The Secret, Book & Scone Society

This is a story that is clearly designed to appeal to bibliophiles, with its bookstore setting and a protagonist with a gift for choosing the perfect book. But, sadly for us bibliophiles, the tale proves to be a plodding, formulaic murder mystery afflicted by pointless descriptions and statements of the obvious. I wanted to like this but the writing is just so ham-handed and sloppy, I simply cannot bear it.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher for review.

There is mystery, a little thriller, and a little romance. These women are amazing characters! I want to meet them and go visit their businesses. They seem so real and relatable. The mystery is intriguing and the bad guys are really bad, but there is empathy for them and the other characters. This one is fabulous!

“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, 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.