The Little Lost Library

 A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel Book 7

Author:    Ellery Adams

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496743794; 9781496743800

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$11.43; $17.95; $10.86  Amazon

October 22, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn't expect to be invited in.  An agoraphobic, Lucille doesn't leave Wynter House.  But when Lucille doesn't come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.

Forcing her way into Lucille's dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to finds rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of the stairs.  After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident.  Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Wynter House?  Lucille's children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.

Nora's obsession with Lucille's collection becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society -- she's even neglecting her bookshop!  But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House -- a revelation about Lucille's terrible past...and a secret worth a small fortune.  But there's someone who'd do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it's up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House's lost library claims another victim...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Nora Pennington owns a bookstore in Miracle Springs, North Carolina.  She's built a good life for herself with friends and the love of Sheriff Grant McCabe.  She has a great love of books, and regularly delivers them to the town recluse, Lucille Wynter.  Lucille lives in Wynter House, and doesn't ever leave it.  Nora isn't even allowed in the house after years of bringing her books.  They sit in the boot room, have tea, and talk about books.

But one day her delivery doesn't go right.  Lucille doesn't arrive on time, and Nora gets worried.  She calls her from the boot room and Lucille answers, asking for help.  Nora breaks down the door and finds Lucille at the bottom of the stairs, recently deceased.  When the police arrive, they find a house filled with books everywhere, and discover that Lucille was a hoarder.

But Officer Andrews gives Nora a package that Lucille had left for her.  Inside is a small book, and a note that tells her there is a little lost library in the house, and she must find it with clues.  But how is she to get into the house?  With the help of her antique dealer friend Bea, and Bea's niece Cricket, who owns a junk hauling business, Nora makes the decision to find the library, even if it puts her in danger...

I absolutely loved this book best out of all in the series.  Maybe because I love mysteries, but this was more a mystery within a mystery -- who killed Lucille, and where is the library -- and that intrigued me to no end.  Unfortunately, Nora doesn't realize how dangerous a game she is playing.  It isn't until another tragedy occurs closer to home that Nora realizes she has to involve McCabe, who isn't happy that she didn't let him know right away.

On top of it all, someone is stealing books from her store, and she can't figure out who it is.  But with the help of good friends around, nothing is impossible...

Nora is digging through the crowed house for clues, and they aren't easy to find; especially since the house is in such bad shape and filled to the brim.  But when she starts digging, she finds that the clues are leading to a deeper tragedy still, and that makes all the difference in this story.  We are pulled into the tale, wanting to know the truth, and being given answers slowly, which only make us want more.

I will say that I knew the murderer very quickly, but the reasons eluded me, which isn't a bad thing, as I love to probe for the truth as much as Nora.  When the ending comes, it all weaves together tightly, and the story has a very nice ending, leaving us waiting for the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Library-Secret-Scone-Society-ebook/dp/B0CTDKBXZH/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7849663450

More on Ellery Adams's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

The Tattered Cover

A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel Book 8

Author:    Ellery Adams

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book (Audiobook & Audio CD Available)

ISBN #:    9781496743824

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

October 28, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was a dark, rainy night at Nora Pennington's Miracle Books when a mysterious death brings the Secret, Book, and Scone Society into the Halloween season on the trail of a murderer...

As the residents of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, select their costumes, plan parties, and get excited for a night of tricks or treats, Nora joins in the festivities by hosting medium memoirist Lara Luz at the bookstore.  Charismatic and compelling, Lara mesmerizes the audience with her life story.  Struck by a bolt of lightning as a child, she was pronounced dead only to be resurrected with the ability to connect with those on the other side.

Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power.  In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning.  But Nora doesn't believe she died of natural causes.  Not one member of the psychic's reading group -- which includes the town's widower pharmacist, an urgent care nurse, a mystery author, and even truculent Deputy Hollowell -- were admirers of Lara.

Nora confirms this when she stumbles upon Lara's journal in the aftermath of her death .  For within its leathery bound pages are the medium and her clients' deepest and darkest secrets, written in code,  Now, Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must sift through the suspects and their motives to uncover which one of them is a killer before he or she is tempted to strike again...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is surprised when an author wants to do a reading and signing at her small bookstore.  But urged by her employee and friend Sheldon, she agrees.  When that turns out to be successful, she organizes a mixed signing by several authors just before Halloween.  Among them is Lara Luz, a psychic who wants to read from her memoir and then has agreed to do special readings for a small number of attendees.  Among them are a widower, a nurse, and surprisingly, Deputy Hollowell, a K9 officer who's clashed with Nora from the day she came into town.  But, if this is a success as well, Nora will be able to hold more.

Unfortunately, it isn't.  The lights go out due to a storm, and Lara is struck down, supposedly from a bad heart.  When Nora tries to help, Lara's partner pushes her, and Nora strikes her head and passes out.  When she awakens, she discovers that Lara is dead, and she eventually learns that it was murder.  Her own partner, Sheriff Grant McCabe, wants her to stay out of it because she received a concussion, but Nora and her friends are curious enough to want to know who murdered her -- Nora is concerned that her reputation will be tarnished by the murder in her store -- so they still do their own investigation.  When Nora accidentally finds Lara's personal journal, she sees that the woman kept track of her clients.

But it's more than that.  When she starts to decipher Lara's code, something sinister pops up...and it might just be the key to why Lara was killed...

This is the eighth book in the series, and I have loved them all.  I have grown fond of the people in Miracle Springs, and have even felt for them and their own secrets and pain.  Once you journey to a town in books, if the writer is good enough (and Ms. Adams certain is), you want to return again and again.

This book does not disappoint.  I do not want to say too much about it, because I want the reader to enjoy their own travels to Miracle Springs.  I will say that finding the murderer isn't easy, and the answers aren't always the ones that come with the clues.  The conclusion was definitely surprising; the story was intriguing and even dark at times.  But all this added to the suspense and the enjoyment of the tale.  

Nora has her own decisions to face; Estella is looking at a new life to come forth; and even Hester may find some changes coming to her.  But even the subplots are part of the main plot, and it's pulling you into the story almost from the start.  I read this one through in one sitting, which I rarely do.  All I can say now is that when you get the chance to read this, do so.  You will not be disappointed.  Highly recommended.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Tattered-Cover-Secret-Scone-Society-ebook/dp/B0DX4X1HMT/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7804101139

More on Ellery Adams's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

Paper Cuts (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel Book 6)

Author:    Ellery Adams

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN#:    9781496726476

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$27.00; $13.77 Amazon

April 25, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nora escaped her past a decade ago.  So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh -- the woman her ex-husband left her for -- walks through the front door of Miracle Books along with her son, a sweet, serious boy with a talent for origami.  Kelly hasn't come to gloat, though.  As it turns out, she's been dumped, too.  She's also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness.

Shockingly, however, the woman who's been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim.  Who would do such a thing?  Certainly not Nora.  But that doesn't stop the gossip and suspection -- especially after Kelly's sister-in-law claims that she saw the two women arguing.

In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff's department, but they've barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench.  After serving a fifteen-year sentence, Estella's father returns to Miracle Springs.  And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the four friends can handle.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has finally achieved peace in her life.  After finding out her husband of ten years was cheating on her, she had a devastating accident that left her with scars both physical and emotional.  Some she's never been able to put away permanently.  But her best friends -- June, Estella, and Hester -- all have scars of their own, and it's a daily battle for the foursome to believe that life can give them something to offer.  

When a woman enters Nora's bookstore, she has a young son who seems focused only on the books with origami.  Kelly Walsh states that she's just moved to town and her son doesn't interact with people very well.  Nora has empathy for the young man, and promises to order more books for the boy.  

Then Estella's dad is being released, and she's worried about what he can find as a job, wanting to keep him from going back.  But that's not all:  Nora eventually finds out her ex-husband is in town, and she plans to avoid him at all cost...

After discovering that Kelly is the woman who broke up her marriage, she wants nothing to do with her.  But it's an early morning visit from the police that wake her up, telling her Kelly is dead.  Only later does Nora discover that Kelly was murdered, and a witness insists that shortly before the murder, she saw Nora arguing with the woman.

Now Nora is a suspect in the murder, and her beau Sheriff Grant McCabe needs to stay away from her during the investigation, although he doesn't believe a word of it.  Can her friends help her stay out of jail?  If not, Nora might just spend her days and nights in solitary...

This is the sixth book in the series, and perhaps the best of the lot.  I've come to care for these four women who still carry the scars of their early lives and have come to depend upon one another for their strength.  Each one has a secret that haunts them, and together they form a force of nature.  Now Nora is in trouble, and they won't stand by idly while she's in trouble.

But finding the murderer isn't easy: it would be easier to find a coyote in the wilderness, or so it seems.  There is more at stake than just Nora's life, and they need to find the core of what it is.  The subplot of Estella's father Gus becomes part of the story, and Nora learns that All Is Not As It Appears.  When she starts to put the pieces together, what she discovers stuns her; it could change everything, and she wonders if her perceptions are correct.

There were parts of this book that brought tears to my eyes.  I emphasized with Nora in so many places, and my heart ached for her pain.  Sometimes outer scars can't truly give the story of those that remain inside us, and Nora is an example of that.  Her decision to carry those outer scars truly shows her character.

Each one of these books is unique.  It tells its own story within stories, and each one touches me.  When I find these books, nothing will stop me from reading them.  I even bypass cooking dinner to read these (and my husband knows it so orders takeout -- luckily, he understands my love of the series).  These are women I would love to meet, and I would love to reside in this town.  But it is the compassion, warmth, and kindness of four damaged women that touches me the most.

All in all between her friends, Nora sees that the truth is right in front of her.  And in the end, it comes together with each piece layering upon the other; until you can see the final picture.  It is a marvelous addition to the story and its peoples, and I cannot wait until the next is written.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the Publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Secret-Scone-Society-Novel/dp/1496726472/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5071947624

More on Ellery Adams's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

The Vanishing Type (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Book 5)

Author:    Ellery Adams

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496726445

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$20.49; $9.06 Amazon

April 26, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

While January falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book.  Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet -- until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.

His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town's new movie theater.  But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discover -- someone has mutilated all her store's copies of The Scarlet Letter, slices angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne's name is mentioned.

The coincidence disturbs Nora, who's one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago.  Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn't even told her future husband.  But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book. the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester's past.  Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it's not just Hester's relationship at stake, but her life...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Nora Pennington owns a bookshop in the small town of Miracle Springs, North Carolina.  It's not only a bookshop, it's a meeting place for her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society.  While her relationship with her boyfriend Jed is done and finished, she still has June, Estella, and Hester in her life -- three women who are damaged as much as she is, all in their own way.  But a surprise soon enters in the form of Deputy Jasper Andrews, who wants to propose to Hester in a special way.  When Nora hears of his plans, she's delighted and enlists the help of Estella and June.  The proposal, like the town, is going to be magical.

However, before the proposal, Nora is stunned when her employee Sheldon finds copies of The Scarlet Letter vandalized, with the word 'Hester' scratched out in each one.  But even this is not as disturbing as when Sheriff Grant McCabe finds a dead man with no identification on his person, but a book by Elmer Freeman, Miss Delphinium.  It turns out that Elmer Freeman was a pseudonym for Enid Elton, who wrote eight books in her series.  When another of the books turns up in Hester's bakery, Nora begins to suspect something else is going on.

When more of the books start appearing around town, it's apparent to Nora that these all relate to Hester.  Could her secret from long ago be found out?  Who would be sending the clues?  And why now, after all these years?  On top of this, a young friend is injured in a car accident, and Nora thinks it could be related.  But how can she tell Sheriff McCabe, just when it seems their friendship might be turning into something more?  Nora knows she has to act, and turning to McCabe, whom she must learn to trust, might help her find the puzzle pieces and put them together.  Or will Hester's life be forfeit instead?

This is the fifth book, and perhaps even the best, in the series  It gives us more insight into Hester's past, and shows that the friendship between the four women is a strong bond.  When there is a crisis or two, they pull together and act as each other's anchor.  It's both charming and heartwarming; it brings a sort of calm to the series, and the want to read the other books.  This one is indeed my favorite.

We have a puzzle to figure out, and I did figure it out early on, but watching Nora and her friends put their minds together to save Hester was worth everything.  Their determination to keep each other buoyed while they worked through their problems with humor, love, strength, and friendship was the heart of the book.

When the ending comes everything comes together nicely; but at a cost.  Some things are never meant to be regained, while others will stay with us forever.  Well done, Ms. Adams.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Secret-Scone-Society-Novel/dp/1496726448/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4571396061

More on Ellery Adams's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

Written in Stone (A Books By the Bay Mystery #4)

Author:    Ellery Adams

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9780425251737

Berkley Prime Crime

304 Pages

$7.99; $7.99 Amazon

November 6, 2012

⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Munin Cooper, known as the witch of Oyster Bay, warns Olivia Limoges that death is coming, neither of them realize that it is the older woman herself who will soon be found dead.  And Olivia's instincts tell her that something -- or someone -- more sinister than a mystical force is at play...

Olivia has a lot of her plate preparing for the Coastal Carolina Food Festival.  When she hears the news of Munin's untimely death, however, finding the murderer takes priority.  The witch left behind a memory jug full of keepsakes that Olivia knows must point to the killer -- but she's got to figure out what they mean.

With handsome police chief Rawlings by her side, Olivia starts to identify some of the jug's mysterious contents -- and finds its secrets are much darker than she suspected.  Now Olivia must enlist the help of the Bayside Book Writers to solve the puzzle behind the piece of pottery and put an end to a vengeful killer before any more damage can be done...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Olivia Limoges has a history with Oyster Bay and has been happy since she returned.  Her life is full and busy.  While at the local diner one morning she's told by its owner Dixie that the local witch, Munin, wants her to come to her.  Dixie tells her that Munin can tell Olivia about her mother, and even though she has reservations, she finds a guide to lead her through the swamp to the forested area Munin calls home.

What Munin says stuns Olivia, and she gives her a memory jug that she's made for her - a clay jug with items attached all around it - and Olivia sees that the items have clues to her past.  But before she can visit Munin again, the woman is murdered.  But there is more going on in her life, including something that might change it forever.  But Olivia feels she needs to find justice for Munin, and with the help of her friends, she intends to do so...that is, unless the murderer turns their sights on her, too...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I have read all of them so far.  I didn't much care for the first one, I have come to like Olivia through the pages of these books.  She's turned into a decent human being who's showing affection and caring for others, and this is big plus.  She's also opened herself to other things, and finding Munin's killer is among them.  But when she starts looking, she discovers secrets that have been hidden for decades -- including her mother's.  But when someone else is killed, the stakes are raised and Olivia is on a desperate search to keep others from being harmed.

What results is a very interesting book with more than interesting characters, and Olivia learning about her past in the process.  The ending is tragic and sad, but also giving and hoping for a better future.  It's tragic enough that someone was permanently damaged, but gives us something to look forward to in the next.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Written-Stone-Books-Bay-Mystery/dp/042525173X/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3993676273

More on Ellery Adams's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

The Last Word (A Books By the Bay Mystery #3)

Author:  Ellery Adams
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425245002
Berkley Prime Crime
297 Pages
$7.49; $7.99 Amazon
December 6, 2011

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The arrival of Nick Plumley has sent shivers of excitement throughout Oyster Bay.  Especially since rumor has it that the Booker Prize Winner is thinking about putting down roots here.  No one is more thrilled than Olivia and her fellow members when Plumley drips by the first writer's group meeting at Harris's new house.  But why is Plumley more interested in poking around the lovely bungalow than in discussing the craft of fiction?

Not long after, Olivia stops by Plumley's rental -- and finds that he's been strangled to death.  Her instincts tell her that something from the past came back to haunt him, but she never expects that the investigation could spell doom for one of her dearest friends...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

First off, I need to state that part of the blurb is incorrect.  Olivia, who never shows much emotion anyway, isn't thrilled about Plumley.  She barely even knows who he is.  Secondly, he never stops by the writer's group at all.  I just wanted to make that clear, since I didn't want anyone to think that I'd missed something in my review.

Olivia Limoges is a very rich woman who was raised by her grandmother after her father disappeared at sea and her mother was killed in a freak accident.  Inasmuch, she never has been able to become close to anyone, and when the widowed Chief Rawlings tried once, she pushed him away.  But things have been changing for her -- she learned from an anonymous letter that she had a half-brother living nearby, and she's opening a new restaurant and has convinced him and his family to move to Oyster Bay with the lure of him being the head chef.  They've been settling in, but with his wife Kim heavily pregnant, his daughter Caitlyn, and he being as standoffish as Olivia herself, it's going to take some time for their relationship to grow.

She's also helping her friend and fellow co-writer Harris Williams in his search for a home.  He's fallen in love with a bungalow that needs plenty of work but he wants it.  When she discovers that Nick Plumley is also about to make an offer on the home, she insists that her realtor get the papers signed ASAP because she's worried Plumley will offer more and take it from Harris.  When everything is done and they've helped Harris move, she wonders what it is that fascinates Plumley so much about the house.  Then she discovers that he offers to read Harris's manuscript and help him, and she becomes even more suspicious.  But it doesn't stop there...

When Harris discovers an old watercolor in the stairs of his home, he gives it to Olivia to get it appraised.  She finds that it was painted by a German prisoner of war who had once lived in an American prison camp with others, Heinrich Kamler.  Digging into the man's life, she learns that he allegedly stabbed a prison guard and escaped with another prisoner named Ziegler.  But this is only the beginning.  When Olivia starts digging for answers, she finds that Plumley knew more about the watercolor than was said, and that his ties might be just as close as those of someone she's known for a long time.  Someone who's been right in front of her, living their own lie...

I have to say that I wasn't truly impressed with the first two books in the series, thinking that Olivia seemed more than standoffish; she seemed downright cold.  In this book, she's far more likable of a character and has more empathy toward others.  Her relationship with her friends is steadily growing, along with those of her family members.  She does things that are totally selfless, and it made me like her even more.

When she starts looking into the murder of the prison guard and the life of Kamler, what she finds is that he's totally different from a man who would have murdered someone else, and she also sees that there's more about him she didn't know; that he fell in love with a young American, and she now starts to look into the girl's life, bringing the story to life.  It's both interesting and sad, and I loved reading every minute of it.

When we get closer to the end, we finally realize who the killer is at the same time as Olivia.  Her sadness about the situation is apparent, yet it gives hope that another life may be saved from despair in the long run.  It's a very good story with a very good ending, and hope of something better in the future.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Word-Books-Bay-Mystery/dp/0425245004/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3285910542

More on Ellery Adams's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

Pies and Prejudice (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery)

Author:  Ellery Adams
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425251409
Berkley Publishing
266 Pages
$7.52; $2.99 Amazon
July 3, 2012

⭐

When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LeFaye bakes pie.  So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flaky crust.  But her pies aren't just delicious, they're also having magical effects on the people who eat them -- and the public is hungry for more.

Having discovered her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening The Charmed Pie Shoppe.  But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate.  And when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead - killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin -- it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Ella Mae LeFaye discovers her husband cheating, she runs home to her birthplace of Havenwood, Georgia and her mother.  While she finds comfort in baking, it's her mother and three aunts who convince her that her pies hold miracles, and she needs to open a pie shoppe.  But her childhood enemy, Loralyn Gaynor, wants the building for a third beauty salon, and is attempting to get her fiancé to buy it for her.  Ella Mae wins out, and Loralyn vows revenge.

When there's a shouting match at a bank between Loralyn and Ella Mae, but all customers can see is Loralyn's fiancé, and he's later found dead - with Ella Mae's rolling pin as the weapon, she's put in the hot seat as the lead suspect.  But the police don't have enough to charge her, so she's released.  Now Ella Mae is on the hunt for a killer to free herself, but if she doesn't find one, she'll be cooked herself...

I enjoy Ellery Adams books, and I really wanted to like this one.  While it starts out okay, I need to say that toward the end it got too "woo-woo" for me.  I'm not one who likes paranormal, fantasy, witches, etc. (I do like ghosts if they're interesting); and when things were winding up at the end I started rolling my eyes.  For the most part, I like books to be believable, and this one went off the rails.

Ella Mae started out fine, and I even enjoyed her ability to make 'magical' pies.  I thought it was a cute touch to the book - but when she picked up the baby names book and started looking at them, that was it for me.  Seriously?  This is when she discovers the truth?  And it's in her name?

I would have also liked to have known more about her time in New York.  Didn't she even care about her belongings?  Were her clothes tainted with her husband?  Who just leaves everything behind?  Not even packing a suitcase?  Also, some of the pie recipes sounded gross.  I would also like to know how the rolling pin got out of her home and into the burning building.  It was never explained.  (It was explained how it disappeared out of the truck, but not how the original rolling pin got out of her house.  Who took it and when?

I also felt many of the characters were caricatures.  Tainted horse farms but no one wonders why the Gaynors weren't involved?  That should have been the first thing the police should have looked at.  Why didn't they look at Loralyn as being involved, either?  An intelligent cop might have been able to connect the dots the minute they realized Ella Mae had no motive.

At any rate, I won't be reading any more in this series.  Sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Pies-Prejudice-Charmed-Shoppe-Mystery/dp/0425251403/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3204902378

More on Ellery Adams's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/

The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book, and Scone Society #3)

Author:  Ellery Adams
Genre:   Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496712431
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$16.99; $12.99 Amazon
January 20, 2020

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As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business.  The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixty-something Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store.

Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter.  It'll make a great present for Nora's EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows its banks.  Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, Danny's body lies within the churning water.

Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it's time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action.  When another body turns up, it becomes clear that Danny's death can't be blamed on a natural disaster.  A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue - and onto the trail of a murderer...

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Nora Pennington owns Miracle Books and lives in a renovated train car.  Her life is simplistic, or at least she thinks it is.  It's been raining incessantly in her small North Carolina town, and people are buying books and the shelf enhancers she has throughout her shop.  When she heads to the local flea market to replenish her supply, she comes across Danny, a Cherokee potter who has the perfect bowl for her boyfriend, EMT Jed.  But she has an accident with her bike on the way home, and the bowl gets chipped.  The next day she intends to take it back to Danny and see if he can repair the chip, but she never makes it.  As she crosses the bridge, she sees a body in the river - Danny.  But Nora doesn't think it's an accidental drowning, and she's determined to find out who - and why - Danny was killed.  Then, when there's a second murder, she knows she needs to act soon, or there might be more on the way...

I felt that the book started out slow, but I'm glad I stayed with it.  I really enjoyed the plot and that's probably because I love 'mysteries within mysteries' and this book certainly had an interesting one.  Intertwined with Danny's death is the discovery of an old diary within the walls of an inn that's being renovated, and Nora is positive that it has something to do with the murder, although she doesn't know how, since Danny never knew the diary existed.  There's also a mysterious person in town that people keep seeing but no one seems to know who may or may not be causing problems; and the appearance of Sheldon, an older man who is staying at the inn but appears in Nora's shop one day and soon becomes her lifesaver.

Then there's the women of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society themselves - four women who have been either physically or emotionally damaged - or both - and hold onto their pain using it as a crutch in their lives.

This is a very good mystery, but it's also a book about damaged and broken women.  Not just women who have been physically or emotionally hurt in one way or another, but women who have not been able to move on from their pasts and learn to be happy.  It does no good to carry your pain, to punish yourself incessantly.  These women refuse not only to trust others, they refuse to trust themselves.  We're all scarred one way or another, either inside or out.  You can't allow it to define your life.  Nora not wanting to get married again isn't because of her scars; it's because of fear.  If she's afraid to trust a man enough to love him completely (and more than you know have had bad marriages and move on to a good one) then that's fear.  She's afraid.  And until she faces her fears, her life will never be whole nor complete.  She's using her scars to hide behind; not just of a reminder of the pain in her life, but a reminder not to ever love completely.   

I know no one who has not suffered in their life one way or another, but they’ve managed to create good lives and be people you want to spend time with.  Therefore, it makes the book rather depressing in part.  (FYI, this isn't the 1940's; men don't look at women as 'damaged goods' anymore, so that argument is patently ridiculous.)

However, I did find the plot intriguing, so much so that I read the book in one sitting, without even bothering to get a second cup of coffee.  That's a very good sign in itself.  I felt the way the two stories were intertwined was done nicely, with twists and turns aplenty.  It made for satisfying read, and I was delighted with the ending.  This book is definitely a must-read, and I will put this series on my 'need to buy the others' list.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Book-Candlelight-Secret-Scone-Society/dp/1496712439/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3169486016

More on Ellery Adams's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ellery-adams/