Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon --> Starting September 4th, 2020

[Aly]

Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana.

Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.

DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into – especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty.

[Deanie]

26%
(view spoiler)[Maryse has been trying to track down her worthless criminal husband to serve him with divorce papers for two years. Poor woman. Now she has to deal with the ghost of her dead mother-in-law and the mysterious "scientist" Luc LeJeune. So far this book is adorable and a lot of fun. I feel so sorry for Maryse having to deal with her mother-in-law's crazy ghost. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

53%
(view spoiler)[
OMG. Someone is trying to kill Maryse! This book manages to be funny and mysterious at the same time. And Luc can see the ghost! That's a real game changer. Now all they need is for Maryse to discover that Luc isn't a zoologist. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

76%
(view spoiler)[Yay that Luc and Maryse have gotten together, but she's just realized he's not a zoologist (and is probably a cop). I hope she gives him hell for lying to her. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

100%
(view spoiler)[
Okay, this was cute, and the bad guy wasn't who I thought it would be. I'm glad I read it... but it's not so good that I'd spend $4.99 for the sequel. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

25% (view spoiler)[I like this so far. It's funny without looking like it's trying too hard, and the characters are exactly as likable as the author intended. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Oops, I never posted 50%. Okay.

50% (view spoiler)[What a plot twist, honestly. I did not expect Luc to not only believe Maryse about Helena's ghost, but to be able to see her as well. Huh. (hide spoiler)]

77% (view spoiler)[This is the kind of book where you don't think much is happening, and then you realize a lot of things actually have happened. I like the pacing on this, DeLeon does this subtly and in a unique way.

TBH aside from being Hank's mother, Helena, at least in ghost form, doesn't seem that bad. A little over the top, but she seems like a typical mother-in-law to me. I wonder what irked Maryse so much about her when she was alive. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

FINISHED (view spoiler)[This was a cute, funny, and interesting read, all without trying too hard. The characters were interesting and the premise was just different enough from a lot of cozy mysteries to keep it interesting while also remaining very much a cozy mystery even so. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Deanie wrote: "100%

Okay, this was cute, and the bad guy wasn't who I thought it would be. I'm glad I read it... but it's not so good that I'd spend $4.99 for the sequel."

Oh, and agree about the sequel tbh

[Celia]

Who did you think the villain was?