Delve Into Engaged In Death (Wedding Planner Mystery #1) Brought To You By Stephanie Blackmoore Accessible As Paperbound

promising debut to the new Wedding Planner Mystery series,

All in all I enjoyed ENGAGED IN DEATH, It did take me a little while to get into it, Something with the characters just wasnt clicking with me at first, But further into the story, as author Stephanie Blackmoore fleshed them out, the book started to move faster for me.


Ms. Blackmoore has a flare for description, I could clearly visualize each scene as though I was in the room with the characters, I could hear the sounds, and smell the aromas,

ENGAGED TO DEATH was a solid mystery, with a well done reveal, There were just enough suspects to get me guessing until the reveal, I was close, but has

changed my mind at some point, That will teach me to second guess myself,

Make sure to check out the back of the book where you will find some tasty recipes, and an excerpt of boo two in the Wedding Planner Mysteries, MURDER WEARS WHITE.

Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the first in a new series featuring Mallory Shepard and takes place in the quaint town of Port Quincy, Pennsylvania.
I was hooked by the story from the very beginning,
As the story opens, Mallory is justweeks away from her wedding, Instead of being excited, Mallory just wants it to be over, her future motherinlaw is determined to have the wedding the way SHE wants it.

When Mallory receives an anonymous package in the mail, it sets the course for disaster, When an unexpected inheritance comes her way, Mallory has high hopes, until she finds a dead body in her front yard.


I found this book to be exciting and I could not put the book down, The author is new to me but I am hoping to see more in this fantastic series, The characters appeared very real and I found myself at the edge of my seat towards the end, I will be suggesting this book to other cozy mystery readers, I think they will enjoy this fast paced cozy mystery.


I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I first read this book inas an ARC, I picked this one up on Kindle Unlimited to reread for Cozy Escape Book Club, Since it's been such a long time, I forgot whodunit until close to the end, I did enjoy the story this second time around but would rate itoverall, The plot and characters drove the story along quickly, The book felt very relatable to me as someone who lives not too far from Pittsburgh, PA, I would like to continue on to the next book in the series to see how the characters develop in book two.
Thank you to Kensington Books for an advance paperback copy, through Goodreads Giveaways, It is always such a pleasure to win one of the books which a publisher has so graciously offered to followers of GR.


Engaged in Death, A Wedding Planner Mystery has an eyecatching and colourfully enticing front cover, A suspiciouslooking calico cat eyes a heavily decorated three tiered wedding cake sitting on a wooden table, while kittens amuse themselves with tangles of white ribbon.
The shabbychic kitchen is busy with bouquets in bows, wedding favours, cookbooks, rose petals, . . And a cake knife and server covered in what could be BLOOD!! I absolutely love the cover!

With that book cover, Stephanie Blackmore's novel has a great deal to live up to, right from the beginning.
Mallory Shepard, lawyer, snoop, betrayed fiancé and the ditsy protagonist of this new series is a study in contrasts, The adorable woman who initially graciously gave way to her future motherinlaw's wedding plans suddenly runs amok, hyperactive, hyper anxious, querulous and full of evasion to the local police force.
Yes, Mallory unprecedentedly inherits her exfiancé's relative's house, Yes, the place is a near teardown and developers and fracking companies want to buy it, but old Aunt Sylvia refused both options and Mallory will honour her wishes.
Then a dead guy shows up on the lawn, Her sister Rachel finds love, living with her and bakes the best cake at the fair, The mayor is "handsy" with women, in full view of everyone, The house yardsman gives her and Rachel the creeps, The ex and his mother take her to court, and the yummy guy next door defends her, Garrett, that hot lawyer, becomes a love interest, Mallory does lawyer snooping at her lawyer firm, Mallory tries to find someone to take her wedding slot, because she can't get her deposit back, Mallory organizes a wedding Someone else is killed. Someone is having an affair, Who, what, how, where, when Yikes!

The cast of characters and subplots dingle and dangle, and sometimes find their way back to each other.
There isn't one red herring there are just so many stories and people that the threads become a bit thin, and the suspense is almost flat until near the very end.
Once it does pick up, Blackmoore does a great job, A bit more time spent earlier on the culprit would have enhanced the story, and perhaps made the identity less easy to guess.
I was really hoping for a bit more wedding planner, and that was a mini part of the plot,

Stephanie Blackmoore has the bones of some good future books for her Wedding Planner Series, Less would be a bit more, and give the reader a chance to enjoy her character Mallory who was a bit too overloaded and rushed in Engaged in Death.
Nuance is important if weddings are central to the structure of the story a reader will be looking for the details from that wedding planner, as well as a great cozy mystery.


Three, an enterprising start to a debut mystery series, Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is the first book in the new wedding planner mystery series, I was absolutely delighted when Kensington approved my NetGalley request to review this one, I loved the cover, the title and the description, When I started reading the book, I was not disappointed, Ms. Blackmoore delivers a topnotch cozy mystery with delightful characters, plenty of twists and turns, and a town full of quirky residents.


Mallory will be marrying Keith in a few days but before that happens, she receives a mysterious envelope with some photos painting Keith as an unfaithful jerk.
Heartbroken, but thankful for the reprieve from Keith and his overbearing mother, Helene, Mallory holes up in a hotel to lick her wounds.
The one member of Keiths family that Mallory got along with was his grandmother, Sylvia, When she passes and Mallory finds out Sylvia deeded her grand old house to her, Mallory isnt sure what to think.


I loved so much about this book, Mallory and her sister Rachel are wonderful characters, The town of Port Quincy was the perfect setting for this story, I live in eastern Ohio, but the closest city to me is Pittsburgh, PA, It was so easy for me to relate to the story and the settings, I was so wrapped up in the mystery and I quickly became invested in the characters and the story, Im already counting down the days until the next book in the series comes out, This takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania, The story involves infidelity, an old house, hidden paintings, and kittens, The wedding planning wasn't a big part of the story, The home renovation wasn't either, The story focused on the lost paintings and ownership of the house, I was surprised by some of the ending, The location of the paintings was a surprise, but the identity of the murderer wasn't one, I thoroughly enjoyed this first in series book, Mallory and company kept me intrigued and constantly wanting more, Can't wait to read the rest, I'm so happy that the first read for Cozy Escape bookclub for, We just had the live stream last night and everyone was in love with it, I don't think it got less thanfrom anyone and it mostly receivedstars,

Mallory is down on her luck, You'd think getting ready to be married and start a new chapter in her life would be a highlight, However her future MIL has taken over the wedding, commented on Mallory's weight, and to top it all off she finds that her fiancé Keith has been cheating on her.
Who told her Well, you'll have to see,

She found out about the cheating and left Kieth only to find out that she had inherited Thistle Park from Keith's grandmother.
The only family member that she actually loved, But there is a history of missing paintings, oil amp gas, and even more cheating under the roof of the dilapidated victorian.


It is up to Mallory, her sister Rachel, and a hodgepodge of quirky characters to figure out the MURDERS and save the house.


I truly loved this book so much and will be picking up the next in the series, Engaged in Death by Stephanie Blackmoore is thest book in the Wedding Planner Mystery series, and I loved it.
Mallory Shepard is set to get married to Keith inweeks in Port Quincy, Pennsylvania, Her soon to be mother in law has taken over her wedding plans, the only bright light is Keith's grandmother Sylvia who Mallory loves.
Suddenly Sylvia dies, and Mallory receives a package proving that Keith is cheating on her, The wedding is called off and Mallory finds out she is set to inherent Sylvia run down mansion, When a dead body is found in the front yard of Sylvia home, Mallory must quickly find the murderer and clear her name.


I am so excited about this new author and series, Not only is this book funny, it has a great mystery, There are twists and turns around every corner, Just when I thought I figured out the murderer, it changes, I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, If you love cozy mysteries full of quirky characters and a likable protagonist, I strongly recommend this book,

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.
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