Wedding Duress // A Book Review

“Tori is ecstatic to become Mrs. Milo Wentworth in a few days, but she has a lot to do before she sashays down the aisle. Favors need to be sewn, vows need to be written – and a mystifying murder needs to be solved. When Beatrice, a fellow member of the Sweet Briar Ladies Society Sewing Circle, learns that her former nanny took a fatal fall in her new employers’ home, she suspects the death was not an accident. Now Tori’s spending her last days as a single woman untangling rumors and stitching together motives to find a killer. But can she nab a murderer and make it to the church on time?” - from back cover

One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Lynn Casey has recently written her newest book in the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries. Wedding Duress is book number ten and it is the one I have been eagerly awaiting for quite awhile now! I have been a fan of this series and all the ladies of the Sweet Briar Sewing Circle ever since I read book number one. 

Now, Tori Sinclair, librarian of Sweet Briar and Milo Wentworth are finally getting married. Tori needs to finish planning her wedding and finalize last minute details when an unfortunate murder happens. Miss Gracie, a new nanny in town from England is a friend of Beatrice, a member of the sewing circle. 

All of the characters are simply delightful! I love how Elizabeth Lynn Casey has shown us more of Beatrice in this book. She is a quiet and shy young woman, but I enjoyed hearing more from her and getting to know her better. 

I was beyond excited when Charles, a character who was introduced in the previous book made a return for Tori's wedding. He is a very fun character and adds to the excitement. He has a lot of energy and I hope he makes many more appearances in Sweet Briar! 

Although the book focused on Tori's wedding it kept me in suspense until the very end and I could hardly put it down. The characters had me laughing out loud and I was surprised when the culprit of the murder was finally revealed. All of the characters are very real and I feel as though I can relate to them. I was even upset at one specific character for the way she was acting towards her fellow sewing circle members. 

If you are looking for a great read, definitely check out the Southern Circle Sewing Mysteries! Elizabeth Lynn Casey already has plans for books 11 and 12, so this series will keep you busy for quite awhile. If you decide to read these, let me know what you think! 

~Elizabeth

Sewing and Reading

What's better than sewing and reading? A book about sewing! A fiction murder mystery, that takes place in the south and involves sewing, to be exact. What could be better than that?

I love to read. However, this summer I was having a hard time finding a book I enjoyed, other than ones I have already read. So, I went online and searched "sewing fiction books." One of the first things I found from this search was the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series, by Elizabeth Lynn Casey. Just looking at the names of the books got me interested (Sew Deadly, Death Threads, Pinned for Murder).

I am now on Book number 4, "Deadly Notions," and I plan to read all of them. They are such a fun read and I love the characters. Each book provides you with the opportunity to get to know the characters a little more. It takes place in the south and is about a group of friends who all share a love of sewing. I love the series for the sewing aspect, and also for the close knit friendships that are formed. These sewing circle women show you what true friendship is both through thick and thin.

The first book starts out when Tori Sinclair moves to Sweet Briar, North Carolina for a job at the library. Sweet Briar is a small town, and soon everyone is talking about her. Leona Elkin is one of the first friends she makes and who helps her adjust to the ways of the south. Soon, she wins over the ladies of the sewing circle and shares her new ideas for the library. Just as she seems to be settling in, a murder takes place and it doesn't look good for her, as she is new in town. Will her new friends help her or will they turn against her?

The books are suspenseful, funny, interesting, and keeps you guessing until the end. You won't be disappointed. You can read more about the books at the author's website, here.

Another thing I love about these books is the sewing tips and sewing project at the end. There are instructions for making a similar project of what Tori and her sewing group worked on in that book. In "Pinned For Murder," the Sweet Briar Sewing Circle made hats and scarves for a women's shelter. I decided to try my hand at making a hat a scarf, and it is probably one of the easiest projects I have ever made!

Here's the scarf:

 

 

 

Basically, you just layer four fleece rectangles, sew down the middle and make cuts every 1 inch on both sides. Then you fluff it out and you have nice warm scarf!

 

 

The hat was very simple too. You just cut one rectangle, folded the rectangle in half and sewed all but 4 inches on the side. Then turning it right side out, you cut fringes on the part you did not sew and tied it off.

 

 

They are both very warm and I know I will get a lot of use out of them this winter. I would really like to make a bunch of them for some type of  service project like Tori and her friends did in the book.

Do you have any book recommendations? Let me know what you think if you decide to read this series!

~Elizabeth