Hello Sweet Friends :)
It's been awhile, but I'm happy to welcome you back to The Preppy Book Princess. If you happened to read my last post, then you'd know that I announced I was taking a temporary leave from my blog to focus on being a mom to my precious baby boy who was born in December.
We are nowhere near the stage where I feel I can handle being back to book blogging regularly, so for now that hiatus will still be in place. However, back in November, I accepted an ARC that was releasing in March, so I definitely still wanted to honor that commitment, and that's what I'm hear to do for all of you guys today.
This book was a well crafted cozy mystery, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.
But first, if you'd like to check out my review of the first book in the series, you can do so using the link below:
Otherwise, keep on reading down below and join me for today's full review.
Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter Review:
Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Author as Part of Her Street Team Allie's Allies in Exchange for an Honest Review.
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: March 31st, 2026
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Nimble Needle
Synopsis:
When 30-something graphic artist Shelby Phillips reluctantly returned to her small hometown outside Asheville, North Carolina to manage her mother’s needlepoint shop, she thought it was temporary. But getting entangled in murder investigations has a timeline of its own…
It’s been a little over a year since Shelby started managing Nina’s Nimble Needle following her office-romance and career implosion, and Shelby’s mom has finally handed her the reins—technically, at least. Next, Shelby is excited to oversee two well-known needlepoint designers who will be participating in the town’s first two-week-long arts festival . . .
Laura Bitters and Paul Bardo have each stitched up one-of-a-kind pillows that should be big wins for the Nimble Needle at the festival’s auction . . . until the pillows vanish amid a sudden string of shoplifting incidents.
To add to the knot in Shelby’s stomach, Laura proves highly anxious, while Paul is an egomaniac who believes Laura has been stealing his customers for years. But things go from bad to tragic when Laura behaves oddly at the auction dinner, then collapses—dead.
Soon after, Shelby makes a shocking discovery in Laura’s room at the local inn. Then tests reveal that Laura was poisoned. Resolved to piece together the truth, despite the police chief’s determination to keep her on the fringes, Shelby rallies her personal team, including her sister, Jessica, her friend Deb, and Jake, her potentially more than a friend. As an extra twist, a magazine reporter arrives with unsettling—yet useful—dirt that includes Laura and Paul.
What unravels is a skein of suspects, long-held resentment, bitter jealousy, and betrayal, from which Shelby will have to pull the one crucial thread tied to the a murder-worthy motive . . .
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
Two Purloined Pillows is the second installment in Allie Pleiter's Nimble Needle cozy mystery series, and is a fun, charming read that will keep readers guessing from start to finish.
In the first title, we were introduced to Shelby, who had recently returned to her hometown to take over her mother's craft store, Nina's Nimble Needle. In this follow up, Shelby is attempting to insert herself more fully into the local craft scene, and is looking forward to being a sponsor of the town's first of it's kind art festival. Unfortunately, the Nimble Needle once again finds itself thick in the midst of a mystery when the prized items for the auction (two needlepoint pillows from two famous artists) go missing, followed shortly by the death of one of the artists. As Shelby and her friends try their best to piece the mystery together clue by clue, the situation keeps escalating, and every suspect starts to look more suspicious. This time, they may have bitten off more than they can chew as they race to get to the bottom of everything once and for all.
A fun mystery that twists and turns in many different directions, and returns readers to the beloved characters associated with the Nimble Needle, Two Purloined Pillows is a fantastic follow up to One Sharp Stitch. This particular title had a wonderfully crafted mystery, a touch of romance, and a focus on family, friendship and small town craziness that all added up to a lovely story that I had a hard time wanting to put down.
The only negative for me was that I had pieced the mystery together at about the halfway point of the story, so I didn't get the huge surprise reveal at the end like I typically enjoy in my mysteries. However, I think that was just a personal thing, and I don't think the author made the culprit obvious or anything, so hopefully that won't be the case for anyone else choosing to pick this one up.
All in all, another wonderful cozy mystery from author Allie Pleiter, and one I would highly recommend if you enjoy clean, cozy mysteries with a small town setting and the romance not being so in your face.
Final Rating: 4/5.
Thanks so much to Allie Pleiter for allowing me to advance read and review this title!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the author as part of her review team Allie's Allies. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
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