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I'd heard good things about the first Dakota Green novel and I was keen to read the second installment of her world centred around Rose Palace in the fictional town of Aubergine, Virginia.

Dakota is a bold and brave, but fallible enough to be relatable. The Southern American setting was a fun choice for the setting of this cosy mystery. I enjoyed the setting up or what is clearly destined to be a long term series arc around the future of Dakota and her next steps.

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review

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In the second Dakota Green Mystery, Dakota returns to Aubergine, Virginia, for her high school reunion, planning to reconnect with best friend Lacy and Sheriff Charlie Strong while handling family matters. A murder implicating Lacy and a missing $50 million Rose Diamond pull Dakota into a fast-paced investigation, with a divisive reality TV star among the suspects.

The plot blends small-town charm, humor, and a gripping whodunit, with relatable characters shining despite spoilers from the first book. Dakota’s packed weekend—juggling jealousy, career choices, and family secrets—occasionally crowds the pacing, but Kristen Bird’s heartfelt, immersive mystery remains a delightful read for cozy mystery fans.

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for sending over an arc in exchange for honest review!

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I absolutely love Kristin Bird’s An Heiress’s Guide to Death and Diamonds and this entire series! From start to finish, this book had me hooked with its perfect mix of mystery, humor, and heart. Set in the charming and moody town of Aubergine, Virginia, the story pulls you into a small-town atmosphere where secrets are everywhere and everyone has something to hide.

Dakota Green is one of my favorite heroines—smart, determined, and incredibly relatable. Her journey as an amateur sleuth kept me turning pages, especially as she navigates personal challenges and complex relationships. The romance with the town sheriff adds just the right touch of warmth and emotional depth to the suspenseful plot.

What really stands out is how well-crafted the mystery is. The murder of reality TV star Brett Brinkley at a high school reunion had me guessing right up until the end, with twists and red herrings that kept things fresh and exciting. I also appreciated the rich subplots, especially Dakota’s family secrets and inheritance, which added layers to the story beyond the main mystery.

The supporting characters bring Aubergine to life with their quirks and flaws, creating a vivid and engaging backdrop that feels both cozy and realistic. If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries with humor, heart, and intrigue—think Janet Evanovich with a small-town twist—you’ll find this book impossible to put down.

Honestly, Kristin Bird’s writing never disappoints, and I’ll read whatever she writes next without hesitation. This series always makes me laugh and keeps me guessing, which is exactly what I want from a mystery. Highly recommended!

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Thanks to Netgallery, Storm publishing and Kristen Bird for this ARC.

I loved the first book and was so glad to return to Aubergine and see Dakota and her family and friends again as they got wrapped up in another murder this time a her high school reunion. This was such a easy read got through it in a day and half as it was so absorbing. I will definitely buy this when it comes out maybe in audiobook as well. I can't wait for the next one in the series.

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Kristen Bird has done it again, with her latest novel in the Dakota Green series. Since we last left Dakota, she'd just won the annual beauty pageant, developed feelings for the sheriff investigating the death of Mr. Finch, the previous owner of the Rose Palace, and had decided to go back to veterinary school.

In An Heiress's Guide to Death and Diamonds, Dakota returns to the Rose Palace for her high school reunion, and for the reading of Mr. Finch's will. (You'll have to read the book to find out why she's going to will reading!) When another murder occurs, Dakota finds herself searching for answers once again.

This book is another must-read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

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A clever cozy mystery. Not as humorous as I expected since her writing was compared to Janet Evanovich's in the blurb. Once I gave it a chance by continuing to read, I was captivated by the story. Some surprises. Pleasant enough characters but no one I really cared about. It was until over halfway through that I realized I was listening to Book 1 in my car while running errands. Enjoyable listening. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

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Zu langfädig, zu bedeutungsschwanger. Das passt für mich nicht zum Titel. Danke fürs bereit stellen vom Lese-Ex.

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This is an ideal holiday read. It is clearly one of a series, but can be read alone. When the star of a reality show dies at a high school reunion in Aubergine vet student Dakota must work hard to make sure her best friend (and the ex-girlfriend of the corpse) is not accused of murder.

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Very enjoyable read. I like the characters and Savilla’s word mashes were inspired and humorous. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Dakota returns home for her high school reunion expecting nostalgia, not murder. But when a former classmate-turned-reality-TV star dies on the dance floor, Dakota’s best friend becomes the prime suspect. Juggling the pressures of vet school, a long-distance relationship, and a shocking family revelation, Dakota dives into a tangled mystery involving murder, missing diamonds, and blackmail.

Fast-paced and full of twists, this small-town whodunit proves the past doesn’t always stay buried. With colorful, engaging characters, the Dakota Green series is a definite must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Kristen Bird for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

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3.5 - I absolutely flew through this one in one sitting. I didn’t read the first of the series so the characters were completely new to me, I don’t think it impacted my experience too much and definitely feel you can read this as a stand alone.

I love a whodunnit so much, but, this one I had figured out probably 20-25% in to the book. Still was definitely a fun read just predictable and had points that I felt were slower than necessary.

Overall, enjoyable enough for me to read it straight through! Thank you NetGalley and publishing team!

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An Heiress's Guide to Death and Diamonds is the 2nd awesome book in Kristen Bird's Dakota Green series. The characters are interesting and likable and the cozy mystery kept me guessing. I didn't want to put it down! Dakota Green is home for her high school reunion at Rose Palace. Dakota is finishing up her Veterinarian degree and has decisions to make about her future. She was requested to attend the reading of Mr Finch's will this weekend. She is looking forward to spending the weekend with her boyfriend Charlie who is the Sheriff until a former classmate, Brett Brinkley ends up dead at the reunion dinner. Dakota's whole weekend is derailed by the investigation because her best friend Lacy is a suspect and Charlie is preoccupied with the murder. Savilla owns and runs Rose Palace and is a classmate and.friend. Will the will reading change things for Dakota? The story has jewels, secrets, and relationships which kept me glued to the pages! I really enjoyed both books in the series and I can't wait for more! #AnHeiresssGuidetoDeathAndDiamonds #DakotaGreen #NetGalley #StormPublishing #KristenBird #cozymystery

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Returning home and attending her class reunion can make a person nervous and for Dakota Greene she has quite a few things to be nervous about. But nervous doesn’t begin to tell the story when one of her classmates drops dead on the dance floor and Dakota’s best friend is at the top of the suspect list. Dakota has a lot on her plate this time, a visit to a lawyer, a career decision, a love life decision and now a killer to find. The characters are believable, but I felt some storylines didn’t really matter to the main story and could have been left out. I think this made the book slower than I would have liked. But overall it was still good. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC. This review is my opinion.

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A fantastically public death of a thoroughly dislikeable person in a room full of suspects! nothing not to love about both plot and characters in this funny, witty cosy mystery! Dakota is a fantastic lead character- all the brains and the sass you could ever need in a modern woman!

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I've got to learn to stop jumping in the middle of a series when doing ARCs.

Perhaps if I'd read the first book, I'd have known there was a bit of language and a lot of 'modern morals' included. Personally, I'm not a fan of sleeping together before marriage and especially not a fan of recording said actions. Granted, this is a text-filled book, and there are no visuals but what my mind creates. There was enough for my mind to go places I didn't necessarily want it to, and the examples of the abuse of power that occurred were hard to read.

Did the mystery keep me guessing? Yes. Did I have the murderer figured out? I'd narrowed it down to two, and yes, one of the two I'd chosen was correct. I liked the patience extended between Dakota and the Sheriff, but not the emphasis on their sexuality.

I think this series by this author is simply not the choice for me.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

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After winning the Rose Palace Pageant, Dakota Green now has money to finish veterinary school in New York. She comes home for a class reunion and to attend Frederick Finch’s will reading.

Once again we are transported to the charming town of Aubergine, Virginia, and the delightful cast of characters of Lacy, Dakota’s best friend, Charlie, her boyfriend, Jemma, who is providing the entertainment, and Savilla, who is her half-sister. It seems like an interesting reunion because classmate Brett Brinkley, a reality TV show winner, is in attendance and seems to be stirring things up. When he ends up dead, Lacy is the prime suspect because she was dancing with him at the time.

Dakota investigates because she needs to clear Lacy from suspicion. Dakota is having a rough weekend because there is some jealousy of Charlie’s deputy, who is attractive and has a familiarity with him as they have known each other for years, deciding whether to go to San Diego for a fellowship or come back to Aubergine, and processing that Frederick Finch was her father and Savilla is her half-sister..

There are plenty of suspects and Dakota has her work cut out for her solving this murder. There is also the disappearance of the family’s Rose Diamond, worth at least $50 million, which was left to Brett. The will reading scene was funny with Savilla’s mother and aunt attending, having been given a pass from jail. That seemed odd to me that they got out for that and also that they thought they’d inherit anything considering they killed Frederick. Regardless, it was amusing.

I loved this book as much as I loved the first book. I find Savilla’s combining of words hilarious and I love how Dakota tries to figure how what word combination she is doing. The killer and the reason for the murder was surprising. I hope there are more books in this series because I want to see how Dakota settles into being Savilla’s sister and heir to the estate and to see her romance with Charlie grow.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This books was an easy read fast fun and a page turner I enjoyed it will recommend to many people thank you for allowing me to read it

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Dakota Green is back in Aubergine for her 10 year high school reunion, some quality time with her maybe/maybe not boyfriend, Chief of Police Charlie, and the reading of her newly discovered father’s will. She anticipates a somewhat relaxing weekend until one of her former classmates suddenly dies during the reunion & she’s thrown into a murder investigation. Can she help Charlie solve the case before it’s too late, all while keeping her sanity with everything else on her plate or will everything spin out of control?

While I didn’t realize that this was the second book in the Dakota Green series, I didn’t find that I was completely lost. Kristen Bird did a great job of giving book one (A Beauty Queen’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem) summaries throughout without making it feel like a complete retelling of the first story. It gave enough of Dakota’s backstory where following along with the current relationships was easy.

I really like Dakota’s character & found that she was extremely relatable in a lot of aspects. While she had confidence and strength, she also had insecurities relating to her romantic relationship with Charlie and wasn’t afraid to let those be seen. She was fiercely loyal to Lacy and determined to do whatever possible to make sure she was okay in the end & didn’t shy away from her new found sister, Savilla, even though it was not something she planned on.

The storyline itself was easy to follow and had enough twists to keep the reader guessing. I would definitely categorize it as a cozy mystery. It was quick enough where you didn’t get bored but long enough where it had enough plot to keep you intrigued. I would definitely read more about Dakota’s next case if there’s a book three.

***Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC for my honest opinion***

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An Heiress's Guide to Death and Diamonds was another triumph from Kristen. Such a fun book which the genre cozy mystery was made for. Loved every page ❤️

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