by a coterie of quirky pals, whether a former police officer turned storage facility manager, a best friend who can't decide if she's Mata Hari or Wonder Woman, or a brother who struggles with real life. Even a former high school nemesis turns out to be a decent guy who is far more willing to help her than she believes.

Mixed up in all of this is a bickering, divorcing couple whose property Tish manages. They indirectly introduce a romantic entanglement, something Tish does not have time or energy for even as she is inescapably drawn to and wants it. She also discovers some connections with Tish's mother of which she was unaware, each of whom affects her investigation.

I enjoy Eileen Goudge's books quite a lot, and this one is no different. Tish is hard headed and makes stupid mistakes, but she's real. She feels like someone I'd have as a friend. Tish narrates the story, and it is through her occasionally distorted lens that we get to know the other characters. She may not always get it right, but she keeps trying.

This is the first of a planned series, and I am interested as to the direction Goudge will take. The ending assuredly is a cliffhanger of sorts, yet part of me wishes that Tish's story would end there. I have a feeling, though, that we will see more of her, and that is not a bad thing. I just hope that the reason for the cliffhanger sticks around a while.

Hint hint, Eileen Goudge.