Bloodstains with Bronte

3 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in this book series. I haven’t read the first book, but didn’t find myself too lost as there were plenty of past references to give context. Emily inherited a fortune and a Victorian mansion from her great aunt in the first book. Emily begins remodeling the mansion into a writer’s retreat, hiring local workers to do the work. Two of the young workers pay too much attention to Emily’s housekeeper, Katie, forcing Emily to fire them.

Pressured to donate money to the local clinic, Emily offers to host a murder mystery fundraiser on Halloween at the mansion. The actor that is supposed to play the corpse, who just happens to be one of he fired workers, turns up dead. Katie is found standing over his corpse, holding a bloody knife. Luke, the local sheriff and Emily’s boyfriend, has no choice but to suspect Katie as he investigates the murder. This causes a riff between the happy couple.

This was an ok cozy mystery. Emily and Luke are a pretty bland couple, despite the fact that they are allegedly head over heels in love with each other. Katie is one-dimensional and a bit too sweet and innocent considering her circumstances. Most of the other characters were predictable and unforgettable.