I love all the spooky names of the different businesses in this town and the idea of a Halloween themed wedding seemed fun, until it wasn’t. Between the bride’s bratty-acting sister who was mad she wasn’t maid of honor to the murder of a wedding party member, Bailey had her hands full since she was in the wedding too, then trying to sleuth out a murder.

Once she had a good idea of whodunit, I liked that the showdown was a planned trap for the killer. It was cool how Bailey figured it out and after that, the wedding was able to go off without any issues. Wonder what’ll happen in the series next Halloween.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I haven't read the first book in the series so there were some gaps in my knowledge, but I didn't feel like I couldn't follow the thread.

Bailey and is helping her friend host her wedding in the Halloween obsessed town of Elyan Hollow, but the arrival of the parents and the rest of the wedding party brings a lot of chaos, tension, hurt feelings, and questioning why we're friends with people in the first place, and how much we let them hold over us even years later.

When one of the bridesmaid's is murdered and one of Bailey's true friends is suspected, she decides to put her sleuthing skills to good use, and all her connections to people in her small town. Bailey is a very straightforward character (there are some on the spectrum vibes and I appreciate that it's not pointed out, she just is who she is and people love her) and doesn't utilize deception often to get what she wants. She communicates clearly without being angry or aggressive, and it makes it hard for other characters to stay mad at her even when she's pressing them about sensitive things. I'd probably be disarmed enough to tell her things too.

There's also some promising developments with her life, family, and social life that make me want to read the third book and see where Bailey's life and happiness go.

If the Hallmark Channel were to look the perfect Halloween themed small town, Elyan Hollow would be it! Heck, it would make a great seasonal series for them! But for now, we settle for the books and enjoy every page of it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emmeline Duncan for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding coming out July 29, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series so I was excited to check this one out. I love Halloween themed books. I thought the wedding part was really interesting. I don’t think I loved it as much as the first book. But overall, I really enjoyed it. I just wanted a little more. It was on the shorter side.

"Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding (Halloween Bookshop Mystery #2)" by Emmeline Duncan has Halloween, A wedding/most of the things done that lead up to a wedding, and death. Bailey Briggs has her college friend, Raven, having her Halloween themed wedding in town. Bailey is doing quite a bit to help with the wedding and isn't even the maid of honor, yet. When the maid of honor is found dead after a explosion during the annual Halloween parade wedding plans are still on but a little shifted around.

The victim wasn't well liked by most people. However, there was a big clue that dropped that I almost missed as a clue. Honestly, I didn't really suspect the culprit mostly because they seemed to fade a bit into the background.

I have to add. I'm glad the whole Bailey actually being majority owner of the bookstore was cleared up with the obnoxious uncle in this one. He was just way too annoying and her grandpa needed to shit that down, and he does. It was a pretty entertaining little side story in this one.

There’s more to celebrate this Halloween when Bailey’s college friend Raven prepares to walk down the aisle in spooky seasonal style. As a bridesmaid, Bailey is very busy helping with wedding preparations while the annual holiday festival scares up business for her bookstore. She also finds herself playing peacekeeper between fellow bridesmaids Colby and Ivy, whose arguments add even more conflict to the already simmering tensions within the wedding party between the groom’s traditional family and the bride’s bohemian parents.
Trying to ease stress and enjoy the spirit of the season, Bailey arranges the bachelorette party on the night of the Halloween parade. Everyone agrees to join in the festivities and dress up in costume. But running into several people dressed as the Grim Reaper turns out to be a bad omen. An explosion rocks the route, causing a panic. When the smoke clears, Ivy is found dead, believed to be murdered—and Colby is questioned by police after several witnesses report the very public clashes between the two bridesmaids. Narrowing down the list of suspects to prove Colby’s innocence means Bailey will have to find a motive that drove a killer—and keep her friend’s wedding bells from becoming funeral knells . . .

This second book in the Halloween Bookshop series is well done. For those who like to know the personal life of the main character and the area that the book takes place in, this book continues where the first entry of the series left off. Bailey is building a relationship with her father and there is a lot of information about the Portland, Oregon area. The mystery itself may have a few too many characters (it feels like the author is laying ground work for the next book), but overall, it's pretty solid.
Recommended.
3.5

Bailey’s college friend Raven is getting married in Elyan Hollow for Halloween. Both Raven and her groom Emmett seem like the nicest people. Some of those accompanying them to town aren’t so nice. Ivy, who was close with Raven but not anyone else in the friend group, dies at the Halloween parade.
Bailey is determined to get to the bottom of things for Colby’s sake as she is the detective’s number one suspect.
This is a well woven mystery set in a Halloween themed town.
We find out more about Bailey’s past. She is such an interesting character. I loved learning more about her and how her mind worked as she sorted through the puzzle of Ivy’s death.
I am enjoying this Halloween themed mystery series. I love the bookshop and the supporting characters. Read Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding if you get the chance.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this book.

Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding is the perfect addition to the Halloween Bookshop mysteries. It’s a fantastic blend of cozy mystery and Halloween!

Elyan Hollow is a town that was used as the filming location for an iconic Halloween movie. The movie has such a huge fan base that people come from all over to see the filming sites. What’s a town to do when that happens? They lean into it and celebrate what has made them famous. Several businesses in town have Halloween-themed names, and a month-long Halloween festival is held.

Elyan Hollow is a small town where everyone seems to know everyone else. Bailey lives in the house her mom grew up in and runs the bookshop that her grandfather first opened. Several of her friends are either people she attended school with or individuals who watched her grow up. It’s that kind of small town!

The new additions to the cast are welcome. As is the developing relationship between Bailey and Rex. Some of the family drama from the first book has carried over to this book. And it leaves me wondering if there’s a larger, overarching mystery at play.

If you are a fan of movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown, you probably would love to visit the towns where they were filmed—a town much like Elyan Hollow. While waiting to take that trip, why not give Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding a read?

Bailey’s college roommate comes to town have her Halloween themed wedding. Sadly a couple of her bridesmaids seem to be real witches – whining abrasive personalities that make everything tense. It’s a fun book in a great location but this one seemed disjointed with flashbacks, an extensive cast of characters and way too many wedding activities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this DRC.
#MayhemataHalloweenWedding #NetGalley

The setting for Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding by Emmeline Duncan — a town that celebrates Halloween year-round — was a fun concept and worked well for the story. Definitely a good pick for readers who enjoy seasonal mysteries.

It leaned a bit darker than your typical cozy, so something to keep in mind if you're expecting a light and quirky read. That said, the mystery was solid, and the red herrings were handled nicely — they kept me guessing without feeling overdone.

Overall, a decent read with a unique setting and a slightly edgier tone than expected.

Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding is fairly forgettable entry in the world of cozy mysteries. This is the second book in the series set in a small Oregon town dedicated to celebrating Halloween year round, so prepare yourself for Halloween puns, references to The Nightmare Before Halloween, and more. The main character of this series is Bailey Briggs, a woman with a ridiculously complicated family life and terrible taste in friends. She has about a thousand interests and hobbies, including freelance illustration, writing a comic book, knitting, running, paddle boarding, woodworking/furniture restoration, volunteering for multiple organizations, running a bookshop, and, of course, amateur sleuthing.

The underlying mystery in this story was somewhat interesting, but I was constantly distracted in my reading by the major flaws in the writing.

1. There are way too many characters in this book. Despite reading this book over the course of only two days, I couldn’t remember characters as I read because from their first scene to their second I was introduced to about 20 additional characters that often had no bearing on the story itself. I definitely understand the need to populate the town with characters, but the author went way too far and should have focused on really fleshing out a few main characters.

2. The characters in this book are very shallow and unrealistic. Each character seems to be a combination of quirks and drama with so little page time that we never truly get to know them. The bride is artsy and loves dressing up for comic con. The bride’s sister is a wannabe influencer who loves fashion. The best friend always tells it like it is. And so on and so forth. The characters have no real depth and based on their descriptors and interactions with Bailey, I’m not sure why anyone would be friends with them and not really sure that Bailey even likes them.

3. The book has way too many extraneous details. The author often provides details about Oregon that are completely unnecessary to the story and pretty boring for the reader. I actually live in Portland and I can guarantee that no one cares what county it’s located within. If you want to know random facts about Oregon, you’ve come to the right place. Be prepared to learn about the tunnels under Portland, women’s voting rights, how Oregon was settled, and more. Additionally, the author often uses Bailey as a vehicle for rants, such as the fact that people are mean about readers of genre fiction.

4. Bailey’s family history is a mess and comes out of no where in the book. I won’t even get into it here, but this comes up a lot, has absolutely nothing to do with the mystery, and includes a long flashback to the prior Christmas that ends as abruptly as it began.

Ultimately, this is a completely forgettable mystery series with a cast of forgettable characters, and a bunch of random Oregon facts that, even as a resident, I can’t wait to forget.

This book is a delight. For anyone who loves a cute small town with a theme this will be perfect. I love Halloween, but don't consider myself Halloween obsessed, but I would live here or visit in a heartbeat. I loved seeing more of the small businesses that make up the town and how they all contributed to the parade or were visited by the bridal party. I love how this series is more on the grittier side of cozy; still with all the elements we love, but also with some darker themes. The characters are also great, and it was fun to learn more about some of the recurring ones and also more about Bailey's past and her family drama. I am so happy she has found a home here and passion in the family bookstore. She is smart and stubborn and loyal, my favorite traits in a sleuth. She is no-nonsense when it comes to defending her friends and sticking up for others, but also full of whimsy and creative ideas and knows how to have fun. And of course I loved her big canine sidekick. I was shocked by the twists and the ending, and I am hopefully to see more of a certain someone in the future.

Sooo... I was super drawn in by the idea of a cozy little village that’s basically Halloween all year, with a Halloween Wedding. The blurb gave me "Corpse Bride" vibes for whatever reason, and I reeeeally wanted to read this book. The vibe was great, and the mystery had potential, but I’ll be honest... the plot felt kinda all over the place. A lot was going on, but nothing at the same time?

Also, I didn’t realize this was part of a series (I mean, I thought it was like an interconnected standalone, not a series-series). Sooo I didn’t read the first book, and I 100% missed some context, cause I was very confused at times.

Still, the spooky village setting was fun, and I can see how this could be a hit for someone who’s already read the first book of the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

Sophomore slump, was really looking forward to the second in the series, very weak plot and hard to keep all the characters straight. Will still watch for the next in the series, in hopes of a real cozy mystery vibe.

I love a good cozy mystery and I love Halloween, so this series has been perfect for me! Add in a Beetlejuice-inspired wedding and this is pretty much the perfect book. It was nice getting to know more about Bailey and find out more about her family dynamic, especially as her relationship with her father continues to develop. We also got to learn more about some of the backstory for supporting characters which is always interesting. I also love this little town and getting to see more of it and how the characters interact with it. I wish this were a real town (but maybe without the murders). As for the mystery, it was a good one. The victim was a pretty awful human being and there were plenty of people who hated her but the big reveal of the killer's identity came as a surprise to me. I felt a little bad for the person when it was first revealed but then they opened their mouth and most of that sympathy went right out the window. It was a bit frustrating when Raven continued to defend Ivy even after knowing how poorly she treated others. Speaking of Raven, I was not always a fan of the way she treated Bailey and how she allowed Ivy to treat her - but she on occasion would show why Bailey kept her as a friend.

rounded up to 4

Cute cozy with not so cute topics..... references to drug use - if that is a trigger.

other wise, it's a nice read with diverse characters. Would love to see more character development, but DOES NOT DETRACT FROM BEING A NICE COMFY COZY.

Recommend this to light readers.

What is it about weddings? We're back in Elyan Hollow with Bailey and her loyal dog Jack as she first navigates being a bridesmaid and then solves a murder! No one ever said members of the bridal party have to like one another but Colby and Ivy really are at odds so when Ivy is found murdered, Colby becomes the prime suspect. This is a town where it's always Halloween and where Bailey runs a bookstore but those both take a back seat to getting answers and getting Raven to altar. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a nicely done cozy that while the second in a series will also be fine as a standalone.

Back in this charming village that embraces its Halloween side year round, this is a good mystery- but I did find the plot a little messy with a little too much happening, and also relying a lot on readers having a very clear memory of the characters and events of the one previous book. I typically really enjoy this author and I think this series still has promise but this one isn't a new favorite.

I like this series. I like the characters and the setting. Mystery did keep me guessing, I hope for many more in this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As if she’s not busy enough with it being Halloween, bookstore owner Bailey Briggs is preoccupied with helping her college friend with the final preparations leading up to her wedding. Bailey is serving as a bridesmaid, but her main job is acting as the peacekeeper as personalities clash between other members of the bridal party. After the maid of honor is murdered and another bridesmaid is accused of killing her, Bailey adds investigating to her already packed schedule.

Every day is Halloween in Elyan Hollow, Oregon, and, as someone who keeps her Halloween decorations out all year, I can appreciate that. That being said, I struggled to get into MAYHEM AT A HALLOWEEN WEDDING—mainly because I didn’t really care for any of the characters aside from the dog. The murder victim was extremely unlikeable. The only character more unlikeable was the bride’s sister. I sent most of the book wishing the killer would strike again. I did enjoy the Halloween scenes and events.