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It’s time for Lucy’s and Connor’s engagement party, and it’s a wonderful time for all, until the very end when her ex-boyfriend and his snooty mother show up. What could be worse than that? Oh, perhaps finding a murder victim in the alley behind the restaurant after a family dinner. Well, how boring would Lucy's life be if there weren’t a bit of murder and mayhem thrown into it? She and Connor have barely started planning for their wedding, since they have devoted their spare time into looking for a house to buy. Well, it’s a real mess now, and the problems seem to involve her dad’s law firm as well. This latest book in the series is top notch, and the series just keeps getting better with each book. The lighthouse setting for the library is delightful, the characters are real and well developed, the animal characters are charming, and the mystery is intriguing. The only thing I hate is waiting for the next book! ( )

Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates is the 8th A Lighthouse Library Mystery. I thought this story was well-written with developed characters. The story moved along at a quick pace with vivid descriptions. It is always a pleasure to visit the Outer Banks where Lucy Richardson works at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. She lives in her Lighthouse Aerie and will miss it when she marries. Connor McNeil and Lucy are engaged with plans to wed the following year in August. They have been searching for a home to purchase with no success. I love the characters in this charming series. They are a friendly bunch who care for one another. I like how the library staff are there for one another. The descriptions of the library are delightful. I would love to live in an apartment above the library. I, like Lucy, imagine the characters come alive at night when the library is empty. Lucy will miss her cozy abode. The whodunit was a fun one to solve. There are several people who could have offed the victim. The clues are subtle and can easily be missed. There is humor scattered throughout the story. Lucy manages to get herself into sticky situations plus doing things she does not want to do. There are subplots that enrich this book. Charlene is smitten with a visiting researcher, but Lucy fears she will get her heart broken. Bertie and Louise Jane are spending quite a bit of time behind closed doors. Connor and Lucy are trying to find a home to purchase. Lucy’s mother was very gracious. She is a kinder soul than I. I cannot imagine looking after Evangeline. Deadly Ever After can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading all the books in this engaging series. It will allow you to get to know the characters and see how far they have come since By Book or By Crook. I look forward to my next visit to the Outer Banks. Deadly Ever After is an entertaining cozy mystery with engagement party poopers, house hunting hardships, book club conversation, a misty marsh, flashing lights, a terrible threat, and an affectionate fiancé. ( )

Deadly Ever After is the eighth book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series by Eva Gates.

Lucy and Connor recently have gotten engaged, and their friends and family are hosting an engagement party on the beach near the library lighthouse. As the party is winding down and the packing up begins, the last people expected to show up arrive, that being Richard Eric Lewiston III(Richy), Lucy’s ex-fiance, and his overbearing mother, Evangeline. Evangeline feels there is still a chance that Lucy and Richy can marry. Neither Lucy nor Richy have any intention of making this happen. Evangeline insists that they all go to a restaurant for dinner. When Richy refuses his mother’s attempts to win back Lucy’s heart, they have a heated argument, and Richy leaves. As the rest of the party is going, a scream is heard from the restaurant’s back. Lucy and Connor head to the back only to find a dead body. Lucy’s father identifies the body as his law partner, and Richy’s father, Richard Lewiston, Jr. No one knew that Lewiston, Jr. was even in town and had no idea why he was. Detective Watson, once again, advises Lucy to stay out of his investigation, but Lucy feels the need to investigate since her father might become a suspect.

It’s always enjoyable to visit the Bodie Island Library Lighthouse, its staff, and the area’s residents. The book is well-plotted and written. Most of the usual characters are back, and they are well-developed and believable. There were enough red herrings that kept me guessing until the end of the book as to who the murderer was.

I will be watching for the next book in this enjoyable series. ( )

Lucy and Conner are celebrating their engagement on the beach on the Outer Banks with friends and family. All is going well. But Lucy has two unexpected guests. Her ex-fiance Ricky and his mother, Evangeline.
Lucy soon finds out that Evangeline wants her son, Ricky to get back with Lucy.
There is another unexpected visitor but this person shows up dead behind Jakes restaurant.
Lucy being Lucy is soon investigating.
I loved reading this book and found myself not wanting to finish. I tried to guess who the guilty person was but just couldn't. And this is what made this a wonderful mystery.

I requested and received an advance copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )