It’s summer in Jasper, Vermont—the best season to visit, in my opinion. (We are known as the Green Mountain State for a reason, after all.) Today, the sun is shining, the sky is a glorious lapis-lazuli, and a cool breeze is blowing, making it the perfect day to go kayaking. I have work to do at the inn, though, so I resume digging in the flower bed next to the front porch, making room for more purple asters to complement a patch of Goldenrod. I watch as a yellow warbler lands on a large sunflower at the back of the bed and smile, thinking of what the Hummingbird Hollow Inn, a Bee & Bee, was like before my sister Reggie hatched her evil plan.

Back then, it was all doilies and thick carpets, patterned wallpaper, hanging tapestries, and manicured lawns. Named the Jasper Inn, it was co-owned by my sister and her former husband, Chad Little. Chad broke my sister’s heart when he had an affair with the Jasper Inn’s manager and Reggie’s best friend, Karen May. After receiving the inn in the divorce, Reggie fired Karen and called me.

“Make the inn unrecognizable,” she told me then. “I want to kick Chad where it hurts.”

And she’d kicked hard. The Jasper Inn had been Cheating Chad’s second child. In his family for three generations, it was a relic in Jasper. When he and Reggie were married, Chad had refused to change anything about it. It was hard for bed and breakfasts to keep up with the burgeoning home rental market and the inn’s finances declined. Reggie wanted something fresh and modern, something that paid homage to her beautiful home state of Vermont. Something totally different from the old-fashioned Jasper Inn.

At the time, I had been working at a farm animal rescue, but looking back, I was the one who’d needed rescuing. Reggie, in her own hard way, understood that, and she gave me the money and creative license to pursue my dream. I’d wanted to focus on helping the environment, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to create a sustainably run retreat on a “pollinator farm.” My vision was clear: native plantings, water gardens, rain recapture tanks, solar heat, a modern, artsy interior, and a plant-based menu. With Reggie’s money and support, I started on the first phase—creating native pollinator gardens and managing the water problems that plagued the back meadow.

Only nothing is easy. Thankfully, I have a friend in my neighbor, Ezra Grayson. Ezra is eighty years old, lives in a derelict Victorian, and is as curmudgeonly as they come, but he knows plants. I bug him for gardening tips, and in return, I bring him treats from the inn and help him run errands. I’ve come to look forward to my daily visits with Ezra and his old dog, Moose.

In fact, Ezra’s family members are staying at the inn this week. While I’m happy for the income, his two nephews and his niece can be…difficult. Ezra calls them “the vultures.” I’m beginning to see why.

Murder on Devil’s Pond, A Hummingbird Hollow B&B Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: July 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

A quaint Vermont inn offers idyllic peace–until a body is found on the property–in this charming series debut, perfect for fans of Ellen Byron and Ellery Adams.

When thirty-three-year-old Hannah Solace returns to her hometown to renovate and reopen the inn she co-owns with her sister Reggie, her mission is to give the old Victorian hotel an entirely new life. She’s even planting pollinator gardens around the inn–native flowers and fruit trees to lure honeybees and houseguests alike.

Hannah’s fresh start is stymied by Reggie’s continual interference, unreliable contractors, a check-the-couch-for-coins budget, and townspeople Hannah left behind fifteen years ago. Her main source of camaraderie is Ezra Grayson, an eighty-year-old recluse who lives nearby. After an unsettling conversation with a disgruntled Ezra, Hannah is horrified to discover him dead on her property later that day.

Ezra had always had plenty of people to complain about, especially locals trying to force him out of his property for its prime real estate. As buzz around town grows after his death, Hannah finds herself on the short list of suspects. Hannah starts digging and quickly discovers that secrets lurk beneath the charming surface of the town she once again calls home.

About the author
Ayla Rose is an author and lawyer who lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont. When not writing, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her husband, sons, and the family’s three dogs.