Review: Crime and Croissants (Cooking Club Murder Mystery, Book 1) by Emmie Lyn

 

Milly Rosebush thought the hardest part of starting over would be moving into the lakeside home she once owned with her ex-husband. In a small New Hampshire town where everyone knows her history, she’s determined to rebuild her life—with good food, fresh starts, and her best friend by her side.

Then she finds a woman in her upstairs bedroom. Dead.

Worse, a stranger walks in to find Milly holding the murder weapon—and just like that, she’s the prime suspect.

As gossip spreads faster than a kitchen fire, clearing her name means asking questions no one in Fox Hollow wants answered. Because the deeper Milly digs, the more unsettling the truth becomes.

With the help of her cooking club—a group with sharp opinions and sharper instincts—plus a too-helpful neighbor, Milly finds that every gathering comes with good food… and a side of suspicion.

But in a town built on secrets, getting too close to the truth can be dangerous.

If Milly wants a second chance, she has to catch a killer—before she ends up on the menu.

 

My Review:  

Fast paced and unpredictable. 

After her divorce, Milly Rosebush was starting over and moving into the lake house she once owned with her ex-husband.  But when she arrived, she discovered a dead body, her ex’s girlfriend.  When Milly learns she is the prime suspect, she will do anything to clear her name even starting a cooking club to get people in town together to help solve the crime.  This is a fun book and great start to a new series.  I really enjoyed the characters, setting and fast- paced story.

 

Review: A Little Taste of Home (From the Outback to the Sea, Book 2) by Jacinta Peachey

He’s an award-winning chef with a bank account that just hit zero. She’s an overworked single mom with a crumbling hotel and a toddler in tow. In a kitchen this small, tempers won't stay on simmer.

Cameron McCracken was the darling of the Sydney food scene until burnout—and a highway robbery—left him stranded in nothing but a wetsuit. Now, he’s stuck in Dolphin Cove in the middle of nowhere, trading gourmet plating for Sunday roasts at a run-down hotel. He’s used to calling the shots, not taking orders from a manager who thinks his "deconstructed parmigiana" is a crime against pub food.

Emmie Hewett is at her breaking point. Between her father’s surgery, a failing legacy, and the demands of raising her daughter, she has no patience for an ego-driven chef—no matter how brilliant he is with a whisk or a toddler.

As the hotel finds its feet, the heat in the kitchen turns personal. But when the city offers Cameron a way back to the top, Emmie faces her ultimate test: can a man who lives for the spotlight ever truly settle for a taste of home? 

 

My Review:

An unexpected career changes leads to love. 

Emmie Hewitt didn’t expect to be heading back home to run her parent’s aging hotel.  She packed her belongings and headed back home with her little girl.  But when she got there, she had no idea what she was in for.  With her chef quitting, she had to find someone fast.  That turned out to be Cam McCracken, a burnt out, recovering addict, chef who was spending his time surfing his way across Australia until his van was stolen.  Filled with emotionally charged scenes, quirky characters and tender moments, I didn’t want this book to end.  I can’t wait to read what comes next.     

 

Review: Our Enemy Brings Change (The Untamed Frontier Book #3) by Genny Cothern

 

A spellbinding and sweet Native American historical romance for Young Adults featuring two people who are friends, but who must not fall in love with each other.

What Will Happen When We Give Our Enemy His Life?

When Starling Nelson begs Good Eagle—her best friend and partner— to spare the life of an enemy, little does she know how this one single action might affect her life. For a year now, Starling has realized her friendship with Good Eagle has blossomed into love. But, because Good Eagle’s heart belongs to another, she has learned to ignore the rapid beating of her own heart whenever Good Eagle is near.

Good Eagle finishes the fight the young Nez Perce warrior started and grants the warrior his life, but only because his partner, Starling, insists upon it. But when the Nez Perce warrior offers a piece of advice to Good Eagle, it has the effect of changing not only Good Eagle’s mind-set about love, it might very well change his life forever.

But, there are doubts about a happy ever after for Good Eagle and Starling, because, though Good Eagle’s past love is no longer alive, in spirit she still haunts him.

Can Good Eagle and Starling win against the supernatural? Or will this one chance at love fail, separating them forever?

 

My Review: 

A sweet coming of age story. 

I have really enjoyed the Untamed Frontier series and this book is a great addition to it.  This is a entertaining story about best friends, Good Eagle and Starling Nelson, and their adventures.  This time they befriend a warrior from another tribe who gives Good Eagle some good advice about falling in love with Starling.  But there are many steps Good Eagle must take before he can claim Starling as his woman.  This novella is part of a continuing story, so I advise you to start with the first book.