Bound by Murder is the third book in a series that just keeps getting better and better. Jenna Quinn, after having been charged with, and then exonerated of, murder and embezzlement, has moved to Hokes Bluff to take over running her late uncle’s antiquarian bookshop and to start a new life away from her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, a self-centered jerk who abandoned her when she was arrested and incarcerated while awaiting trial for crimes she didn’t commit.

Imagine Jenna’s surprise, then, when into her bookshop walks her erstwhile fiancé, along with his new bride-to-be, a vicious vixen named Missy Plott. Worse yet, Misty is wearing the engagement ring Blake had given Jenna. While Missy is Bridezilla personified as she makes arrangements for her pending nuptials, Blake looks miserable and later tells Jenna privately that he is still in love with her and not with Missy.

Jenna is very much over Blake and dating Hoke Bluff Detective Keith Logan, a man who is everything Blake is not. Then Missy is murdered and Blake is arrested for the crime. Jenna learned the hard way that Blake was a self-absorbed, spineless weasel who refused to stand by her when she was the one facing criminal charges. Nonetheless, Jenna, unable to see Blake as a potential murderer.

Unfortunately, this causes some issues between Jenna and Keith in that Keith believes that Blake is guilty of murdering Missy and doesn’t want Jenna interfering in the case - or getting involved with Blake in any way at all.

Soon, Blake’s mother, Cordelia, with whom Blake had had a very odd, yet distant, relationship during the time Blake and Jenna were together, arrives in Hokes Bluff. Cordelia claims to be beside herself and begs Jenna to find evidence to clear her son. Despite Keith’s disapproval, Jenna sets out to try to find the real killer.

Missy was unlikable, vain, and cruel, so suspects abound. They include Missy’s younger sister, Connie, who is in love with Missy’s ex-boyfriend, who in turn was still in love with Missy at the time of her death. Missy’s shady bridesmaids are also on Jenna’s list of suspects, especially after they twice vandalized Jenna’s bookshop, causing serious damage.

Ms. Black excels at creating multidimensional characters. The plot moves at a steady pace and never stagnates. I have enjoyed all three books in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series and eagerly await the fourth.

Sensitive Jenna Quinn is leading her best life running a bookstore in Hoke's Bluff when her cheating ex-boyfriend Blake turns up out of the blue with his new bride-to-be, Missy, for their Victorian themed wedding.
It soon becomes clear that dark secrets, murder and lies have followed Jenna from the city to her historic small town and the real love and friends that she has been looking for her entire life.
This is a sweet mystery with some gentle snarking and sensual content.

Weddings...books...love...marriage...breakups...and murder...themes running throughout this book...curl up with a warm afghan, steaming tea, delicious scone...enjoy an afternoon of this quick read. The characters are quirky...the story is all about the murder of an unlikable character...who did it? Who can be trusted? Who is the bad guy? Good guy? A fun novel, that I enjoyed without having the usual head scratching my thriller reading gives me.

This third book in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series is outstanding. Great characters and plot. It's a series where I'd wish I'd started at the beginning but there were enough references to earlier events involving bookstore owner, Jenna, that I could figure it out.

Loved it and I've now picked up the first book in the series so I can get caught up.

Highly recommended to cozy fans!!

Whenever your ex-fiance and his new love show up trouble is bound to follow. For Jenna, a bookstore owner, finding the body of the new girlfriend starts a series of trouble. With lots of twists and turns this cozy will keep your interest piqued. Great characters. Have a great time guessing who did the crime. Thanks #netgalley and #Crookedlanebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Having started a relationship with the detective on the local police force all is going well for Jenna Quinn when her ex fiancee and his new partner walk into her bookstore, soon a campaign of stalking and harrassment starts against Jenna and Blake and Missy appear to be the culprits, but when the body of missy is found who is to blame ?

Thank for the opportunity to review this book. This book was a great cozy mystery which I love to read. My attention was kept as I read this book about a bookstore owner, her ex and his fiancé. If you like books about books and cozy mysteries you are in for a treat.

‘Bound by Murder’ by Laura Gail Black is the epitome of everything I could ever want cosy mystery. Like any cosy mystery series, our protagonist finds herself in an awkward situation when her ex-fiancé, Blake, arrives in their town with a new fiancé in tow (wearing the ring he proposed to her with?!). Things take a turn for the worst when the new fiancé is found dead, and Jenna happens to be the one who finds the body. All eyes turn to Blake as the main suspect, but despite their rocky past, Jenna has doubts about Blake’s charges. This book is the third book in the series, and even though I have not read the first two books, I had no trouble catching up with the main cast of characters and where we are in this series.

I love the fact that the main character, Jenna, is the owner of a bookstore— for a reader like myself, how idyllic and does that job sound? Coupled with the fact that this series is set in a charming small-town and a close-knit community of characters,, this story is just filled with “cosy” vibes. This book was also really well-written for the most part with the mystery plot line intertwined with a hint of the romance between Jenna and the town’s detective Keith. I do read cosy mysteries for the murder mystery element, BUT I am not ashamed to admit that I do love a romance in series like this— especially if it’s between the protagonist and the detective/police.

That being said, the main focus of this book was still the murder mystery. The mystery was intriguing enough to keep me reading till the very end. As someone who reads lots of crime/mystery books, the murderer reveal was a bit predictable; however, there was a small twist at the second half of the book that I was not expecting so that was a fun surprise.

I do plan on reading the first two books in this series, and look forward to seeing more of Laura Gail Black’s future works.

4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me this ARC of ‘Bound by Murder’ by Laura Gail Black in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery that doesn’t disappoint! Books, a beautiful inn, an ex-fiancé, and a bridezilla that meets an early demise…these are just a few of the interesting elements of Bound By Murder. The book is full of delicious twists, turns, trouble and a lot of coziness too. Don’t miss out on this series by Laura Gail Black!

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

I truly appreciate a good cozy mystery, this one didn’t disappoint.

The third installment is as enjoyable and the previous in the series. The books can be stand alone, reading them in order helps to know the characters though.

The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air—until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she’ll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead. I love this series I usually read these in one sitting. It pulls you in and you cant help but want to know what happens next.
#BoundByMurder #NetGalley

Intrigued me to go back and read the first two books in the series. What immediately hooked me in the early chapters before getting into the meat of the mystery was the detail Laura Gail took to explain the care for "Eddy" the main character Jenna's dog. I often wonder about those small details (especially when it comes to dogs) when reading and she filled in all the gaps.
Set in an antique bookstore, main character Jenna has to deal with her ex-fiancé and his new bride's arrival in her small North Carolina town. The three have a mysterious linked history, unexpected events that occur leading up to the wedding unravel the truth about their past and solve a more recent crime.
The book quickly grabbed my attention without too much unneeded character build and is a perfect rainy weekend read.

Sometimes a blast from the past isn't a good thing, Set in an antique bookstore, Jenna needs to face her ex-fiancee and his bridezilla. Interesting read that added to Jenna's character development. Enjoyed.

The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air—until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she’ll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead.

In this third book Laura doesn't leave the drama behind it takes twist and turns you do not see coming and no matter what is thrown at Jenna she stands firm and keeps snooping no matter the trouble and super hot boyfriend gets upset but that does not stop her. When I thought she would give up she jumped back in and started right back up with her sidekicks stepping in to help. The new girl is a added bonus and I can not believe who the villain's were yes I said it villain's. Can not wait to read book 4 please hurry I am dying to know what's next for all of them!

Set in an historic North Carolina town, antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn is settling in the community after relocating from Charlotte--and spending three months in jail. Jenna's former fiancé, Blake, and his bridezilla, Missy, arrive in town for their wedding and create havoc that Jenna prefers to avoid. Instead, Jenna becomes involved in solving yet another murder, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend, Detective Keith Logan. Book 3 in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series builds the sense of community with good supporting characters, while keeping Jenna busy with her amateur sleuthing.

A series that situates the reader right in the action, I absolutely love going to Hokes Folly!
In the third instalment of the series, Jenna gets a blast from her past which threatens everything she’s built in her new life and as usual; I couldn’t put it down.
A little spicy a little sweet and quaint but in such a good way, I can’t wait to keep diving into this cozy series!

Thanks to Net Galley, Crooked Lane Books and the very talented Laura Gail Black for my copy of Bound by Murder, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third entry in Laura Gail Black’s Antique Bookshop Mystery series. The MC, Jenna, is settling into her new life in Hokes Bluff, NC, running a used bookstore and dating a local detective. Her past comes calling when her ex shows up on town with his fiancee to get married at the local inn. He proclaims that he still has feelings for Jenna and then his fiancee is murdered and he is on the hook for it. Jenna decides to try to clear his name, putting her new relationship in jeopardy. This is a good mystery and I enjoyed that it resolved some questions about Jenna’s past problems in Charlotte.

The first book in the series took a bit of time to grab my attention, but each book continues to get better. This recent book in the series, Bound by Murder, is my favorite. Jenna Quinn moved to Hokes Bluff to begin a new life. In the past two books her past life is referenced, but it comes full circle in this book after her ex-boyfriend shows up in town. His wife-to-be Missy wounds up murdered and Jenna is on the case, while dealing with old wounds.

Keywords: Bookshop, Dog, Wedding, Ex-Boyfriend, Romance, Mean Girls

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

It’s a pretty good mystery, love the setting and would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery that keeps you guessing till the end.

Thank you to Laura Gail Black, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book.

Bound by Murder is the third installment in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series set in the small town of Hokes Bluff and featuring bookseller, Jenna Quinn. The town is buzzing with guests now that the Hokes Bluff Inn is marketing itself as a destination wedding resort, and Jenna is hoping her new shipment of wedding planner books will bring even more customers into her shop, Twice Upon a Time.

Jenna's best friend Rita Wallace is the director of hair and makeup at the Inn and she has her share of bridezilla stories, Jenna's employee Mason is mooning over the new Weeping Willow waitress across the plaza, and Jenna is enjoying her new relationship with police detective Keith Logan. Love is in the air - that is until Jenna's ex Blake Emerson strolls into the bookstore with his bride to be Missy on his arm.

Jenna hasn't gotten over the way that Blake didn't stand behind her when she was accused of embezzlement from her former company, accused of murder and spent months behind bars until she was found innocent. She also can't believe that Missy is wearing the ring that Blake bought for her, but even more shocking is when Blake comes back alone later in the day saying he has something important to tell Jenna AND that he's still in love with her. Missy and her bridesmaids are the stereotypical mean girls and half the town is complaining about them, but when Jenna stumbles upon Missy's dead body behind the dumpster she needs to act quickly to clear her own name as a suspect.

A fast paced plot with the return of series regulars and the addition of a few new faces and a furry companion who saves the day. This is a great addition to the series, and readers will be happy that details from Jenna's past are finally resolved. I look forward to many more adventures in Hokes Bluff.

I received and advanced copy of Bound by Murder from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review, I am happy to offer my honest opinion.