A wonderful introduction to am interesting cast of characters in small town America. An easy-reading cozy that will draw you in & keep you guessing till the end

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings by Kate Young is the first book in Marygene Brown series.

Judging from the this first installment it is off to a good start.

It is a story about abused woman who, following her horrible divorce returns home to run a diner with the sister and brother. Her mother has left her a house and part of a diner.
She is apprehensive how her sister is going to welcome her and whether she will be accepted in her snall home town.
Before she had time to settle her dead mother shows up in a dream, or at least what Marygene thinks is a dream to tell her not to open the diner as there will be a murder.
She does't take her seriously and that's exactly what happens, a regular patron meets his death. What seems an unfortunate but clear case of heart attack turns out to be a murder with Marygene's sister as a culprit.
She has no choice but to solve the mystery seeing as how out of town investigators are not interested in finding out the truth but pinning the murder to the most obvious person.

Well told mystery, very dynamic and engrossing. Characters are well portrayed and have depth.
This book has all ingredients of a cozy mystery: amateur sleuth, tiny town and good mystery but it also broaches a very serious topic of domestic abuse and that is not something I have encountered before.

This definitely shows promise to be one of the successful mystery series.

Marygene is a domestic abuse survivor. She's also got a complicated family situation- not that they don't love each other, they do, it's just you might have to do a bit of sorting. What she knows for sure is that her step sister Jena Lynn did not poison the man who died in their diner. What she doesn't know is how her investigation is going to sit with her bio dad Eddie, the sheriff, or her love interest Alex, the deputy sheriff. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's not too complicated, there are good characters, and nice recipes. Fans of Southern cozys will like this one for the way Young has incorporated "southernisms" with her mystery.

Since their mother's passing two years ago, Marygene has been in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. Now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, but all is not well back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man's been poisoned, Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer with a little help from Mama's ghost.

A solid first entry for what is billed as a new series. Although the culprit was fairly easy to spot, this was still an entertaining mystery. The plot was solid and the characters fun. Betsy was a great sidekick and the food is well described. The recipes in the back of the book are a nice touch.

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings is an entertaining and wonderful debut to a cozy series. This is one of the unique cozy stories that I have ever read. With spirits that can speak, a murderer on loose, women coming to terms with domestic abuse and/or mental illness, relationships that need healing, second chances in finding 'the one' and loads of yummy dishes, this book is a complete package of everything sweet, salt and spice!

It was hard for me to connect with the story. Even-though the plot is intriguing, the overflow of the word Peach was off-putting.
The characters are well crafted, and could be the beginning of a good series.

What can i say, i absolutely loved this book. Couldn't put it down until i finished it. Highly recommend it.
Marygene Brown comes back to the small town she grew up in after leaving an abusive drunk husband. Her second day back home a customer in the family diner dies of poisoning after eating her sister's cake. Her sister is accused of murder and it's up to Marygene to find the real killer. Helping her is her Mama who died two years earlier. As someone else dies time is of essence. Can she find the killer before it's too late and she becomes the next victim?

I will be leaving this review on Amazon as soon as the book is published.

A delectable mystery from start to finish! The author does a great job setting the tone of the book right from the start. Full of great characters and a storyline that grabs you within the fish few chapters, this is a story worth reading.

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings is a great new cozy mystery series. Well written and interesting characters. I hope to read the next.

This is a colorful cozy mystery that captured my attention from the beginning
Returning home to the family business is never easy, finding yourself in the middle of a murder investigation is even worse.
I enjoyed getting to know this quirky characters and I’m excited to read the next in this new series.

SOUTHERN SASS AND KILLER CRAVINGS by Kate Young introduces Marygene Brown, one of the Brown sisters who has just returned to the fictional island of Peach Cove, Georgia after escaping an abusive marriage. From the opening pages we are made aware of her sense of guilt for having left her family and for having been foolish enough to fall for a man who turned out to be an abuser. Having finally gotten the courage to leave him, she has moved home, full of shame and regret at having abandoned her family.

The Brown family has owned the Peach Diner in Peach Cove for generations, and Marygene is the gifted baker of the sisters. She has a talent for taking a good recipe, tasting it and determining what tiny tweak will make it great. However, she isn’t sure how to fit back in to the family dynamics.

As she is just getting started at reintegrating herself to home, a regular at the diner drops dead. The police almost immediately accuse Marygene’s step-sister Jena, shut down the diner and arrest her. This is disastrous for the family as well as for the employees of the diner. Convinced of her sister’s innocence, Marygene sets out to find the true culprit and release her sister from prison.

The murder plot is well developed, with good clues and some excellent red herrings. Still, it was easy to determine the murderer almost from the outset. It was still entertaining to read Marygene’s exploits as she moves around town on her investigations, putting herself in more and more danger. Her activity frustrates her former boyfriend and current sheriff deputy Alex as well as her biological father, Eddie, the town in sheriff. Complicating things even further are her feelings toward Eddie as she grew up not knowing of his actual relationship to her although he is trying to be a father to her, keep her safe and be part of her life.

The book is filled with interesting side characters. In addition to Alex and Eddie there’s Betsy, Marygene’s long time friend and a waitress at the diner who provides a humorous side to the book, Sam her step-brother, and the town of Peach Cove itself which sounds charming enough to want to move there. An added bonus for those who like new recipes are the recipes appended to the back of the book.

This is the first book in a new series featuring Marygene, her cohorts, and Peach Cove, Georgia. The mystery stands alone so the book can be enjoyed as a stand alone. However, the relationships between secondary characters look to be just beginning and this book seems to be offering the reader a front row seat to see how those relationships grow and change.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing me an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I will look forward to seeing how Peach Cove and it’s residents grow over the next few books.

SOUTHERN SASS AND KILLER CRAVINGS is the first book in the brand new Marygene Brown Mystery series by Kate Young. I enjoyed being introduced to the protagonist, Marygene, and her family, along with spending time with them at The Peach Diner in Peach Cove Island. The author captures the southernisms and Georgia setting realistically and had me hearing, smelling, and thinking I was right there, visiting Peach Cove. This new cozy mystery is a bit different than most cozies in that the author tackles the difficult subject of domestic abuse by making Marygene a survivor. She handles the portrayal with great sensitivity without detracting from the overall mystery. Ms. Young effectively shows how Marygene grows and develops while dealing with the aftermath. Despite the subject matter and the murder of the town’s lothario, there is plenty of humor provided through the ghost of Marygene’s mother showing up to make amends. Marygene’s best friend, Betsy, also brings a lightheartedness, which makes me appreciate the care the author has taken to develop her protagonist and the supporting characters.

When Marygene’s sister, Jena Lynn, is accused of murder by poisoning one of their diner’s customers, the family must pull together to clear her name. I enjoyed that despite the status of being a half-sibling to both her brother and sister, Marygene jumps in with complete support. Marygene is also finding her way with her biological father, Eddie, whom she has been on the outs for a long time. As sheriff, Eddie doesn’t want his daughter to get involved, especially when danger seems to be moving in. It was heartwarming to see that despite the danger, Marygene does all she can to show her love by investigating. As she starts asking questions, it becomes clear that many people had reasons to hate the man. There were plenty of suspects to keep me guessing and the exciting conclusion, which includes Marygene’s mama, was an edge-of-your-seat read!

As owners of The Peach Diner, Marygene and her sister bake and serve mouthwatering dishes. Ms. Young provides several recipes at the back of the book, and they all sound delicious.

Marygene Brown returned home to Peach Cove Island after finally leaving her abusive, older husband. After living in the big city for awhile, she’s torn between hating that everyone knowing everyone in town else’s business and loving the fact that everyone in town has each other’s back. But home is where she is and she’s decided to rebuild her life here and run the family diner their Mother and grandmother ran before them.

When her deceased Mother shows up in the family home one night, Marygene manages to convince herself it was just a dream. Until her Mother’s prediction comes true and a customer is poisoned in the diner and her sister Jena Lynn is the main suspect! Now Marygene needs to save her sister and get back to building her life with her family, friends, and townsfolk. Easier said than done!

This is the first book I have seen by Kate Young and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. It’s an empowering series and I see many good things coming from Marygene and the gang in the future.

I was given an ARC of this from Netgalley and really enjoyed it. This is my first Kate Young and I’ll definitely be following this series forward.
Marygene Brown return home after leaving a domestic abuse relationship to help her sister run their diner. Soon after arriving a customer is poisoned and all fingers point to her sister. Marygene starts to investigate with help from her friends and her Mama’s ghost!
Holy this story was a delight. Marygene was a really good and relatable character. All of the relationships and drama of a small town added a fun dimension to the story. I really appreciated how Kate handled the domestic abuse past relationship and how Marygene was dealing with it as she moved forward with her life.
This mystery definitely kept me guessing and I suspected many people throughout the book. This was a great cozy mystery that gave me some real depth too.

The recipes at the back of the book all sound amazing and the peach biscuits had me drooling all book so I’m excited to make them for Sunday brunch.

What a hoot this book is. Full of sass and southern charm. This is a fast-paced and light-hearted whodunit that quickly became a page-turner as I had to know how this will all end. The writing style and tone fit with how well this story was being told. The mystery was nicely prepared giving me enough suspects and clues to keep me immersed in all aspect. The narrative was visually descriptive and I felt like I was part of the action. We get a little backstory of the main characters and learn what brought Marygene back to town.

It was fun following along with what the author was detailing between the suspects and their possible motive and Marygene's search for answers with a surprising ghost appearance. Betsy makes a great sidekick in this endeavor. There were a few comical moments and one of the ones I liked best was the kitchen scene between Betsy, Eddie and Marygene. The aftermath was always "are we okay." Too funny. This is a welcome addition to the cozy genre and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book in this delightfully charming new series.

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings is the PERFECT start to a brand new cozy mystery series! There are two things I adore within this genre- southern comfort and food! This book has it all! I am so excited for the next book to be released that I can hardly wait!

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings is the first in a series featuring Marygene Brown and set on Peach Cove Island, GA. Returning back home a victim of domestic abuse, Marygene is hoping to take the time to heal and also rebuild her relationship with step siblings Jena Lynn and Sam. Jena Lynn has been running the family Peach Diner since their mother's death and Sam has been behind the counter cooking. Marygene is the one with the flair for baking so she plans on helping out as much as possible.

Marygene has only been home a few days when diner regular, Mr. Ledbetter drops dead while eating his birthday cake that was baked by Jena Lynn. Knowing that her sister would never intentionally harm anyone, Marygene sets out to uncover the truth. Thwarted at every turn by Detective Davis Thornton, she is forced to team up with her estranged father, Sheriff Eddie, the mysterious reporter Roy Calhoun who seems to have a hidden agenda, and her father's deputies Felton Powell and Alex Myers, her high school beau. Much to her surprise, her deceased mother also appears during critical times to offer up clues and becomes an integral part of the story.

A little darker than most cozies, the author pens a tale of murder, domestic abuse, infidelity, greed and the importance of forgiveness and rekindling strained relationships. A plot thick with twists and turns and more than a handful of suspects, makes for a fast paced read.

I received an advanced copy of Southern Sass and Killer Cravings from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

Well done intro to a new series with deserts, a diner, and a ghost. Well done story with interesting characters, some tough topics (domestic violence) and plenty of twist and turns to keep you guessing.

A page turner that will keep you guessing ip to the end
Interesting characters, most are strong and opinionated. This story hits on domestic violence and strong women who face it and overcome it.

A fun southern cozy mystery. A little hard to follow at times, and a lot of names that are similar threw me a bit, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one. Like her spunky mother, who is a ghost, and the twists and turns kept me guessing. Highly recommend.