Cover Image: Something Borrowed, Something Mewed

Something Borrowed, Something Mewed

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Something Borrowed, Something Mewed was a delightful read with very well-crafted characters.

In this book, we find Piper, Daphne's sister getting married. The mother of the bride has gone overboard when she insists they hire Sylvan Creek's top event planner. Tensions fly and then the event planner is found dead. Will the ceremony take place amongst all that is happening?

Really fun cozy.

Includes recipes for homemade pet treats!

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Welcome back to Sylvan Creek. The Lucky Paws Petsitting Mysteries are one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series’. In this book, it’s time for Daphne’s sister Piper’s wedding. Their mother has insisted on hiring Sylvan Creek’s top wedding planner, Abigail Sinclair. Abigail goes a bit over the top in suggesting a Fourth of July themed wedding, producing a lot of squabbling between members of both families. When the wedding planner is found strangled, Daphne dives right into the fray to help bring a murderer to justice and save her sister’s wedding.

Something Borrowed, Something Mewed is a fantastic fifth book in Bethany Blake’s Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. The cozy mystery is full of action, suspense, drama, and animals. I love Artie, the chihuahua Daphne rescued in book 1 and convinced Jonathan to adopt. He is such scene stealer in every book. I adore how he absolutely loves clothes. Tinks is a feisty cat with a mischievous and cantankerous personality, and Socrates is quite a long-suffering basset.

Daphne is a wonderful character. She is snarky, compassionate, without too many cares in the world. Some may think she's flaky since her cell never works and she's never on time for anything, but she's a strong protagonist that doesn't live by the timeline of others. She even has a PhD in philosophy but doesn't use her degree. She's down-to-earth, kind, and gentle. She loves her pet sitting business and she and the business continue to prosper.

The author does a spectacular job with the continued character development and world building. I love Sylvan Creek and how alive the author writes the town and characters (that is, unless you happen to be the latest murder victim). The book is engaging from the beginning and kept me entertained. There was never a dull moment and some of Daphne's antics had me smiling. The author's writing style is phenomenal. All dialogue was smooth, thought out, and conversational. The twists and turns kept me guessing all the way until the end.

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I will admit, when I first started reading this book I didn't think it would be for me. I never wanted a big wedding and this book starts off with planning the wedding of a lifetime. When the overzealous wedding planner is found dead I thought this could work. Can this over the top wedding survive a murder?

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Welcome back to Sylvan Creek, a quaint, lakeside village where animals are treasured, valued and celebrated. It is also home to our protagonist, Pet sitter Daphne Templeton and her twin sister Piper. Piper is getting married, but it seems their mother hired the wedding planner from Hades. Nothing is going right and when her dead body is found in her fountain, the hunt for the killer is on. Daphne wants the wedding to happen, albeit late and in a different place, so she works behind the scenes with her friends to try to put together a new wedding.

I really enjoy this series, probably because of the animals. Daphne is not only a magnet for dead bodies, but for orphaned animals as well. She usually finds a new home for them, but they remain an integral part of the stories. Her dog, Socrates, is wonderful. He is a basset hound with soulful eyes, but he is her sounding board and she can read his expressions and feelings. This story has the pets and their owners participating in a row boat regatta, complete with costumes, and you know that will just have problems where Daphne is concerned. She also has a cat named Tinks and and rescues another cat in this story. The animals always play an important part in the mystery. The mystery itself has a few suspects and some red herrings, but I had not figured out the culprit before it was revealed to us in the story. It had a twist at the end which surprised me, but fit the story well. Throw in a bit of angst as Daphne's boyfriend Johnathan Black is working on the west coast, not sure whether he will accept a job with NCIS, some family relationship issues as Daphne also finds out how her mother really feels about her and you have a well rounded story. Pick up this cozy mystery with humor and romance. I recommend this one as it is a fun series for fans of cozy mysteries, especially cozies involving pets.

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Something Borrowed, Something Mewed is the fifth book in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. We meet up with Daphne again as her sister’s getting married, and the wedding planner ends up getting murdered. Of course, Daphne has to find out who did it haha.

I absolutely love this series! Like LOVE IT. It’s by far one of my favorite cozy mystery series! I love the characters who are all so realistic and entertaining. Daphne has really grown over the series, and you don’t see growth like that a lot in cozies.

To me, the characters in this book have become sort of like family. The town of Sylvan Creek will forever have a place in my heart. Anyway, if you loved the other books in the series, then you’ll love this one too!

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I love this series and this was by far one of my favorite in the series so far. It always seems that having a big wedding somehow leads to murder. Daphne's sister Piper is getting married and has hired Abagail Sinclair to plan her wedding and of course Daphne is hired to keep an eye on Abagail's feisty and trouble making cat Pebbles. If Pebbles wasn't enough trouble Daphne finds a body at the rehearsal dinner. I loved the twists in the mystery and didn't want the book to end my only issue was the romance between Daphne and Jonathan. I needed a little more of that in this book. I recommend this book and series.

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This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

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Something Borrowed, Something Mewed by Bethany Blake is about Daphne Templeton. Her sister, Piper is getting married and her mother insists on hiring event planner, Abigail Sinclair, who proposes an Independence Day theme complete with Statue of Liberty inspired bridesmaid dresses. Eventually and not surprisingly, the event planner is found strangled by a garter - both borrowed and blue. Daphne, who is babysitting cats, needs to solve the murder. This book has good characters, many pets and some romance. The story is mainly about pets and a wedding, which causes all sorts of stress. The wedding planner was pushy and had a lot of enemies so it wasn’t surprising she died and there are many suspects to choose from. Funny at times, hard to guess the killer. Good book. Includes recipes.

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Something Borrowed, Something Mewed by Bethany Blake is book five in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. Daphne's sister Piper is getting married before her fiance heads overseas for a short term job. Her mother and mother-in-law-to-be have worked up an Independence Day themed wedding. The problem is that the wedding planner has organized several weddings at the same time and at the same venue. When the wedding planner winds up dead, Piper's fiance is the prime suspect, and Piper worries her wedding will never happen. I adore Daphne and her pets. In this particular book Daphne and Piper seemed to have a better relationship. The book includes a bit of romance but not too much that it becomes a romance novel. While I did figure out the mystery portion early on, I still enjoyed the book.

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A super cute cozy mystery. I had a lot of fun reading this book. Each chapter kept me entertained.
I love the chemistry between Jonathan and Daphne and can’t wait to find out what their next adventure holds. I highly recommend this cozy mystery if you’re a lover of dogs and cats, cause there are plenty inside here!

I received an advanced digital copy from Netgalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

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If I could go on a winter holiday, it would be to the pet-friendly Pocono Mountains town of Sylvan Creek. I love everything about the people and the place. The author makes the town seem so warm and inviting, well I mean yeah they have murders, but they are usually targeted. I wouldn't feel unsafe there lol.

Daphne Templeton is a free-spirited pet sitter, armed only with a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a stubborn Basset Hound, who has become an amateur sleuth.

In this installment of the series, Daphne's sister, Piper, is about to celebrate the happiest day of her life, that is until the wedding planner is found dead. Being a very unpleasant tyrant, the list of suspects us endless. With the help of her trust sidekick, Socrates, can Daphne balance solving a murder and planning her sister's wedding? Will she be able to saver her own relationship?

This series is a fun way to escape the day or intrigue those who love a good "who dunnit" series. I swear, I have yet to figure it out in this series. I really enjoyed the detail of the story and character development, even all the dogs have great character development. A lot of cozies that I read, I describe as quick and fun, I would not describe this one as such. Ms. Blake is very detailed in her plot and characters, so you really get to dive into the story. I would not say one style is better than the other because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to continuing on with the series.

I have this book in both digital (NetGalley) and audio versions. The narrator, Elise Arsenault, does an amazing job.

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Something Borrowed, Something Mewed

by Bethany Blake

Celebrating the 4th of July in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania, means a weeklong pet-centric Wags ’n Flags affair complete with fireworks, patriotic decorations, dogs in costumes, and the canine All Paws on Deck Rowboat Regatta. This year pet-sitter and pet bakery owner Daphne Templeton and her Basset hound sleuthing sidekick Socrates are immersed in solving crimes. Daphne’s sister Piper is engaged to be married. The wedding planner has multiple bookings set up at the same venue and at the same time and has plans to abscond with all the bridal payments. Murder ups the ante on the scam. Who is behind all the nefarious shenanigans?

On the personal scene in Something Borrowed, Something Mewed, Daphne and her detective boyfriend Jonathan seem to be getting emotionally closer at a time when physical separation is imminent. Daphne’s fun and a little wacky friend Moxie is Daphne’s support throughout it all. Humor is injected as Daphne has interesting, but fairly one sided, “conversations” with Socrates throughout the book as she tries to solve the mysteries swirling around Sylvan Creek’s celebration.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #5 in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series

Publication: May 28, 2019—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

…a black whirlwind flew past our feet and Tinkleston finally launched himself at the world’s meekest, most clueless and most accident-prone cat, who went flying off the icebox with a familiar, plaintive yowl.

I prized allegiance to family and friends. I also admired people who looked out for lost souls, whether they were siblings or Chihuahuas and pugs with oversized personalities. Or very insistent cats.

“I won’t even ask why you rode something you pedal to a biker bar.”

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I haven’t read the other books in this series yet but they are now on my list of books I have to read. I loved the story. Even though I have read the other books, I was easily able to figure out who was a regular in the series. Daphne’s sister Piper is getting married and Abigail Sinclair is hired as the wedding planner. Abigail doesn’t mesh well with the mother of the bride or groom. She is found murdered and it’s up to Daphne to figure out who the culprit is. Perfect cozy.

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This is book 5 in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series and it's a great addition. Daphne and her family are all back including Socrates and the rest of the pets. Set in the Pocono mountains, Piper is getting married and when the wedding planner turns up dead after 5 brides discover she was scamming them it's a free for all. Set over the 4th of July holiday, the town is having one of their famous pet themed festivals. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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This is my first book in the series and I love it. I must start at the beginning now. I love the characters, the romance, and the pets. There are even pet recipes. This is definitely a fun series.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Enjoyed this book. Kept me interested all the way through. Would recommend to a fellow reader. Love the cover.

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The story is filled with stressful situations caused by the upcoming nuptials of the main character's sister, and all the pressure as maid of honor. The event planner keeps pushing people and gains a lot of enemies, so when she is found dead, finding the killer becomes a priority.

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Bethany Blake is a wonderful author. Every book in this series is so good. It is like getting together with old friends. I cannot wait for the next one.

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This was a fun and entertaining read and I loved the pets and several of the characters. Though I had suspicions who the murder is, there was a twist in the end I that surprised me a little bit.

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Honestly guys I think this series just keeps getting better for me. So a wedding is being planned in Sylvan Creek and while the bride isn't really in favor of the planned 4th of July themed nuptials, she sure didn't want the wedding planner to die. And when the husband of the bride is one of the prime suspects, Daphne takes it upon herself to start investigating again in order to help out her sister.

This installment once again has some of our favorite characters - people and pets. We have Daphne's best friend, Moxie and her pet rat as well as Detective Black and his two dogs. And I have to admit he was really ticking me off at times. Socrates, Daphne's trusted Basset is present and is worried that his poodle girlfriend might have to leave town because her mom's business might fail. There is also Ms. Peebles, the deceased's cat who is forced to make peace with Tinkerton once Daphne takes her home with her. And we even get some new characters and a wonderful new pet pig. So you can understand why I like Sylvan Creek so much.

The mystery aspect is interesting as well. There are several suspects and it wasn't until the very end that I suspected how it was all going to play out. "Something Borrowed, Something Mewed" introduces us to a new business which is going to have it's own series - The Owl and Crescent Mysteries. I'm thrilled to have more of this quaint little which has the promise of some paranormal aspects and lots of pets.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries you need to pick up this series. It is one of my all-time favorites and I'm just hoping there are more to come!

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