Monday, April 4, 2022

Book Review: Bittersweet Murder by Kaz Delaney

Title: A Bittersweet Murder
Series: Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries
Author: Kaz Delaney
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Romance
Publication Date: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Tule Publishing

In the small town of Airlie Falls, Texas, everyone knows everyone’s business, and newcomer carer and wannabe-baker Rosie Hart may be surprised to find herself the sole attendee at the funeral of her client, Miss Alice Auchinschloss, but she’s gobsmacked when she discovers she’s also Miss Alice’s sole heir. When reports confirm Miss Alice was actually murdered, Rosie becomes the potential small town hero for killing off the unpleasant woman—and prime suspect in her murder.

In a chance meeting with a helpful and handsome cowboy, Rosie discovers her newly-inherited home is ransacked, and someone is going to great effort to conceal their search. Rosie has no idea who is involved, or why, or what they were looking for, but when she’s questioned by the town’s sheriff, it becomes obvious that if she doesn’t prove her innocence, nobody else will.

With the help of her new friend, Jonah, his family, and a nosy but canny group of snack-loving ladies in the local retirement home, Rosie conducts her own investigation to clear her name and reveal the true identity of the murderer. Discussions over mouth-watering treats bring the motley investigative team closer together - and closer to solving this intricate puzzle, but when another elderly person winds up dead, it becomes apparent that this small town is full of secrets that someone is prepared to kill for in order to keep buried. Rosie must sift through her list of clues in order to serve up the truth - before she becomes the next victim!

Rating


 
*A Thank you to BookSirens for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*
 
Hello Fellow Readers,
 
I am a big fan of cozy mysteries. They are one of my favorite genres because they are easy to read, typically come in long series that I can binge, and let me sort of turn off my brain. When I saw A Bittersweet Murder and I knew I wanted to read it. I don't often get a cozy mystery at the "start" of a series, so with the prospect of seeing the main character grow in time with releases appealed to me. 

So, I really enjoyed the plot as there was more than one mystery to be solved. However, the downfall was the characters. There was just way too many of them that it was really hard to keep track of who did what, that it took away from the plot. Also, I wasn't connecting with Rosie as much as I wanted to. Jonah and his family seemed a little to coincidental, so I had a hard time believing the romance and other aspects. I think I would still be interested in the second book to see how Rosie grows, and what plot elements Delaney uses.

Overall, a good plot but lack luster characters

 

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