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Sunflowers, Secrets & Murder: A Stella Ray & Rex Cozy Mystery
In the charming town of Willowberry, Stella Ray’s café is known for good coffee, flaky scones, and community warmth. What the town is not known for? Murder.
When a man is found dead at the Sunflower Festival, the idyllic charm of Willowberry cracks. Suddenly, Stella is juggling gossiping townsfolk, suspicious break-ins, and shadowy figures watching her every move.
Sheriff Ben Morgan wants to protect her, but he can’t ignore the evidence stacking up against her. With Rex, her loyal bulldog, tracking clues…Stella digs into the truth behind the festival’s missing funds and the secrets the dead man uncovered.
But someone else is playing a more dangerous game . The councilwoman with too many secrets, the rival baker desperate to hide mistakes and the wannabe chili champ all have reason to fear what the victim found.
Stella realizes the real mystery may be tied to someone she once trusted who is willing to destroy her café, her reputation, and maybe even her life to keep their secrets hidden.
When a man is found dead at the Sunflower Festival, the idyllic charm of Willowberry cracks. Suddenly, Stella is juggling gossiping townsfolk, suspicious break-ins, and shadowy figures watching her every move.
Sheriff Ben Morgan wants to protect her, but he can’t ignore the evidence stacking up against her. With Rex, her loyal bulldog, tracking clues…Stella digs into the truth behind the festival’s missing funds and the secrets the dead man uncovered.
But someone else is playing a more dangerous game . The councilwoman with too many secrets, the rival baker desperate to hide mistakes and the wannabe chili champ all have reason to fear what the victim found.
Stella realizes the real mystery may be tied to someone she once trusted who is willing to destroy her café, her reputation, and maybe even her life to keep their secrets hidden.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 26, 2025
Sunflowers, Secrets & Murder is a cute and cozy mystery. It starts out with the town gathering for the Sunflower Maze and finding the body of a man. Stella ends up being the number 1 suspect after news gets out about how the guy was murdered. As the story continues, it becomes clear that Stella has a secret past. Not only is she a muder suspect, she also has a stalker that is determined to keep her quiet.
This series is meant to be read in order. With the help of her bull dog, Rex, Sheriff Ben, and her very dramatic friend, Rose, they are able to solve the murder case. Finding Stella's stalker flows into the next book. ARC
This series is meant to be read in order. With the help of her bull dog, Rex, Sheriff Ben, and her very dramatic friend, Rose, they are able to solve the murder case. Finding Stella's stalker flows into the next book. ARC
June 23, 2026
I loved this book. I just recently found Ms. Quinn’s books. I love cozy mysteries and this one fit the bill. Anyways the characters are great the plot was great. It was a shocking ending. Rex was a great dog who helped Ben in his investigation. Stella’s whole
Life was turned upside town. Her friends Rose, Maude and Richard had her backs. They would not let her go through all this by herself. Ben didn’t like giving the news to Stella that she was a person of interest in the case, because of the circumstances with what happened. It was the Sunflower Festival in Willowberry. The town was excited, but after the incident everyone was pointing fingers at her. She did nothing wrong, and someone was trying to make it look like she did. She would not sit back to let someone ruin her.
A must read as all the other books are. I sort am reading these books out of order, but no worries.
There’s more to come as the person who was responsible was just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. It shocks everyone.
Grab book 2. Antiques Can Be Deadly we will learn more. I can’t wait to read it
Life was turned upside town. Her friends Rose, Maude and Richard had her backs. They would not let her go through all this by herself. Ben didn’t like giving the news to Stella that she was a person of interest in the case, because of the circumstances with what happened. It was the Sunflower Festival in Willowberry. The town was excited, but after the incident everyone was pointing fingers at her. She did nothing wrong, and someone was trying to make it look like she did. She would not sit back to let someone ruin her.
A must read as all the other books are. I sort am reading these books out of order, but no worries.
There’s more to come as the person who was responsible was just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. It shocks everyone.
Grab book 2. Antiques Can Be Deadly we will learn more. I can’t wait to read it
December 25, 2025
Sunflowers, Secrets, and Murder by Hope Quinn is a cute and cozy mystery that is easy to enjoy. The story follows Stella as she starts a new life in the small town of Willowberry with her bulldog, Rex. There is a sense early on that Stella has a mysterious past, which adds extra intrigue to the story.
The cast of recurring characters is small, making it easy to get to know everyone well in the short book. From the slightly annoying friend to the nosy reporter and the flirty sheriff, each character feels distinct and fun. The small town setting, light tone, and steady pacing make this a great pick for cozy mystery fans.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
The cast of recurring characters is small, making it easy to get to know everyone well in the short book. From the slightly annoying friend to the nosy reporter and the flirty sheriff, each character feels distinct and fun. The small town setting, light tone, and steady pacing make this a great pick for cozy mystery fans.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 6, 2026
What a charming mystery! I was hooked to the story line from the get go. I loved Rose’s character as Stella’s best friend. Her dramatic episodes added some lightness to the mystery. I also loved Rex, who doesn’t like a book where a dog finds all the clues! Enjoyed the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Did Not Finish
January 15, 2026There is something so disjointed about the writing in this book—odd tense choices, odd descriptive choices, rushed pacing, flat characters. I suspect generative AI played a large role in its creation. The fact that the author doesn’t even have a brief bio or personalized image linked to their account makes me doubly suspicious. The cover looks like AI art, too. Pass.
February 13, 2026
A different kind of cozy
Well, it got my attention and kept it. It does not read like a typical “novel” but like a play. The characters dramatic, much implied but not defined. The reader helps develop the energy of story outcome. And at the end you find that of course you have to get the next book as mystery is not finished, but continues.
Well, it got my attention and kept it. It does not read like a typical “novel” but like a play. The characters dramatic, much implied but not defined. The reader helps develop the energy of story outcome. And at the end you find that of course you have to get the next book as mystery is not finished, but continues.
February 1, 2026
Nope! This book has the two things I dislike about many cozy mysteries: 1- the main female character commits a number of "crimes" as she tries to solve the mystery by interfering or endangering the law-enforcement efforts. #2: It has a cliffhanger ending. I think cliffhangers insult my intelligence! If I like the book, I will go ahead and get the next book, but I'm not going to do it if you leave a cliff-hanger! One star off for each of these!
Amazon synopsis:
In the charming town of Willowberry, Stella Ray’s café is known for good coffee, flaky scones, and community warmth. What the town is not known for? Murder.
When a man is found dead at the Sunflower Festival, the idyllic charm of Willowberry cracks. Suddenly, Stella is juggling gossiping townsfolk, suspicious break-ins, and shadowy figures watching her every move.
Sheriff Ben Morgan wants to protect her, but he can’t ignore the evidence stacking up against her. With Rex, her loyal bulldog, tracking clues…Stella digs into the truth behind the festival’s missing funds and the secrets the dead man uncovered.
But someone else is playing a more dangerous game. The councilwoman with too many secrets, the rival baker desperate to hide mistakes and the wannabe chili champ all have reason to fear what the victim found.
Stella realizes the real mystery may be tied to someone she once trusted who is willing to destroy her café, her reputation, and maybe even her life to keep their secrets hidden.
Amazon synopsis:
In the charming town of Willowberry, Stella Ray’s café is known for good coffee, flaky scones, and community warmth. What the town is not known for? Murder.
When a man is found dead at the Sunflower Festival, the idyllic charm of Willowberry cracks. Suddenly, Stella is juggling gossiping townsfolk, suspicious break-ins, and shadowy figures watching her every move.
Sheriff Ben Morgan wants to protect her, but he can’t ignore the evidence stacking up against her. With Rex, her loyal bulldog, tracking clues…Stella digs into the truth behind the festival’s missing funds and the secrets the dead man uncovered.
But someone else is playing a more dangerous game. The councilwoman with too many secrets, the rival baker desperate to hide mistakes and the wannabe chili champ all have reason to fear what the victim found.
Stella realizes the real mystery may be tied to someone she once trusted who is willing to destroy her café, her reputation, and maybe even her life to keep their secrets hidden.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews