Book Review: For Whom the Bluebell Tolls by Beverly Allen (Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Outstanding characters in a mystery filled with fun

Cons: None worth dwelling on

The Bottom Line:

A fun mystery

Filled with complex characters

Cannot wait for more

Five Bells Tolling for This Great Book

It’s really no surprise that mystery series like to devote a book to fictional TV or reality TV shows.  They are popular in our culture today, and they automatically provide a completely new cast of suspects to any size setting, big city or small town.  Plus they can just be great fun.  That’s certainly the case with For Whom the Bluebell Tolls.  In fact, I think this book is stronger than the debut in the series.

Audrey Bloom has secretly become obsessed with the TV show Fix My Wedding.  Oh, she justifies it by saying it is research since she is in the bridal bouquet business, but really, she loves it.  So when her ex-boyfriend Brad, who works in production on the show, calls up and offers to get her and her bouquets a spot on an episode to be filmed in Audrey’s small town of Ramble, she jumps at the chance.

However, having Brad back in town is making things complicated with her new boyfriend Nick.  The bride turns out to be crazier than Audrey expected even though she knew about the bride’s obsession with bells.  And the hosts of the show aren’t quite as charming as she expected them to be.  Still, Audrey doesn’t expect one of the hosts to be found dangling from the bell in the old Baptist church.  With the police looking at Brad, Audrey has to find time to figure out what secrets might have led to the murder.

Within pages of starting this book, I was reminded just how much I loved the characters we met in book one.  I was truly delighted to see them all again.  Some of them didn’t have as big a part to play this time around, but even the moments they did have still made me smile.  There are quite a few new characters thanks to the TV show, and they make wonderful suspects.  I didn’t know for sure what was happening with all of them until the end.  They are just as strong as the returning characters, and I felt like they were just as real.

The plot is incredibly fun as well.  There are some twists and surprises along the way to a satisfying and fun climax.  Once or twice I felt it slowed down just a tad, but it was never long before it picked back up and had me turning pages as quickly as I could.  How quickly?  I read most of the second half in one day, making time to finish because I had to know how it ended.

All this is held together with a fun dash of humor.  I got some laughs and most definitely plenty of grins along the way as Audrey tried to sort everything out.  These moments added to the fun of a wonderful book.

After two books, I think it’s safe to say that the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries have become one of my favorite series.  If you haven’t read them yet, make that a priority today.  And if you are already a fan, For Whom the Bluebell Tolls will leave you wanting more.  I’m already looking forward to the third in this incredibly fun series.

NOTE: I was sent an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm going to give away a copy of this book to one commentor on this review.  Either an ebook (international) or paperback (US entries only).  Just leave me your e-mail address so I can get in touch with the winner.

The contest will run until midnight Tuesday night the 13th, so I will post the winner on the 14th.

Good luck!