This is the 3rd book in the series and it's a welcome addition. Challenged with keeping her aunt's garlic farm going, Mabel is branching out and hosting a wedding. This is no easy feat for a socially awkward computer geek who isn't a farmer. Luck definitely isn't on Mabel's side when the best man is murdered at the rehearsal. This is a fast-paced cozy, that's completely enjoyable.

Mabel Skinner is an app developer and wants to go back to her old life, but she is responsible for her Aunt’s garlic farm. The third installment in the Garlic Farm Mystery Series, Laid out in Lavender by Gin Jones, finds Mable trying to make a little extra money by renting out the Lavender field on her property for weddings. Her first client is an older couple and her goat farm neighbor is preparing the food for the rehearsal dinner. One of the obnoxious guests who is the groom’s business partner, helps himself to the buffet before it’s ready, and while it is irritating, there is nothing Mable can do about it except fix what he messes up. Unfortunately, when she goes to fix the buffet she finds him dead, Mable’s neighbor who has catered the dinner is suspected of poisoning him. In addition, the children of the bride and groom are opposed to the marriage, which makes for conflict at every turn. Mable has to investigate and work to find the real murderer before her friend is arrested and taken into custody.

Gin Jones is a seasoned writer and has developed her characters so that readers can identify with them and so that they seem like friends. They are believable, and seem to have problems just like we do. The storyline of this novel is good and Jones does a good job of delivering it. There are ups and downs, as well as some suspense and danger to the characters. Jones does not unveil the murderer until the dénouement at the very end of the novel, and readers are in the dark. Because this is a fun, light cozy, there is no blatant sex, violence, or profanity. Fans of culinary mysteries will like this series, and this novel is recommended. There are also recipes at the end.

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

Mabel and her friend Emily are hosting the first wedding on Mabel's farm. Mabel and Emily are both feeling stressed about the wedding party. When the best man is found dead after gorging himself on the buffet before it's time to eat, the local detective blames Emily. Mabel has to figure out what actually happened while also trying to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch.

I am really enjoying this series. I like seeing an introverted main character with social anxiety. I can relate so much to that and it's nice to see a character like me. I'm loving getting to know Mabel and getting to know the town that she's moved into. I find her hobby farm so fascinating. I suspected so many characters throughout this book and I loved being kept guessing. I'm excited to see where this series will go next!

*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Laid Out in Lavender by Gin Jones is the third book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series. Mabel continues to try to save her aunt's farm by branching out into weddings. The first one seems doomed from the start. The bride's and groom's adult children are against the wedding. The wedding planner keeps disappearing. The worst thing is when the best man is found murdered. In order to save the farm, the wedding, and her neighbor, Mabel must begin her own investigation. Mabel has definitely grown as a character, and the police detective is less annoying by the end of of the book. This series is growing on me!

This is the third book in this series and it is even better then the first. This series has great characters and is set in a wonderful location. I cannot wait for the next book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Mabel has been an unusual heroine. A computer programmer who is awkward around people, inherits her late aunt’s farm and rather than the swift trip to take care of matters, she ends up staying and trying to save the farm. In the process, her barriers begin to break down as the community embraces her. She has even decided to host weddings in her lavender field with her neighbour, Emily, catering the affair.

Both have good reason to question their intelligence when the wedding planner goes from incompetent and arrogant to nigh on invisible, leaving Mabel to keep everything running. It goes from bad to worse when the Best Man keels over at the buffet where he has been stuffing his face and making a total nuisance of himself. Irritating it might have been but it is a rather weak motive for murder. Unfortunately Mabel’s nemesis, the cop, hones right in on Emily and refuses to consider anything else. That leaves Mabel to clean up the mess and try to solve the murder.

And what a mess it is. Between family squabbles, rivalry and misunderstandings, there are quite a few prospects including someone who subsequently turns up dead too. Emotions are high as the wedding is off and on again complicated by the planner whom the reader might wish would be the next victim. It all works out although there is sympathy for the killer, even though Mabel is endangered along the way. It ends on an up note too. Mabel has come to realize she is connected to the farm and the people and perhaps this really is home.

Five purrs and two paws up.

The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book. Will definitely recommend this book.

Enjoyable light read that is easy to set aside and pick back up. Won't tax your brain cells but won't pollute them either.

This is the third book in the Garlic Farm Mystery series by Gin Jones. Mabel Skinner inherited her aunt's garlic farm in Western Massachusetts, after her sudden death. Mabel is an app developer, not a farmer, so she's trying to find someone to manage the farm. To earn some extra income, she is renting out her lavender field for a wedding. Unfortunately for Mabel, nothing is going as planned. With an incompetent wedding planner, the bride being allergic to lavender, and the children of the bride and groom determined to stop the wedding, Mabel has her hands full. Then as if things couldn't possibly get any worse, the best man is found dead after eating the caterer's food. The caterer Emily is one of Mabel's closest friends, and she is determined to prove her friend's innocence and find the real culprit.

I thought this was a good addition to the series. It wasn't my favorite but I still really enjoyed it. Mabel's character is developing nicely. She is slowly stepping out of her comfort zone and is making an effort to be a part of her new community. She is surrounded by a fun cast of characters and her relationship with them continues to grow and develop. I love the decisions she makes in this book and can't wait to see what's in store for her in the future installments. As for the mystery, I did manage to figure out the culprit's identity about halfway through the story, however, the author did a great job of making me second guess my opinion.
All in all, this is a fun series. I love the characters, the town, and the descriptions of farming. I will definitely be back for another visit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable series and always have fun when reading it.
A good addition, entertaining and engrossing. I 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

Although I have read two books of the series previously, my reaction to this one and the rating I decided to give show how much of a roller coaster it's been. I enjoyed the first, the second - not so much. This, however, was quite entertaining.
The story felt shorter than its pages because it lasted over two days. From start to finish, the entire plot covered the rehearsal and the actual wedding ceremony of a couple next to the lavender on the farm. I would not really recommend jumping into the series at this point even though it can be safely done (since not much prior information is required to understand the underlying facts of the narrative. The prior experience with Mabel and her idiosyncrasies will show how far she has come when we end up with her here at a wedding. She is still blind to hints but not to the extent to annoy me (like in the previous case). Catching the culprit was not as essential as untangling the knots caused by the various interactions of everyone in the rehearsal dinner. The best part I felt was that we were not to take any character at face value (both good and bad); each showed an additional dimension by the time the plot reached its eventual end, with Mabel having figured it out just in time to be a threat to the culprit(s). The story flowed so smoothly that I had to finish reading it in one sitting.
I look forward to whatever comes next for Mabel and her community.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers; the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is the third in the series and it is just as enjoyable as the first two. This one focused less on garlic, and more on Mabel's acceptance of the farm and willingness to branch out of her comfort zone. Mabel has agreed to have her farm act as a venue for various events. Mabel's first even is a wedding for a very wealthy man and his bride. Emily, her neighbor and friend is catering, which Mabel is hoping will lead to more events for Emily, who is trying to prove herself after her husband ran off, leaving her to care for the farm. When the obnoxious best man is found dead after eating some of Emily's food, and the less than competent local Detective arrives on scene, Mabel knows that she needs to step in and do some snooping. I enjoy in this installment how Mabel and Charlie's relationship moves forward and Mabel starts to make more permanent plans for the farm.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All views are my own.

This is such a fun series, and this installment was no exception. I love the garlic farm setting, and the characters are fantastic. The mystery was well done and had enough plot twists to keep me invested in the book.

This is the third book in a series by Gin Jones about Mabel Skinner who inherits her late aunt's garlic farm, Stinkin’ Stuff Farm, in Massachusetts. As an app developer, Mabel is out of her depth as a garlic farmer but is still honouring her Aunt Peggy's wishes and persevering with the farm. For a bit of extra income and to help out her neighbour, Emily with her goat-farming business, she is renting out the lavender field for weddings. Her first clients are Donna Markos and Stan Bellingham, a retired couple who don't seem all that well suited. Nothing is going to plan as Donna has a lavender allergy which the wedding planner fails to mention and then the best man, Thad Dalton who keeps disappearing to sample the buffet food or to smoke is found dead.

I thoroughly enjoyed Laid out in Lavender and found it very compelling. Although I haven't yet read the series début - Six Cloves Under - this did not mar my appreciation for the story as it was easy to read. Protagonist Mabel is a great, personable character and the mystery itself included enough twists to keep me guessing and turning the pages. Mabel was surrounded and supported by a good bunch and I especially liked Pixie the cat. It’s fun to be reading a series set on a garlic farm and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Mabel and Pixie. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

When I read the first book in this series, my review was not very complimentary. The main character, Mabel, was very stiff and wasn't very likable.
The series has grown on me, the writing and the plots have gotten better since that first book. Mabel isn't as stiff and it seems that her character has personally grown. This has become a very enjoyable cozy that will have you guessing throughout who the murderer is. I kept going back and forth as to who did it and never did get it right!
It just goes to show, that you need to give some series and their authors time to develop. I would recommend this series for those that enjoy cozies.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page.

This series just keeps getting better! Mabel is still her very methodical self which I think makes for quite a bit of repeating in the story which iis like she's turning things over in her mind. She'd teamed up with neighbor Emily who was going into the catering business after her nasty divorce, and the two were going to host weddings on the farm. Easier said than done!

I had an idea early on of someone not to trust, but I wasn't totally sure about whodunit until the very end. The showdown was great with Pixie and a barn cat getting to have an important part in it. I really liked that Mabel concentrated on the farm this time. She wasn't interrupted by her tech job boss or having to worry about any deadlines, since I know last time she told him not to send anything her way.

It was sort of refreshing to have that break from her old life. I think she really came to an epiphany in this book about a lot of things (including finally hiring a farm manager) as she became more and more human and less like a machine, at least to me she did. I don't think Mabel in the first book would have defended her barn cat Jonesy like she did in this. And she definitely wouldn't have gone to someone deliberately for a comfort hug. I'm so glad I stuck with the series after getting over my original annoyances with Mabel lol. I can say with enthusiasm that I'm very anxious for the next book! (Maybe she'll finally give Charlie a chance at a real date!)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

In the first 50 pages the author in introduced five of the most obnoxious characters. I had hopes that things would change but then two people were murdered. How Mabel, the farm owner, could possibly think she could continue to rent her farm for weddings is beyond me. She should stick to raising garlic.

What a great series and author for me. If you haven't read this series and author. I highly recommend her books. I would read them in order.

Laid Out in Lavender by Gin Jones is the 3rd book in A Garlic Farm Mystery series, and it is as engaging as the others in the series. Mable is still on her garlic farm in Western Massachusetts and trying to stretch her income by renting out her lavender field for events---in addition to actual farming chores and her computer programing. A great idea, but first one thing and then another goes wrong threatening to ruin the day for the bride and groom. The story touches on weddings, friendship, family with dysfunctional relationships, and murder. A shy, awkward person, Mable still manages to put herself out there to maintain her family farm and help her friends. These books are are so enjoyable because the characters and plots are well written. I am already looking forward to book #4.
I asked for, and received an advanced copy of Laid out in Lavender because I ;ove this series by Gin Jones. I review books that I enjoy. Thank you NetGalley!
#NetGalley #LaidoutinLavender #GinJones #LyricalPress

Everyone has heard wedding horror stories but Mabel has no idea that she will have her own to add. It seemed like a good idea at the time, to rent out the lavender field for a rehearsal dinner and her neighbor would be supplying goat cheese for the menu. Soon enough things start to go wrong. The adult children from both families are at each others throats, the wedding planner is a big problem, the bride is allergic to lavender and there's a reporter nosing around for a story. To top it off, the best man keels over and the food is suspected. Not even a dead body will stop the wedding and the groom wants to carry on. With her neighbor, Emily now in the hot seat as the prime suspect, Mabel has several reasons to try and unmask the killer. If she fails and the police don't get the killer, Emily will be behind bars and Mabel's farm, garlic and all, will wither up and die. If Mabel can't straighten out this mess she may be going back to Maine sooner than she thought. Or does she really still want to leave?
This series is full of humor, great characters and a very well crafted puzzle with twists, turns and red herrings.It works as a stand alone but, if you like Mabel as much as I do, start at the beginning and treat yourself to a binge reading. Mabel has become one of my favorite amateur sleuths.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.