Claret and Present Danger" the 4th instalment in the "A Literary Pub" Mystery series by Sarah Fox. I love both of Sarah’s Cozy Mystery series but Sadie and Shady Creek hold a special place in my heart as I like the whole concept of a Literary Pub. When a Renaissance Faire visits the small town of Shady Creek, Vermont, amateur sleuth and proprietor of bookish theme pub The Inkwell, Sadie Coleman, finds deadly happenings stick around like red wine stains on white tunics.

One thing which I like in the the protagonist Sadie is she doesn’t stop doing her actual job to solve the mystery which some protagonists do in other books. It’s more realistic in that sense. I liked that this centered around a renaissance faire, even though it included acrobats and a magician. Some reviewers complained about it including mermaids and fortune teller but I have read about these in other renaissance faires so wasn’t bothered by that. Rather than focus on the attractions at the faire the author focuses on the main employees, which I liked.

I love the main characters which are well developed. I also love the whole setting of Shady Creek, with its shops around the green, the local busybody, inclusion of children, Sadies friends and fellow shop owners. It made me want to live there and walk the green just like Sadie.

The romance between Sadie and Grayson might seem forced to some but to me felt normal especially if one person had been seriously emotionally scarred from their last relationship. I’m glad they are heading in the right direction and I can’t wait to see what happens next with them.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end. I did not figure it out till the reveal and was a bit surprised. I really look forward to reading more about Sadie and her friends and hopefully her mother.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the fourth Literary Pub mystery and it was a fun installment in the series. The Renaissance Faire comes to town, bringing a murder for Sadie to solve while also running the local pub. For some reason, I didn't feel as connected with the characters in this story, though the mystery was interesting and came to a surprising conclusion. I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series! Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the advance digital copy!

This is the fourth book in the literary pub mystery series and it did not disappoint me! I love anything with a literary theme just a little extra and this book mixes that with food and drinks at the pub which I love. I liked the mystery but did feel like the parts with the love interest were a little forced and could have been a little smoother. The Renaissance Festival has come to town with some extras like acrobats and magicians. The fair was pretty cool sounding although I would have liked more genuine Renaissance Faire shout outs. The main illusionist is murdered and of course one of Sadie’s friend sis accused of the crime. Obviously this means she has to do her own investigating and hopefully she can figure it out before the killer decides she’s too close for comfort. There was mention of Sadie’s mother coming to visit in the near future and I’m kind of hoping he next book is about her visit!

This is the 4th Literary Pub Mystery. I enjoy this series as each one is a stand alone and you do not have to read the entire series or in order to understand the charcters. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley.

This mystery centers around a Renaissance Fair that Sadie, Greyson and friends attend. A brutal murder occurs and Sadie is on the case. Greyson seems to be a center of agnst for Sadie in this book. The author included a lot of discussion of Sadie being shamed for wanting to sleep with her boyfriend which is very antiquated and distracted from the mystery. The mystery itself was interesting to conclusion and the charcters enjoyable.

There is the Trueheart Renaissance Faire and Circus in town and it brings a lot of tourists. Sadie welcomes them but is shocked to see one of the actors fall down dead after a performance.
Kensington Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on November 30th.

It turns out he was poisoned. By whom and how was it done? Sadie starts her own search for the killer. She spends a lot of time asking questions and searching.

Suddenly she's confronted by the killer, who plans to kill her, too. I was amazed by the killer's identity. The weren't on my suspect list.

Will Sadie survive?

This is the fourth book in this series. All of them have been enjoyable, but not amazing. I love the titles and keep coming back to the characters. This mystery was interesting; it followed a similar formula to the others.

The murder centered on a Renaissance Faire and Circus that had come to town. I found this poorly done. The renaissance Faire featured acrobats, magicians, a fortune teller and mermaids on top of typical Renaissance attractions. Why? It seemed unnecessarily confusing.

The characters seemed a little flat this time around too. There was little to no character building and/or change.
One very helpful thing about the novels in this series is that they are stand alone mysteries. You do not have to read them in order. The only thing that changes is the protagonists relationship. Knowing about her or her love interest adds to the story but isn't the main part, so you won't feel like you're missing something. I would have preferred the relationship be toned down in this novel. It seemed forced and the attraction and chemistry was non-existent, but it got a lot of page time.

One thing that is not central to the story but did really bother me was the focus on whether or not the protagonist, Sadie, was sleeping with her boyfriend. it becomes more of a big deal than it needed to be. The author takes multiple occasions to shame Sadie (via other characters) or have Sadie act guilty and nearly break the fourth wall to remind herself that she "hasn't done anything wrong". Sadie does not sleep with her boyfriend. There is no smut in this book. It's not that kind of series. Yet, another inconsequential character that gets page time for no reason whatsoever, makes a big deal, more than once, that Sadie falls asleep at her boyfriend's house. Then to make it worse, Sadie doesn't shrug off the opinion, because she hasn't done anything, she talks to herself and other characters about how she didn't do anything and she's still "good". It's weird. It's unnecessary. It's very traditional in a novel that is not framed as traditional. Sadie's whole relationship with her boyfriend feels forced and annoying. He's annoying. I didn't enjoy reading about it.

I like cozy mysteries. I like that they are easy reads, but this one was just bogged down by so much weird relationship angst. Sadie is supposed to be a modern 30 year old woman who is running her own pub. She sounded like an angsty, inexperienced teenager. She has not sounded like that in previous novels in this series.

The mystery ended up unsurprising, but I didn't guess the villain. The motivation wasn't bad and the series of events leading to the mystery being solved was well done too.

I would have enjoyed this so much more if there wasn't so much forced relationship angst added in.

I did enjoy the inclusion of a renaissance fair into the story. At times I did feel as if the story was a bit overly complicated with a lot of characters to keep track of. I felt the conclusion was a bit of a reach that wasn't really overly prepared within the early parts of the book. That said, I did enjoy the book and I will continue to look for further installmenst in the series.

I liked the Renaissance Faire theme when I first checked out this book. However, I just never got into the story. Some of the relationships between the characters seemed tenuous and I was a little confused how everyone fit together.

I love it when I am surprised by the eventual culprit in a cozy mystery. Such was the case with 'Claret and Present Danger' by Sarah Fox. A Renaissance Faire was in Shady Creek, Vermont and when Sadie and Grayson attended a show the head illusionist was murdered. The clues were tricky and solving the case was important to Sadie to clear Damien, the bartender at her pub. Throw in cute trespassing children, a visiting mother, and a carnival full of suspects and Sadie had her work cut out for her. As stated I was completely surprised by the ending and look forward to more in the series. I'm not a drinker but the book also includes drink recipes which some might find appealing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Sadie Coleman, owner of the Inkwell Literary Pub, is excited that the Trueheart Renaissance Faire and Circus has finally opened. Touring the fairgrounds with her friends, Sadie has wish that she be able to see the show put on my illusionist, Ozzie Stone, but the tickets are all sold out. When Ozzie comes into the Inkwell the first evening, Sadie is delighted by the gift of two tickets for the next night's show. Sadie and her boyfriend Grayson are at the fair and having a great time until during the show, Ozzie drops dead.

The connection between Ozzie and Sadie's bartender seems a bit weak, but the overall story was fun to follow and the advancement of Sadie and Grayson's romance is spread throughout nicely.

Pure delight! Fox is one of my favorite cozy authors and this novel only further cements that status in the list of go to, always buy authors. Well written, well potted, and enjoyable characters all combine for an afternoon's read.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the fourth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Sadie Coleman owns a literary pub where all the food and drink titles are plays on book titles or well-known book characters. In this latest book, the Renaissance Fair is in town, but the magic doesn’t last. The headliner illusionist, Ozzie Stone, isn’t the popular entertainer that everyone enjoys when he’s not performing his act. When he dies in the middle of his act, Sadie’s front and center to get involved in solving the crime. After all, people always talk to their favorite publican, right? And there are so many people to choose from when it comes to suspects in Ozzie’s death. This book also sees the growth of her personal relationship with fellow business owner, Grayson. They make a supportive couple so it’s great to see this continuing. This latest book is a good addition to this series.

The Literary Pub Mysteries are such a delight - imagine a pub where you can meet to read and discuss books, and featuring a murder or two on the side! When her bartender is accused of the murder of an illusionist from the traveling Renaissance Faire, pub owner Sadie investigates to clear his name. With her boyfriend, Grayson by her side, she discovers that life behind the scenes at the Faire isn't very cozy at all. Well-written and with an ending that surprised me, author Sarah Fox's Claret and Present Danger is very highly recommended by this cozy lover! Fun drink recipes from the Inkwell are included - always a plus! A+++

I found the short introduction intriguing a Trueheart Renaissance Faire with a famous illusionist Ozzie Stone, it really appealed. But the style just did not resonate with me, the mystery and the characters felt a little thin,. Sadly, it just couldn't hold my attention. Not my cuppa tea, but I'm sure many others will enjoy.

With thanks to #Netgalley, the publisher Kensington Books and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

I’ve seen the Literary Pub Mystery books around and was excited to read Claret and Present Danger, the fourth installment in the series. I was drawn in by the summary and intrigued by the renaissance faire and circus that was going to be at the center of the latest mystery in Shady Creek, Vermont.

Overall, I liked the story. The issues I had with it were few and mainly personal, otherwise it was a good book. Some of my favorite aspects turned out to be the faire—with the characters in costume and reciting lines. It provided a handful of moments of much needed fun (no matter how temporary) in a story that was otherwise pretty somber in content.

I also liked the characters and some of the other key locations in the story, such as the literary themed pub the main character, Sadie Coleman, owned and operated in the small scenic town. I really liked the pub’s aesthetic, and I got all the little literary references sprinkled throughout the menu. Speaking of Sadie Coleman, I liked her well enough. She was loyal and willing to help out an employee of her pub when he landed in hot water, and I liked the way her relationship with her boyfriend gradually developed. I also liked the secondary cast as well, and their presence helped drive home that the immediate community Sadie lived in was pretty close-knit.

As for the mystery, it was fine. Ozzie Stone seemed to be good at his job as well as being generally liked, but there were a lot of secrets to uncover. His were only the beginning of the tangled web that would ultimately be brought to light in Claret and Present Danger.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Kensington) via NetGalley for this review, thank you!

Love renn faires and enjoyed this take on a fun event full of adventure. Great characters., fast pace and intersting mystery. A great series to keep up with.

Becoming one of my all time favorite series of hers to read when I need a cozy to get lost in and just want to read .

Claret and Present Danger is the fourth entry in Sarah Fox's Literary Pub series and I'm a huge fan! This is the second of the series I've read and can't wait to read the others. The setting in small town in Vermont at a Renaissance Faire screams fall and cozy, perfect for a cozy mystery! In this entry, the characters continue to evolve with Sadie, owner of the Inkwell Pub, continuing to fall in love with the town and people. Most of the action takes place at the Renaissance Faire and her pub as the characters love to eat and drink there. The mystery was solid and lots of red herrings. It reminded me of a Midsomer Murders episode, which is high praise. Looking forward to the next in the series!

I was excited to read this because I love Sarah Fox's Pancake House Mysteries, and I also really enjoyed Book 1 of this series (though I've somehow missed Books 2 and 3). This one, though, was just okay for me. Maybe a 3-1/4. The plotting itself is good, and I like the RenFest element. But there's just no really strong element to the book that completely grabs me. The characterization is pretty good, but Sadie hardly ever seems to be at her pub, so the whole literary pub element is kind of lost. Also, the question of how the poison is administered is obvious from the very beginning. And then there are a few little continuity issues, such as when Sadie stays with Damien's daughters until their aunt arrives, but then 10 chapters later, she introduces herself to the aunt as if they've never met. The mystery is good, but the storytelling itself doesn't feel as strong as most of Fox's other books.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Murder at the Renaissance Faire has Sadie and Grayson on the case again in the fourth in this series. I enjoy the relationships between the characters in this small tourist town along with the descriptions of the attractions that bring the tourists in.
Goodreads