Deadly Vows

Jody Holford

Apr 2019 · A Britton Bay Mystery Book 2 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

Molly Owens is happily settling into her new life in the seaside town of Britton Bay—and into new her job as editor-in-chief of the local paper—until a wedding at the B&B where she stays gets a jump start on death do us part . . .
 
Britton Bay is buzzing with preparations for a wedding at the bed and breakfast where Molly rents a small carriage home. Molly is even helping out and plans to interview the rising star caterer—until the woman is found dead. And then the bride-to-be goes missing. To make matters worse, the venue is owned by Molly’s new boyfriend’s mother—and Molly was among the last people to see the victim alive. All of which makes solving the crime her top priority . . .
 
With the nuptials indefinitely on hold, Molly will have to sift through a sticky mix of suspects, including a rival caterer with a short fuse, a groom with an illicit secret, and a wedding party riddled with personal drama. And if she doesn’t discover the truth soon, Molly might be her own front-page news . . .
 
Praise for Deadly News
 
“The news is all good for this cozy mystery! Deadly News will make you want to pack up and move to the seaside town of Britton Bay, Oregon. The characters are vividly brought to life, there’s a perfect touch of romance, and the mystery has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Don’t miss out on a charming new series—grab this cozy while it’s hot off the press!”
—Sarah Fox, USA Today bestselling author
 

Ratings and reviews

Deadly Vows is a light hearted and romantic cozy mystery. This second installment in A Britton Bay Mystery series can be read as a standalone. I like how the information from Deadly News was incorporated into the story. Molly Owens is happy with her new home and job. She enjoys spending time with Sam and her puppy, Tigger. Molly has the perfect location (her cottage) to watch the wedding drama at the B&B unfold. The mother-of-the-bride is controlling the wedding. Patricia Lovenly grew up in Britton Bay and has come back to gloat over how rich she is by throwing a spectacular, over-the-top wedding for her daughter. It does not seem to matter that this is not what her daughter and the groom want. Skyler Friessen is the chef for the event, and she is a prickly. It is no surprise when she turns up dead. Molly just needs to figure out which individual disliked Skyler enough to kill her which is easier said then done. There are a couple of suspects, good clues and misdirection. Deadly Vows is nicely written with steady pacing. I could have done with less repetition (I get it the first time). I did not like how many times Molly was told to keep her nose out of the investigation (it was not going to happen). I also felt the romance between Molly and Sam was too much for a cozy mystery. It came across as sappy (especially the dialogue) and their relationship progressed too quickly. We are introduced to numerous characters in this book and many of them had nothing to do with the plot. An example is Clay, the newspapers supposed social media coordinator. He added nothing to this story, and I am shocked he has not been fired. Some tweaks would enhance this cute mystery series. Deadly Vows is an easy breezy cozy mystery with a dead chef, a battling wedding party, an adorable pup, a handsome beau, and one a nosy reporter.

Second in the Britton Bay Mystery series, this is as delightful and intriguing as the first. The characters are likable. Molly and her bouncy pup, Tigger, are a fun pair to imagine on the beach of Britton Bay, along with Sam, who she has been dating for several weeks. The mystery kept me on my toes, even though I did finally figure out whodunit. Molly moved from SoCal after finding her live-in boyfriend entertaining one of his exes. She is now editor for the Britton Bay Bulletin, which has been in the family of her boss, Alan, for a couple generations. Good things are being said about the paper since she has become its editor in the Pacific northwest. She lives in a cottage behind the B&B owned by Katherine Alderich, Sam’s mother. Molly had found Tigger behind the Bulletin building shortly after starting work there, and he is all puppy. She has a small circle of friends that is growing. A wedding is going to take place at the B & B, and the bride’s mother is sparing no expense to give Chantel a dream wedding. Patty, Chantel’s mother, grew up in Britton Bay, married a wealthy man, and moved away. She grew up in the home the B&B had been before it was converted. Katherine’s property is being transformed with tents and even a dance floor. Patty hired a chef, Skyler Friessen, who recently won a competition and will soon open her own restaurant. Skyler is a haughty young woman who claims to be an artist whose medium is food; she is curt and even rude to her sous chefs or anyone in “her” kitchen. Skyler is preparing all the meals for the several days leading up to the wedding as well as the wedding itself; Katherine cannot bring any outside foods in. Molly talked Skyler into giving an interview for the Bulletin as part of the wedding special editions. She and Sam heard Skyler and an unidentified man arguing when they were headed to her cottage. The next morning, Molly found Chantel crying on the beach while walking Tigger. Then, when arriving at the hotel to meet Skyler for an interview, she learns the grumpy chef was found dead early that morning by a local homeless man, Corky. Harmless, he is clearly rattled; he saw her room door ajar when going to the pool and said Skyler fell while brushing her teeth. He kept muttering about dark stars. Molly and Jill, Sam’s cousin and a reporter at the Bulletin, begin to speculate on who the killer might be. Then the bride disappears without a word. It was fun to get to know the characters better! I did, however, miss reminders of backstories on some of the characters (such as what Sam’s shop is) unless I didn’t see them. Calliope, Molly, and Katherine are my favorites with their kind hearts and helpful ‘tudes. I appreciate the challenges Molly faces in trusting men and settling in her new town. The plot is complex, with suspects that most of the locals don’t know. The mystery kept me guessing throughout with twists and turns that showed a few suspects and red herrings. There was almost too much romance too quickly for my personal preference. I did, at last, figure out whodunit with an idea of the motivation barely a couple steps ahead of Molly and Sam. The ending is satisfying, and I’m looking forward to the next in series. I highly recommend Deadly Vows to those who enjoy well-written cozy mysteries with pets, good friends, and romance. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of the e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

With Deadly Vow, the second book in the Britton Bay series, Jody Holford maintains the strong, small town cozy/romantic vibe she established in Deadly News, the first book of the series. The romance is a pleasant addition to the mystery plot without distract from the murder investigation. It is the warmth, strength, and intelligence of the characters that takes this series from a delightful and intriguing cozy mystery to one of my favorite new series. My thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of Deadly Vows. It is one of the books that I have discovered recently that my readers and follows are going to be hearing a lot about! I loved it! #NetGalley #DeadlyVows

About the author

Jody Holford is both a contemporary romance and cozy mystery author. She lives in British Columbia with her family. She's a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell, Nora Roberts, Carly Phillips, Lori Foster, Sarah Fox, & Agatha Frost. She's unintentionally funny and rarely on time for anything. She has an equal amount of love for writing and reading the sigh-worthy moments in a book.