Reserved for Murder (Booklovers B&B Mysteries #2) by Victoria Gilbert

Reserved for Murder

(Booklovers B&B Mysteries #2)

by Victoria Gilbert

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: June 8th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books

Synopsis: 

More bloodshed at a bibliophiles' bed-and-breakfast as Victoria Gilbert's delightful series continues.

Meeting your favorite author in the flesh can be the chance of a lifetime. But for one unlucky fan, her plum place in line at a book signing will lead to her untimely demise.

Beaufort, North Carolina, is home to Chapters Bed and Breakfast, owned and operated by former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed. This historic 18th-century inn draws in voracious readers from far and wide with its lovingly curated special events celebrating a host of genres and authors.

On this sunny July weekend, a visit by one of the biggest names in romantic fantasy attracts throngs of admirers to the quaint coastal village. That's not ideal, as the author retreated to Chapters to get away from it all for a while. No matter--she'll appease her fans with a "Tea and Talk" meet-and-greet at the B&B celebrating her bestselling series (starring a devilishly dashing, time-traveling pirate), follow that up with a quick book signing at Bookwaves, the hip indie bookstore across town, and spend the remainder of the weekend in delightful repose.

But when the president of the reclusive writer's fan club is found dead in the harbor by the Beaufort docks--done in by a blunt-force blow to the head--it's up to Charlotte Reed, her neighbor Ellen, and Ellen's trusty Yorkshire terrier to sniff out the killer. Because if they can't, a spectacularly successful book series--and its author--may come to a sudden, lethal conclusion.

***

4.5 stars This is the second book in the Booklovers B&B mystery series by Victoria Gilbert. This is a great book. This is one of those tales that is about authors for readers to enjoy. There is an old rivalry between two fan fiction authors in this plot which finds its way into be a big clue into what is really going on with the murder. A mega-popular romantic adventure author comes to Charlotte’s bookstore for an author chat with local fans. Then the president of her fan club is found dead. But all is not what it seems and they have to dig into all the motivations behind what happened in the past that lead to this unfortunate death. Great story. I loved following this former teacher and her friend the former spy. I also enjoyed the romantic adventure author, Amanda. She would make a great recurring character, I think. I like how this book was structured and the characters all really stood out to me and made me fall in love with the series all over again. I have to admit that I resonated with this book but I couldn’t recall the previous book in the series. I took a look back, and I read book one a few weeks before my mother passed away last year. A lot of the things back then were a bit more difficult for me. You know the drill, I was just stunned and shocked for a long time. I am afraid I blocked a lot of stuff I truly want to remember more clearly… especially the backstory to the characters in this series. I am definitely going to reread book one in order to cement it into my mind so I am well up on the series when book three comes out. Highly recommended.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.