Lemonade and Lies (Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Book 2)

If you like a good mystery mixed with light humor you will enjoy this story!I have enjoyed this series so far!

Julia is at it again. Stepping in to help family and villagers alike in this new book.Nothing says village life like an upscale spa created from an old manor house. Not everyone is keen in that idea. Julia and Detective Barker go at tge mystery from different angles while trying to figure out their relationship.

Julia has her hands full with so many suspects. The lies do not help. She has her note book and she knows the grossip line can be useful sometimes too.Best part is Detective Barker, is coming around to fact that she is not going to stop investigating.This book well having wondering who done it.

Small towns can have all kinds of problems too! Mystery, murder, and cheating are just a few of the things going on in Peridale!!!!😁 (Do be aware that there are some "British-isms" that you may need to look up for clarity.) Great story!!!😃

Once I finished the first book in this series I happily started book 2 right after that. Lemonade and Lies is just as good as book 1, maybe even a bit better. As I already knew a bit more of the characters and the town it was easy to get sucked into this book. I like this series, they are relatively quick reads, contain a fun murder mystery and the characters are interesting too. All in all these books are just a lot of fun and I am looking forward to read more by this author.I liked the mystery in this one. The focus is on a few possible suspects, and you know one of them is likely the murder. But it's always a question whom of them actually did it and what are the red herrings. From the start I was thinking in the right direction, but guessed the actual murderer wrong. Although I think it would be near impossible to figure it out as there were very little clues in that direction. But once it was revealed it did make sense and I did notice the few clues that pointed in that direction. It was a nice twist and I was pleased my guess had been very close.The side plot lines also continue a bit in this book, but like in the first book there's a strong focus on the mystery and less on the rest. But that totally works here. The side plot liens were fun too. I liked getting to know a bit more about Jessie and there's a small plot line surrounding her and a secret she's been keeping. I also liked how the romance between Julia and Barker develops a bit. And we see more of the other side characters as well. There are a few side plot lines involving some of the suspects as well and we get a better feel for this town and the people who live there.This series is fun to read so far and I am already looking forward to the next book. The books are relatively quick reads, but as a lot of focus is on the mystery, the mystery still feels well done. There's a bit less focus on the side plots, so those developed slowly but surely over the course of the series. Which works nicely for this series. I like figuring out the murder mystery alongside Julia, she has a good eye for gathering the right clues and keeps an open mind. She a fun main character to read about.To summarize: I started this book right after book 1 as I really enjoyed it. Lemonade and Lies is a great read, maybe even better than the first book. I really enjoyed the mystery in this one and figuring things out alongside Julia. I like Julia as a main characters and the side characters are fun too. I especially like Jessie and it was nice to see more of her in this book. I was pretty close with my suspect for who as the murderer, but guessed the actual person wrong. There were some clues in that direction, but they only make sense once you know who it is. The side plots develop a bit more slowly, but they are fun too. I am already looking forward to book 3!

I have already come to love the characters, the setting, the food descriptions. I am also enjoying learning some new to me English terms. I loved the great twisty mystery and loved the ending too!

I enjoyed this second installment much better than the first one.The introduction was strong and the build-up to the murder case is well-delineated, laying out all the hints and bad raps about the later-to-be-possible suspects, especially the descriptions of chirpy, nosy villagers are spot-on. I could easily visualize what they are like and that helped me to ease into the story. It was really nicely done.I found the writing is much more suspenseful this time. So much so, the author pulled my leg the first time when the piercing noise came and had me believing the murder was happening. I think she is great at generating tension.I also enjoyed the mystery elements in this book as well. In the last book, I was a bit frustrated by the fact that I couldn't 'play detective,' failing to piece together the clues and hints that lead to the murderer. I might be wrong, but there were things that weren't revealed in the book but Julia only knows (or finds out) and those were unraveled only after the culprit reveal.But this time, all the info and hints are out on the table, without Julia holding out anything so that the readers can pin down the villain as we go along which is the point I most valued in this book.The episode with Jessie adds a nice touch, too. Jessie's erratic behavior was an unexpected twist, and it had me wondering and concerned what was going on. I was attached to the characters and their stories. I have a hunch this is going to be a nice cozy-mystery series where a family drama also plays an integral part.This second book in the series got me hopeful for the series. I will read the next book and see where it takes me :)

This was an easy , pleasant read. Not challenging, no sex or any offensive language. There is a murder but not graphic.

A really good read with plenty of action and unexpected twists and turns which gripped me to the very end.It amazes me that Julie makes so many spontaneous decisions on how to proceed with her investigations without first considering the possible consequences to her own safety. It's no wonder she ends up in life threatening situations , nevertheless , I have to admire her grit and determination, but I have every sympathy for the handsome DI who has clearly fallen in love with her , a feeling which is mutual if only Julia would admit it.But despite his constant warnings against involving herself in such reckless behaviour and interfering in ' police business ' he is grudgingly aware of her sleuthing skills in the art of detection which sometimes. surpasses his own.I just grab book 3 immediately !

This is not the first book in the series, but I started with this one because it was free. The standard of writing was poor:How can she 'delicately' pound her head against the wardrobe door'?What is a 'designation junk drawer'?Carat is not spelt 'karat'.It was also nonsensical, someone who bakes for her own shop / cafe would not regard 6am as an 'early start' and waiters would not wear dinner jackets (not tuxedos - this is an American term and the village is in England) to serve at a lunchtime garden party. We are told Julia remembers where the bathroom is from her infrequent visits to the house, but the housekeeper has no idea who she is.The sentence describing how the housekeeper's 'lined skin and pulled back wiry hair made it obvious she should have taken her retirement long ago' is appalling, why should hair which is pulled back denote readiness for retirement, and not everyone is blessed with good skin! Retirement is a choice, not forced upon anyone once they each a certain age.I am deleting everything by this author from my kindle library.

*Reviewing for ROCK HARD ROMANCE**ARC Received but Purchased to add to own collection*'I've come to realise that not matter what I say you'll do what you want' (Detective Ins.Brown)This is the second book in this series,which could be read as a Standalone,again features 37 year old Julia South who runs her little cafe,still to be divorced,Amateur Sleuth, now with a teenage lodger Jessie,who we met in book 1. This time the Murder Mystery that occurs,has a more personal note to Julia,as the scene of the crime is at Peridale Manor-where her Father Brian and his (same-age-as-Julia)'s Step-Mother Kate reside.As with the previous book,the writing is such that the reader is once again,sucked into the quaint village setting with its quirky residents,there are still secrets to be held and revealed,with the added ongoing will they-won't they- budding romance between Julia and the Detective Inspector Brown.This time round,things get a bit more dangerous for Julia in her quest to discover the identity of the culprit.I'll not go into anymore detail so as not to spoil it for other readers-experience it for yourselves.I am loving this series,and again I add that the cover is very fitting and appealing to this 'Cosy Mystery' and even with the 'Murder' aspect,you can't help but have a smile whilst reading.I am looking forward to reading the next book.

The 2nd in the Peridale series, as good as the 1st book.This time Julia is involved in a murder committed at her estranged Father and Step-Mothers mansion in Peridale.Once again, Barker is on hand and between them they attempt to solve the murder.I really like these books, easy to read and quick too, can be read in 1 sitting.Looking forward to the next in the series.

Having read the first one in the series I felt I should read the next one and I wasn't disappointed! What is so nice with these gentle murders, so to speak is that you get to see how the main characters grow on you and mature, as well learning more about their background. In this one we get to meet Julia's father who she hasn't seen since she was a child. Along with his new wife who is the same age as her! Many lies to disentangle plus a murder makes for a delightful read.