Title: Deadly Vows (Britton Bay Mystery #2)
Author: Jody Holford
Published: April 2019
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Readership: Adult
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: ★★★.5
I received a copy of Deadly Vows from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Former Army brat 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. But as tourists discover the desirable spot, the tide along the Oregon Coast is turning . . .
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 . . .
Last year I read Deadly News, the first book in the Britton Bay Mystery series, and it was my first ever cozy-mystery read. Needless to say, I enjoyed it enough to request the follow-up book from Netgalley to read when I saw it up for review.
Jody Holford has a wonderful way of jumping straight into the story, and writing Molly’s story as she continues to build her new life in Britton Bay. I really loved the addition of the romance subplot in this story, as Molly tries to overcome her past romantic hurts as she tries to accept that her new love interest is one hundred percent committed to her. (I do love a very sweet romance and this definitely fits the bill.)
Molly is the editor-in-chief at the local newspaper, with a penchant for nosing out trouble and finding herself involved in solving murders – despite the chagrin of the local police force. This time around, there’s a wedding happening in town, and the chef brought in to cater the event – a notoriously prickly woman – is found dead and it throws all the wedding plans into disarray.
I love how independent Molly is as a woman – she doesn’t want anyone stepping in to try and protect her, even though she keeps finding herself in precariously dangerous situations. And yet, she’s very caring, and observant of the people around her. She wants to find the answers because she doesn’t like unanswered questions. I can appreciate those qualities in a protagonist.
I’m continuing to enjoy this series, and look forward to reading the next instalment of Molly’s adventures.
Noveltea Corner 