Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake by Sarah Graves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake” is the 4th instalment in the "Death By Chocolate" mystery series by Sarah Graves.

In the quaint island village of Eastport, Maine, Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and Ellie White run the Chocolate Moose bakery, where delicious treats take the spotlight—but murder sometimes gets a walk-on role . . .

Jake and Ellie are taking a break from perfecting their chocolate pizza recipe to cater a housewarming party hosted by movie icon Ingrid Merryfield. Miss Merryfield is famous for her old-Hollywood glamour. Her new home, Cliff House, has a reputation too—for being haunted. But she isn’t concerned, and some of her guests even try to summon a spirit during the party, using a Ouija board. What arrives instead is a freak autumn storm that downs an ancient tree, trapping everyone on the property and setting the stage for a killer’s planned spree.

Though Jake and Ellie don’t intend to get stirred into the mix, there’s no avoiding it—especially when they witness one of the guests being shoved over the very precipice that gave Cliff House its forbidding name.

Jake and Ellie begin sifting through suspects and motives, a search that takes them from a long-lost family graveyard to a wise old herbalist’s deceptively-sweet cottage and finally to Cliff House’s overgrown gardens. Is there some ghostly presence involved—or a flesh-and-blood villain? And either way, can they ensure that they avoid meeting their very own, very permanent Hollywood ending?

Includes a Recipe!

I enjoy this series set in the village of Eastport, Maine and really like protagonist Jake and her BFF Ellie. Plus I love her family especially Bella.  We meet a loveable Irish Wolfhound named Igor who we will hopefully see in future books.

There were plenty of suspects amongst the guests at Cliff House and plenty of twists and turns to keep me wanting to find out what will happen next. I did suspect the killer early on but then second guessed myself. The book was engaging from start to finish, grabbing your attention from the very beginning.

 I highly recommend this series to all my cozy friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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A Matter of Hive and Death by Nancy Coco

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "A Matter of Hive and Death ” the 2nd instalment in the "Oregon Honeycomb" Mystery series by Nancy Coco. I LOVE this series! 

When a bee wrangler is bludgeoned, Let It Bee honey shop owner Wren Johnson makes it her beeswax to solve the crime . . .

For the picturesque town of Oceanview on the Oregon Coast, May brings blossoming fruit trees and the annual UFO festival. As Aunt Eloise tries out alien costumes on their Havana brown cat Everett, Wren is off to meet with a bee wrangler, her go-to guy for local fruit tree honey.

 

But when she arrives, Elias Brentwood is lying on the ground amidst destroyed hives and a swarm of angry bees. The bees didn’t kill him, a blow to the head did. As blue-eyed Officer Jim Hampton investigates and the town is invaded by its own swarm of conspiracy theorists and crackpots, Wren and Aunt Eloise decide the only way to catch the bee wrangler’s killer is to set up a sting . . .

Praise For Nancy Coco and Her Candy-Coated Mysteries

“A fun and fast-paced cozy mystery that would be perfect for a weekend in, under cozy blankets with a mug of hot cocoa.”

—Criminal Element

“A puzzling series of crimes . . . plenty of suspects and mouthwatering recipes.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“I will be counting down the days until the next mystery with Allie McMurphy.”

—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

I love visiting the Oregon Coast even if only in a book. I really enjoyed this story, and loved that it features a cat named Everett.   Throw in a UFO festival as well as bee hive vandalism you have the makings of a great whodunnit!  Plus the bonus of honey recipes at the end of each chapter was a nice addition.  

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters of Wren, Porsche, Aunt Eloise and Officer Jim Hampton. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.   I think there is a definite romance blooming too.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends. 

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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Mining for Murder by Mary Angela

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing Mining for Murder by Mary Angela book 3 in the “A Happy Camper Mystery” series.  What a great book I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Zo Jones is enjoying the sunny season at her Happy Camper gift shop in Spirit Canyon, South Dakota—when a murder reminds her all that glitters isn’t gold . . .

The South Dakota Gold Rush might be long over, but Zo Jones feels like she’s hit the mother lode when she and her friends browse an estate sale, where a rare old book about the history of Spirit Canyon is causing quite a commotion. In addition to local stories and secrets, the book may even contain the location of a famous stash of gold—a treasure worth killing for.

Zo’s friend Maynard Cline wins the bid on the book, to the chagrin of many interested parties, including the historical society and college history department. But when Zo and Hattie head to Maynard’s mansion to borrow the book for a library event, the only thing they find is Maynard—at the bottom of the mountain. The valuable book is gone. Zo knows this must be murder because there’s no way a germophobe like Maynard would have voluntarily dived into a pile of dirt. Now she’ll have to dig into a new case, and go prospecting for a perpetrator . . .

The story pulled me in right away, I was so engrossed in it that I read way into the night. I found myself becoming invested in what happened to Zo, Jule, and Max as they are likeable characters even though they ate so different from each other they just work well together.  I love grumpy “George” the Maine Coon cat and “Scout” the German Shepard. 

I like how there were several stories woven into this mystery but they flowed seamlessly together. We follow along while Zo searches for more information on her mother and what she finds is a surprise.

The mystery itself was well plotted, entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises at the end.

I cant wait for the next  instalment in this series, I highly recommend this to cozy lovers.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin