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Too many suspects can be as bad as no suspects at all… Lark Davis, horse trainer and reluctant amateur sleuth, is sure that her crime-solving days are behind her. At least that’s what she told her grandmother. However, when her Homeowners Association President and owner of the local hardware store is found dead the day after she had a public fight with him, Lark is back in the last place she wants to be — the middle of a murder case. But this is Barrow Bay, and things are never as they seem. Gerald Pratchett had a list of enemies a mile long, and each one had a very real reason for wanting to see him gone. When the police get overwhelmed with too many suspects, including herself, Lark realizes that it is up to her to bring his killer to justice. Nothing can stop Lark from finding out the truth — and getting her man.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2019

269 people are currently reading
51 people want to read

About the author

Annabelle Hunter

5 books96 followers

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5 stars
256 (57%)
4 stars
130 (29%)
3 stars
48 (10%)
2 stars
8 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Loretta TheMoodyRedhead.
1,020 reviews4 followers
October 3, 2021
This inner monologue Lark has going on is so ADD that in this book I finally couldn’t stand it and actually skimmed through parts that had it. It’s so distracting to the point of the story. I get that is just the way she is and I definitely feel I know her now and, oh look!, something shiny. That brings me back to when my grandma gave me this shimmery necklace and that was when I was 10 and Billy was so handsome….get it? It’s bothersome.

Other than that, the book was cute and I was kept interested, so that’s good. Once again, Lark helps solve another case without getting her head shot off. Just wondering who the Mystery Man is though. Maybe it’s a woman with a deep voice? Perhaps we’ll find out in the next book who the person on the shadows was?

Next book is number 4, “Cinch Up”
Profile Image for Short, Sweet and Cozy.
1,449 reviews
April 20, 2020
A funny but intriguing cozy mystery!

Load Up is the 3rd book in this series although many of the same characters are in the Barrow Bay series as well. This book is funny (silly at times) but enjoyable! And you will never guess the ending! Lark is a horse trainer. Her neighbor is the HOA President and is writing up everyone,including Lark, for violations. Then he ends up dead. Lark is a suspect as well as a few other people. Lark is starting to date Brecken, who is new to the police dept. Because she is a suspect, she needs to clear her name and she is very curious and likes to gossip. This was a very enjoyable and captivating cozy mystery!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
556 reviews7 followers
November 20, 2022
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Load Up by Annabelle Hunter is laugh-out-loud funny. I adore the characters set in the eccentric town of Barrow Bay.
Will Lark stay out of the murder investigation? Can she keep her nose in her own business?
Lark Davis
What can I say about Lark? I absolutely adore her. She is a single mom giving it her best shot. Lark has the craziest inner voice, which sometimes slips out. Oh, and her friends aren't afraid to call her out on her issues. In fact, the whole town calls Lark out on her issues, publicly. Lark is so nosey, she likes to think that she isn't but honestly she is. I love it when she tries to lie to herself and her inner voice calls her out on the lie. Lark does admit to not having a filter. Seriously, she is someone that I would love to be friends with. And did I mention that she gets to ride horses for a living?
Brecken Wilson
Brecken is the super handsome cop, Captain America look-a-like who makes Lark melt. The town has been trying to get Brecken to take over as Police Chief when the current chief retires. It looks like they may have won him over. He likes Lark you can tell but he doesn't do relationships. So, they are taking it slow, like turtle speed on the lawnmower slow. Maybe that is a bit faster than they are going. Anyway, unbeknown to Lark, Brecken and his whole family are moving to Barrow Bay. Wait till you see where they are moving.
Load Up CRThe Mystery
It is a murder mystery. The grumpy HOA president is murdered in his home and everyone is a suspect including Lark who had a disagreement with him the morning of his death. 

Side note: This crazy town has an HOA for each block because they want to, not because they live in a subdivision. 

Anyway, grumpy Gerald is shot at his desk. Now people are trying to figure who did the deed. Well, people besides the police, you know, like Lark. There are lots of things going on, like raccoons, kids painting garbage cans and knocking them over, lots of people running for the HOA president's position and horses destroying things. 
Five Stars for Load Up by Annabelle Hunter
I love this town, the characters and the craziness. Annebelle Hunter is a fabulous writer, she combines humor, romance, murder, and small-town issues so well. All of it shows in both of her Barrow Bay mysteries. Lark and Jen are so awesome. Honestly, the things that come out of Lark's mouth crack me up. So, in case you hadn't guessed Load Up gets five stars. I highly recommend this book to everyone. 


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Thanks for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Load Up by Annabelle Hunter. Don't forget to enter the giveaway of this great book. This book is also available on KindleUnlimited.

This Guest Review is for Baroness' Book Trove. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book on your site.

Until the next time,

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This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

Profile Image for Angela.
335 reviews5 followers
July 11, 2020
Oh thank god. This was much better

Now that we’ve gotten past the will I/won’t I date him, the lead character has gotten so much better.

If you read this author in order, this will not be the 3rd book you read. There were references to Jen’s story in here, so read that book before you read this one.
373 reviews
September 15, 2020
Lark finds trouble again

I enjoyed the craziness of Lark although it can be over the top. The sewing circle aka gossip group is a hoot. I look for murder mystery fun/cozy books with wholesome-ness no foul language, no sex, unfortunately book 3 fell short revealing Jasmine who is a drag queen and married to a man. Series ends for me.
99 reviews
October 11, 2020
When do we get the next book?!

I absolutely love this series! It's cute, smart, clean, wholesome, and just plain fun. The snarky banter kept me laughing almost the whole book. Both the characters and the plot are well developed. The editing/proofreading is wonderful, as well. Give me more of these books, please!
350 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2022
Larkelyn is a lark

This quirky character that Annabelle Hunter has created along with the town is hilarious, busy ,and adventurous. These stories are also addictive and get better as the characters become known like a neighbor or friend. Very well wrtten in that the reader feels apart of the story.
53 reviews
August 9, 2021
Charming

These are really well written! They are fast paced with the best characters that just keep developing and evolving. I absolutely love this series. I am devouring them in my free time and cannot wait to see what happens in Barrow Bay next.
17 reviews
February 27, 2022
Fun read!

This was book 3 in the Lark Davis Mysteries. It held my attention the entire way. Conversations or side conversations are sometimes hard to follow but in the end everything always makes sense.
157 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2022
Lark is up to her neck in alligators in this one. A murder plus a towns gossip
line that’s faster than light, along with its own online blog. What’s a Detective
to do? Why solve the case first before his girlfriend does of course. Great
Reads as funny as Lucy & either comedy’s.
Debra H.
Profile Image for Kimberly Landry.
255 reviews2 followers
February 23, 2020
Loved it

Loved it . The quirky main character cracks me up with her internal monologue. Then her verbal babble is hilarious
107 reviews
March 5, 2020
Very funny and charming

Great run of 4 books - funny, quirky a little violent - rom-comma. It not mean and overall good community and flow for reading
907 reviews6 followers
September 15, 2020
Great series

If you want to laugh and enjoy mysteries with romantic twist then this is the series for you. I can't wait for the next book..
502 reviews2 followers
October 14, 2020
Great read

Here we go, again. Lark stuck her nose in again, and ended up getting in big trouble, again. But she did solve the mystery, which was very well written!
163 reviews2 followers
April 7, 2021
It’s getting juicy

Read these in order. With the proper character build the stories are much richer. Learn from my mistakes - then enjoy
Profile Image for Christy.
1,221 reviews61 followers
December 15, 2019
Load Up is the first cozy mystery book that I’ve read in the Lark Davis Mystery Series. When I saw that the other two were highly reviewed and contained lots of humor, I knew this would be a series that I’d love. I wasn’t wrong. Apparently this isn’t Lark’s first foray with the law…well, obviously…this IS a cozy mystery series after all. You can totally gather from this book what Lark was up to in the previous books. I won’t tell you because I don’t want to spoil the hilarity of it for you.

I am not a horse person, but my daughter took lessons for awhile. So, even if you’re not a horse person, don’t let that deter you from reading the books. This one, at least, doesn’t have a whole lot happening at the barn. Most of the plot is the amateur sleuthing, and that sleuthing is so funny. Granted, Lark is on the suspect list, but so is half of Barrow Bay. Not many people got along with Gerald. He wanted everything to be just so in the neighborhood, so anything that he thought went against the grain was something he’d be complaining about.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. All opinions are my own.

I had fun trying to figure out “who dunnit” and it wasn’t easy. The characters in Load Up are quirky and funny…even the side characters. The romance/not romance between Lark and her boyfriend/not boyfriend is cute and clean though there are a few innuendos, so it’s not quite squeaky clean.

All things considered, this book was fun, so if you like your cozy mystery books with lots of humor, you’ll really enjoy Load Up.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,204 reviews345 followers
December 2, 2019
Another fast paced and funny cozy mystery to brighten your day. Barrow Bay, California is one of a kind. The community is full of retirees who know everything that is going on, or that people want to have go one or believe is going on. Then there is the town's online blogger who seems to announce the "news" as quickly as it happens. Who needs a town crier?

Lark and the "handsome, new" detective on the county department have been trying to figure out how to date, when she isn't being a murder suspect and he isn't unavailable due to work.
He has something to tell her but it isn't "phone news." In fact it is multiple cups of coffee type news. As you can guess, the news is delivered without the coffee and unscheduled.

Lark truly isn't a death magnet. She doesn't go out of her way to stir up trouble or attract attention.
There is just no way she can avoid being in the middle of things!
Especially when the leader of the local home owners association seems to have it in for her and always needs to make her aware of his dissatisfaction in the wee hours of the morning.
So when one morning it is this same leader drawing attention- by being discovered dead - and there is no possible way Lark could have done it... well, even that doesn't save her from getting caught up in the middle of this investigation.

Fun, funny, and super fast paced, this is a series not to be missed.
While there are references to events happening in previous books, you will enjoy this as a stand alone if you must. I can't wait to see where this series may take us!
Profile Image for Diane Hernandez.
2,445 reviews43 followers
December 15, 2019
Load Up has the best murder victim ever! Who hasn't wanted to kill their HOA President? And Gerald is worse than most. The only person he recently argued with is single mother Lark Davis over the spacing of her fairy garden from her house. Lark is just beginning a relationship with hunky Detective Bracken Wilson when both the murder investigation and their relationship start moving at light speed.

Load Up is a humorous cozy mystery with a lot of romance, gossip, and motives floating around the neighborhood. And what a neighborhood it is! The local coffee shop is owned by a successful drag queen who is totally beloved by Lark's seven-year-old daughter, Hailey. There is a town blog that seems to know what has occurred before even the people involved have processed the events. The romance between ditzy Lark and the Detective is slow-moving and sweet. The swearing is kept to a minimum with Snickerdoodles and Fudge substituting in for the real words. This book would be great for young teens and up. Overall, Load Up is a great fun-filled way to spend a lazy afternoon and is highly recommended. 4 stars!

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
1,187 reviews5 followers
October 31, 2019
Lark runs a hoarse training business, is a single mom and not, not dating Bracken, a cop. She keeps getting grief from her neighbour Gerald about her breaking the home owners association rules, that is until he is found shot to death. She just can’t stay out of it.

This is a hilarious cozy romantic mystery, with exceptional writing and truly amazing characters. The characters are well developed with interesting and flawed personalities. The dialogue and narrative is witty, humorous and addictive. Lark’s inner dialogue is so funny and what comes out of her mouth is usually a surprise, even to her. The mystery is great, full of suspense and danger as the author takes the characters through twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. The small town gossip and the news blogging keeps you chuckling. The romance is great, full of moments that make you smile and sigh. Annabelle Hunter is fast becoming one of my favourite authors with books such as this one, filled with romance, humour, fun, small town gossip mill, suspense, mystery and simply great writing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Eve Jones.
483 reviews6 followers
October 26, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book, the main character Larklyn 'Lark' is a great character, highly amusing with laugh out loud moments throughout the book with her antics 😂😂

Lark tries to solve a murder through the gossip of the town, and some snooping around, even though her love interest/boyfriend Brecken has specifically banned her from getting involved, because last time she got involved she was kidnapped at gun point. As you can imagine she ignores his advice, and that's when the adventure begins.

The book is great with great characters, right until the very end. This is why I have given it a 4 star rating as I thought the ending was lacking any substance at all, and given how good the book was up until this point I was a little bit disappointed 🙁
Although I would still recommend this book because on the whole it is a great book.
Profile Image for Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review).
879 reviews
December 8, 2019
Murder, horses, sarcasm and the date that sorta, maybe, never happens! Get ready to sit and enjoy another outing in Barrow Bay!

Lark thinks everything has settled down in her life (even if her romance with Brecken seems to be purely by text!), so she is not happy when the head of the Homeowners Association (Gerald) hammers on her door at 6.30 in the morning claiming that the fairy circle she has put near a tree is not allowed (also he calls it demonic!), he is then put out when Lark proves that everything is correct.  This is just the start of the downward spiral, as she goes to meet the new neighbour, to discover it is Brecken's sister and her son ... oh and Brecken, who has joined the Barrow Bay police department.  But then Gerald is found shot in his study and Lark, along with others he had upset, has no alibi, so she and Jen need to dust off their sleuthing skills to find out the truth (mainly so that Lark and Brecken can have a date that isn't interrupted by police work!)
Profile Image for Sue.
596 reviews19 followers
November 7, 2019
Horse trainer Lark Davis finds herself reneging on a promise to her grandmother when she finds herself once again playing amateur sleuth. How else is she going to get herself off the hook when the Homeowners Associate President is found dead shortly after they have a very public fight?! Gerald Pratchett was not a well-liked individual, so Lark has a long list of suspects that could have done the dead. But with so many suspects and the police overwhelmed, will they be able to find the real criminal?

With humor and lots of style, the author creates an entertaining cozy mystery filled with mystery, suspense, crazy characters, and tons of madcap misadventures all rolled into a perfect murder mystery.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Dorothy  Scott.
918 reviews4 followers
October 30, 2019
Lark is unclear about her relationship with Brecken. He wants to have a nebulous “talk.” After a heated confrontation with the president of the Homeowners’ Association, Lark finds out he was murdered and she doesn’t have an alibi. Plus, she proclaims she has an “overdeveloped sarcasm and an underdeveloped filter” which land her further into trouble. She needs to find the truth, but the suspect list grows ever longer. Load Up is an enjoyable mystery with fun twists and quirky characters. I recommend the entire series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Heather W.
4,060 reviews34 followers
November 1, 2019
Hilarity at its finest!

Load Up is the third book in the Lark Davis Mysteries series. This is a hilarious cozy mystery that captured my interest from the first page. The characters are wonderfully wacky and very relatable. The storyline is well written, with murder, too many suspects (including Lark herself), intrigue, twists and turns, and a bit of romance.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever lived in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business because they will see their friends and neighbours in the story

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Amber - TBR Book Blog.
1,239 reviews45 followers
December 6, 2019
Lark Davis has quite the life! This is the 3rd book in the series so I read books 1 and 2 so I could "meet" Lark and the craziness that is her life. I never realized there was such drama and competition in the horse training world!

We're brought back to Barrow Bay - or introduced if this is your first read of the series. Barrow Bay is a funny little town in the Bay Area of California. Which because it's close (at least fictionally) to where I live, I give extra points to the story.

This is just a great, cozy mystery series that I really like to read. I can't wait for more!!
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,613 reviews31 followers
November 10, 2019
This is an interesting mystery with fabulous characters. I love Lark and I love horses. This book is well-written with plenty of twists to keep me guessing to the end. I am looking forward to the next book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jodi Sweet.
1,741 reviews8 followers
January 7, 2020
Lark is in the middle of a murder mystery once again. Poor Brecken, no matter what he says, Lark just won’t listen and stay safe. Lark’s inner monologue is hilarious. And her sarcastic humor isn’t bad either. I love a book that makes me laugh.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ashley Kelley.
Author 3 books12 followers
November 29, 2020
Another great read

Loved the plot and the ever growing and changing relationships. Lark is a great character and the fun, fast-paced narration is great.
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