BOOK REVIEW: MAYHEM IN CHRISTMAS RIVER by Meg Muldoon

Synopsis (from Amazon):
It’s July in Christmas River, and the temperature isn't the only thing flaring out of control.
After a fire destroys her best friend’s ornament shop, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters soon discovers that the blaze was no accident. Just days before the annual Christmas River in July Parade and Play, it becomes clear that a maniac is roaming the tourist-packed streets of Christmas River. And he’s got a flair for the dramatic.
Will Cinnamon and her sheriff's deputy boyfriend find out who’s behind the blaze before the rest of the town goes up in flames?

Review

This is the second in the Christmas River series (sequel to MURDER IN CHRISTMAS RIVER), but can be read alone.  Cinnamon owns a pie shop, lives with her wise grandfather Warren, and is dating Daniel who wants Cinnamon to stay out of the Play and not get involved in the arson investigation.  This is especially true when it seems like the arsonist is targeting the businesses of the women in the play. But Cinnamon wants to do something to bring the arsonist down as a way to avenge her friend Kara who is the first victim.  Kara's also the only reason Cinnamon is in the play - she takes over as Mrs. Claus when Kara's shop goes up in smoke. Her involvement in the arson isn't the only tension between Daniel and Cinnamon though.  She has major trust issues she hasn't come to terms with as yet. There are multiple twists and turns to the unfolding mystery and the solution is not obvious, but believable.  Enjoyable read that kept my interest.  

The main characters are well-developed with tension and romance that makes sense for the context, including the old sheriff who has a penchant for Cinnamon's pecan pie. As said, this can be read as a stand alone, but to appreciate the relationships and romantic tension, I'd recommend reading the MURDER IN CHRISTMAS RIVER first.  The other books in the series are: MADNESS IN CHRISTMAS RIVER and MALICE IN CHRISTMAS RIVER. I've added these to my very large TBR pile.  November saw the release of ROASTED IN CHRISTMAS RIVER: A Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery Novella. Meg Muldoon is also the author of the Cozy Matchmaker Mystery Series (see 9/18/2014 review of BURNED IN BROKEN HEARTS JUNCTION).

AMAZON

Book Review: BURNED IN BROKEN HEARTS JUNCTION (Cozy Matchmaker Series #1) by Meg Muldoon

Synopsis from AMAZON

Sassy saloon barmaid Loretta “Bitters” Loveless loves three things in life.  Mixing up a mean cocktail, listening to Dwight Yoakam, and matching folks with their soulmates.  Born with an almost supernatural gift for matchmaking, Bitters has helped hundreds of people find true love. But when Bitters’ own soulmate leaves her behind in the dust of Broken Hearts Junction, she loses all faith in her abilities and decides to give up on matchmaking altogether. But when her boss ends up dead in a freak accident involving a 50-year-old mounted ox head, Bitters discovers she has bigger steaks to fry than her own troubled love life. Bitters soon realizes that nothing is as it seems in Broken Hearts Junction. And when a handsome stranger starts appearing nearly everywhere she goes, Bitters realizes something else too.  No one is as they seem in Broken Hearts Junction either.
Burned in Broken Hearts Junction is the first book in the Cozy Matchmaker Mystery series.

Review

Mystery, romance, and a bit of silliness.  Loretta is the bartender and heart of the Stupid Cupid Saloon and fancies herself a matchmaker of sorts - she can tell if two people are meant to be together, if they are soul mates.  Now, Loretta's soul mate is gone; she just knows he was her one and only.  Or was he?  Right now her closest relationship, other than the saloon crowd is Gramps.  But then her boss is killed and it was no accident.  Loretta deals with her friend, Gramps, trying to solve the murder, and keeping the Cupid afloat, all the while trying to figure out who Fletcher is and why does she feel the way she does when she already had her soul mate.  If you want something light, with a different twist on matchmaking, this is a fun read.  If you want something that always follows logic... well, this might not be your cup of tea. 

This is the first in the Cozy Matchmaker Series and was released in April 2014.  Muldoon also has another cozy mystery series (Christmas River Cozy Mysteries).