Wedding Bride And Doom by Mary Karnes

Series Name: Wedding Planner Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 22, 2023
Format: Print, Digital

California wedding planner, Kate Ludlow, moves back home to New England after her marriage implodes. In tow is her teen daughter Ellis, unhappy and nervous about the move. Suddenly, Kate’s responsible for turning her part-time wedding planner gig into a full-time business. Kate’s off to a good start, too, when she books the society wedding of the year. The prosperity of her business is dependent on the success of Marcy Simpson’s wedding. The joy of an unlimited wedding business is intoxicating. But when Kate’s best florist is murdered, her focus changes from pulling off the year’s most glamourous wedding, to saving her own skin—for Kate’s suspect number one for the murder. Further complicating her life, Kate’s old high school flame, Brian McAllister, is the police detective assigned to the murder case. The spark is definitely not gone from their connection, as they have unfinished feelings. Throw in a scavenger hunt for an antique missing family ring, the job transfer of Kate’s ex to New England, and quirky and endearing townsfolk, Kate has more than she can handle—almost.

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Dru’s Short Musing:
When a wedding planner becomes the prime suspect, her first course of action is to investigate and that she does, which makes her privy to a few secrets no one wants uncovered.

This was a well-written whodunit with a comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author intended. This multi-plot mystery was nicely done with a small pool of suspects and a sprinkling of clues to keep me immersed in all aspects from the murder to the reveal and motive of the killer. The visually descriptive narrative kept me in the game with engaging dialogue and made me feel like I was part of the action rooting for Katie as she tried to figure out who was doing what to whom. When I thought I knew where things were headed, the author changed directions all to enhance my reading pleasure. Katie is a likeable protagonist and I liked seeing how she handled both her professional and personal life. Boasting an eclectic cast of characters and a small-town atmosphere, this a very enjoyable story, and I can’t wait for the next book in this delightfully entertaining series. Bonus: wedding tips and recipes are included.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.