Maddie Graves is in a good place. She’s engaged to her best friend and love of her life Nick Winters, and the doldrums of the cold season are winding toward Valentine’s Day. What could go wrong?
A visit from the father who abandoned her before birth hits hard and fast, and Maddie finds herself overwhelmed with emotion. For his part, George Hunter says he only wants to talk but Maddie isn’t sure she should believe him.
Nick wants to help, but he has no idea how to do it. Matters only get worse when the owner of a local bed and breakfast is found murdered … and George just happens to be staying at her establishment.
It’s up to Nick and Maddie – working together with friends and family, of course – to untangle a rather large mess. The woman who died had secrets of her own, including a shopping addiction that led to divorce and two adult children who think they’re entitled to everything, even though they’ve never worked for anything.
Maddie’s grandmother is spitting mad when she finds out about George – and threats are flying fast and furious – but she’s not open for conversation and the ghost of Maddie’s dead mother isn’t providing answers either.
Maddie is caught between Graves family loyalty and a hard place, one that resides in her heart and takes up the spot reserved for her father.
When everything comes together – and all the battle lines are drawn – Maddie will have to make a choice. Is she willing to forget the past and try for a new future, or will she allow anger and bitterness to haunt her until the bitter end?
Available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.
Have you ever insisted on eating a type of candy over and over again? You know it’s not good for you, it’s not particularly good but just something about it keeps you coming back to it. I think that’s how I feel about this series. Lol. I really should just stop but I can’t!
One of the reasons I want to stop is that in Every. Single. Book. We have to get the full recap of Nick and Maddie’s relationship from childhood to the Detroit interlude to the present, sometimes mentioned more than once! Then there is the moping ex-girlfriend who says she’s over it in one book but then acts all moony in another.
On the bright side, new readers to the series will never have to worry about being able to catch up. It’s all there! Every. Time.
Enough of the complaining and on to the fun parts of the story. Maddie’s absentee father makes a return to Blackstone Bay to explain his absence and connect with the daughter he never met. That scenario allows for some sweet and emotional moments and gives the reader a chance to see more development of Maddie’s character.
The mystery to solve is who killed hotel owner, Fran. There aren’t many suspects, to be honest and it’s not too hard to figure out the most likely one. However, the motive is what we need to figure out and can’t until some well-placed clues are revealed. The big reveal of the culprit is pretty good and opens up some new opportunities for the main characters.
Speaking of characters, Granny Maude is up to her usual antics. Let’s just say, she’s got a hammer and she’s not unwilling to use it!
Overall this is another decent installment in the Maddie Graves mystery series starring sickeningly sweet but hard to resist characters. I’d love to say I’m finished with the series but I know full well I’ll be downloading book 11 soon enough!
I give Grave Haunting 3.5/5 espresso shots.
The Cozy Pages 
I read the first books but got upset and stopped reading. Interesting there now 11 books.
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I think it might even be up to 15. I really have no idea why I’m still reading the series! Lol.
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