This series is fun & sweet! I loved the characters and the setting of the story. I recommend checking out this series if you are a cozy mystery lover!

Shelby McDonald’s Love Blossom Farm is the perfect venue for her best friend, Kelly’s, country wedding, and Shelby has been working hard to make everything perfect, in the third installment of the Farmer’s Daughter Mysteries, Bought the Farm. Kelly is excited that the band, that has a nationally famous lead singer from their small town, has agreed to sing at her wedding, but when he is found dead later, it turns out that he wasn’t well-liked and there are numerous suspects. Shelby is an amateur sleuth, but is quite good at it and is fairly nosey, which leads to her solving the case, but that also leads her into some danger to herself and her friends.

Cochran is a good storyteller, and this light, easy-to-read novel is a great way to relax. The story line flows, and there is a good plot with ups and downs and twists that are surprising. The dénouement will be a surprise to most readers, and readers will be happy with the result. The characters are quite likeable, and the author has developed them so that even those who haven’t read the previous novels in the series will be able to relate to them.

The protagonist, Shelby, is a food and lifestyle blogger, and there are a lot of references to food; luckily there are recipes at the end, which is an essential element in any culinary mystery. Other important elements in this book are the lack of graphic language, sex, or violence, which makes it suitable for all ages, and also appealing to most readers.

This is a fun series and fans will want to read all of them in the series.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Farm-living lifestyle blogger (a la the Pioneer Woman) Shelby McDonald is back in a third Farmer’s Daughter Mystery, and she seems to have finally settled on which of the three romantic potentials (Matt the grocer, Jake the neighbor, or her brother-in-law Frank) she should pursue. She’s also in the middle of yet another murder mystery, which she handles with her usual aplomb and curiosity. The clever ‘Dear Reader’ asides serve up just the right amount of dry wit, and the occasional blog post snippet provides readers with some helpful tips alongside their mystery. The case is always well-plotted, and the fictitious Michigan small town setting provides an intriguing supporting cast with a bevy of interesting personalities. Readers will root for Shelby to solve the case and stay on the edge of their chairs until she does. Bert is ever a delight as Shelby’s slightly-crusty friend, and her storyline in this book adds to the tension.

(appeared on RTBook Reviews)

This is book 3 in the Farmer's Daughter mystery series. Love Blossom Farm is hosting Kelley's wedding and except for the band being a bad surprise for the groom the wedding goes without a hitch until the lead singer turns up dead. It seems that a few folks have good reason to want him dead and Shelby starts investigating to help save the farms reputation. This is an easy stand alone read and a great mystery to solve. Light romance and some excellent recipes. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis:

In the third Farmer's Daughter Mystery from the national bestselling author of Sowed to Death, finding a dead body in her own backyard lands blogger and farmer Shelby McDonald in one trough spot...

Wedding preparations are in full swing at Love Blossom Farm as food-and-lifestyle blogger Shelby McDonald transforms the property for her friend Kelly's down-home country-style reception. But when the lead singer of the wedding band turns up dead--drowned in a trough full of rainwater and strung up like a scarecrow--the police round themselves up a barnful of suspects.

It seems that Travis sowed the seeds of discord wherever he went, and when it becomes clear that everyone from the groom to Shelby's own staff has motive, tracking down Travis' killer is going to be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. As Shelby finds herself drawn deeper into the investigation, she'll have to move quickly before the killer decides to put her out to pasture...

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I like the fact that Shelby is a mother of two children, and unfortunately she is raising them by herself since her husband died. Having the protagonist be a mom makes this book more unique than many of the cozies I read. I feel she is more relatable, having the same troubles and responsibilities of a lot of the readers. She works hard to run the farm by herself and sometimes I feel sorry for her. But she does not feel sorry for herself, she just keeps doing the things that she needs to do. So when a dead body turns up on her farm, she feels compelled to find out who the culprit is, even if her plate is already full. I really like Bert, who helps Shelby on the farm as much as she can. And it looks like maybe Shelby has made up her mind about her three potential beaus, and she knows who she wants to choose.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all the farm activities and Shelby performing her farm chores. I think maybe too much description was spent on her cooking and working in her garden, I felt like it made the book drag a little in spots. That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me. I really enjoyed the blog posts at the beginning of each chapter, I thought that added another level to the book. They were interesting and gave the reader tidbits of information that I found helpful.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book was an easy read. I liked that the author included the social of issue of bullying in this book. That is a very serious social problem and I thought that she handled it well with some insight and ideas for fighting bullying.

The mystery was was well plotted and it was not easy to solve. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through and I found myself getting nervous towards the end of the book, before I knew who the culprit was. That makes for a great mystery.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I have read all three of the books in this series and I have enjoyed them all.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Bought the Farm: A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery
By Peg Cochran
Berkley
June 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

Love is in the air during springtime at the Love Blossom Farm, and no one is more delighted than Shelby McDonald to be hosting the site of her best friend Kelly Thacker’s wedding. While most of the ceremony highlights the low-key charm of Shelby’s family farm, Kelly’s family connection has the winner of television’s America Can Sing contest performing with his band at the reception. Travis Cooper is a local boy who made it big, but “Debbie Coster’s boy” left behind a long trail of misdeeds and resentment. In fact, one of those not welcoming the singer home is the groom Seth Gregson, whose medical school applications were jeopardized by one of Travis’s college pranks.

The wedding goes off without a hitch, but unfortunately Shelby makes a gruesome discovery before the happy couple escapes to their honeymoon. Propped up in a macabre imitation of a scarecrow is Travis’s body, with method of his death a cruel use of the farm’s recycled water trough. Although Shelby never sets out to investigate, a frantic Kelly, the presence of the band still having practices on the farm, and the numerous Lovett residents on the suspect list make focusing on her zucchini crop impossible.

Using chapter-heading Farmer’s Daughter Blogs to give advice on the perfect pancake, the proper way to store root vegetables, and how to select a cooking chicken, Shelby also makes wry observations through internal “Dear Reader” quips to herself. Hopefully, the blog posts regarding the actual murder investigation stay in the draft folder. Further complicating her life are the three suitors vying for her attention. While it is an enviable situation, the widowed Shelby still mourns the recent loss of her husband, and her love for him confuses her feelings for her admiring brother-in-law. Shelby is realizing is that she may soon be ready to move on, and opening herself up to love is as much a choice as rejecting another. Life in the charming – if rather nosy – town of Lovett continues on even as the investigation continues in the background, with Shelby being drawn into Church Ladies suspicion of the minister’s new girlfriend while Shelby’s teenaged daughter wages an admirable battle against bullying. As motives and suspects increase in number due to Travis’s long history of selfish and unrepentant behavior, the final reveal proves to be as exciting as it is unexpected. Recipes and Shelby’s appreciation of farm-to-table cooking will have readers hungry as much for a mouth-watering meal as they will the next in this heart-warming, witty mystery series.

Bought the Farm by Peg Cochran is the third novel in A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery series. Shelby McDonald has been busy getting Love Blossom Farm ready for Kelly Thacker and Seth Gregson wedding. Kelly has even arranged a special surprise for Seth. The wedding is lovely, but Seth is not thrilled with his surprise of Travis Cooper and his band. After the festivities are over, Shelby and Bert notice that one guest is still hanging around. Travis has been murdered and strung up on a post to resemble a scarecrow. Seth, the band along with the wedding guests are all suspects in the singer’s death. Detective Frank McDonald has his work cut out for him this time. Of course, Kelly cannot help but do some digging especially with Seth being on the suspect list. The killer, however, is displeased with her sleuthing and leaves her a threatening blog comment. Join Shelby as she weeds through the suspects to expose the evil doer in Bought the Farm.

Bought the Farm is an engaging cozy mystery. It is well-written and has a steady pace throughout. There is a good flow and smooth transitions. Bought the Farm has great characters and a beautiful setting of Love Blossom Farm in Lovett, Michigan. I especially liked Shelby’s blog entries at the beginning of each chapter. They were informative and useful. It was interesting to learn the history behind some wedding traditions. The mystery was well-crafted with multiple suspects and misdirection. The author provided good clues to aid readers in resolving the crime. While Bought the Farm is the third book in the series, it can be read alone. Everything a reader needs to know about Shelby is included. Chickens, planting seeds, gathering herbs, taking care of the kids and the dogs, spending time with friends, dating, creating new recipes, cooking and Shelby working on her blog are some of the cozy moments in Bought the Farm. I like the world that Peg Cochran has created for A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery series. Shelby’s daughter, Amelia stands up for a girl in her class who is being bullied and comes up with an anti-bullying campaign. I appreciate how the author addressed the situation and her suggestions for dealing with bullies. I hope that the children will start doing chores in future books to help out Shelby (she needs assistance with work around the house and farm). My rating for Bought the Farm is 4 out of 5 stars. I could have done with less romance and the debate between the two fellas in her life (I believe she should pick Frank). There is some repetition of facts (like information regarding secondary characters). There are recipes at the end of the book.

"In the third Farmer's Daughter Mystery from the national bestselling author of Sowed to Death, finding a dead body in her own backyard lands blogger and farmer Shelby McDonald in one trough spot...

Wedding preparations are in full swing at Love Blossom Farm as food-and-lifestyle blogger Shelby McDonald transforms the property for her friend Kelly's down-home country-style reception. But when the lead singer of the wedding band turns up dead--drowned in a trough full of rainwater and strung up like a scarecrow--the police round themselves up a barnful of suspects.

It seems that Travis sowed the seeds of discord wherever he went, and when it becomes clear that everyone from the groom to Shelby's own staff has motive, tracking down Travis' killer is going to be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. As Shelby finds herself drawn deeper into the investigation, she'll have to move quickly before the killer decides to put her out to pasture..."

I hadn't heard of this series until now, but seriously, that cover, I adore it! I like that it's different than most cozy covers!

This is the third book in one of the best farming copies around. Shelby is trying to get her farm ready for a wedding when the wedding singer is found dead. This book has a great mystery and I loved the romance triangle and what happens with it in the end. Another plus was all the home remedies the author included that added to the down home feeling. You can read this book without reading the books but I recommend reading them all

In this romance/murder mystery a wedding is taking place on Shelby’s farm. The local veterinarian, Shelby’s best friend Kelly, is marrying the town doctor. A band is invited to attend and play for the event, but the band’s lead singer is found dead under gruesome circumstances. Unsure whether to allow the band to continue rehearsing in her barn with the killer on the loose, Shelby asks them to find other accommodations, in order to protect her children.
Shelby herself is involved in a romance with not one but two men, Frank and Matt. As this is an ongoing series I don’t want to reveal the outcome as it might spoil the story for readers.
I enjoyed the cooking and gardening hints peppered throughout the book. The author prefaces these with “Dear Reader” to signify that she is speaking directly to her audience.
The characters are well developed and the plot thickens appropriately (see what I did there?). This is a quick and pleasant read, despite the fact that one man is dead and his killer is on the loose.

When Shelby's best friend Kelly is getting married, she wants to have the celebration at Shelby's farm. Performing is the band that Kelly's cousin is in, but Kelly doesn't know that there's a long-ago resentment between the lead singer Travis and Kelly's fiancé Seth. It seems Travis caused Seth to miss a much-needed exam in order to graduate from medical school, and it caused his grade to drop by a hair.

At any rate, when the party is over and the guests are departing Shelby's friend Bert mentions something about Shelby's scarecrow. When she tells Bert she doesn't have one, they go to investigate. But the 'scarecrow' happens to be Travis, strung on the empty pole and wearing Seth's hat. Once officials are called, the barn becomes a crime scene.

Still, life must go on, and Shelby tries to keep everything normal for her kids. Little does she know that trouble is still brewing, closer than she thinks, and then someone else is murdered. Now if she doesn't stop asking questions there might just be a third one on the way...

I will say that I liked this book better than the first two. The writing has improved and the plot is a very good one. However, there was still something that bothered me: her kids do nothing - and I mean nothing - around the house. Shelby is doing all the cooking, cleaning, and working around the farm, while her daughter spends time in her room texting her friends and sitting on her computer and her son just plays and watches television. I don't know about you, but I would guess kids growing up on farms don't get a free pass to entitlement - they have to actually help out; but not her kids. They don't help with the planting or weeding; don't help with meal prep or cleanup (there was one mention that Amelia helped Kelly clean up, but if Shelby wasn't there how would she know?) She has to hire someone to help out along with her friend Bert; so why is she complaining about money being tight when she could save some if her kids would actually get off their behinds and do a little work? She's not helping them except to be lazy adults who live at home when they're out of school. Trust me, we all had chores growing up, and I lived in the city.

Aside from this, I did like the fact that there were plenty of suspects thrown out and a lot of lies to sift through to get to the truth. I also liked the fact that she's moving toward Matt romantically; there was just a small 'ick' factor when she was considering dating her brother-in-law in the last book.

The author did a good job on this book, giving us plenty to think about and a nice scene toward the end that was a bit of a nail-biter; it was very well done indeed. When the killer was discovered and everything fell into place it did so quite satisfactorily, and the reader ends up feeling that their time has been very well spent indeed. Recommended.

A wedding set on Shelby's farm with the local veterinarian marrying the town doctor turns tragic when the lead singer of the band is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Shelby allows the remaining band members to continue practicing in her barn, with Jax taking over the lead singing from his late brother. When Travis' death is ruled a homicide, she realizes that she and her family's safety are at risk until the killer is caught.

I read the first book in the series but not the second; however, I was able to read this book easily as a standalone. The mystery was very well-written, with excellent character development from what I remember from the first and within this book. There were several viable suspects and plots but I didn't guess the killer's identity until the very end. I enjoyed the romantic triangle between Shelby, Frank and Matt, which reached a satisfying point for this installment.

My favorite part about this book was the author's insertion of her "helpful hints" which were clearly marked "Dear Reader." One was a home remedy for an upset stomach, another was how to better use fresh herbs from one's garden. She also used her own point of view to the reader to directly question a character's action and/or motive. For me, this style of writing added an intimate connection between myself and the author. This book is especially appealing for those who enjoy farm, animal, culinary, and gardening cozies.

Shelby, as in the previous mysteries, has her hands full raising two children, caring for dogs, chickens and tending her garden on the farm in Michigan. And! She has a blog.
In this cozy, there is going to be a wedding on Love Blossom Farm. The barn has been converted into the perfect country location for a wedding reception. Shelby's good friend Kelly, also the local veterinarian is getting married to Seth, the local medical doctor. However, the festivities are interrupted when someone discovers the body of one of the band members strung up on a scarecrow pole.
This mystery is mellow, easy going and the perfect cozy read for a quiet day, sitting by the fire savoring a hot drink. Shelby is our amateur sleuth and how she finds the time to solve a mystery and take care of growing children is a mystery in itself! She's an amazing cook with tips to create savory dishes peppered throughout the story. And! She's on a tight budget. Somehow she manages to pull it all together and solve the baffling mystery with an absence of clues. 4**** stars on goodreads.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.