Lily Dale, New York, is a unique small town. It is home to the largest concentration of medium and psychics in the country and visitors flock there to get a reading or to communicate with someone they have lost. Bella Jordan and her son Max have recently moved to Lily Dale after her husband's death. She runs the Valley Vista guesthouse, which she bought from an English medium, Pandora.

But now Pandora has an urgent request. Her long lost aunt, her only living relative, is coming to visit her in Lily Dale. Pandora has never told her about her contentious divorce or that she lost the inn and she wants Bella to help her keep her secret. Pandora will move back in during the visit. Oh and by the way, she expects Bella to put Eudora and her companion Nigel up for free as they think they are staying with family.

Bella reluctantly agrees and regrets it when she meets her visitors. There is something off about the pair and she finds it hard to believe that these people are related to Pandora who is one of her favorites. Then things start to make it even more uncomfortable. Bella can tell that someone is searching every room of the house, including her and Max's rooms. Then there is the vet who is interested in her but is it too soon after her bereavement?

This is the fourth novel in the Lily Dale series. This is a cozy mystery with little violence and lots of cooking and relationship troubles. Readers who haven't heard of Lily Dale will be interested to hear about its history and continuing draw as a supernatural town. Wendy Corsi Staub has written over ninety novels and is best known for her psychological suspense novels. This book is recommended for mystery readers who prefer the cozy genre.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* not a bad cozy mystery but unsure if i would read the whole series. more of a 3.5, but if i could find the first one at the library i would read it!

While this is the fourth book in the series and the first one I have read, I did not feel that I was missing anything. The setting of the story is a close-knit community in Western New York - Lily Dale. I have actually visited Lily Dale several times which added extra ambiance for me. This is a mystery with a paranormal hue mixed in. I enjoyed the mystery, characters, and the setting. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

I received an audiobookARC of this book from NetGalley, but the opinions expressed are my own.

Bella and her son Max moved to Lily Dale after her husband Sam died. Lily Dale is full of people who can speak to the dead. Bella runs Valley View which is a guest house that belonged to Pandora’s husband. Pandora’s aunt and her boyfriend are coming to stay and she desperately seeks a way to let them know she is nearly penniless. Strange things start happening around the house and Bella suspects the aunt has something to do with it. She is determined to get to the bottom of it for Pandora’s sake. I am not really into the paranormal and found the spirits did not engage me. I did enjoy Bella and her son and their friends.

This is the fourth book in the Lily Dale Mysteries, but the first I have read. The mystery is self-contained, so I had no issues with that part of the story, but the characters and relationships had me wondering at times. For that reason, I wish I had read the previous books in this series. Lily Dale is a unique small town in New York and is a tourist attraction for visitors who want to help from the many spiritualist. It seems many of the residents speak to the dead, but Bella is not sure she believes in that. Bella runs the Valley View guesthouse, a Victorian Mansion that used to belong to her friend Pandora. In this book, Pandora's Aunt Eudora and her friend Nigel are visiting from London and they don't know that Pandora no longer owns the mansion, but Bella agrees to keep her secret. Shortly after they check in, Bella feels something isn't right and even Max thinks they are "bad". In order to help and possibly save her friend, Bella begins to nose around.

I enjoyed the characters in this story, especially the boys, Max and his friend Jiffy. Bella and Pandora are so different and there were times I was surprised that Bella put up with her nonsense. Bella is also developing a relationship with the local veterinarian. Juggling relationships, running the Guesthouse, raising a child and two kittens as well as trying to solve a mystery all keep Bella pretty busy. I did figure out what the mystery was relatively early and didn't really get into this story as much as I had hoped. Perhaps if I had read the previous books it might have been different. An interesting paranormal cozy mystery that was narrated by Anna Caputo. She did a nice job with the various voices, accents and characters. If you enjoy a paranormal, cozy mystery, this book might just be for you.

Just okay. I was looking for an adult mystery and feel like I read a Young Adult or late teen book. The story is superficial at best. It reminds me of my first draft of papers in college. There is a whole lot of nothing with no explanations and a rushed ending in an effort to make sense.

This is an audiobook, and sadly I didn't care for the narrator and this book.

Thank you Netgalley for accepting my request to read and review Prose and Cons. I'm disappointed it just doesn't work for me.

Prose and Cons is the fourth installment in a cozy paranormal series by prolific author Wendy Corsi Staub. I have not read the previous installments of the series, but this was easily read as a stand alone. book. I have enjoyed Ms. Staub's mysteries (that are not cozies), and which are a bit more gritty and action packed. Although the writing is good and the characters engaging, this book just moved a little slow for me. However, there are lots of fans with reviews here, so put this down to personal preference.

We find out in the first couple of chapters what murder has been committed. After that there is just a lot of story wondering when the main characters will figure out what is going on. I was entertained by the characters themselves, but just found the lack of action made the story move to slow for my taste.

My biggest gripe, however, was the audio version, which is how I listened to the book. The narrator was fine when she was just reading the normal characters parts, but two characters had accents of a British sort, and her rendition of these was as if I was trying to speak with a British accent, in other words, not very well done. I found the accents, and unfortunately these two characters spoke a lot, very distracting and actually grating on my nerves. I would advise just reading the book.

Again, the majority seemed to have really enjoyed this book, so maybe it's just me. Thank you to NetGalley, Wendy Corsi Staub, and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. I would give this 3.5 stars.

I was excited to visit Lily Dale again and it almost felt like checking in with old friends. I love the series overall and the premise but this installment was not my favorite. I really struggled how Bella put up with so much and never stood up for herself, But again an overall enjoyable read by one of my fave authors. And narrator did a great job. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest revi

I am a big fan of Wendy Corsi Staub. With that being said, this book just didn’t do it for me. I really love and miss her standalone books. It’s hard when there are series and they come out a year apart because by the time the next one comes out I don’t remember what happened in the previous one…. And for a book like this, it just comes across as cheesy fluff
I look forward to her next standalone novel!

While Prose and Cons by Wendy Corsi Staub is part of a series, there is a considerable amount of backstory included that lets the reader know the history of the characters without having to read the earlier installments. The narrator did a good job of creating different voices for the characters but the novel was more focused on developing develop the characters and history than the actual mystery involved.

From the outset, the only thing that remained a mystery for the reader was the motive for the murder. Unfortunately, this book left nothing to engage the reader except to wonder how unbelievable some of the interactions between characters were. Most times when I read a later in series book, I find that it makes me want to go back and read the earlier ones to catch up on the characters but in not in this case.

I was provided an audio copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I did not realize this was part of a series but didn't feel lost while reading. There is a group of people, living in a close-knit NYC community, who speak to the dead; the medium narrative plays a large role in the story. I enjoyed this story but probably would have enjoyed it better if I started with book one. There were a lot of characters and not enough time to get to know them.
I did like the chattiness and personalities of the people. They read like real people who like to gossip and I was here for it. It was like an episode of Murder She Wrote (sorry I don't have more recent comps--I don't read nor watch Mysteries too often). The mystery was interesting enough and I liked how it was solved. I will go back and read the previous books.

The narrator, Anna Caputo did a superb job.

AUDIO AUDIO AUDIO Prose and Cons by Wendy Corsi Staub may well have been a good read, but I was so distracted by the narrator that I could hardly focus on the content. She was choppy, slow, and really no very good, until the end when the story moved faster. She did better. Anne Caputo narrated the book and I was not attracted by her performance.

The murder took place immediately as the book opened. The reader knew who the murder was. What the reader didn't know was why, and when and how the crime would be discovered. The story takes place in Lily Dale where a young widow, Bella, lives with her son and runs a bed and breakfast. The B&B used to be run by her "friend," Pandora until Pandora's ex-husband sold it out from underneath her. Now Pandora's aunt and her gentleman friend are coming from England to visit. Pandora has never told Eudora that she has moved out of the gorgeous old house and so she convinces Bella to, not only house them for free, but pretend that Pandora is still the owner, and the boss. To compound the situation, many of the people living in Lily Dale are able to communicate with those who have crossed over (died), and there is a ghost living in the B&B: Nadine.

The psychics were really incidental to the story as none of them helped recognize or solve the crime, but they did add a little bit of interest tot he story. Bella was not psychic, but many others, including Pandora, claimed to be. Bella had two cats and a small son, and that small son's friend, which also kept the story interesting. Over all, I think it is probably a decent cozy. My recommendation: read it rather than listen to it.

I was invited to listen to a free e-ARC of Prose and Cons by Dreamscape Media, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #proseandcons #wendycorsistaub

Prose and Cons is the fourth book in the Lily Dale series. I had not read books one through three and had a hard time with the beginning of this book because I did not have any interest in an of the characters (which are in all of the previous books). I stuck with it though and I'm glad I did. Around the middle of the book I connected with all of the characters and friends and I really liked them all. They have a very good sense of community, and therefore family. They look out for one another and have each other's back, even if they get on each other's nerves. My favorite characters were Bella's 6 year old son, Max, and his friend Jiffy, as they added some much needed comedy to the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the use of spirit in this book to help dole out the clues that something is not quite right with Pandora and Bella's house guests! I understand that psychic mediums and spirit are the overall premise behind the Lily Dale series and I like it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio book version in exchange for my honest opinion.

I generally like cozy mysteries, but not ones where the heroine is constantly put upon. This heroine is ordered around and constantly bowing to her friends' and childs' weird demands. I guess that's supposed to be charming but I just didn't like it.

PROSE AND CONS was an unexpected delight! Wendy Corsi Staub has penned a cozy mystery with skillful language and subtle nods to the great Charles Dickens.
Bella Jordan has moved to Lily Dale with her son after the death of her husband, Sam. She has quirky neighbors who claim to be in tune with the energy, Spirit, around them. One such neighbor, Pandora, asks Bella for help when her aunt comes to visit. Pandora wishes to keep her current financial strain a secret from her aunt Eudora, but Pandora may not be the only one who is keeping secrets.
Spiritual warnings and hijinks-that may or may not be real-add more mystery to the intriguing tale. How much of the enigma will be uncovered by amateur sleuths, and what part will be revealed by listening to Spirit?
Anna Caputo did a fabulous job reading the story. Each Lily Dale character was brought to life with marginal changes to inflection. Her performance was professional and memorable. I will be hearing Pandora say, "Isabella!" every time I think of the story.
I enjoyed the story, and I liked the references to Charles Dickens, as well as the mention of The Who. It was well-written and moved along at a medium pace. It's a good mystery to read or hear while you sit by the fire or cozy up under a blanket.
Although I had not read the first three books in the series, I followed the story well. I feel it can be easily read as a standalone novel.
I recommend the book for teens, young adults, and experienced readers who enjoy paranormal mysteries with relatable characters.

Book 4 of a series. Will definitely read books 1 through 3. Lived the writing. The characters and the setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

3.7 rounded up
This is #4 in the Lily Dale series, if you read earlier novels in this series, you know that Lily Dale is a unique small town in New York and is a tourist attraction for visitors who want to help from the many spiritualist.
Bella Jordan, our protagonist was very happy married to Sam, the love of her life. However, when you are young you don’t think of dying from an illness nor consider the importance of having life and medical insurance. When Sam died, Bella’s world was turned upside down; she was in such a state of grief that she didn’t notice that she landlord was selling their rental, she was financially in a hole, and to top off all of this she lost her teaching job due to District Budget cuts.
She is friends with Pandora who is also in a bit of financial mess. She has lost her beautiful Victorian mansion in a divorce settlement and it became Valley View guesthouse. Bella and adorable Max move to Lily Dale where she got a job running the Valley View guesthouse. Turns out that the guests have paranormal abilities and speak to the dead (which seems to be a thing in Lily Dale). Bella is an outsider and doesn’t believe in spirits. But she likes Pandora, who is quite a character.
Pandora’s Auntie Eudora and her friend Nigel will be visiting from London. Pandora doesn’t want her Aunt to know she has lost the mansion. When Pandora approaches Bella about this situation, Bella immediately thinks Pandora has another complaint about their monthly Book Club. Yes there are a few things going on! The book club is an issue but in this case, Pandora informs Bella that she volunteered to let her Aunt and Nigel stay at Valley View as her guest.
Bella isn’t thrilled with this arrangement but not much she can do. She soon discovers that something doesn’t seem right about their guests. Little Max has declared they are bad people and even the cat doesn’t like them. Bella soon becomes suspicious.
The other thing that is going on with Bella is her friendship with including Drew Bailey the veterinarian who is also a non-believe. However, she fears she is betraying Sam if she seeks a relationship with Drew.
The characters are a delight in this story. I was curious about the guest and also Bella’s relationship with Drew as well as the other Lily Dale residence.
Narrator Anna Caputo does a great job performing the characters.

I love a nice cozy and the paranormal activity was actually a fun added touch. I haven’t read the others in this series but I will!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 21, 2021

Bella is back and now Pandora has asked a gigantic favor of her. Since her Auntie Eudora is coming to visit and bringing her special friend Nigel with her and she doesn't know that she no longer lives at Valley View Guesthouse. With everything Bella has been doing through the winter to refurbish the Guesthouse the last thing she wants or needs is nonpaying guests but she relents and Pandora moves in and soon Nigel and Auntie Eudora arrive a day early and start day drinking. Something is amiss as Auntie Eudora does not appear to be old enough to be Pandora's aunt and she doesn't remember many of the things from the past. Pandora is getting visions from Spirit and Bella is uneasy and Chance the Cat is restless. Yep, something is amiss and dangerous. I have really enjoyed this series and hope it continues!

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Although I enjoy the books by this author, I find it difficult to listen to audio books. I am a visual learner, so this review might not be for everyone. The narrator was offputting using different accents. It should be read with one voice...that might have helped me get into the story better. That being said, try it...l like Staub's books.