Mary Lee Ashford’s Game of Scones, the first in the new Sugar and Spice series, entertains while giving the reader a bird’s eye view of community politics gone very wrong. Sugar and Spice are co-owners of a publishing company specializing in community cookbooks. The concept seems fun and something that should be fairly easy or so it seems until they take on the St. Ignatius community cookbook. Rivalries and dead bodies, oh my!

Game of Scones by Mary Lee is the 1st book in A Sugar & Spice Mystery series, and an enjoyable read. When magazine editor, Rosetta Sugarbaker “Sugar” Calloway looses her job, she goes back home to St. Ignatius, Iowa. Blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer and Sugar partner up to launch a community cookbook business, and solve a murder. Games of Scones is a charming mystery. The characters and plot are well developed and interesting. The story is well written and held my interest from the first page. I highly recommend this book for all cozy mystery readers.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway and Dixie Spicer aka “Sugar” and “Spice” have teamed up and opened a community cookbook business, Sugar & Spice Publishing. Former food editor Sugar handles the logistics and blue-ribbon baker Spice tests the recipes.

Their first client is the committee for the local Founder’s Day Centennial Celebration. Sugar meets with the committee to discuss a duplicate scone recipe. Working with adult women, Dixie’s Aunt Bertie and Ellie Farmer, she is sure they can work it out. What happens is a shouting match that almost comes to blows. The meeting ends with no resolution. Hoping individual meetings with the bakers will solve the issue Sugar sets up a meeting with Ellie. But she finds the woman dead clutching a scone. With the ladies’ ongoing feud Bertie quickly becomes the prime suspect. When Bertie leaves town telling no one of her plans Sheriff Terrance Griffin turns up the heat while Sugar and Dixie worry if someone has hurt Bertie too.

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This was a delightful cozy mystery. I have been on a few fundraiser cookbook committees so this story excited me from the start. Thankfully our cookbooks were completed without any dead bodies but there were some heated conversations. People take their recipes seriously! The author includes 3 recipes at the end of the book.

Sugar and Dixie have their work cut out for them in making a business like this flourish, especially if this one is any indication. Both women have the expertise needed except they need to bring in a photographer. Enter Max Windsor, a friend of Dixie’s brother. We also meet Sugar’s pain-in-the-butt neighbor and her landlord who recently moved to a senior living community. There is a palpable tension between Dixie and the sheriff, which plays out throughout the story. These characters have a real small-town feel with gossip running rampant and a bit of Southern charm from Dixie. The dialogue is strong. While we have been given a great introduction to these characters, the author has left a lot of room for them to grow.

A little cooperation from Bertie would have removed her from the suspect list but in lieu of that Sugar and Dixie find themselves right in the middle of the investigation. It was easy to find additional suspects because the victim rubbed several people the wrong way. I enjoyed tagging along for each clue, twist, and turn. The pace had a couple of dips but quickly got back on track. The ending was exciting.

I love that this series is set in Iowa. Not too far from home for me and not a common setting for cozy mysteries even though it is full of small towns that could host this genre.

I found Game of Scones to be a very entertaining story. I am excited to see where Ms. Ashford takes her character next. Risky Biscuits will be out July 9.

Sugar and Spice and everything nice? Not so much when Sugar and her best friend Dixie (aka Spice) take on their brand new business' first community cookbook publication. First, you have two of the most competitive women in the entire community fighting over who has the better recipe to enter for the same dish. Then, you have one of them turn up rather dead and the other seems to be the murderer. Only she's disappeared too and nobody has the slightest idea where she could have gone to. Since the murder victim isn't exactly the most popular of community members, there's plenty of candidates who could have done the dirty deed. If Sugar and Dixie want this publication to be a success (and not called off), they're going to have to get busy trying to figure out whodunit.

It's so great to join in on the first book of a series and if you have checked out other reviews, you'll notice I don't get that chance often. Let's start with what you can expect from this book. I always like strong characters with good development and we definitely have that here. There's clearly some past history between Dixie and the investigative officer. Max is a mystery in himself and he's got some great chemistry cooking between himself and Sugar. These seemed like very interesting relationships I would love to see develop. I always find it interesting to learn new things, so I definitely enjoyed seeing how Sugar and Dixie were building their business and the various steps involved in publishing this style of cookbook. The dialogue was fun and scenery was well-written. There were a few other questionable activities going on that you weren't sure if they pertained to the main mystery or not. All in all, I felt this was a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more in this series.


Thank you to Kensington Books, Mary Lee Ashford, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Game of Scones by Mary Lee Ashford is the first book in the Sugar and Spice Mystery series. Sugar and her friend Dixie "Spice" Spicer have started a cookbook publishing company. Their first project hits a standstill when two women get into a fight over which scone recipe to include. When one of the women ends up dead, Sugar and Dixie add crime solvers to their resumes. This was a quick, light read. The mystery was not particularly strong, but the characters were fun. If you are looking for an easy read, this is a great choice.

There is a lot going on in this book from beginning to end. It is a fun read while searching for the clues to see who done it and figure it out before the end of the book. This is a very charming little town and the cast of characters all play a vital role in this book. Disco next door is quite the charmer and always look for some free food. The work on the cookbook for the community is a great storyline and adding in Max, the photograph adds a layer of complexity to the story. Overall, it was a fun read.

3.5

After losing her job at a well known magazine, Sugar Calloway moves back home. She joins up with Dixie Spicer to start a community based cookbook company. When a fight breaks out between two locals over which of the scone recipe will be in a cookbook, Sugar knows she has her hands full. When one of the women turns up dead, she realizes she needs to solve this murder mystery in order to save her new business.

What a fun first book in this new cozy mystery series. Sugar and Dixie make a great pair. I like the way they work together, both in their business and in mystery solving. I enjoyed the small town setting, where everyone knows everyone. I thought the author did a great job writing about small town life. We get to meet several interesting characters, one of which may be a future romantic interest for Sugar. Hmmmmmm. I look forward to reading future books in the series.


My thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley.

Game of Scones by Mary Lee Ashford takes us to St. Ignatius, Iowa. After the publishing company Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway aka Sugar worked for downsized, she moved to St. Ignatius, Iowa. Sugar joined her friend, Dixie Spicer to open Sugar and Spice Publishing to produce community cookbooks. Their first project is the St. Ignatius Founders’ Day Commemorative Cookbook which is due to the printer in six weeks. Unfortunately, a scone war has broken out between Elsie Farmer and Bertie Sparks. Only one scone recipe is needed for the book, but neither women is about to back down. The next day Sugar heads over to Elsie’s house to talk to her about the scone situation. When no one answers her knock, Sugar heads around to the back yard. She notices someone disappearing through the bushes and finds Elsie dead on the ground with a scone in her hand. Elsie was poisoned, and the evidence leads straight to Dixie’s Aunt Bertie who has disappeared. Someone is setting up Bertie to take the fall which angers Dixie. Sugar and Dixie start sifting through the clues and suspects. Can they serve up the killer before he strikes again? While investigating the murder, the pair need to continue working on the cookbook. Dixie cooks up the recipes from the upcoming cookbook for handsome photographer, Max Windsor to snap. Sugar is also dealing with a cranky neighbor and her elderly landlady who seems to need something she stowed in her attic daily (lonely for company at the senior living facility). Will Sugar and Dixie get the cookbook completed in time while trying to crack the whodunit?

Game of Scones is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a charming small town and a variety of quirky characters. I did feel like the book could have used a little reworking. Sometimes the story moved along and other times it dragged from the amount of detail especially on how a cookbook is published (you have to wonder how Dixie and Sugar stay in business with only one client). There were a couple of subplots in addition to the main mystery. There is the cantankerous neighbor who seems to nitpick (I had a grandmother like that). Greer, Sugar’s landlady, who has moved into the local senior living facility. She left a number of her possessions in the attic of her home that she has rented to Sugar and calls Sugar frequently for a miscellaneous knickknack. Then Greer’s son gets it in his head that Sugar is taking advantage of his mother. There is a hint of romance between Max and Sugar plus Dixie and Sheriff Griffin. Numerous townspeople are introduced in Game of Scones. All the characters felt superficial and flat. I wanted more character development to bring our main characters to life. I did like the description of St. Ignatius. The mystery is straightforward with the guilty party easily identified. There are a limited number of suspects and little investigating. The story follows Sugar on her day-to-day activities and her interactions with the people she encounters. Though Game of Scones is not set in the South, it reminds me of a certain authors Southern cozy mysteries. I am giving Game of Scones 3 out of 5 stars. There are two scone recipes at the end of the book. Game of Scones contains a great deal of cooking and eating along with a cat, a dog, nosy townspeople, plenty of gossip, a mysterious aunt, a make-up maven, flirting, and thorny whodunit.

First in a new series, Game of Scones is a typical cozy mystery. Intrigue and mystery in a small town leads to entertaining Hijinks. The characters are likeable and believable. The story unfolds to a satisfying ending. It's a fast fun read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sugar and Dixie are making a cookbook with recipes from different members of the community. While a woman is killed Dixie's aunt is accused because the two women had argued over a scones recipe. It is up to Sugar and Dixie to find the murderer. Lots of people in the community did not like her so their killer list is long.
I enjoyed this book. All of the characters were real to life in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business.

The first in a new series which is a fun and easy read.

'Sugar' loses her job and moves home to set up a community cookbook company with her friend Dixie Spicer. Elsie a prominent member of the community is murdered and Dixies aunt becomes the prime suspect. Sugar and Spice decide to investigate.

The friendship between the 2 main characters is nicely done and the supporting characters are likeable and interesting. The town is also well described.

This new series is off to a great start. Sugar and Spice are two friends, Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway and Dixie Spicer who have started a community cookbook publishing company. Sugar used to work for a book publisher but was downsized and looking for a new life path. Too bad that, while launching their first cookbook, their path crosses with a murderer. Who knew people could become homicidal over scones? As in all small town cozy mysteries, somebody close to Sugar and Spice is at the top of the suspect list with the local police so, of course Sugar and Spice do their own investigation. Add to that a great cast of characters and assorted pets and tasty recipes at the end of the book - this mystery met all of my criteria for a good cozy mystery. When the next in the series, Risky Biscuits, comes out on July 9, 2019, I will be ready to sit down and enjoy that one, too.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review. Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway—aka “Sugar” to friends— is working with her friend and star baker, Dixie Spicer, to launch a community cookbook business in their small Iowa town. Dixie does the cooking and baking while Sugar manages all the logistics of the business. The local heritage group is their first customer and all is going well until one of the town's leading women is killed. When Dixie's aunt becomes a prime suspect because of a fight with the murdered woman over who's scone recipe would be in the cookbook, Suger and Dixie take matters into their own hands. Through their efforts, more suspects enter the picture, as well as a handsome new man in town who is also the food photographer for the cookbook. These two make a wonderful crime-solving duo. If you also like pets, Sugar has two cats and Dixie has a dog, who make regular appearances. Ms. Ashford, also known as the 'Sparkle' member of the mystery-writing duo, Sparkle Abbey, does it again with this solo work. I recommend this one; if you like yummy cosy mysteries with great recipes at the end, enjoy!

The first in a new series which I really enjoyed reading.
Getting to know Sugar and Spice fun characters with good humour.
A good plot to follow and a few twists through out to keep you guessing.
Look forward for the next instalment.

“Game of Scones” earns 5/5 Sugar & Spice Scones…Deliciously Fun!
I am always eager to check out first-in-a-series cozy, so when I saw “Scones” and “Mystery” in Mary Lee Ashford’s new book, I was eager to check this out…and I was not disappointed! “Sugar” is Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway and “Spice” is Dixie Spicer, and although they start out creating Sugar & Spice Publishing, a cookbook company, “Mystery” ends up being their game. Sugar and Spice have a unique mission for their company; they publish community cookbooks much like those that charities or local groups would create as a fund-raiser. Their first project will be the St. Ignatius Founder’s Day Commemorative Cookbook, but it turns out to be more murder than meringue!

Culinary-themed cozies are a favorite, and Mary Lee’s book checked all the boxes to be one I'll continue reading. I really enjoyed all the sweet and savory references and three bonus recipes, but keeping me entertained was the clever mystery challenging my detective skills, quirky characters providing a few giggles, and a satisfying end that made me eager for more. Mary Lee penned well the first-person narrative of Rosetta “Sugar” sharing her inner thoughts and perspective along with laying out the clues, suspects, and motives. And my two favorite words, not “it’s murder,” but “recipes included”! Along with two easy-to-follow scone recipes for Bertie Spark’s Proper English Scones and Elsie Farmer’s Irish Scones, Mary Lee has included Betty Bailey’s Broccoli Gratin. I recommend this book for cozy fans!

Game of Scones was a quick, light cozy read, but I found it a bit light on the mystery and detecting aspect. I also found myself wondering how Sugar and Dixie could actually stay in business producing money raising cookbooks for organizations. Granted they're just getting started, but only one client organization with 2 full time salaries, one photographer and one graphics artist to pay? Sorry, sometimes these common sense things pop up and I can't let go.

The killer does something not unusual in a small town, but pretty silly which allowed capture.

So, it was OK and I'd give the next book ago, but not a big thumbs up.

I got my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Delightful start to a new series. The lead ladies, Sugar and Spice, are relatable and interesting. I look forward to reading more about their back stories. Typical cozy mystery. Very pleasant and enjoyable reading.

A great beginning of what I hope will be a great series. Fun characters, a great mystery and recipes. What more could you want.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Game of Scones by Lee Ashford is the first book in A Sugar and Spice Mystery series.

When Sugar, a food editor loses her job, she goes back home where she meets Spice, baker extraordinaire and together they decide to publish a community cook book with local recipes. Things get heated when two old nemesis get into a heated argument after which one ends up dead.

Since Spice's aunt becomes a person of interest in the investigation it's up to them to try a solve this puzzle. As a number of possible suspects grows and Spice's aunt disappears they are running out of time.

The book is steady paced and well written. The plot is clever and interesting.
I liked the easy relationship between two main characters and how if grows into real friendship.
Situation is presented in a realistic manner. Characters are as charming and quirky as only southerners can be.

All in all a great start of a new series.

3.5 Stars
Game of Scones is the first book in Mary Lee Ashford’s Sugar & Spice Mystery series and is an entertaining read with well-developed characters and an interesting mystery.

Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway (Sugar) lost her job as a senior food editor for a magazine when they downsized, relocated to the small town of St. Ignatius, and started Sugar and Spice Publishing, a community cookbook publishing company for fundraisers in St. Ignatius, Iowa, with her friend, Dixie Spicer. Sugar handles the business end, and Dixie takes care of testing the recipes. Their first project, the St. Ignatius Founders’ Day Commemorative Cookbook, hit a snag when two elderly committee members, Elsie Farmer and Bertie Sparks, the owner of Jefferson Street B&B, can’t agree on whose scone recipe to put in the cookbook. Elsie threatens to have her family pull their support from the Founders’ Day celebration. Sugar discovers Elsie’s body in her backyard, clutching a scone, and when Bertie. Dixie’s aunt faces arrest for murder, Sugar and Dixie start asking questions to figure out who the murderer is. Bertie is being less than cooperative, and Sheriff Terrance Griffin refuses to remove her from his suspect list. Sugar and Dixie learn the victim wasn't well liked and believe several others have valid motives.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.