First off I'll say this is a series best read in order. Otherwise some parts of this third book are confusing. But, no matter in what order, it's a fun read. Marygene is a great character and a good sleuth. This time she really has a challenge on her hands. She and her sister have agreed to cater a wedding reception but the tough part? The groom is Marygene's ex boyfriend and the bride is her least favorite person, a real bridezilla and her nemesis. The catering will help bring business their way and it will soon be over so Marygene puts on her southern manners and soldiers on.
The reception is a mystery theme and the bride wanted to play the corpse. When Marygene comes across her body the situation seems clear. She has become a real corpse....or not. The body vanishes. Was Lucy dead or faking it? If that isn't complicated enough, the groom enlists outside help and fingers are pointed at Marygene, her sister and the grooms' cousin (Marygene's best friend). The groom is doing lots of the pointing. Now she is forced to investigate with the help of her sister, her best friend and let's not forget some special ghostly help from her mother.
A great cozy series with a nicely complicated and satisfying mystery plus lots of humor. I hope there will be more of this series to enjoy. I'm saving a spot for them.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on April 27th

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young is the 3rd book in the series, and I have to say I believe this is my all time favorite cozy series. I love the diner, the characters, and most times I am laughing as I read the book. This as previous books is action packed, and keeps you guessing until close to the end. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and also the publisher and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young is the 3rd book in the Marygene Brown series, and another splendid addition. Marygene left Atlanta behind and goes home to Peach Cove Island to help her sister Jena Lynn run the family business, Peach Diner. Marygene's mother passed away two years ago, but Marygene keeps seeing her mom's ghost, and she warns Marygene whem danger is coming. When Marygene ends up catering her ex's wedding, and the bride is found dead, Marygene is on the case. I loved this book, it's my favorite in the series so far. I found myself laughing out loud through the whole book. I strongly recommend this book to cozy mystery book lovers, like me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love this series. Kate Young has created a wonderful setting with quirky characters that make you want to visit the island. I appreciate the way Marygene develops through the series, and the mysteries/cases themselves are always intriguing. I’ll definitely keep reading! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Marygene's childhood sweetheart is getting married to the horrible Lucy Carmichael and she is catering the event. Marygene does her best to smile through her disdain of the whole affair, especially since she senses something isn't entirely right with the bride. The theme is a murder mystery and Lucy herself wants to be the center of attention as the victim of the crime. As Marygene checks on last minute set ups, she discovers Lucy's body but it appears to no longer be part of the act and that Lucy has actually met her untimely demise. Can Marygene help solve the mystery before she and those she loves dear be harmed or murdered in the process? Book 3 of 3, quick fun read. Very entertaining. Sweet storyline with suttle romance and great recipes at the end. Highly reccomend for those who enjoy light romance, murder mysteries southern charm and humor. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the book and opportunity to review this title in exchange of my fair and honest opinion.

Another fantastic addition to my favorite series! The mystery behind the 'battered' and 'missing' bride/corpse kept me guessing until the end - there's a lot more to the story than just a murder. With the help of Mama, Marygene and her best friend Betsy solve the case before it is too late. Suspects list is long and red herrings are plenty. Wonderful character portrayal and excellent storytelling. The ending - simply mind-blowing and totally unexpected! Wow! I absolutely loved every bit of this story and I highly recommend you to give this book a try.

So… I used to read the Stephanie Plum series and loved them because of the dynamic between Stephanie and Lula. I gave up the series about book 18 because I couldn’t handle the love triangle any more, but I really missed the crazy exploits and sassy dialogue. I found it again in the Marygene Brown Mysteries by Kate Young. The dynamic between Marygene and Betsy is fabulous and I actually chuckled a few times… which rarely happens to me when I read cozies!

I had the pleasure of reading the first book in the series, Southern Sass and Killer Cravings, which I really enjoyed too, but the kooky dynamic between Marygene and Betsy was quite there yet. I missed book two, so I’m not sure if it was developed in that one, but Southern Sass and a Battered Bride had it in spades. And some of the things that happen in book three have the kooky and outrageous aspects that I loved from the Plum series.

Besides this great duo, many other characters in the series are very well developed and a pleasure to read too. I had mentioned in my book review for Southern Sass and Killer Cravings that I would like to visit most of the cozy towns, but I would want to actually live in Peach Cove Island, and after reading book three it’s even more true. The community is fantastic, peppered with some kooks and lots of caring people that I can’t wait to get to know even more.

In the first book the love aspect was kind of still up in the air, and from the tidbits I gathered from this book some things happened that made Marygene and Alex not get together, which I am actually happy about. And the new man on the horizon is a partner that I am very excited to see what will happen next.

The mystery was very well cultivated and it took me by surprise, which I always love when that happens. Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is a fantastic addition to the series and to the cozy genre. Although I don’t go back and read a book if I miss it in a cozy series, I will be reading book two…. And am really looking forward to book four!

I like this series and liked this engrossing and entertaining mystery.
Had a lot of fun, was happy to catch up with the characters and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was amazing. It grabbed me and did not let me go till the end. This is book 3 in this amazing series and you are head over heels n love with these characters and you are invested in them and you want to see them achieve what they set out to do. By the end of the book you are even more in love with these characters. The story moves along at a great pace keeping you interested and reading till the end. This is a must read book and it needs to be on your TBR list, no doubt about it.

Such an excellently-written, exciting whodunit! Not only did author Kate Young keep me guessing throughout my reading she kept me on the edge of my seat turning pages until the end. I totally enjoyed following Marygene and the other characters as the murder investigation progressed. This has been a very entertaining series so far and I look forward to more books in the series.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is a crazy ride from start to finish! I loved the characters and the story, there is nothing I could fault about it at all. When requesting from NetGalley I didn't realise this book was the third in a series but now I have read this one I will definitely be reading the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC.

Who does a murder mystery wedding reception? And has her fiancé's ex cater the event? That's what Lucy does but then she ends up dead, face down in the cake and Maygene is on the spot. Turns out her mother, who is a ghost, had warned about the wedding (go with the ghost thing- it's fun). Also turns out that someone seems to have it in for Maryanne and her friend Betsy. Her bio-dad is the Sheriff and he's worried but what to do but investigate. Cozy fans know that Lucy irritated many people and that there will be multiple suspects but who's after Maryanne? She's got a complicated family history (there's enough info to make this fine as a standalone) and a determined spirit (as well as a spirit of a mom). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

Really 4 and a half stars. Catering the wedding of your ex to a bridezilla probably isn't normal, but Marygene Brown tried to rise above her feelings. The cake was gorgeous and the food scrumptious and ready to be served. One small glitch was when the bride found dead..and then the body missing. Then Marygene's own life is in jeopardy. Luckily she has special help from the spirit of her mother in protecting and guiding her. Anyway the characters are so interesting and the portrayal of small town Southern life on the money. Fantastic series.

As Marygene watches Alex kiss the bride, she feels all the emotions an ex-girlfriend can, but always the professional, she steps up her game to cater the couples' wedding with no hard feelings (or at least minimal hard feelings).

Of course, as she is working on the finishing touches, Marygene is stunned to find the bride covered in batter - the apparent victim in the murder mystery themed wedding. BUT....when it seems that Lucy is actually dead...all eyes point to Marygene as "who dun-it!" The case quickly spirals out of control when Lucy's body disappears...

Alex is grieving and pointing fingers at Marygene and Betsey, but it seems the Detective he brought in from Savannah has his sights set on him as the main suspect...

Lucy's missing, Marygene and Betsey are almost blown up by a pipe bomb in their van, there is an attempted robbery at the bank, and the man Marygene has been dating has been abducted...all the crimes are connected, but how and why, and most importantly by who?

I do hope this series continues...

This is the third book in the Marygene Brown mystery series. Marygene is catering a mystery themed wedding for her ex and his new bride. It's not a shock when Marygene comes across the bride, Lucy, lying faced down in the kitchen, she assumes it is part of the mystery game. She quickly realizes she was wrong and that someone killed the bridezilla. Then the body disappears before the the crime scene techs get there. The blame is cast on Marygene and her best friend, Betsy. Naturally they set out to clear their name and find out who killed Lucy even though they didn't particularly care for her.

This was such a nice addition to the series. I have loved Marygene and Betsy's friendship from the beginning. They will do absolutely anything for each other and I feel that everyone needs a Betsy in their lives. She is hilarious. Marygene's mama's ghost provides subtle clues along the way. I do have to say though that I didn't particularly care for Alex in this book. I know he was grieving for his new wife but my word he treated Marygene just awful for the majority of the book. I liked the mystery. There were a few points where I was shocked at some of the things that were taking place. The reveal was really well done. I had my suspicions on who the killer was and I am proud so say that I was half right. I will definitely be looking for more in this series.

OH. MY. GOSH. This is the best book in the series yet, and one of the best books I've read in a while. I've loved this series from the beginning, but this one is truly something special. Everything was amped up!-- the drama, the romance, the friendships and family ties-- and I couldn't put it down once I started. I read the entire thing on my phone (which I never do) because my kindle was dead and I absolutely couldn't wait.

I have never liked Marygene more than I did while reading this novel-- she is one tough cookie (baking pun intended 😄) and yet manages to listen to her heart and give 110% to the people she loves. And some of those people are crazy, y'all. (Not criminally-insane kind of crazy, but the kind of crazy I am VERY familiar with here in the South 😂) It makes for unforgettable reading with a cast of quirky, often hilarious characters, with real depth and emotion tying them all together.

And....*drum roll, please*....I totally guessed whodunnit!!! Well.... kind of. There were definitely some twists I did NOT see coming, but I'm so psyched that my hunch was right that I'm ignoring all that. I never, EVER figure it out before the sleuth does, so I'm especially full of myself for (kind of) nailing this one. Being right did not take one iota of excitement from the conclusion, however, and I'm only boasting on here because I'm pretty sure I'll never get so lucky again.

Oh and FYI... even though this is the third book in the series, you could still enjoy it as a standalone. You might not be as emotionally attached to the characters at the beginning, but I promise you will be by the last chapter!

This was an exciting cozy! It starts with a very unique murder mystery wedding that doesn't go quite as planned - or does it? Add in a few disgruntled ex-boyfriends, a crazy person, and a ghost that wont leave the island and you have the makings of a great story.

I loved this one from start to finish. This one will hook you from the very beginning and will hold your attention right to the end.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this book. This is my unbiased review.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride by Kate Young
What an awesome book!! I was hooked after the first page!
Everyone loves a good murder mystery dinner theatre. This one is set up at a wedding reception. The bride, Lucy, is in on it. She is found dead next to the cake. Then her body disappears. This wasn’t part of the script. She was there one minute and gone the next. Everyone is a suspect. Strange things are happening in Peach Cove. Marygene can hear her Mama’s ghost who predicted that there was something bad going to happen.
Someone is trying to frame Marygene for Lucy’s murder. Even her ex-boyfirend, Alex, Lucy’s widow, seems to have his suspicions. Family members are turning against family members. Accusations are flying. Who can be trusted? Car bombs? Bank robbery? Dead bodies? Break-ins? Drugs? - what is going on in Peach Cove? Who can Marygene trust to help her solve this mystery?
Don’t be afraid to delve right into this book. It is a great read and will keep you guessing who is at the bottom of all of this chaos!

Marygene Brown always figured she'd marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up--although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn't have to hold her peace--especially since only Marygene can hear her mother's ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride's body simply vanishes, it's up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery--with a little help from Mama's sassy spirit.

Third in the Southern Sass mystery series, this one is even crazier than the first two. As much as I like the setting and Marygene, there is too much going on in this book. Marygene's family, including her mom's ghost, are good strong characters who act like rational human beings would. Her best friend, Betsy, however, needs to be toned down a bit. She is just too much.
If you liked the first two books, read this entry, but don't start here.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride is delightful!

It was the kind of book that grabs you and does not let go until the very end. Enjoyed reading this book. Looking forward to more books by this author.

Definitely a winner!