This is an entertaining cozy mystery. The characters are well written, allowing each unique personality and voice to shine through. The family dynamics have an integral role in the storyline. The retro vinyl record shop that the three sisters own is unique and the music themed names for the coffee drinks they serve adds a cute touch. The mystery was interesting, well paced and offered plenty of suspects as the potential murderer. The biggest downside for me in the series so far is the dreaded love triangle. I’m just not a fan of those as a story arc.

Loved returning to this cozy coffee shop-slash-record store setting. Perfect for the resurgence in vinyls and very comforting. Also learning a lot about Texas and my misconceptions about it.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC of A Fatal Groove! All opinions in this review are my own.

A Fatal Groove was on track to be a good mystery. The victim dies in the first 50 pages and I figured the rest of the time would be spent solving his murder. Except for the last 100 pages, the focus is instead on the love triangle Juni finds herself in between Teddy and Beau. The mystery is the focus again towards the end of the book but by that point the reveal feels rushed and not as connected as it should be.

Love the cover, what fun! The mayor dies on the same day as the town has a festival. Tansy poured coffee for him. Now she is suspect. Juni can't allow that so she gets involved in figuring out who killed him. A good story. I do like the coffee and record story. The characters are interesting.

Book number two was just as fun as book number one, The characters are still just as great. To be fair I’m even more Teddy now. I don’t know why Beau rubs me the wrong way, but he does. I love the sisters, and the quirky towns people. Although it does seem like a lot of murders lately, I’m not not sure I would want to move there with that high death rate.

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

A Fatal Groove is the second book in the Record Shop Mystery series where Juni and her sisters own and operate Sip n Spin records, a fun place to get a coffee and buy records in the small Texas town of Cedar River. This book involves the murder of the town mayor, blue bonnets, and a long ago unsolved bank robbery. I liked it a lot! Very enjoyable and unique cozy series. Lots of fun with likable characters and I absolutely did not guess the killer in advance. I will continue with this series for sure.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The residents of Cedar River, Texas have all turned out for the annual Bluebonnet Festival, and this year, Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie, owners of the recently opened Sip & Spin Records, are in charge of the DJ booth where they are also selling coffee. Things are grooving nicely until Tansy finds Mayor Bob dead—murdered—in his office, and the coffee Tansy brewed was determined to be laced with poison.

Juni and her sisters start their own investigation to determine the real killer and exonerate Tansy despite the warning from Detective Beau Russell, Juni’s ex, not to interfere. When family is at stake, though, Juni will do anything to protect them.

This is a fun series since Juni is a likable and sympathetic protagonist. I love that there is a diverse cast of characters and all of the music references. In this book, Juni and her sisters confront several possible suspects, including Tansy’s long-time rival and their mother’s new boyfriend. Motives become even more twisted when it appears the murder may have a connection to a 1956 bank robbery. I also liked the ending which hit a very satisfying note!

Music.Music.Music.
I adore this series. Even though my own music knowledge is far less than Juni's, I grew up surrounded by fabulous sounds my entire life and and always have been a fan of vinyl. Thus the whole concept of the store seems absolutely logical to me. The fact that people are dying to be there takes things to the next level.
Written with a very light touch and wonderful sense of humor, these stories keep me fully entertained and have me paying attention to the details--just exactly what one wants in a cozy mystery. I am already awaiting the next one!

This is the second installment in the Record Shop mystery series. Juni and her sisters have opened Sip and Spin a vinyl record and coffee shop. Cedar River is having the annual Bluebonnet festival and Sip and Spin has a booth selling coffee. On day one, as Tansy and Juni are setting up long-time Mayor Bob arrives for a coffee but would prefer more of a selection like at the shop, however, as they explain they can only do so much during such for large crowds. The mayor leaves with a coffee and heads to city hall. Juni forgot something at the shop, so after she picks up the stickers for the cups she stops by city hall with a specialty coffee only to find Mayor Bob dead in his office. Since he was drinking a coffee brewed by Tansy she becomes the top suspect and many in the town are more than willing to believe this. Juni and her sisters begin to investigate and when an age old mystery of a bank robbery potentially comes into play it proves to be a very entertaining mystery. I do enjoy how Juni and her sisters work together and are there for each other. I think Juni has a good approach and eye for these things without being too over the top. I don’t like the love triangle. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. Good mystery with strong characters and looking forward to the next installment.

I love love loved this cozy mystery! Definitely going to go and buy a physical copy! Highly recommend to anyone who loves cozy mysteries!

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite cozy series. The Jessup sisters are on the case again when the mayor suddenly drops dead and Tansy is the number one suspect. Obviously Juni can't let Tansy take the fall when she's innocent, so she takes on the case. I love the sisters and the townspeople, and the love triangle is heating up. I can't wait for the next in the series!

The second Record Shop mystery has everything I love about cozies, even a little bit of crafting. Along with her sisters, Juni Jessup runs Sip and Spin Records in the same space where her grandparents once owned a record shop. When the local mayor dies just after finishing a cup of their coffee, its definitely bad for business. Mayor Bob wasn't a great mayor, but no one seemed to dislike him. Between the murder investigation and the local Bluebonnet Festival, Juni barely has time to catch her breath. I found myself vicariously enjoying the food trucks and music and history of the fictional town, not to mention the annual hole digging competition. The mystery itself is engaging and complex. Happily, the third book is due out soon so I'll be spending more time with the Jessup sisters.

Juni Jessup is an amateur sleuth. But more importantly, she's part owner of a record and coffee shop along with her sisters. The trio are all set to rock out at the annual Cedar River, Texas, Bluebonnet Festival. But when Juni discovers the dead mayor, she decides to try to solve the case, especially because her sister is a suspect. In her search for the murderer, Juni dates two love interests and questions several neighbors. Will Juni find out who the murderer was before it's too late?
I enjoyed this mystery. And the coffee drink combinations sound amazing!
I'd love to see the bluebonnets, too. I've never read a story before that starred flowers.
The treasure hunt didn't interest me, but those details might be exciting for other readers.
I will definitely read more books in this series.

For whatever reason, the first book in Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mystery series, Vinyl Resting Place, didn’t grab my interest. But when I had an opportunity to read the second volume, A Fatal Groove, I took a chance. I’m glad I did. The relationship between the Jessup sisters was fun and the mystery kept me guessing. We didn’t spend much time in Sip & Spin, the sister’s combo coffee shop/record store this time. The action in this book revolves around Cedar River’s annual Bluebonnet Festival. Since everyone in town ends up at the festival, the sisters figured packing up and heading to the festival with their signature brew was likely to earn more business than hanging around the store.

Sounds like a good idea until the mayor is found dead soon after drinking a cup of Sip & Spin coffee. As the prime suspects, or at least persons of interest, the sisters had little choice but to solve the murder themselves. Their investigations led them to another mystery. Not everyone appreciated them poking around in that one either. I received this Advanced Reader Copy of A Fatal Groove from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun!! Two mysteries in one book. Both kept me guessing until the end. I love Junie and her sisters and enjoy seeing what drama they get mixed up. The relationship with her and the sheriff is also both sweet and steamy. I recommend this book and the series.

This was a solid cozy mystery with good characters and sense of location. I will seek out the others in the series to check in with these characters and their adventures.

This is one of my favorite series right now. I love how the Juni and her sisters work together for the good of the family. They gave up so much to run a record shop. Juni is in a love triangle and the small town loves them. Unfortunately the murders in the town all happen to have something to do with the coffee shop. THese girls are always trying to clear their names. It is a great series and fun to read.

A Fatal Groove is the second book in Olivia Blacke's record shop storefront cozy series. Released 25th July 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. This volume (and the others in the series) are also currently available for subscribers to borrow and read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

This series features a trio of sisters who are running their family's vinyl record store with collectible records along with a cafe and coffee shop on the same premises. The dialogue is witty and sometimes snarky (they're sisters, and it's in Texas) but generally good humored and supportive. Their family vibe is close and functional and despite the occasional spats, they really do care for and protect one another. It's also nice to see a cozy series featuring protagonists of color who are intelligent, well spoken, and female.

The writing is engaging and the author has a solid feel for plotting and dialogue. Some of the eccentric small-town secondary characters were a bit archetypal and "trope-y" but they weren't overly intrusive or only there as window-dressing, and I wasn't yanked out of my suspension of disbelief during the read. The climax, denouement and resolution were satisfying and I really enjoyed the interplay between the sisters and their extended family and the record store/coffee shop setting was also enjoyable.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 36 minutes and is well narrated by series narrator Nicol Zanzarella. She has a well modulated alto voice and does a good job with a large cast of characters and manages to differentiate all of them well enough that they're easy to distinguish and never monotonous or confusing. Sound and production quality were high throughout.

Four stars. Readers will enjoy the musical trivia and word play throughout. There was some repetition but all in all, it's a fun shopfront cozy. With two books published, and a third book in the series due out in March 2024, it would be a great choice for a short weekend binge or buddy read.

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

A great, mystery that had me guessing until the end of the book. Another fantastic read in the series!! Highly recommend!

3.5 3.5 This was a cute quirky cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. This story follows Juni one of three sisters who opened a local record and coffee shop called Sip and Spin. Juni is going about her business when she finds the mayor Bob dead in his office. With this being the second body in less than a year that Juni found and her sister being a target leads Juni to take some sleuthing into her own hands.

This was a really cute cozy mystery I really enjoyed the record store setting and actually wished more of the story took place in the actual shop. The characters were really lovable and made me want to pick up the first in the series. I had not read the first book previously and feel this one can work as a standalone but there were a few reference to the previous book that have me wanting to pick it up! I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.