It’s beginning to look like a merry Christmas for Hayden Mundy Moore. On vacation from providing her sought-after expertise in all things chocolate, Hayden heads to snowy New England with her friend and financial advisor, Travis, for the opening of his pal’s highly-touted holiday musical. But when the show’s producer is murdered, Hayden trades sampling Chocolate Santas for finding the killer—especially since this time, Travis is the one asking for her help . . .
Soon Hayden discovers there’s more to Travis’s chic hometown than mulled wine and cocoa cookies. But that’s just the beginning. Almost no one, including Travis, is quite what they seem. Did the show’s lead have more savage motives than stardom? Could the dead producer’s husband have felt a murderous envy for his successful wife? Getting behind the mistletoe and jingle bells will take all of Hayden’s savvy—along with some super caffeinated Peppermint Mochas—if she hopes to catch a killer with a heart more bitter than the darkest truffle . . .
“Chocoholics and food cozy fans rejoice! With prose as smooth and delicious as its theme, this quality debut cozy introduces a smart protagonist with an unusual and tasty profession.” —Library Journal (starred) on Criminal Confections
This book has me feeling a bit bipolar about it. I very much enjoyed the mystery angle. It kept me guessing right up until the end. It was suitably festive. I loved the chocolate theme as well. It had a great cast of likable (some more than others) characters, and the yummy sounded recipes at the end were a nice touch.
What really brought my rating down was the weird love triangle thing that was going on between Hayden, Travis, and Danny. Any time Hayden was remotely in the vicinity of those two she was either jealous, horny, or claiming she didn't think about them that way. I don't think I have ever read a cozy mystery that was this sexualized, and as I mentioned, I just found it a little off and misplaced. It was also quite repetitive in places.
