I am filling in for another blogger today but I hope to read and review this story very soon!
Engaged in Trouble
by Jenny B. Jones
Funny and fast-fast paced, this is a great cozy.
~The Book’s the Thing
Engaged in Trouble was a super fun and quirky cozy mystery!
The story/plot fast paced full of twists and turns and surprises that kept this reader captivated from the very beginning.
~My Reading Journeys
This book is a combo of chick lit and cozy mystery. Humor is spread throughout the book with mystery and a touch of romance. It’s a quick read with “laugh-out-loud” fun.
~Socrates’ Book Reviews…
Sylvie and Frannie might be two of my favorite characters ever.
~Bubby at Bubble Bath Books
Paisley was really funny, down to earth, and relate-able. Beau was a great character also. I enjoyed his sense of humor and he brought a level of mystery to the book in addition to the murder mystery.
~Bookworm Cafe
A perfect combination of chick lit rom-com (with enough heat) and cozy mystery, perfect for all small town genre readers.
~Laura’s Interests
Engaged in Trouble … smart, Southern, and sassy. I’ve found a new favorite author in Jenny B. Jones, one who captivates me with her storytelling, characterization, and lyrical writing.
~The Power of Words
Engaged in Trouble (An Enchanted Events Mystery Book 1)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Sweet Pea Productions (March 30, 2017)
Paperback: 368 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0998109800
E-Book ASIN: B06XX5VT7J
When a washed-up pop star inherits a wedding planning business, it’s all bouquets and bliss until a bride turns up dead.
Paisley Sutton shot to stardom as a teenage rock sensation, but ten years later that star has fizzled out, just like her bank account. When she unexpectedly inherits her aunt’s wedding planning business, Paisley leaves the glamour of Los Angeles for a charming small town in Arkansas. Thinking she’ll arrive in Sugar Creek and liquidate the moldly property, Paisley’s shocked to find Enchanted Events has experienced a major makeover and is now the place for brides. She’s got two months to keep Enchanted Events afloat if she wants to sell and rekindle her music career with the profits.
Paisley’s tossed into a world of vows and venues, but her most difficult challenge comes in the form of one demanding bride. When this Bridezilla’s found facedown in her cake, all fingers point to Paisley as the prime murder suspect. And she does not look good in prison orange.
This former pop princess will need the help of her gun-toting, ex-CIA grandmother and her handsome neighbor, Beau Hudson, to unravel the mystery and clear her good name. As she and her unruly posse dig into Bridezilla’s life, she discovers the woman had a long list of enemies. The closer Paisley gets to the truth, the more her own life is in danger.
Love is in the air this wedding season, but before Paisley can help the ladies of Sugar Creek say, “I do,” she’s got to unveil a killer. Or find herself the next target.
Engaged in Trouble is the first book in the long-awaited Enchanted Events cozy mystery series by award-winning author Jenny B. Jones. If you like laugh-out-loud adventures, small-town romance, unforgettable, sassy characters, and a mystery to keep you guessing, then you’ll love this new page-turning series.
I’m Paisley Sutton, former pop star of the hit girl band Electric Femmes and now star of the drama that’s become my life. Let me catch you up to date really quickly. I’m broke. I had to temporarily leave my beloved Los Angeles to move back to Sugar Creek, Arkansas, and my new neighbor? My old nemesis Beau Hudson. Let’s take a peek at when I first see Beau again—after many years of some blessed time apart.
I pulled up to a darkened house and briefly rested my head on the steering wheel in the quiet of the night.
Six weeks.
I had to stay in this town six weeks.
There had to be a way around that. To get what I wanted and return to L.A. before my beloved city had forgotten me. But the terms of the will, something I’d read at least twenty times, stated that I had to keep my great-aunt’s business afloat for two months, then I was welcome to sell. The business itself wouldn’t be worth a dime, but the old building in the growing downtown area would bring in some much-needed cash.
Yanking a suitcase from the backseat, I slammed the car door shut and heaved the best of my belongings toward a gray two-story with black shutters and enough Victorian charm to have personality, but not intimidate. Sylvie owned a handful of rent houses in Sugar Creek, and this one boasted two side-by-side front doors. I tried the key I’d finally gotten in both doors, but to no avail. Seriously? I just wanted a bed, to slip beneath cool sheets and let my worry-ridden head drift into a fluffy pillow.
Leaving my bags, I walked around the back of the house, using my phone for a flashlight. Crickets chattered and mosquitoes rudely buzzed their welcome in my ear. I tripped on a step to the back deck, but climbed on up, only to be faced, yet again, with two doors. The key refused to fit in one door, but the weathered door on the left opened with no effort at all. I could practically feel the cool, crisp sheets already.
My flashlight illuminated a small kitchen with granite countertops, white cabinets, and a dining set tucked into a nook. The hardwood floor beneath my feet creaked as I stepped into the room and—
A large shadow flickered a millisecond before five hundred pounds of solid bulk slammed into my body and threw me to the ground.
Lightning exploded in my head as it hit the floor, and my scream pierced the air. I kicked and struggled, desperate to get this intruder off me, while panic overrode any rational thought. I’d taken a self-defense class years ago, but I couldn’t recall a single move. Still screaming, I kicked wildly and tried to use my nails to claw this person’s face, but he took my hands captive.
“Get off me!” I yelled. “My husband’s in the car! He has a gun!”
The intruder stilled. With one large hand still wrapped around both my wrists, he reached for my dropped phone and shined the light right in my face. My galloping heartbeat couldn’t drown out the loud sigh from the person hovering over me.
“Husband, huh?” A deep voice said. “Maybe we should wait for him.”
Oh, geez.
I was pretty sure I knew that voice.
My attacker released my hands and rolled to his feet, the light revealing one familiar face.
“Beau Hudson.” My volume escalated with each word. “What in the name of all that’s holy are you doing in my house?”
“You’re in my house, Paisley Sutton.” He flicked on the light, illuminating a tableau I would forever call The Time I Faced Death and Didn’t Wet Myself.
“This is my grandmother’s home, and I have the keys to it.” I pulled myself to a seated position, my skull throbbing.
This interloper was my childhood best friend’s brother. His hair was the color of toffee, and those eyes, blue as sea glass. Back in the day, just to look upon him made a girl want to write poetry and compromise every moral she had. None of that had changed. He’d been the hero of the Sugar Creek football team years ago, before picking up his high school diploma and heading off to the Army. He was tall and trim, his body contoured with muscles he clearly still maintained since his military days. I only spoke to his sister about once a year, but she always gave me a Beau update. I knew he’d come back to Sugar Creek within the last few years, lucky to be alive, yet as his sister put it, “Not quite the same.”
Beau had been the older, mature fourteen to my twelve. After sharing a plate of macaroni and fried chicken, he’d kissed me at a church social, then ran back to school to tell everyone it had been a slobbery disaster.
He took a knee beside me, and I scooted away.
“Let me see your head.” His voice was as gruff as the scraggly beard on his face. I’d just been attacked by a lumberjack. “Quit squirming.” He reached out a hand and traced it over my cheek, my temple, his eyes intense on my face. “I could’ve hurt you.”
My skin tingled beneath his touch. “You did hurt me.”
His hand began an inspective crawl into my hairline. “I mean I could’ve killed you.”
I rubbed my aching shoulder. “I was two seconds from ruining your life with a well-placed knee to your squishy parts, so I don’t think so.” Though my pulse had yet to return to normal. I tried to shrug out of Beau’s grip, but he wasn’t having it. “I’m okay.”
Those blue eyes still on mine, Beau’s fingers slowly slid through my hair to the back of my head. “Does this hurt?”
“I. . .I think I’ll live.”
His gaze darkened. “You want to tell me what you’re doing in my house?”
“It’s my grandmother’s house, and I’m living here for a few months.” Good heavens, his fingers were magic. “So I think I’m the one who should be asking the questions.”
He gave that gusty sigh again. “So you’re the new neighbor Sylvie was so cagey about.”
I frowned, certain I had the right address. “Neighbor?”
“The house is two units. The back door you came in? It’s mine. I assume you’re living in the other half.”
I slapped away his hands and attempted to stand.
“Easy.” One strong arm curled around my waist. “We should probably get you to the E.R. Have someone look at your head.”
I was related to Sylvie. We were used to people suggesting we have our head’s examined. “I’m fine. I just want to get to my side and sleep. Apparently Sylvie gave me the wrong keys.” Probably on purpose.
“I can get you in there.”
“Is this going to involve brute force as well?”
Brow furrowed, Beau gave my form another assessing look before walking away, a slight limp marring his gait. He returned shortly holding a silver key. “Let’s get your bags.”
A few minutes later I stood behind him as he opened the door, carrying three bags like they were no heavier than my purse.
He took a few steps inside. “Welcome home.”
I stood in the doorway, my feet unable to carry me any further.
Welcome home.
This town had been home. Before I got plucked from a high school choir competition to round out a girls’ band. Before I traveled the world and lived large. Before life said, “Never mind!” and kicked me off the train of success.
“I hope you’re not waiting for me to carry you over the threshold,” Beau said, interrupting my maudlin thoughts.
“You’d do anything to cop a feel.” I mustered up a smile.
“Paisley?”
“Yes?”
“It’sgoing to be okay.”
About The Author
Award-winning, best-selling author Jenny B. Jones writes romance, cozies, and YA with sass and Southern charm. Since she has very little free time, Jenny believes in spending her spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits, such as eating ice cream, watching puppy videos, and reading celebrity gossip. She lives in the beautiful state of Arkansas and has worked in public education for half of forever. She loves bluegrass, a good laugh, and strong tea. She adores hearing from readers.
Author sites and social media:
Webpage: www.JennyBJones.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennybjones/
Twitter: @jenbjones
Instagram: @JennyBJonesAuthor
Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/JennyBJones
Buy Links for Engaged in Trouble:
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