Scones And A Cozy Mystery? What Could Be Better?
The search for belonging challenges everyone—some must fight to find it. In the end, is it a place or the people around you? Nora had to fight to find her perfect place, and now she will fight to keep it. This and more happen in Ellery Adams’ cozy mystery series, The Secret Book and Scone Society.
Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden. When a visiting businessman reaches out to Nora for guidance, she knows exactly which novels will help. But before he can keep their appointment at Miracle Books, he’s found dead on the train tracks. Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to gain trust and earn redemption by helping others. To join the society, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place. Determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cramped and cozy bookstore to share stories and trade support. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over . . .
Something I found so refreshing about this book is that the characters weren’t fresh-faced youngsters. They all had a story and a past. The town seems to collect troubled people and give them a fresh start, and it’s true for this group of gals. We all know by now that I love good characters, and I also love it when they have depth. Ellery Adams wrote some well-developed characters that are not perfect. Actually, far from perfect. I loved that the group shared their stories to build trust and better understand one another. I know I am not talking about individuals at the moment, but the things I liked about each character kind of passed to the others as well. Also, don’t go into this book thinking that the scones are only a small part of the story, like I did…. One of the characters bakes these individual scones for each customer. I would also wait for a scone that the baker made just for me. I was so hungry while reading this book, and man, did I want to try every single scone. I’m hungry just thinking about the scones as I write this…. Seriously though. My review is pretty vague, but I know that if I go too far into the characters, I will give spoilers, and I would hate to do that. This book also had a little love story that I thought was a cute add-in. Plus a bookseller who suggests books for people based on their problems. I love it! Granted, I enjoy stories featuring booksellers. I also wanted to talk a little about the audiobook, and I thought the voice artist was great to listen to. So if you don’t want to pick up the physical copy, I would recommend the audio.
