Murder at the Lemonberry Tea : A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery by Darci Hannah

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea
A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery
Darci Hannah
Kensington Cozies

This is the delicious new book number six in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series. Lindsey Bakewell left the hectic life of Wall Street and has successfully set up her bakeshop and home in a lighthouse so she knows how much a new start can mean to a person. Her BFF Kennedy Kapoor, a well-regarded influencer, has convinced the producer for the new baking show, Nibbles From Across the Pond, hosted by Vivi Lemonberry, British baking diva, to come to Beacon Harbor to film the show’s first episode.  This was supposed to be a fresh start for Vivi, a step away from the scandals and drama. This woman has baggage, scandalous designer baggage. She is described by one of the film crew as “a tyrant, a flirt, a husband snatcher, a plagiarist, and a kiss-up.” So of course she is the victim. 

This is a fun story which might sound odd because there is a murder involved but the characters just make it so enjoyable. Lindsey is easy to relate to and she has a big dog, who doesn’t love a big dog? Oh, that’s right, Vivi doesn’t. Then there are the Kapoor ladies, Kennedy’s mom, little sister (27 years old) and Granny Gladstone. Who wouldn’t want to spend a few days with the gals, listening to Kennedy and Pippa trade snarky remarks while both flirt with Officer Tucker aka Officer Cutie Pie? Oh, that’s right; Rory doesn’t, so he moved in with his uncle and cousin for the duration of the British invasion. There are so many nuances to the story that it grabs your attention and keeps you turning pages, before, and after the murder is committed. 

 Suspects include the ex-husband who is her producer, the ex-lover who is the head cameraman, her personal assistant who is a victim of her rants, the rival baker who is slapping her with plagiarism, and the A-list starlet who is newly married to Vivi’s current lover. Sergeant Murdock has no choice but to consider Lindsey as a person of interest because of Vivi’s issue with Welly, Lindsey’s beloved Newfie and the shameless flirting with Rory, Lindsey’s guy. Vivi might just have been more trouble than she was worth. 

One of the best aspects of this cozy is that there are multiple red herrings and a few rabbit holes. Each suspect is blaming another suspect talk about a puzzling conundrum. Thankfully, Lindsey has a great group of friends who come up with original ideas on how to get the clues that lead to the solution. The other awesome aspect of this book is all of the yummy lemon based recipes from a Lemon Drop Martini to Parmesan-Crusted Lemon Garlic Chicken; I’m not sure which one to make first. This is another great Beacon Bakeshop Mystery and I will just have to console myself with a lemon bar while I wait for the next one to come out.

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza : A Deep Dish Mystery by Mindy Quigley

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza
A Deep Dish Mysteries
Mindy Quigley
Minotaur Books 

This is book four of the Deep Dish Mystery series that features an amazing chef named Delilah O’Leary and her restaurant family.  This time around it is the holiday season and Delilah has taken a catering job for a Chrismakkah party and unbeknownst to Delilah event the guest list includes her brother-in-law who is attending along with Delilah’s niece from California. This is the same family who can never quite make it for a visit yet here they are, in town (AWKWARD). Not as awkward finding a dead/frozen body of a party guest in the ice sculpture area or as awkward as dating the detective in charge of the murder investigation asking for Delilah’s family members and coworkers for their alibis. A few people are not very forth coming including Delilah’s older sister, Piper. They already have a strained relationship based on familial expectations and perceptions. I mean it isn’t like Piper is an intimidating older sister who is a driven rocket scientist who might not think much of a restaurateur…oh wait yes she is.

If this is your first Deep Dish Mystery, there are a few things you need to know. First off, there will be food mentioned often, delicious sounding food. The detective in charge of this and past investigations is Calvin Capone, yes, he is related to THAT Capone and he is Delilah’s boyfriend (finally). Capone is very good at what he does and he is slowly starting to accept Delilah’s abilities to contribute useful suppositions and knack for information gathering. The evolving relationship of these two adds to the enjoyment of the series and you don’t have to start with the first book to get a good glimpse as to how far they have come in their abilities to work together while also accepting the attraction that they have for each other. 

The additional characters are live well blended flavors that enhance the stories. Rabbit represents change and second chances. Melody is the girl next door who is learning to be bold. KDKDK is a man’s man and a bit of charmer but completely loyal and sincere. Sonya is a modern day pin up girl who is a ride or die friend. I could see her being the type of friend who would bail you out or possibly help you hide a body. Last but not least is Aunt Biz who has a tendency to be a little curmudgeonly but during the holiday season she has gone manic in a very happy holiday fashion.   

Delilah is going to need a holiday miracle to keep from losing family, friends, or her sanity. There are a good number of suspects, from the well-to-do Hoffman’s, Jonathan, Piper, Rabbit, or an unknown person. Either way Dee would much rather be the one looking into her family than to have Capone thinking that her friends or family could be involved. There is some serious friction and I had to agree Butterball the cat; Capone had a job to do. Butterball adds a bit of comedic relief as well as playing devil’s advocate which is pretty good for a cat. There are plenty of subplots that may or intertwine or they might be a fishy misdirection. This was a thoroughly enjoyable story with such amazing food. Be sure to check out the recipes at the back of the book. In fact start there with the Tear-and-Share Christmas Tree Pizza Bread to snack on while reading. There is a nice selection of yummy recipes that are taken from the Chrismakkah party menu. I am looking forward the next mystery with the Delilah and Son’s gang, although chances are that Biz will be back to her usual snarky self, but we still love her.

Death at an Irish Wedding : An Irish Castle Mystery by Ellie Brannigan

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairing found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Death at an Irish Wedding
An Irish Castle Mystery
Ellie Brannigan
Crooked Lane Books 

This is the second book in the Irish Castle Mystery series and every bit as enjoyable as the series starter. I have read mysteries with wedding drama, or upper crust drama, or Hollywood drama, but this is the first time that I have seen all three wrapped up in a single book. This is book two of the Irish Castle Mysteries and the cousins Rayne and Ciara need to make the wedding venue idea work or lose the family estate, which means the town gets annexed into the next town over. A unique aspect of this story is that Rayne is an amazing wedding dress designer who’s boutique catered to the Rodeo Drive crowd until…(read Murder at an Irish Castle). Suffice it to say that she knows a few things about fancy‑shmancy and all things designer, but a working castle with sheep and such, well that is another thing all together. The funny bit about this situation is that Ciara knows the workings of the castle and taking care of what needs to be done but she is as fancy as a bowl of porridge. This is a wedding for the tabloids, that is, it would be if anyone knew it was taking place. Why all the secrecy? 

There are some unique characters for suspects including the bride, hotel heiress Tori Montgomery, who doesn’t really seem to like her own movie starlet maid-of- honor, Amy Flores. Animosity amongst the players seems par for course because Amy barely tolerates her own PA (personal assistant), Tiffany Quick. The groom, Hollywood heartthrob, Jake Anderson gets along with everyone, but his brother Josh can be a bit much sometimes and to round out the out of town suspects is Jake’s personal assistant, Ethan Cruz, who keeps reminding Jake that he is supposed to appear available per his Hollywood contract. So why did Tiffany and up dead and could it have been a local? The visitors seem to be completely at odds with each other. Not unlike Rayne being at odds with a few of the locals, like Bran Wilson, plumbing contractor for the estate has been spreading some nasty gossip about the estate and the murder for no good reason, as if he wants to sabotage the girls’ efforts. Gossip doesn’t seem to be the only form of sabotage, when a Swarovski crystal heart disappears from Tori’s wedding dress and Rayne has to do some quick thinking and fast stitching to save the day. 

The plot was so well crafted that I couldn’t put the book down. From the Irish accents of my imagination to the description of the beyond amazing wedding dress with hand adorned Swarovski crystal hearts that almost didn’t fit the bride, I felt completely immersed in the story. I am already invested in Rayne’s possible relationship with Amos Lowell, the ground’s manager. Rayne says she doesn’t have time for a relationship and is not about to start trusting herself after her last relationship fiasco. I look forward to the next book and to see what Ellie Brannigan has in store for the cousins and if Rayne is going to get to keep the pretty pink Hermes bag instead of selling it to cover estate costs.