Bound by Murder (Antique Bookshop Mystery #3), by Laura Gail Black

  

Publication date Sept. 6, 2022.

Wow, so much going on here. Jenna is having a great day until her ex-boyfriend, Blake Emerson, shows up with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. But, why is he still professing his eternal love for Jenna, especially after turning his back on her during a previous hard time? Although this series is new to me, the author effortlessly fills us in on that injustice which wound up with Jenna spending some three months in jail charged with murder and embezzlement. When released, Jenna is met at the door to their home by Blake, coldly handing her the key to a storage locker, and left alone to start a new life.

Just to add another complication to the current situation, while Blake is harassing Jenna, Missy's ex, Tom, shows up vowing that Missy and he are meant to be. He makes a very public spectacle of getting down on his knee and proposing. Let's just say, Missy isn't kind. Seems Blake is far richer. In the span of just a few days, Missy also manages to alienate many of the other historic town's shop owners with her entitled attitude and nasty nature. Is it any surprise she eventually turns up dead, or that it's Jenna who finds the body? This is where things begin to get even more complicated.

Why are Blake and Missy even there? What is he telling Missy that makes her beyond angry at Jenna? What mad skill does Jenna display to discourage Blake? Why is policeman boyfriend Keith so unsure of Jenna's love? Why isn't even Jenna sure of her own motives or feelings, be it love or revenge? How will the previously traumatized Eddy handle all the stress? Is there any limit to a mother's love? Why is Blake just standing by while Missy is so loudly being beyond rude to his mother? Come to think of it, why didn't Jenna ever meet his mother? Why does the destruction of one particular book in her shop, Twice Upon a Time, by what seems arson, so saddening for Jenna? How is all this connected to Jenna's past? Who had a reason to kill Missy? What does Blake have to say about all this? What is the significance of a key? And, well, to find out you'll just have to read the book.

I wound up loving this book and plan to read the previous installments asap. Jenna is likable, cares about others, and growing in confidence in her life and friendships. The supporting cast is excellent and seem like people we'd all enjoy having in our own lives. Having the chance to overhear both their idle chatter and deeper conversations pulls us into the story, making us want to know what happens next, not to mention what really happened in Jenna's past that brought her here. Jenna's romance with Keith, though new, seems solid and able to grow in the future. And, of course, there is Eddy. I'm a sucker for dogs anyway but Eddy captured my heart, healing from past trauma just as Jenna is. This series is a winner.

Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for introducing me to Jenna, Keith, and her friends. And, hey, I'm sending Eddy a virtual treat. Good boy, Eddy.