I am a sucker for cozy mysteries; this one was new to me, author!
Rayne seems to be living the dream of living in LA and making high-end scale wedding dresses; however, that dream comes crashing down. She is without a fiance and is broke. Then she has the phone call no one wants to hear. She has to go to Ireland because her uncle had an accident and he died. While Ireland and the people in Ireland seemed to be in her rearview mirror, now she must see people she has not seen or interacted with since she was a kid.
Now she firmly believes that a murder occurred at the hospital, and she has a mystery to solve. I enjoyed the castle and hoped to see more of the castle in future books.
This is an excellent cozy mystery, and the characters are fun!
I listened to the audiobook and liked hearing the names instead of guessing how to pronounce them. The narrator did a fantastic job; I can't recommend it enough! I am excited to read more from this series, and I hope the MC will get to renovate the castle; that would be awesome!
Thank you, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley, for the exciting adventure and mystery!

Murder at an Irish Castle is such a fun, cozy mystery! I hope we get more of the same from new author Ellie Brannigan.

Brannigan really sets the stage in this colorful tale. Between the historic castle and the charming rural folks, Rayne's penchant for fashion and personal grooming, and the tiff between Rayne and her cousin, I was charmed by the way this story unfolded.

Traci Odom delivers a wonderful performance in the audio edition of Murder at an Irish Castle. Flowing between all the different Irish accents as well as Rayne's American one, I was impressed with Odom's skill as a narrator. Nicely done.

Great series starter, excellent narrator, and left me wanting more in addition to some lemon shortbread. This is a new twist on the SoCal city mouse meets the Irish country mouse to solve a murder.
This cozy starts with the worst birthday, EVER! Poor Rayne McGrath, just turned 30 and within 24 hours is hit with a one-two punch as she learns that her partner/boyfriend/maybe fiancé has stolen her business (literally), emptied the bank account and disappeared. On top of all that Rayne learns that her Uncle, the brother of her beloved but deceased Dad, has passed away and her presence is requested in Ireland for the reading of the will. How can she possibly leave when her life is in chaos? Rayne’s TV star mom, encourages her to take some time and pay her respects, after all she hadn’t been to Ireland since right before her father passed away and it would be good to go. Rayne learns that she is now the Lady of the Manor, has a newly discovered cousin Ciara, and a town and farm that is in debt. Rayne gets the manor and all that entails while Ciara, gets to be the manager of the estate (no hard feelings there, right) and they have one year to get things in the black. What does a posh, hoity-toity, wedding dress designer know about running an estate that the entire town relies on and looks to for support? Not to mention that Uncle Nevin might not have just died of a heart condition. Ciara believes that the death is natural is completely rawmaish (not true) and there are plenty of suspects to question. The only person who couldn’t have possibly been involved was Rayne. Cousin Ciara is none too shy in expressing her thoughts about how much useful, Jimmy Choo wearing, Rayne is going to be. Rayne isn’t sure herself but you can just feel her determination leap from the pages. Beverly Hills Bridal Boutique owner to Lady of the Manor, and boy does she have some ideas that just might save the day and with the help of her cousin, they just might solve the crime. I am definitely looking forward to the next Irish Castle Mystery.

I really enjoyed this light mystery and hope to continue in the series. My rating 4.25.

Rayne is a Rodeo Drive bridalwear designer and business owner. She is eager to celebrate her 30th birthday with her partner, along with a possible loan for business growth, and maybe even an engagement ring. Instead, she ends up without a fiancé and without inventory. Flat broke she is off to Ireland (tickets paid by her mother) to respond to a lawyer's call that her uncle has died, and she is to appear for the reading of the Will. Rayne is surprised to learn that she has inherited the declining family castle, with its handful of employees and surrounding village to care for. More alarmingly, she has to stay for a year and turn the castle into a profitable endeavor. And this has to be done with her newly met and very bitter and antagonistic cousin, Ciara, as manager.

As though Rayne doesn’t have enough to digest and deal with, Ciara, an illegitimate daughter, is convinced that her father was murdered rather than dying in a tractor accident. Rayne begins to juggle the issues of a deteriorating castle and needs to locate her Uncle’s bookkeeping records to find out the true state of affairs. It isn’t pretty. But it also leads to s mysterious list that makes her agree with Ciara that her Uncle was murdered. Now the at-odds cousins need to work together to figure out who had motive and opportunity. Lucky for Rayne, her Uncle’s young, untrained dog has some clues to share.

I enjoyed the mix of distinct characters, and the quiet persistence Rayne employs to face the problems before her. The local detective seems to be one step behind but Rayne uncovers the clues bit by bit. I picked this story for the dog on the cover, the castle and Irish setting. I was totally satisfied by the mystery with its twists and turns. I do hope there will be more in the series. I recommend this to fans of easy mystery.

Audio Notes: Traci Odom does a fine job with the narration. I liked her voices for the different characters and she carried the tone and energy of the book. The narration added to my enjoyment of the story.

Source: Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was a delightful trip to an old Irish Castle. If Downton Abbey was set in modern times and involved solving a murder, this would be it. The cast of characters is fun and diverse, and the mystery is cozy.

I hope that this becomes a series, because the town and the new business could set up for all sorts of possibilities.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

When Rayne McGrath wakes up on the morning of her 30th birthday, she expects to spend the day courting investors for her Rodeo Drive bridal shop, ending with dinner with her boyfriend hopefully popping the question. Instead, she finds her boyfriend has run off with all the assets of her shop, then receives an astonishing phone call: her Irish uncle has died. Upon arriving in Ireland for the funeral, she discovers that she has inherited his castle, but his will comes with stipulations. She must live in Ireland for a year and turn the castle’s finances around to avoid the town falling into financial ruin. There are also rumors that her uncle’s death wasn’t an accident, but rather murder.

Despite the murder being part of the title of this book, it was more of a tertiary plot point, behind Rayne getting to know the residents of her new home <spoiler>(including a cousin she never knew she had)</spoiler>, figuring out how to keep the castle financially viable, and resolving the issue of her boyfriend almost destroying her business back in L.A. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters in the book; many of them seemed like caricatures rather than actual people. This is the first book of a new series, and I don’t think I will be continuing the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I was very excited to read this book as it had all the potential of what I enjoy. Cozy, Irish setting, murder, a castle!!! But it fell short oftentimes. I actually forgot it was about a murder even though that word is in the title. I would have liked meeting more of the local people too. Sort of fell flat with this one.

Murder at an Irish Castle is about a young lady who thinks she is on the brink of her new life when it is all yanked unceremoniously out from under her. instead, she is broke and alone. When her uncle dies, leaving her his old castle in Ireland, she decides to see what happens, agreeing to stay with her cousin and try to make a go of things. However, her uncle seems to have died by mysterious means, and she and her cousin set out to find out how. This was a cute story, but it was hard for me to stay invested in it. Thanks for the audiobook listen from NetGalley and the publisher.

In this quaint new series you'll find a cast of well-developed characters. Fans of Carlene O'Connor mysteries will rejoice when they read "Murder at an Irish Castle".

Rayne McGrath heads to Ireland where she discovers an inherited run-down castle. If she doesn't turn the castle around, the entire town will bee destroyed financially. She learns that the death of her uncle might not have been an accident, and as she digs in, she realizes her own life might be in danger.

The quirky location in an old Irish village comes alive through the audio book narration, and this book will bring a little romance and a little cozy mystery!

I absolutely loved this one. It was a little different from other cozies, but I fell in love with all the characters. I can't wait for there to be more books in this series. And I especially loved the audio and all the different accents, it really leant itself to the story and I think it's a great way to experience this book. I'm excited for what's to come from this author.

This book was entertaining and I enjoyed all the characters with the exception of the childish brat Kera. She was just so annoying I really wanted to give her a kick in the butt. I am interested in reading sequels to see where the wedding venue and wedding dress business takes off.

Thanks to #NetGalley for a chance to listen to this book, I tried as hard as I could, but could not finish. It really sounded like it had a lot going for it, Irish Castle, the whole person out of their regular world, a cute dog but it just didn't work for me. The whole set up, Rayne is supposed to be smart but honestly, she is either incredibly naive or not too bright to be taken in so badly. Then the next day going to Ireland to inherit a castle, I don't know how her newly discovered cousin Ciara could be anymore rude and obnoxious. The snipping and arguing is never ending and why she decides to stay really makes no sense, even though her mother read " the cards". Just too much and over the top. Maybe a few of the Irish natives could save this story but they just don't get a chance with all the noise! Also not a hugh fan of the narrator.

I received this book for free for an honest review. This book was so sweet and amazing setting. A wonderful book to excape in for sure.

Murder at an Irish Castle, part of author Ellie Brannigan’s Irish Castle series, is a standalone story of California girl Rayne McGrath and how she becomes the lady of the Manor upon her Uncle Nevin’s death. After being wiped out financially by her no good boyfriend, Rayne learn’s of her uncle’s death and the necessity of her presence at the reading of the will as well as the funeral, both of which will occur in the village in Ireland where her uncle lived. Although the timing with her own ongoing police investigation is undesirable, it is now necessary for Rayne to travel to Ireland to be a part of finding out what became of her uncle.

The current manor staff and one very disgruntled cousin, Kiera, seem to hold no malice towards Nevin. Although Rayne and Kiera are very different, their hearts are very much in the same place. With a bit of coaching from the staff and learning about the grounds and the village that depend upon the manor, Rayne discovers the importance of all she has inherited. While the LA police untangle Rayne’s own legal crisis, Rayne and Kiera join forces to discover the real cause of Nevin McGrath’s untimely death as well as ways to help the village survive financially.

This is an interesting, well woven mystery with colorful characters and a lush landscape. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it. Although it is the first of the series I have read, it will not be the last.

This was a good mystery and family reuniting book. I like the way the author brought the mystery daughter in to the family at the end of the book and how they all worked together in the end to solve the murder. I also like that Rayne put her big city plans aside to see the bigger picture and the way her issues in the city turned out was super cool as well. Over all a good young adult murder mystery.

Murder at an Irish Castle is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Ellie Brannigan. Rayne McGrath has a successful wedding dress business featuring her own creations with her boyfriend and partner. Everything seems perfect until her thirtieth birthday, when her boyfriend, her money and her dresses all disappear. As if this is not enough, Rayne receives notification that her uncle has passed away, and she is urged to fly to Ireland to hear the reading of his will. Her arrival is not well-received and the will is contentious at best. When her uncle’s death is ruled as suspicious, Rayne begins to investigate and not only solve this mystery, but save the castle as well!

This is a highly atmospheric novel with a decidedly cozy, small town setting. It’s filled with interesting and well-researched facts about castles and Irish estates. The mystery was a bit bland and really secondary to the women’s fiction aspect of the novel. I found some of the characters to be highly annoying and frustrating, though they demonstrated a significant amount of growth throughout the story.

Traci Odom narrated the audio-version of this story and she does a really nice job, particularly with the American voices. The Irish accents seemed authentic, if not higher pitched, and they helped set the mood and tone of the story. Overall, this was a decently enjoyable cozy, if not my favorite, but definitely one that may improve over time.

This was a cute cozy mystery. I enjoyed listening to it and getting to know the characters. I am going to check out more of this author's books in the future.

#MurderatanIrishCastle
#NetGalley

"Expectations will get you every time."

Rayne McGrath has many expectations on her 30th birthday but one of them definitely wasn't Murder At An Irish Castle by renown cozy mystery author (Traci Hall writing as) Elle Brannigan.

Her day starts with her Rodeo Drive bridal dress shop broken into, her fiance missing, her bank account drained and news that her Uncle Nevin has died and left her his run down Castle in an Irish town so small they don't even have internet.

Flying to Ireland Rayne has to deal with the fact that her fiancee has stolen from her and unlike others who have left her, "...this was someone she loved choosing to leave her."

Rayne wants nothing to do with the castle but realizes that without it this quaint town and its quirky people that time forgot will cease to exist.

It was a treat to listen to narrator Traci Odom tell this story with various lilting Irish accents. Whether she was Ciara, angry and hurt that the castle wasn't left to her, or the elderly house manager who doesn't want to lose the only home she's ever known, her voice was pure gold.

As Rayne realizes something's off about Uncle Nevin's death she starts her own investigation. I felt that though there was a murder to solve the real journey was Rayne going from a somewhat spoiled brat to a caring sympathetic leader who rallies a town to get to the truth and save her family legacy. The poetic descriptions of the land, the castle and the townspeople gave me All Creatures Great and Small vibes. It was like The Waltons in Ireland. Then there is the cuddly, protective, smart red setter Blarney who gave me all the feels. I definitely could see this as a PBS series. It's a perfect audiobook to listen to on the way to your St. Patrick's Day parade.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is another in a string of cozy murders where the murder feels superfluous and the book probably should have been written as a romance. There is A LOT going on for the main character, and the murder just felt unnecessary not like it added anything to everything else going on. I would have rather spent more time on the characters and their developing relationships, and the village coming together to save their castle and livelihoods. The "big plan" that they start working on at the end of the book would have made for a very enjoyable main plot of the story.
Will I read more in the series if there are more? Maybe? I really liked the parts that I liked, but the murder mystery was so inconsequential to the story over all that I would much rather read this as a romance series. I won't avoid future books, but I likely won't seek them out either.

Murder at an Irish Castle is a cozy mystery with romance. I really enjoyed the information about Ireland described in the book since I have never been there. The way a family can be considered responsible for a town for hundreds of years was really interesting. The descriptions of the beauty of LA and Ireland were described in detail.
The characters are well developed and interesting. There are many different story lines going on at the same time between characters. The reason I was drawn to this mystery was the dog on the cover and that part of the story is very cute.
I listened to this audiobook and the narrator did an awesome job of making you feel like you were listening to an Irish person tell the story in Ireland. This is a series and I look forward to the next book.