I love a fun cozy mystery, and this book was 100% that. The storyline and the writing created a perfect easy, funny read. This is the first book I’ve read by Mary Lee Ashford and I look forward to reading more.

3.5 stars

This is the second in the Sugar and Spice Mystery series. I did not read the debut, but the general background was pretty well explained and I had no trouble following. A baker (Dixie Spicer) and a PR person (Sugar Calloway) have joined forces to compile and market cookbooks for various groups and businesses. The setting is small town Iowa, and there is a cast of regular characters to flesh out the group, along with some romantic possibilities for each principal.

Sugar's landlady and friend Greer is a resident of a senior living home, and Sugar often pitches in to provide rides or support. When one of the other residents goes missing and is later found run over in a suspicious death, Dixie and Sugar start sniffing around the see if they can help the police.

As with most small town mysteries, old stories and incidents taking back decades still exert a lot of power and provide motives for revenge. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sugar Calloway and Dixie Spicer's latest cookbook project is for the St. Ignatius Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club. But when the group's leader Alma is murdered by being deliberately run over by a car, Sugar's is determined to help Alma's elderly friends to find her killer. Meanwhile, former hunky badboy Nick Marchant has returned to town and is stirring up the residents, including his banker family. A land deal involving Alma may be the motive behind her death. Then another murder occurs and Sugar wonders if the two deaths are connected.

This was a quick, fun read and another enjoyable entry in the Sugar and Spice mystery series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Kensington with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Risky Biscuits was a brilliant and exciting read! While this is the second book in the 'A Sugar and Spice' series, I had not read the first one, but this served me fine as a standalone. It was a fantastic mystery and with the addition of a love interest from the past, some rankled seniors and a wealthy family with a few skeletons in the closet, it was definitely a page-turner. I loved Mary Lee Ashford's writing style and fantastic characterisation. I fully appreciated the comedic aspect of this engaging tale and I am looking forward to catching up with the first book of the series. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Series: A Sugar & Spice Mystery – Book 2
Author: Mary L Ashford
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary/Literary
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 252

Publishing Date: July 9, 2019

The second cozy book Risky Biscuits in the series, “A Sugar & Spice Mystery” by Mary Lee Ashford published by Kensington Books will be released July 9th. This is a fun and exciting series that is turning out to be a hit. Ms. Ashford knows her craft and her audience, and her writing never fails to entertain.

Sugar is always getting herself and her business partner, Dixie into trouble of one sort or another. She seems to attract murder and mayhem for no apparent reason. Contrary to what the residents of St. Ignatius, especially the police, think, she doesn’t do it on purpose. Somehow, no matter what she is doing or not doing, Sugar finds trouble, or a body, most of the time both. She is a thoroughly likable, interesting, and generous of spirit character, who also happens to be nosey.

Other characters in this cozy book and series are people you could find in any small town across the US. Sugar’s wonderful landlady, Greer makes a return, as do other characters that make up the basis of Sugar’s new “family.” A killer and victim(s) show us that we may not know our neighbors, or even our family as well as we think we do.

It isn’t possible for Sugar not to come to the aid of Greer or anyone who needs her help, and when one of Greer’s friends is murdered, it becomes personal. Unfortunately, along the way to finding the killer, Sugar manages to upset a lot of people and almost becomes a victim of a murderer who is hell-bent on eliminating anyone who gets in the way.

The plot is front and center; the book is character driven. There is action, but not so much that readers lose focus on the main storyline. You will love the recipes in the back almost as much as the story. Giving recipes in this type of cozy book has become almost as important as the characters and the story, and just as delicious. I enjoyed Risky Biscuits and am looking forward to seeing where this series will go with future additions. This is a well-written and well-thought-out story that will leave readers happy and looking forward to the next book. I am pleased to recommend it to readers of the cozy book category.

ARC provided by Kensington Book via NetGalley.

When Sugar moved to St Ignatius she expected to work on community cookbooks with her friend Dixie. She didn't expect to be investigating murders! This is the second book in the series (don't worry if you didn't read the first one- you'll be caught up quickly) and the second time Sugar has found herself dealing with death. This time, Alma, the project leader for the Breakfast Club is the victim and, as readers of the genre know, there's more to her than meets the eye. Add to this the return of Nick, a hottie from the past, and game's on. The townspeople are quirky (occasionally veering a little too far for me), the mystery isn't too complex, there's some romance, and all in all, it's a cozy. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Oh- and there are recipes!

Fun cozy mystery! The writing was on par with mot cozy mysteries and it was an overall well done mystery plot. Fun cover and certainly one that I'd be interested for more in a series. Funny in parts.

An okay cozy which I think would be stronger if previous books in the series had been read.

So, there wasn’t anything wrong with this book - I loved the introduction and how the clue that solved the case was well planted throughout the novel - but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had read previous books. I didn’t get much of a feel for the protagonist or the other main characters, and I kept wondering how the protagonist’s business worked and made money; it seemed like there wouldn’t be enough business or profit in what they did. And I didn’t quiet get why her business partner kept making goodies. It was fun to read about them, but didn’t seem to have a real role in the business. Likewise, knowing more about her sort of boyfriend was needed I thought - there was never enough of a relationship to care about it.

Overall, it was a pleasant way to sped the afternoon at the beach, but not enough for me to go looking for others in the series.

Risky Biscuits by Mary Lee Ashford is a clean, easy to read cozy with plenty of twists and turns. This is book two in the A Sugar and Spice Mystery series. I have not read book one but, I was able to get caught up quickly.
I love the setting and the characters. There is friendship, humor, a hint of romance, and the "who done it" . I want to go to St. Ignatius, Iowa! Warning, you may be left with a craving for biscuits and gravy! There are recipes included. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for an ARC for an honest review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for an honest review. This is the second book in this series but easily read as a stand-alone. The series premise is fun - "Sugar' Calloway and her business partner, Dixie Spicer, own a cookbook publishing company, which puts them in unusual situations, usually with the groups wanting the cookbooks to be published. Set in a small town, you're introduced to interesting and unusual characters. I love the 'Red Hen Diner', where the door clucks when you open it! In this book, a member of a group of senior citizens is killed in an unexpected way. Sugar had been working with the group to publish their cookbook to support a local charity. She's asked to help with clearing the woman's apartment, as well as continue with the cookbook project. Everything sets the stage for Sugar to learn more about those affected by the death. When a second murder occurs, things get even more challenging. Trust Sugar to put it all together! All of the characters are distinctly written, making them easy to track during the story arc. There are some small elements of possible romantic connections.

'Risky Biscuits' is my first exposure to Mary Lee Ashford and her A Sugar & Spice Mystery series. I found it altogether delightful. The characters are engaging and likable, the mystery has twists that kept me guessing, there was laugh out loud humor and a sweet touch of romance. It all worked great for me. I enjoyed the recipes and look forward to more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I liked this book a lot. The food descriptions were sumptuous. The mystery was good and very complex. Loved that some old history was finally discussed. Loved all the little subplots. Really fun read.

RISKY BISCUITS, the second book in A Sugar & Spice Mystery series by Mary Lee Ashford, is an entertaining addition to a delightful series! I greatly enjoyed the first book (GAME OF SCONES) but feel that Ms. Ashford has found her stride with this second book. Protagonist, Sugar Calloway, and her business partner, Dixie Spicer, have been allowed to fully display their personalities in this newest book, all to the readers’ advantage. The humorous one-liners kept me chuckling and Sugar’s Aunt Cricket’s idioms added to the folksy narration provided by Sugar. Ms. Ashford’s colorful descriptive settings are brought to life with an added humorous touch: such as the town’s Red Hen Diner, (which Sugar frequents often) where the door clucks every time it’s opened and the owner’s apron announces her as The Head Chick. The author creates several imaginative characters to support Sugar and Dixie, each well developed and each with unique personalities. I enjoyed the interaction between Dixie and her former flame, Sheriff Terry, while Sugar’s friendship with food photographer, Max, has the potential to flourish.

I greatly enjoy character-drive cozy mysteries, and RISKY BISCUITS not only met my expectation but exceeded it. The initial murder itself was tragic, but eventually it managed to bring the town together in support of the senior citizens’ group, The Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club. There were twists and turns, old secrets brought to light, and old rivalries revived. Subplots were intertwined with the murder and at first I didn’t see how they connected. But as the story progressed and clues were introduced, Ms. Ashford pulled it all together into one satisfying read.

With Sugar and Dixie working on The Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club’s cookbook, there are all sorts of yummy dishes mentioned throughout the story. Fortunately, Ms. Ashford includes several delicious sounding recipes at the back of the book for the reader to try.

In this second installment of the Sugar and Spice mystery series (after Game of Scones), we find Sugar and Dixie back in their community cookbook publishing business. This time they are creating a fundraising cookbook for the Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club. When a group member is found run over, however, Sugar feels the need to find out what really happened to the poor woman. Was it an accident…or murder?

I have enjoyed both books in this series. The fictional town of St. Ignatius isn’t far from me geographically, so it resonates with me. The characters are ones well fleshed-out and ones I can totally see living in St. Ignatius. It is a good mystery. Add in riled up seniors, a love from the past, and a rich family with something to hide, and it is a page-turner. I loved the humor. It was well written, and I look forward to the next installment! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

A fun and easy cozy mystery with Sugar and Dixie being involved in a murder mystery. I really enjoyed this one, and did feel like it was complete. It mentions others, so assume there are previous books in the series. All it did was made me want to read them, as I didn't feel confused by the references here. When Sugar's landlady's friend is run over, by her own car, more and more pieces of the puzzle keep coming up. In addition, working on the next cookbook, I am pleased to see recipes in the back. Want to try some of the biscuit recipes, so got some buttermilk and I'm ready to go. Highly recommend this book and author.

This was an excellent book to read and the recipes were really good. I was captivated by the story itself and found myself lost in the plot.
I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Sugar Calloway and her partner Dixie Spicer are working with the local Crack of Dawn Breakfast Club on a cookbook fund raiser. Sugar is loving life and settling into her adopted hometown of St. Ignatius, where everyone knows everyone and their business. Things are going well as Sugar collects recipes and history from St. Ignatius’ locals for the cookbook, but then the club member who is heading up the cookbook efforts is murdered and Sugar and DIxie are not only looking for the recipes that Alma had collected, they’re looking for her murderer.To add more intrigue to the mix, former hottie and bad boy Nick Marchant returns home from New York City and is stirring up trouble.

Sometimes knowing everyone in town and everything about them an be murderous. Yet sometimes people aren’t exactly who they seem to be. But someone in town is the murderer and Sugar and Dixie uncover some big secrets that could help the police solve the case.

While this is the second book in the series, I did not read the first one and this serves fine as a standalone. Sugar’s nomadic childhood that followed her parent’s divorce makes you cheer for her having adopted St. Ignatius as her hometown and settling down. Can’t wait to see how she and Max overcome their respective challenges as they move ahead and build their relationship.

Don’t miss the recipes that are included. They look yummy!

This is a great cozy mystery. It is a fast and enjoyable read. It is the second of the Sugar and Spice mysteries. Sugar and Dixie try to solve the mystery of Alma, the project leader of a town cookbook, murder. I loved the story and the characters. You do not have to read the first book to read this one but I think it would help give a little more of the back story. I am looking forward to the next book..

Mary Lee Ashford
Risky biscuits.
A brilliant second book with Sugar,Dixie and friends.
What good humour!
A good plot ,strong characters and a very good read.
Love the recipes at the end.
Many thanks to Kensington and Lyrical underground, Nettgalley for letting me read this book for a honest review.
Definitely recommend this book,

This is an entertaining, briskly paced mystery with an interesting premise - Sugar Calloway and her best friend Dixie Spencer are in the business of publishing community cookbooks. This gives them the opportunity to work with all kinds of community organizations and leads to a raft of new characters and plot points in each book. In this story they are working with a group of retirees at the Good Life retirement village who are part of the Crack of Dawn breakfast club and putting together a cookbook to raise money for renovations in the local park. Alma Stoller is the leader of the cookbook project so Sugar has come to know her and like her. When Alma is killed, Sugar becomes involved in trying to figure out what such a nice older lady had done to make someone murder her. With likeable characters, a fast moving plot and delicious food, this is a book to savor!