Review of Criminally Cocoa

Criminally Cocoa
Amish Candy Shop Mystery, Book #3.5
Amanda Flower
5 Stars

Synopsis:

A taste for trouble . . .

As if being in New York City for Easter isn’t exciting enough, Charlotte Weaver has another reason to be thrilled. She’s helping her cousin, Bailey, on the set of her first cable TV show, Bailey’s Amish Sweets. Bailey will even be re-creating the delectable hand-woven chocolate Easter baskets she once crafted for the city’s world-famous JP Chocolates. But once things start rolling, Charlotte starts to notice odd things
happening—things that seem intended to make Bailey look bad . . .

With Bailey feeling extra nervous about being on camera, Charlotte decides to keep her suspicion of sabotage to herself. But she knows that among Bailey’s fans at the Gourmet Television network lurks a dangerously jealous rival. Now Charlotte will have to find out who that person is—before sour grapes turns one of the sweetest times of the year fatally bitter . . .

Recipe Included!

Praise for Amanda Flower and her Amish cozies

“As it turns out, Amanda Flower may have just written the first Amish rom com.”— USA Today

“Flower has hit it out of the ballpark . . . and continues to amaze with her knowledge of the Amish way of life.”— RT Book Reviews

“At turns playful and engaging . . . a satisfyingly complex cozy.”— Library Journal (Goodreads)

 

Review:

I really enjoy this series and I really liked this novella. It will hold me over until book four is released.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Charlotte is an Amish girl who is on her Rumspringa and she is in New York, helping her cousin Bailey as she prepares for her new food show on television. After a series of incidents happen that disrupts the filming of the show, Charlotte is afraid someone is trying to derail the show. She has to keep her eyes and ears open to protect Bailey.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I could just imagine Charlotte’s excitement and confusion as she is visiting New York. Talk about culture shock. This story is told from Charlotte’s point of view and that took a little getting used to. I really liked the fact that although there was a mystery to solve, it did not revolve around a dead body. I found that refreshing.

I would recommend this novella (and series) to anyone that enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading Toxic Toffee when it is released.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.