Engagement and Espionage: A Sexy, Small Town Cozy Mystery

ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is the first instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult SOLVING FOR PIE: CLETUS AND JENN MYSTERIES cozy, mystery series-a spin off from the author’s Winston Brothers series. Cletus Winston and Jenn Sylvester’s story can be found in book three BEARD SCIENCE. Told from dual first person perspective (Jenn and Cletus) ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE follows Jenn and Cletus as they endeavour to reveal the truth and the people behind a series of accidents at the local farms from which Jenn gets her ingredients for her prize winning bakery. The attack against her mother and a fire at the local bee hive, the death of a flock of chickens, and the sale of the farm and cows where Jenn buys her milk finds our couple looking into the who, how and why, including the acrimonious break up and impending divorce of Jenn’s belligerent parents. As Jenn and Cletus go undercover, including a ruse to reveal the truth, Jenn quickly discovers that not all is well in Green Valley, as she has become the target of jealousy, vengeance and a disgruntled family member. ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE is an intriguing, quirky and spirited mystery. The premise is compelling ; the romance is tender and light hearted; the characters are animated.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Five Stars for Cletus ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Engagement and Espionage by Penny Reid is the first book in a new series spinoff from the amazingly and deservedly popular Winston Brothers books. This series is a bit of a change from the original Winston stories, as this is a Cozy Mystery. Also – I have to say it - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you read Beard Science (Winston Brothers #3) before you read this book. You don’t have to, of course, but you will thank me later. If you haven’t read Beard Science, you’re seriously missing out anyway, because...Cletus. Back to my point, this book picks up the threads of time (and characters) shortly after the events of Beard Science, and I want you to receive maximum enjoyment from this cozy, sexy, snarky mischievous, mysteriously clever book. Before I go any farther, I have to get this out…OH HOW I’VE MISSED CLETUS WINSTON!! I didn’t think I could love him any more, but as usual, Penny has shown me the way. Thank Science for Cletus. Engagement and Espionage is a well-plotted mystery with excellent pacing and a sneaky keen eye for detail. Since there IS mystery here, I’m being extra careful not to give anything away with my review! Suffice to say that there are plenty of twists and turns on this wild, witty, somewhat hilarious, truly enjoyable ride. The mystery aspect of this book was woven so flawlessly into the romance between Cletus and Jenn – the action, puzzles and hilarious dialogue kept the pages turning! You’re hooked into this story from the first page, falling right back into the relationships between Cletus and Jenn, Jenn and her mother, the Winston clan...heck, the whole of Green Valley! The small town aspect plays such a great part in all of the books set in the Pennyverse – each of those million little connections working to tie together the threads of the story (and of all those stories yet to come!). One of my favorite things about the Winstons & their loves is how truly real they are. You’re not looking at an airbrushed, cookie-cutter group of heroes/heroines in Green Valley. The residents are varied, devious, colorful, and deep - and I love them for it. Cletus and Jenn are smart, sneaky, and oh-so-much fun. I was fully invested in seeing Cletus and Jenn work through some of their internal and interpersonal barriers and come through it all with so much love and strength. This book gives us a chance to view their personalities and their relationship from a bit of a different angle while they deal with the current state of mystery and intrigue in town. I can’t wait to see what shenanigans await then in the next installment!

This was a fun, engaging, and pleasurably engrossing read with healthy servings of mystery, family drama, and romance. Oddly sinister crimes were occurring in Green Valley and surprisingly, it all started with chocked chickens and had nothing to do with the criminal elements that typically plagued the community. The mystery was artfully plotted and shrewdly paced with clever lashings of levity, crisp witty banter, and profoundly insightful and amusing inner musings and observations of human nature. I adored this well-matched and quirky couple in a previous series and am gleefully anticipating a continuation of their story with their brainy conundrums and unique and peculiar family complications.