Release Date: February 7, 2023

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Rayne has very high expectations for her 30th year of life. She’s on top of the world as the owner of modern lace, her business partner is also her boyfriend (and hopefully soon more). Her entire world comes crashing down when her boyfriend/business partner disappears along with her life savings and most of the dresses she spent months designing. To top it all off her uncle Nevin died and she inherited his destitute castle and village. Rayne meets a cousin she didn’t know about and the two of them set to work to figure out how and why Nevin was killed. With the fate of the castle and the town in her hands, can Rayne fix her life and sew up a murder?

I loved this book! I listened to the audio version read by @traciodomvoiceartist and was instantly swept to the lush green Emerald Isle. The town of Grafton is a spectacular setting for a cozy mystery series! The town and the castle have so many colorful characters that I am truly invested in! The only reason for the 4/5 is that the ending was way too fast. I wish the author had had a slower build up. That being said, I can’t wait till the next book!!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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I listened to this book on audio which can color my opinions and reactions.

Pros:

The narrator was very good and made the story lively. It was almost like sitting down to hear all the news a friend has to share while they have stuff happening in their life.

I really appreciate that while the cousins don’t agree on everything they are learning to work together and that the author didn’t fully change one to match the other. Both are individuals with their thoughts and feelings and they bring different knowledge and strengths to the table.

Cons:

I want to know more about the business being set up and how the rest of the year goes for the cousins. I want to see Kira in one of the handmade wedding dresses. I did see that this is book one so I hope the author continues on. I need to see the movie star in Ireland helping out…I just need more!

This is a charming cozy mystery, and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook because the narrator did a wonderful job with a variety of accents. I found that I was easily able to envision the setting in an Irish village, and I loved the adorable dog who plays a significant role in the story. There were a few things that I didn’t love, however, and the principal one is the characterization of the main characters, Rayne and her new-found cousin Ciara. I understand that the author was attempting to set these two very different women at odds—the country mouse and the city mouse (to use a phrase employed in the book)—but I found it overdone. In the first half of the book they bicker constantly and are presented in an overly stereotypical manner; I found this grating. I kept muttering to myself that if they would only speak to each other honestly they would understand each other better! Their relationship did improve as the book went on and that made a big difference. By the end I found myself more invested in the story, and if this is indeed the start of a series I would read the next book—there are definitely some loose threads at the end that seem ripe for a sequel. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review Murder at an Irish Castle.

Published: 02/07/23

The cover is pretty.

I had the audiobook and liked the narrator. She was the best part for me.

The story is far-fetched. I had several issues: I didn't like the characters, not even a little bit. Then there is the issue of the murder. The characters were too simple for this tricky murder solution. Finally, the extreme condition applied to the main character to collect an inheritance was just ridiculous and cartoonish.

It took several days for me to finish. I was taken aback when an F bomb was dropped. (This is a new series, and some authors are bringing down the cozy safety of no swearing.)

Cozy mysteries are all over the board, what works for me, doesn't work for someone else. While this was a big miss for me, it could make your day.

Two stars -- based on the above, and I was bored throughout.

A great murder mystery in a Irish Castle and Village.
Rayne a bridal designer and shop owner was expecting a lobster dinner and ring for her birthday but except
she had her business close her gowns all her money stolen by her boyfriend.
She Inherited a Itish castle with some simpulations.
She has a year to turn into a profitable castle or loose all the inheritance.
Great Irish characters,mustery,twists,drama,humor.
Enjoy listening to.
Good narration.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed the story and the murder kept me guessing. I liked the narrator.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delicious Irish mystery that had me laughing out loud few times. The ending was unpredictable. This was my first novel by Ellie Brannigan, and it won't be my last. The narrator did a stellar job. I loved her Irish accent. The audiobook was given to me by Netgalley and Dreamscape audio, but I was not required to provide a good review. I rate this 41/2 star

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in an old castle in Ireland. The heroine of our story inherits an Irish castle unexpectedly, especially since there appears to be another heir living in Ireland already. I loved the setting, and the action was really good. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.

I did not enjoy the mystery or the majority of characters especially the main one. I did like the narration. Thank you m#NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn’t a fan of the main character for most of the book but I loved how her character evolved. Am interested in seeing how the story continues in the next books.

3.5 rounded down
An absurd sequence of events placed the MC in the plot of this novel. She is 30 years old with a bridal boutique on Rodeo Drive. Her mother is a TV star. Her boyfriend/business partner/investor ran off with all of the money in the business acct. Her uncle, who happens to be an Irish earl, died and left her the castle instead of his own daughter. She goes to Ireland and finds out there is a ridiculous clause in the will that she has to stay in Ireland for 1 year. If that isn't enough, the uncle was apparently murdered.
This is a cozy mystery, and those are known for their absurd circumstances, but this is probably the longest, craziest line up I have personally read. Two stories ensue: saving the castle and solving the murder. The murder got lost in the first one. By the time the culprit was revealed, I had forgotten who that character was.
I read this book (rather listened to the audio) because I am interested in how the bridal business is represented in fiction. I guess that part was okay.

This was a fun cozy mystery/ romcom about an LA/ Hollywood wedding dress designer who wakes up on her 30th birthday to realize she has lost her fiancé and her business because her fiancé cleaned her and the business out and left … on top of that she learns her uncle, her deceased father’s brother, back in Ireland has died and his will requires her to come back to Ireland. She stands inherit an Irish castle or manor house, but only if she stays for a year and manages to turn the estate profitable. She arrives in Ireland to find she has a cousin she didn’t know about, and they‘ll somehow have to make things work together. The thing they agree on is that there’s something suspicious about her uncle’s death. Aside from the mystery there is the business side of having but also running an old estate and everything that comes with it very well described and apart from being a total relaxation read for me (cozy mysteries are comfort food for my brain) this book was travel by book in the best possible sense as well. The characters are well fleshed out and make sense as people, there’s a cute dog and laugh out loud moments and the story has you guessing until the very end. Definitely worth the read.

I listened to the audio and loved the Irish accent - full immersion travel by book !

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance audio in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars Murder at an Irish Castle follows the story of Rayne as she is dumped and duped by her boyfriend and partner in Los Angeles, and then suddenly has to travel to Ireland due to her Uncle’s death. As his only remaining legitimate relative, Rayne has to completely change her life plan in order to fulfill her uncle’s wishes in his will. She is forced to work with her cousin, Keira, who has a completely different viewpoint of how the castle should operate. It was interesting to see Rayne and Keira learn to work together on their shared inheritance, even though both had completely different experiences with the castle throughout their life. The modern Irish setting was so fun to learn about and seeing it juxtaposed with Rayne’s Hollywood lifestyle made it even more interesting to listen to. I listened to the audiobook, and the accents added even more intrigue to my audio experience.

Content Considerations: Rayne’s mom consults tarot cards as she seeks to give her advice. Not my favorite element of the book, but I didn’t feel that it added any dark elements to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are expressly my own.

I really enjoyed this book and hope for more in the series! I listened to the audiobook, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Posh wedding dress designer Rayne McGrath's life implodes on her thirtieth birthday. Her fiancée absconds with her savings, everything in her shop, and disappears. On the same day, Rayne discovers that her beloved Irish uncle Nevin has passed away and his solicitor is requesting her presence at the reading of the will.

With a loan from her mother, Rayne embarks on her journey to Ireland and discovers she inherited her family's castle and discovers the existence of a previously unknown cousin. The stipulation of the will is that Rayne and her cousin Ciara must remain on the property for a year and turn a profit at year's end.

I thought this book was really fun to read, although at times Ciara's bad attitude toward Rayne got to be a little much. I kept thinking that I'd give a little more of the bad attitude back to Ciara, but maybe that's just me.

The liked the story development and the numerous suspects. The mystery was not easily solved within the first few chapters, and I liked that it took some time to actually find out that Uncle Nevin 's "accident' was no accident at all. I began to suspect the murderer as the story went on, but there were other characters who could have easily been the culprit - so that was fun!

I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes they'd inherit an Irish castle or anyone who loves a good cozy mystery! I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion from the publishers and #NetGalley.

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
Irish Castle Mystery #1
Ellie Brannigan
Rayne McGrath had it all: talent, a handsome fiancé, a famous loving mother, and her bridal business was growing. She worked hard to make the business a success. However, on her thirtieth birthday everything went wrong. Her fiancé emptied her bank account of over $100,000, stole four original wedding dresses she was working on, and She was devasted over her “fiancé" he played her for a fool and took everything. She didn’t have the money to start over or to pay her rent.
she received word her Uncle Nevin, her father’s brother had died. She loved Uncle Nevin but hadn’t been to Ireland to see him in years. When she arrived for the reading of the will, she discovered she had inherited the family castle with several stipulations. Rayne has to live in the castle for one year, the castle must be in better shape financially by the end of that year, and she must work with her “new” hot headed cousin Ciara. She was responsible for not only the castle but the surrounding community. She wasn’t interested in living in Ireland, after all she has brides that will need their wedding gowns; her reputation was on the line. Then it dawned on her that she had lost everything in Los Angeles, she had nothing to return to. Ciara suspected her father, Nevin, was murdered.
What a lovely, squeaky-clean mystery. I was fascinated listening to the audio book, the narrator, Track Odom, did a great job, her voice complimented the story. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Blarney the puppy. Author Ellie Brannigan kept me guessing who “dun it,” I never suspected the culprit. I love the idea Rayne came up with to make the castle more solvent. Long before she suggested it I kept thinking a wedding venue. I hope this series is around a long time and look forward to book 2.

Murder at an Irish Castle by Ellie Brannigan was the cutest cozy mystery.

The tale begins with the protagonist, Rayne McGrath’s unfortunate world crumbling down around her, as her partner in business and life vanishes without any word. Coincidentally, Rayne is summoned to Ireland for the reading of her recently deceased uncle’s will. Since she is at a loss of the best course of action to take because of her recent jilting, she goes ahead and flies to Ireland, where her uncle’s solicitor tells her that she has inherited his castle, but that she cannot leave it for a year, or she will forfeit her claim to it.

Rayne begins to settle in and meet everyone in the quaint village and grounds. It is slowly revealed that something was not quite right about the “accident” that took her uncle from this earth.

All the while that she is sleuthing and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of her uncle’s death, Rayne must make good on her outstanding bridal gown orders, even from across the pond. As a fellow couturiere, I felt a unique kinship and understanding of Rayne’s discussion of bridal gowns and the equipment needed to construct a bride’s dream dress.

This is a great start to an excellent new series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audio copy!!

Murder at an Irish Castle was a quick cozy listen that transported me to the Irish family castle and had me following around the cast for a few days while they tried to figure out what happened to their uncle/father who died suspiciously in a tractor accident.
I thought the author developed the characters and the surroundings well but the story line itself meandered all over the place and lacked any real mystery! The main plot of the story was more about the MC losing everything and unexpectedly inheriting a failing estate that she needs to save and starting her life over again. I was hoping for a bit more mystery and suspense from the book title and description.
I received a copy of this audiobook from #netgalley and #dreamscapemedia for an honest review.

Awesome book just got back from Ireland myself. It describes the castles perfectly and keeps you guessing.

I really enjoyed this new series. I liked the narrator and doesn't always happen when accents are involved. The main character has to make a major life change when her uncle dies. After moving to another country, she has to figure out how to make a living in this new country and to find out what really happened with her former boyfriend and her uncle. This series looks interesting and I look forward to seeing what happens next.