Sister Holiday returns with a PI apprentice certificate. Yes, it is official now!
Our tattooed and sharp-tongued, Sister Holiday is on a mission to take her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and join Magnolia Riveaux’s Redemption Detective Agency. And they are already on a case which includes a cheating husband and a priest’s murder.

As a rainstorm hits New Orleans over Easter weekend, Sister Holiday and Riveaux dive into the investigation. With rising floodwaters and escalating stakes, the punk nun-sleuth is determined to find the killer and protect her community.

This is Sister Holiday as we know and love her perfectly narrated by Mara Wilson!
Thank you #NetGalley #Dreamscape Select | Gillian Flynn Books for this audiobook

this is an entertaining, dark, and very fast-paced thriller. I loved how Sister Holiday's personality comes off the page, and the ruminations of her relationship with religion are fascinating. THe queer theme is another intriguing topic, as I don't see that many perspectives of those who came out and still chose to stay with Christianity. The twist was a bit predictable.

A strong and bombastic female lead with a lot of quirk! This was a unique mystery with a fun cast. Definitely worth the read, and the narrator was great,

My rating guide:
1- Hated it, don't read this
2- Not for me, you might like it
3- Very good! Add to your long list
4- Loved it, you need to read
5- NEW FAVORITE!!! READ IT NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

BLESSED WATER by @neonmargot is the second in the Sister Holiday Mystery series and I just love this vice-loving, swearing like a sailor nun-gumshoe! While Sister Holiday is very much still a cheerleader for the man in the sky, her concerns about the hypocrisy of the Catholic church and how absurd some of the rituals and rules of religion are is very validating for this ex-Catholic atheist. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @dreamscape_media for the audio-ARC.

I have been really upping my game in the cozy mystery department lately and I am pretty smitten with this gold-toothed subversive sleuth, her crime-solving irreverent partner, and the many philosophical, political and spiritual discussions that are pervasive throughout these stories.

Read this one if:

💚You like citizen sleuths/P.I.s
🔪You enjoy a cozy, formulaic plot
💚Unconventional characters are your jam
🔪Taking powerful institutions to task makes you happy
💚You think it is important to expose hidden truths

This one is on shelves now!!

Do you read mysteries? Who is your favorite mystery author?

💚SMASHBOT💚

#booknerd #bookreview #booksta #blessedwater #margotdouaighy #dreamscapemedia #bibliophile
#bookstagram #arcreviewer #netgalleyreviewer #netgalley

Having read the first book in this series and absolutely loved it, I wondered if the second book would be a good, it absolutely was! I enjoyed the pace and tension, the humour and twists and the crime element. It really is refreshing to have a book about something different and written so brilliantly. I did find it hard adapting to the voice I imagined when I read the book, to the narrator of this one, however that is my problem and not the authors!

I tore through Margot Douaihy's first book, and I was so excited to be able to listen to this incredible audiobook recording of the sequel in her Sister Holiday series. I always find Douaihy's sense of place in her writing to be strong, and I love the diversity of character. My only critique is that she consistently overuses similes and metaphor as way of expressing feeling to the point that I think it becomes overdone and weakens them, but that's a relatively small complaint. I continue find myself invested in Riveaux and Holiday, their adventures, and I'm excited at the growth that they went through in this book as characters overall. Can't wait for the next one!

I enjoyed this story, although I have to admit that I initially did not realise it was part of a series and as a result, I found it very difficult to follow at times. The narrator really brought the tale to life and the main character was unique and endlessly fascinating, a juxtaposition of religion and punk. Although the ending was somewhat predictable, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the rest of the story.

This was honestly just a little too weird for me. I was super excited to get approved for this one, I just couldn’t get into it

thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape Select | Gillian Flynn Books for allowing me to read this book. i really enjoyed the plot

Blessed Water solidified that I will continue to read the Sister Holiday cozy mystery series. This is not my preferred genre, but there is something about a former rock band member, gay, tattooed nun who smokes and cusses trying to find her way in her New Orleans convent, while also contemplating the Big Questions and solving murders on the side.

I really enjoy the narration on the audiobook. I feel like the narrator really captures Sister Holiday.

I was glad to be back in the world of Sister Holiday - she's a great character, and I enjoy the world from her perspective. As a former Catholic, I find her world always interesting. This one didn't quite hit as hard for me as Scorched Grace, but I'll still definitely read the next one in the series. Sidenote: The covers of this series are just SO GOOD. Top notch.

I am OBSESSED with this series!! I devoured the first one, so when I saw there was a second one I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

Sister Holiday is a breath of fresh, gay air in a stale mystery genre. She’s hilarious, witty and real. This series is very well-plotted and I find the writing style very engaging. The narrator for the audiobook was perfectly chosen and a great match for the series, in my opinion!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review this book, I genuinely enjoyed and appreciated it!

Blessed Water was a great listen and a continuation of the Sister Holiday mystery series. I enjoyed the narration as well.

#BlessedWater #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the early copy of this audiobook. I didn't realize at first that this was part of the series, the second book. So to start with, there was a bit of a disconnect, which was all my fault for not realizing sooner. Given that, I still enjoyed listening to and reading this book and the unique traits of Sister Holiday as a nun and as P.I. apprentice.

The story started so well for my taste, and the pacing was very much on point for the majority of thrillers I read. I think the problem that I encountered here was the relationship among the characters. I didn't really see any developments to which I, as a reader, could relate. 

I would very much like to read the first book in the series, as the author's writing is very readable and can be read in one day.

I would recommend this to thriller readers who love strong female lead characters.

Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy is the perfect way to progress the Sister Holiday Mystery series!

Sequels can be hit or miss for me - I need information to be repeated from the previous book(s) for a reminder, but I don't want redundancy - and this one was the perfect blend. Sister Holiday was portrayed the way readers are already familiar with, but without the need for her personality to be overly described within this book as well. I love how once a character is already established, they can exist in the world without over explanation as the series continues.

Once again, I was blessed to discover just how poetic Douaihy's writing is. It's elaborate and expressive, with a clear rhythm present in her words, a true cadence throughout. (Douaihy has a background in poetry, so of course this comes across in her writing!)

I'm not sure if I've ever read a book taking place over the Easter weekend before and this was the perfect religious timeframe for Sister Holiday to sleuth out another murder! (I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Sister Holiday's brother Moose shares an (ever-moving) Easter Sunday birthday with me!)

As this is published by Gillian Flynn Books, an imprint of Zando Projects, (and as a huge Gillian Flynn fan), I appreciated the nods in Flynn's direction within this book.

There is a subtleness to the sardonic way that Mara Wilson (of Matilda fame) narrates this audiobook; a lilt to her voice adding the slightest touch of humour. Wilson's voice is perfect in this way to embody Sister Holiday as it adds more depth to her already satirical demeanor. I’m so happy it is Wilson who is once again narrating this noir little story!

I'm already hoping for yet another book in this dark, tongue-in-cheek mystery series to publish soon!

Thank you NetGalley, Zando, Gillian Flynn Books and Dreamscape Select for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Sister Holiday is everything! I absolutely love this series, the only mystery series I am committed to at this point, I think anyone who has read Scorched Grace would be very happy with this one. I loved the audiobook, the plot seemed more linear compared to the previous book which made the audiobook a breeze to listen to. Thank you so much to Dreamscape Select /Zando/ Gillian Flynn Books for the ALC.

The bad ass nun is back! Sister Holiday is a super sleuthing, punk rock nun, who is a true believer. I love her sarcasm, her insecurities and her all of her faults. The narrator of this audiobook nailed those sarcastic undertones. Lol Sister Holiday is one of those characters that get under your skin, and stick around. Because I started this series on audio, I have to stick with it on audio, if only because it has become the voice of Sister Holiday. The audio made this book come alive, and hooked me.
Trouble finds Sister Holiday. She can’t hide from it, it follows her around. Her newest case is a dead priest. You would think this would be a boring story, with all sorts of dark religious undertones, like most dead priest stories are. Nope. It becomes an intense mystery, with lots of suspects, and quite the backstory. Though the subject matter gets dark, it is actually a fun ride.
I wouldn’t change anything about this book or Sister Holiday. I would love some kind of resolution about her love life though. It’s a distraction from her bad assery. Lol I have no doubt Margot Douaihy plans to give us more and then some.

I was so on board with the cozy mystery featuring a badass, smoking, tattooed, queer nun who solves crimes. However, I think I liked the concept more in theory than in execution.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get into the story. I found myself constantly zoning out and having to rewind, so I didn’t miss anything. In the end, I just didn’t care about the mystery or any of the characters. Even Sister Holiday didn’t seem as funny and interesting as I thought she’d be.

If you read the first book and loved it, you’re probably going to love this one, too, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator and the story was so fun! A not-so-perfect NUN how FUN! I need to check out the first book, but this seems like a very fun cozy mystery series.

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

What a great cozy mystery! A badass gold tooth nun! Yes please!! What a wild ride. Such a great story that takes place in New Orleans. I highly recommend this book!