Meh. Seriously, the characters were well-drawn and likeable, but the plot was ridiculous. I am prepared to suspend a certain amount of disbelief when reading cozies, but this had zero plausibility. Detective Reese would have shut Annabelle down so fast, it would make your head spin. This isn't some podunk town where everybody knows everybody. It's Washington DC and I would suppose the cops would be a bit more professional than Reese and company. And I think Boyd was a cabinet member or some such. That would have been a big bloody deal and Annabelle, Kate and Richard would all have been taken in for questioning. Honestly, don't write down to your readers. ( )

I enjoyed this book not just because the mystery was fun but because the characters were well-developed (for the 1st in the series) as well as the setting - right in my neighborhood so the little details of road names and getting around in traffic were spot on.

Annabelle Archer is a wedding planner and we all know how family and wedding party members can be a bit over the top, so when the MOB is found dead before the cake is cut, the wedding planner (Annabelle) has some damage control to handle.

Will definitely be looking for the next in the series. ( )

Since I am pressed for time just going to say that I really enjoyed the first book in this series. It was everything you want a cozy mystery to be. Not gory, funny, and a cast of memorable characters.

The main character is Annabelle Archer, wedding planner. When a demanding mother of the bride ends up murdered on the wedding day (can you imagine) Annabelle starts snooping though everyone tells her to give it up.

Things I loved:

I loved that this took place in Washington D.C. Apparently the author has visited or lived in and around D.C. She actually describes Georgetown, the Key Bridge, and Chevy Chase in accurate terms. I always get a kick out of books that take place in a city I commute to every day.

Annabelle and her sidekicks (her employee Kate and her friend and caterer Richard) are hilarious. Plus all of the food Richard was supposedly making sounded delicious. Too bad no recipes though.

Annabelle being a terrible at times amateur sleuth cracked me up. She definitely has a couple of memorable run-ins with clients and a photographer.

The book was short enough that you didn't feel like it went on overly long. The writing was concise and the flow was okay throughout.

Things I didn't love:
Eh to the detective. I know that all cozy's must have a love interest (so it is written) but the detective was a big snooze to me.

The next door neighbor was aggravating and not in a cute way. In a, too bad she didn't end up maimed way to me.

There is no real why for why Annabelle starts investigating. In most cozy mysteries the first book (so it is written) the main character always is seen as a suspect. The synopsis says that Annabelle's friend Richard is considered one. However, he really isn't and I forget at what percent when the police arrest someone else. ( )

Better Off Wed is a cozy mystery where the amateur sleuth is a wedding planner. The book is fairly well done, and I like the characters so far. Kate's penchant for being slightly wrong with her idioms is cute (at the moment--we'll see if that still holds true going forward). The characters of Richard and Fern are a bit over the top.

As always, I do wonder if all Annabelle's mysteries will be murders. If so, I can't imagine most clients would continue to use her as their wedding planner--choose me and have a dead body show up sometime between your rehearsal dinner and your wedding reception--no thanks! And unlike the Goldy Schultz culinary mysteries, it does appear prospective brides and grooms do have other choices that aren't too far away, so it would be harder to justify that people keep choosing her company.

I did not guess the identity of the murderer until it was revealed. I also didn't pick up on the clue that Annabelle did that revealed the identity to her. ( )

I enjoyed this funny cozy mystery. Everything made sense. Liked the characters. A tiny whiff of possible romance -- absolutely no hint of any love triangles. Certainly did not read like a freebie.

Best review I can write for this is that I plan on continuing the series. ( )