Rayne McGrath has just turned 30. She and her boyfriend, Landon Short, own Modern Lace Bridal Boutique. Today, she learns that Landon has moved out taking their joint bank account money and has stolen all of the bridal dresses Raine had worked so hard on for her clients. He has left her with nothing.

Her mother calls to tell her that her Uncle Nevin has passed away. He owned McGrath Castle in Ireland and his attorney has asked that she be present for the reading of the will. Arriving in Ireland, Rayne learns that she has been left the castle in her uncle’s will. However, he had an illegitimate daughter, Ciara, who feels that the castle should be hers. They both are told that financially, it’s to Rayne and Ciara’s benefit if they agree to stay at the castle and work together to keep it going for one year.

Rayne and Ciara butt heads often as Ciara has a hot temper. When they learn that Nevin died from an overdose of his heart medication, they busy themselves with trying to find out who could have killed this man. We see the problems the castle is facing to financially viable and how the neighbors work together to solve them. But, it’s Rayne’s idea to save the castle that everyone finds is a good one.

An OK story with lots of information about living in Ireland, the food, and the customs. Rayne’s idea is good but I’m not sure they have enough resources to pull it off. But, do read the book and find out what her idea is and if you think it could be a success.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Murder At An Irish Castle An Irish Castle Mystery
By Ellie Brannigan
Crooked Lane Books
Publisher’s description of Murder At an Irish Castle
Fans of Hannah Dennison and Carlene O’Connor’s mysteries are in for a treat with Ellie Brannigan’s captivating debut cozy mystery, complete with a sharp and endearing protagonist.

Rodeo Drive bridalwear designer Rayne McGrath expected her thirtieth birthday to start with a power lunch and end with champagne, lobster, and a diamond engagement ring from her fiancé. Instead, flat-broke and busted, she’s on a plane to Ireland where she discovers that she’s inherited a run-down family castle. Uncle Nevin’s will contains a few caveats—for example, if Rayne doesn’t turn McGrath Castle around within a year, the entire village will be financially destroyed.

With the fate of the town in her hands, and rumors that Rayne’s uncle’s death wasn’t actually an accident, she can’t possibly go back to her old life in L.A. As the devastating truth about her uncle dawns on Rayne, it’s not just her reputation that’s on the line, it’s her life.

Featuring a sharp and endearing protagonist, a colorful and quirky locale, and replete with twists and turns befitting an old Irish village, the first in Brannigan’s mystery series transports us to a milieu as romantic as it is deadly.

At first I had my doubts about this book; I wasn’t connecting with the main character, wedding dress designer Rayne McGrath. This detachment kept up when Rayne met her Irish cousin Ciara Smith. Ciara seemed over-the-top unfriendly. However, I wasn’t ready to give up on this book yet. And I’m glad I didn’t.
As the story unfolds, Rayne finds her feet and begins to take control of the future she hadn’t asked for or wanted—a rundown castle she hasn’t visited since childhood and the future of the village that comes with said castle. It’s a long way from her wedding gown boutique on Rodeo Drive to Grathton Village, from a luxury condo in LA to a rundown castle with no functional internet, and freeways known for their horrible traffic to small country roads where rush hour is defined by flocks of sheep blocking the way. Rayne is out of her element in many ways-starting with the wardrobe that isn’t made for the Irish countryside-but that is where her character begins to come into her own. She begins the transformation from victim to a woman starting to take charge of her life. Her responsibilities shift from pampered brides to the village attached to the castle-a village whose future is in doubt, mainly because the younger people are moving away because of the lack of jobs. Oh, and she also has the mystery of her uncle’s death to solve.

Ciera has her suspicions about Uncle Nevin’s death, and she’s voiced them to Garda Williams. He’s investigating, but Rayne isn’t satisfied with the pace the investigation is taking. She takes matters into her own hands and slowly works out the identity of the killer. But working out the identity of the killer and bringing them to justice are different things, and getting justice is something Rayne may not be able to do.

Murder at an Irish Castle is the first book of a cozy series by Ellie Brannigan. Released 7th Feb 2023 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 313 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. Library binding format available in June 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

This is a simple "clean" cozy mystery which opens in Los Angeles and rapidly shifts scene to Ireland (drawn without an overwhelming abundance of convincing background research, apparently). Protagonist Rayne McGrath goes, on her 30th birthday, from having the world as her oyster to being robbed, financially broke, abandoned by her duplicitous boyfriend, and finagled into attempting to turn the fortunes of her father's family's ancestral manor home by convoluted legal and emotional blackmail which push the boundaries of belief.

Added into the mix are a termagant of a previously undisclosed cousin Ciara, some family retainers, a small village of locals, and a cute Irish setter dog (because of course there would be). The writing is competent and enjoyable, although the constant drama and sniping yanked me out of my suspension of disbelief constantly. I found both Rayne and Ciara annoying in the -extreme- and not at all sympathetic or believable.

There are redeeming moments in the narrative, and background world building can take time. There are promising moments throughout. The setup for future volumes in the series is well rounded and open ended. The dialogue is occasionally rough and the mystery isn't much of a mystery, but overall, it's a fair bet for readers who enjoy undemanding cozy village mysteries.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours and 17 minutes and is narrated by Traci Odom. She has a light voice which has a slightly breathy quality. She does a good job differentiating characters of both sexes and a range of ages. Readers who are intimately familiar with actual Irish accents will possibly find the narrator's portrayal off-putting. After some minutes of adjustment, her voice/accent (she's from Texas, apparently) faded more or less into the background. Sound and production quality were high throughout the read.

Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of women's fiction/light cozies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Murder At An Irish Castle is the first book in the An Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan.

Rayne McGrath was looking forward to her 30th birthday. She hoped to get an engagement ring from her boyfriend, Landon Short, and then a visit to their bank, where she hoped to get a business loan to expand their wedding dress business. When Rayne arrives at the shop, Rayne finds that all the dresses have been cleared out. A quick call to the bank reveals that their joint account has been cleared out, and Landon is nowhere to be found. Rayne heads to her mother, Lauren, a television actress, home and learns that she has purchased a plane ticket to Ireland for Rayne. Rayne’s uncle, Nevin McGrath, has died, and Rayne has to attend the reading of Uncle Nevin’s will. Arriving in Ireland, Rayne is picked up by Ciara. Rayne learns that Ciara is the illegitimate daughter of her Uncle Nevin and lives at Uncle Nevin’s castle. Rayne had no idea that she had a cousin.

At the lawyer's office, Rayne learns she inherited the castle based on Uncle Nevin’s will, updated just a month ago.
Ciara is distraught and feels cheated as she is blood-related. One stipulation expressed in the will is that Rayne must live in the castle for the next 365 days, manage the castle, and have it become profitable, thereby saving the nearby village and its residents.

Ciara starts out being snarky with Rayne, and all Rayne wants to do is worry about the wedding dresses that she has been commissioned to make. Ciara soon confides in Rayne that she doesn’t believe Uncle Nevin's death was an accident as the garda seems to think. Ciara and Rayne meet with the garda, and Rayne soon believes that the Garda might not be trying to solve Neevin’s death. Rayne and Ciara put their differences aside somewhat and will work together if Nevin was murdered,

In the beginning, I didn’t like either Rayne or Ciara and their constant bickering, but they could communicate better by the end. They may never be best friends, but they seem to tolerate each other better.

The book is well-written and plotted and has an enjoyable and exciting cast of characters. I particularly enjoyed the household staff, who all seemed to get along with Rayne and Ciara. There were enough red herrings that I kept guessing until the end and learned who the murderer was.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this exciting new series to see what changes occur at the castle.

Bridalwear designer, Rayne McGrath learns that her Uncle Nevin has passed and she has to attend the reading of the will. She finds that her uncle has left her a castle in Ireland. However, her cousin Ciara thought she would inherit her dad's estate...

With some great family dynamics and a fabulous locale, this was a really compelling and fun read. I'll be watching out for book two.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I love the premise of this book. A woman scorned who inherits a castle that comes sigh a whole bunch of baggage. That baggage included a caveat that she has go turn around the entire operation within a year, otherwise the whole town will become destitute.

The other issue is that she has to manage said castle with a her cousin, a woman she didn’t even know existed. This woman hates her guts. I love all things Irish and castles. Throw in a dog and I’m sold! Great read, looking forward to more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Title: Murder At An Irish Castle
Author: Ellie Brannigan
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Release Date: 2/7/23
Overall Rating: 3 stars

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. First books can be hit or miss. There can be too much information, too little, not fully-fleshed out characters and settings, etc. The mystery and setting are ok, but I had a hard time connecting with the main character. Other readers/reviewers may enjoy this book more than I did.
I'll probably go ahead read the next book in the series if offered.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This is the debut mystery for a new series by one of my favorite authors. Ellie Brannigan also writes as Traci Hall (set in Scotland) and as Traci Wilton (Salem B&B series). This setting is a small village in Ireland. The castle is the focal point of a small village of about 500 souls and its future is in the hands of a pair of sparing cousins. Cousins who come from vastly different backgrounds. If they can't find common ground within a year the castle will be sold and the village will fade away. If they can make it work each can go at the end of the year when they can sell the estate.
Rayne, a born and raised L.A. girl, daughter of a big name Hollywood actress, is looking forward to her 30th birthday, signing papers for a deal that will grow her custom wedding dress design business and just might end with an engagement ring from her business partner/boyfriend. By the end of the day all that is in ashes, her heart is broken and she is hastily packing to fly to Ireland to meet with her dead uncle's lawyer. Oh, and she no longer has her business and is flat broke. Shattered is the word that comes to mind.
Once on Irish soil she gets more shocks. Her plan to stay a week morphs into a full year if she agrees to the terms of the will and she has to partner with a cousin she never knew existed and who hates her guts. The cousin is the illegitimate daughter of her uncle and she runs the estate. She was sure she would inherit it all. There is trouble, of all kinds, in their future. Will they be able to join forces to not only work together to keep the castle from going broke but to catch a killer?
Rayne and Ciara are strong characters who have no frame of reference outside of their own closed worlds and now each has had the rug pulled out from under them by someone they each loved very much - as an uncle and as a father. The mystery is good but I'm looking forward to reading more of their new life together.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rayne McGrath's thirtieth birthday had turned into a wash-out, then when she heard her Uncle Nevin from Ireland - her beloved dad's brother - had died and she was needed for the reading of the will, she was shattered. Arriving from Los Angeles to Dublin, Rayne was met by Ciara, a woman who turned out to be her cousin. The reading of the will was a shock to both as Rayne was left McGrath Castle, with Ciara to be her manager. And Rayne had to stay in Ireland, at the castle, for a year, or it would all be null and void. Ciara was furious - her Celtic temper flared. Rayne wasn't happy either as she thought she would return to LA and salvage her business.

Suspicions about Uncle Nevin's death were on Ciara's mind and the garda were looking into it. Would it be murder? And could they possibly discover who had disliked the Lord so much as to kill him? Would Rayne come up with a plan to save the castle and village? Blarney kept them all sane...

Murder at an Irish Castle is the 1st in the Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Blarney was adorable (his picture is on the cover of the book), a red setter who was not much more than a mischievous pup. The characters are well-crafted and I had no idea who the culprit was. I'm looking forward to book 2 very much, and recommend this one highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really have to wonder sometimes if I end up getting a different copy than all of the 4 and 5 star reviewers. Two stars is being extremely generous for me with this one. I didn't like any of the characters -- especially not the main ones. The "mystery" was blah. Nothing about this felt cozy. It felt like a chore.

This is the debut of this series. The book takes a bit to settle into what it wants to be. The story really doesn’t get to the murder investigation until past the halfway point and even then there isn’t a lot of amateur sleuthing happening. Initially Rayne and Ciara are both quite unlikable as main characters. Rayne comes across as a self involved spoiled rich girl. Ciara is bitter, angry, judgmental and frequently very unkind. They both grow and improve as the story progresses. This is one of those books that you just have to stick with because it does get better as it goes along. I would read the next book because I’d like to see how the author develops the series.

This sounded like the perfect mystery for me. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Not. At. ALL.
[Turns out that this is the pseudonym of another author I have read and disliked. I wish I had known this ahead of time. Sigh.]

1. The MC and the main secondary character are completely unlikeable. 100% unlikeable. Rayne [the American] is so out of touch it is unbelievable. I like nice things, but my whole life doesn't revolve around them; I only wish that was the case for Rayne - she loves an expensive label. WHO travels to Ireland and not check the weather [even if she is upset..I mean really]? She was there when she was 11 but didn't remember that IT. WAS. A. FARM?? So she brings white and cream and cashmere? Seriously? Google is a great thing; she should have utilized it [INSERT MASSIVE EYE ROLL]. Unfortunately, Ciara isn't much better; she is a whiny, entitled, obstinate, self-centered, judgmental, defensive, snarky, arrogant woman who was born out of wedlock and thinks the world owes her something because she was dealt a bad hand. PUH-leese [like she is the only woman who has ever been dealt a bad hand. She might have found a kindred spirit in Rayne had Rayne felt the need to SHARE ANY OF HER OWN LIFE, but I digress...]. Neither women even TRIES to understand where the other is coming from [it IS a bit outrageous to expect Rayne to drop her whole life and business to run the Castle; I have to admit that I was a bit baffled by this] and it is constant snipping and bashing and OH MY GOSH JUST SHUT UP ALREADY. And Rayne's entitlement is totally outrageous ["I MUST HAVE INTERNET. RIGHT NOW" <--insert eye rolling again]; like she is the only one who exists because she is from AMERICA.

2. There is really no mystery. I mean there is, but not really. It is just a lot of snarking between the women mixed with some other stuff. I was so not surprised at the ending/reveal. Meh.

3. Do I really need to know what the MC thinks of the thighs of a man she just met? Especially when she is supposedly devastated from her boyfriend absconding? I like a good looking man as much as anyone else, but this was written in such an EW way, that it felt skeevey and not admiring.

4. I am pretty sure the author has never stepped foot in Ireland and am totally unsure if she actually knows anyone who is from Ireland. There is so much stereotyping that more eye-rolling happened [I am pretty sure my eyes are now broken] - perhaps if there is another one, the editor or publisher should think about getting an Irish proofreader. Seriously. It is borderline offensive in parts.

5. That end. Seriously? I mean, ugh. NO. U G H. It is official, my eyes are completely broken from rolling so hard.

The best part of the book is the dog. He is fantastic. I loved him.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook before publication and other than the dog in the book, this was the best part of the whole read. While I didn't love all of her "Irish" accents, I am not as put off by them as some of the other reviewers were. For the most part, I really enjoyed the narrator and how she told the [awful] story. My dislike of the book had absolutely nothing to do with the narration and I will look for her in other books that are on my list. I am glad that something decent came out of this awful read. ;-)

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellie Brannigan, Traci Odom - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing book and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars! I wasn’t expecting much out of this book. A murder mystery set in Ireland, in a castle. What I got was a wonderful dynamic between the characters, set in a beautifully described country that I have always wanted to visit. I will definitely be continuing with this series whenever the next book comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to rate and review an ARC of this book.

Rayne and Ciara are cousins who do not know each other, two very different characters
to boot. Ciara is prickly, antagonistic not willing to meet Rayne halfway. Rayne is a bridal designer with a posh boutique in California. Ciara is enmeshed in the life of a working farm.
Thrown together with the sudden and suspicious death of a beloved uncle and father Rayne has
to take over the responsibility not just of the castle but also the livelihoods of 500
villagers.

Rayne has been cheated by her boyfriend of her livelihood leaving her bereft mentally and
financially. Ciara is bereft by the fact that her father preferred to leave the property
to his niece, rather than his daughter.

Both of them have to pull together to sort out the mess they find themselves in and solve
the mystery of Neville's death where everyone is a suspect.

The story dealt with the intricasies of family well, the characterizations of two very different girls done particularly well, the Irish setting and people were spot
on and the murder did not seem paramount to the story, though integral at the same time.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I ready reviewed this novel as an audiobook. Highly recommend and love it.

Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan is the debut of An Irish Castle Mysteries. I had trouble getting interested in Murder at an Irish Castle. The story became easier to read as Rayne settled into Ireland. I was not a fan of Rayne and her hostile cousin, Ciare Smith. Rayne comes across as spoiled while Ciare is resentful and cruel. Ciare’s nastiness quickly becomes tiring. She seems to be irritable all the time even with her fiancé who works on the estate. We get to meet the staff at the castle and some of the villagers. I do feel that the author could have done a better job at capturing the beauty of Ireland. The whodunit had several suspects, a red herring or two, and obvious clues. The mystery can be solved early in the book. Certain details are reiterated to make sure we did not miss them (I could envision a giant neon arrow with the words “killer” pointing at the guilty party). Rayne who was just ditched by her duplicitous boyfriend begins admiring estate employee, Amos. I could understand Rayne finding him attractive, but it seemed too soon to think about dating (considering she is still dealing with the aftermath of the two-timers underhanded actions). She admired Amos’ physical attributes many times (I cringed every time she mentioned his long locks—I am not a fan of men with long hair). My favorite character is the adorable Blarney. I loved his antics especially when he took off with one of Rayne’s expensive shoes. I could envision the trail of crystals around the castle. I am on the fence about reading the next An Irish Castle Mystery. Murder at an Irish Castle is a sásúil story with a blackguard beau, an unimagined inheritance, a churlish cousin, a playful pup, spotty internet service, designer duds, a cold castle, and a course of crystals.

Brannigan’s debut entry in the Irish Castle Mystery series is a sure fire hit. Not only are the characters quirky, full of Irish charm but oh so likeable. Daisy’s a go-getter and I absolutely fell in love with Blarney the dog. Brannigan’s writing immerses you into the look, feel and sounds of an Irish village in such a delightful way. And most importantly, the mystery plot has just the right amount of twists and turns that you will be left guessing the whodunit until the last page. FYI: Ellie Branningan also writes the Scottish Shire Mystery series as Traci Hall, so if you’re a fan and looking for more great cozies check out this new series, I can’t wait to see what’s next for Daisy and the fine folks of McGrath Castle.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

My rating 4.5 stars

"Murder at an Irish Castle” the first instalment in An Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan (Traci Hall). What a great start to a new series, I absolutely loved it!

I loved this story right down to the small Irish village, the people, learning some Irish dialects and of course the puppy named Blarney which just made it all the more charming. Rayne seemed to have life by the hand but then one thing after the other derails her perfect life. Then her uncle Nevis passes away and she’s called to Ireland for the reading of the will. Enter her cousin Ciara, who thought she would inherit her fathers estate. I really enjoyed all the overall family dynamics and not all family is blood.

Overall I just loved how the story made me feel and by the end I was smiling, cheering on Rayne and wondering what life had in store for her next.

The mystery was more a sub plot to us learning about the characters which I found well developed. To me it was a story about loyalty, community and friendship with a murder to solve. Book one has set us up perfectly for book 2 and I can’t wait.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance readers copy from Level Best Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an enjoyable novel that is more of a venture into the life of one woman than it is a cozy mystery. There is a mystery but it takes a back seat to family drama and Rayne, the heroine, getting used to life owning a castle in Ireland. There is a good assortment of characters, the most antagonistic to Rayne being Ciara. While she is a daughter of the owner of the castle who has been murdered, she was conceived out of wedlock and does not inherit the castle. She starts out hating Rayne and that provides lots of family drama.

The strength of this novel is not found in the mystery but rather information about a boutique wedding dress business and the culture of Ireland. I learned much about specially designed wedding dresses. I also learned about life in a small Irish village and the castle landowner responsible for keeping the village alive.

I would not recommend this novel for the mystery. I am not sure it works very well, especially the supposed disabling of the tractor. While there are plenty of suspects, the revelation of the guilty party comes from information revealed near the end so there is no opportunity to gather clues and identify the person ahead of time. Rayne's story is good and I found that entertaining enough.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

What a fantabulous cozy series debut. The story starts with a bang. Well, not literally but the main character wakes up on her birthday to learn her boyfriend has run away with cash and bridal wear (lingerie included), leaving her with nothing but betrayal and hurt. She then learns (from her film-actress mother) that her Uncle Nevin has passed away in Ireland.

Rayne goes to Ireland to learn she's inherited a castle and has a cousin named Ciara - Nevin's illegitimate daughter. Rayne is torn between selling the castle - which means the whole village will suffer - and going back to LA and restarting her bridal wear business from scratch. She picks the former and decides to work on her bridal store from Ireland.

Ciara is quite sure her father's death was no accident. As Rayne starts to dig deeper into the case - after calling a truce with Ciara, the cousins learn there's a lot more to Nevin's death than it seems to be. The list of suspects isn't long but the guarda do not believe someone killed Nevin - at least not at first.

There's one suspect who bothers Rayne - mostly because of their closeness to her cousin. Even I was under the impression that Ciara might end up like Rayne, broken hearted and pauper. Thank god I was wrong!

Speaking of suspects, the identity of the killer was totally unexpected and shocking. This was a case of wolf in sheep's clothing.

Ciara's banter was the most entertaining part in the story. As much as I understood her anger, I felt bad for Rayne being at the receiving end of it. Rayne was already going through betrayal and hurt, you see.

This was a perfect mix of character introduction, series-plot setting and scene setting. Add a murder mystery on top - the kind that keeps you guessing till the end - and there's nothing else a cozy mystery lover could possibly ask for.