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.

An entertaining cozy, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the characters and the family dynamics
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this new cozy mystery book series. It is so refreshing and will definitely take you back in time to our vinyl days and going to record store to buy our favorite music. The characters continue to give us hip vibes and I love the family dynamic. Even though I guessed who the killer was, it was so much fun figuring it all out. This is definitely a fresh hip cozy mystery that I highly recommend. The setting and festivities were also fun.

This author is an auto buy author for me.

A Fatal Groove is a fun mystery with small town life and an entertaining cast of characters.

Our main character finds another dead body and while it seems like it happened of natural causes, there appears to be more. . I’m not one to try and guess the who and why and like reading to see how the author brings the story together.

The main character seems to be deciding between two men, but one is more prominent than the other and it doesn’t seem like the other is in the picture. Maybe it’s clear there is a favorite?

If you have lived in a Texas for any amount of time you know just how important the Bluebonnets are.

This is the second in this series, but reads as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

What a delicious cozy mystery featuring three sisters who run a family coffee and vintage record shop in a small Texas town full of mischief, gossip, and a deep sense of community. During the Annual Bluebonnet Festival, Mayor Bob is found dead holding one of the coffee cups from the Sip and Spin Shop and he as been poisoned. Once again three sisters, Tansy, Maggie, and Juni, set out to find out who is the murderer whole also trying to appease the local detective, ex-boyfriend Beau. In addition, there is an underlying mystery of a bank robbery that is more than 50 years old. Could there be a connection? Lots of suspects, twists and turns, it was a delightful and harmless mystery that was fun to read. Loved learning about bluebonnets and how they were at the heart of the solution too. I'm going to have to look for more stories by Olivia Black because I like her style, such as the story that features the first murder victim that Juni discovered in the closet at the shop. Delightful characters abound such as their uncle and mother. I love when everyday folks step in to help solve a crime because they all have ownership in their community. This is a great little mystery to cozy up with and sip a lovely cup of coffee (or tea). Many thanks to #netgalley #afatalgroove #oliviablacke #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This second book in the series was an enjoyable read. I liked all the characters and the long list of suspects to choose from. It kept me guessing about who killed Mayor Bob until the end. I also liked that there were several layers to the story because it kept it interesting. It gets a little preachy about being environmentally conscience and is a little awkward with describing the characters' physical features, but the plot was well written. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out in March of next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I chose to interview author Olivia Blacke on Fresh Fiction's Cozy Corner on 7/24/23 because of the original premise behind the series and it's a great mystery.;)

I loved this fun cozy centered around a record store that full of sister relationships, family and trying to get into the groove of getting their small business up and oh and of course while trying to figure out while finding a dead body.

I loved the relationship the main character had with her mom and sisters. The musical references intersected in this was *chef’s kiss* it wasn’t forced, but natural. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

A Fatal Groove is the second book of the Record Shop Mystery series. While this book is part of a series, it could be read as a standalone as well (although I would encourage you to read the first book because it's so good!)

This was a fun read for the cast of characters (the dynamic between Juni and her sisters, Maggie and Tansy, is great), small town vibe, and the record shop itself. Each time I read these books I end up wanting to listen to music due to the musical references made throughout the book. As far as the mystery is concerned, it was engaging and somewhat entertaining considering the situations/shenanigans Juni got herself into. I will say the motive for the murder was surprising even if the murderer was not.

Overall, a solid addition to the series!

Thank you St. Martin's Paperbacks and Netgalley for providing an ARC of the book.

It was wonderful to spend more time in Cedar River, Texas, with Juni and her sisters. Under unfortunate circumstances, sure, but Olivia Blacke has written some quirky characters finding themselves in ill-fated scenarios and I enjoy the adventures.
When Juni has the bad luck to stumble upon the poisoned mayor, she finds herself tangled up in finding out who did it in order to clear her sister and their record shop’s name.
Juni is very likeable and I find her inner dialogue funny. The setting and other characters make this a great cozy mystery.
Can’t wait for the next book!
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m stanning this cozy mystery series big time! Book 2 did a great job of fleshing out the characters even more and the mystery kept me intrigued the whole time. Juniper, Maggie and Tansy are a great trio, Juni herself being a great lead character. Add in her flirtations with Beau and Teddy and I see so much potential for this series. It’s also making me crave delicious coffee and good music, and I’m debating moving to the Austin area so I can run into Jessup sisters.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.