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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated Scone Cold Killer in Books

Jun 23, 2022

Gia Finds Trying to Outrun Her Past is Murder

Gia Morelli is trying to put her ex-husband’s financial scandal behind her as she moves from New York City to central Florida. Not only is she closer to her best friend, but she’s opening her own diner, the All-Day Breakfast Café. Her first day ends horribly, however, when she finds her ex in the dumpster behind the restaurant. What was he doing in Florida? Who killed him?

I love breakfast, so the hook of this series definitely appealed to me. While Gia’s phobias were a little over the top for me, I loved the character’s overall. The relationships Gia is forming are strong, and I can’t wait to spend more time with everyone. The story starts quickly, but it could have been a little stronger overall. Still, I couldn’t put the book down, finishing it in just a couple of days. Sadly, we don’t get any breakfast food recipes here, but the food talk definitely made me crave breakfast while I was reading. Overall, this was a solid debut, and I would definitely enjoy spending more time with the characters in the future.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated A Nutcracker Nightmare in Books

Oct 21, 2023

Class Bully Gets Murdered

This Christmas, Harriston High School is hosting an all years reunion. While twin sisters Alex and Hanna didn’t attend, they are helping with the weekend’s events. That’s how they meet Kyle, the class star quarterback and the class bully. He’s taken an interest in Hanna, an interest she doesn’t return. The opening night ends when Kyle is murdered, and Hanna’s fingerprint is the only one found on the murder weapon, a nutcracker. Surely someone who knew him longer had a better motive, right?

I read the first book last year and enjoyed it enough to give the series a second try. Sadly, I found the flaws the same here. The writing kept me out of the story at first, and I had a really hard time remembering who the suspects were and all their connections. But the further I got into the book, the more I got caught up in the mystery, which had some nice twists on the way to the logical solution. The main characters are great, and the recipes for the gourmet chocolates sound delicious. There is a good story here, so be patient when you pick up this book.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated You Feta Watch Out in Books

Nov 20, 2024

Who Made Sure Marley Really Was Dead as a Doornail?

Carly is happy to be attending a dress rehearsal of the production of A Christmas Carol that has come to town. However, Preston Lennon, the actor playing Jacob Marley, causes such a disruption they have to take an unscheduled intermission. Then Carly’s friend, Gina, finds Preston’s body in his dressing room. Can Carly clear her friend?

While a play of A Christmas Carol might be familiar in a Christmas cozy, I enjoyed the twist on who the victim was. It led to a strong mystery with plenty to suspects and a logical climax I didn’t see coming. The characters are all fun to be around. I especially enjoyed spending time with the series regulars again, and I appreciated that the warnings to Carly to be careful were toned down in this book. The Christmas spirit is strong; it made me wish I were reading it in December with my decorations already up. There are two recipes at the end, including a Christmas grilled cheese. Grill up a sandwich and enjoy this fun Christmas mystery.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated I’ll Bee Home for Christmas in Books

Dec 24, 2024

Murder is Never Sweet, Especially at Christmas

It’s the second week of December, and former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood is heading to Oklahoma to be a judge at a honey festival. Her camera man’s sister, Emily, is organizing it. Jackie arrives a little early and is helping Emily tend to her bee hives when they stumble on the body of Emily’s ex-husband. While the police are quick to look at Emily as their prime suspect, Jackie uncovers plenty of others with motive. Can she figure out what really happened?

It was fun to get a Christmas themed entry in this series, and the nods to the season were fun. I did feel like the food themed got in the way of the mystery a bit, leading to some rushed elements in the book. However, there are still some interesting twists and a logical climax. We also get some great development for the characters and the arcs that we’ve been following. The fun and laughs from the earlier books are present again here. And we have lots of honey themed recipes at the end to make your moth water. Fans will enjoy this sweet entry in the series.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2355 KP) rated Bait and Swiss in Books

May 14, 2025 (Updated May 14, 2025)

Bait and Swiss

Korina Moss | 2025 | Mystery

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Chocolate and Cheese Make a Deadly Pairing

Willa Bauer is excited to be celebrating the second anniversary of opening her shop. But her excitement is tampered when her former fiancé and former best friend show up in town to open a new location for their chocolate shop. However, when someone appears to have been poisoned by one of their chocolates, Willa can’t help but poke around. Can she figure out what happened?

I was glad to have this part of Willa’s back story show up in town, and I liked the growth it gave Willa. We also saw a couple characters we haven’t seen in the last two books, which was great. The cast of both old and new characters kept me engaged, as did the story, which had plenty of complications on the way to an ultimately logical climax. I did feel that Willa’s actions at one point early on didn’t really make sense. Once again, we get some delicious sounding recipes at the end. Fans of the series will be delighted. If you enjoy culinary cozies and haven’t started this series yet, you need to fix that today.