A great murder mystery in a Irish Castle and Village.
Rayne a bridal designer and shop owner was expecting a lobster dinner and ring for her birthday but except
she had her business close her gowns all her money stolen by her boyfriend.
She Inherited a Itish castle with some simpulations.
She has a year to turn into a profitable castle or loose all the inheritance.
Great Irish characters,mustery,twists,drama,humor.
Enjoy listening to.
Good narration.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed the story and the murder kept me guessing. I liked the narrator.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delicious Irish mystery that had me laughing out loud few times. The ending was unpredictable. This was my first novel by Ellie Brannigan, and it won't be my last. The narrator did a stellar job. I loved her Irish accent. The audiobook was given to me by Netgalley and Dreamscape audio, but I was not required to provide a good review. I rate this 41/2 star

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in an old castle in Ireland. The heroine of our story inherits an Irish castle unexpectedly, especially since there appears to be another heir living in Ireland already. I loved the setting, and the action was really good. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

I did not enjoy the mystery or the majority of characters especially the main one. I did like the narration. Thank you m#NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn’t a fan of the main character for most of the book but I loved how her character evolved. Am interested in seeing how the story continues in the next books.

3.5 rounded down
An absurd sequence of events placed the MC in the plot of this novel. She is 30 years old with a bridal boutique on Rodeo Drive. Her mother is a TV star. Her boyfriend/business partner/investor ran off with all of the money in the business acct. Her uncle, who happens to be an Irish earl, died and left her the castle instead of his own daughter. She goes to Ireland and finds out there is a ridiculous clause in the will that she has to stay in Ireland for 1 year. If that isn't enough, the uncle was apparently murdered.
This is a cozy mystery, and those are known for their absurd circumstances, but this is probably the longest, craziest line up I have personally read. Two stories ensue: saving the castle and solving the murder. The murder got lost in the first one. By the time the culprit was revealed, I had forgotten who that character was.
I read this book (rather listened to the audio) because I am interested in how the bridal business is represented in fiction. I guess that part was okay.

This was a fun cozy mystery/ romcom about an LA/ Hollywood wedding dress designer who wakes up on her 30th birthday to realize she has lost her fiancé and her business because her fiancé cleaned her and the business out and left … on top of that she learns her uncle, her deceased father’s brother, back in Ireland has died and his will requires her to come back to Ireland. She stands inherit an Irish castle or manor house, but only if she stays for a year and manages to turn the estate profitable. She arrives in Ireland to find she has a cousin she didn’t know about, and they‘ll somehow have to make things work together. The thing they agree on is that there’s something suspicious about her uncle’s death. Aside from the mystery there is the business side of having but also running an old estate and everything that comes with it very well described and apart from being a total relaxation read for me (cozy mysteries are comfort food for my brain) this book was travel by book in the best possible sense as well. The characters are well fleshed out and make sense as people, there’s a cute dog and laugh out loud moments and the story has you guessing until the very end. Definitely worth the read.

I listened to the audio and loved the Irish accent - full immersion travel by book !

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance audio in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars Murder at an Irish Castle follows the story of Rayne as she is dumped and duped by her boyfriend and partner in Los Angeles, and then suddenly has to travel to Ireland due to her Uncle’s death. As his only remaining legitimate relative, Rayne has to completely change her life plan in order to fulfill her uncle’s wishes in his will. She is forced to work with her cousin, Keira, who has a completely different viewpoint of how the castle should operate. It was interesting to see Rayne and Keira learn to work together on their shared inheritance, even though both had completely different experiences with the castle throughout their life. The modern Irish setting was so fun to learn about and seeing it juxtaposed with Rayne’s Hollywood lifestyle made it even more interesting to listen to. I listened to the audiobook, and the accents added even more intrigue to my audio experience.

Content Considerations: Rayne’s mom consults tarot cards as she seeks to give her advice. Not my favorite element of the book, but I didn’t feel that it added any dark elements to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are expressly my own.

I really enjoyed this book and hope for more in the series! I listened to the audiobook, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Posh wedding dress designer Rayne McGrath's life implodes on her thirtieth birthday. Her fiancée absconds with her savings, everything in her shop, and disappears. On the same day, Rayne discovers that her beloved Irish uncle Nevin has passed away and his solicitor is requesting her presence at the reading of the will.

With a loan from her mother, Rayne embarks on her journey to Ireland and discovers she inherited her family's castle and discovers the existence of a previously unknown cousin. The stipulation of the will is that Rayne and her cousin Ciara must remain on the property for a year and turn a profit at year's end.

I thought this book was really fun to read, although at times Ciara's bad attitude toward Rayne got to be a little much. I kept thinking that I'd give a little more of the bad attitude back to Ciara, but maybe that's just me.

The liked the story development and the numerous suspects. The mystery was not easily solved within the first few chapters, and I liked that it took some time to actually find out that Uncle Nevin 's "accident' was no accident at all. I began to suspect the murderer as the story went on, but there were other characters who could have easily been the culprit - so that was fun!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes they'd inherit an Irish castle or anyone who loves a good cozy mystery! I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion from the publishers and #NetGalley.

Murder at an Irish Castle is the first book of a cozy series by Ellie Brannigan. Released 7th Feb 2023 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 313 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. Library binding format available in June 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

This is a simple "clean" cozy mystery which opens in Los Angeles and rapidly shifts scene to Ireland (drawn without an overwhelming abundance of convincing background research, apparently). Protagonist Rayne McGrath goes, on her 30th birthday, from having the world as her oyster to being robbed, financially broke, abandoned by her duplicitous boyfriend, and finagled into attempting to turn the fortunes of her father's family's ancestral manor home by convoluted legal and emotional blackmail which push the boundaries of belief.

Added into the mix are a termagant of a previously undisclosed cousin Ciara, some family retainers, a small village of locals, and a cute Irish setter dog (because of course there would be). The writing is competent and enjoyable, although the constant drama and sniping yanked me out of my suspension of disbelief constantly. I found both Rayne and Ciara annoying in the -extreme- and not at all sympathetic or believable.

There are redeeming moments in the narrative, and background world building can take time. There are promising moments throughout. The setup for future volumes in the series is well rounded and open ended. The dialogue is occasionally rough and the mystery isn't much of a mystery, but overall, it's a fair bet for readers who enjoy undemanding cozy village mysteries.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 17 minutes and is narrated by Traci Odom. She has a light voice which has a slightly breathy quality. She does a good job differentiating characters of both sexes and a range of ages. Readers who are intimately familiar with actual Irish accents will possibly find the narrator's portrayal off-putting. After some minutes of adjustment, her voice/accent (she's from Texas, apparently) faded more or less into the background. Sound and production quality were high throughout the read.

Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of women's fiction/light cozies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Murder at an Irish Castle
Irish Castle Mystery #1
Ellie Brannigan
Rayne McGrath had it all: talent, a handsome fiancé, a famous loving mother, and her bridal business was growing. She worked hard to make the business a success. However, on her thirtieth birthday everything went wrong. Her fiancé emptied her bank account of over $100,000, stole four original wedding dresses she was working on, and She was devasted over her “fiancé" he played her for a fool and took everything. She didn’t have the money to start over or to pay her rent.
she received word her Uncle Nevin, her father’s brother had died. She loved Uncle Nevin but hadn’t been to Ireland to see him in years. When she arrived for the reading of the will, she discovered she had inherited the family castle with several stipulations. Rayne has to live in the castle for one year, the castle must be in better shape financially by the end of that year, and she must work with her “new” hot headed cousin Ciara. She was responsible for not only the castle but the surrounding community. She wasn’t interested in living in Ireland, after all she has brides that will need their wedding gowns; her reputation was on the line. Then it dawned on her that she had lost everything in Los Angeles, she had nothing to return to. Ciara suspected her father, Nevin, was murdered.
What a lovely, squeaky-clean mystery. I was fascinated listening to the audio book, the narrator, Track Odom, did a great job, her voice complimented the story. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Blarney the puppy. Author Ellie Brannigan kept me guessing who “dun it,” I never suspected the culprit. I love the idea Rayne came up with to make the castle more solvent. Long before she suggested it I kept thinking a wedding venue. I hope this series is around a long time and look forward to book 2.

Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan was the cutest cozy mystery.

The tale begins with the protagonist, Rayne McGrath’s unfortunate world crumbling down around her, as her partner in business and life vanishes without any word. Coincidentally, Rayne is summoned to Ireland for the reading of her recently deceased uncle’s will. Since she is at a loss of the best course of action to take because of her recent jilting, she goes ahead and flies to Ireland, where her uncle’s solicitor tells her that she has inherited his castle, but that she cannot leave it for a year, or she will forfeit her claim to it.

Rayne begins to settle in and meet everyone in the quaint village and grounds. It is slowly revealed that something was not quite right about the “accident” that took her uncle from this earth.

All the while that she is sleuthing and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of her uncle’s death, Rayne must make good on her outstanding bridal gown orders, even from across the pond. As a fellow couturiere, I felt a unique kinship and understanding of Rayne’s discussion of bridal gowns and the equipment needed to construct a bride’s dream dress.

This is a great start to an excellent new series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audio copy!!

Murder at an Irish Castle was a quick cozy listen that transported me to the Irish family castle and had me following around the cast for a few days while they tried to figure out what happened to their uncle/father who died suspiciously in a tractor accident.
I thought the author developed the characters and the surroundings well but the story line itself meandered all over the place and lacked any real mystery! The main plot of the story was more about the MC losing everything and unexpectedly inheriting a failing estate that she needs to save and starting her life over again. I was hoping for a bit more mystery and suspense from the book title and description.
I received a copy of this audiobook from #netgalley and #dreamscapemedia for an honest review.

Awesome book just got back from Ireland myself. It describes the castles perfectly and keeps you guessing.

I really enjoyed this new series. I liked the narrator and doesn't always happen when accents are involved. The main character has to make a major life change when her uncle dies. After moving to another country, she has to figure out how to make a living in this new country and to find out what really happened with her former boyfriend and her uncle. This series looks interesting and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan and narrated by Traci Odom is the debut novel in the Irish Castle mystery series, and a sparkling debut it is! Rayne McGrath, a Rodeo Drive wedding gown designer, starts out in high spirits on her 30th birthday expecting a proposal and to finalize an amazing business opportunity. She instead learns that she has lost everything and that her Uncle Nevin has passed away. Arriving in Ireland for the reading of the will, she is surprised to meet an illegitimate cousin who believes that her father was murdered.

I loved the narrator, who seamlessly shifted between characters and accent. The pace and tone were on point, enhancing my listening enjoyment. The narrative was visually descriptive and the dialogue engaging.The mystery evolved slowly but effectively with the lush landscape of Ireland as the perfect backdrop. Ellie Brannigan is a new-to-me author but one that is now firmly on my favorites list. (I reviewed an advance reader audio copy and all opinions are my own.) I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE is the first book in the brand-new Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan. Protagonist Rayne McGrath starts her 30th birthday with great expectations and plans for success for both her wedding dress design business and her romantic life. Except the exact opposite happens, and she finds herself dead broke and abandoned. With the beginning of the book featuring her life in Los Angeles, Rayne comes across as overly entitled and unrelatable. The story starts out slow with the focus on Rayne’s disastrous life and how she ends up in Ireland, inheriting her uncle’s run-down castle.

Once she arrives at the castle, there’s a lot of conflict with the estate manager, Ciara, who had expected to inherit the castle. There was also inner personal conflict over her uncle’s stipulation that Rayne lives at the castle for an entire year, but I felt there was frequently too much emphasis put on it since the reader knew Rayne would not abandon her familial duties… or else there wouldn’t be a series. I found both women annoying at times but, as the story progressed, the story became more interesting as truths behind the conflicts were revealed. The setting of the Irish castle in the countryside is quite charming and a few of the supporting characters made the scenes inviting, particularly the Irish Setter named Blarney. He stole each scene he appeared in.

As far as the mystery went, it was pretty light since most of the pages were devoted to Rayne and her business, along with moving to Ireland and getting settled in for the long haul. Even the police investigation didn’t turn up any evidence that Rayne’s uncle had been murdered, yet, as Rayne and Ciara join forces, it becomes evident that this was the case and they set out to find out who did the dastardly deed.

This was a quick read and, in my opinion, a good setup with the backstory for the rest of the series. Thanks to Dreamscape Media, I was provided with an advance audiobook narrated by Traci Odem. She did a great job with the voices and the Irish accents, and showcased a wide range of tones.

Funny and cute little cozy mystery in one of my favorite settings--a rural Irish village. I enjoyed this one, because I would love to have the opportunity Rayne was given! A challenge to be sure, but I would not have given it a second thought. Of course, Rayne came from a very different background than mine. I have to say that I wanted to slap Rayne SO many times for not just telling her cousin the truth about her situation in L.A., but then what would be the fun in that, right? Anyway, the narrator of the audio version did a good job of keeping my interest and a fair job switching between characters with different accents. All in all, a fun read.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Traci Odom did a fantastic job with the narration of this book! She really set the mood of being in Ireland with her accents and I could imagine myself in the family castle! I might have to take another trip to Ireland soon as this book made me miss it so much! The story itself was a little on the predictable side for me and I didn’t really connect with or like the main character Rayne. The setting of the story and the people working the farm really made it enjoyable for me. It’s definitely the type of book to pick up on a rainy day and feel transported to a different world, especially being from California myself!