BOOK REVIEW: Cherry Scones and Broken Bones by Darci Hannah @midnightinkbook @kayepublicity #cherrysconesandbrokenbones #cozymystery

If a cherry-themed cozy isn’t the most adorable thing, I don’t know what is! I finished reading the second book in the Very Cherry Mysteries this week and I loved it—so charming! In Darci Hannah’s Cherry Scones and Broken Bones, manager of the Cherry Orchard Inn Whitney Bloom finds herself on the suspect list when a prominent artist is murdered with one of Whitney’s famous cherry scones. What a way to go!

About the Book

The Cherry Orchard Inn in Cherry Cove, WI is struggling to keep the guestbook full after the unfortunate murder that occurred there. But Whitney Bloom is determined to help her family out. Serving up trays of her most delicious cherry baked goods is sure to keep the guests happy.

That is until renowned artist Sylvia Lumiere shows up and starts terrorizing the staff! Sylvia’s talent as a painter is matched only by her nasty personality. She belittles Whitney’s staff, refuses to pay for things, and demands an extra room for free for her handsome man-bun-sporting assistant.

And if that weren’t bad enough, the people in Cherry Cove seem to adore what Sylvia brings to their humble town! Whitney is just about at her wits end when Sylvia is found dead one morning, suffocated by a cherry scone and shoved down the staircase. Now Whitney finds herself the prime suspect, due to her known dislike of the artist. But Whitney wasn’t the only enemy Sylvia made. There’s a list of suspects growing longer by the day!

Whitney now must hunt down the clues and find the killer herself, before another guest dies or she finds herself behind bars.

Reflection

This cozy is fun, refreshing, and entertaining! It’s definitely on the lighter-side of cozies and it is a perfect summer read. It is the second book in the series but completely works as a standalone, though I plan to go back and read the first since I loved the characters so much!

Whitney is a delight to read as she suffers through the difficulties of a customer service job, a love triangle, and being a suspect for murder. In the last book, we find out her boyfriend Tate has cheated on her while she was in Chicago. She eventually moves back to Cherry Cove to help out with the inn. And there she becomes reacquainted with an old friend of hers and Tate’s named Jack, the local police officer turned hottie who just so happens to be the one investigating the murder!

I really enjoyed the love triangle, and it felt so realistic. Whitney is confused. She isn’t totally over what Tate did, but they are also still attracted to eachother. Then she has Jack, who she is interested in but she’s unsure of his feelings for her. Not to mention that Jack is forced to consider her as a suspect after the murder weapon is found to be Whitney’s own backed goods! I really liked both Tate and Jack in different ways, though Tate is a total Don Juan and not to be trusted!

Sylvia was a real piece of work! I felt so infuriated on behalf of Whitney seeing how Sylvia treated her and the staff. She is so mean-spirited! And as we will soon find out, the staff at Cherry Orchard Inn aren’t the only people she treated that way. But I’ll let you find out what that means when you read it!!

The mystery was well-plotted and filled with suspects and interesting characters. This was one where there were so many people that had a motive, that it truly could have gone anywhere. I liked following Whitney as she chased down leads and clues. And the reveal at the end was surprising and a lot of fun!

Thank you to Midnight Ink and Kaye Publicity for my copy. Opinions are my own.