Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of this diverting series launch from Ellis (the Kate Weller series), Chicago travel writer Jill Curtis and Michael Erikson, "her videographer sidekick," head to Roseville, Ky., "to discover why thousands of tourists flock to bourbon country every year." They stay at a bed and breakfast owned by a cousin of Jill's, whose husband, Roger Clark, owns the Black Creek distillery. After learning about the 200-year-old feud between the Clarks and the Shelbys, a family that owns a rival distillery, Jill and Michael make a beeline for Black Creek, where Jill finds Roger lying dead on the floor of his aging barn. She promptly becomes a suspect in Roger's murder, and just as promptly is exonerated, which allows her plenty of time to be pursued by potential suitors, including handsome Jamie Shelby ("Mister-Tall-Dark-and-Rich") and "relatively handsome" Lt. Nick Harris of the Kentucky State Police. Jill asks a lot of questions but does no actual detecting, and the simple, often silly plot is heavy on romantic backstories. This cozy is sure to delight Ellis's fans. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Literary. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
A reporter meets her long-lost family. The prolific Ellis, who specializes in Christian romance and mystery, introduces a sassy new heroine in travel writer Jill Curtis, who heads to Kentucky with her videographer, Michael Erikson, to do a story on bourbon. Jill has an ulterior motive for booking them into the Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast in Roseville--the inn is owned by Dot Clark, Jill's grandmother's cousin, and the two women have been estranged over something that happened back when they were 18. Dot's husband, Roger, owns Black Creek, a small distillery, and seems to bully his wife when he's at home. At the first distillery Jill and Michael visit, Founder's Reserve, the tour is led by an eighth-generation family member, flirtatious Jamie Shelby, who tells a tale of an old feud with the Cook family--ancestors of Roger Clark. At their next visit, to Black Creek, they find Roger murdered. Nick Harris of the Kentucky State Police, summoned by the local authorities, isn't happy about Jill's attempts at sleuthing. But Aunt Dot is thrilled to have Jill around to support her, and her visit affords Jill plenty of time to investigate Roger's family, some of whom live in the mountains, make a little moonshine, and keep up the family feud. Circled by plenty of suspects, plenty of motives, and two suitors, Jill still inclines to believe the best of people, though that disposition puts her in danger. This entertaining romantic mystery breaks no new ground but may entice you to plan a trip to Kentucky. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Travel writer Jill Curtis and videographer Michael Erikson travel to Roseville, Kentucky, to do a piece about touring bourbon distilleries, staying at Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast. Jill's ulterior motive is to meet Dot Clark, a distant cousin who runs the B & B. When Clark's husband, Roger, owner of Black Creek Distillery, is murdered, Jill, a suspect, becomes determined to find the killer. She investigates, to the chagrin of Kentucky State Police Lieutenant Nick Harris, who has been called in to assist the local sheriff. Harris reluctantly agrees he needs Jill's help when he interviews Roger Clark's relatives, moonshiners, in their remote mountain home. Some of them had quickly accepted Jill as family--others not so much. Complicating matters, Jill is attracted to Harris and finds herself becoming attached to her cousin Dot and the town of Roseville. Stakes are raised when Michael is attacked and Jill is kidnapped, after spooking the killer. Framed by details of bourbon production, this tale--with its blossoming romance, small-town charm, and well-drawn characters--will please cozy fans.
