I love this series!

Rayne McGrath's Uncle Nevin left his fixer-upper castle to Rayne and his daughter, Ciara Smith with provisions. Within a year they must make the castle profitable, and so save their village from being taken over by a neighboring village. Rayne and Ciara had never met before Uncle Nevin's death and are complete opposites, but Rayne knows how to run a business and Ciara knows how to run the castle so they are determined to succeed.

Rayne, Ciara and some villagers are spending a few days cleaning up the overgrown church cemetery when they find a recently murdered body near one of the tombstones. The dead man was a local. Who killed him and why are only the first two questions. It seems that cleaning up the cemetery has unearthed an unsolved crime from the past. The dead body was on top of a fake grave that has connections to Rayne’s ancestors.

Rayne and Ciara have mysteries to solve and weddings to host, and they are determined to do both

I highly recommend this series. Each book has a been great read.

5/5 stars: This is the third entry in Brannigan's Irish Castle Mystery series which is a British Cozy Mystery that takes place in Ireland and features an American bridal wear designer and her Irish cousin as they find themselves turning sleuths after a body's discovered in the old historic cemetery and it's soon discovered to be connected to an unsolved crime from the past. With a wedding scheduled at the castle, dresses to design and create and a village to save, she fears she and her cousin won’t be able to balance it all, the two will l have to roll up their sleeves and dive into old family journals to puzzle out both mysteries. With plenty of twists and turns, Brannigan has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Brannigan's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded, uniquely voiced and complex while remaining likable. It's great to catch up with Rayne, her cousin and business partner Ciara, their friends and the McGrath Castle employees and the eclectic folk of Grathton village. I love seeing Rayne finally making a romantic connection with Amos, the castle's grounds manager. And for the dog lovers there's Rayne's lovely and thief of a dog, Blarney. Additionally, I really like seeing all the progress (and even the occasional setback) Rayne and Ciara continue to make to meet the terms of the will and see the village and castle succeed. Brannigan touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Murder at an Irish Castle.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Half of the time stipulated in the will was over, and Rayne McGrath & Ciara Smith only had six months left to turn the fortunes of the castle and the village of Grathton around. With the weekend coming up quickly, and a wedding to cater for - the only money coming in at the time - Rayne was finishing off the wedding dress and working with Ciara to finalise it plus the cottages that were prepared for the guests. When a working bee of volunteers headed to the old cemetery to clear the excess growth and foliage around it, and the nearby church, they worked hard, but it was the next morning when the two women returned, that a body was discovered in the cemetery.

As the Garda investigated the murder and news of Rayne's ex surfaced again, Rayne and her friends worked hard to unearth the secrets that were surrounding the castle. They were desperate to come up with ideas to save Grathton, along with the castle, as the alternative didn't bear thinking about...

Death at an Irish Village is the 3rd in the Irish Castle Mystery series by Ellie Brannigan and once again Blarney is on the cover. He's an adorable dog, loyal and intelligent. The characters are well written, with only a few to not like! (The bad guys of course!) I'm really looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books for my digital ARC to read and review.

Rayne and Ciara are working to save their town and castle. Rayne is worried about her ex, who escaped captivity in Mexico. Ciara is contemplating her engagement. When they discover a body while clearing up the cemetery they are drawn into village history as well as current happenings. Several strands of things brings this book together. This book could be read as a stand alone, although previous books help inform the reader. An enjoyable read and fun adventure for these two characters.

Rayne and Ciara have buried the hatchet and are so so close to maybe saving the Castle, the village, and their inheritance but then there's a murder and they must juggle all of it. There's going to be a wedding at the castle. They're involved in cleaning up a graveyard. Except that there's a body in the graveyard and a puzzle to solve. Oh, and Landon, Rayne's ex has turned up and that's a big problem. This is one that will be most appreciated by those who have been following along but Brannigan does give enough backstory that new readers will be fine with it as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is the 3rd installment in the Irish Castle mystery series. Rayne and her cousin Ciara are working out the terms of the will and working to turn everything around in one year. They find some interesting pictures in the attic regarding the fight for Irish independence. Rayne and Ciara agree to help the village and church clean up the cemetery when they discover the grave of Thomas McGrath who is not buried with the rest of the McGrath family. Rayne and Ciara want to get to the bottom of that as well as prepare for their next wedding. They need this wedding to go well as there was a murder at the first one. However, things do not go as planned when a local is found murdered at the grave of Thomas McGrath. Rayne and Ciara are wondering if the death has something to do with their ancestor Thomas McGrath and why he wasn’t buried in the family plot. Also Rayne is still worried about her ex Landon Short who is supposedly been spotted in Ireland and is out for revenge. This story had a lot of mysteries going on and get me engaged the entire time. Very dramatic ending and looking forward to the next installment. Highly recommend.

This is the third release in this delightful series set in a small Irish village. Thank you to the publisher, Net Galley and the author for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own.
Chiara and Rayne are determined to make their castle a success by hosting wedding events. They are hopeful to make the castle financially viable for their requirements set by their Uncles will. They only have six months left to fulfill his will requirements. They have come to love the castle and people of the village.
When murder occurs in the nearby cemetery with ties to their family they are intrigued to investigate with help from their local friends. Another mystery is found in some old papers in the attic that leads them to family history and clues. The two mysteries collide with insights to the family and the murder.
I enjoy the setting of a beautiful Irish Castle and love the historical aspect of this mystery. The characters are richly drawn and all add to the series with depth. The sleuth was very intriguing and captured me to conclusion. Well done to the author. I look forward to the next in this charming series.

Death at an Irish Village is book 3 in Ellie Brannigan’s Irish Castle Mystery series.

Set in a small Irish village, cousins Rayne and Ciara are struggling to make their inheritance profitable, despite people who are trying to make them fail. When one of the locals is found dead on the grave of an ancestor, the cousins are drawn into the mystery.

I will be honest, I could have enjoyed this book if the author had done their research before basing part of their mystery on an item that didn’t exist at the time it was supposed to have been created. That glaring mistake just ruined the whole story for me every time the item was mentioned.

The characters were interesting, the mystery itself was good. Some of the story was predictable, but still would have been enjoyable, if not for that failure to do some research at the beginning.

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

The third Irish Castle mystery has Rayne McGrath and Ciara Smith searching for ways to fulfill the terms of Rayne's uncle's will. They have a year to make the village and castle solvent. Things would go smoother if murders didn't keep happening.

This time, with a wedding to take place at the castle, Rayne and Ciara discover a body leaning against a tombstone during a clean-up of the graveyard. As Rayne and Ciara look into Aiden Dennehy's death, they soon learn that he had a number of people who might prefer him to be dead. The garda are convinced that the bartender who punched him the previous night because Aiden was messing around with his sister is at the top of the list.

Rayne and Ciara don't believe that Beetle the publican killed Aiden but don't have a stronger possibility. They are busy getting ready for the weekend wedding which will provide funds for the winter which is only one thing on their massive to-do list. High on the list are finding a lawyer to help answer some of their pressing questions, dealing with the property management firm to discover just what they own, and finding a way to draw younger people to the town to bolster the population and the economy.

A trunk found in the attic filled with photo albums from the 1920s raises more questions than it answers and doesn't help identify the Thomas McGrath supposedly buried in the main cemetery instead of the McGrath plot.

Adding even more complications is Freda Bevan who wants to annex the village Rayne and Ciara are trying to save and an elderly and wealthy lady from Dublin who is demanding the Rayne and Ciara look into the death of her 90-year-old brother who lived in the village.

Throw if a few romantic relationships and Rayne's sociopathic ex who has escaped from prison and may or may not be hiding out in Mexico and you have a plot filled to overflowing.

The story is filled with a large cast of characters between people working at the castle and the people living in the town. It was hard to keep track of them all. Also, the story could likely have been 20% shorter if the constant repetition of plot points was eliminated. It was like the author wrote each chapter months apart and felt that the reader needed the reminders.

Fans following the series will want to read this one despite its flaws and clear lack of resolution of the plot concerning whether or not Rayne and Ciara will be able to save the town and the castle. Various other plots introduced in this episode are solved or partly solved.

This is book 3 of the series, and it just gets better with each entry! Rayne and Ciara are finally finding their way, and trying to make a success of the castle, and turn to the village to try to make more in roads for turning it around. When a cemetary clean up day turns to murder, the goal of uniting the village ends up in a sharp divide, as neighbors get pitted against neighbors in a long standing feud about secrets kept (and not kept). As the girls try to help solve the murder, while hosting more castle guests, they get caught in the feud and soon they have more worries, than solutions to their village problems. It'll take the help of all their friends to get them thru the finale in this one!

I started the series with book 1 that I had found solid and interesting. The 2nd installment had felt a notch beneath the debut one but I was optimistic about the series's potential and hoped for a more compelling plot with book 3.
Unfortunately, the pace was either too slow or uneven to keep me invested in the story. I'm not sure this cozy mystery is for me. I'll see if I try book 4 depending on the blurb.
To be fair, I read this one right after a cozy mystery (from a different author) that I couldn't put down. And it's quite rare to read multiple five-star books in a row. So Death at an Irish Village probably suffered from the comparison and unfortunate timing.

I actually gave 3.5 starts but since I cannot do that here I'll leave the real rating in the written review. This is a murder mystery, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie book but cozy and with cutesy moments and romance. It's a great read for the end of the day when one enjoys a bit of suspense and detective work with their romance.

A cozy that has a solid mystery along with lots of Irish history. Excellent characters. This is the third book in the series and I would recommend reading in order. A fun read! Thanks #Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Excellent mystery, Would recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

Thank you to Ellie Brannigan, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book.

It has been long enough since I read the first book in this series that I needed a refresher on the characters. Death at an Irish Village is the third novel in An Irish Castle Mystery series. I did not realize there was a second novel.. No wonder I was a bit lost at the beginning of Death at an Irish Village. I was missing essential information. I did, however, remember Rayne and Ciara and Blarney, it was just a few other characters that need more refreshing. A character map would be handy, though. Ellie Brannigan writes well and keeps readers interested. This is a series that is appealing and fun.

I did enjoy Death at an Irish Village. The mystery is more involved than just a murder. The characters are good and the combination 0f Irish history, family, and mystery works well together. The history of rebellion and the complexity of the multiple conflicts in Ireland is well done. For people who do not know the history of this area and how long it lasted, Death at an Irish Village is at least a primer.

I do recommend Death at an Irish Village. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for proving this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I do like this series and will be buying book 2 and catching up.

4 stars

I loved this story right down to the small Irish village, the people (even if they were being rude and protesting the wedding venue), Rayne, her cousin Ciara and her puppy Blarney To unite the reluctant villagers, some who’d vehemently protested their efforts to modernize the village, they agree with Father Patrick’s idea to create a group of volunteers to clean the old cemetery behind the beloved church. When a body is found by one of the historic tombstones, the cousins must work overtime to solve the newest case.

Overall I just loved how the story made me feel and by the end I was smiling, cheering on Rayne and wondering what life had in store for her next.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance readers copy from Crooked Lane and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, shoot--I read this out of order! But what a good story! And, while I now realize there are two other entries that precede this one, I think this reads fine as a stand alone.

Rayna and Ciara, cousins who learn of one another when an inheritance throws them together, have a year to save the village of Grafton and the Grafton castle--and time is running out. While trying to make their wedding venue a go and save the village and get the villagers to warm up to them . . . they find a body to top it all off!

I really like the setting and the characters are great. Sometimes cozy mysteries can be too trite, but this series appears to have found that balance between cozy and suspenseful. I'm looking forward to reading the first two in this series and hoping for the 4th entry soon!

Plot: Rayne and Ciara are trying to save their ancestral castle and the village surrounding it. While trying to spruce up the castle and local spots in the village an unfortunate murder takes place. Rayne, Ciara, and the staff of McGrath Castle have to pull together to save their wedding business and the town from outsiders who want to take over the village and a potential murderer in the village itself.

Overall thoughts: I have Irish heritage, work for an Irish company, and in general love Ireland so I was very excited to read this book. It was a nice read. I did really enjoy the main characters and the writer has a knack for writing characters who are particularly annoying (they were supposed to be). I'm a fan of authors who can pull emotions from their readers. However, I did find the writing overly repetitive. If something was meant to be a clue in the mystery it was *very* obvious because it would be repeated over and over again. When characters made discoveries I felt more "thank god, finally," when in a mystery novel I want to feel "oooh! it's all coming together now!" Another small note is that I'm not sure why there was zero change in formatting for text messages. I always find that so hard to read and it not one of my favorite choices in modern novels. Overall it was a cute little cozy novel. Nothing more, nothing less.

What made my weirdo heart happy:
The sweet puppy in the novel. I love a pup that likes sparkles and a boa.

Will I read more books by this author?: Not sure.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?: If they love Ireland and mystery books, yes.

Death at an Irish Village is the third installment in Ellie Brannigan's delightful Irish Castle Mystery series, and it continues to charm with its blend of cozy mystery and heartfelt character development.

Rayne McGrath and her cousin Ciara are finally seeing their wedding venue business at McGrath Castle gain traction. However, their plans are disrupted when a body is discovered in the local cemetery during a community cleanup. The corpse, found atop a fake tombstone, appears to have connections to Rayne's ancestors, adding a personal stake to the mystery.

Brannigan masterfully weaves together the complexities of small-town dynamics, family secrets, and the challenges of entrepreneurship. The evolving relationship between Rayne and Ciara adds depth to the narrative, showcasing their growth from reluctant partners to a supportive duo.

Highlights:

Engaging Mystery: The plot is layered with twists that keep readers guessing, blending past and present seamlessly.

Rich Setting: The Irish village setting is vividly depicted, immersing readers in its charm and quirks.

Character Development: Rayne and Ciara's bond strengthens, providing emotional resonance amidst the mystery.

Conclusion:

Death at an Irish Village is a captivating addition to the series, offering a satisfying mystery wrapped in the warmth of community and family ties. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with strong female leads and picturesque settings.

Death at an Irish Village is the third book in Ellie Brannigan's Irish Castle mystery series. The wedding venue is finally open at McGrath Castle. Rayne and Ciara are eager to win over members of the community that are not excited about the new business. They volunteer to assist with a church cleanup project. Unfortunately a dead body is discovered on a fake tombstone that appears to be connected to the McGrath family. Now Rayne and Ciara must team up to solve the mystery while also dealing with two upcoming weddings and the arrival of Rayne's mother.

I'm really enjoying this series. Rayne is a great main character. I love the wedding business, it is perfect for a cozy mystery series. I also adore how much Rayne and Ciara's relationship has grown. They went from antagonists to true family. The setting is great and the village is full of interesting characters. The mystery was interesting and had multiple layers and twists. I don't want to go too far into it but there is also some resolution to the series long mystery dealing with Rayne's ex. I look forward to continuing with this series and will likely do an audio reread once the book is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.