A Proposal to Die For - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal” retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.” Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've enjoyed other books by this author and this sounded like a fun mystery.

My Impression: I really like this author's writing style, her characters, and her quirky humor and this had all of those in spades.  Jess has an interesting business setting up the perfect proposals and gets pulled into the pre-wedding drama of a high school mean girl.  I liked Jess, Kiki, and the Osbourne family and I enjoyed strongly disliking Diana and Aubrey.  

There's a lot of setup for this book and it made for a bit of a slow start.  Once the first body falls and Jess engages more with the Osbourne family I did feel that the pace picked up and it helped Diana become more amusing.  She's really dreadful so when it was a small group of characters she got to be a bit much.  

I loved the setting and the complications a mountain top remote setting made for the characters and the investigation.  Despite the slow start I overall enjoyed this mystery and will be reading more from this author.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I would.  For the most part I enjoy Harper's books and am looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy this author's books or enjoy a book with humor and quirky characters and don't mind a slower start this is a fun read.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *