Bear a Wee Grudge (A Teddy Bear Mystery)

Trouble has found its way back to Silver Hollow, Michigan in the form of Teddy and Lisa Hartman. Spreading lies, perpetuating distrust between citizens, instigating arguments, and tossing around wild accusations is Teddy's MO. Unfortunately, Sasha and her family are continuously on the receiving end of everything that spews forth from Teddy's mouth. Bear a Wee Grudge is quite intense straight out of the gate and I enjoyed every single bit of the book.A clever who-done-it, Bear a Wee Grudge kept me entertained and engaged in the story. Meg Macy delivered a well-written story with a unique setting in a fictional small town in southeast Michigan. As a lifelong Michigander I enjoy a good story, in any genre, that is based in my state. I always love it when I recognize locations in a book because I've been there, lived there, or worked in the town/city.I enjoyed the personalities of each character in the book. The book was descriptive and well developed, allowing me to visualize the elements of the story, characters, and locations. The characters and situations were believable and the pacing of the story was steady. I enjoyed Bear a Wee Grudge, found the mystery interesting, the characters likable, and the story's pacing to be on target. I love the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series by Meg Macy.

Bear a Wee Grudge was another delightful addition to the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series.Teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman is looking forward to Silver Hollow's inaugural Scottish festival. With competitions, dancing, live music, and various Scottish delicacies the festival is sure to be a hit. In the weeks leading up to the festival Sasha and the employees of the Silver Bear Shop are busy creating custom teddy bears in kilts to sell at their vendor booth. But when the obnoxious Teddy Hartman, the former owner of a rival teddy bear company, begins to stir up trouble for the Silver Bear Shop it puts a bit of a damper on the festivities. When Hartman is found murdered and Sasha's father is arrested for the crime, Sasha is in a race to find the real killer before her father goes down for a crime he didn't commit.The mystery of who killed Teddy was an interesting one with several suspects, including the main character's father. It's pretty obvious Sasha's father is being set up and it doesn't take long for Sasha to get involved with the case to clear his name. Among the suspects are the victim's wife, the wife's brother, and their lawyer. With so many of the suspects closely tied together, to each other and the victim, it's a bit harder for Sasha to get reliable information. Add in a cop who is dead set on pinning the crime on Sasha's dad and she faces an uphill battle to find the truth. I enjoy Sasha's process when it comes to looking at potential suspects and how far she's come in developing her skills over the course of the series. There were a few instances in the book where seemingly everyone but Sasha had given up on finding the murderer which was surprising. Ultimately the killer's identity wasn't a complete surprise, but I did like how the author revealed their identity. The final confrontation between Sasha and the killer was well done and I was happy with how the mystery was wrapped up.The characters in this series continue to be fantastic and I enjoy them more as the series goes on. We got to see quite a bit more of Jay, Sasha's boyfriend, in this installment which was nice as I enjoy their relationship. Sasha is close to her family with each of them being involved in running the teddy bear shop in one way or another. With Sasha's dad being accused of murder, the family is heavily invested in making sure the murder is solved so he can be cleared. This book didn't have as many scenes at the Silver Bear Shop as I was expecting compared to previous installments. I really enjoy the scenes at the shop, so I hope we get more there in future books.Overall Bear a Wee Grudge was an excellent addition to the series and I would highly recommend this series for readers looking for a great cozy mystery series.**I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher which I voluntarily and honestly reviewed.**

Interesting plot, a few twists, believable characters, easy reading.

Teddy bears in kilts?Silver Hollow, Michigan, is a town gone mad for not just teddy bears but it's upcoming inaugural Highland Fling weekend. Sasha Silverman, who runs the, what else, teddy bear shop, is right in the midst of it. Hard not to be when her mother is mayor. Unfortunately, not only isn't Sasha feeling up to par but an ol' nemesis, Teddy Hartman, is back and doing his best to stir up trouble for not just her family but the town. Hartman and Sasha's father are reportedly long time business rivals and Hartman, at least, seems bound for revenge for some deals gone wrong for which he blames the Silverman family. Not only is his wife< Lucy, equally obnoxious but their little dog bites Sasha.... right after Sasha's sister has popped Silverman in the nose in anger at his innuendo and accusations. Soon after, as locals practice for the upcoming traditional games of a Highland Fling event, Hartman is found murdered.Although I could see some initial interest being paid to Alex Silverman, Sasha's father, given his history with the victim, he seemed an unlikely suspect. Of all the characters in the book, he seemed one of the calmest, most self-controlled and unlikely to resort to violence types in town. Yet, with the police chief out of town, he is arrested. Naturally, Sasha sets out to prove his innocence. If that uncovers the real killer in the process, so much the better. The detective in charge of the case seems useless and too fixated on her father to even consider anyone else.So, why was Hartman at the park in the first place? Did he die there or elsewhere? What was that shadow seen around his neck in the evidence photos? Was his wife a victim of abuse? How many people did the Hartman's dog bite anyway? Will Sasha's boyfriend manage to finish up his business' wood crafting projects on time? How good at axe throwing was Lucy? How good will boyfriend Jay and his brother Nathan be at tossing cambers? What is a camber anyway? Why do they throw them for fun? What will happen to Lucy's dog? Will Sasha ever learn to wait on her back-up before charging in to accuse someone? What is wrong with her? And, finally, what surprise does Jay have in store for Sasha, not to mention what surprise she has for him? You'll have to read the book to find the answers to all these are more, such as how to outfit a teddy bear in a kilt.Speaking of teddy bears, I need to go find out where I can find one of those adorable teddy bears in kilts.Thanks to #NetGallery and #KensingtonBooks for the ARC. Love the cover!