grapeapril75

I really enjoy cozy mysteries, the cooking genre is a touch different than my norm. There were things I really liked and things I was not so keen on.

I generally liked the lead character Tess, she is spunky and upbeat and way to curious for her own good! Perfect for a cozy mystery. She is mostly joined by her BFF Honey, another sassy gal! I loved this pairing because it really helped give a sounding board for the progress of the case.

The overall mystery was intriguing, some parts were super obvious but it did surprise me in the end. I really thought I knew who the murderer was, turns out I was way off base! I really enjoyed the end, unfortunately it took a stretch to get past the beginning. The whole premise of why Tess thought she would be a suspect was beyond unreal. She met the chick for like five minutes and exchanged a handful of sentences. Whatever, it was silly but not so far as to turn me off the book.

Terrific supporting cast. I count at least three romantic prospects in the mix. Definitely things to watch in the future of the series. Loved her friends Honey and Lenny, always great to have a hacker on hand! Sean is a delicious player and Jack has hunky Alpha written all over him! I also enjoyed the interactions with the detective.

I listened to the audiobooks narrated by Pamela Almand, who is terrific. She has a great pace in the read that really keeps the story moving. There is the perfect touch of sass in her voice to really compliments the lead character and feel of the story. The other voices were consistent throughout the read. The men could have been a touch deeper, but were distinct and easy to discern who was speaking. I adore the energy she adds to the read!

The other thing that was a touch disconcerting were the recipes throughout the book. I would have liked it better if they all lined up with chapter/section breaks. I do not cook and was not so into them, it would have been nice to skip that option. I also thought the addition of the recipes meant the story need not have to contain as many cooking details when the character was having conversations. I distracted from the important details in my opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took time to get past the issues in the beginning of the book. Thankfully things even out and the story becomes more real. I am eager to see where the series is headed and what is in store next for plucky Tess!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.