A Case of Poison Problems (Willow Cove Mysteries Book 5)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0CGB52943

Whiskered Mysteries

155 Pages

$4.99 Amazon

August 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A date night is hard when you're starting a new business, even harder when a dead body shows up.

My boyfriend and business partner, Gavin, and I just wanted a night off to go to the movies.

Instead, we find ourselves in the middle of another investigation when the movie theatre owner is found poisoned.

And guess who the number one suspect is?

Me!  Aubrey Rose.

Now it's time to get to the bottom of this murder plot, before Gavin and I end up in a starring role in the Willow Cove jail.

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Aubrey Rose moved back home after a disastrous marriage to help her mother run their B&B.  She started off rocky with their handyman, Gavin, but now she can't imagine life without him.  But even the best of partners has a problem or two at times, and she doesn't know if he's holding a grudge from their last case.  When her mother suggests they go to a movie, they both are happy to have the night off.  It all starts off well -- greeting Jasper, the theater owner, and Aubrey notices him sitting a few rows back during the film.

Yet it doesn't end well.  Jasper is discovered dead, and the police think it was a heart attack.  But Jasper's young widow doesn't believe it, and hires the two new PIs to investigate the crime.  While the sheriff warns them off (again), they both think Madison, the widow, might be right, and so they begin their investigation.  But it doesn't make it easier to find any culprits, when there are so many suspects.

This is the fifth book in the series, and I have read them all.  This one is just as delightful as the others.  It's Christmas time, and the duo just want to solve the case before Christmas Day rolls around.  There's a house full of guests, and Aubrey's trying to avoid one who thinks she's a better sleuth.  Then there's the matter of Gavin's mother coming to visit, and he worries that she might not like his life choices.  But all Aubrey wants to do is find the killer so they can relax and enjoy the holiday.

Of course, we have Sheriff Dobbs looking for the easiest suspect to nab (no surprise there!) and it's up to Gavin and Aubrey to show him the error of his ways.  What I do like is the fact that when they find information, they share it with him immediately instead of withholding evidence for their own gain.  It shows integrity on their part.  Good move, Ms. Lane!

The list of suspects grows, and just when they think they have eliminated one another one appears.  But when another suspect asks for their help, they're no closer than they were before.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it was rather sad; still, a murder was committed and there is a price to pay.  In the end, this was an enjoyable read that I loved, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I was given a copy of this book from Whiskered Mysteries and the author, but it in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Poison-Problems-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CGB52943/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5839839429

More on Lily Rose Lane's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/lily-rose-lane/

A Case of Deadly Dating (Willow Cove Mysteries Book 4)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0C8J8W1J8

Whiskered Mysteries

158 Pages

$4.99 Amazon

June 18, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aubrey Rose -- Willow Cove's top private investigator, and possible suspect in another murder case...

The new nurse in town met her demise -- at the bottom of a staircase -- but she isn't the only skeleton in Willow cove.

Apparently, she's also Gavin, my boyfriend's, ex.

And now he's acting even weirder, secretive.

That doesn't make either of us a suspect, right?

It's up to us to help solve the case and not let our own bout of deadly dating get in the way.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Aubrey Rose moved back to Willow Cove after her disastrous marriage fell apart.  Now she's running the family B&B along with her mother.  Their handyman, Gavin, is also Aubrey's new boyfriend, and partner in their new private investigating firm.  All is well, or so Aubrey thinks.

One morning Gavin cuts himself with a chainsaw, and Aubrey takes him to the clinic in town.  There's a new nurse who stitches him up, and Gavin is unusually grim.  When Aubrey asks him about it, she discovers that the nurse is his ex-wife, and he's not happy to see her.  Later, when she's murdered, both Gavin and Aubrey become suspects.  The only way out, of course, is to find the killer themselves...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all.  I find them delightful to read, as the characters are engaging and believable.  In this book, we have Aubrey facing her own relationship demons as she wonders why Gavin is spending so much time in the work shed, and won't allow her to see what he's doing.  She wonders if he's thinking about Catrina, his ex.  When she decides to question him, he wonders if she trusts him at all.  Such is the world of new relationships and old ghosts, at least in this book.

But back to the mystery: Aubrey begins to question suspects (as it appears that Gavin is too busy to help) and she's not getting the answers she wants.  Of personal interest is Dr. Carl and his wife, but neither have anything to say to her, even though they both knew the dead woman.  Even though the sheriff insists she stay out of the case, Aubrey won't, as she's investigating also.  Will she get the answers she wants, or will Gavin remain suspect #1?

When the ending comes and everything is revealed, it's rather sad but still, a murder has been committed.  We get to see a new insight into the two main characters, who take center place in this book with very little interaction with other secondary characters, but that is how it is supposed to be.  It leaves us with a warm fuzzy, wanting to read the next in the series.  Recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Whiskered Mysteries but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Deadly-Dating-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0C8J8W1J8/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5782567451

More on Lily Rose Lane's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/lily-rose-lane/

A Case of Vengeful Vows (Willow Cove Mysteries Book 3)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0BYTKH1FL

Whiskered Mysteries

168 Pages

$3.99 Amazon

March 21, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A well-deserved vacation shouldn't end in murder.

After solving two crimes in Willow Cove, Georgia, I definitely need a break.  And what better place to get away than a cozy little place in Ireland?  Well, cozy in the fact that I'm sharing a room with my mother and boyfriend.  And there's an entire wedding party staying at the inn with us.

Guess the luck of the Irish wasn't with us since we found a bridesmaid dead in her room.  Gavin thinks this is the perfect opportunity to investigate and spread the word about our little business.  But it isn't just the inn's resident cat who has been watching us.  And I have a bad feeling that the luck of the Irish isn't on our side in this case.

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After a disastrous marriage and horrible divorce, Aubrey Rose goes back to Georgia and working at her mom's B&B.  But since she's returned, she's been embroiled in two murders that she and the inn's handyman, Gavin, have solved.  Now they've decided that they want to open their own private investigation company, but they'll worry about that when they return, since they and her mother are in Ireland on a much-needed vacation.

They're sharing the large inn with a wedding party, and while, according to Aubrey, some of the guests seem pompous, they're harmless enough.  At least until the next morning when the maid of honor is discovered dead in her room -- which happens to be across the hall.  It seems the Garda isn't all that interested in solving the murder, but Aubrey and Gavin are.  Unfortunately, no one in the wedding is too keen on the idea.  While they decide to ask questions and investigate anyway, the last thing they think is going to happen does.  Someone wants them out of the way.  But who?  So they decide to dig into the dead woman's past, and what they find isn't pretty.

Determined to figure it out, they persevere even though it could put them in danger.  But when Aubrey's mother wants to help, they have no idea how charming the woman can be and how much information she can garner.  Aubrey is learning more about her mother than she knew, and less about the wedding party because they've warned her off.  Will they be able to figure it out and salvage the rest of their vacation?  Or will they be permanently be laid to rest on the Emerald Isle?...

This is the third book in the series and I have loved them all.  This one, though, is perhaps my favorite.  Mainly because it takes place in magical Ireland, and we get to see the real interaction between the three main characters without having to work -- being on a real vacation.  But of course, since they are at it again, they are working of a sort, and what a job they have ahead of them.  Who killed the young woman, and why?  People seem to have a motive, but nothing that warrants murder.  And it may take all of Aubrey's wits to figure it out.  

The ending was done very well, and the mystery more so.  I loved the interaction between all the characters in the book (although I do think the wedding party should have invited the three to the wedding, considering; for we know they will be the ones who solve the murder!).  I even love the fact that Aubrey is warming up to cats.  I have several, and they are so loving and protective of me.  All in all, a very good read and I look forward to the next in the series.

I was given a copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Vengeful-Vows-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BYTKH1FL/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5460497260

More on Lily Rose Lane's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/lily-rose-lane/

A Case of Senior Scandals (Willow Cove Mysteries Book 2)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0bTD8TNYP

Whiskered Mysteries

177 Pages

$3.99 Amazon

February 28, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm Aubrey Rose, and after solving a decades long cold case in Willow Cove, I was ready to hang up my amateur detective hat.

But when Willow Cove's oldest and most revered resident, Edith Thomas, is found dead -- everyone is suddenly looking to me for answers.

I didn't plan on getting involved, but how can I say no when even Edith's son is asking for my help?

Now, I need to discover who would want to kill a sweet little lady whose worst offense was baking deliciously addictive chocolate chip muffins.

With handyman Gavin and his terrier sidekick at my side, we'll need to dig into Edith's past and discover if this lovely senior had any scandals in her past.

Ones that could lead to deadly consequences...

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Aubrey Rose returned home to Willow Cove after her disastrous marriage broke up, only to find herself as part owner of her mother's B&B.  Now she's helping to run the place along with their handyman Gavin, who seems to have a personal interest in Aubrey.  One she's not unhappy about.  After both of them solve a decades-old murder, they're happy just to rest and go about their daily lives.

But when elderly Edith Thomas is found stabbed to death, her friends and relatives want them to help solve the murder.  Even though they are reluctant to do so, Aubrey and Gavin find themselves drawn into the investigation -- and they have to keep it hidden from Police Chief Dobbs, who wants them to stay out of it.  But with people coming to them with their own suspicions, they don't have much choice -- and it also gives them time to figure out where their relationship is going...

This is the second book in the series and I was glad to revisit Aubrey and the others in small town Willow Cove.  This time there's a festival coming up, and Aubrey's momma thinks no one will want to stay at the B&B because of the bones found there recently.  Aubrey and Gavin want to know who killed Edith, and why.  There are rumors around town of Edith's past, and even though they don't seem likely, they discover that there are a lot of things about Edith that they didn't know.  Things that send them to the internet, and talking to people to get answers.  

But when they encounter a shady person in town, they think this might be the murderer.  Or are they?  Watching Aubrey try to decipher clues and also decipher where things are going with Gavin is interesting enough to keep one reading the book in one sitting.  It's a fun and cozy book, and the characters are endearing as well.  

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it was a big of a surprise, but put together nicely, and believable as well.  Without saying anything else about the book, I urge you to read it as it was indeed worth the time.  Recommended.

I received an advance copy of the book from the author and BookSprout, but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Senior-Scandals-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BTD8TNYP/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5387581937

A Case of Garden Bones (Willow Cove Mysteries, Book 1)

Author:    Lily Rose Lane

Genre:     Mystery

Digital Book

ASIN #:    B0BSTBT91N

Whiskered Mysteries

176 Pages

$2.99 Amazon

January 30, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aubrey Rose here.  After three short years of marriage, I'm single and back in Willow Cove...living with my mother as co-owner of a bed and breakfast.

I knew there would be surprises in store but the handyman's dog unearthing human bones in the rose garden wasn't on my list.  The town police chief isn't concerned about the remains and the locals aren't talking.

The handyman, Gavin, is my only help in solving this mystery.

As we dig up new clues, more town secrets are revealed,  Maybe these bones, and the enigma surrounding them, should have remained buried.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Aubrey Rose, after three short years of marriage to a cheating husband, returns home to Willow Cove, Georgia, to help her widowed mother run the town's B&B.  When their handyman Gavin's dog Curly digs up some bones in the rose garden, they discover they're human.  But when the sheriff doesn't seem to care about the case, the two decide to form a partnership to find out who was killed and why.  After all, if it wasn't murder, why would they be buried there?

But no one in town seems to know who they are, and if they do, they aren't telling Aubrey.  So they take what little clues they have, and try to find out the truth.  Aubrey also discovers that the handyman she thought she hated isn't so bad, and they have more in common than she could ever have imagined...

This is the first book in a new series, and I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Ms. Lane is a talented writer, and she's given her first turn in the cozy mystery genre an interesting twist.  Yes, the protagonist has returned home penniless and in need, but the mystery is gleaning clues throughout the book, and using each one to fill out the truth.

It's a fun read, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.  The beginning of this series gives the murder a twist that no one might have seen coming (I only did because I read a lot of these); and is worth sitting down and taking a chance on this book.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

I was given an advance copy through the author and Booksprout, but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Garden-Bones-Willow-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BSTBT91N/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5311674218

More on Lily Rose Lane's Books:    https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lily-Rose-Lane/author/B09TJXBNVN?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref