This was a cozy palate cleanser of a book that hit at the right time.

I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from Dreamscape Select through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I will say that while I enjoyed the narrator Katie Beuderts natural speaking voice for the female main character, I did not enjoy the choices she made for the other chargers. She turned them into cheesy caricatures which took me out of the story many times along the way. Had this in anyway been a comedic novel, maybe it could have gotten away with it but it’s a mystery. It just doesn’t work.

The author is compared to powerhouse thriller authors of Liane Moriarty, Mary Kubica, Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Adele Parks as per her website and because of the narration I felt this couldn’t be further from reality. That being said, had I read the physical book I may have been able to make the connection. All that to say that a narration can completely change the impact of a book.

However, I enjoyed the story. I took it in a very cozy, fluffy way due to the narration despite it starting with the death of a parent and a daughter plagued with significant debt and grief. I enjoyed going along the ride of Dakota (FMC) as she navigates the Beauty Pageant world along with playing amateur sleuths she tries to solve a murder during the pageant.

I think cozy detective reader will love and embrace this story. It’s perfect to cuddle up on a wintery or rainy weekend.
It comes out on February 28th 2025 from Storm Publishing.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Dakota is trying to keep her mother‘s memory alive by following a month-to-month list of things that she wanted her daughter to accomplish. This month Dakota has to enter a beauty pageant. Not something she would normally do, Dakota signs up for the contest to honor her mother and hopefully infuse her bank account with some much-needed cash. There are murders and some things are stolen and Dakota‘s aunt is the police’s prime suspect. So now she’ll have to take off her crown and put on her detective hat in order to save her aunt and maybe even herself.

A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem was a cozy mystery, with a beauty pageant and some amateur sleuthing thrown in. I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Dakota was very witty and down to earth, and I liked that about her. The chemistry between Dakota and the sheriff worked really well.
I listened to this on audio, and the narrators did a great job!
Thank you to Storm Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A huge thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing this book for me to listen to and review! I absolutely adored this novel, even though it started off a bit slow. The cast of characters is epic and hilarious, and I am obsessed with Aubergine, Virginia as a location and a character of its own. Bird allows the reader into this world of pageants and strong women, while taking us on a wild ride of a mystery as a bonus. Sevilla’s weird malaprops made me belly laugh every single time, and even though I knew they were coming, they were all so clever that I couldn’t help it. The narrator was perfect, and she brought such a homey quality to Dakota that you can’t help but love her. The mystery itself was satisfying and smart, adding what I consider to be a very necessary addition to any cozy mystery: a weirdly specific hobby that is essential to the crime! A triumph of the genre! It was incredible that the author was able to floor me all the way to the last minute of the epilogue!

Driven by grief from losing her mother, Dakota is following her mother's month 11 letter. This time the letter asks her to compete is a beauty pageant, in her hometown, which carries a significant price money. Dakota reluctantly agrees, beauty pageants are not her thing, but she needs the money. Except there are murders and thefts and her aunt is framed. While competing, Dakota must use her smarts to find out what really happened.

This book was a bit slow as far as the investigation went, but somewhere in the 70% mark just picked up. It was fun to listen to, and I loved all the side characters who support the FMC. The love interest is in a very nascent stage, so more to come on that. An the final month 12 letter was a surprise!!

#netgalley #ABeautyQueensGuidetoMurderandMayhem

This was a quirky, fun time. The title pretty much sums up the premise of the book. With its cast of characters unfolding the mystery of the beauty pageant.

This was a fun read that felt cosy and light so definitely a good palette cleanser between darker thrillers.

The plot did feel pretty basic and all the twists and turns did feel a tad basic but it was still an enjoyable listen!

The characters were nice and the narrator did a great job with all the characters and really added the fun element!

Overall a decent cosy mystery that did a great job of being light and cheery but won't necessarily be one I'll think about much after finishing!

Dakota Green is happy working with horses and not false eyelashes and contestant evening gowns like her mother. After she lost her mother, her beloved Aunt Dee Dee raised her and insists the only way to raise the money she needs is to win the Rose Palace Beauty Contest. She very reluctantly decides to enter the contest. She is in a totally foreign world to her but with her aunt by her side, she feels ready to try. Until....she is arrested when the pageant owner vanishes. Dakota is happier as an investigator than a beauty pageant contestant, but has to do both.

A mystery told with delightful Southern humor. My first Kristen Bird book I read, I Love it When You Lie, was such a treat - an interesting story told with Southern humor; this book was another treat!

The narrator was the perfect voice for this book! As soon as I started the audiobook, I knew her voice was perfect as the narrator!

My thanks to Net Galley, and Storm Publishing for advanced copies of the e-book and audiobook. And a special thanks to author Kristen Bird for a signed copy of her book!

I couldn’t get into this; I was expecting something fun and campy… something that made me smile and laugh and that wasn’t Happening. I also don’t care for southern accents and that might have been the problem… sorry! The cover is fantastic.