Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing these ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. The recipe reviews and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.
MAY 24th RELEASES
It seems that cozy companion Mal and chocolatier/B&B owner Allie are quite literally tripping over victims quite a bit more than usual in this mystery, which is set in the fudge capital of America, Mackinac Island. There are fireworks beyond those of the local celebration when Allie, finds herself at odds with the local law enforcement (aka Allie’s boyfriend, Rex) because Allie is determined to find answers. Whether she is in the line of fire or a direct target, Allie needs to keep her wits about her as she gets involved in more than just the various community committees. You can’t help but to keep turning pages as the mystery develops and the number of victims increases. On the plus side, you learn quite a bit about the island and its inhabitants. Mackinac Island is on my bucket list of cozy places to visit so that I can find some world class fudge, in the mean time I will make due with some of the wonderful recipes that Ms. Coco so generously shares between the chapters, such as the Turtle Fudge and Cinnamon Mocha Fudge.
MAY 10th RELEASES
Tory Benning, expert lawn architect and
lover of Pomeranian pups, is back righting wrongs, helping her friend Mac, and
generally causing her police officer friend Adrian a headache. Good thing she
has a bestie like Ashley who will always be happy to share a bottle of wine and
a few small adventures. Tory is a character with great ideas and a highly developed
power of observation, she notices many things, like the beautiful flowers,
trees, grasses, and many other southern California plants. I found the
landscaping and plant identification aspect of the story telling process very
useful as I have just moved back to the semi-desert climate of California and
have gotten some great ideas from the wonderful descriptions. Ms. Gonda does an
excellent job of character building and creating a setting in a real world
environment while keeping the cozy aspects. Who couldn’t smile at the
interactions between Tory and her beloved poms or the way Tory and Ashley are
truly like sisters as they laugh together, cry together, and brave the early
morning hours on a stakeout together. This is a story that keeps you guessing
as to who done it and why did they do once you learn the how did they do it.
Tory does a good job of balancing work and life, I wonder how well she will do
with the new challenges, Jake may be team Tory, but I think that I am team
Jake.
