Review: Trouble at the Tailor’s Shop by A.C.F. Bookens

Posted October 26, 2026 by Lola in Mystery, Review / 3 Comments

Trouble at the Tailor’s Shop (Cotswolds Classics #2)
by A.C.F. Bookens

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
In the picturesque Cotswolds village of Stow-on-the-Wold, the tea is hot, the flowers are gorgeous, and the danger is sometimes cute.

American expat Nell thought she had finally found a quiet rhythm in her new English life. With her loyal dog Dante by her side, a blossoming circle of friends—including the ever-protective Ollie and Gray—and plenty of pints at the Pig and Cane, Stow feels like the perfect place to settle down.

But the village’s tranquility is unspooled when a local menace named Clove starts stirring up trouble, threatening the people Nell has come to care about. When a confrontation escalates and a violent attack hits far too close to home, Nell realizes the charming facades of Stow might be hiding some very dark secrets.

With Dante’s nose for danger and her friends watching her back, Nell must stitch together the clues before the latest string of crimes becomes a permanent pattern. Can she unravel the mystery before the attacker strikes again?

Grab a cup of Earl Grey and settle in with Trouble at the Tailor’s Shop, the second charming, suspenseful installment in the Cotswolds Classics cozy mystery series.

My Review

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I was going through a stressful time in my life when I picked it up and I just wanted to read something by an author I know and whose books I enjoy, so this seemed like the perfect time to read this one. And luckily it held my attention despite the stressful times. I do feel at times it made it harder for my to fully remember everything what was going on, but mostly I had a great time reading this one.

It was fun being back to this series. This is only the second book in the series, so I feel like I am still getting my bearings in this town and with these characters, but it was fun to be back and spend more time with these characters, on the farm and in the small town.

The mystery in this one was quite intriguing, but I felt like the first half was far more interesting mystery wise than the second part. I liked how Nell meets Prim and Prim worked at the same shop the victim was found and Prim is was closely tied to the mystery. Prim reveals she got attacked and together they start to figure out who attacked Prim and how this relates to the mystery. I liked this part and seeing Nell and Prim get to know each other and delve into the mystery was fun. Then there is this big reveal, somewhere halfway through I think it was and after the mystery just petered out a bit for me.

After that there was some danger and tension, but a lot of it was someone causing trouble and there being no proof it was that person and the police having trouble acting because of that and only slowly more clues and evidence coming to light. Until toward the end when things suddenly all fall on it’s place and gets resolved. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and I am not sure if I missed anything, but I feel like we never got to learn the motives behind it all and. I also thought the confrontation scene just felt a bit off to me. I just wanted a bit more wrap up and details at the end.

I liked reading more about Nell, seeing her relationship with Gray as well as her connections with her friends, both new and ones she met in book 1. I really liked seeing side character Prim slowly figure out what she wanted from her life throughout the book and I liked Nell’s friendship with her. I also like the rest of Nell’s friends and the way there are there for each other and help each other out. There are some wonderful cozy moments with these character spending time together, either relaxing, helping each other or working at the farm.

To summarize: This was a nice sequel. I am still getting my bearings for this series and reading this at a stressful time meant I sometimes struggled keeping track of what was happening at times. Despite that I had a great time reading it and it was nice reading a book by a familiar author during a stressful time. I really liked the first half of the mystery where Prim and Nell are together, but the second half wasn’t as interesting to me as it felt like a lot of danger and things happening, but not much progress being made and just waiting till they got enough evidence to actually arrest the person causing trouble. I thought the wrap up and reveal at the end felt a bit off and rushed and I don’t think we ever found out the full motive and why behind it all or maybe I missed it. I like reading about Nell, her farm as well as her friends and her romance with Gray. I like getting to know these characters and I like how they are there for each other and help each other out. There are some wonderfully cozy moments in this book as well and I look forward to the next book!