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Sweet Cove Mystery #10

Sweet Vows and Promises

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This is book 10 in the Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery series.
Spring has returned to Sweet Cove, Massachusetts and The Roselands and Mr. Finch are getting ready for Jenna and Tom's wedding. When a new guest arrives to stay at the bed and breakfast for a night before moving into a rental house in town, Angie and Courtney feel an alarming sense of distress swirling around the woman. The sisters, Mr. Finch, and two fine felines know they will soon be drawn into the mystery surrounding this newcomer's arrival.
A cozy mystery with recipes !
The main mystery is solved in each book but you will enjoy the stories more if the books are read in order as some story threads run from book to book.
This story has some mild paranormal elements.

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2017

569 people are currently reading
185 people want to read

About the author

J.A. Whiting

173 books321 followers
USA TODAY Bestselling Author and Amazon All Star, J A Whiting is the author of over 100 cozy mysteries. She lives with her family in Massachusetts. Whiting loves spending time with family, reading, traveling, cycling, following New England sports teams, exercising, and being outdoors.

For exclusive content and new book announcements please visit www.jawhiting.com and sign up for my mailing list.

Also please "like" my Facebook page www.facebook.com/jawhitingauthor

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5 stars
1,016 (66%)
4 stars
369 (24%)
3 stars
122 (8%)
2 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
Profile Image for Bobby Underwood.
Author 143 books354 followers
June 26, 2017
“If you want normal, Sis, you’re in the wrong family.” — Courtney to Jenna


This is the tenth entry in this warm and comfortable cozy mystery series, but only the second I’ve read. I began with the first entry, The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop, and really loved the beginning to the Sweet Cove series. Once I had the basic set-up, I decided to skip around and picked this one, frankly, because of the cover. It has turned out to be a little gem.

The first one set up the premise, as likable Angie Roseland inherited a Victorian mansion in Sweet Cove, Massachusetts, which allowed her to move her Sweet Dreams Bake Shop — the title of the first book — to a section of the home. It also allowed her three sisters, Courtney, Ellie and Jenna, to move in and live out their dreams. While the initial entry was almost gossamer on mystery, it hinted at a gift the sisters were only beginning to realize they possessed. They had inherited this gift from their Nana, which is more a special intuition about people and events than anything else. The paranormal aspect is very light and friendly, and it allows honey-blonde Angie and her sisters to aid Chief Martin when things happen in Sweet Cove.

Between the first entry and this one, a kindly Mr. Finch has become a part of the series, and in essence, a part of the family. He owns the candy store with Courtney in Sweet Cove, and also has an intuitive gift. Again, nothing about this aspect of the narrative is serious or too dark, just an enjoyable cozy-type aside. The gifted also includes two intuitive cats, Circe, and a big orange Maine, Coon cat named Euclid. Sometimes these intuitions can be annoying to the sisters, as Ellie, the most reluctant of the sisters to listen to it — or use it — makes clear:

“I know you’re trying to keep me from worrying, but we all know very well something is about to happen. This is how it starts. Someone gets a f e e l i n g. And then, off we go.”

And something has happened. Nana’s old friend Katrina — a friendly ghost who resides in Tom and Jenna’s house — has been trying to tell Jenna something, and it escalates to stealing a wedding necklace and hiding it in the house. Rachel Marstan has moved into Sweet Cove, but a dog refuses to go down a path in the woods, leading Chief Martin to enlist the sisters’ help in figuring out if there’s a paranormal reason for it. Soon a mummified body has been found in a garage. A real mystery which explains all those vibes Angie and Jenna have been getting. There are connected tentacles as the sisters and Chief Martin, along with Mr. Finch and the cats, attempt to discover just what happened there all so long ago, and how it connects with the present.

While all this is going on, Jenna and Tom are planning their wedding, and Josh, whom readers met in the first book, may want his romance with Angie to move forward. It’s all very nice and charming and friendly; in other words, exactly what you want in a cozy. The conclusion to the mystery is sudden but satisfying, with a tiny bit of action to satisfy the reader. It is well done, and the wedding is pulled off just as nicely by the author. This series is warm and friendly, a good palate cleanser between darker or grittier, more substantive reads. When you’d just like to spend a little time in a nice place, with some nice people, and not get into anything too deep, this series is terrific. It won’t blow you away, or rock your world, but it is enjoyable and nice in the best sense of both words.

Because of its novella length, it’s a lean, quick read. Sweet Vows & Promises is not without its charms, however, and it is remarkably bereft of all the eye-rolling fluff you so often get in this genre. I’ll definitely be going back and reading more of these. The nice cover on this one is actually a scene from the end of the book, and I rate this as top-drawer for this type of cozy novella. As a bonus, there are four recipes at the end, all from the Sweet Dreams Bake Shop. The reader gets recipes and directions for making chocolate caramel muffins, blueberry cobbler, vegetable lasagne, and macarons. A nice series in the soft cozy, mystery sub-genre.
214 reviews3 followers
March 4, 2017
Heartfelt sweet murder mystery

Book 10 in the Sweet Cove Mystery set, sees the Roseland sisters getting ready for Jenna and Tom's wedding in a few weeks time.

Unfortunately, another body is found and the sisters are wrapped up in a complex plot of murder, ponzi schemes, money laundering and deception.

Rachel comes to Sweet Cove for a new start, but the sisters sense she is hiding something. She rents a home and finds a body in the garage. Not knowing anyone else in Sweet Cove, she rings the sisters. They allow her to stay again at the B and B, she joins them, but faints when she sees a picture of what the dead body would have looked liked when he was alive. Then she reveals through tears that the man was her missing father and he was the main reason for her coming to Sweet Cove. Rachel departs taking her father home to lay to rest next to her mother.

The sisters and the chief are now working on what happened to see the end of Rachel's father. Five years ago he was alive in Sweet Cove to see a friend. Leon Drapper the man who owned the house had died, his sister now manages the property. Everywhere they turn they are finding dead ends.

The ending is too good to spoil. It gave me a few surprises. Lovely ending. I can't wait for the next book.

If you are new to the books, you will find them much more enjoyable if you read them in order from the start.
Profile Image for Mary.
922 reviews39 followers
April 29, 2018
Back in Sweet Cove!

This is book 10 and I still can't get enough of the Roseland sisters.

In this book Jenna and Tom got married, Angie and Josh got engaged and they still managed to solve a mystery!

The mystery was different in this one, they did find a body, but no one knew who it was. Until one of the guests at the B and B almost fainted when she saw the artist drawing of the body. That started a mystery by itself, but as they furthered the investigation they had several people involved in the mystery.

But as always they helped Chief Martin close in on the people involved and the wedding of Jenna and Tom went on without any problems.

Angie and Josh will be the next couple to get married.

These books have kept me interested in all of the books. They are all different and are solved in each book. I can't wait to get to the rest of them.
Profile Image for Shelley Lawrence.
2,065 reviews103 followers
July 9, 2023
A cozy mystery about a wedding…how timely. 💍

Sweet Vows and Promises is the 10th book in the Sweet Cove Mystery series by J.A. Whiting. I love keeping up with series so that they match the current time of year. I am a bit behind on this one (one more till the scorching summer book), but the impending wedding in this one is actually perfect timing.

This magical mystery series is focused around a sweet family of sisters, and their elderly, clever, spry neighbor, Mr. Finch. This close knit group, along with their two intuitive cats, help Chief Martin solve mysteries with their special abilities.

In this story, an unexpected customer shows up at the Bed & Breakfast needing a place to stay for the night before she moves into her summer rental. When she gets to the rental, she discovers a dead body in a car in the garage and understandably falls apart. When the sisters come to rescue the woman and invite her back to the B&B, they get tingly, disturbing feelings while at the house. There are a few shocking coincidences that make the murder even more suspect. The Roseland sisters and Mr. Finch work together with Chief Martin to unravel this mystery.

The mystery in this story was interesting enough, though I did get a little bored during the solving and sleuthing process for whatever reason. I did, however, fully enjoy the wedding details between Jenna and Tom and the developing romance and surprise moment between Angie and Josh. I always enjoy the interactions between the sisters as well. This wasn’t my favorite in the series, but it was still an enjoyable, quick read.


Profile Image for Nikki the Sapphired Book Dragon AKA NixieNut .
209 reviews66 followers
November 16, 2017
Actual rating 3 1/2

It's been a little while since i read book 9 but i fell right back into the rhythm and the lives of the Roseland sisters. This was a fun speedy read which left me with the warm cosy feeling you expect from a cosy mystery. The mystery itself was intricate enough that it wasn't completely transparent from the beginning and whilst i mostly worked out the culprit by about halfway in, I still didn't get all the details till the end and it didn't detract from the story. This book is set a few months after the last one which I think worked well for the story and gave a freshness to the characters and where they were with their lives and romances. I also love the sweet romance in these books and the lovely warm feeling they inevitably leave me with. I am kind of sad that the next book appears to be the last :-(
Profile Image for Dharia Scarab.
3,255 reviews8 followers
February 26, 2017

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
693 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2017
Con men and murder!!!!

Boy what a mess this mystery was about.
When chief of police came to Angie and the girls to solve a missing person, then discover a woman that checked in at the B & B was searching for the same answer. When their notes were being compared there kept getting more pieces to the puzzle that didn't make sense.
There turned out to be con man, threats, murder and ALOT of people hurt and ruined.
While Angie and her sisters are preparing for a wedding.
The suspects were popping up all over the place and then come to a dead end, but more information kept coming in the more people the girls talked to.
You will drop your month open at the end. I am not giving any spoilers for this book.
J.A. Waiting you have to write another book to tell about Angie and her boyfriend/ fiance Josh. PLEASE!!!!!!
I loved your series, I felt like a part of this town.
Profile Image for Faith.
214 reviews
August 12, 2020
Another book where the murdered victim has been dead for some time.

There are lots or eerie feelings, intuition is always coming up but the girls have difficulty trying too determine what the feelings were saying.

Renovations to Jenna and Tom’s house continues and their ghost watches everything. She is like their guardian.

Also the wedding is real soon, the dress is being sewn by Ellie who also has the duties of the B&B to handle. Angie and Josh are growing closer now that he is the owner of the resort and is staying in Sweet Cove.

The Chief is under pressure, as usual, and the girls and Mr. Finch assist him as they can hoping to make some of his stress disappear. Finally the clues come together, the wedding preparations are complete and life seems fine,at least for the moment.
Profile Image for Sharen.
622 reviews5 followers
August 4, 2022
Love this series! This cozy series has it all…..charming characters, cats, evil doers doing evil deeds, mysteries to solve, no editorial/grammatical issues, no graphic violence, romance with no sex, no cliffhanger endings, family who all love each other, intelligent police, and main characters (and the cats) have “powers” to sense paranormal things. I highly recommend this cozy series…..but, read them in order so you don’t miss the developing backstory. So, curl up in a comfy chair with one of these stories and a cup of tea and enjoy!
2,027 reviews
April 11, 2022



Amazon synopsis:
Spring has returned to Sweet Cove, Massachusetts and The Roselands and Mr. Finch are getting ready for Jenna and Tom's wedding. When a new guest arrives to stay at the bed and breakfast for a night before moving into a rental house in town, Angie and Courtney feel an alarming sense of distress swirling around the woman. The sisters, Mr. Finch, and two fine felines know they will soon be drawn into the mystery surrounding this newcomer's arrival.
963 reviews2 followers
December 21, 2022
Dead body

Rachel asks if they have a room she can stay in, her house won't be ready until tomorrow. Rachel calls Angie, crying she found a dead body in garage. They are getting ready for Ellie and Tom's wedding. They investigate what they can about the murder and the man, it's Rachel's father. They still have to figure out who killed Milton Marsten. Great intriguing story and characters. Love the influence of the cats.
165 reviews
February 25, 2017
Another fine entry in the series

I've read all the books in this series and have enjoyed them all. The relationships of the sisters, their beaus, townsfolk and of course cats, are kind and playful. Each book's mystery has intrigue, a supernatural bent, and a satisfying resolution. Sweet Cove makes for a sweet cozy!
Profile Image for Susan Clark.
549 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2018
Twists and Turns

This novel had many different emotions throughout, from the unusual discovery of a body to a joyous wedding. Whiting’s books are becoming more complex, making it impossible to guess the guilty parties or how they will be discovered. Again, my favorite parts are how the cats figure you into solving the mysteries. Ready for next book!
Profile Image for Linda Rainey.
2,348 reviews21 followers
June 18, 2018
Great Cozy Mystery.

Another great cozy mystery filled with suspense,family and some romance.
I loved the storyline,the amazing cast of characters from a beach town.
My favorite characters are Euclid and Circe,the mystery solving felines.
This book is recommended for those who enjoy cozy mysteries.
193 reviews
July 8, 2018
The Roseland Sisters and their friends are added again!

This is another good story about the girls and all those they love. As Angie said “ sometimes people lie.” Do you already think you have it all figured out? I think the chief said it well, “Initial impressions often prove to be incorrect.” The only way to be certain is to read the book and enjoy.
49 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2018
Great series

I love this series in fact this is my second time reading it. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I'm having a grad time getting past Ellie, with her being scared of everything really gets on my nerves. I guess we can't love every character in a story. Other than that I'm loving the series
324 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2022
Delightful Series

The Sweet Cove Mystery series by J A Writing is very well written and the characters are so unique and charming, it isn't hard to imagine them as real friends and family. Each mystery is complex with enough "possibilities" to leave you wondering how all the pieces fit together. I'm always looking forward to the next book in the series.
147 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2026
Not a 4 star this time.

I have enjoyed all 10 books I have read in the Sweet Cove Cozy mysteries. This book for me was a little hard to follow. I like that there are not too many characters to keep track of. But I had to reread some parts of the story to stay on course.
Robert Ericksen
Profile Image for gary c lehn.
1,724 reviews7 followers
March 9, 2017
Great story..

I enjoyed this story of adventure and suspense. The author has done a great job of telling her story and keeping the characters in a romantic presence in the story, it gave a peaceful protest to the reader.
3 reviews
October 19, 2017
Always a wonderful story , and can not believe I read so fast. The sisters are so talented


And beautiful in mind you want to go to Sweet Cove and meet them.
Looking forward to the next book😉
Profile Image for Ann Marie.
219 reviews3 followers
May 19, 2020
Good read

I normally don't enjoy books about animals that help their owners solve mysteries but I do like these cats. The people are all beautiful and gifted but they are written so that I like them anyway. Good plot.
120 reviews
February 12, 2022
I like this book because it has a unique story line, as do all the books in this series I have read so far. However, this is one of the rare ones where I knew who the killer was ahead of time. There was still an unexpected ending.
Profile Image for Carla Eacret.
403 reviews6 followers
February 17, 2017
Tears of joy

So many happy tears in this one along with another awesome mystery, so in love with this amazing series and wonderful characters
36 reviews1 follower
March 1, 2017
Sweet

Am enjoying this series very much. Like the characters. Nice. Thanks for a pleasant read.
Eve
PS: please keep writing them.
210 reviews2 followers
March 16, 2017
Great

I always enjoy reading these stories. I like the characters and their special gifts. I also liked seeing them get engaged. Can't wait for other stories.
Profile Image for Peggy Zeeb.
3 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2017
A few happy tears.

I enjoy that it isn't always easy to determine "who done it". The story line is pretty predictable, that is why 4 stars instead of 5.
4 reviews
June 27, 2017
Fun and Fast reading

Just plain old good mysteries. Easy reading and fun to guess who did it. Read 10 books and liked following all the characters.
729 reviews7 followers
June 28, 2017
OMG! How Fantastic

I truly loved this one. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this book. It was the usual murder mystery but it was so much more. Loved it.
134 reviews
July 1, 2017
Love these books

I love the Roseland sisters keep writing waiting for the next book to come out. Hope Angie is the next one to marry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews

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