betwixt_the_pages 's review for:

Smugglers & Scones by Morgan C. Talbot

4.0

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Pippa Worthy runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world.

Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

Rating: 4/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: snarky, quirky, adorable characters; LOVE the setting; realistic, butterfly-inducing romance; an entertaining, humorous cast of personalities; well-written, complex, surprising mystery; action-packed and dramatic plot

Huge thanks to Morgan C. Talbot and Red Adept Publishing, LLC for sending me a free ecopy of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.

Living in a house approaching its fifth quarter-century, I regularly had fears about it simply collapsing around me and trapping me under the rubble. Thankfully, this particular noise didn't seem like it was trying to kill me. But it sounded like it was murdering something.

As you all know, penguins, I'm just beginning to dive into the realm that is cozy mysteries. I've had a few misses with the genre so far, but I promised myself I'd keep an open mind--especially when the blurbs call to me SO LOUDLY. And this book?! This book took me by complete surprise--and has left me drooling for more just like it. YAY!

These characters are quirky, well-rounded, and entertaining in all facets. Given the fact all the B&B guests are authors/writers, I found myself caught up in a world of literature and geekdom I hadn't expected going into this read--and I LOVED that. The relationships are also realistically written and complex enough to keep the drama churning even in quiet moments. Pippa and Lake were super adorable, sure--and had some super steamy moments--but all the characters kept me intrigued and entertained throughout.

"You're brilliant, Skylar. You'll be as sneaky as Al someday."

Al held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa. The world really doesn't need more than one of me, guys. You see this shiner?" He pointed to Dragon's gift. "Kinda hard to accessorize with. Stick to stumbling across corpses, Skylar. The dead don't hit you."

The plot is action-packed and filled with mystery, as well. I was enthralled from page one...and, if I'm being honest, didn't see the ending coming at all, so caught by surprise when all was said and done! Morgan C. Talbot took me on a journey, and wove it beautifully--the imagery was descriptive, the events were believable, and the drama was both super humorous and nail-bitingly chilling at the same time. Which...is a difficult feat to accomplish, so my hats off to Morgan C. Talbot for making it happen and seem so easy!

I had a TON of fun reading this cozy mystery, penguins, and am now super excited to get my hands on more in the future! These characters were quirky and adorable, the mystery had me on pins-and-needles throughout the entire read, and the romance was realistic and super down-played in focus. I recommend this to lovers of cozy mysteries (because duh), readers seeking a snarky read, and those who have a bad habit of solving the mystery before the curtain call (trust me...you probably won't for this one!) Grab a scone and snuggle in, penguins; this book is a journey from beginning to end!