PUBLISHER: Kensington
PUBLICATION DATE: March 5, 2013 (first published March 1, 2012)
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 298 pages
LENGTH: 298 pages
GENRE: Mystery/Cozy Mystery
ISBN: 9780758238139
After a recent brush with death, plus-sized P.I. and bride-to-be Savannah Reid has decided to stop sweating the small stuff. But when an event planner comes in to arrange her wedding, Savannah discovers that murder can ruin even the best laid plans…
Hailed as the wedding planner to the stars, Madeline Aberson has orchestrated some of the most exclusive soirees in Hollywood. But when Madeline becomes embroiled in a nasty divorce, her life falls apart, and rumors swirl that her parties have become total duds. Desperate for work, Madeline finds herself planning far less glamorous affairs, including none other than Savannah Reid’s wedding to Dirk Coulter.
It doesn’t take long for the opinionated Madeline to get on Savannah’s last nerve, and when the big day finally arrives, Savannah can’t wait to send Madeline packing. But when the bride finds Madeline’s body face down in the pool, floating among an elegant array of rose petals, it’s clear that someone has already hastened the diva’s departure. For better or for worse Savannah and Dirk put their wedding on hold, vowing instead to find out who killed Madeline and why…
I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary review consideration.
This cozy mystery was a fast read for me. With a likeable protagonist and interesting secondary characters, I intend to go back and start this series from the beginning!
Savannah Reid is a retired police officer, now working as a Private Investigator. Her long-time partner on the force, Detective Sergeant Dirk Coulter, is now her fiancé. She’s the oldest of nine kids, raised by their God-fearing grandmother.
After an arsonist torches the community centre where Savannah and Dirk were to exchange their wedding vows, two of Savannah’s dear friends (Ryan Stone and John Gibson) offer to pay for a top-notch wedding planner who is also an acquaintance of theirs. Savannah really doesn’t need one, as she knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it done, but she hasn’t the heart to turn down the kind offer. Savannah’s meeting with the wedding planner, Madeline Aberson, doesn’t go over too well. In her tell-it-like-it-is attitude, Savannah clues Madeline in that she’s only agreeing to her assistance out of courtesy to her friends. Madeline is irritated by the snub, but the two of them manage to work something out. Savannah agrees to allow Madeline to make the arrangements for the wedding to take place at the local country club. Everything is a go and Savannah is about to walk down the aisle when she finds out that one of her dimwitted sisters left her dearly-departed grandfather’s wedding ring that she was going to give to Dirk in a trash bag with Savannah’s things in the bridal suite. Savannah goes back to her suite and locates the precious ring, but she also finds Madeline’s body face-down in the suite’s private pool. Poor Savannah! Her wedding is on hold yet again.
I don’t normally jump into a long-standing series at the tail end of it, but this book can certainly be read as a standalone. It is mentioned several times throughout the book that Savannah nearly died three months earlier, and the good that came out of that horrific incident is that Savannah and Dirk realized their love for each other and wanted to be together. It was so refreshing to see Savannah and Dirk decide to wait until their wedding night to consummate their relationship! There was no mention as to whether these two remained virgins until their 40s or whether they just decided to wait in terms of their relationship with each other. I like how Dirk is very protective of Savannah, yet knows to stand out of her way! She’s a feisty woman, but she’s also been traumatized by the incident that left her with five bullet holes. I’m very intrigued by this life-changing event, and I plan to go back to the beginning of the series to watch how Savannah’s and Dirk’s relationship unfolds. Savannah was forced by an alcoholic mother to take responsibility for raising her siblings, so most of them have been coddled far too much and are too self-centred and self-absorbed. They need to grow up! I really like Savannah’s brother, Waycross, and his budding romance with Savannah’s assistant, Tammy, is sweet.
Memorable quote:
“He bent his head, softly kissed the scar, and said, “Every time I see that, I’m going to think how strong my wife is, that she could survive something like that. And I’m going to think how lucky I am that I didn’t lose her that day. I’m the luckiest man in this world.”
Awwww, every woman should have a man like Dirk! He's definitely a keeper.
MY RATING:
This book qualifies as:
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This sounds good Darlene, and I really like that she has some prior law enforcement experience.
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