Review: Bulletproof Barista

 

* Book 20 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series *

Claire Cosi is excited that her coffeehouse will host a smash TV hit, Only Murders in Gotham. The show will use their coffeehouse on location - and their baristas will have background acting jobs. When a man collapses on the sidewalk, Claire learns it's not the first accident on the set. 

But the star actor doesn't want to talk about it. He sweeps everything under the rug and labels it an accident. Claire isn't so easily swayed. She's got her eyes and ears open. With so much going on, she's not about to let anything happen to her staff. 

My Thoughts: This is one of the longest series I've been reading. I love the foodie bits - all that talk about pastries and coffees make me crave a hot chocolate and goodie. I would love to hang out at this coffeeshop in real life - but maybe not with all the bodies. I loved the TV show scenes in this book. I loved learning more about the production of show. This show sounds a lot of like Only Murders in the Building. I'm already looking forward to the next book.

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A highly recommended series for your public library's collection. 

Watch That, Read This (5)

Just two for this round...

Wedding Veil Trilogy from Hallmark with a trilogy from Jenny Holiday

 

The Perfect Pairing with Brewed Awakening - both have main characters dealing with amnesia. 

Review: Brewed Awakenings

 

* Book 18 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series *

Clare wakes up on a bench in Washington Park with no memory of the last several years. She believes her divorce is recent and that her daughter is still young. It's a shock to her to discover the truth - she's lost her memories.

To make matters worse, the police want to question her for the disappearance of a woman. Clare might have been with the woman when she vanished. The authorities are convinced she knows something, but Clare doesn't understand. She doesn't remember her past investigations. 

Clare needs to figure something out and fast - before the authorities or someone worse captures her.

My Thoughts: I really enjoy this series - and I'm not a coffee drinker. But I do love the atmosphere of the coffee shop and the characters. This one was a great addition to the series - I enjoyed watching Clare struggle through her memories and reexamine her life. I had come around to Matt and this book soured me on him a little again. Looking forward to the next book in this mouth-watering series.

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: This is a great cozy for your public library's collection.

Bookstagram:

Just a little thought about what the coffeeshop might look like....

Mysterious Saturday Review: Billionaire Blend

 * Coffeehouse Mystery Series Book 13 *

There's a new customer in the blend, who has taken to stumping the baristas. Finally Clare takes him on. After he acknowledges that he couldn't stump her and just before he makes her an offer, there's a load explosion in the streets - a car bomb.

Eric's injured in the blast, which was meant to kill him. His bodyguard was killed. Clare's injured as well, but she saved Eric's life. Later she learns that he's a tech whiz and billionaire. As a thank you, he buys her a Slayer, the best espresso machine. He has a business proposition for her, but she's more interested in who's trying to kill him.

The deeper she gets into this mystery, the stranger everything seems.

My Thoughts: I really enjoy this series. I love the coffeehouse crew. I liked the idea of Clare creating a super blend of coffee for the uber rich and her friendship with Eric. While Eric was entertaining , he takes her pursuit too far. I like the romantic issues between Clare and Mike as well as those between Joy and Franco. I really liked seeing Joy in her element. I'm excited to see where her career goes. A fantastic addition to this charming series. 

Cover Thoughts: Love it
Source: My Library

Mysterious Saturday Review: Holiday Buzz

** Coffeehouse Mystery Series #12 **

Clare's attending the Great New York Cookie Swap, a charity event, with pastry chefs making wonderful creations. Clare's serving lattes and other beverages. At the end of the stressful night, she stumbles across a body at the event. 

It's her baker's assistant, the one she saw leave for a cigarette break and never return. She found it hard to believe that Moirin would vanish without saying a word. Now she wished that she looked into her disappearance. 

As she gives her recollections of the night to the police, she can see that one of them isn't regarding her as helpful.  Clare knows a thing or two about helping solve murders, she's not about to let his bad attitude stop her from uncovering the true about what happened to this young girl.

My Thoughts: A fun festive entertaining installment to the series. I loved the charity event descriptions: in the major toy store and the Storybook cookie event. I found those details charming and just right for the holiday season. I found Clare's dealings with the police entertaining - and interesting to see the politics. As usual, I adored the coffee shop and the employees. I like seeing where the relationship between Quinn and Clare goes, as it changes due to the long distance.

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: the Library

Mysterious Saturday Review: A Brew To Kill

 * the 11th book in the coffeehouse mystery series*

Clare's trying to keep up with the times, so she recently purchased a food truck. Muffin Muse has been gaining lots of attention lately, thanks to Clare and her new consultant Lily.

Lily's working on creating healthy, but tasty snacks to combine with Clare's coffees. Together they've been the toast of the food blogs, which is angering one particular food truck owner.

During an altercation, just outside The Blend, Lily's run over by a white van. At the moment she's in critical condition, but Clare's determined to figure out what happened. The driver drove away, without even hitting the brakes. To Clare that can only mean one thing - attempted murder.

Can she figure out what happened in Lily's past that would cause her to believe she deserves this horrible accident?

My Thoughts: Although I don't like coffee, I adore this series. I love all the talk about food and coffee. I can imagine myself in a great coffee shop just like The Blend, enjoying tea and a treat while reading a book. It's a perfect place. I like the New York setting.  I like the addition of the food trucks - they're huge right now.   I guessed the ending right before it happened, which is unusual for me. I love the cast of characters - especially Clare's family - Madame, Joy, and even her ex-husband. But I adore the moments between Clare and Mike - especially learning about Crazy Quinn. I liked the ending and can't wait to see what happens next between the two of them.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: my Library.