Book Review: BLUE RIDGE MURDER (Marshall Brothers Book 2) by Carolyn Laroche

Every so often, I find a romantic mystery or romantic suspense to mix things up a bit...

About the Book (from Amazon)

A steadfast believer in "never again," the only relationship parole officer Alayna Baron wants is with her job. When her roommate surprises her with a long weekend in the mountains, she reluctantly agrees—completely unaware it’s a singles matchmaking event. 

Widowed at a young age, Detective Evan Marshall thought he'd had his one chance at love. When his brothers send him away for the weekend, the thought of romance never crosses his mind. At least, not until he finds the intriguing Alayna stranded on the side of the road. 

When an intense snowstorm closes the roads and bodies start piling up at the inn where they are staying, Evan and Alayna join forces in an attempt to keep the other guests safe. But even with a murderer hidden amongst them, Evan and Alayna find a spark neither are looking for. If only they can stay alive long enough to explore it. A complete stand-alone romantic mystery.

Review

Imagine being pushed to take a free weekend getaway and not only getting stuck in a snowstorm, but discovering when you check in, it's a singles meet-and-greet. Only the snow keeps coming, the roads are closed and you're stuck there with an innkeeper who believes in love and has already decided that Evan and Alayna belong together. Throw in some ice breaker games and activities...

Both Alayna and Evan are taken by surprise and their only goal is to get off the snowy mountain as soon as possible. The snow storm and Alayna's car trouble have other ideas. When first one person associated with the inn is found dead, tensions rise. Authorities can't get to the inn and no one can leave. The detective and the parole officer shift from unhappy guests to securing crime scenes as much as possible and protecting the corpses. 

This is well-written and the suspense builds as the body count rises. One 'accident' the other guests can ignore and return to their matchmaking... soon guests start looking at each other with suspicion. There are some humorous spots and the building attraction between Alayna and Evan as well. It's not clear until the end who the killer is or the motive. If you like romantic mystery, you'll enjoy this one. It is the second in the Marshall brothers series and my first by Carolyn Laroche. The only reference to Evan's brothers is that they paid for the trip. It truly is a stand-alone romantic mystery.

AMAZON