Reserved for Murder

Back at Chapters, our B&B. Charlotte has become my favourite cozy protagonist. She doesn't proclaim herself on any mission to save people, she gives all the info she gets immediately to the police, and is honest that she sleuths because it's fun and she's good at it. It's refreshing. Her partnership with Ellen is still solid and I love that we're seeing growth with Alicia and Damian. There's a great conversation around the power of anger management classes that I just love. I'm also appreciative of how Damian's experiences of racism are handle with sensitivity and without making them a big deal.

In this story, the murder revolves around professional rivalries in writing and also examines plagiarism. I didn't see the murderer until well show more in but the clues were well laid, which I've come to expect from this author. I also like that Charlotte gets a love interest, with glimpses of how she's handling moving on from her lost husband but it doesn't overwhelm the story. As for the guy, he's not nearly as charismatic as Richard from Gilbert's library series but his seeming ordinariness is a good fit for her.

This remains an enjoyable series. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Book Lover's B & B cozy mystery series. This one is just as delightful as the first.

The owner of Chapters, Charlotte Reed, is hosting a popular romance writer and several of her biggest fans at the B & B and one of the fans is dead.

A great plot and great characters!! I also appreciate that several of the usual "rules" of cozies aren't always present in this series.

All in all, an enjoyable mystery and one I'd highly recommend. Hoping there are many more to come in this terrific series!!

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert is the 2nd book in A Book Lover’s B & Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not had the time to delve into Booked for Death. However, you would understand more about Isabella, Charlotte’s aunt who left her the house, if you read Booked for Death. I thought Reserved for Murder was well-written with good characters. I like that we get to know a little more Charlotte Reed and her aunt. Charlotte is a retired schoolteacher who now runs a literary themed bed and breakfast called Chapter’s. Each room features a different genre of books (romance and mystery for example). I love the descriptions of Chapter’s. I would love to own this home filled with books. In Reserved for show more Murder a bestselling author is coming to stay along with three fans who won a contest. There will be a special event as well. Unfortunately, one of the fans who is also president of the author’s fan club ends up dead. Charlotte, of course, is going to investigate. There are several suspects in this whodunit along with misdirection to keep readers off the trail of the real killer. I did find it a cinch to identify the guilty party. I can also guess the why based on the details provided. I like putting together the various pieces and arriving at the conclusion (like putting together a puzzle). The more I read, the more my suspicions were confirmed. There is a subplot involving Charlotte’s neighbor and her guest, Gavin. Personally, I do not feel the spy element adds anything to the story. It did not go with the rest of the book. There is, though, sparks between Gavin and Charlotte. There is a significant amount of dialogue in this story as they discuss the mystery and other events. I could have done with less talking and more action. I enjoyed Booked for Death more than I did Reserved for Murder. I thought this story moved along at a slower pace which is courtesy of the dialogue. I like that we get a glimpse into the world of publishing and fanfiction. Charlotte has a great circle of friends. They are a friendly bunch who are there for each other. Reserved for Murder is a literary cozy mystery with a weary writer, a frustrating fan, a circumspect spy, a mystifying murder, suspicious suspects, and an inquisitive inn owner. show less

A good, solid entry in author Victoria Gilbert’s A Booklover’s B&B Mystery series. In the first book we met Charlotte Reed, the owner of Chapters Bed and Breakfast in Beaufort, North Carolina and learned a little bit about her and her past, and discovered she has more than a passing interesting in sleuthing. In this, the second book, we realize it’s not just a passing interest. She really, really (really?) enjoys being an amateur detective, poking around and poking her nose in the business of others, and she does in fact seem to have a bit of a flair for it. And off she goes!

In Reserved for Murder the bed and breakfast is doing well and Charlotte is planning a themed weekend featuring a well-known romantic fantasy author. Sounds show more sweet and simple, but of course it can’t stay that way, beginning with the fact that the author wants to be a near-recluse for her stay and continuing with the discovery of the body of one of the B&B guests at the harbor.

All your favorite characters are back, including Charlotte’s neighbor former spy Ellen, her housekeeper Alicia, chef Damian, best friend bookshop owner Julie and Julie’s boyfriend non-fiction author Scott. And then there’s the mystery man – Gavin Howell. He’s Ellen’s houseguest, supposedly a relative but Charlotte’s not too sure about that. Is he also a spy? And what is it about him that draws her to him?

Reserved for Murder was a fun read with a fun cast of characters, a good mystery to keep you guessing. It looks like Charlotte may be sleuthing for a long time to come. Thanks to author Victoria Gilbert for providing an advance copy of Reserved for Murder for my reading pleasure and honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series. All opinions are my own. show less

Charlotte Reed is a widowed former high school English teacher who inherited Chapters B&B after the death of her Great-Aunt Isabella. This week she is hosting Amanda Novel who is a best-selling author of historical fantasies and contest winners from her various fan clubs. Charlotte has only read one of her books and isn't a fan.

The first thing Charlotte notices when her guests arrive is the amount of tension between them all. Amanda and her publicity guy Tony are at odds. The three contest winners - Lisette, Harper, and Molly - aren't friends either. There are questions about Amanda's latest book which is the thirteenth in her series. There are discussions about scandals in the fan clubs with some references to fan fiction and possible show more plagiarism.

There is also some tension with her neighbor Ellen and her unexpected houseguest Gavin. Ellen is a former spy and it seems apparent that Gavin is also a spy. Ellen and Charlotte has solved a murder mystery the previous year and Charlotte, at least, is hoping that had been a once in a lifetime experience.

But when Lisette is found dead, Charlotte knows that it is likely the killer is one of her guests. Along with Ellen they begin an investigation looking into the pasts and present of all of them while trying to figure out why Gavin has come to see Ellen.

The story was filled with lots of nice twists and turns and lots of information about fan clubs, fan fiction, publishing and even spycraft. show less

Charlotte Reed inherited Chapters, a book-themed B&B by the sea, from her late aunt Isabella. Charlotte's late husband died tragically, and it's here she retreated to, to ease her pain. She's come to love running a B&B, and even more surprise awaited her when she met her next-door neighbor, Ellen. Ellen's past intrigued her, and even more, Charlotte's quick mind and ability to piece things out quickly intrigued Ellen even more. So the septuagenarian and Charlotte became fast friends, never imagining that they would also become partners in solving crimes. But Ellen now has a visitor -- a cousin of sorts, although Charlotte is suspicious.

However, she can't worry about that when her latest guest is a hot romance author and has agreed to show more meet with three contest winners of her fan clubs. But when one of them is tragically killed, suddenly all eyes are on who might be the killer. The suspects are plenty -- from the author herself to a local professor who derided the series -- and Charlotte and Ellen certainly have their work cut out for them. Not to mention that Charlotte is determined to find out exactly who Gavin Howard, the cousin, really is, and why he's in town...

This is the second book in the series and I truly enjoyed it more than the first. Although the first set the scene by giving us background on Charlotte, her aunt, and Ellen, this book expands upon that and brings us deeper into the mysteries. It also gives us a nice mystery to sink our teeth into -- exactly who is Gavin, and who killed the fan club president?

As to Gavin, we are given bits and pieces throughout the book so that mystery is easier to solve; but it seems that the murder of the fan club president is more personal, and any one of several people could have been the murderer. What the question is, is who had the best motive?

I do like the fact that Charlotte and the police actually have a good relationship, and they aren't on her all the time by treating her as if she were below them. The police chief is an intelligent woman who treats Charlotte with respect, and realizes another intelligent woman when she sees her. As for Ellen, she respects Charlotte, and I like the fact that they test one another occasionally. It's quite appealing.

When the killer is discovered, it's a rather sad deal all around, but then, of course, things could have been different for them in other circumstances. All in all, the book was quite enjoyable, and I read it in one sitting, so that is telling in itself. Highly recommended. show less

Charlotte Reed, the owner the B&B known as Chapters, is hosting a private get together with an acclaimed author and her fan club contestant winners. Things are a bit tense when one of the winners turns up dead and the reason could be plagiarism. Charlotte needs to figure is there a guest in Chapters who's also a murderer.

I liked the story but the ex-CIA operatives seems to be pushing it. Is each book going to have some link to Charlotte's dead aunt and her past? I hope not.