A 3.5!

Lucy Connelly does a brilliant job setting up Mercy's character as the main protagonist. In addition, it sincerely lives up to the claim of being a cosy mystery. I found myself reading this with my morning cup of tea and relaxing which is something I have not done in YEARS! It's a good and really easy read that I'd recommend to anyone who'd want an experience like that. It - funnily enough - also brought me back to my childhood when I'd be reading a copy of the Famous Five under the covers, so definitely a bonus.

Digging into the characters and plot, I enjoyed it a lot with the exception of a few moments in the book that felt like they came out of nowhere language-wise. At the same time, there's a vividness to the descriptions of the characters, their behaviours and their motives throughout the book. Mr. Poe - of course - was an adorable character I loved reading about. He reminded me of my own dogs as well! I absolutely loved Scott and Rob acting as pseudo-guardians for Mercy's reckless snooping.

Talking about Mercy as well, this was the first book I read in this series and I definitely enjoyed following along as she slowly tried to organise her thoughts on what was actually happening, the why, the how, the what. Mercy and Kieran's banter is super fun to read and balances out a lot of her impulse through the story. In addition to being a story that's genuinely comfortable to read, I also have a handful of new food that I'll be trying out the recipes to!

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give this a 7 and definitely plan on recommending it and buying the other books in the series when I can.

P.S. I will be adding my review to my blog (the second link) at the 8th issue that will be coming out at the end of the month, so if you're interested in checking that out when it comes out, I've put in a link for that as well

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of DEATH AT INISHMORE CASTLE (Book 3 of the Mercy McCarthy mystery series) by Lucy Connelly in exchange for an honest review. Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy have been asked to join their neighbors for a soft-opening stay at Inishmore Castle. There will be great food, on-site whiskey, garden tours, cooking classes, and murder. Wait. . . murder? With cagey clergy dropping like flies and with a series of storms stranding everyone by flooding all of the roads, everyone is getting a little nervous. Mercy’s curiosity engages and, even after law enforcement finally arrives, she takes advantage of having all of her suspects nearby to figure out all of their sinister little secrets. . .even someone’s not-so-small murderous ones.

I liked this book and enjoy the series. I recommend the book and the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring Ireland, Irish culture, cooking, books, and writing.

#DeathatInishmoreCastle #NetGalley