It is always a pleasure to catch up with the Stone family. The story opens with an eye rolling plot device, but thankfully it is easily forgotten due to the story elements that follow. This entry has less “sleuthing” than readers may be used to, but the story is still quite enjoyable.

Mother of the Bride Murder by Leslie Meier is a pleasant read for fans of the Lucy Stone series. This installment finds Lucy and family heading to France for eldest daughter Elizabeth’s wedding. Of course, amidst the festivities, Lucy finds herself investigating a murder.

While the pacing is steady and the plot well laid out, I can’t say that I connected with the characters in this book. I was struck by the discontent and dysfunction of the various family members as they gathered for what should have been a celebration. That said, the book has some charming moments and the small-town setting is captured in the writing. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

I always love the Lucy Stone mysteries, so it was a real treat to receive an ARC of the latest in the series. For me, the joy of this series is the recurring characters and all around coziness of the atmosphere. In this installment, the Stone family goes to France for their eldest daughter's wedding. Although there is a mystery, it is pretty much a no-brainer to solve and is secondary to the enjoyment of the novel. My only complaint is that the character of Lucy's grandson, Patrick, is incredibly annoying and disrespectful. However, the character is treated as being endearing and precious rather than an all out brat. Other than that, it is a fun, cozy mystery in the style of the others in the series.

I've enjoyed most of the Lucy Stone books and that includes this one.

Lucy is the Mother of the Bride as the title suggests. Elizabeth, the oldest, is getting married and they all need to go to France for the wedding. Lucy rallies the troops aka the family and they all make the trip. There we find Elizabeth being a snob for the most part and not too likeable. Toby is a bit preachy on living off the land and both can be annoying. Meanwhile, we see instances of the kids knowing more than Lucy, especially when Toby tells her not to investigate. Sure..

They meet the groom and his family for the first time I might add. Things just feel "off". There is a murder, an attempted murder and Lucy cannot resist the pull to nose around. She is a bit annoying as she bumbles into several situations which ends up being a threat to a family member. Lucy should feel guilty as the book wraps up but things work out. It was a bit of anti-climactic ending as it feels rushed.

Overall, a good read as some parts really drew me in. Fans will enjoy and I did enjoy a new setting. 3.5 stars for me, rounding to 4.

If you've read my blog before, you know I enjoy the Lucy Stone cozy mystery series. I've read many of the books over the last five years and I was delighted that Kensington and Net Galley provided me with an ARC for Mother of the Bride Murder which will be published April 25th.

I am of the opinion that sometimes you connect with a cozy sleuth and sometimes you don't and that is A-OK. I connect with Lucy Stone even though I don't always agree with her. We live in Lucy's head in these books and so we really get to know her thoughts and opinions. After reading many of her adventures, I find that the reason I will read this series as long as Leslie Meier writes them is that Lucy and the Tinker Cove crew feel like real people. They are written with depth and the dialogue sounds just like you might have in your own daily life.

Reading this book I was worried about Lucy's relationship with Toby more than I was about the actual murder. I'm glad that by the end of it, they were in a good place. However because of what happens, now I'm pretty concerned that Molly is never going to want to move back to Maine. I miss the days when Molly lived nearby. She's a great daughter-in-law.

I was also reminded in this book that Elizabeth is my least favorite of the daughters, she always seems to be too interested in wealth. See, the characters are normal everyday middle-class-ish people you probably know. I could write a really long post going on about everything in the book like I was telling you about my neighbor, that's how Lucy feels after you read some of this series.

My rating for this book is 4. It's a good solid book, I liked that much of the drama involving the Stone family could have been avoided if Marie and Hugo had been upfront with their guests. I do prefer when the whole book takes place in Tinker's Cove.

If you haven't read any of this series, you can read this book, you don't have to know all about the other books.

It's the newest work by Leslie Meier, Mother of the Bride Murder!

The story and characters was charming and fun to read. Leslie Meier did a wonderful job with this book. A lot happens within the book, and I couldn't help but root for everything to be well with the characters. I enjoyed the book's Paris/wedding theme, and the book's cover only added to the charm.

My thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review!

I love this series by Leslie Meier and eagerly look forward to each installment. Catching up with Lucy, the Stone family and all of the other characters is like catching up with a friend.

This story though was a bit different taking place mostly in France. I liked that they took a trip as a family and were there to support Elizabeth. The kids have all grown up and their attitudes at time were frustrating to me as a reader.

In all, there were a couple of twists I didn’t see coming and they truly kept me guessing as to what was behind the murder and other events in the story.

While I was a little disappointed in this installment, I am still eagerly looking forward to the next book next year.

Thank you to Kensington for the copy of this book. All views are my own opinion.

I was so excited to receive this book! I absolutely love this series by Leslie Meier! This was another fantastic book in the series! This was one of my favorites in the series! Five stars!

This may be one of the best books of this series. The expected murder doesn’t happen until quite a way into the book and isn’t the usual scenario. The setting is France where the family is visiting for Elizabeth’s wedding. When a murder occurs Lucy tries not to get involved but she can’t help herself. Bored because their passports where taken while the murder is investigated Lucy plans to help with an annual event at the chateau. She hasn’t been given all the details and may have put her family in jeopardy. I love that this family was all back together at least for a,short time. As usual the family is lovable and likable. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a cute cozy mystery and was easy to read even though I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series. Lucy Stone who is an investigative reporter for her small town newspaper, convinces the whole family to go to France to a Chateau for her oldest daughter’s wedding which turns into a disaster when a dead body is found floating on the lake and they get stuck there while the investigation is going on. Lucy can’t help wanting to investigate and see if she can help in any way and get them back home as soon as possible. The mystery was interesting and I did figure it out about half way through but it was still fun to watch it unfold.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

I’m not quite sure how to review or characterize the newest Lucy Stone mystery by Leslie Meier. I have read all the books in the series and generally like them. I enjoy Lucy and how the books have progressed chronologically over the years. Lucy, who was a young mother of three in the very first story, is now an empty nester gathering her family in France for the wedding of oldest daughter, Elizabeth. It is a lot of fun seeing the family altogether again, witnessing their interactions and seeing where their lives have taken them. As this is a cozy mystery, there is a murder but it’s really not Lucy’s to solve since she is virtually powerless to do much investigating in France. Most of the action takes place in the chateau owned by Elizabeth’s future in-laws, but the book almost stagnates as the family is virtually trapped there by circumstances. There are also serious topics touched upon such as sex trafficking and climate change to name two, but these themes are at times overbearing. Nothing and no one at the chateau is what or whom they seem but what exactly is going on? I felt the book drifted along a bit too long before coming to a somewhat rushed conclusion. The Stone family were great but Elizabeth’s fiancé were written so one dimensionally, if hardly at all, it was hard to understand why Elizabeth was so excited to marry Jean-Luc or into his family.  

While I enjoyed catching up with the Stone family and the book was mildly entertaining, I didn’t think it was the best in the series. Three stars. 

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review.

The entire family Stone is back together again, but this time they’re in a world that’s very different from Tinker’s Cove! When Lucy and her family head to France for Elizabeth’s wedding, the trip is more “ooh, wee” than “ooh-la-la!” With lots of luxe details in between, you’ll wish they’d invited you along.

I have read the Lucy Stone mysteries from the beginning. Reading a new story is like visiting with old friends.
This book seemed different than others in the series and that is probably just because it was set in France and not Tinker's Cove.

Another perfect cozy mystery to recommend to readers who already love the Lucy Stone series, as well as readers who enjoy this type of story (books by Joanne Fluke, Laura Childs, Lorna Barrett, Donna Andres, to name a few). In this title, Lucy's older daughter is getting married in France, to a titled Frenchman from a noble family who owns a grand chateau. Of course, murder interrupts the proceedings and Lucy and her entire family, all together for the wedding, need to band together to solve the crime. Great fun!

As much as I enjoy the Lucy Stone series, I have to admit that this one isn't one of my favorites. To me, it seemed to start slowly as Lucy nagged, er, tried to talk her entire family into going to France for Elizabeth's upcoming wedding to Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene, in his family chateau, at that. Then, poof, the "can't afford it" argument is gone with the miraculous timing as one of the lottery tickets husband Bill had bought has 4 of 5 numbers drawn, winning them enough to pay for the entire family trip, even Toby, Molly, and Patrick from Alaska. What are the odds of that?
 
Even then, after the arrive in France, after lovely tours of the countryside and chateau, the story lags. Lucy, rather than embracing her daughter's seeming happiness, is chronically tired (jet lag?) and seems to see everything through an ominous lens. Toss in Bill's constant harping about costs, Toby's ramblings about basically saving the planet, and Patrick's youthful rebellion against the wedding outfit, think ol' style page, are downers. We also don't get to see much of Elizabeth and her two sisters, who are frequently headed out the door. Heck, even as the book ended, I realized I still knew next to nothing about Jean-Luc, the groom-to-be. Let's just say, I was finding it hard to like just about everyone. That is unusual for this series, so will be glad to see them safely back in Tinker's Cove next book. 
 
As for the murders, which happen at least halfway in, young Patrick has the misfortune of finding the body of an attractive young woman in the chateau's moat. Toby and he were fishing there, which gives us an idea of the size and scope of the place. Truly, it is luxurious. Lucy being Lucy, she can't leave behind either her reporter or amateur sleuth tendencies but, for the most part, seems to remain largely on the edge of the investigation. The investigation does add an interesting wrinkle, however, as Chris, Elizabeth's ex-boyfriend, shows up as part of the investigation. Then Patrick goes missing. With a family member in danger, Lucy still remains somewhat on the sidelines, fretting and commenting but listening to the advice of the French authorities...and Chris... who obviously know the territory better. Where is Patrick? Is he in a dungeon, frightened out of his mind? Has he been killed to keep the secrets of Jean-Luc's family just that, secret? Is Jean-Luc part of some illegal activities or simply an innocent, not too observant family member? Will Elizabeth be a valued wife or...
 
Okay, enough teasers. Despite my disappointments with Lucy and all involved, the story of American "fish-out-of-water" visitors caught up in a luxurious, rich world makes for a good read, so I can't knock the book down much. Heck, just reading the various reactions of the American guests, particularly Patrick, to some of the foods when they discover what the lyrical French names mean, is entertaining. Hopefully, you'll find the book more charming than I did initially. That said, I love this series and will be looking forward to Lucy's next adventure. 
 
Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for letting me thumb a ride to France with the entire Stone Family. Having watched as their children grew through the years, it was fun to see where they (and their heads) are at present.

I’m a long time fan of Lucy Stone and enjoy seeing how her kids are doing. In this book, Elizabeth is getting married in France to a man her family has never heard of. It’s a struggle but with a little help from the lottery (we should all be so lucky), Lucy and the rest of her family are off to France. Once there, Lucy feels like an outsider, an unknown murder occurs, and Lucy begins investigating against the wishes of her family. While I was glad to see the whole family together again I would have preferred it to be in Tinker’s Cove. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.

While still a great cozy mystery, it was not one of my favorites in the series. I started getting annoyed at the behavior of some family members, especially Lucy's husband and son. Putting that aside, the setting was great, and the plot was interesting.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy is Tinker Cove’s part-time reporter when she is surprised by her daughter that she is getting married in France. When she arrives at the sprawling French Chateau with the whole family where she will watch her oldest daughter Elizabeth get married. While navigating the vast countryside estate owned by her impenetrable wealthy in-laws-to-be the jet-lagged mother of the bride has a creeping feeling that Elizabeth’s fairytale nuptials to Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene are destined to become a nightmare. Lucy’s instincts are validated when they find a body in the moat on the property. A young woman is dead under mysterious circumstance maybe at the hands of someone at the chateau. Then there’s the matter of Elizabeth’s hunky ex beau showing up on the scene as she prepares to walk down the aisle. She’ll have to locate the culprit among a list of worldly jilted lovers and potential criminal masterminds or Elizabeth’s trip down the aisle could end in tragedy. These stories are always so fun to read with Lucy’s adventures I would recommend them to everyone.

Lucy Stone is a longstanding favorite of mine, so I was happy to be able to read an advanced reader copy of this new installment via NetGalley. This was a fun look at Lucy with all of her family reunited in France for her daughter's wedding.

I received this advance reader copy via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. This is the 29th book in this series and can be easily read as a stand-alone. I really like that the author has taken protagonist, Lucy Stone, her husband and their three children through 25 years of life together in this series. This time, Lucy’s oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is marrying a Frenchman whom she met while working in Paris. The wedding is at the family’s chateau/luxury hotel & restaurant, so the Stone family is invited to travel abroad for their first full family reunion in a few years. But there’s always at least one mystery that needs resolution when Lucy’s around. This time, it includes the body of a young woman found on the property and why is Elizabeth marrying this man? So many questions and so much jetlag!