My rating: 1 of 5 stars, left unfinished.

Book 3 in the series.

I gave all three books in the series a try, and I still don't really care for Jenna. This series just isn't for me. It's too bad, because I do love a good bookshop mystery, but I just couldn't stay interested in this series. No more for me.

I have really enjoyed the first two books in this series but this may be the best one yet. From the beginning we've known about Jenna's pretty heavy backstory but this is the first time we've really explored it and that Jenna has dealt with the emotional fallout. I loved the character development and the exploration of Jenna's new life in Hokes Bluff as well as having her really come to terms with the life she left behind.

Though there is a lot of character development the mystery is never forgotten or pushed to the side. The investigating is what forces Jenna to deal with a lot of issues and figure out what she wants and so the character growth and the mystery investigation progress at the same time. I was pulled in and completely hooked from the very first page until the end.

I love the mentions of day to day life in Hokes Bluff as well as the running of the bookstore. I've really enjoyed getting to know Jenna and all the rest of the characters in her world and I was sad to get to last page. While this is the third book in the series I think you could easy start here. There is so much focus on Jenna's past that pretty much all the dynamics between the characters are explained.

It's been a good week for cozies. I don't usually give 5 stars but this is the third one this week and it's well deserved. The drama in the beginning of the book was like having a Jerry Springer episode in a cozy and I loved it! I couldn't get enough of the bad behavior. It was so well written and had me laughing and cringing at the same time. The mystery itself was well paced and although I figured out the murderer early on, I still enjoyed every moment of this story. Looking forward to the next!

Jenna Quinn is finally feeling that her complicated life has settled down and she is happily running her antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time. Her past seems to be fading a bit - it's a challenge when the past includes being charged with embezzlement and murder and your ex does a runner. But these days Jenna has a new love in her life (well sort of two, really, one is Keith and one is her dog, Eddy) and people to call her friends. Sadly, it soon comes to a screeching halt when that ex, Blake, waltzes into her store with his soon to be bride hanging off his arm. Think Mean Girl plus Bridezilla and you will have an idea of just how awful Missy is. They have come to town to get hitched at the nearby Hokes Bluff Inn but the vibe is not good. While Missy is trying to push all of Jenna's buttons about her status with Blake, the ex, he is professing his love for Jenna and has the nerve to beg her to take him back. Seriously? No surprise though when Missy turns up dead and then Blake is the prime suspect. Despite the past, neither Jenna nor his mother believe he could be capable of murder. When his mother asks Jenna for help clearing his name, well she agrees.
The list of suspects isn't short and it has people on it who had more serious reasons to want her dead than the fact that she was a nasty person. If Jenna isn't careful her own situation will get messy - again.
I have enjoyed all three books in this series and each has delivered a well plotted mystery and a cast of characters with depth. With the setting of the antique-used bookstore plus the charming pup, they added up to make it a very entertaining read.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Bound by Murder (An Antique Bookshop Mystery #3) by Laura Gail Black from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

… is a cleverly plotted cozy mystery with complex, unique characters some of which you’ll love to hate …

In Laura Gail Black’s third installment in the Antique Bookshop Mystery, we pick up with Jenna Quinn finally comfortable in Hokes Folly after a few traumatic years. Acquitted of murder and embezzlement charges, she finally has settled into the small town as owner of her uncle’s antiquarian bookstore and is enjoying her new life. With the bookstore doing well, new friends, a cute pup Eddie and wonderful boyfriend Keith, life is close to perfect, and she finally feels at peace. When her ex-fiancé Blake unexpectedly turns up in the store with his new fiancée Missy Plott clinging to him, her perfect peaceful life takes a turn for the worse.

The incredibly cruel and devious Missy enjoys flaunting her relationship in front of Jenna, but Jenna has happily moved on, her feelings for Blake disappeared the same as he had after her false arrest. When Blake corners Jenna a few nights before his wedding he begs her to take him back and he will not take no for an answer.
After witnessing a volatile scene with Blake, Missy, and the wedding party, a love triangle reveals itself and Jenna begins to see that all is not well in paradise. While Jenna and her best friend Rita are taking Eddie for a late-night walk, they discover Missy’s dead body, and no one is safe from being a suspect. Jenna’s relationship is put in jeopardy when boyfriend, police detective Keith Logan insists Blake is the prime suspect in Missy’s murder, but Jenna just doesn’t believe it. When Jenna keeps stumbling across information and her past reputation has inspired a vendetta against her, Jenna must get to the bottom of it before her life is once again turned upside down.

Laura Gail Black’s excellent Antique Bookshop Mystery Series keeps true to form. This is the best book in the series, in my opinion, The author does it again, Bound by Murder is a cleverly plotted cozy mystery with complex, unique characters some of which you’ll love to hate, clever red herrings leading to a very unexpected ending. A wonderful read I would highly recommend, and I am looking forward to reading future books in this series!

An engaging cozy mystery. Several interesting characters. Nice friends. Pleasant series. It kept me guessing. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I look forward to reading the next one.

Jenna Quinn was reasonably new to town but had made some good friends and her antique bookstore was doing well. She was grateful she had her manager Mason helping her out. The nearby Hokes Bluff Inn hosted weddings on a fairly continual basis, and when Jenna's doorbell tinkled, she looked up to see her ex-fiance Blake Emerson and a woman who had no hesitation in telling her she was going to marry Blake in a few days. Missy Plott and her bad tempered, drunken carrying on over the next few days saw her gain no friends and make plenty of enemies.

When Jenna found Missy's body out the back of her shop, and the police, including Jenna's significant other, Keith, who was a local police detective, investigated, they arrested Blake for her murder. But when Blake's mother begged Jenna to help prove his innocence, things became messy. What would be the outcome in this latest murder in Jenna's life?

Bound by Murder is the 3rd in the Antique Bookshop Mystery by Laura Gail Black and it was light and entertaining. With plenty of people who wished Missy dead, it was good to see how the final pages played out. Eddy, Jenna's dog, is adorable, a faithful pet who has Jenna's back. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The third book in this series and it is every bit as entertaining as the first two. Jenna gets a shock when her ex boyfriend turns up with his bride to be and yet still claims to love Jenna. Current boyfriend Keith is definitely put out and Jenna finds it does not matter what she says or does, everyone still has an opinion, mostly bad.

All this before a murder is committed and needs to be solved. The plot is a tiny bit over the top and the bad characters are a little too blatantly bad but it is still all very enjoyable. I even had to reach for the tissues when it got emotional and I really loved it when Jenna stood up for herself in a big way.

So, good characters, a twisty plot and a surprise at the end. All good and definitely worth reading.

Jenna Quinn, antique bookstore owner, is enjoying life with her business, friends, and Keith, her boyfriend and police detective....until her ex and his new fiancée walk in her store. Blake and Jenna were engaged until she was arrested for embezzlement and murder. She was found not guilty but not only did Blake not stand up for her, but he broke up with her. Now he and Missy, his new fiancée, is in town to get married in a wedding at the local inn. Blake claims to still have feelings for Jenna but she loves Keith. Missy is the typical mean girl, with her mean girl bridesmaids, leaving angry people in their wake. But someone was unhappy with Missy enough to kill her. Blake is the prime suspect, but Jenna doesn't think he is capable. This causes some friction between Jenna and Keith. Jenna and her friends work to find answers about who is responsible. While I had my suspicions about whodunnit, I was not sure until late in the book. This story was good for getting some answers to Jenna's prior life if you are reading the series and a new mystery to solve in this story.
I received a complimentary copy from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are mine only.

Bound by Murder (Antique Bookshop Mysteries 3)
Laura Gail Black



Bound by Murder is the third Antique Bookshop Mystery series. This is my favorite of the series thus far.

Why did I like this book so much?
While Jenna referenced Perry Mason episodes, I felt the book was more like a fun Maitlock episode. It was emotional at times, a situation that was “finished” before book one in the series is truly resolved with her getting all questions answered and full emotional closure. It was reasonably paced, without any questionable or risky behavior. You can close this book with confidence and a smile, the guilty will be punished and someone else hopefully has a better future ahead. I also, enjoyed that the main character Jenna never placed herself in knowingly bad situations.

For those concerned with book violence, and or profanity quality. The murder happens off-page and nothing graphic is ever said. I don’t remember any objectionable language. This book was really a wonderful book with a new cast member Shelby, the new candle maker, and a neighbor being introduced.

Brief Synopsis (no spoilers!)
Jenna’s ex-fiance Blake comes to Hokes Folly, with his new fiancee Missy. They are scheduled to be married that weekend at the historic Hokes Bluff Inn. Jenna owns Twice Upon A Time bookstore. While visiting with best friend Rita, the twosome wanders into Jenna’s store setting off a chain of events that will leave both unexpected questions and consequences for everyone!
5*****
Antique Bookshop Mysteries
1. For Whom the Book Tolls
2. Murder by the Bookend
3. Bound by Murder


Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the third book in the series and just as good (if not better!) as the previous two. The author keeps adding more to the characters to make them even better as well as the mysteries are even more entertaining. This is a series that I would love to keep reading for years to come!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. I enjoyed reading this mystery, but I, personally, would not classify this book as a "cozy" mystery for several reasons, but mainly because the main character, Jenna, does not really "investigate" the crime in the book. She is most definitely involved, but ordinarily the main character is an armchair sleuth. It was a good mystery, and I admit the author had me fooled with regard to the culprit. The characters were likable and the description of the bookstore sounded lovely. I wanted to smack the "bridesmaids"! I imagined a scene from the movie, Mean Girls, and see those girls as the "plastics". I have not read the previous two books, but the author does a good job of relating the previous stories inside this book so you will more fully understand the background of the main character. I have to admit my favorite character was Jenna's dog, Eddy! He just "sounded" lovable, especially when he was in the pretend salon with the two twin girls. I could visualize those two little girls brushing Eddy, as he patiently allowed them to "style" his hair!

They say that your past comes back to haunt you and in this book Jenna’s past sure does. Jenna’s ex Blake Emerson shows up with his fiancé and their wedding party for their wedding at the inn. But Blake seems more interested in Jenna than his fiancé Missy.

This is a well written mystery with plenty of twists that kept me guessing. I had a hard time putting it down.

Blake might be a serially rotten fiance to Jenna and now to Missy, who he is supposed to marry this weekend, but he's not a murderer. At least that's what he claims, his mother Cordelia insists, and Jenna, despite her distaste for him, believes. She sets out, against the advice of her love interest Keith, a detective, to find the real villain. Thing is, Missy was a rotten egg too, as Jenna knows because she messed up Jenna's bookstore before she died. In classic cozy fashion, Jenna works her way through all the people who disliked Missy to find the culprit. Good red herrings, btw. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is the third in the series but will be fine as a standalone because Black gives good back story (especially for Jenna and her dog!)

Things are going well for Jenna Quinn. Her bookstore is doing well, and she has a wonderful new boyfriend in police detective Keith Logan. But then her ex-fiancé Blake Emerson has come to town with his new fiancée Missy Plott, and all is not well with the couple.

Blake has something he wants to say to Jenna and is being quite stalkerish about it. Missy is a textbook example of a Bridezilla, and she repeatedly warns Jenna off her Blakey. Jenna has no interest in the man who didn't support her when she was accused of embezzlement and murder and who handed her the key to the storage locker where he had put all her things when she got out of jail.

Unfortunately, Keith is suffering from some jealousy since his and Jenna's relationship is only a few months old. No matter how often Jenna says Blake is out of her life, he doesn't seem to be convinced.

When Missy is found murdered behind the dumpster behind Jenna's bookstore, she's all for letting the police handle the investigation. But Blake's mother - a woman she never met during her three-year romance with Blake - wants Jenna to convince the police that he wasn't involved. Missy's bridesmaids are also convinced Jenna had something to do with causing trouble in Missy and Blake's relationship and are using vandalism to make their anger known.

Then there is Tom who is the guy Missy was involved with until she met Blake and who is in town to try to convince Missy that he's really the right guy for her. And Missy's younger sister wants Tom for herself.

Jenna can't help investigating; people just say things around her. What's a girl to do?

This was an entertaining cozy romance. I liked that the resolution to this story also gave Jenna resolution to the events in Charleston the ended up with her accused of embezzlement and murder.

This is the third release in the "Antique Bookshop Mystery" series by cozy author Laura Gail Black. I have enjoyed the entire series and looked forward to this new release. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity . My review opinion is my own. This is a delightful series with a charming setting of a bookshop with intriquing myster and fun charcters.

Protaganist Jenna's ex-fiance, Blake with his nasty fiancee Missy are arriving into town for their wedding at a inn. They are both big trouble for Jenna and soon a murder occurs. Jenna does not want to get involved as her fiance Detective Logan does not want her involved this time. But Jenna is involved and soon red herrings abound in the investigations and Jenna uses her savvy skills to find clues .

A enjoyable fast paced read with a engaging group of charcters and a fun intriquing sleuth to conclusion.

I love this book and series! It has everything I like about cozy mysteries with wonderful characters, a little romance, friendship, and it takes place in a bookshop. A warning for people who don't want any romance, this book has a little but it is fairly clean with only a few minor innuendos and a boyfriend who stays overnight. Personally it makes it more realistic and there aren't a lot of details, which I like. Jenna Quinn owns an antique and book store. She is dating Keith who is a Detective on the local police force. In this book, Jenna and Keith are working through some relationship problems. He worries about her and they have communication issues. Mason works for her and Rita lives next door. She meets Shelby who just opened the candle shop nearby. All three characters are great and add humor and they support Jenna. Jenna's ex-fiance Blake and his new fiancee, Missy arrive in town and all kinds of problems occur. They are due to get married while they are there. Blake being in town brings back a lot of turmoil for Jenna which causes problems with her and Keith. There is enough going on that the book is hard to put down. I guessed the culprit but wasn't sure until the end, which was very well done! This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery! #NetGalley #BoundByMurder #CrookedLaneBooks

Bound by Murder is book 3 in the Antique Bookshop mystery series. I had read the previous installment a year ago, but couldn’t really remember much of it, so I was really happy to find so many clues recalling the previous events. The author gives much information throughout the novel to properly catch you up.

From the start, I was pulled into the story. I was somehow fascinated by the over-the-top drama brought about Missy, a Paris Hilton-esque character; it felt a bit hard to believe such people could exist, but there are such entitled souls out there.

The plot was well thought-out; there were enough potential culprits to keep you guessing and wondering till the end, although I eventually figured out the murderer before the big reveal. I liked how the author didn’t follow the usual format of the cozy mystery genre. Instead of having the murder happen by the first 10% of the book, she lets the action to unfold during the first thirty percent of the book, which allows enough character development to happen beforehand.

I could hardly put the novel down, and finished it in a matter of a few days. Looking forward to the next installment!

Bound by Murder by Laura Gail Black is book #3 in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series. The Hokes Bluff Inn is now hosting weddings. This brings amateur sleuth Jenna Quinn's ex-fiance, Blake Emerson with his "not-so-nice" fiancee Missy Plott into Hokes Bluff for their wedding. Their appearance brings trouble to Jenna and her antique bookshop and death to Missy Plott. This storyline is fast-paced with lots of action. As hard as Jenna tries to stay out of the murder investigation to please her fiance, Detective Keith Logan, that doesn't happen. I really like the characters in the book and was delighted to meet Jenna's new friends. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Jenna owns a book store when her ex shows up with his bride to be, that when the drama,twists and mysteries begins.
A good cozy mystery enjoyed all the characterd and story.
Voluntarilyreviewed.