Nutty summer fun

Summer's not over! Are you still looking for a fun beach read?  Love in a Nutshell is a cozy comedy/romance/suspense novel set in Keene's Harbor, Michigan, home of The Nutshell Bed and Breakfast. Or what will someday be The Nutshell B&B.   

The main character, Kate Appleton, has had a run of bad luck. She's lost her job, her husband and her dog. She's slightly unhinged, but super cute, and working to turn her parents' ramshackle lake home into a B&B. Matt Culhane is the handsome local bachelor/entrepreneur that runs several successful businesses including a brew pub. He also owns the mortgage on The Nutshell. I'll let you guess how that one turns out. Someone is also trying to sabotage his beer. I'll let you guess how that one turns out, too (no, it's not, Kate, silly! I don't want to spoil the whole book for you!).

The saboteur plotline presents a fascinating look at craft beer. I live in a craft beer household and found this plot to be very entertaining. There's a lot about hops and brewing and beer fests and the like. If you are a beer connoisseur, you will no doubt find this interesting. If not, you will learn something new. The Keene's Harbor setting is also very familiar, like any small lake town in Wisconsin: full of sunshine and fun in the summer and a whole 'nother ballgame when the tourists go home.

In a nutshell, this is a summer cozy. Grab a beer and settle in.