🍄🍄🍄🍄
In this second installment, Emma Brennen, owner of Aroma Wellness Spa has booked a "Happily Divorced" event for soon-to-be divorced Addison Lacey. However, the discovery of a dead body changes everything. With Addison as the prime suspect in the murder investigation, Emma believes there's more to the story and she is determined to figure out who is behind this heinous crime. Was it Addison or did someone else commit murder?
The setting for this series is Carmel-by-the-Sea, the same setting for Daryl Wood Gerber's Fairy Garden Mysteries. It truly feels like a community, especially since characters from that series make appearances in this one. Since fairies reside in Carmel-by-the-Sea, we are even treated to appearances by them. While the fairies are not main characters in the Aroma Wellness series, they are present enough for fairy fans like myself. For me, the only thing that would improve the community even more is the mention of ramps wherever there are stairs. I like to imagine myself in the setting of the books I read, but it's difficult to do this when I don't know if I could access the delightfully cozy businesses in the area.
I love the theme of wellness. In the midst of an investigation, I found the spa scenes quite serene and calming. The contrast with the murder mystery worked very well.
I once again really enjoyed spending time with most of the main characters in this second installment. I also had fun getting to know new characters. There are just two characters I'm not a huge fan of. One may be moving on, but the other one is the detective. I understand he has a job to do, but I thought he was overly harsh with Emma. I didn't feel that she was interfering in the investigation as much as the detective felt she was. In real life, sometimes it is the citizens who provide the authorities with leads in investigations. I thought he could have been more accepting of her help.
The mystery in Murder in a Lavender Daze is strong. Trying to figure out the whodunnit had my head spinning in the best way. I had a a few suspects in mind and I thought I narrowed it down to the the two strongest suspects. Both of them turned out to be wrong. I love when that happens. The big reveal surprised me, but it came together in a logical way.
And there are some extras in this book. If you're a fan of culinary cozies, you'll be pleased to know there are several recipes at the end. They all sound delicious. These include gluten free options. Something else in all of the books I've read by Daryl Wood Gerber that I really appreciate is the list of characters in the beginning of the book. If I ever lost track of who a character was, all I had to do was quickly look at that list that gives a brief description of each one. This eliminates the need to highlight or write down a list of characters, which I often do when a list isn't given.
If you're looking for a cozy mystery that has a light, airy feel to it, look no further than Daryl Wood Gerber's Aroma Wellness series. While each installment contains a standalone mystery, I recommend reading them in order so you can follow the subplots and character development. There is only one book before Murder in a Lavender Daze, so you have time to catch up before this second installment is released on April 28th. I am already looking forward to more!
Thank you to author Daryl Wood Gerber, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with ARCs of this book!
