4.25 out of 5 stars
E-book. 197 pages. Published August 11th 2020 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Hosting the Merrychurch Literary Festival is just the distraction Jonathon de Mountford needs. Placating his father and keeping his boyfriend, Mike Tattersall, happy is proving an increasing struggle. But the small event takes on new proportions with the appearance of Teresa Malvain—former Merrychurch resident turned famous murder mystery novelist. But is something about the quaint village setting of her books a little too familiar?
Teresa’s sudden death is certainly something right out of one of her stories, and Jonathan and Mike soon discover there are villagers who might not want the inspiration behind her books revealed.
When it emerges Teresa’s severe allergic reaction was no accident, Jonathon and Mike are compelled to investigate, aided by a few people keen to help them discover the truth. But they’re trying to work out what is fact and what is fiction, and the line between the two blurs constantly. And as for their relationship, Jonathon finally comes to a decision….
Likes:
- A great way to wrap up the series.
- Major relationship development.
- The men still had a reason to investigate the murder.
Dislikes:
- This murder mystery was my least favorite.
- Jonathon’s plan made four people miserable.
This was a perfect ending to the series. In that aspect, I was very pleased.
The romance really took center stage this time. That was good in terms of creating the satisfying ending and wrapping everything up. But it left the murder mystery feeling like a distant second.
I liked that Jonathon’s plan to fool his father into thinking that he and Ruth were dating made four people – Jonathon, Mike, Ruth, and Claire – miserable. It showed Jonathon that he wasn’t ever going to be happy trying to pretend he wasn’t in love with Mike. This led to some abrupt but really sweet relationship progress, which in turn led to even more. It definitely gave me the warm fuzzy feelings to know that Mike and Jonathon would be happy together even after I finished the last page.
The mystery wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have much urgency. The murdered woman was unlikeable, whereas I had a good impression of the murderer. That just felt a little odd to me.
I did like that, as with all the previous books, Jonathon and Mike had a good reason to be involved with the investigation. This time, it was because the murder happened in Mike’s pub.
Overall, I’m happy I picked up this series.
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