[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Immediately on the heels of her last adventure (Restaurant Weeks Are Murder – ♥♥♥♥♥), Poppy has a decision to make. Tim asked her – in front of everyone – to “give it a go” with him once again. Their history together as teens and her questions of what might have been if things had been different make his offer tempting.
At the same time, she feels a huge attraction to Gia. He was standing there when Tim made his plea. Why couldn’t she decide which of the two men she wanted to be with?
Thankfully, the Senior Center’s production of Momma Mia!, and Aunt Ginny’s reconciliation with an old flame is the perfect distraction. Poppy’s been coerced to help with lights for the show. It needs some help as it’s been suffering through everything from egos run amok to deliberate acts of sabotage. But when someone dies, and the police rule it a suicide, Poppy and her elderly friends think the ruling is a mistake. And sleuthing makes another great distraction from a love triangle.
Review
The mystery in this one is terrific! There are so many things going on here – the sabotage at the play, the death, and also someone trying to ruin Poppy’s businesses (both the B&B and her baking). And I loved watching Poppy and the “biddies” (4 elderly ladies, including Poppy’s Aunt Ginny) puzzle them all out. I didn’t laugh in this one as much as I have with the past books, but there were still several fun moments.
The love triangle is infuriating, though. I feel like Poppy’s choice is ridiculously clear (although I know others disagree with me on the choice – and they think their choice is clear, too.). Only one of these two guys encourages her to be comfortable in her own skin and encourages her for her own purposes. The other one is self-absorbed and selfish. Poppy has been a means to an end for him more times than not. I can’t for the life of me figure out why this choice isn’t more clear to her or why the author insists on dragging this out. When this book ended essentially right back where the last one did, I was frustrated enough to growl out loud. This is the only thing I am not enjoying about this series, but I am starting to lose patience on this front. If it doesn’t resolve soon, I will forgo the fantastic mysteries to bypass the drawn out love triangle.
If you don’t mind a love triangle, don’t miss this series because the characters are fantastic and the mysteries are top notch!