All You Need is Fudge

Happy Sunday!  It is the last day of July.  I thought I would tell you about a magical cozy mystery series today in honor of the release of the new Harry Potter book.  Bailey Cates writes A Magical Bakery Mystery series. They are cozy mysteries with a paranormal element.  There are six books in the series.  A Magical Bakery Mystery series starts with Brownies and Broomsticks.  The latest novel is Spells and Scones. Please take a moment to check out these enchanting stories.

All You Need is Fudge by Nancy Coco is the fourth book in A Candy-Coated Mystery series.  Allie McMurphy is preparing for yacht race week that will take place of the coast of Mackinac Island, Michigan.  Mackinac Island is a quaint town where it is like stepping back in time (where the only vehicles allowed is the fire truck and ambulance).  Allie owns the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop which she inherited.  Allie is taking a walk with her dog, Mal when the little dog leads her to the water’s edge (quite persistent).  There Allie sees a body floating in the water and jumps in.  The poor girl is dead.  The police arrive quickly on the scene and are not surprised to see Allie and Mal (this has happened before).  The lady in the lake is Carin Moore.  It turns out that Carin had a contentious relationship with Paige Jessop.  Since they were children the two competed for everything (grades, boyfriends, etc.).  Paige is Trent Jessop’s sister and Trent is Allie’s boyfriend.  When Paige gets arrested, the Jessop family closes ranks.  Trent stops returning Allie’s calls (which she does not understand and finds upsetting).  Allie sets out to find the person responsible to prove her worth to the Jessop family.  Will Allie be able to find the killer before they sail off into the sunset? Or before Allie ends up in the drink as the latest victim?

All You Need is Fudge is a charming cozy mystery.  It is easy to read and has a good pace.  The mystery captured my interest and had some twists.  One clue is the trick to solving the crime (but you have to figure out which one).  Allie came across as a little desperate in this book.  She did not like being shut out by Trent (understandable).  But I thought it was a little silly to try and “prove her worth” to the family.  I thought in All You Need is Fudge Allie came across more as a “nosy parker” than sleuth (she is a little of both).  I give All You Need is Fudge 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).  I did enjoy the story, the beautiful setting of Mackinac Island, the characters (for the most part), the mystery, and the descriptions of the fudge!  There are some fudge recipes included in the book (some of them sound delicious).  All You Need is Fudge can be read as a stand-alone novel.  The author does a good job of updating the reader on prior events (the characters history).  I will definitely be reading the next book in A Candy-Coated Mystery series as well as books by Nancy Coco (aka Nancy J.Parra). 

The first three books in A Candy-Coated Mystery series are All Fudged Up, To Fudge or Not to Fudge, and Oh Say Can You Fudge.  All I Want for Christmas is Fudge is A Candy-Coated Mystery novella.  I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest evaluation.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

I hope everyone had a good day and had a chance to relax a little bit.  I am going to go take it easy now and watch a little television (I read during the commercials).  I am currently reading Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine (I have not had a chance to read it before now).  Thank you for stopping by and I will see you again tomorrow.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

(and Honest Reviewer)