A Wedding to Die For: A Yellow Rose Mystery

Thirty-year-old Texas heiress, Abby Rose, never pictured herself as a sleuth growing up. The pampered princess who grew up as part of a privileged family - along with her twin sister, and resident clinical psychologist, Kate - always saw herself married to a handsome man, and residing in a house - okay, perhaps a mansion - complete with a white picket fence. But everything changed the minute her alcoholic ex-husband tried to murder her, and her father revealed that he is...not her biological father; but, rather, her adoptive parent. Since then, Abby has begun progressing through a series of changes, and realized that her life truly needed a makeover. Now, with her ex-husband dead, and her adoptive father out of the picture, along with a new guy in her life, Abby has decided to start up a new business venture. Leaving her tech-smart life behind, Abby sets herself up to be a Private Investigator, specializing in adoption cases. Which is how, after a few successful jobs, Abby finds herself mixed up with the Beadford family. Wealthy, aristocratic, and hiding a handful of secrets, bride-to-be Megan Beadford's adoptive parents are dead-set against her contacting her birth mother. But, unable to resist the allure of discovering the truth about her past, and having her birth mother by her side as she walks down the aisle, Megan hires Abby to do a little investigating. Unfortunately, after quite a bit of digging, Abby comes up empty-handed. But that doesn't knock her out. While attending Megan's wedding reception, Megan's adoptive father is murdered - the victim of being hit upside the head with a crystal vase. Upset about doing Megan wrong and being unable to locate her birth mother, Abby steps into the role of amateur sleuth, and begins investigating the recent death. However, not everyone is overjoyed with Abby's foray into the world of murder investigations. Case in point, police chief, Quinn Fielder. Quinn used to date Abby's Big Red-addicted boyfriend, Houston homicide detective, Jeff Kline, and will do anything in her power to keep Abby from sticking her nose into her so-called investigation. Unfortunately for her, Abby isn't easily deterred, and won't halt her hunt for the killer until he or she is behind bars. Unless, of course, the so-called murderer catches her first. In a world of amateur sleuths who spend their days slaving over hot stoves, and tending to teething toddlers, Leann Sweeney's young, rambunctious Abby Rose brings a new set of rules to the table. Specializing in adoption cases, Abby's motives for helping others like herself bring a unique appeal to her character; while her Paris Hilton-esque bank account make her comings and goings as easy as 1-2-3. While Abby's interactions with the people surrounding her, from relatives to clients, and friends to foes, are professional; her easygoing, laid-back mannerisms make her appealing from start to finish. Sweeney manages to mix it up by flavoring A WEDDING TO DIE FOR with tasty character

I particularly liked the first book in the series, but I always worry that it will be downhill from then. Fortunately, the author keeps the quality going -- I will look forward to reading the next in the series. The plot involves a wealthy young Texan, Rose, who has started her own business (she donates earnings to charity) finding birth parents for adoptees. Her client has invited her to her wedding -- she'd hoped her birth mother could attend, but they haven't found her yet -- but there's a killing at the reception. Rose gets mixed up in that, in no small part because the investigating police chief in this gulf-front town suspects her and various people that Rose knows are innocent. Rose's boyfriend -- a homicide detective in Houston -- used to date this police chief, so you can imagine the tension. Rose is involved in trying to identify a mysterious and uninvited guest at the wedding -- the obvious supposition is that she's from the bride's birth family, but is she? and does she have anything to do with the murder, like is she the killer? Rose ends up going to Jamaica to do some research. These types of mysteries aren't exactly realistic -- and no "noir" either -- not NYPD or anything like. They are well-plotted and amusing. That's waht the author does well -- snappy dialogue, some romance, a little travel, a glimpse of the good life among the wealthier folk, etc. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

This second in the Yellow Rose mystery series was just as pleasurable as the first. Once again, Abby Rose, now a private adoption PI is involved with murder and mayhem. The characters were fun to get to know, although the craziness of two sisters - Courtney and Roxanne - was a bit over the top at times. The mystery is involving, and just long enough to hold your attention. I particularly enjoyed the trip Abby took to Jamaica to further research the case - getting Abby to another location with locals really added to the story. If you haven't read the first in the series, I would recommend that; although the author goes over the highlights from her first book the characters are drawn from the first book mainly, and just expanded upon here. I look forward to the next book.. fun and light series.

Abby Rose is a new adoption PI in Houston. Meagan Beadford hires her to find her birth mother, hoping she will attend her wedding. Unfortunately Abby hits one brick wall after another in the search. Especially since Meagan won't discuss it with her adoptive parents. She doesn't think they will understand. Meagan's adoptive father is murdered at Meagan's reception. At Meagan's request, Abby continues to search for her birth mother. She soon discovers not everything is as it seems. This search ends up taking her out of Texas for a few days. When Meagan's uncle is murdered, Meagan asks Abby to help find who killed the two men. Meagan is unsure that she can help, but she agrees to cry. Meagan looks so pale that Abby can't turn her down. There are so many possible suspects. The chief of police, Quinn Fielder, is no help at all. Matter of fact, she suspects Abby. Abby's boyfriend, Jeff is a Sergeant in the Houston Police Department. Since this happened in Seacliff, he has no jurisdiction and can't help her. Meagan's cousins have some issues, and Abby, along with her twin sister Kate, try to help. It's not always easy. Abby wonders if they had anything to do with the murders. Abby finds herself in some sticky situations along the way, but she is determined to discover the truth about Meagan's adoption and the murder of her father and uncle. I really like this new series. This is the second in the series. It is great. I can't wait for the next one! Abby is such a great character. She is full of spunk and has wonderful people around her to assist her and support her. Of course, there are those like Aunt Caroline, who you can't always tell if they really have her best interests at heart. I highly recommend this book.

Abby Rose is young, rich, and beautiful, but unlike some people in her social class, she works for a living and donates her salary to an orphanage. She learned in a brutal manner that she was adopted so she chose to become a private investigator specializing in adoptions, reuniting offspring with their biological parents. Her clients sense that this work is a cause more than a job so most invariably trust her. When she was a teen, Megan found out she was adopted, but promised her adoptive parents she would not seek out her biological parents. She breaks her pledge by hiring Abby to locate her biological mother so that the woman can attend her wedding. Abby and Megan become friends and the bride invites the sleuth to attend the wedding rehearsal and reception. However tragedy occurs when someone murders Megan's adoptive father at the reception. A distraught Megan hires Abby to find out who killed the beloved man who raised her. The investigation leads Abby to Jamaica where she learns the identity of her client's biological parents and more. Upon her return, Abby faces a second homicide while searching for a killer amidst a dysfunctional family. Leann Sweeny has written a witty down home Texas mystery starring a heroine who feels it is her destiny to help others with similar backgrounds to her own. The friendship between Abby and Megan rings true adding depth to the sleuth's desperate need to identify the killer. A WEDDING TO DIE FOR will appeal to romance readers, as much as private investigative aficionados, because much of the fine tale involves relationships including one between Abby and her cop-lover. Harriet Klausner