3.5⭐
Genre ~ romantic comedy
Setting ~ private island off the coast of Seattle
Publication date ~ January 21, 2025
Publisher ~ Macmillan Audio
Est Page Count ~ 336 (p+ 42 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 24 minutes
Narrator ~ Sarah Mollo-Christensen
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ locked room (island), forced proximity, murder mystery, slow burn, minimal steamage
My review:
Kate is off to her ex-fiance’s wedding when she runs into her crush Jake, literally slams right into him as she makes a running leap onto the boat before it leaves the dock. Bet that would have been a hoot to see ~ I know, I’m awful.
Kate is a bestselling author of murder mysteries with the main character named Loretta. When certain things starting happening that resonate with her books the fingers are pointed at her. Loretta’s name pops up quite often and it took a hot minute to realize Kate was pretending to be in Loretta’s head in order to solve the mystery. She and Jake work to clear her name, and that’s not the only thing they work on, wink wink.
There are quite a few unlikable suspects and a lot going on, but I enjoyed the sleuthing and secret passages found along the way.
Overall, this was a fun time with some pretty good banter, too.
Narration notes:
Top notch job! She really did all of the different character voices flawlessly. She even did a nice Australian accent for a man.
Get your copy on ~ Amazon
Add to your never ending TBR ~ goodreads
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.
Book blurb:
With a colorful cast of characters and a cellar full of wine, anything can happen―from murder to a second chance at love―in Jenny Elder Moke’s half mystery, half romance adult debut set at a lavish destination wedding.
A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.
Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift. But when the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hostralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.
As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate doesn’t have a clue.
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