Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.
Partners in Lime is a good title for this one, the last one,
sniff sniff. I shall say no more as I am not one to over share. I will say
this, I will miss Everly and Grady and the folks of Charm. There is something
quite Charm-ing about the way Bree Baker aka Julie Anne Lindsay weaves local
history into her Outer Banks books. I will miss the Sun, Sand, and Tea shop as
this is the final book of the series. An excellent storyline in an excellent
series complete with excellent recipes! Plenty of mystery, misdirection, backstory
snippets and romance. All of it comes together like the different ingredients
from an Everly recipe. I am definitely looking forward to making tea cakes and
some bubbling basil raspberry tea.
Double Chocolate Cookie Murder
Sherry Oliveri is back and this time she is a contest judge
instead of a participant. This is an unusual tale that takes a fiery tale of
the past and a bitter bit of the present, not exactly the best ingredients for
a cookie recipe but it does make for an interesting cookie recipe origin story.
Sherry finds that being an impartial judge isn’t as easy as you would think,
especially when her proverbial Doc Watson is also a cookie contestant. Plenty
of engaging characters, clues and culinary coziness, especially the recipes
found in the back of the book. I for one am looking forward to making peppermint
patties for the holidays!
B&B owner Charlene Morris is in the amazing town of
Salem and on the trail of some Halloween tricks and treats. Armed with her wits
and pepper spray she will once again be the hostess with most-est in the way of
social hour snacks (truly cook inspiring) and Samhain sleuthing. Not the first
in the series but definitely not hard to follow as plenty of backstory is added
to keep the reader engaged and engrossed. Set in the town of Salem, I wonder if
Charlene or Jack watches local reporter, Lee Barrett (from the Witch City
cozies). This series has inspired me to add Salem, Mass. as a bucket list
destination and to add social hour to my Friday schedule.
There is no room for a poisonous shroom at the Pancakes and Pans Country Store, and Robbie isn’t going to sit on her morels while waiting for the Health Department to give her the all clear. There is a complete family of suspects including Abe’s ex-wife who may or may not be so happy about Robbie and Abe’s upcoming nuptials. Plenty of clues and tantalizing meal descriptions, with plenty of back story to keep the mystery moving forward. I am definitely going to make the scones and fritters for a Sunday brunch.
Includes a very helpful cast of characters but be warned,
these characters will have you literally laughing out loud, so be aware of where
you are when you read. If you choo chose this book you will be in for quite a
ride! No need to have read the others to know what is going one, each story is
a stand-alone, but it does move an overall theme along, mainly Phee’s life, love,
mother-daughter relationship, and the unstoppable Streetman. These books are
such a hoot to read and you don’t have to be a daughter to have those same
thoughts that Phee has about your own mother and her extremely colorful friends.
I hope this storyline keeps adding tracks because even if Phee isn’t ready to
officially joint the detective ranks with Nate and Marshall, she is an awesome
amateur sleuth! With all the talk about bagels and bialys, I think I might just have to try my hand at making some, as inspired by the many references to Bagels N More.
JoAnna Carl
What a fun word, rigmarole, it is not used nearly enough in today’s conversations. It has been a while since I read a TenHuis chocolate mystery, it is good to be back in Warner Pier, Michigan. I had forgotten about the fun idioms that Lee uses and I don’t mean her malapropism, I mean the phrases such as “not getting a nickel’s worth of sleep” the stuff that her Texas grandmother would say. Chock full of fun characters some of which are a little nutty, plus who doesn’t like reading about chocolate! The plot hits the ground running, and what an unusual start to a story, a mass of break-ins caused by snack stealing thieves and urban raccoons on the loose. Surely the raccoons aren’t casing the joint? Plenty of clues and red herrings, I didn’t figure out the “who” but was pretty sure about the why. Looking forward to making some potato soup and finding a recipe for Kahlua bon bons!
Seven Year Witch
I have to ask is the witch referring to Josie or Fiona, the
soon to be ex-wife? Book #2 of the Witch Way Library series is every bit as entertaining
and enthralling as the series starter. I have often thought that books speak to
me, but not to the extent that they speak to Josie. With her ever growing
powers and a town that is struggling to make a come-back, Josie is in it for
the long haul. Quirky characters, a seemingly unattainable love interest, and a
little bit of magic make this cozy mystery a must read. With a few suspects, a
few red herrings, and a few clues, will keep you reading for more than a few
hours. Be sure to make a bowl of oatmeal
with some extra toppings, like pecans and honey, to enjoy while you read.
Key West newlywed Haley Snow journeys to Scotland for a most
unusual honeymoon, one that is filled with family and fatality. Now here is a critic
after my own heart, a food critic who is more foodie than critic. This upbeat
character is surrounded by equally upbeat friends, like Miss Gloria, an
extremely feisty lady of mature years. Plenty of interesting suspects and each
with a motive for murder. A great blending of the regular characters and the
new ones, plus the No need to read previous books to be able to follow along,
but just think of all the recipes you would be missing. I plan on trying the
Cock a Leek soup recipe with a side of cheese scones for a comfy cozy
meal.
Cider Shop Rules
Fall is in the air as well as the smell of some enticing cider which is much better than the smell of cigarette smoke from an escaped convict who is stalking Winnie to get to Colton. So if you aren’t intrigued yet just wait. There are rumors, relatives, and reenactors, all it needs are some recipes (hint-hint). Winnie is the epitome of a cozy character and her Grandma’s crew of knitters are the best, they are also the best even if the rival knitting group two towns over would disagree. As always, there is plenty of backstory so you are not lost, or confused, and if you forget who a character is, just call them Kenny Rogers like bff Dot! Not such a cliffhanger ending on this one as there was with the previous story, but I can’t wait to read the next one as the story continues to develop, much like Winnie’s cider recipes like her anniversary flavor.
Still Life and Death
We bid a fond farewell to the Shepherd sisters, but not
before they solve one last crime and provide us with a tasty brownie recipe! This
book, like the other two, can be read as stand‑alone but isn’t it so much more
fun to have the backstory and character development. The three sisters make not
only an amazing sleuthing team but are also the textbook cozy supportive family
that one comes to expect from this genre. The story developed nicely with
plenty of clues and plenty of distractions with an ending that had me in happy
tears. Which disappeared as I devoured the wonderfully chocolaty brownies made
using the recipe at the end of the book.
Cajun Kiss of Death
Starts with a New Year’s Eve triple wedding, Cajun style! Moves
onto a David versus Goliath with a side serving of eatery espionage. This
turned out to be a three mysteries in one, which makes it an excellent way to
end an excellent series (sniff, sniff). I will miss the Crozat B&B and
those culinary classics, love it when an author not only talks about food but
also shares recipes! This time around I am giving the beer bread recipe a try
but I may also look up the recipe for the French toast even though it isn’t in
the recipes listed, because who doesn’t like French toast? The Epilogue was a nice
touch to tie off the story.
