I found Cobblered to Death to suffer from the classic first in a new series syndrome. There was a lot of whole building and character introduction, I think the mystery suffered. I had a hard time connecting with Courtney and her attempts to solve the mystery and clear her name. I finished the book, but I'm not sure I'll invest more time in the series. It wasn't bad, it just didn't get drawn into story.

I absolutely loved this story. I always enjoy a cozy mystery. It feels like being wrapped up in a warm blanket near a fire, but there are few that really push me to want to give 5 stars. This was one of those books. I loved the idea of the fake farm girl story, and the characters were very well done. It felt like a modern day Nancy Drew.

Cobblered to Death by Rosemarie Ross, Rose Ross Zediker is the first book in the cozy Courtney Archer series. As with most cozy mystery series each book of this series will contain it’s own mystery that will be fully solved so they can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There will be character development that carries over from book to book though for those who follow the series from the beginning.

Courtney Archer was proud of herself for getting her own cooking show which had become quite a success. However, Courtney was not proud that her cooking show, Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter, was basically a lie with Courtney being a city girl and not having been raised on a farm but the network had insisted that Courtney use the persona and protect the lie of where she was really from.

Now Courtney is participating in a reality show, The American Baking Battle, filming in the Pocono Mountains and Courtney hopes she can be more herself on this show. Unfortunately for Courtney another contestant in the baking battle has learned her real identity and that same contestant is then found murdered. To top things off for Courtney and put her as a suspect it was her own frying pan that was used as the murder weapon.

I’m always excited to pick up a new cozy series and quite often love those centered around food of some sort. The Courtney Archer series however got off to a slow start for me when I didn’t find the overly humorous and quirky content that I seek out in cozies. I think for me the repeated mentions of the lead not being who she was pretending to be kind of dragged the story down instead of being humorous. When finished I just found this first book to be just so-so but I do have the second so I’m crossing my fingers the second book is more my speed.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

There has been a sequel to this book since I got my hands on the first, but I have not actually read it yet. I was a little late getting to this one too! It had been on my virtual shelf a while before I picked it up.
There is a certain formula to a good cozy mystery, an offbeat location, an interesting vocation and an inquisitive protagonist. This has all the components to set up a series. Our leading lady, Courtney, has been lying about her background to the followers of her cooking show. Based on that very image, she is to host a cooking show. She is not the judge, but she gets entangled in an annoying situation when one of the contestants starts to imply blackmail.
What follows is a steady input of suspicions, information and changes in relationships between the small cast of people we are introduced to.
It was a quick read once I started it, and I did not guess the ending, although I thought that the romantic angle(s) could have been omitted since they did not add anything to an otherwise progressing case.
I would recommend it to readers of the genre since the writing and characters were intriguing enough to keep wondering about the next 'thing'.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Synopsis:

Out of the frying pan, into the fire . . .

Courtney Archer is known for hosting the show Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter . . . despite the fact that she’s actually a pediatrician’s daughter. Now she’s signed on for a role on The American Baking Battle. On this reality show, she can start developing a more authentic image for herself—and as a bonus, the usual backstabbing and manufactured drama isn’t part of the Baking Battle script. But genuine drama is heating up behind the scenes . . .

During a film shoot in the scenic Pocono Mountains, Courtney has to juggle career commitments like pots on a six-burner stove. Adding to the stress is Mick, a contestant who finds out about her fake farm-girl story. Determined to succeed at her new gig, she whips up a cherry cobbler in a cast-iron fry pan one evening and leaves it out to cool. But the next morning, it’s Mick’s body that’s cooling—right next to Courtney’s pan, now classified as a murder weapon . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

The premise of this book is a good one, a baking competition. It reminded me of a cooking show that is currently on television, The Great British Bake Off. It was great to see some of the behind the scenes that go into making such a show. It showed a different type of cooking cozy and I enjoyed that.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Courtney is smart and a hard worker and it seems as though she is good at gathering information. That comes in handy when someone in the set is killed. The co-hosts and the contestants added a realistic feel to the book.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery was well plotted but I do think there could have been more suspects to consider. That is only my opinion and others might not agree with me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you like cooking competitions like I do, you should pick up this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Rosemarie Ross knocks it out of the park with this exciting debut to what promises to be a fun new cozy mystery series. After the shocking murder of a baking game show contestant, cooking show host Courtney Archer discovers that she's not the only person on set with a secret. Between the hosts & contestants, everyone's a suspect. Meanwhile, there's a strongly handsome security guard who may be interested in Courtney as more than a suspect. Throw into the mix an over-protective producer & you've got the recipe for a delightful mystery that will hopefully be just the first of many for this series!

This was an excellent start for a new series, definetly all the right ingredients for the perfect cozy. My only suggestion would be to include a recipe or two at the end of the book. The story mixed together all the classic aspects of a cozy, from the inquisitive main character who can't water down the curiosity, the helpful friend, the introduction of more friends, a little potential romance to spice things up and of course the various suspects. The story kept me intrigued the entire time as I tried to side chair sleuth while looking up recipes for cherry cobbler. Courtney is a fun and very easy to relate to main character and you find yourself holding your breath everytime someone mentions her "farmer's daughter" background. The red herrings were perfect and the story moved at a good pace and made sense. It looks like Rosemarie Ross is serving up something special and I can't wait for another serving!

Cute! The first book in a new series is always wonderful and this is no exception. The bar has been set and I hope the rest are of the same level and I'm sure they will be based on the writing in this story. The characters are well written. The story is well written. Just a good ole mystery. Loved it.

The setting of a reality cooking show is new. Not your usual small town book store,bakery,realtor office setting.Love the characters and the food descriptions are great. I can see the main character growing and moving on in her career. I believe this is a really good start for a series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Cobblered to Death, the first book in the Courtney Archer Mystery series, has a great premise that is sure to please fans of culinary cozies with its focus on a TV cooking show host and a baking competition, but the book is uneven.

The story started out interesting. Courtney is a trained pastry chef from Chicago, the daughter of a doctor. However, her television persona is that of a down home cook who grew up on a farm. As time goes on, she is more and more uncomfortable keeping up this façade. She is hired to be a host of The American Baking Battle, and contestant Mick soon starts to cause trouble, threatening to expose Courtney’s secret. Courtney finds herself the prime suspect in Mick’s death when her cast iron pan full of cherry cobbler is used as the murder weapon.

Unfortunately, the mystery here is thin and, ultimately, disappointing. There are too few suspects to work through, and there are virtually no clues to move the investigation along. Courtney does not do anything stupid or particularly dangerous while investigating, but most of her investigating seems to be lucky guessing. I blame not figuring out whodunit on the lack of good clues and plotting. That said, the behind the scenes look at filming a baking competition and the emphasis on food, for me, saves the book. I liked these foodie bits, but even they teetered on being too repetitive.

Courtney is an average character, and I do not think I got to know her well enough to decide if I like her very much. As the book went on, I found her fear of being outed tedious. There are some (intentionally) unlikable characters and a couple of more relatable ones such as Courtney’s producer Eric and competition judge Shannon, but none of them are endearing or very memorable.

Cobblered to Death has its failings, but the food theme is great. I hope the next installment I the series is stronger.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

A new cozy mystery series I did enjoy this book but I must say I am a bit tired of the plot line of the sleuth being a murder suspect having to clear their name. I did enjoy the characters and the setting of a cooking competition but I would enjoy seeing a new story line in the next one

Courtney Archer's cherry cobbler is the murder weapon in this new series. Leaving her pie to cool overnight, she discovers that the cast iron pie was used to kill a fellow contestant in a cooking competition. Her television series, the Farmer's Daughter is popular and when the dead cook/journalist has a file on his desk revealing she's never been to a farm the police think she's the number one suspect. A good story that introduces multiple characters for future books. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“Oh. My. Gravy.” Cobblered to Death is a food-themed cozy mystery, very fitting of the main character’s signature tagline. As the first in a series, you will surely want to return for seconds!

The main character of Cobblered to Death is Courtney Archer. She stars in a cooking show, in which she has a persona as a farmer’s daughter. However, she is not a farmer’s daughter and feels very badly that she has duped her audience. She wants to tell them the truth. The book starts with Courtney and her producer traveling to a hotel/resort where she will be a host on a cooking competition show. The setting is idyllic until one of the competitors is murdered.

This book was a complex mystery with a lot of characters and a lot of moving parts. In addition to Courtney and another show host, there were two judges, a dozen contestants for the food competition, producers/crew, and a security team. There were several suspects and that got more complex as the case unfolded. There were also multiple romantic interests and new, developing friendships. Courtney was simultaneously grappling with wanting to be authentic for her audience, filming two shows, and solving the murder mystery in which she was a suspect.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read and would read the next in the series. I did like that the question of whodunnit was not answered very easily. However, I do like being able to figure it out along with the main character. In this case, it seemed like not even the main character really figured it out. Elements of the case were revealed that I had very little chance or no chance of figuring out on my own. While the mystery aspect was fun to try to figure out, it was just not as satisfying as it would have been if I could have really figured it out along the way. I do think the main character is an engaging one, and it is her unfolding life story that makes me intrigued to read the next in the series. Plus, I do wonder what the premise would be next time. Finally, I suspect this author has a lot of promise and the clue trail-making will improve in time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advanced reader copy of Cobblered to Death, in exchange for an honest review. I am in the early stages of developing my own bookstagram and book blog, and I will happily include a review for this book on those platforms.

I really enjoy the book in a new series. I love cooking competitions and mysteries, so this one was perfect me. Even though this is the first in a new series, it read more like an established series.

The characters are well-written as is the mystery. Just enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. It's an easy read and I can't wait for the next one in the series.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 1 in a new series.

The setting was interesting, but Courtney feels a bit one dimensional and the mystery was a bit blah, with most of the action happening at the very end. All in all, it's a decent first, but hopefully the author tightens things up a bit and develops Courtney a lot in the next book.

I'd like to read the next in the series, but it's not going to the top of my TBR pile just yet.

A Sweet Cozy mystery featuring a reality show and a murder along with a heroine who's lying about who see really is. A quick read I couldn't put it down, I enjoyed that the author kept the reader guessing and making it hard to figure out who the killer was.

Cobblered to Death by Rosemarie Ross has readers enjoying the Pocono Mountains in May. Courtney Archer is the host of Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter even though she has never stepped foot on a farm in her life. Courtney is now co-hosting The American Baking Battle on location while filming episodes of her own show. The one thing Courtney wishes is to present her real self to the audience, but her contract precludes her from revealing the truth. She finds it even more challenging working alongside Shannon Collins, host of Southern Comfort Foods, who is so genuine and extends friendship to Courtney. There is drama on the set between the baking contests and problems off screen thanks to contestant Mick who overheard a conversation between Courtney and her producer. Courtney sheds her worries while baking a cherry cobbler in a cast-iron pan for her show the next day. The next morning, she stops to pick it up and finds it on the floor alongside a very dead Mick. With Courtney in the hot seat as the police’s top suspect, she digs in to find the true culprit. Cobblered to Death is the debut of A Courtney Archer Mystery series. Courtney was a mixed bag for me. I liked her, but I also found her frustrating. If you are presenting yourself as a farmer’s daughter on air, would you not visit a farm and do research? I did not understand why the author has Courtney floundering after hosting the show for three years especially when Eric’s family owns a farm. I hope in the next book we get to know more about Courtney besides she likes to carve fruit, from Chicago, and dislikes lying to her viewers. I liked Courtney’s friend and producer, Eric Iverson. I found him friendly and caring. I also enjoyed the blossoming friendship between Courtney and Shannon Collins. Shannon was my favorite character in the story. There is baking galore for those readers who enjoy culinary cozies. I loved the descriptions of the red mixers on the lovely blue countertops (my two favorite colors). The mystery was lacking. It was obvious who would die and who would be blamed. I was easily able to solve this whodunit. There was an absence of suspects and pointed clues. I wanted less of Courtney upset about her situation (not being a farmer’s daughter, the clause in her contract) and a more solid mystery. There are two love interests for Courtney (of course). Cobblered to Death is what I call a light and breezy cozy mystery. Cobblered to Death is a new culinary cozy mystery with a crushing cherry cobbler, an abundance of baking, a complaining contestant, and a carking contract clause.

Clobbered to Death by Rosemarie Ross is about a pediatrician’s daughter named Courtney Archer. She becomes involved in a show called The American Baking Battle. She tries to avoid drama but finds it anyway. Someone who knew the story she was peddling about herself was fake, was suddenly found dead next to one of the desserts she was working on. Now Courtney needs to find out what happened before she gets pinched for the murder. This was a good book and the reader learns a lot about what happens backstage in a cooking reality show. There were plenty of mysteries to be solved. The book keeps you in suspense until the killer is revealed at the end.

I love to watch baking shows on tv. I was glad to see this book available for review. I love the premise of the t.v show, I loved the characters and the mystery was satisfying. I am a fan and can't wait for the next story.

COBBLERED TO DEATH by Rosemarie Ross is the first in the new Courtney Archer Mystery series. I love, love, love the cooking show competition premise and Ms. Ross provides fun insight into how baking shows and competitions are planned and filmed. The author’s descriptions of the characters and their antics as they participate in the show seems quite believable and realistic. The scheduling for filming the shows sounds often grueling but the protagonist, Courtney Archer, is a pro at it despite her consuming secret she must hide from the public. When she finds the body of the man who threatened to spill her secret, she becomes a suspect and as a result, tries to find the truth. Her producer, Eric, doesn’t want her to get involved and worries for her safety. His fussing was a bit over the top but as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that there’s more to his feelings than a client relationship. The owner of the security firm working for the show also seems to have an interest in Courtney. I truly hope it doesn’t drag out into a love triangle scenario as the series progresses but in this first book, it’s only hinted at. All in all Ms. Ross has created some fun characters, an awesome location, and while the mystery and investigation were a bit light, I found the book to be an enjoyable and entertaining read.