This was a great book! I fell in love with Whispering Cove in the first chapter. I enjoyed Chloe has a sleuth and the story keep me reading late into the night. I would recommend this book

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

While it was a well written mystery for some reason it did not contect with me. So I will not be reading anymore in this series.

A group of friends travel to South Carolina for a painting retreat and get caught up in solving a murder.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters with their quirky personalities. I especially liked Jane because she was very observant and able to figure out clues others didn't even notice. I also liked the art element of the story. I learned a lot about watercolor painting. For me, the storyline was pretty basic and it was easy to pick out the red herrings. I knew who the killer was way before the end of the story because of one event that happened.
Still, I can't wait to read about the friends' next adventure!
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Jane Roland and her painter friends Donna and Grace enroll in a watercolor plein air painting retreat at the picturesque Gardens and Horses Resort. They're looking forward to learning, creating and bonding. But when they discover a dead thoroughbred in a reflecting pool on day one, they realize that the week might not be as serene as they hoped. The women find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation with even more encounters with the dead. Will they find the murderer before the retreat ends?
Overall, I really liked this book. It flows fairly well, and the story line is interesting. And I appreciate that the stars are mature women over 50.
I also like how the friends supported each other's personalities, interests and quirks. They were not jealous or petty. For example, Jane kept notes to organize her mind, and her friends appreciated that about her. She was even able to share her notebook and help the police.
The author incorporates plenty of instructional text, which is unusual in a novel. Chunks of text offer insights into artistry, horse racing and detective work. Normally, I like to simply be entertained while reading, but I like learning, too, so this technique worked for me.
The ending was a bit of a letdown, told from the future rather than shown in the present. I was hoping for more of a climatic conclusion.
Unfortunately, a dog Tillie got on my nerves, and I found her owner Pam to be irresponsible by not using a leash. I'd be furious if a dog jumped on me while I was painting or just standing around talking to friends.
The Book Club Discussion suggestions at the end are engaging, interesting and helpful.
I'm excited to read future novels in this series and catch up again with the painting friends.

I like this book, but found the characters jumbled,couldn’t quite keep up with so many, personal issue probably.
It kept you on your toes and loved the descriptions of the paintings.
Didn’t like the ‘gotten’ word used frequently.

I've recently commissioned my artist sister to paint several things for my house, so a painting-themed mystery was on point. Four friends, who all belong to the same local painting group, go to an artistic retreat together. Unfortunately, the friends find that murder can happen even in the most beautiful of places. What I liked about the book: the four women are all middle-aged or late middle aged, with grown children (if they have children; Jane Roland, our POV in this novel, doesn't have children), which is where I am in life now. They are active people, pursuing their interests, and not obsessed with youth or trying to regain their youth, which is refreshing. The circumstances of how the amateur detectives are drawn into the investigation are realistic; I hate farfetched plot devices to get the amateur detective involved. The watercolor retreat is not sidelined by the investigation; our heroines continue to attend workshops and pursue their intent, rather than get sidelined to throw everything into pursuing the mystery, and the watercolor tips they learn certainly read as legitimate. The police were treated with respect by our amateurs, who gave them information and never tried to interfere--hooray! In fact, I loved that when Jane suddenly realized the key to solving the murder, she immediately texted the sheriff. I enjoyed that the final confrontation with the murderer took place out of the reader's view, and we were told about it through the women talking about it afterwards. Great way to move the denouement along and wrap the story up. Things I wasn't so happy about: some of the characterizations of the women made them seem too one-dimensional: Jane is too organized and calm, Donna is too dotty and silly. I'd have liked a little more nuance to their characters as perfect characters are very boring to me. Some of the comments the women said to each other were verging on snarky. and I'm tired of snark and putdowns and even subtle means masquerading as supposed wit or cleverness. So what if Donna wears a bright orange beret? The name of the retreat, Gardens and Horses, felt distinctly at odds with the hoity-toity, elite horse racing community it represents. Something like Magnolia Springs or some other more evocative and snobby name would have worked better to underscore the ritzy country club atmosphere; this sounds like a plant nursery for someone with no imagination. Someone needs to tell the author that black labs don't have fur that your can tousle atop their heads; they have a short coat; minor quibble, but it irked me. And for goodness' sake, if Donna is always fainting because of her high blood pressure, she needs to see a doctor stat and be put on appropriate medication! It looks like this might be the first in a new series, and sometimes it takes the author a while to get the feel of her characters, especially when she's juggling 4 main characters, as Ms. Karwoski is here. This is light read, heavy on horses (not my personal interest) but pleasant summer reading and it shows promise. I'm interested in the characters enough that if a second book appears, I'll read it.

Jane Roland and her painter friends are enrolled in a watercolor retreat at the picturesque Gardens and Horses Resort. They're looking forward to a week of sun-drenched landscapes, sleek racehorses, art instruction, and—best of all—laughter and conversation.

Out for their first stroll, the women discover a thoroughbred in the pretty reflecting pool. Next evening, they find the handsome young stable man in the horse watering trough. Surely, there's a link between them?

When a painter from their workshop goes missing, Jane realizes that her class notes are valuable clues to catch the culprit in this light-hearted cozy mystery.
The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is such a fun series, and I had a great time with this cozy mystery. I loved the plot, the twists and turns, and the characters!

This has been an ok read, but for me sadly that’s all….maybe the writing style was deliberate but it did have the feel of something written for the 10 to 13 year olds, this of course is not the case as it’s characters are mainly retired ladies! However, as a retired lady who paints and reads, the storyline was relevant with references to watercolour painting techniques which is of course why I did choose to read it, however I probably will not be reading any more from this author as it did not appeal to my preferred reading style. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This started out well enough but then fizzled. There was way too much description of little things and very little focus on the murder, which was the whole point of the book. There was also a lot of repetition of the same facts that weren't very interesting to begin with. I loved the idea of the older women painting at a retreat and the setting sounded beautiful. Unfortunately, there was too much description and not enough action for this mystery. I found myself skimming and even skipping large chunks of text by the time I hit 30% and skipped to the end to see who the murderer was.

Jane Roland and her friends are attending a watercolor retreat at a fancy resort. While wandering around the grounds they find a dead horse in the reflecting pool. Soon afterwards they find the groom bashed over the head in the water trough. Luckily Jane knows CPR and saves the poor man.
When another member of the artists retreat is found dead at a nearby park. Jane can't sit by and wait for the police to catch the killer.
I enjoyed this book, though it seemed like I was missing some information about Jane's past. Another small issue I had was one of the characters kept fainting due to high blood pressure. I'm not in the medical field, but even I know it's far more likely to faint due to low blood pressure rather than high blood pressure. The mystery was very good, there were a lot of red herrings to keep it interesting. The description of the retreat was very well done and I enjoyed the information about the artwork and race horsing.

A Brush with Murder by Gail Langer Karwoski has three women from Georgia heading to a painting retreat at the luxurious Gardens and Horses Resort. After checking in, the ladies decide to explore the grounds. They look in the reflecting pool to see a dead thoroughbred. Their plein air watercolor retreat begins the next day. One of the men from the stables agrees to give them a tour at the end of the day. The ladies arrive at the stables to find the man dead in a horse trough. Jane Roland believes the two cases are connected. She takes the class roster and begins keeping detailed notes about each person. When one of their fellow classmates turns up missing and is later found in the lake, Jane feels her observations could help catch the culprit. A Brush with Murder is the debut of A Watercolor Mysteries. The author provides a Class List at the beginning of the book (a list of all the characters). There are a number of characters so it can be difficult to keep them all straight. The author is a detailed descriptive writer. She likes to tell you what each person looks like (hair coloring, demeaner, clothing) as well as descriptions of the gardens, artwork, food, etc. This type of detail does slow down the pacing of the story. The book moves at a leisurely pace as the characters enjoy the watercolor class, tour the grounds, eat their meals, and socialize. The mystery is not at the forefront of the story. I wish it had been more prominent (with Jane searching for clues). The death of the horse was disturbing, and it happened in the first chapter. The details gave Jane and her friends nightmares as well as me. There are several suspects, but one individual stands out. I struggled to finish A Brush with Murder. The pacing is so slow plus (I am sorry) it was boring. There was no action or lively activity. I did find some details to be off (when you find yourself saying that they never mentioned this or when did this happen you know something is off or left out). A Brush with Murder is more cozy than mystery. I liked that the main characters were older (in their 60s). It is nice that they are close friends, so they know each other’s quirks and habits. One of my favorite characters was Maggie, a fifteen-year-old with a domineering grandmother. Maggie is a talented artist who loves horses. A Brush with Murder is a lighthearted tale with plein air painting, gorgeous gardens, a retreat romance, suspicious passings, health happenings, essential notes, and a curious watercolorist.

2.5 stars

This series debut features senior Jane Roland and her friends Grace, Pam and Donna. They are attending a watercolor painting workshop at a swanky resort and right off the bat they stumble over the dead body of a valuable thoroughbred horse in the resort pool.

Things I liked: the main characters are all seniors, and they are mostly portrayed as intelligent and capable people instead of the elderly stereotypes you often find. Jane is the main character and chronicler of the mystery and she is a pretty straightforward woman. The other strength of the book for me was the actual description of painting philosophy and technique. Although I am not an artist, I found this to be very interesting and well-described.

Minuses: Jane's careful journal of the "crime" happenings and her passing it on to the police seems very far-fetched. The character of Donna was strange -- I got tired of her weird little laugh and her passing out every other page due to high blood pressure. The character of Pam is accompanied by the most annoying dog ever, untrained, constantly jumping on people, ruining paintings, tipping over furniture, etc.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A new delightful cozy mystery series: quaint setting, quirky characters, and a solid mystery.
It kept me hooked as it's a compelling and enjoyable read.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When a group of friends heads off to a painting retreat, they stumble across a dead horse, not quite the landscape they were looking for. When they stumble across a body the next day, they’re convinced the two discoveries are connected.

While the friends try to figure out what happened and who killed the horse and man, they find their class, from which a student has gone missing, may hold the key to helping them solve the murders.

This is a fabulous and a strong start to a new series. The characters are relatable and I adore that they admit solving a crime is much easier in a book the it is in real life. I’m looking forward to much more in this series as it has a very promising future.

Lots of twists and turns will keep you guessing. Great characters. A group of friends are at The Garden and Horses Retreat for painting lessons. Beautiful descriptions of the scenes, but alas! Murder comes along. A solid mystery. Thanks #netgalley and #BlackRoseWriting for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I received an ARC of, A Brush with Murder, by Gail Langer Karwoski. I tried to get into this book, but I could not. It was boring, and I did not care for the characters.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Black Rose Writing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Another lovely cozy mystery series! Delightful characters, quaint town, suspenseful and entertaining story.

murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, resort-hotel, family, friendship, amateur-sleuth, artist, attempted-murder****

Great story, great characters, fine mystery. But this retired RN was grinding teeth at most of the medical info. I'm sure that it was all fine for those not in the business.
The main characters are a small group of longtime friends who are there for the lessons, live a couple of hours away, and share an interest in watercolor painting. The Gardens and Horses Resort is a very high-end facility complete with stables and a semi-resident artist who holds retreats with classes in watercolor painting. An important part of the classes is instructing the artists to really pay attention to what they're seeing in an in-depth manner and remember it all. Despite the beautiful setting, things go badly in short order, including two ladies who wind up in hospital due to chronic health conditions. The first death was a racing thoroughbred horse, but it didn't stop there. The mystery is well done, and both the plot twists and red herrings are creative.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley. Thank you!