Cover Image: A Fatal Booking

A Fatal Booking

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Proves Fatal….
The third in the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series and it appears that there’s a tea party poisoner on the loose when the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party proves fatal. Suspects and motives prove numerous as Charlotte vows to get to the truth. Wholly entertaining with a well drawn and colourful cast and a worthy addition to the series.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book it sure was entertaining.

Was this review helpful?

Charlotte is hosting a book club retreat at Chapters, the b&b she inherited. Unfortunately, the group does not get along well and one of them is murdered. Charlotte and her friends go into sleuth mode to help the police since every member has a motive. A nice read with good characters.

Was this review helpful?

Charlotte is hosting a former colleague and her book club at Chapters for the week. When the group arrives Charlotte is surprised by the relationships between them as they bicker their way through the first day of activities. No one is surprised when the least popular of the group is found dead in the garden, her tea poisoned. It's up to Charlotte to determine which of the readers was responsible before the killer strikes again.

The B & B and the book theme have taken an increasingly prominent role in the stories as this series comes along and that's been fun. We also get to see Charlotte beginning to recover from the loss of her husband and start to form a romantic attachment. Ellen is a fun character, just on the edge of unbelievable. The only thing that was kind of a downside to this book for me was that none of the suspects were ever eliminated and the sleuths don't solve the case. Though Charlotte and Ellen and a few of their book club friends were doing some investigating, nothing they found ever narrowed down the suspect list. There were a couple of times when this could have been done, one of them could have had no access to the murder weapon, at one point when the killer was out and about one of the club members could have still been at the B & B the whole time. I like it when progress is being made in the investigations, when the sleuth is gradually getting closer and closer to a resolution to the case. In this book the sleuths don't actually solve the case, the killer simply chooses to reveal themselves to Charlotte and Ellen for reasons that are somewhat unclear.

I enjoy this series and think the changes that are coming up present great opportunities for more varied mysteries in future books. I look forward to reading the next!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert in exchange for an honest review. Charlotte Reed has taken over Chapters, a literary themed Bed and Breakfast in North Carolina. A book club plans on spending a week at the B&B. Unfortunately, a guest who has been mean to other members of her party is found dead. I really enjoyed reading this latest story by Victoria Gilbert.

Was this review helpful?

This is the third book in the Booklovers B&B series. I highly recommend this series.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.
This book captured my attention and kept me turning pages to conclusion. Gilbert writes a excellent series here with strong likable charcters, well crafted sleuth and a delightful B&B setting.

This was a excellent addition to the series that every cozy lover will enjoy.

Was this review helpful?

I like Charlotte and her approach to running a B&B, which is NOT her lifelong dream. She's not overly romantic about it. I also like her appreciation for her family's history both at Chapters and as a spy. I feel like this particular entry is well-plotted in general and fairly complicated. However, when there's a murder at a tea party at her B&B, and then old photographs go missing, I really find it hard to believe Charlotte doesn't cordially question the guests about that and ask for the photos back. Even X says later, "I was surprised you didn't question any of [the] guests..." about those photos. Yep, me, too. Several issues like that, where Charlotte inexplicably and consciously doesn't pursue a lead, even though she and neighbor Ellen are actively investigating, weaken the tension a lot for me here, and they lower the believability factor more. I like that Charlotte ISN'T overly dramatic in her personality. But there also needs to be enough drama in the story itself to keep the suspense level high. I feel that's lacking a little bit here.

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

Was this review helpful?

A Fatal Booking is book three in the Book Lover's B&B Mystery. I enjoy the B&B scene and the mystery was challenging. The main character runs/owns the B&B, which revolves around classic books. There is a local book club that meets at the B&B (I really like those characters), and a book club from another city that is there as guests for the week. This book ended with a lot more drama/suspense than most cozies that I read, so if you like that (suspense/drama), you'll like this book. If you like a bit of romance in your cozy mysteries, this book has some but it is drawn out over months (& months) where the characters don't see each other. So if you like that (very light on the romance interaction), you'll like this book. The main character, Charlotte, is all practicality (no huge impulsive behavior). As anything by this author, it is well written.

Was this review helpful?

A Fatal Booking by Victoria Gilbert was a fun, light, cozy mystery. I loved that she added in the element of an additional book club in this story, and that any of them may have had a motive and possibly opportunity to commit murder, while .also bringing in an outside character to add to the suspense. Charlotte, Ellen, and Gavin are all likable characters who use their resources in a reasonable way to try to help authorities solve this crime. While some elements may have been predictable, the setting, the characters, and the premise were fun.

Was this review helpful?

Charlotte has a new group of guests at her B&B. who check in for a week long of planned activities as part of a book club retreat. There are tensions between the six guests right from the start. When one of the guests is poisoned at a Mad Hatter tea party at the B&B, Charlotte and Ellen try to help the police solve the murder. Special agent Gavin Howard is back and there to lend a hand and try and keep Charlotte safe as the guests are all still at the B&B and one of them could be the killer. This is the third book in this series and I read it in one sitting just so I could see who did it. It kept me guessing til the end. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Was this review helpful?

A great read. The author pulls you along with the protagonist and you follow her through red herrings, dead ends and then to the eventual denouement. Never tempted to peek ahead, never bored.

Highly recommend.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. However the opinion expressed is my own.

Was this review helpful?

Victoria Gilbert’s third book in A Booklover's B&B Mystery is a good read. A Fatal Booking is another winner. Chapters Bed & Breakfast has another murder; Charlotte and Ellen are, once again, helping the local police. The characters are developing throughout the series. The plot is fun and engaging. I cannot wait for the next adventure.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Was this review helpful?

Booklover Charlotte is delighted to welcome an eclectic group of guests to Chapters Bed and Breakfast for a book club retreat focused on fairy tales and classic children’s literature. But when one of the guests is poisoned at a Mad Hatter tea party, Charlotte realizes she’s fallen down a rather unpleasant rabbit hole
This is the third book in the series and can be read as a stand alone. I loved the book club retreat and tea party. Charlotte is a great MC and isn’t afraid of finding the truth.
AFatalBooking #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Overall this was an entertaining book. I felt at times it was a bit typecast. I could not understand why anyone would continue to belong to a book club when there was so much contention. But there was a lot of action in the story so it keeps you involved and progressed well. The villian is not very much of a surprise if you are paying attention. I will continue to look for the next in the series.

Was this review helpful?

this is another wonderful story about Charlotte who loves books and runs a b and b , she is hosting a book club whose members do not get along very well. and of course at some point she finds a body. the lady was one no one got a long with but who did it. Ellen is also along for the investigation and someone one else is helping but keeping out of site if you like mystery , and strong women you will want to read the book i was given a copy of the book by netgalley but this is an honest reveiw. looking forward to the next story

Was this review helpful?

Chapters, the B & B featured in this series sounds divine. Imagine being in a book club that gathers at unique venues, like Chapters, to discuss books, authors, and everything according to the world of reading.
That's what Charlotte hopes to convey to the newest group staying at the b &b, but when a particularly rude guest meets their death, Charlotte and her friends can't resist investigating.
As the third book in this series, A Fatal Booking is a fast paced book, filled with an intriguing mystery and a cast of colorful characters.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this great series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#AFatalBooking #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

North Carolina, small-business, small-town, family, family-business, friendship, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, relationships, relatives, bed-and-breakfast, murder, investigation*****

This author really knows how to set up a murder "victim". The woman in question is more than obnoxious and really has victimized numerous people around the area, and especially some of those staying at the B&B for a book club week. This mystery is as well done as the others in series, but it is fully capable of standing alone. I loved it even though it kept me up late!
I request and received a free ebook from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It has great characters and an interesting story/mystery. I really like the character Ellen. I was definitely surprised by who the killer was. #AFatalBooking #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Third in the Booklover’s B&B cozy mystery series, it’s another winner. It can stand alone, the series is a winner though.

Was this review helpful?

Another great addition to the Book Lover's B&B Mystery series. Could be read as a stand alone book. Cozy read.

Was this review helpful?