What a whirlwind of a mystery! I definitely never saw the solution coming, lots of clever plot twists and schemes too as well as murder.

Jacobia better known as Jake, owns a specialty bakery with her friend Ellie. Imagine her surprise at finding a dead guy in her shop with his face planted in melted chocolate, chocolate that had been melted to use on the dozens of chocolate cherry cheesecakes she and Ellie had promised the 4th of July fireworks committee for their annual auction. All fingers point to Ellie, especially when she was there and did have the motive that the dead guy, who turned out to be health inspector Muldoon, was harrassing her about fake health code infractions.

Jake knows she has to clear her friend's name, there's a big hurricane storm coming, she's not heard from her grown son in days and there are all these cheesecakes that need baking. Everything of course works out in the end but boy was it a fun ride getting there.

I loved the humor and banter between Jake and Ellie as well as their friend Bob, the police chief who always managed to look the other way when they were investigating but still gave them his usual "don't go around snooping" line. It was awesome that there were a couple of abandoned dogs that found homes, one with Jake and her family (its owner was in the hospital) and another with a local challenged man who picked up odd jobs here and there.

It was pretty fun reading about the fourth of July in the middle of winter! I'm anxious to see what the next installment brings!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves is the first book in A Death by Chocolate Mystery series. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree co-owns The Chocolate Moose in Eastport, Maine with her best friend, Ellie White. Fans of the author will notice right away these are her beloved characters from her previous home repair series. I like the segway of the characters into a new business. The author incorporates their personalities perfectly into their new business venture.
The location is picturesque coastal and perfect for a chocolate shop to tempt visitors and locals.
As their business is taking off they agree to bake many cheesecakes for a auction and that proves to be problematic which trying to keep their business going . A murder occurs in their shop and they must clear their names while baking for the auction and running their busy chocolate shop. The victim is someone they had words and disagreements with so they fall under immediate suspicion.
I enjoyed this new debut mystery. The plot is well crafted and the mystery kept me guessing. The baking, recipes and shop are a delight and sure to make any reader crave chocolate. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my personal opinion.

An entertaining first in series cozy! I did not read this author's previous series with the same characters but I wasn't too lost since the author did a good job of giving the reader background information. A well plotted mystery with several twists and turns that had me guessing until the end. I enjoyed reading this book and it made me want to go back to the author's previous series.................................................

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves is the first book in A Death by Chocolate Mystery series. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree co-owns The Chocolate Moose in Eastport, Maine with her best friend, Ellie White. They have agreed to make a dozen chocolate cherry cheesecakes to be auctioned off by the Coast Guard to pay for the town’s fireworks. Jake received an early morning call from Miss Halligan who owns Second Hand Rose that the door to the chocolate shop was ajar. When Jake arrives at The Chocolate Moose, she finds Matt Muldoon dead in the kitchen with his head in a pot of melted chocolate (what a waste of good chocolate). Matt had been trying to get the ladies out of their shop with baseless (and ridiculous) accusations that he would report to the health department as violations. Ellie is at the top of the suspect list thanks to her recent altercation with the victim. Jake needs to prove that Ellie is innocent of the crime while trying to get the cheesecakes baked in time for the auction without their commercial ovens. Then they discover a hurricane is heading towards Maine, and they need to batten down the hatches. Jake is also worried about her son, Sam who failed to arrive home from Boston (afraid he fell off the wagon) and her father who has left the hospital against medical advice (and he refuses to stay in bed). Even with a hurricane heading their way and the threat of Ellie being arrested, they must get the cheesecakes done. Thanks to overwhelming demand, they now need to make twenty-eight instead of twelve (the town is not canceling their Fourth of July celebration). Can Jake prove that Ellie did not kill Matt Muldoon? Will they get the cheesecakes done in time for the auction?

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is the first book in A Death by Chocolate Mystery series, but it is technically a continuation of A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery series (there are sixteen books in that series). I was not aware of this until I started the book, and I felt like I had been plopped into the middle of a series. I wish the author had taken the time to introduce her readers to her characters in the beginning of the book, because I felt lost and confused. We are given more details on the characters as the book progresses (thankfully). However, I never fully connected with the characters and I felt out of step (there were still holes not filled in). Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is packed full of action. There is one situation after another throughout the story. The action starts with the murder in the first chapter, then Jake and Ellie almost get hit by another boat when fog strands them in the water, Jake’s father disappearing from hospital, Jake’s father takes off with car (and with his medications, he should not be driving), Marla and her dog attacked, lack of chocolate to make cheesecakes, Jake and Ellie breaking into Marla’s house, someone shoots at the duo, Sam is missing, Hurricane Amber and so much more. I wish the author had cut down on the zany incidents. It was too much and I beginning to wonder if Jake had a death wish. I wanted more solid content. I did find some aspects of the book to be unrealistic. Most mystery readers will have no problem figuring out the identity of the culprit long before it is revealed in the book. There is a repetition of information in the story especially regarding the stepmom’s attitude towards cleaning (the same details are repeated over and over). I know it is a culinary mystery, but the author did not need to include so many scenes on the baking of the cheesecakes. The ending felt rushed (take away a baking scene and the ending could have been less abrupt). For readers who love Sarah Graves A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery series, you will enjoy the continuing antics of Ellie and Jake.

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

by Sarah Graves

If the phrase “chocolate cherry cheesecake” is enticing, then you will love the cozy mystery Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. In the tiny island village of Eastport, Maine, bakers and best friends Ellie and Jake (Jacobia) fill The Chocolate Moose with delectable and aromatic chocolate goodies. Their biggest baking challenge is preparing 22 cheesecakes to be auctioned off to pay for the Coast Guard’s firework extravaganza which also includes a treat for the town’s special education students. They get to view the display from a barge.

If this were not challenge enough, Ellie and Jake discover a murdered man in their kitchen and Ellie becomes the prime suspect. This is not a simple mystery as various others in the town have links that Jake and Ellie must ferret out involving them in some life threatening situations. Jake is also in the middle of family crises, and Ellie has secret expansion plans for their business. All of these events occur during a brief time span, with little sleep, and an impending hurricane. Accompanying Jake and Ellie in pursuit of the real murderer provides the reader with exciting rides by boat and car. I’m looking forward to the next adventure in this new series.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: Recipe for Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is included at the end of the book.

Publication: January 30, 2018--Kensington

Memorable Lines:

Once upon a time, Ma Bell ran the phone system with ruthless, utterly monopolistic efficiency. Now any fool can start a phone company and provide the kind of high-class personal communication service once offered only by two tin cans and a length of string.

When the door banged shut behind me, I must’ve jumped a foot. But it was only the wind blowing through the sliding-glass panels that looked out over the water, skittering the scattered papers like dry leaves across the slate-tiled floor.

I followed, with my heart pulsing crazily in my throat, thinking that if only I’d known how exciting the baking business would be, I’d have taken up some more sensible activity. Sword swallowing maybe, or milking poisonous snakes for their venom.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

First in a new series, BUT actually a spin-off from the Home Repair is Homicide series. This book is a stand alone story, but it helps (A LOT) to have read the previous series since characters have been around for a while.

I admit that when I saw this author's name on a book with a picture of cheesecake I was a little confused. I read most of her previous series, but toward the last few they started to get a little less cozy and the last one was published in 2013. I read the blurb and was happy to see that Jake was back, home repairs finally completed and ready to tackle a new business, a bakery, with her best bud, Ellie.

Things start off pretty quickly with Jake finding a body in the bakery. Ellie quickly becomes a suspect, so Jake jumps in to investigate and clear her partner.

This book was fast moving and it was fun to reconnect with what felt like old friends. I like that the author took an entirely new direction with her old characters and look forward to more.

While this is the first in the Death by Chocolate mystery series, it is a continuation of the Home Repair is Homicide mystery series.

"Jake" and her friend Ellie have opened up a bakery called "The Chocolate Moose," full of chocolate goodies. With her husband and son both away from home, Jake has plenty of time to focus on the bakery. However, when a health inspector meets a grisly (and delicious) end in their kitchen, Jake and Ellie suddenly have more on the plate than chocolate cherry cheesecakes.

I love new series', so I am always anxious to grab a book 1 when I see it to find out if it is something I will fall in love with. While the cover says this is a book one, I was sad to find that it's really a continuation of the author's previous series. Yes, they are baking now instead of fixing up houses, but as a reader I felt like I was walking into a class in the middle of the semester. Worse, after I realized that, I also realized that I had tried to read the Home Repair is Homicide series, and didn't like it, so I was oh for two. The author is a great writer, but sometimes you just don't click with certain authors for no good reason, and this is the case here. I'm sure I am in the minority because her other books have sold well, and I'm sure this one will, too, but it just wasn't for me. I received an ARC from NetGalley to read before the book's release.

Synopsis:

Life just got a little sweeter in the island fishing village of Eastport, Maine. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie are opening a waterfront bake shop, The Chocolate Moose, where their tasty treats pair perfectly with the salty ocean breeze. But while Jake has moved on from fixing up houses, she still can't resist the urge to snoop into the occasional murder.

Jake and Ellie have been through a lot together, from home repair to homicide investigation. So when they decide to open a chocolate-themed bakery, they figure it’ll be a piece of cake. With Ellie’s old family recipes luring in customers, they expect to make plenty of dough this Fourth of July weekend. Having family home for the holiday only sweetens the deal for Jake—until the ill wind of an early-season hurricane blows up her plans. When the storm hits, Jake’s grown son Sam is stranded in a Boston bus station, and her husband Wade is stuck on a cargo ship. But as bitter as the storm is, something even more sinister is brewing in the kitchen of The Chocolate Moose—where retired health inspector Alan Blake is found murdered.

Ellie never made a secret of her distaste for Alan, who had been raining on their parade with bogus talk of health code violations. Now, with no alibi for the night of the murder, she’s in a sticky situation with the police—and it’s up to Jake to catch the real killer and keep Ellie living in the land of the free. (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Jake is a hardworking, smart and loyal woman. When her good friend, Ellie, is a suspect in a murder, Jake knows she has to find the real killer. I enjoyed the relationship between Jake and Ellie, you could tell how much they cared for each other. I felt the secondary characters added a lot to the story.

There was a lot of action in this cozy, Jake and Ellie had a lot of incidents and situations to handle. Sometimes things felt a little unbelievable, but from time to time when we read books we have to accept this fact. The book moved along at a nice pace and at times I felt like I had to stop and catch my breath. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through that the murder was interesting. I did figure it out before it was revealed but that was okay.

The writing style did not flows as smoothly as I would have liked. There was so much description in this book and at times I felt like it was a little too much. I also felt that things were repeated a lot, such as the fact that Jake’s stepmom kept cleaning everything, even when it did not need to be cleaned. This is only my opinion and others may not agree with me.

I would recommend this cozy to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Since this is really a spin off from another cozy series, if you are a fan of A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery series, you will undoubtedly like this book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this first book of the series we are re-introduced to characters from a previous series that the author has written. I liked the change because I got to visit with old friends but life has changed up a bit for them which brought a freshness to everything. Jake has finally finished with all the renovations on her home and is looking for something new to sink her teeth into. Enter her best friend Ellie, together they decided to open up The Chocolate Moose, a bake shop filled with lots of chocolate treats. When Jake finds a local dead in the shop, his head in their chocolate melting pot, she's not sure who it is or how they got there. When she finds out that it is a local who has been giving them nothing but trouble, especially Ellie, she knows that it's time to figure out just what happened and why. Along the way the ladies have to deal with baking dozens of cheesecakes, being almost ran over by another boat, and an oncoming storm. With all that is going on will they be able to keep Ellie out of jail and the bake shop open? Will all the cheesecakes get done in time for the auction? Follow along and see. This was truly a wonderful read, I loved seeing the move these characters made and look forward to what happens with them next.

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves is the 1st book in A Death by Chocolate Mystery series, and I loved it. Jacobia (Jake) Tiptree her best friend, Ellie White, from the Home Repair is Homicide series, have returned for a new series. Jake and Ellie have opened up a bakery, but Blake,a retired health inspector, keeps harassing and threatening them that he will get them shut down. When Blake is found dead in their bakery the mystery begins. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next and first book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Even if you have never read any of the previous mysteries involving Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree, you will enjoy this one. Jake and her long time friend, Ellie have made a big change in their lives by opening a chocolate themed bakery they have named The Chocolate Moose. Ellie is a master baker and she is eager to get noticed by as many caterers as possible. They agree to make a dozen chocolate cherry cheesecakes. Things don't go as planned and, once again, Jake and Ellie are mixed up in a murder investigation. Add to that, the number of cheeses cakes grows and grows. Problem then becomes how to get more chocolate for the cheesecakes after the dead guy is found with his head in the latest batch of melted chocolate. One thing leads to another...and another.....
There are a lot of things going on what with family, business and the 4th of July events....like a powerful storm aiming straight for town. I had no trouble keeping it all straight and the clues were all there. The best word I can come up with to discribe the pace ? Hectic. In a good way. It's a roller coaster of a mystery and I will gladly read the next in this spin off series.

This is a non-starter series for me. Apparently, the first book in the new “Death by Chocolate Mystery” series is a takeoff from the author’s prior “Home Repair is Homicide” series and unless you have read them, which I have not, you too will be confused by references to past incidents in the life of Jacobia Tiptree.

Jacobia, Jake to her friends, and Ellie White have opened a bakeshop in Eastport, Maine. With the upcoming 4th of July festivities, the two ladies have promised an unrealistic number of overly complicated cheesecakes for raffle to offset the cost of fireworks and run into problems when Matt Muldoon’s body is found with his head in a pot of chocolate and Ellie looks like the prime suspect.

It gets improbable from there on with money found where chocolate should be. The two ladies running all over town with no one watching the shop yet people leaving money on the counter for what they have taken. Family members forcing other family members out of their home. Jacobia opening her home up to man and beast because what is a cozy without animals abound. Oh, and do not forget the impending hurricane that can throw what is not already a mess into a complete disaster.

This series is a hard pass for me.

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is the first book in the new Death by Chocolate series by established cozy author Sarah Graves, and a spinoff of her previous series - Home Repair is Homicide - featuring the same protagonist, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree. I'd not read a single one of the books in the other series, but was able to jump right into this very well-written mystery! Jake and her best friend, Ellie, have volunteered to make one dozen chocolate cherry cheesecakes to auction off to raise funds for Eastport's Fourth of July fireworks. Unfortunately, someone turns up dead face down in the chocolate warmer at The Chocolate Moose and then one dozen cheesecakes turns into two dozen because Jake can never say no to anyone in need! A lot is happening in this book with an impending storm and Jake's MIA son, and there are lots of suspects to choose from. Loved it, and I sure hope there'll be a second book in this fun new cozy series! A+

I have an embarrassing confession to make. I began reading Sarah Graves' Home Repair is Homicide cozy series, enjoyed it a lot, but didn't keep up with the books. Shame on me, but I am trying to make amends by starting afresh with her Death by Chocolate series. I don't know if you all are aware of it, but there's a group of very talented mystery writers in Maine, and Sarah Graves is one of them. Her series is set in Eastport, Maine, which is a real place on an island within spitting distance of Canada. There is a vibrant sense of place in Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake that adds a great deal to the book. (And should I mention that I love the name of the bakery?)

After sixteen books in her previous series, it was obvious that Jake really needed to call a ceasefire on the repairs to her house. After all, they'd taken almost twenty years. (Well, in publishing time, anyway!) But the characters weren't ready to retire just yet, and I'm glad because the characters were the best part of the other series. Jake and Ellie are two strong, intelligent women, Jake has a wonderful relationship with her husband, and Jake's son is a loving, caring young man, but he's not the generic Stepford Kid you usually run into when reading a cozy.

There's a good, solid mystery to be found in Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, and it's a fast-paced, almost exhausting book. Why exhausting? Because Jake and Ellie keep getting more and more demands for those cheesecakes, that's why! And... although the dessert was mouthwatering when the book began, I found myself to be a bit sick of them after witnessing so many being made. However, I know I will recover in plenty of time for the next book in the series.

Good mystery, good setting, good characters. Here's a new series to enjoy from the very first book!

This story definitely had it strong points. The characters were likable, however, they seemed to speed along a little bit. Hopefully in future installments we will learn more about them with a little more in depth detail. The basic parts of the mystery were great, however, this too seemed a bit too fast and to jump from plot point to plot point without fully developing the previous one. Overall, I did enjoy the book, it is something I will read again to see if there are details I missed. I will also be interested to read any future additions to this series.

This was an amazing book. From the first sentence I was drawn into this book and could not but it down. You must read this book!

You might find yourself occasionally scratching your head in the first few chapters. This is less a new series than a spin off of Graves' Home Repair series and if you haven't read those or if it's been a while, you might be a bit confused. Suffice it to say that once you get past what might seem like inside baseball, you can settle into a tale of two woman - Jake and Ellie- who have opened a bakery. The rotten food inspector who has been bothering them is found dead and well, you know where this is going to go. I liked that these are mature women. It's a classic cozy, complete with a recipe for the title treat. The mystery is not too complex but it will keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. If you like Graves' work, this one's for you. If you aren't familiar with her, this is a nice introduction to Eastpoint, Maine and you'll look forward to the next one.

An exciting adventure which will have you craving chocolate cherry cheesecake or some chocolate treat. I am glad to see it is just the beginning of a series. I look forward to reading the next one.

I really enjoyed this new series by Sarah Graves! Having read only the first book in her first series featuring Jake and her family and friends in Maine I much preferred this book to that. It may have to do with the culinary twist (i do have a soft spot for culinary mysteries) but, I think it's more likely to do with Sarah's experience level when it comes to writing in general and also writing about these characters.
If you went into this book without any previous knowledge of the world Sarah created on her first series, you may be a little lost or disconnected, especially at first because she really doesn't fill in the background information. Having read only one of her previous books I felt like I grasped most of the back story, but there were still a few characters that were new to me and not introduced fully.
I really enjoyed the mystery and action in this book, although I found the ending was quite rushed, with a lot of the plot revealed abruptly and it could have been more fleshed out there and maybe less build up and less cheesecake making. I know it's a culinary mystery, but there was a lot of chocolate curls being made, lol.
This could have been rated a 4 if the ending felt more satisfying/in depth (especially the part with her son, very out of left field there) because I was loving it until then. Still 3.5, I would read more of this series.