Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Book Review: Buzz Kill

Genre: Cozy Mystery
4th in the Pecan Bayou Series
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 13, 2013)
Paperback: 342 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1490942919
E-Book File Size: 338 KB
ASIN: B00DSU1S8W

Synopsis
Betsy Livingston is planning a wedding so what could go wrong? After publishing a recipe for homemade calamine lotion in the newspaper, the ladies in the community church make a large batch. Everyone loves the stuff until someone in Pecan Bayou is found dead after using it. The town points to Betsy and she starts rethinking her whole career as a helpful hints columnist. Now she must clear her own name in between dress-fitting, cake-tasting, and all those things that turn a bride into a bridezilla. Is Betsy at fault or could there be something else that leads her down the aisle to murder?

Review: Buzzkill is the 4th installment of the Pecan Bayou Series and like all good cozies, it is one that new readers to the series can jump in with without a problem.

This book really captures that small town feel and adds a touch of southern charm. The murder doesn't happen until about half way through the book, so the story spends more time focused on Betsy and Leo and the preparations for their wedding.

The hilarity that ensues while Betsy tries to get organized and then gets a wedding planner is truly priceless. It definitely made me wonder why anyone goes through all the hassle or in this case why they'd want to get married on Valentine's Day. (Oh yeah..so their hubby won't forget!) The whole wedding planning process is full of issues thanks to another couple getting married on the same day and one half of the wedding party is the mayor's son.

Toss in the murder of the man Betsy planned to use for her wedding flowers and some other people suffering reactions from a calamine recipe she printed in her news column and Betsy has a very full plate.

There's a great mix of personal issues and well as the mystery to fill this novel. Betsy's whole family dynamic is about to change. She has a lot of decisions to make, one has to do with where she will live with new hubby, Leo.

As for the mystery, though that part is a bit slow in coming, Teresa tricks you into thinking the killer is one person, but when the crime is solved it is someone totally different.

This is the kind of book that will appeal to lovers of mystery as well as those that like the small town stories that focus on family

Teresa has created a wonderful setting for her series, and that will keep everyone coming back for more

Rating: 5 flowers

About Teresa Trent
Teresa Trent lives in Texas and loves writing about small town life. She first got the idea to create Pecan Bayou after visiting the Texas Hill Country to view the millions of springtime flowers alongside the roads and highways. The town of Pecan Bayou does not exist in Texas, but there is a body of water in the state with the name. Pecan Bayou does exist in Teresa’s imagination and heart. Buzzkill is the fourth book in the Pecan Bayou series featuring all of the crazy characters who live in this cozy little town in Texas.

Connect With Teresa
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/teresatrentmysterywriter
Twitter- @ttrent_cozymys
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5219581.Teresa_Trent

Buzzkill Excerpt

“Okay now, let’s see.” Mr. Andre lowered his head, revealing the roots of his mousse-spiked, bleached hair. He wore a dark maroon suit with a matching jewel-toned silk shirt unbuttoned midway, showing sparse hair on his skinny chest. “Do you have a photographer?”
“Yes,” I ventured.
“No,” Aunt Maggie cut in. “She has some guy who shoots kiddie team pictures.”
“Oh my.” Andre circled something on his clipboard. “No photographer.”
“And you’ve gone for a wedding cake tasting?”
“A tasting? I think I already know what vanilla and chocolate tastes like by now.”
Andre shook his head as if I were a child. “No, my dear. You will be pleased to find out there are other flavors like white amaretto, champagne – girl, you can even get peanut butter if that’s what floats your boat. So I take it you haven’t had a cake-tasting session?”
“You would be correct,” I replied.
“I see.” He circled another line. “And your flowers?”
“She’s using Lenny Stokes, and she’s already put a deposit down,” Aunt Maggie said.
Andre grimaced.
“I see. I’ll need his number and address so I can get in contact with him to put him on my approved vendors list.” He circled another line. “And what is the venue?”
“We are going to have the ceremony at the community church.”
Andre’s eyebrows raised as he nodded and smiled. I had finally done something right.
“Do you have any kind of documentation on this?” he asked.
“Not officially, no,” I said. “I have talked to the pastor about it, though and he says it’s open. We live in a small town, Andre. Documentation isn’t always required.”
“Mr. Andre,” he corrected.
“We just don’t have the same kinds of waiting lists like there are in the big city.”
He clutched his hand to his chest. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“And your invitations?”
“We weren’t going to send those out until mid-January. We were afraid people would lose them. I have them ordered.” Mr. Andre’s eyes slanted toward me. “Well, they’re not exactly ordered, but I do have them picked out.”
A pause hung in the air as Mr. Andre summoned up the strength to go on. “Are you sure we’re planning a wedding and not some kind of country barbecue where they cook a pig over a spit?” He clasped his hands together in front of him to emphasize his point. “You are in crisis mode, Madame Happy Hinter.”
I gulped. So maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t nailed down enough of the details. I felt a tear escape onto my cheek. Andre, used to overwhelmed brides, reached over to a satin-covered tissue box and slapped it down on the table in front of me.
“Dry your eyes, sweetie. We’ve got work to do,” he said. “You should know what a lucky girl you are. I just removed myself from a wedding on the same day. No one – I repeat, no one – does a wedding like Mr. Andre, but even I have my limits on troublesome brides and monster mothers. As fate would have it, I’m yours.”
He walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a large white leather binder. Mr. Andre’s picture was on the front, and underneath that, “Weddings Exclusively by Mr. Andre” was embossed in gold lettering.
“I don’t care what religion you are,” he said. “This, lovey, is your new bible. Carry this with you everywhere and fill it with notes, questions, business cards, quotes and everything – I mean everything – that has to do with your wedding. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I said and saluted before I could stop myself. Aunt Maggie broke out into a laugh, but Mr. Andre turned quickly, fixing his eyes on her. She quickly stifled her reaction and stood up a little straighter, becoming just another draftee in the world of white satin.

Purchase Link
Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway