Lucy and family travel to France for her eldest's wedding! And in a French chateau! But things aren't so rosy when a body is found and Lucy must discover who the killer is.

This was a bit different than others of the series I have read. Being away from Maine means missing many of the characters that I have enjoyed reading about. Lucy doesn't actually do a lot of investigating and parts feel anticlimactic. I was also disappointed in how Lucy's children acted at time. Her son, in particular, was very reluctant to go to France for the wedding. We have seen them grow up and move on with their lives, even starting their own families. I thought I would like them a bit better at this point. Overall, the story is ok, just not one of my favorites in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Mother of the Bride Murder AUDIO by Leslie Meier was a bit of a departure for Lucy as she and her family travel to France for her eldest daughter’s wedding. She wan’t sure she liked the whole thing but she was there as were her son, his wife and son; her two other daughters; and her husband. They were at the groom’s family’s chateau, which had had to go commercial to pay for the upkeep. Jean-Luc seemed like a nice guy, although not very attentive, and he appeared to love Elizabeth, which was first and foremost in her mind, but something was off. The first concrete thing she had noticed was a farm down the road with strange inhabitants: only young women. She thought maybe it was a house of ill-repute. The next thing that happened was finding a dead body in the moat. A young woman, dressed up and wearing jewels, fake as it turned out. It was pretty traumatic as her husband and grandson discovered it. Of course, things went downhill from there. She called Chris, Elizabeth’s old boyfriend, ex-CIA, who now had his own private security firm here in Europe. Luckily he was coming as he’d been hired to protect the wedding. It was all very strange.

This seemed to be a bit of a departure for Lucy: human trafficking, for one. Of course, she is not stranger to murder, but this story just seemed a little darker than most of her stories. She is a terrific character: small-town, part-time reporter, tenacious and maybe a bit of a busy-body. Even a small town in Maine has too many bad things happening for her. The plot of this story was a little more convoluted, I thought, but good. The pacing was excellent. It touched on so much beyond the murder: her daughter being used for free labor, the realities behind an enterprise such as the chateau, some of the problems associated with living in Europe, and more. Meier wrote a good book which has something for everyone. Her characters are strong and relatable, her plot is intriguing, and she was able to give it a happy ending, at least for her and hers.

The reader was Coleen Marlo who did a wonderful job accessing Lucy’s small-town roots and yet keeping her just cosmopolitan enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of this book, although the print version was good, too.

I was invited to both read and listen to a free e-ARC of Mother of the Bride Murder by Kensington Books, the audio by Dreamscape Media, both through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonBooks #DreamscapeMedia #LeslieMeier #ColeenMarlo #MotherOfTheBrideMurder

I do truly love Lucy and the Tinker Cove gang. But this one was truly not a story I cared for. The excitement of taking a trip to Paris should have been much more exciting. I just feel over all that this book was lacking the normal drive Leslie usually shows. With the whole family heading to Paris I would of thought there would have been more detail and whole family involvement. I still look forward to Being back in Tinker Cove soon.

Thank You Net alley for giving me an advanced copy of Leslie Meir 'S latest book I have been reading her books for a long time. I have read all her books and enjoy every last one. Leslie hasn't. disappointed me yet. This latest installment Mother of the Bride is very amusing and comfortable read with a very nice ending. I enjoyed the book she doesn't disappoint her readers with her plot. All the way to the to the last page I couldn't put it down at times I didn't want to stop till I got to the end. Thank You again.

I was so excited to read this latest book by Leslie Meier "Mother of the Bride Murder", especially since we are all getting into the bridal season with showers and rehearsals and invitations.

I have read every single one of the Lucy Stone series and they have given me (and my mom) hours of fun entertainment.

I loved Tinkers Cove and the local newspaper crowd, the seasonal parties and hearing about the family life with normal daily problems. Shopping at the IGA, cooking dinner, newspaper deadlines, and the problems with growing children and pets.

Sadly when the family heads off to France for daughter Elizabeth's fancy wedding, the trouble begins and boils up when a dead female is discovered in a moat at the Chateau. Of course, it has some intertaining moments but I truly missed the small town atmosphere of Tinkers Cove, Maine. (I was raised in Metro city)

It is still a Must-Read in my book, find out for yourself how this murder has piqued Lucy's interest, how it winds around uncovering the culprit.

Thank you for letting me read this book in advance and it will also be posted on Goodreads.

ENJOY!

I will rate this book a 4.5 as I truly missed the story being in a more home town setting.

Mother of the Bride Murder is the twenty-nineth book in the Lucy Stone series. This is the first book I have read in the series.

Lucy is a wife, mother of four children and one grandson, reporter and friend, who lives in the small town of Tinker's Cove, Maine.

Lucy's oldest daughter Elizabeth lives in France, and makes a call to her mother with surprising, but good news. She is engaged and the wedding will be in France at her fiancé's chateau. Lucy is very happy about the upcoming marriage and shares the news with the family. None are in a position to cover the costs so Lucy says they will help them get to the wedding.

After arriving at the chateau, Lucy is hesitant about this marriage, but she wants Elizabeth to be happy. Trying to adjust to the customs in France they do their best to fit in.

Lucy's son Toby and grandson Patrick go off fishing, but somehow Patrick manages to catch a dead body from the moat. This is only the beginning of strange things that happen at the Chateau, and Lucy is determined to solve the mystery.

This was a fun afternoon cozy mystery. Lucy's family is very relatable with all their quirks and squabbles. As is normal weddings don't always bring out the best in people which leads to an entertaining story.

Lucy’s daughter Elizabeth is engaged and is getting married in France. Lucy convinces the entire family to travel to the wedding. Elizabeth’s in-laws- to-be are hosting the entire family in their countryside home where the wedding and reception will take place.

Things slowly take an unpleasant turn when the body of a young woman is found in the moat on the property. Amd just when things couldn’t get worse, the wedding is put on hold when a gunman takes a shot in the chapel. Lucy and the family find themselves help plan a chariot race at the château and look for a dangerous criminal.

I have read every book in the series and recommend this latest book. The last few books in the series have included some type of political statement and this one does as well. The characters are well developed, but I’ve “known” them for years. This setting is described nicely and easy to picture. The plot moves at a steady pace and was engaging.

A wild and crazy adventure that only Lucy and her family could manage to have in France trying to attend her daughter's wedding. Lots of crazy stuff happened, secrets were found out and just as Lucy wondered if this wedding was ever gonna get off the ground, something else happened to rock their world...

I can't tell about too much or it'd give everything away, but it was pretty exciting in parts and actually fun to see the whole family back together...and the adult kids sometimes bickering just like when they were little kids, lol. Some things never change, but the love they all have for each other was the most important thing that never changed. This latest installment comes out next Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I have read every book of the Lucy Stone series and always look forward to the next book.
Lucy is a wife, mother, reporter and friend, who lives in the tiny town of Tinker's Cove, Maine.
Lucy has 4 grown children and a young grandson. When Lucy's oldest daughter, who lives in France, calls to announces that she's getting married, Lucy sees it has the perfect opportunity for a family reunion.
From the minute they arrive, Lucy has an uneasy feeling. Days before the wedding, her grandson, finds a dead body in water. Then the groom is shot has her daughter is walking down the isle. Now Lucy is determined to get to the bottom of things and protect her family.

3.5 Stars rounded up
Lucy Stone's daughter Elizabeth is engaged to a Frenchman whose family owns a chateau/hotel. The family goes to France for the wedding. When a young woman's dead body is found in the moat. Then as the wedding is about to begin. Jean Luc is shot. The family's passports are detained until the mystery is solved.

This is the 29th book in the series and technically my first. I was able to read it as a standalone. This was a different "mystery". There really were no clues. No finding of the killer. Just some family drama and a couple of murders.

Mother of the Bride Murder is the latest installment to the Lucy Stone series. I have read every Lucy Stone novels. I have enjoyed reading how the author has shown her family growing and changing. Lucy, however, stays the same in her sleuthing adventures. In this book, her oldest daughter calls with the shocking but wonderful news of her wedding. With her family spread out so far, Lucy is ecstatic that everyone is able to travel to France for the ceremony. Everything goes downhill from there. When a murder occurs at the estate of her daughter's future in-laws, the family is trapped in France until all is solved. Will they ever be able to return to the United States? I was slightly disappointed in the novel. I really enjoy when Lucy is allowed to do her usual poking and sleuthing in the mystery. I look forward to the next novel and hope that Lucy will be back to herself. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

I have read almost all in this series and I always look forward to a new release! This was not one of my favorites as I don't always love when characters travel outside of there own small towns but this was still enjoyable and good mystery.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this book

I adore this series, I always get so excited when I read the new lucy stone mysteries and this one did not disappoint at all. I always love the situations Lucy always finds herself in despite her husband and son told her not to investigate of course she does even though they are in France for her oldest daughter's wedding reporter Lucy never hangs up her hat even on vacation. I also love the fact that this one included her whole family in another country and more than one death. I love Leslie Meiers's writing and how she always gives brief descriptions of who each person is and how they're related. These books bring me so much joy and I have so much fun trying to figure out who the victim will be and also who the murderer is even though I have not been able to guess yet.

Take an unusual trip to France to be entertained. I have read only a couple of the previous ones in this series, so not truly familiar with any the characters. No problem. A little repetitive, but still quite enjoyable. I did keep expecting the mother of the bride to be murdered due to the title, but spoiler alert, that does not happen as she is the protagonist of this series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Another great entry into this series! I love the characters and by now they feel like friends. I love reading what they are up to and how their lives are going. The mystery was good and it kept me guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next one!

A wedding and an idyllic location in France provide the setting for this novel. It is an easy read and different in that instead of the usual murder and 'who-done-it' plot, this story offers a mystery, as well as an unexpected chain of events, including a murder, attempted murder, a kidnapping and attempted suicide! Not to mention the wedding day which went off with a bang!
An American family become embroiled in the problems of the chàteau, the home of their daughter' s prospective in-laws. Undercurrents of tension abound as all is not what it seems. The reader is kept gripped as secrets begin to surface and lives become threatened. A further romantic interest provides a distraction, as the former boyfriend and security man is on hand to provide support for the family.
With an unexpected revelation the plot moves swiftly towards a satisfactory outcome. This enjoyable story would appeal to women of all ages, with its themes of love, marriage, mothers and daughters. I have enjoyed reading and reviewing Mother of the Bride Murder.

I have read several, but not all, of the books in this series. I have enjoyed some more than others, but thought I'd really like one with a wedding at the center of the story. Unfortunately, the book isn't as fun as I thought it would be. It was interesting learning about the French setting, but I missed Tinker's Cove with Lucy working on assignments for the local newspaper. There wasn't a lot of investigating at all and much of the book was a family drama. There was plenty of that, but I was hoping for a more light-hearted, cozy mystery. There are entertaining moments in the book, but especially compared to the last couple of installments of the series, this one was disappointing for me and I rated it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy of this ebook. I received it at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Mother of the Bride Murder is the 29th book in the popular Lucy Stone cozy mystery series by Leslie Meier. This time the entire Stone family is in France to attend Lucy’s oldest daughter Elizabeth’s wedding in her fiancé’s family Chateau. What should be a trip of a lifetime with the Stone clan all in attendance quickly turns into a nightmare when a body is found in a moat.

What I liked about the book:
-feel that I know Lucy and the rest of the family so well since I have read the entire series, and my own family has grown up with hers
-the descriptive details of France, the countryside and Chateau
- imperfect families with past squabbles and hurts
- amateur sleuth aspect as well as fish out of water when visiting a foreign country

What I didn’t like about the book:
-took a long time before the murder unfolded
-stilted and unrealistic dialogue
-could not relate to Toby and Molly’s extremist views and child rearing
-lacking of its normal small town charm of Tinker Cove when set in France
-more on family dynamics than the murder
My (reluctant) rating: 2 ½ stars out of 5

My final takeaway: As a longtime fan of the Lucy Stone series, I was quite disappointed with this latest offering. Unfortunately, it has lost its cozy Tinker Cove charm, and Lucy came across less as mystery solving Jessica Fletcher and more of a nagging, over wrought mother. Perhaps the series has run its course or it could continue focusing on the small town murders of Maine.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies for this eARC.

Know in advance this is a bit different from other installments in the series because it's set in France, not Tinker's Cove and that it's focused as much on family dynamics as it is on solving a murder. Lucy's daughter Elizabeth is marrying Jean-Luc, a very wealthy Frenchman whose parents Marie and Hugo are well, not very nice to Lucy. And they aren't very communicative either, especially after a body is found in the moat which surrounds their chateau. Lucy is a fish out of water here- she can't really work the way she usually does to investigate (it's France after all) and has to take a back seat. I appreciate that Meier has worked to freshen things up but I did miss Tinker's Cove. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

Lucy Stone is my original cozy mystery heroine, and she has not lost her touch in Mother of the Bride Murder. Equal parts wife, mom, reporter, and sleuth, Lucy has a nose for detecting and when a body pops up in the lake right before her daughter's French wedding, Lucy is on the case! It was really nice to see the entire Stone clan together in this story, and I hope author Leslie Meier and Lucy have many, many more adventures in store! A+