The Secret, Book, and Scone Society

The most important thing I could tell you is, read this book. It is a reader’s delight. There are quotes and book mentions that will have you taking a delightful stroll down memory lane. The story is awesome! I love books that really let me meet the characters and getting to know them, faults, warts and all. The books that become my comfort books always allow me to quickly become great friends with the characters. This is one of those. The mystery was intriguing but I’m not telling you anything else about it. Anything said could be a clue that might spoil your reading pleasure. The author includes book club discussion questions. I love those so much and tend to answer them even if I am reading solo.
Get a favorite beverage, get show more comfortable and settle in for a good time. show less

Nora has scars, both visible and invisible. A bookstore owner and self-taught bibliotherapist, she discerns her customers' pain and suggests books that could help. Bakery owner Hester does the same thing with customized scones. June and Estella are a spa manager and salon owner, respectively, and each brings her own brand of courage and humor to the group. All four women have secrets. Together, they are the Secret, Book, & Scone Society.

This is a pretty standard cozy mystery, and the author's attention to minute detail evokes Debbie Macomber's books - with a little more spice. (I actually looked up photos of the author to verify that Ellery Adams is not a pseudonym for Ms. Macomber.) The writing style, along with the presence of show more Jedediah, the handsome, brave, and highly moral EMT who shows promise as Nora's love interest, nudges the book into romance category; that's why it's funny that at one point Nora scoffs at romance novels with handsome, brave knights in shining armor.

Along with the romance, there's a subtle touch of magic; Hester's scones, each one intuitively crafted for its intended customer, evoke healing childhood memories while Nora's book recommendations, also specially selected for the recipient, inspire epiphanies and clarity.

There is one awkward literary device - the author uses "me" instead of "I" twice, as in "Me and Lucy like matte lip gloss." (Not an actual sentence in the book.) At first I wondered how these errors slipped past editors and proofreaders, then I realized that both times the same character was speaking. It feels like an attempt at colloquial dialogue, and it doesn't work.

The mystery component in this plot is pleasantly complex, but the best part of the book is the books. I'm grateful for the author's penchant for specificity. Nora references an eclectic selection of classic and popular literature that any reader could use to build a nice reading list, and she includes both titles and authors. I'm disappointed that there aren't any corresponding scone recipes from Hester, but I've only read the first book so there's always hope. I'll be checking future books in the series for recipes. Oh - and I'll also be checking to find out what the answer is to a mystery that involves EMT Jed and his mother. I think I know what it is . . . . show less

I will always recommend Ellery Adams' Books by the Bay series for cozy mystery fans, even though it has a controversial ending. (A Killer Plot is the first book.) I admire Adams' willingness to risk alienating her fans in order to end her series the way she wanted to (and the ending fit the character, by the way). There can be something therapeutic about her writing and the way she deals with damaged characters. As the Secret, Book & Scone Society members reveal their secrets one at a time, a layer is pulled back, allowing us to begin to see what's behind the person's facade.

Some readers may ascribe Nora's bibliotherapy and Hester's comfort scones to some sort of magic, but I don't. I think all four women are highly empathetic, and show more it's this empathy that helps them arrive at the truth-- as does their belief that everyone deserves a second chance. I did despair when the local law enforcement was introduced-- the nickname "Sheriff Toad" says it all-- but I should've known better since I am no stranger to Ellery Adams' writing.

Reading The Secret, Book & Scone Society was balm for my spirit. I liked the mystery. I liked the setting. Most of all, I liked Nora, Hester, Estella, and June. I know that reading the second book in the series is in my future. show less

The Secret, Book & Scone Society is an entertaining mystery that has a lot of my favorite things books, food, mineral springs and a edgy hairdresser. When four ladies with secret backgrounds combine forces to solve a murder then look out. The main character Nora is physically scarred from a fire and her secret pulls the story together. Empathy and healing are the women’s secret powers. I have only one complaint; there are two loose ends which bothered me and I wondered if anyone else caught them. Anyway I have to read the next book in the series cause I’m hooked. Read on Kindle.

“No one has ever lost by becoming addicted to stories—to the lessons learned by those who possess enough courage to put pen to paper.”

Miracle Springs is a small town hidden between the mountains in North Carolina where people come to heal. Nora is the owner of Miracle Books and she uses her bibliotherapy skills to introduce the right books to the right people and help them heal from whatever has broken them. Hester, the owner and baker from Gingerbread House is famous for her custom scones which bring back memories for each of the customer and make them smile. Estella, the serial dater is beautiful and helps everyone realize their own beauty and confidence through the work in her spa. June is an employee at the Thermal Pools, show more whose waters are supposed to be miraculous. All these women have secrets from their past which they are trying to forget but are forced to confront them when not one, but two murders rock this little town. They become fast friends, call themselves the Secret, Book & Scone Society and decide to find the culprits themselves because the local law enforcement seems incompetent or even complicit.

“Stories are just like people. If you don’t approach them with an open mind and a healthy dose of respect, they won’t reveal their hidden selves to you. In that event, you’ll miss out on what they have to offer. You’ll walk through life an empty husk instead of a vibrant kaleidoscope of passion, wisdom, and experience.”

I fell in love with the book from the first page. Even though this is supposed to be a cozy mystery, all the four women characters are well developed. They are all scarred by their past but it doesn’t stop them from trying to help and better the lives of others. The mystery is also quite good and I really couldn’t guess some of the villains till the end. But the best part of the book is the love that almost all characters share for books. Everyone is a book lover which is awesome. Miracle Books is an amazing store and the way it’s nooks and crannies are described, I fell in love with it. I love everything about it – the books, the shelf enhancers, the coffees named after authors, Nora’s collection of coffee mugs with amazing quotes on them and so on and so forth. I just want to go there, order a Louisa May Alcott coffee, pick up a cozy mystery and relax. What bliss would that be!!!

“It’s always that way when you’re looking at books. An hour goes by in a minute: you don’t know where the hell the time went.”

Note: This book has so many book recommendations within the story that your TBR pile will become just unmanageable. But hey, it’s just Books – the more, the merrier.

PS: Thank you so much Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the ARC of this wonderful book. show less

Four women, each with a secret and broken or scarred in their own right, develop close bonds with one another as they learn to trust. A man is found dead on the train tracks - someone, one of the four women had recently met. The immediate conclusion - suicide. This does not coincide with the woman's sense of that man and she and the other women seek justice for the person whose voice is already silenced.

The characters are better developed and the tone darker than is found in most cozy mysteries. Yet, this gives the story more gravitas and it more easily relates to our everyday existence. In spite of the weight there is much hope found throughout the book.

If you are a cozy mystery fan seeking a story which will linger with you, then show more this is the book for you! I thoroughly enjoyed it and trust that you will too. show less

THE SECRET, BOOK, AND SCONE SOCIETY is the first in a new series by Ellery Adams that beautifully combines my favorite elements of mystery, magical realism, and women's fiction. The book is set in the enchanting town of Miracle Springs, North Carolina - a place that draws people in need of healing - including main character Nora Pennington and the other members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society. The group forms initially to investigate the death of an out-of-town businessman, but a strong bond of friendship forms as each woman's most painful secret is revealed.

Nora's character is a bibliotherapist, and she always knows the right books to recommend to someone in need of guidance. Readers who love stories about books will appreciate show more the many titles mentioned and literary quotes throughout, as well as Nora's amazing bookstore.

This book was a bit darker than a typical cozy mystery in that the secrets revealed were weightier than I expected. Still, this character-driven mystery was strong and kept me engaged. Enjoyed!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. show less