Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O’Connor is a 2017 Kensington cozies publication.

Siobhan is catering a wedding at Kilbane Castle. But in the lead up to the big day, the best man is found murdered, which is how, Siobhan and her boyfriend, Macdara Flannery, who also happens to be a cop, become embroiled in murder investigation…

I loved the first installment in this series, and knew I’d want to see how the series would progress. Unfortunately, this second chapter lacked the warmth and charm of the series -starter. The characterizations were a bit cartoonish and over the top- even Siobhan, whose character seemed a little different than before- too silly at times. I missed Siobhan’s siblings which were not around that much, thrusting Siobhan into the main spotlight.

As to the mystery itself, it was okay. There were a few surprises, but there were also a few hints about who the murderer was, which was a bit too obvious for seasoned mystery readers.

That said, I do understand the second chapter in a series can be a little tricky, and I see the series now has nine installments, with one on the way next year- so I’m confident the author rebounded from this shaky follow-up- which means I will give the series another chance sometime in time in the future.

2.5 stars ( )

I thought I'd try another of Carlene O'Connor's books after enjoying No Strangers Here so much. This series is not as good. The characters are not as full and the story very light and breezy. A good escape, a good narrator but I prefer more depth. ( )

4.5 stars! Still enjoy the characters and the accent of the narrator. Fun mysteries ( )

The bride is a famous model, her family is well off, groom is handsome, and the bridal couple is so very much in love. What could go wrong? Murder, of course. Siobhan’s bistro is catering the three-day wedding festivities, and her friend Macdara ends up being the best man. He also becomes a suspect in the murder. Much happens in this exciting mystery. Siobhan’s interest in solving the murder sparks a desire to become a garda, and Macdara’s feelings for Siobhan become apparent. There are some red herrings in this story, partly due to people concealing the truth. It’s quite an entertaining mystery, and the ending will likely surprise you. ( )

I received this for fee at Bouchercon, and I'm pretty sure I met and liked the author. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the book.

It's the second in the series, and I've not read the first, so maybe there's some second book syndrome at play here, but mostly, it was the MC I just didn't click with. At all. She's pushy, nosey and for someone who claims to not being a liar, lies an awful lot, be in a lie of omission, misrepresentation, or blatant untruth. Some writers can take a character like this and make them likeable, or grudgingly admirable, but that failed to happen with Siobhán. She just appeared incredibly immature. How she maintains any relationship with her love interest, a member of the local garda, when she's so blatantly disrespectful of him and his responsibilities is a wonder.

What I did like was the setting: a small Irish village, one of the few remaining that are walled. Some of the secondary characters were charming, and the mystery plot had a lot of potential. Actually, the mystery plot was pretty good; I didn't guess the murderer at all, so the author completely fooled me. I also appreciate that the author does the 'right thing' at the end of the book: Siobhán signs up for the garda (or, presumably, enrols in the proper training course). Maturity seems to be arriving in book three, though I'll just have to take the ending of this one at face value. My TBR is too high to take chances on reading another.

I read this for the Murder in a Small Town square in Halloween Book Bingo. ( )