Oh my goodness! Book 1 in the series was good, but book two is even better! 

Winnie's shop is up & running, including hosting a home-town girl's wedding. Unfortunately, the couple's happily ever after is cut short when the groom is murdered at the reception. Even worse, circumstantial signs point to Winnie's ex boyfriend Hank responsible after everyone witnesses him arguing with the groom before taking off in a hurry. Winnie may be over Hank, but she still knows in her heart that he's no cold-blooded killer. Now Winnie has to prove her ex's innocence, while trying to stay out of the cross-hairs of a handsome sheriff and criminal who has no problem resorting to murder to get what they want.

Once again, I found myself with an immediate guess as to whodunit, only to backtrack and start bouncing around between several possibilities. That is a sign of a really good cozy to me. Add in likeable characters, even if the lawman / protagonist relationship is a cliche, and some fun supporting roles, and altogether you have a fun, quick read that leaves you wanting more!

Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey is the second novel in the Cider Shop Mystery series. 

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cider. I am a huge cider lover and the crazier the flavour I can find the better. 

The setting was very strong and one I would like to visit again. I enjoyed all the different characters. However, there were a lot of characters and at times I got a little overwhelmed trying to keep them all straight. 

Initially, I was going to give this book 3 stars because for me the story seemed a little longer than it needed to be and slow in some parts. Everything else was enjoyable and of course lots of cider. 

However, the ending was phenomenal! I enjoy cozy mysteries, but I find all of the endings very predictable. I thought I had this figured out, and I was wrong. It was a nice and refreshing surprise. For the ending, I have bumped it up to 5 stars. 

I was excited to visit this series again, but the ending has me even more stoked. I cannot wait to see if all of Lindsey’s endings are as unpredictable. If you want a cozy mystery with a twisted ending, I suggest Pulp Friction. 

I received an eARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

I loved this one just as much as the first. The slow burn romance between the Sheriff and Winnie is the best. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Really love this series. Can't wait for book 3.

This series continues to excel at both the suspense and family aspect  of the series. Winnie and her grandmother are finally seeing their hard work pay off in their renovations of the family orchard. An onsite wedding is a good moneymaker and for spreading the word about the Cider Shop. Winnie's ex is the number one suspect after the groom is found dead shortly after the wedding. There is a lot of action and plenty of misdirection as Winnie gets to the bottom of the murder.

A cozy murder mystery I couldn't put down and finished in one sitting, I can't wait to read more from this author

Pulp Friction was a sweet follow up to the debut cozy in Julie Lindsey's Cider Shop Mystery series. Winnie's new cider shop is proving to be a happy success, and the locals are even booking it for their events! Winnie is so excited to host a wedding, until she sees her ex in a heated argument with the groom...who winds up dead at the reception! Hank quickly becomes the main suspect, and even though Winnie is annoyed with her ex, she knows he didn't murder anyone. Hank's sister convinces Winnie to help her find the culprit and prove Hank's innocence. Hank is on the run from the police but (in)conveniently keeps showing up in Winnie's life! She'll do what she can to help him so he will stop bothering her!

There's a lot to love in this series! The setting is fantastic - a picturesque small town in Virginia. I'd love to visit Smythe Orchards and especially Winnie's Cider Shop! I loved the secondary plotline of Winnie entering a cider contest because all the flavors she created sounded so amazing! I could practically taste them! The characters are also really appealing - Granny Smythe is a hoot, and I love Winnie's bestie Dot, who's a park ranger. Oh and the crew Dot brings in to help Granny with her yard maintenance will make you chuckle! I also loved the way the national park entered into the plot - it sounds so beautiful!

Overall a really fun cozy mystery with a lot of promise. I look forward to more!

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters and the  setting are really interesting.  Pulp Friction is a light and easy read and a delightful addition to a nice cozy series.  Will definitely  read more of this series...

Winnie Montgomery was raised by her beloved grandmother and late grandfather, whom own the Smythe Orchard. With the future of the orchard in jeopardy, Winnie did everything she could to save the orchard and continue her family's legacy. Her goal was to open a Cider Shop and Party Hall to bring in more revenue and to give the small town better options.

In this installment, a wedding at the cider shop goes awfully wrong.  In order to redeem the business and help a friend accused of murder, Winnie sets out to solve the murder, again.

I adored this book so much... the plot, the setting, the characters, EVERYTHING!! I also have a huge book crush in Colton!! 

I received an advanced physical copy of the book from the amazing and talented Julie Anne Lindsey and Kensington Publishing. I was also awarded a digital copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

There are also Cider recipes in the book that I will definitely be trying come the cooler weather!

Pulp Friction is a wonderful second book in the Cider Shop Mysteries. The mystery was solid, exciting, and kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the small-town setting with the main character living with her granny on an apple orchard. 

Winnie is a fantastic, down-to-earth heroine who wants the wedding being held at the orchard to go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, when Winnie’s ex, Hank, is noticed arguing with the groom, who is later found dead outside the reception, he becomes suspect number one. Knowing he would never arbitrarily take another person’s life, Winnie begins looking into the bride, the groom, and anyone who would want the groom dead. 

I loved Pulp Friction as much as I loved book 1, Apple Cider Slaying. The murder isn’t the only theme in the book, giving the book a lot of realism. Winnie’s granny and granny’s friend Delilah are a hoot, and everyone should have a friendship like theirs, regardless of what stage in life you happen to be in. Friends are priceless. The romance build-up between Winnie and the sheriff is slow and exciting. I love the chemistry and the ease in which the author is developing their potential relationship. We were also provided excellent imagery, character development, and a great story.

The author's writing style is fluid, the pacing is perfect, and the story is so easy to read that I couldn’t believe I was almost done already. I found myself engaged and completely captivated in the story from the very beginning. I really enjoyed Pulp Friction and can't wait for the next book.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

This is my first book by Julie Anne Lindsey and I’m so glad that I picked this book up! I was intrigued by the concept of this series because it’s set at an orchard. Normally, I never thought that I would be interested in something like this but Lindsey creates some really cute characters. I love that the main heroine is named Winona Mae Montgomery and her grandmother is named Granny Smythe. It was a nice touch!

First off, I really like Lindsey’s writing style. It’s quick and to the point, getting the mystery moving at a fast face. I especially love this style where the murder happens at the very beginning because it shakes things up a bit and really engages the reader. And for someone who is just trying out a book for the very first time by an author, it makes for a really great first impression.

I loved the characters in this book! Not only was there a touch of humor, but I also really loved all the secondary characters as well. Now that I have discovered Lindsey’s books, I’m looking forward to trying some more. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her backlist titles now!

Pulp Friction is the second installment in the Cider Shop Mystery Series written by Julie Anne Lindsey, and holy cow does this book deliver. In this book we are reunited with Winnie Mae Montgomery and her adorable Grammy, the owners of Smythe Orchards in Blossom Valley, Virginia. Since the last book, Winnie has procured a business loan and as started her own Cider Shop, and things are in full swing. To earn some extra money for the farm she has offered to do weddings. Jack and Elsie decided last minute to move there wedding to Smythe Orchards and it seemed the event was set to go down without a hitch. At least until the groom is found dead and Winnie's ex-boyfriend Hank is viewed as the guilty party since he took off from the event. Winnie once again becomes mixed up in solving Jack's murder and accidentally unfolds more secrets that could threaten her life.

This series has started off so strong, and I am excited to see how the rest of the series will play out. The characters are so endearing, I absolutely adore Winnie as a protagonist and her Granny is just too sweet for words. Her little side adventures with her needle point club are great comic relief. I am eagerly awaiting to see if any romance will bloom between Winnie and Sheriff Colton Wise, the once large town police officer looking for a new start in a small town. This book also does a great job at introducing us to some of the action that we might expect to see in the third book, something that is rare in the cozy genre. I definitely recommend this series. I also had the opportunity to listen to the first book "Apple Cider Slaying" as an audiobook, and it is worth the listen.

This was another great addition to this series! I loved revisiting Blossom Valley and the Smythe Orchards. The main character is super relatable and I love how the author describes the cider shop and all the different ciders she makes. Makes me want to try making some of my own! The mystery in this one was great and kept me guessing. I also loved the developing relationship between Colton (The sheriff) and Winnie! I can't wait to read book 3 and I highly recommend this series!

This was a quick, fun, light read. I really enjoyed the book and the writing style. It was a good story that kept my interest throughout. I would recommend it to others.

A lovely wedding at a historic apple orchard's cider shop is going well, and making Winona Mae Montgomery feel hopeful about her new business at her grandmother's family farm, until the groom dies during the reception. That changes everything. 
For Winnie, it's especially tough since the top suspect is her ex and there's quite a bit of chemistry between her and the lead detective. 
This is an action-packed story, well written, with developed characters and an interesting setting. I haven't yet read the first book in the series (though I plan to) and it wasn't a problem. This book neither requires the reader to have the first book for background, nor gives away the story of the first book so we can't go back and enjoy it.

This is the 2nd book in the Cider Shop Mystery series and it was just as good as the 1st! Smyth Orchards is the perfect setting for a wedding but the special day doesn't go as planned when the groom is murdered! Winnie feels that she needs to find out the truth before  her ex boyfriend is thrown in jail for murder and the orchard's reputation is ruined.  
With likable characters and a cozy setting this series is bound to be a favorite for many! The mystery was well planned and the author kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading the next book!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

What a great read! I enjoyed learning about Granny Smythe’s orchard and baked goods, and Winnie’s cider shop and home-crafted beverages! All the elements are present to grab and hold my attention from the start, including well-defined characters, a mystery I couldn’t solve, and a historic Virginia setting that sounds beautiful.

Granny and Grampy began the orchard many years ago; Granny has now been widowed for a few years. Winnie lived with them most of her life after her mom ran out, and now lives in a house on the property. She grew up with all the love her grandparents could lavish on her with each other and the orchard their focus. She is beyond busy, as she has been taking a class every semester for ten years, helps Granny with the orchard, and recently opened a cider shop. She sells her cider blends, Granny’s baked goods, and sandwiches.

The cider shop in the barn is the venue for a wedding for the daughter of a local family. Their original location cancelled at the last minute, so Winnie, Granny, and best friend Dot had three weeks to prepare and decorate for the event. If it increases traffic and popularity as a venue for the cider shop and orchard, it will have been well worth it.

The mother of Elsie, the bride, invited everyone in town to the reception. One person Winnie was not happy to see was her ex-boyfriend, Hank, now cuddling with one of the younger bridesmaids. Jack, the bridegroom, looks … off. He drinks from a flask in his pocket and acts as if he has had a few too many. Winnie hears two men arguing. It is Hank and Jack, and when she called out to Hank, Jack ran off. Elsie ran after Jack, with the bridesmaids not far behind. Winnie went to see what was happening, then heard Elsie scream. She saw Hank’s truck speed away from the property. When Winnie got to Elsie, the newlyweds’ getaway vehicle – an old farm truck – was running, and Elsie was on Jack, hysterical. Jack had been hit by the getaway truck but didn’t get away.

This is the second murder on the property, the first one being last fall. She feels terrible for the bride and the families and feels worse that she is concerned about the future of the cider shop. Winnie had helped solve that murder, and her mind is already reeling about what could have happened. No matter how she feels about Hank, Winnie knows he is not a killer. If Sheriff Colton Wise will just believe her.

Not only does it feel like her house, then her shop, is being watched, but someone broke in her home. Colton thinks it might be Hank, looking for someone to harbor him. Winnie and Dot go to Hank’s family’s hunting cabin in the nearby national park and get shot at! Someone has been staying at the shack. When Colton went there, everything in the cabin was removed, but they did find a shell casing. Early the next morning, they find another body, partially covered in leaves, yards from the cabin.

I like Winnie, Dot, and Granny best. Winnie is a hard-working young woman who is dedicated to her grandmother, her shop, and her studies. Dot, Winnie’s best friend, is in many ways different than Winnie. She is an outdoorswoman, a national park ranger, and avid animal rescuer. Winnie took in two rescued kittens from her last fall, while Dot’s four-acre hobby farm is a refuge for all her rescues until they have forever homes or can be released into the park. Granny is a selfless yet fun-loving woman who made sure Winnie had the best childhood possible; she works hard to keep the orchard. And I love the special grass-cutting crew! Especially the most unique one!

This is a series that I will enjoy. I am impressed by the décor of the cider shop and how the town is incorporated into every piece of it; Winnie’s love for her community is exemplary. Plot twists continue to change the landscape of the investigation; I could not have guessed the motive, even if I had the evidence in hand. The killer was somewhat of a surprise; while I thought of the person, I couldn’t imagine a motive for the culprit. All loose ends are tied up except for the cliffhanger. I highly recommend this delightful, scary, novel and series!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe have worked hard and the family apple orchard in Blossom Valley, Virginia is now solvent. With the new addition of Winnie’s cider shop, she has the locals booking events, including a wedding she’s excited to cater. 

Although everything seems to be going smoothly during the wedding celebration, there’s tension under the surface––the groom is drinking heavily, Winnie’s ex Hank is whispering with one of the bridesmaids, and then Hank is in a fracas with the groom shortly before the groom is found dead, cradled by the distraught bride, in front of the honeymoon getaway car. And Hank is on the run. 

Winnie is determined to protect her cider shop’s reputation before locals start staying away in droves, so she’s on the trail of any clues she can discover to find out who murdered the groom, where Hank has run off to, and what part a disappearing bridesmaid has to play in the drama. Local sheriff Colton Wise would much prefer Winnie stay out of the investigation, but a some close personal calls keep her hand in it and Colton’s worry about her front and center.

Pulp Friction is filled with characters you’ll enjoy getting to know, a cider shop you’d love to visit and a mystery that will take all of Winnie’s best efforts to solve before the murderer strikes again.

Once again, Julie Anne Lindsey has written a fun, atmospheric cozy! This installment had a wonderful mystery, and I loved getting to see more of the orchard and the characters.

Title:  Pulp Friction

Author:  Julie Anne Lindsey

Series: A Cider Shop Mystery book 2

Chapters: 24

Pages: 336

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Kensington Books


Pulp Friction is the second book in the A Cider Shop mystery series by Julie Anne Lindsey Winnie Montgomery s Cider shops business has started to pick up when another murder happens on the property.

Winnie starts to get involved in solving the murder even though Sheriff Colton Wise wants her to stay as far away from the crime and the murderer as possible.

I enjoyed this one more than the first one in the series as well as the slight hint of a romance blossoming.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.