The Final Vow by Amanda Flower is the third book in A Living History Museum series. Kelsey Cambridge is the Director of Barton Farm in New Hartford, Ohio. She currently is planning the wedding of Krissie Pumpernickel and Eddie Cambridge, Kelsey’s ex-husband (awkward). Krissie insists on being married on Barton Farm and, thanks to her father, it is going to happen (spoiled much). Vianna Pine, Krissie’s wedding planner, is ensuring that Krissie gets her dream wedding. Krissie wants twinkle lights in the church steeple and candles inside the church. Unfortunately, it is a safety hazard, and Kelsey must put her foot down (I recommend lanterns with battery operated candles). Late that night Kelsey is disturbed by Jason who reports there is a body at the base of the church steps. Kelsey contacts 911 and runs to the church. Kelsey finds Vianna dead outside the church with a string of lights dangling from a window. She also notices a shadowy figure inside. Kelsey gives chase until she falls on tree roots in the dark. It is later discovered that Vianna did not fall, she was pushed. Krissie is thoroughly distraught when she hears that the church is a crime scene. This would ruin her wedding. Kelsey, ever the fixer, starts talking to suspects trying to narrow down the culprit. In addition, she must take on Vianna’s tasks for the wedding. There is the added problem of missing artifacts from a trunk in the storeroom. Is the theft related to the murder? Kelsey soon discovers that Vianna was hiding a big secret that would have impacted many lives. Will Kelsey be able to solve Vianna’s murder while pulling off Krissie’s dream wedding? You will have to get a copy of The Final Vow to find out!

The Final Vow was nicely written, easy to read, and has a good pace. I like the main characters of Kelsey and her family along with Chase and a few of the employees. While The Final Vow is the third book in A Living History Museum series, it can be read alone. The author provided readers with all the necessary background information. However, you would understand the Kelsey, her job and various relationships better if you read the first two books in the series. I give The Final Vow 4 out of 5 stars. The book has a good mystery, and I think that many readers will be surprised by the killer’s identity. Amanda Flower provided good, subtle clues. I am tired of Detective Candy Brandon and her nasty attitude. I keep hoping she will find a job in another town. The romance was a little too dominant for my taste. I was glad, though, to finally see some growth from Kelsey at the end of the novel. I was surprised (and disappointed) that Krissie was not bumped off. She is a totally unlikeable woman (she has been overly indulged by her parents and now Eddie) and the ultimate bridezilla. It did make for a humorous and gratifying cozy mystery. I will definitely be reading the next book in A Living History Museum series.

I am a huge fan of this series . . .the characters, setting, everything about it! THE FINAL VOW is the perfect addition. I'm looking forward to what author Amanda Flower has in store for us next!

The author has written another great mystery that kept me guessing throughout the story. I loved the setting of the story and fell in love with Barton Farm. Kelsey is a wonderful character and I love her determination to make the guests always happy . However, Kelsey finds herself in an awkward position when her ex -husband and his fiancé want to get married at the farm. I can see how inviting the place would be for a bride. The church is filled with history and surrounded by intriguing artifacts. Krissie is the essential bridezilla. I instantly disliked her and felt sorry for Kelsey. With so many demands I would be pulling my hair out.

Of course Krissie has the best wedding planner around. I don't know who was more annoying; Krissie or Vianna the wedding planner. I'm sure Kelsey was hoping that Krissie would change venues when she is told no to some crazy ideas she has. When a body is found at the church late one evening, it looks like the wedding may be off. Who wanted to kill Vianna? I was quite surprised that Vianna was dead. I really thought it was going to be the bride. Poor Krissie is beside herself when she finds out the church may not be available for the wedding. I suppose learning her wedding planner was dead wasn't very important to her.

I loved how the author wrote such a great story with a few surprises that caught me off guard. There were plenty of suspects when it was determined that Vianna had been murdered. When Detective Candy Brandon started questioning Kelsey and her employees I wanted to tell her to go away. Detective Brandon is a very rude and snotty person. She seemed to really have it in for Kelsey. This is one story that gives readers wonderful characters and a mystery that was hard for me to solve. I was very , very surprised when the killer was revealed. I highly recommend this cozy mystery complete with a surprise guest from the past, and a story that I didn't want to see end. I look forward to more books from this talented author.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

Kelsey Cambridge has been suckered into the wedding of the century – that of her ex-husband to his second wife. The bride is overly demanding, including wanting lights in the steeple of the church on Barton Farm, the living history museum where Kelsey works. Kelsey says no because of safety concerns, but that doesn’t stop the wedding coordinator, Vianna, from sneaking up to the steeple. Unfortunately, Kelsey was correct since Vianna falls and dies. However, Kelsey and the police both think that Vianna had help. Everyone starts coming to Kelsey asking her to clear them of the crime. But if everyone really is innocent, who pushed Vianna?

I truly love the characters in this series, and it was wonderful to be back with them. We get to see some growth in a few regulars that I really enjoyed. The plot is strong with several surprising twists. I did have a couple of small niggles with the climax, but nothing that dampened my overall enjoyment of the book.

How awkward would it be to host your ex-husband's wedding? Not as awkward as discovering Vianna's dead body on the church steps..
demanding bride, a wedding planner who is trying to abide by the bride while keeping the integrity of the old church as well as safety of the patrons and guests of the wedding. But who killed Vianna and why?? This story starts out innocent enough, but then the story picks up and it is hard to put it down. Then, you're turning the pages to find out the answers just to find more twists and surprises you aren't expecting. Until the end when it all comes to together and leaves you with your mouth wide open in shock.
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Great cozy mystery! Flower does a great job describing her characters and getting the reader engaged in the story!

We are back at Barton Farm’s Museum and with the director Kelsey Cambridge, and this poor girl has to help host her ex-husband’s wedding to a bridezilla. She also has that woman threating to take her to court for custody of her son, boy I sure would love to help her, not, but she must.
As with the other books there is soon a body, and the impact might just shut down the farm, and cancel the wedding. As we go through the lists of suspects you will be changing your mind and I was really surprised as to whom the culprit was.
Will Kelsey even make it out alive, and if she does what about Chase? Will he return to the policewoman? Answers are here, but it is a long ride to the truth, but it quickly becomes a page-turner, and surprises abound.
I received the book through Net Galley and Great Escapes Tour, and was not required to give a positive review.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars, I liked it.

I didn't realize at the start that this was 3 books in. I felt as though I was missing a little something, because the relationships all seemed very well established. The story itself though, is absolutely a stand alone story and I enjoyed it immensely.

I love the unique setting, especially since I am a big history buff. I admit to being a little disappointed at who the murder victim was, since there were a few characters I wouldn't have minded being knocked off, haha.

The story was solid, and I loved the main character, Kelsey and her son, Hayden, along with most of the museum staff. I will certainly be seeking out the first two books.

Barton Farm's museum director, Kelsey Cambridge, has a task that would test anybody's patience- facilitating the wedding of her ex-husband and his demanding new bride at her place of work. On top of that, Kelsey must deal with the couple's detail-obsessed wedding planner, who will stop at nothing to get her way. When the wedding planner winds up dying on the farm, Kelsey adds both substitute wedding planner and murder investigator to her list of duties. The more she digs, the more people she finds who may have had a motive for offing the wedding planner.

This was a decently plotted mystery (though the ending felt pretty rushed), and the suspect list had a lot of really viable options for Kelsey to explore. Without having read the first two books in the series, I found it pretty easy to understand who was who and the setting, but I think I would have benefited from reading the first two as I felt that there was very little detail given about the farm itself, and I would have enjoyed knowing more (if I'd read the other books, I'd probably appreciate that the author didn't waste my time rehashing those details, though), so I'd likely recommend starting at the beginning with this series- which, as the characters and setting were interesting enough to me, I probably will go back and do.

I received an advance e-galley of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I loved this installment in the Living History Museum Series. This one finds Kelsey dealing with having her Ex's wedding at Barton Farms and having to put up with his Bridezilla finance, Krissy, and her obnoxious wedding planner. Things take an even worse turn when the wedding planner turns up dead on the farm property. When it becomes apparent that it was a murder and not an accident, Kelsey is determined to find out the truth of what happened. Her relationship with Chase is in peril, and her life could be in danger.

Great cozy mystery! I have enjoyed all three books in the series, but this was my favorite! I loved Kelsey and thought that the plot was interesting and entertaining.

SettingSetting: Barton Farm, a living history museum in the Cuyahoga Valley of Ohio

Characters

Kelsey Cambridge - Director of Barton Farm, mom to Hayden
Benji - Kelsey's assistant
Krissie Pumpernickel - Bride-to-be, marrying Kelsey's ex-husband
Vianna Pine - Krissie's wedding planner
Plot: Much to her disappointment, Kelsey finds herself in the awkward position of hosting her ex-husband's wedding at Barton Farm. As much as she would like to refuse the so-called honor, Kelsey is in a difficult spot: Krissie and Eddie (Kelsey's ex) are holding something very important over Kelsey's head, namely, custody of her six-year-old son, Hayden. And so she makes the best of a bad situation, doing all she reasonably can do to create the wedding of Krissie's dreams. Until everything becomes a nightmare. After Kelsey refuses to allow twinkle lights to be hung in the historic church due to safety concerns, wedding planner Vianna climbs into the steeple in the middle of the night to defy Kelsey's orders . . . and falls to her death. Was it a tragic accident? In order to save the Farm and find a killer, Kelsey tries to figure out what happened to Vianna, and who could have wanted her dead.

Pacing: Measured

Predictability: Low

Wild Card: Kelsey has her hands full, for sure! Not only another murder at her beloved farm, but also a bunch of stolen artifacts, worries about keeping custody of her little boy, and struggling to allow herself to let love in again.

Hit, Miss, or Draw? Hit

This the third book in the Living Museum series. It can be read as a standalone. A light and relaxing cozy mystery read. Good for the breach of a stormy day. Kelsey Cambridge is the director of the Barton Farms Living Museum series. The museum is funded by the Cherry Foundation. The have insisted that Kelsey host the wedding of her ex-husband and his bride, Krissie who is a demanding bride. Krissie wants a Civil War wedding. She demands lights in 200-year-old church. Kelsey tells her no for safety reasons. That night Krissie wedding planner, Vianna is found dead at the bottom of the church. She was stringing lights on the balcony. The tale has many changes has the story continues that will have turning the pages. Kelsey will be stun with a secret that will affect the museum. She is still wanting her interdependence and that is affecting her relationship with Chase. I recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Midnight Ink through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Who doesn’t love a summer wedding? They are a huge deal at Barton Farm, as the church is the perfect setting for a storybook ceremony. Kelsey Cambridge is the director of Barton Farm’s living history museum, and she may have met her match in Krissie Pumpernickel, who just happens to be marrying Kelsey’s ex-husband Eddie, and wedding planner Vianna Pine. While challenging, plans for the Civil War-themed wedding are coming along … until someone turns up dead. With so many possible suspects, can the real killer be found in time to save the wedding, as well as Kelsey’s job?

While this is the third book in Flower’s “Living History Museum” series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This is a story history fans will likely enjoy. The pace is perfect, and the historical tie-ins are nicely detailed. While Kelsey comes across as a bit of a pushover at times, she is an enjoyable character overall. There are interesting twists along the way which will keep the reader guessing.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a review.

I have been involved in bad relationships, and reinactment thatre on living history properties.
This series feels like coming home to me, except that around me, people don't tend to be murdered.

The heroine, Kelsey, is a hard working single mom with something of a superhero complex. She needs to fix everyone's problems. Being the director and on-site problem solver of a living history museum requires her to juggle and solve multiple problems daily while dealing with many personality types.
She could never have predicted the latest Bridezilla to demand a wedding on the Farm property would be marrying Kelsey's own ex-husband. As much as she desires not to get involved when the wedding planner ends up dead on Farm property, she has a history with the detectives who are grilling her friends. Kelsey can not stay out of the thick of this investigation.

If you like strong friendships with your cozies, this is a series you will enjoy.
Many secrets will be revealed.

The Cherry Foundation forces Kelsey to play host to a wedding at Barton Farm -- the wedding between her ex-husband and Krissie, Ohio's latest bridezilla. When Krissie's wedding planner is found dead just days before the wedding, Krissie gets even more demanding, giving Kelsey no choice but to help find the killer.

This is the third book in the Living History Museum series, and I have enjoyed them all. The characters are believable, although I wish Kelsey wouldn't be quite so adamant about dealing with everything herself, with no help from anyone else. I understand wanting to be independent, but at some point, everyone can use a helping hand. The story itself was good, although I suspected the killer early in the book (and I rarely figure that out, so it's a bit disappointing when I do!). I will certainly look for the next book in this series, as I'd like to see what happens next in the lives of some of the characters.

This was my first book by this author so I haven't read the previous two books in this Living History Museum series. At the beginning of the book, I felt like I was missing some things. I felt like there was some history from the previous books that would have given me a better understanding of this one if I had read them. I did enjoy the idea of the Living History Museum though. I thought that was a really unique setting. I enjoyed the murder mystery portion of this book. There are a number of suspects to choose from and the killer ended up being someone I didn't suspect at all. The suspense kept me interested and wanting to know how everything would turn out. I found a few of the characters to be very unlikable though so I think that lowered my enjoyment of the book a little.

THIS SHOULD ACTUALLY BE A 3.5 STAR READ FOR ME!

Kelsey Cambridge is in charge of the historic Barton Farm's living museum. Her ex-husband is remarrying and his bride, Krissy, has planned her entire wedding around it being held at the Farm. Krissy is the worst example of a woman who does not understand the word “no”. She is rude and manipulative. Most of all she has threatened Kelsey with taking custody of Kelsey's son, Hayden. She has also threatened Kelsey's job at the Farm. Krissy comes from wealth and she is not above throwing her money around to get what she wants.
The only person more obnoxious than Krissy herself, is her wedding planner Vianna.
When Vianna is found dead at the Farm, Kelsey is pushed into trying to solve the mystery. The head of the Foundation who run the Farm, Krissy's wealthy parents, and Eddie, Kelsey's ex-husband all want Kelsey to get the murder behind them. Otherwise the wedding might not run exactly as Krissy wants.
There are several people with possible motives to be angry at Vianna. Kelsey speaks to each of them and tries to make sense of clues which do not seem to follow a pattern.
The mystery was an interesting one and the steps that Kelsey followed kept the mystery in the reader's sites.
I was not crazy about Kelsey. She could be a bully to some people, and very kind to others. But, she also acted like a doormat when it came to Krissy, Krissy's parents, Vianna and Eddie. Taking abuse from others seemed rather out of character.
I felt that at times there were too many details. As an example, parking in front of the police station did not have to be described down to the fact the parking space was diagonal. I think some of the descriptions could have been less precise and more general in nature.
This is the third in a series. I have not read the other books in the series, but I had no problem following along and understanding relationships and events.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

Barton Farm is a living history museum and Kelsey Cambridge is the hardworking curator. She has her hands full during the busy summer season but to further her load, she is assisting in the wedding of her ex-husband. Vianna Pine, the wedding planner, is working hard to make all of the demands and changes the bride is insists on creating but when Vianna ends up dead, Kelsey has another task to her work load. Prove she didn’t murder the wedding planner.

The picturesque backdrop of the living museum is a perfect backdrop for this series. Flower brings the inner workings of the museum to light without allowing it to take the forefront of the story. Colorful characters dominate without being too comical. This is the third installment of the Living Museum series.

As with the previous book in this series, I loved this book. I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened. Kelsey and the other supporting characters in it are interesting with diverse backgrounds. I had no idea who had committed the murder, a complete surprise.