I think with some polish and editing, this could be a cute series. The characters were likeable and the plot was intriguing.

That being said, it reads like a first draft, not a finished work. The writing was disjointed and choppy, there were few clues to help the reader solve the murder (although I figured out the who fairly early on. With so few suspects, it was easy to narrow down.) The romance came on a bit strong, it could've used a little more subtlety to add more dimension to the book. Instead, the main character was going at it like a drunk at last call.

Overall, there are wrinkles that, if ironed out, could turn this book into a a great start to a new series.