3.5 Stars
Kass and Murray are happily living together, pinching pennies and he just popped the question with a lavish diamond. Days after the engagement, they receive an invitation to their engagement party given by his parents. From here things go downhill. Drugs, Threats, Murder, and Secrets galore!

Enjoyable enough read, story takes off quickly. No one is what they seem. A little slow moving in the middle, picks up at the end. Ending seems rushed and abrupt. Left me with some questions. Characters definitely come into their own. Some twists I didn’t see coming. Debut novel for this author. I would definitely give this author another try.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

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The Engagement Party by Finley Turner

Sometimes falling in love and getting engaged quickly works…and sometimes it might be better to take your time to really know one another before leaping into things. Kass and Murray will both learn a LOT more about one another at the engagement party being held in their honor at Muray’s parents’ home, Sedgemont Estate. This debut novel is well written and plotted with several common predictable situations to be dealt with and overcome. The writing is seamless but didn’t seem to draw me in or help me care about the characters or the outcome of their romance. I have to admit that I skimmed to get the gist of the story and decided that this book was not the best book for me to read at this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars ( )

Kass Baptiste has just become engaged to Murray Sedgemont after a whirlwind courtship and will now learn some of the secrets he has been hiding at an engagement party thrown by his parents at their magnificent estate.

After graduating from NYU, Kass is working in her dream job as a set designer for plays. Murray runs an art gallery. But both of them are hiding secrets from their past that are exposed at the lavish party which also includes a murder.

The story is told from Kass's point of view and depicts a woman who is a fish out of water in the world of the uber rich. Her trip to Murray's family home in North Carolina exposes her to a side of her fiancé that had never seen before and wasn't at all sure that she liked. She also dislikes his parents. His ineffectual father and barracuda mother make no effort to welcome her, and his twin brothers are really, really creepy.

When the man who was in line to take over the family business is murdered at the party, it seems someone is trying to frame Kass for the crime. An old enemy from her troubled past has finally seen an opportunity to get the revenge he has wanted for years.

The story was almost claustrophobic centered as it was on what Kass saw and knew. I liked Kass who finally managed to come to terms with her past and plan for her future.

The descriptions of the characters and the home which included secret passages were vivid and eerie. Fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this one. ( )