When what should be the prelude to a dreamy wedding, turns into a nightmare

Synopsis

The high society wedding…

Social media influencer Crystabel Hughes is determined her wedding to Giles Preston Smythe will be the talk of the town. No matter the cost or the upset, nothing will stop this wedding!

A cheating groom…

But for Alexi Ellis and the rest of the staff at Hopgood Hall, Crystabel’s demands are becoming increasingly extreme. And when Alexi spots the groom getting up close and personal with one of the bridesmaids, she fears trouble is only a bouquet toss away.

A killer bride caught red-handed?

And Alexi’s fears are confirmed when the groom is found dead on the night before the wedding, stabbed through the heart – the person holding the dagger. his beloved bride-to be Crystabel.

Hopgood Hall doesn’t need any more bad press, but the race is on to find the killer and close the case before Crystable live streams her dilemma.

Can Alexi, Jack and Cosmo find out why Giles was killed? And, more importantly, can they stop the killer before they strike again?

Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Frances Evesham and Emma Davies.

My review

At Hopgood Hall are all preparations made for the “celebrity” wedding of the year, as social media influencer Crystabel Huges has chosen the boutique hotel to wed Giles Preston Smythe.
But Crystabel’s demands are becoming more and more extreme and Alexi Ellis and the rest of the team for sure have their hands full with the bride.
Things don’t get easier when Alexi then spots the groom into an entangles situation with one of the bridesmaids.
With all the bad press from previous events, Alexi hopes that this event will remain chaos-free. But her hopes are in vain, when the groom ends up murdered, and the bride – to – be is holding the dagger!
Is Crystabel truly the murderer of her fiancé? And why was Giles murdered? And if Crystabel were to be innocent, who is the real culprit?
Alexi, Jack with loyal feral cat Cosmo are once again doing their own investigations, which are not that easy as prime suspect Crystabel is using her social media to claim her innocence and there is still a murderer on the loose and perhaps looking for a next victim?

I have to admit, perhaps this book was the most difficult for me to like of the complete series. Not that is was badly written, because that was absolutely not the case.
But it was more a case of not liking the characters/suspects at all in the story!

Of course it was a delight to return to Alexi and her new life at Hopgood Hall. I truly liked seeing how well adjusted Alexi was, and how at home she felt, even if her ex cannot understand that he should leave Alexi alone.

And seeing the relationship of Alexi and Jack growing stronger by the day warmed my heart.
Sometimes you see in series that relationships shift, and that feelings start to change. Luckily this was not the case, as we only see the usual and expected issues.

Like I said, I had really a hard time sympathizing with Crystabel. And that was even before she became the prime suspect of the murder of Giles!
Can you think about an influencer you truly do not like? Add ‘gold-digger’ to the equation, and ‘attention – seeker’ and you can have an idea what kind of person Crystabel is.
Even if I had my own gut – feeling telling me that she was innocent, I just couldn’t find an inch of liking towards her. And as I got to know her better, well to be brutally honest, I wouldn’t have minded if she would be charged while being innocent! If that isn’t showing you how much I just despise Crystabel…

Of course murder is something terrible, and perhaps Giles didn’t deserve to get his end in this way. But even Giles’ persona wasn’t that likeable at all. Not to the same extend as his fiancée, but still… The more Alexi and Jack are digging into Giles’ life, the more we see a man that doesn’t know what he wants, doesn’t stick to just anything and just doesn’t have a backbone…
Nevertheless, getting murdered was not something he deserved…

Again there are several twists that made me suspicious of each new character appearing. The author doesn’t give you any clue about who the real culprit could be, but gives you plenty of possibilities with each an own motive.
And when the truth came out, it left me a little flabbergasted. Not because it came as a total surprise, but how the character was behaving throughout the whole story and how there were no qualms until the very end about letting Crystabel take the blame. Shows that some people are just despicable…

I enjoyed reading this cosy murder mystery, that even with despicable victims and culprits, made me want to keep reading. I truly enjoyed being investigating together with Alexi, Jack and the incomparable Cosmo, who for sure with his usual antics kept putting a smile on my face! 😊