Book Review: Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams

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Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Book Retreat Mysteries series and is set in western Virginia at a charming resort called Storyton Hall. This unique resort is designed specifically for book lovers who want to escape, unwind, and immerse themselves in their favorite stories. The resort’s manager, Jane Steward, decides to host a themed “Murder and Mayhem Week” inviting mystery enthusiasts to gather, role-play, and solve fictional crimes. However, the event takes a dark turn when one of the guests is found dead in his suite and a valuable prize goes missing. Jane must uncover which guest is responsible for the murder before the retreat is ruined . Before picking up this novel, I had only read one other book in the series. I decided to start from the beginning as part of my New Year’s resolution to finally read books I purchased years ago. I’m so glad I did. Starting with the first installment allowed me to fully appreciat...
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Book Review: Seven-Year Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries, #2) by Angela M. Sanders

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The Running Bibliophile's Book Review of Seven-Year Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries, #2) by Angela M. Sanders
Seven-Year Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries, #2) by Angela M. Sanders opens with Sam and Fiona Wilfred, along with their son, moving into Big House next door to the town library. The land Sam sold to a couple to build a retreat on is said to be cursed. The town librarian, Josie Way, is learning how to use her birthright, witchcraft, through letters her grandmother left her. This lesson has to do with curses. When someone is murdered and Fiona goes missing, the town believes it's the work of Sam's cursed land. Will Josie learn her grandmother's lesson in time to break the curse?

Taking place approximately six months after the first book ended, the author does a great job at reintroducing all of the characters and the backstory in the series without being redundant. My favorite character is the main character Josie. She seems like she would a great bff if she was a real person. Her grandmother seems like she would be a cool person as well. I really wish we knew her grandmother instead of just getting glimpses of her through Josie's memories and the grandmother's letters. Let's not forget about Rodney! The cat plays a bigger role as the series goes on, but I just love him. What can I say? I'm a cat person, lol.

Another favorite character is a Sam, even though he's a bit of a private person, he seems like he goes out of his way to help people. The most unlikable character in my opinion is Fiona. She seems like a very greedy person who is all about herself and doesn't seem to care about others at all. How did Sam and Fiona end up together in the first place? They seem like polar opposites of each other!

As for the storyline, I felt like the plot was a little light, but it wasn't a big deal to me. The reason being is that the author does a great job of building on the background of each character, which really helps the reader get a true feel of the characters along with the community. And, I know that many of the other books in the series are more plot driven, which is another reason I don't mind this installment being more character driven.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Seven-Year Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries, #2) by Angela M. Sanders. It was the perfect story for the mood I was in at the time.  I am looking forward to reading the remaining stories in this series.

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