Book Review: SPOOKY SWEET: A Sweet’s Sweets Bakery Mystery (Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mysteries Book 11) by Connie Shelton

About the Book

Now that Samantha Sweet has a contract to provide her special handmade chocolates for the wealthy jet-set clients of Book It Travel, Sweet’s Sweets bakery is taking on a whole new dimension. Only problem, Sam isn’t ready. It’s almost Halloween, her pastry shop is bursting at the seams and she needs extra employees but there is no place to put them. 

Right before the witching day, she comes upon a large Victorian house she can adapt for the business, and it seems her problem is solved. But is it? The mysterious, spooky noises at night are way more than the normal creaks and groans of an old building. Something else is going on and Sam suspects it may be related to her husband’s newest case, investigating where an abandoned duffle bag crammed full of cash came from. 

Beau is dealing with a greedy reward-seeker, a robbery with no leads, and a waif who appears and vanishes. Sam’s mystery has her watching for ghosts and working almost around the clock. Is she relying on magic?—well, occasionally. 

Review

Sam's bakery is a hit and so are her chocolates, in part due to some special spices provided by the mysterious Bobul who appears out of nowhere. Along with her magical box, she's able to keep to the schedule but she needs more space and more help. She finds the space and hires some helpers and Bobul shows up. Only there's something off about the Victorian House. Even the magic box seems to feel it. And then there's the money that was stolen, the woman shot in the robbery, and part of that money found in the bakery. 

Shelton weaved the two mysteries together, with well-developed characters and her own brand of magic. Bobul adds his own piece of the puzzle. This was a delightful cozy mystery, well-written, and well-paced. Although it is the 11th in the series, it is easily read as a stand-alone mystery. There are 18 in the series.

AMAZON 

SAMANTHA SWEET MAGICAL COZY MYSTERIES

About the Author 

Connie Shelton's novels have sold nearly two million copies in more than 115 countries worldwide. In addition to her three cozy mystery series, she has written three non-fiction books and two children's books. She was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. 

She's known for a light touch when it comes to sex and violence in her stories, but is much more lavish with food and chocolate. Besides writing the Charlie Parker and Samantha Sweet mysteries, Connie is an award-winning essayist. Her work has been published in both small and major anthologies, including Chicken Soup For the Writer's Soul, and her short stories have won several prizes. 

She has also been a commercial hot air balloon pilot and holds the women's world altitude record for size AX-4 balloons. She has been featured in Who's Who and The World Who's Who of Women. She and her husband live in northern New Mexico with their two dogs, Daisy and Missy, who became stars of their own series of children's books.

WEBSITE ~ AMAZONAUTHOR ~ FACEBOOK ~ X/TWITTER

GOODREADS

Book Review: SWEET HEARTS (Samantha Sweet Mysteries #4) by Connie Shelton

Synopsis (from Amazon)

USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton’s most delightful cozy mystery series yet—with a little romance, a little magic and a whole lot of chocolate! With nearly 2 million books sold and downloaded in more than 110 countries, see what the fuss is all about! 

Will there be Valentine wedding bells for Samantha Sweet and Beau Cardwell? (introduced in this mystery series opener Sweet Masterpiece) Sam's bakery, Sweet's Sweets is busier than ever this Valentine week, as she struggles to replicate the magical chocolate-making techniques of the enigmatic chocolatier who boosted her winter holiday sales into the stratosphere. However, candy classes take second place to a new mystery, when Sam meets a woman whose missing son's case seems to have been dropped by the authorities. Marla Fresques learns that she is dying and needs for her son to come home and raise the daughter he left behind. Sam agrees to help, hoping that Sheriff Beau's inside connections will bring about a quick and happy resolution. 

But what about Sam's and Beau's own wedding plans? They may be in jeopardy when an entirely new development appears in the form of Beau's ex-girlfriend who is determined to win him back. With the familiar mix of cozy mystery, romance and a touch of magic that has enchanted readers of this series, Sweet Hearts draws the reader even further into the captivating world of Samantha Sweet. 

Review 

Valentine's approaching and Sam is one busy lady. Her bakery is doing great and orders for Valentine's keep coming in, along with customers asking for more of the special chocolates she had at Christmas. She also thought it would be romantic to be married on Valentine's Day and all of those details are still up in the air. The last thing she needs is to meet Marla who comes to Sam, not in search of something sweet. No, she wants Sam to find her son who went missing ten years ago. Marla has raised his daughter, Jolene, since then. Only Marla's dying and is afraid what will happen to Jolene. To top it off, Beau's ex shows up and tries to win him back. 

This is my second in the Samantha Sweet Mysteries and I enjoyed both. This is a light, fun read, with some heavier moments. It has the small town feel, most evident when Sam meets Marla's neighbors and friends. There's conflicts in relationships, a mystery to be solved, and a twist here and there. Marla's magic box comes in handy, though she's still learning how it works. Then there's the special chocolates. Oh, my.

There are 16 books in the Samantha Sweet Mysteries. I always suggest readers start at the beginning of a series. At the time of this posting, the first in the series, Sweet Masterpiece is only 99 cents (AMAZON). The full series can be found at AMAZON. Sweet Hearts Purchase Link AMAZON. 

 

Review: SWEET MASTERPIECE: THE FIRST SAMANTHA SWEET MYSTERY (Connie Shelton)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Samantha Sweet breaks into houses for a living--all perfectly legal as a caretaker for the USDA. But her real dream is to open her own pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets.

Life is a little crazy for Sam right now. At one of her break-in properties a dying woman insists that she take a small wooden box. Sam doesn't realize that the old woman was known locally as a bruja, a witch, until she begins to feel some strange effects from the box, herself.

Meanwhile, at another property, she finds an unmarked grave and the authorities come to investigate. The property owner disappeared a few months earlier and Sam wonders--who is the body in the grave? A small mural in the house leads to a connection with a famous artist; a bogus will points to possible fraud; and the handsome deputy investigating the case seems completely enchanted with Sam.

While Sam scrambles to fill bakery orders and keep her properties in order, she's equally intrigued with the idea of a new romance. It all makes for a delightful romantic mystery with elements of the paranormal.

Review

Sam is a hardworking, motivated woman trying to get ahead, and life keeps throwing her curve balls.  The tale spun by Shelton has a bit of everything. A dead body buried in a back yard.  New art work by a famous artist gone missing many years ago. The prodigal daughter who returns home. Some kind of spell from a wooden box that gives Sam more energy to get all she needs done. And the handsome detective.  Sweet Masterpiece grabbed my attention and I had trouble putting it down.  I just hope that some of the loose ends get tied up in the second in the series, SWEET'S SWEETS!  (now on my TBR list!) It looks like there are 6 in the Samantha Sweet series so far. 

This is a second series by Connie Shelton.  Her first series (10 in all) featured Charlie Parker.