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. 

Sticks and Scones
A Bakeshop Mystery
Ellie Alexander
Minotaur Books

Ellie Alexander has created another great Bakeshop Mystery cozy with well-crafted characters and recipes. All of the core characters have a heart like Jules, but only Lance has panache and a dash of devil-may-care making Lance the perfect person to head up an acting troupe. In addition to being the artistic director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and head of his new production company the Fair Verona Player, Lance is Jules partner in crime solving. In addition to Jules and Lance there is the Torte team which is one great big family. Then there are the other characters such as the victim who is an egomaniac but when on stage, he is one heck of an actor, as well as Tom the investor who is an insufferable wine snob with one too many opinions that he can’t seem to keep to himself. To round it out there is a drab seamstress, a love struck stage assistant, and more than a few people who are not necessarily sad that the understudy is stepping in. Know who else is stepping in? Lance goes straight into investigatory mode and while he doesn’t drag Jules, he gently tugs her into joining him. The story holds your interest and character interactions do a great job of eliciting emotions. For example, I literally rolled my eyes when Jules has the “opportunity” to interact with Tom at the local pub. Other times I found myself chuckling over Lance’s comments about morning jogging. Last but not least is the sighing brought on by the way Carlos tends to Jules when she is feeling a little “off.”

Every Bakeshop Mystery comes with descriptions of the most amazing foods woven into the story and this time is no different. There are mentions of chicken salad, cherry based sweet treats, barbecue chicken cups, tahini cookies, and strawberry scones. There are recipes at the end of the story and I can confirm that the scones are as easy to make as they are tasty.  I certainly hope that this isn’t the last one, there is still so much more for Jules to do and so many changes on the horizon. Reading about her personal growth has been educational and enjoyable.

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. 

Death Scene
Witch City Mysteries
Carol Perry
Kensington 

Tinsel town comes to Spooky town and Lee Barrett Mondello is ready to don her reporter hat for WICH‑TV news and solve the mystery of the starlet who was murdered by designer chocolates. Darla Diamond was quite the actress and had the ability to play the part of a witch both on and off the screen, just ask her costar Lamar Faraday. Faraday seems like a nice enough guy but maybe even he could be driven to do something rash, like making a $1000 bet that he could hit every single bar in Salem during his stay.  Then there are the death threats, but those seemed to have stopped when the left the west coast. The one thing that was not left behind was the odd accidents that seem to plague Paragon Productions. Lee gets a chance to do a little reporting as a result of those accidents in addition to her program director job and has some great luck when it comes to learning things from the gossip network aka Jenna’s hair salon. Thanks to the salon and locals who are in the know, it seems that Lee is getting a jump on details before her husband Pete, a detective with the Salem police either hasn’t released or had not learned just yet. Lee finds some clues in the most unusual places. Even River who is acting as a body double for Darla/Pauline has heard things. River has also seen things in the tarot cards and helped Lee with a little dream interpretation. Lee is a “scryer” which means that she can see things in shiny surfaces, which is like a day dream. Pete has often told Lee that she would make an excellent detective and fully supports the exchange of information. This is another great Witch City Mystery and just in time for Halloween. I have always wanted to visit Salem but after reading this one, I am pretty sure that I will not be going in October. This was a great story with plenty of misdirection and clues to keep me guessing. There are even some great recipes at the conclusion of the story.

The Little Lost Library : A Secret, Book, and scone Society Novel by Ellery Adams

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. 

The Little Lost Library
A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel
Ellery Adams 

This is book seven and the best Secret, Book, and Scone Society book yet. Be prepared for a cozy that hits hard and tackles real world problems like trauma, relationships ending, bullies, sadness, and solidarity. On the lighter side, I was completely captivated by the treasure hunt for the little lost library. Oh and the quotes at the start of each chapter are so thought provoking, my favorite was the one by Maya Angelou at the start of chapter four regarding knowing your own worth. Nora Pennington has such a good heart, she looks for the good in others, and is a friend through thick and thin. She cries over the loss that others feel, she is one who is empathic even for those who are hurting to the point that they lash out at others, much like Lucille‘s daughter. Propelled by an insatiable curiosity to solve the riddle of the book, she takes chances and works secretly to complete the task which NSNS has set in front of her. I am surprised that the side issues are not distracting her more, what with an unidentifiable teen taking a five finger discount and the crazy K9 cop aka Hollowell the horrible (my nickname for her) being her usually charming self (said with sarcasm) combative with women, flirty with her male coworkers, all while prowling around after Hester’s boyfriend, officer Jasper Andrews.

This story was a page turner keeping my attention the entire time while my emotions ran amok. Parts of the story are sweet like the mantecada muffins that Sheldon made, while other parts are bitter and hard to take like the background history and Lucille’s reason for becoming a recluse hoarder. The clues were well placed for each of the plot lines and the red herrings kept me guessing. The only mystery that we are left with at the end is the story behind Hollowell and why she acts the way she does. 

A Berry Suspicious Death : A Cranberry Cove Mystery by Peg Cochran

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. 

A Berry Suspicious Death
The Cranberry Cover Mysteries #9
Peg Cochran
Beyond the Page Publishing

This is the 9^th book in the series and it starts out with Monica‘s half-brother Jeff getting married at the Sassamanash cranberry farm. Everything starts out joyous and thankfully the happy couple is on their way to their honeymoon before the body is found by our sleuth. Monica had only just met Jolie Spencer when her talented baker/employee Mick introduced her as his wife…Monica didn’t even know he was dating. Guess who ends up at the top of the suspect list when Jolie turns up dead? As usual, our sleuth feels compelled to look into things because she just can’t imagine Mick killing anyone.  Mick hasn’t exactly been 100% truthful with Monica but a being a killer is not one of the things he is hiding. It turns out that Jolie is a recent widow who had a rather well off and much older husband, whom she had met while working as his health aide while he was terribly sick. He died not long after they were married leaving behind Jolie and his two adult daughters. One can imagine what the adult daughters think about their now rich stepmom.  Thus the plot thickens like a nice soup you might find at the Pepper Pot, and excellent restaurant who Monica often goes for dinner with husband or lunch with a friend. Another possible suspect is Jolie’s daughter who is not as well off as Jolie, in fact she is struggling financially and works at a seedy bar to make ends meet. Monica having recently become a mom herself, does a pretty good job of balancing “new mom” responsibilities with hunting down clues. She even takes time to get in a little exercising with Jeff’s mom, Gina. The visits to the fitness facility lead Monica down an entirely different rabbit hole...and perhaps another suspect as well.  The story has you guessing and second guessing with well laid clues and tricky red herrings. In addition to an engaging and entertaining mystery you also have a great seasonal bread recipe using fresh cranberries, bananas, and walnuts waiting for you at the conclusion of the story.