A delicious cozy mystery filled with mouthwatering recipes such as Piña Colada 🥧, Blueberry Lemonade Cake 🍰 🫐 and Lemon Cake. I loved the way Everly Swan tried solving the murder. The characters in the small town were quirky and well developed. Would recommend
Thank you to Bree Baker, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book

I've somehow missed this series until this book, apparently the last in the series, alas. As a result, I probably wasn't as clued in as I might have been otherwise on why a seemingly modern, intelligent woman like Everly Swan would so strongly believe in an ol' curse. According to this curse, any man the women of the Swan family marries dies an early death. Curse aside, there is still plenty of time for Everly, who seems to have a reputation for doing so, to get involved in investigating a murder. Her soon-to-be husband, detective Grady Hayes, of course, tries to discourage her, not to mention disprove the curse.

He already has a murder to solve. Who pushed the victim in the well? Will Grady also disprove the curse? Does the curse have anything to do with the murder? Will Everly discover who the murderer is? Will she have more seaweed dumped on her? Yuck. Will Everly ever settle on a wedding gown? Why is a lemon cake important? Who is the mystery man lurking near her aunts' place of business? Can Everly trust her former nemesis? Heck, will Everly live long enough to get married or, gasp, will she learn that the curse is real and Grady won't make it down the wedding aisle?

Nope, not telling. All these questions and more are answered in this final entry in the Seaside Cafe Mysteries series. Now, please, excuse me. I'm feeling the urge for some lemon cake.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the ARC.

Terrific way to end a charming and delightful series. Yes, this can be read as a stand-alone, but reading at least some of the previous ones made it even more enjoyable.

Sad that the series has ended but oh what an ending! Story keeps you guessing as who the killer is. All loose ends are neatly wrapped up. I will miss Everly, Grady and the town of Charm,NC. All good things come to an end but oh what fun this series is! Thanks #netgalley and #PoinsonedPenPress for the EARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, curse, friendship, law-enforcement, North Carolina, Outer Banks, romance, small-business, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, museum****

Excellent series ender! It begins with fears of a family curse which the potential groom is determined to disprove. They do decide to become engaged even as a murder happens. They both become involved in the investigation (he is the local law, and she is the amateur sleuth) and it is as well done with all its twists and red herrings as the fun characters. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the setting. The story is interesting and it was definitely a surprise who the killer is. I loved the epilogues which show the family in the future. #PleadingtheFish #NetGalley

A sensational, emotional ending to one of my favorite cozy mystery series. Everly Swan owns the successful Sun, Sand, and Tea Cafe in the seaside village of Charm, North Carolina. Everly’s descendants have always believed that Swan women are cursed and that any man they love will die. Book seven highlights the quest to disprove the curse so Grady and Everly can marry and be happy. When a researcher working for Everly on her ancestor’s information is murdered, Everly and friends do their best to find answers as to why.

The author has filled the intriguing plot with plenty of threat’s against Everly; fantastic news for Amelia; a major life change for Great Aunt’s Clara and Fran; lots of humor; and the lowlife perpetrator is flushed out of hiding.

While I wasn’t ready for this wonderful series to end, all loose ends are tidily wrapped up, and happy endings are wished for all involved! Delicious recipes included.

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Poison Pen Press. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

I thought Pleading the Fish wrapped up the series well especially since it included a satisfying epilogue.

While there was always a bit of the supernatural brought up in this series (the curse, Lou and the cat, etc.), I found Everly's obsession in this one a bit irritating. Not sure why after 6 previous books. She just seemed more foolish to me than previously.

Still, I enjoyed the read and wasn't left with a hollow, unsatisfied feeling.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I adore this series and Everly herself. Although sometimes she makes poor decisions in her quest to bring the bad guys to justice, much to the detriment of her cop boyfriend turned fiancé, Grady, she is endearing and funny to the end.

This book picks up where the prior book left off, with Grady getting ready to ask a question of Everly. Readers of the series can anticipate what the question is, though that didn't make me any less misty when he asks it. Everly, terrified of her family lore of being cursed and Swan beloveds dying prematurely, tries to push him away. This book is about finding the details of this so-called curse to put Everly's fears to rest. It is also the book of endings of the series and while it breaks my heart, Ms. Baker did the series its due justice with the wrap up.

I am sad to leave the town of Charm, NC behind. I loved these books and eagerly anticipated each new release. I am not sure why all the good series have to end when the amateur sleuth gets married, like do all the murders just stop or do they just lose interest in solving them? I find either to be quite preposterous but I am not a book publisher so who knows? Anyway, this was a perfect ending to a literally charming series and one I plan to re-visit many times in the future.

Pleading the Fish is the seventh and final book in the "Beachfront Cozy Mysteries" written by Bree Baker, a pseudonym of Julie Anne Lindsey, Julie Chase, and Jacqueline Frost. I am sorry to see this fun cozy series end. I have enjoyed the entire series and love the protagnist Everly as a smart savvy person who is good at solving clues. I will miss this series.

Everly is preparing for her wedding when a ancient curse may be taking hold. The curse foretells the death of every man who marries into her family. She contacts a researcher to clairy what can be done when the researcher is murdered. Is someone sabotaging her happiness ? Everly is a sensible person but is taken away by the curse in this book and very nervous to get married. Can she solve the murder before her wedding. You have to read this last in series to find out. A enjoyable read and a sad goodbye to this series.

Pleading the Fish is the seventh and last book in the Beachfront Cozy Mysteries written by Bree Baker, a pseudonym of Julie Anne Lindsey, Julie Chase, and Jacqueline Frost. I've read multiple series by the author, and I found this one earlier in the year. I rushed through it to catch up, then I learned it was coming to a conclusion - very sad! It's my favorite of hers, and one of my top ten overall. Such an easily readable, smart, and imaginative writer. The stories always feel fresh, and the dialog is spot on.

Everly is engaged to be married, but she believes the Swan curse will kill him before they can say I do. She's a magnet for finding dead bodies, and when she discovers that of the woman who was researching the Swan family history, what could it mean? As she explores her own history, Everly learns things about her family's iced tea recipes, dessert-baking concoctions, and the wedding dresses over a hundred women in the family have worn. Which one should she choose?

Relationships are explained. Rivalries are tied up. Babies are born. And there's a jump forward at the end. I loved the whole book, and I am now moving on to her newest series, Bonne and Clyde. Plus, she has another one coming out soon, I hear!

I love this series and am so sad that it’s ending!! As always, the characters were well developed and fun, the book was funny and the storyline was interesting. You definitely need to read all the books in this series to really get the whole story—and then look up Julie Anne Lindsey, Jacqueline Frost and Julie Chase because it’s the same author writing all of the books! Each is just as wonderful as the last!

I hadn't realized that this was the final book. I had read this series from the beginning. The series has improved greatly along each book. It is sad to see a good series end, but the author does the readers a service by serving up several epilogues that give us closure.

Wow, oh wow! What can I say other than this was the perfect end to a phenomenal series. I laughed 🤣 I cried 😭 I felt ALL THE THINGS 🥰

I’m very sad to see this series end, but I don’t think it could have wrapped up any more perfectly. I look forward to reading this series over and over again.

Please Note: I received an advance copy for an honest review.

Loved reading this book and series. If you haven't read this series yet I highly recommend doing so.

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley…it is a cozy mystery for a fun afternoon…the main character is a delight, and the things she gets into are intriguing…although she might believe she has no chance at love, well…we will see…enjoy…

I have truly enjoyed this series. This book is the finale and does the residents of Charm justice. Everly and Grady are finally engaged and heading to the altar. Everly is still convinced that the Swan women are cursed, but while trying to plan the wedding and their future, another dead body and mystery surface.

And we finally get the recipe for the Hero's Lemon Cake. Yea!

Good ending to the series. I like that the author was able to provide conclusions to the storylines from the series.

Pleading the Fish is the seventh and final book in the Seaside Café mystery series by the amazing Julie Anne Lindsay. This has been my favorite series since it began and is the book series that got me hooked on cozy mysteries. I’m sad to see it end but this book had the perfect ending. The mystery itself was intriguing. Everly‘s friend who had been researching her family’s history and curse is murdered and Everly is worried that the research she was doing for her may have been the cause. She’s determined to get justice for her friend. Of course her boyfriend Detective Hayes wants her to stay out of it but he knows better! The mystery kept me guessing and all the loose ends of the series and its many wonderful characters were wrapped up perfectly. 5 stars all the way!
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I would give this 10 stars if I could. I can't believe this series is over. It's so bittersweet. Grady and Everly have come such a long way and they are the literally cutest! That prologue?!?! THAT EPILOGUE?!?! My heart was in tatters on the floor. Thank you Bree Baker for making me feel sooooo many things. I will treasure this series always.

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.