When a wedding and its plans don’t go as… planned

Synopsis

Cozy Craft Mysteries can be read in any order. A funny whodunnit series, full of charming characters and mysteries that will keep you guessing to the very end.

A wedding is a cause for celebration. Not only do dressmakers Penny and Izzy get an invite to the big day but they have an unusual dress commission to complete for one of the guests.

It seems Penny’s only problem is deciding which potential boyfriend to take as her plus-one guest — practical handyman Aubrey or cultured fabric expert Oscar.

But bigger problems arise when the maker of the wedding cake is found dead in the grounds of the stately home where the wedding is to take place.

And when another key individual in the wedding plans is also murdered, it seems like someone has deadly plans to prevent this marriage.

Can Penny and Izzy unravel the mystery and solve this crime before the big day is fatally ruined?

If your ideal book features mystery, friendship, cute romance, crafting and a charming rural setting then this is the book for you.

My review

Penny and Izzy are not only invited to a wedding, but they also have an order for a dress for one of the guests. A guest who wants to steal the show with an amazing swan dress. Obviously it’s something the cousins can manage, once they figured out all the logistics.
Yet things start to turn for the worse when the maker of the wedding cake is found dead in mysterious circumstances. And when another incident is just too coincidental, it’s clear to Penny and Izzy that there is more to the story…
So the two cousins start another investigation, trying to figure out who is out there killing people involved with the wedding.
But that is not the only investigation, as Penny has to decide who to take as her plus one… 

Well, like I said previously, this series is for sure growing on me. And this story absolutely showed me that love can grow slowly! 

A wedding is always a joyful occasion, but I have to admit, the bride and her family and friends are a bit an odd bunch…
Every dynamic felt wrong somehow and I wasn’t always convinced of the pure nature of the feelings. But that was not the focus of this story, and after all, who am I to judge someone when whatever they are doing is making them happy? 

Because the focus is on the murder of course. I have to admit, the first murder was a real strange one. I saw red flags everywhere, and just like Izzy and Penny, I wasn’t sure of it being it an accident, which of course wasn’t! 

Seeing the cousins in action, both sewing and investigating, has become quickly a real treat! I loved seeing that the bond is always getting stronger and stronger, the cousins relying more on each other, and even seeing that bond change from cousins into one that sisters would have.
Penny and Izzy couldn’t be more different, that is stating the obvious, but they are also perfect for each other. They make each other see things in other perspectives, showing that thinking differently can make you see even more. But they don’t undermine each other, they accept each other just the way they are. 

While being a cozy murder mystery, having a second murder for sure made the balance tip over to the more mysterious side of the story.
Yet the mystery and cozy bits were so linked together, making me smile through the weirder bits! Who has ever heard of experiments with cement, trying to solve a murder? I for sure never did before, and it’s bits like this that makes this book, this whole series, a great adventure to read! 

I have to admit, Penny’s love triangle didn’t go as I hoped it would, but secretly I hope that the author will sense what I want to happen and will make it work! That would be for sure the cherry on top of a majestic cake. And if not, well, it’s a majestic cake anyway, with or without cherry!