my first read of Ms. Hollon and this series.

It was a cute and fast read. Corporate Retreat at the Daniel Boone National Forest in the Appalachian mountains - sign me up. Murder - not so much....

This was a fun read and I look forward to reading the next installment.

Miranda's on a mission - make enough money with her tour company to building her new distillery. Only there's a deadline on that. The combination of great scenery, art, and moonshine for her usual tours isn't enough. Hence her venture into the corporate world with what she envisions as a team-building experience. Unfortunately, the people in charge of the company have very different ideas, pitting the employees against each other. The silver lining is reconnecting with her old friend, Rowena, only Rowena is obviously fearful of losing her job if things don't work out.

If it had been her choice and she didn't need the money, Miranda would have cancelled the mess especially after the murder. Only the people in charge insisted it continue. Unfortunately, the misfortunes continued as well with an interesting cast of suspects. The bright spot is the forest ranger, Austin Morgan, with more than a passing interest in Miranda.

The characters are well-developed, especially Miranda, Austin, and others in the town. The plot played out with twists and turns, and a surprising ending. Hollon has done a great job of combining eco-themes with art and mystery, a cute dog named Sandy, and a budding romance. I look forward to reading more in this series, and have already bought the first one. Although this is the third in the series, it can easily be read out of order. If you like cozy mysteries with a strong female MC, you'll enjoy this one.

I gave up on this one before I found out who the murder was....

I read the first book in the series in it's entirety and gave it a 1 star as well. I skipped the second and went ahead to this one so I could review it.

The problem with the entire series is that our heroine just stumbles on clues and BAM mystery solved. That is soooo not what I want in a mystery of any kind.

Second, there are inaccuracies. The further you get in the stories, the more pop up. Inconsistency is a problem for this author.

I also dislike the way the small rural community residents are discussed. It feels as though the author just thinks these people are ignorant and small minded and while that can be true, as a whole, it isn't.

I would happily give the author another go with a different series one day, but this one isn't for me.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

Miranda Trent inherited her uncle's farm -- with a stipulation. She has three months to make her business (formerly his) profitable. The business? Making moonshine (legal, of course). The problem? She's an artist, and has never done this before. So, she came up with a unique hook: While making shine and cocktails out of it, she hosts company events -- tours around the Daniel Boone Forest, and so far, it's been working well.

Currently, she's hosting a group from a sportswear company, and thinks things are going well. That is, until one of the group is killed, and now the man's replacement not only has divided the group into two teams, but the losing team will go home -- without a job. While she knows it's unfair, she's being paid to do her job, and continue with the plans.

But something goes wrong along the way, and someone in the group is being suspected of murder. Also, Miranda notices what she suspects is someone not wanting anyone to do well. But how can she figure this out by herself? With the sheriff's blessing Miranda works to keep an eye on her people, and hopes to find out the truth and stay alive in the process...

This is the third book in the series and I have read them all. I have found that I love the premise of this book, that our protagonist isn't exactly broke, and has decided to keep her uncle's legacy going while living in a lovely farmhouse. Although I'm not all that interested in the shine part (I don't drink), I still find it quite intriguing to read about. It's a detailed process and Miranda has her hands (and time) full doing both.

The people on the two groups are competing for management positions, and there's in-fighting which isn't pleasant to anyone; but there are also the meals that her two kitchen helpers provide which sound delicious. But we're here to find a killer, and it's not as easy as it sounds. There are very few clues, but you have to put together what everyone is saying to get it right. And our Miranda does just that, with the help of Forest Ranger Austin.

When the murderer is discovered, everyone is surprised, and none more so than the person who trusted them the most. It's a nice climax, and the epilogue is done well also. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

Book wasn't meant for me. Hopefully someone will enjoy it more. I will look into renting it in the future

I'm not at all interested in moonshine. Despite that, I've loved all three books in the Paint and Shine mystery series, even the details about the distillery. Miranda is working to reach her goals before a deadline and the teambuilding company retreat for a sporting goods company will definitely help her reach it, if she can pull it off. The executive in charge seems determined to pit his employees against one another. Members of the winning team will get promotions. The losing team will be fired. Not even a murder is enough to change that plan and Miranda can't afford to cancel so she'll have to find the killer and keep the rest of her clients safe. I really enjoyed the setting and characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. Yes, I am very late reviewing this one, but I still want to share my thoughts.

This is a new series and new author for me. Jumping in three books into the series was not confusing or problematic. Miranda runs a company focused on Moonshine and art in Kentucky.She has been hired to do a team-building retreat for a sportswear company. It is somewhat stressful but going okay until the manager is assaulted out on the trail. Miranda and friends are trying to figure out who the assailant is and deal with the chaos/dysfunction created by the arrival and interference of the manager sent to supervise the rest of the retreat.

I really like these characters. I like Miranda's efforts to grow her business and build a brand for herself. The recipes and information about distilling are intriguing. The mystery aspect was not the most engrossing, but I really liked the dynamics between team members.

I will be seeking out the other books in this series.

Title: Death a Sketch
Author: Cheryl Hollon

Ch:30

Pg: 266

Series: A Paint and Shine Mystery book 3

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Kensington



Death a Sketch is the third book in the A Paint and Shine mystery series by Cheryl Hollon. Miranda Trent is still determined to get her moonshine distillery up and running to keep the family farm while running her painting business in the Kentucky mountains.

I have to say this one was my favorite of the series as the setting and the characters have been established and the reader gets to enjoy the mystery more. I can’t wait for the next one.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

A corporate retreat turns deadly

“Death a Sketch” is part of the “Paint & Shine Mystery Series” but new readers will easily follow the action and antics. The book is a light-hearted story with some drama, tension, and lots of interesting people and relationships. Paint and Shine is a resort/retreat/workshop center immersed in the complex culture of Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio. While most groups come to relax, recharge, and enjoy themselves, the current “corporate retreat and team building exercise” is not going as planned.

Miranda Trent recently the farm from her late uncle with the stipulation that she have the distillery up and running within the first three months. She struggles to complete the restoration and expand her business to cover those costs. The narrative is filled with interesting and characters, both local personalities and those attending the corporate retreat. The narrative is filled with tension, suspicion, comradery, and competition. There is a convenient cast of characters for reference if needed. These few days of the “corporate retreat” are filled with accidents, sabotage, and a lot of fun, oh, and of course a body on a blood stained rock.

Hollon created of scenarios that keep readers looking for the next disaster or a cheerful, heartfelt moment. The characters are genuine and easy to like and hate. The personal relationships are realistic and relatable. The conflicts are genuine and relevant.

I received a review copy of “Death a Sketch” from Cheryl Hollon and Kensington Books. It is quick to read, and although there are surprises along the way, in the end, things all work themselves out.

“Death a Sketch” is now available in print, as an e-book, and on audio from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books.

2.5*/5. I'm in a minority here in that I got most of the way through before giving up on it. I DNF'd it so don't even know who did it. I found it well-written enough, but it started to slow down a bit for me, and a big glaring error towards the end - one character is supposed to be intolerant of rosemary, yet had no reaction when previously being presented with it - was the final straw, and I moved on to something else.

I just didn't connect well with the characters either, finding them all a bit...dull. But this is obviously a popular series, just not one for me and not one I'll be continuing with.

Miranda Trent has a unique twist on her business. She lives in Appalachia and inherits her uncle’s house and moonshine business. It’s legal now so no high-speed chases in the middle of the night like shown in old movies. Shine is trendy. Miranda pairs the shine experience with the beautiful views at the nearby park. She takes groups for a hike, helps them paint or draw the scenery, then they return to her farmhouse for a country style meal.

This time she worries she’s bitten off more than she can manage—a corporate team building retreat. Of course, hearing team building, you’d think it means teaching employees to work together for the good of the company and their job satisfaction, but the exec in charge has more of a Survivor plan in mind. With him, everything is a competition. It only takes a minute to realize the odds are heavily weighted against the women in the group.

The employees are divided into two competing groups and word soon gets out the losing team will also lose their jobs. The exec also declares he can override Miranda’s decision about who won a challenge. When an employee is found dead, Miranda assumes the company will cancel the rest of the event. but no, the challenge must go on, even with bad feelings and sabotage. If Miranda didn’t have a deadline looming that the shine business has to show a profit in six months, she’d have told them all to take a hike—home.

This is book three in the series. Miranda has a good head for business, and an artist’s eye to see what’s important. There’s a nice surprise at the end. And she’s got a darn cute puppy! The mystery is good, the characters believable, and Miranda doesn’t take crazy risks, always a plus. It’s a series I enjoy and I’m looking forward to book four and more.

Recipes include moonshine cocktails the teams made for one of their challenges—honeysuckle fizz, lemon shine, RC shine. Food to go with homemade herb crackers, chicken noodle soup, three bean salad, chicken pot pie, candied sweet potatoes, and chocolate crème pie with whipped cream.

I really enjoyed this next installment in the Paint and Sketch series. This still a favorite series of mine. I like getting to know Miranda a little more with each book. Can't wait for the next one!

I really enjoyed this installment. It was well-written with fun characters. Cheryl Hollon does a great job of writing imagery so that I can visualize the picturesque scenery in the book. The mystery was fun to follow. I cannot wait for the next one!

Miranda Trent runs a unique tour company called Paint & Shine in rural Kentucky. She combines Appalachian adventure tours with art and a bit of moonshine. Her fledgling business has been contracted by a sporting goods company to put on a teambuilding retreat. Miranda comes up with some great activities and is looking forward to the event, until the organizer makes some changes. It will now be a competition between two teams, teams he makes up. The losing team is in danger of receiving pink slips, so things become a bit tense. When one of the executives setting up the competition is found dead on the trails, another steps in and makes things worse. Who is the murderer? Will this workshop make or break Miranda's business?

I enjoyed another visit to the Appalachians to see what Miranda was up to. I enjoy the other regular characters, especially Austin, the ranger and possible love interest for Miranda. There was an administrator from the company, Rowena, who is an old friend of Miranda's and I really liked her character. She was a peace keeper and not only tried to keep the participants calm, but also worked with Miranda to try and solve the crime. She was also the main suspect for most of the book, which had Miranda working harder to find the real killer. It is almost a closed room mystery, with the suspects being someone on the retreat. I had no idea who the killer was, and was surprised when the reveal came, but the motive made sense and tied up the looks ends well. I really liked the ending of the story and look forward to the next in the series.

We’ve all been there. Felt like we had to take on work or clients that we didn’t really like because we thought it would pay off for our career or business in the long run. This is where our Miranda finds herself as Death a Sketch begins. I thought hosting an employee retreat for team building and leadership skills was a unique expansion for her Paint & Shine tours, and it made for an interesting crew of supporting players too. A hodgepodge mix of personalities and backgrounds keep the suspect pool full, including a couple of characters who were abrasive enough for me to be tempted to murder them if forced into extended close proximity lol.

As always, Miranda is likable and easy to cheer for as she continues her tireless quest to meet the terms of her uncle’s will so she can remain in the family farmhouse. We didn’t focus too much on the distillery progress this time around, as the tour group & case were more labor intensive than usual, but I suspect it will be in the spotlight in the next book as that deadline is approaching! Her circle of friends and family remains highly entertaining and easy to love, too, and I loved the romance progress between Miranda and swoony neighbor & park ranger Austin.

Bottom Line: Death a Sketch is a fun and entertaining return to the Paint & Shine mysteries! Miranda remains a delightful and relatable protagonist and the bevy of recurring secondary characters are just as endearing. She has her work cut out for her this go-around, even before a murder makes things even more treacherous, and readers can definitely feel the tension emanating off the pages. Don’t worry, though, there’s also a little time for some swoony romance with hunky ranger Austin and time to sit a spell on the porch swing with precocious pup Sandy! While I felt like the big reveal was a little abrupt and without much warning for readers, I still found the mystery to be clever and engaging. Another great installment in this series – can’t wait for what’s next!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon is a lovely mystery set around Thanksgiving. There is always so much going on in this corner of Kentucky.

Will Miranda figure out who took out Mr. Burns before the end of the teambuilding conference?

Miranda Trent
Miranda is our sleuth. She is an entrepreneur running her tour business and start-up distillery, and it seems she has other plans in the works. Miranda is settling into a route, but she still worries about everything. Although, Austin does seem to help her stay grounded. Her mother isn't in this installment for the most part, but the Hobb sisters are there whipping up some fabulous food for our conference goers. Even the sheriff is coming around to allow Miranda to assist him with his investigation.

I really like Miranda. She is intelligent, hard-working, and knows what she wants in life. This lady is not afraid of going after her dreams. However, I do worry about her looming deadline. I hope in the next installment, she gets past it, and all is well.

The Mystery
While hiking back from one of her activities with the team building corporate executives, they find the administrative assistant bent over one of the bosses lying across the trail unconscious. This complicates things and takes time from the already busy schedule. However, Mr. Burns was a jerk and truly needed his comeuppance. I don't think killing him was fair, but sometimes it happens. At least in cozy mysteries.

Anyway, Miranda keeps going with the workshop even with all the demands and last minute changes that the corporate bigwigs keep adding. Austin and Miranda still find time to do a little investigating of their own and continue growing their relationship.

I enjoyed the story; I didn't figure out who did it. Although, now I can see the clues. Isn't that the way it goes?

Four Stars
My rating for Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon is four stars. While I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, I found a couple of timeline discrepancies that took me out of the story, making me question what I had read previously. Other than that, it's fantastic.

There these wonderful recipes at the back of the book. So, be sure to check it out. The recipes are Honeysuckle Fizz, Lemon Shine, RC Shine, Homemade Herb Crackers, Chicken Noodle Soup, Side Dish - Three Bean Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Chocolate Creme Pie.

If you haven't started this series, I recommend that you do.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tour. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Princess Fuzzypants here: In the beautiful hills of Kentucky, Miranda is building her Paint and Shine business. She is contracted to run a corporate team building getaway. She nervously wonders if she may have overstepped her abilities even before the event. She does however get to reacquaint herself with her best friend from High School with whom she has drifted apart. That is going to be one of the only good things about this job.

The cut-throat and antiquated corporate culture is difficult in itself. But when one of the bigwigs is murdered on the trail on the first day and her friend is the prime suspect, things get exponentially worse. Then the executive who steps in to monitor the proceedings is even worse, if possible, than the deceased. Competition is one thing but when the losers are going to be fired, it means the stakes cannot be higher. Somehow Miranda manages to get through the activities over the four days and there is a fair outcome in spite of the executive trying to “fix” the results. Miranda figures out who did the deed and between Austin and herself, they bring the killer to justice.

She and Ranger Austin make a good team which by the end of the book, they both realize. I can see more to come in future books. It is stunning countryside and the reader is transported to its majestic beauty. I do like this series. Four purrs and two paws up.

I enjoyed the premise of this book. I enjoy as Miranda learns the ins and outs of running her business and figures things out along the way. I love that she sees some of the not so mice aspects of the corporate world...sexism, racism, ageism, just to name a few. This book was well written and fun to read.

Paint & Shine is entering its first fall and the end of the tourist season. Miranda, worried that times could be tight, decides to add corporate events to her offerings. Team building, art lessons, great food, and some shine cocktails sounds like a great combination, right? Upper management has other plans and team building becomes team demolition as the participating teams are set against each other in order to secure their jobs. On the bright side, Miranda is able to reunite with an old friend, on the dark side, that same friend is high on the suspect list for murder. Essentially everyone has a motive thanks to the crazy competition but who had the opportunity? Miranda teams up with Austin the forest ranger aka her romantic interest, to whittle down the suspect list. I am not sure how she finds the time to sleuth, what with the extremely busy days hosting a wide/wild variety of events for the two teams complete with good glass of shine and some excellent home-style cooking each day. Speaking of which, recipes for both shine-tails and great eats like the Homemade Herb Crackers which are found after the extremely cute ending of the story.