Tally owns a sweet shop, and has two young women working for her. Her best friend has the shop next door, and has a problem falling for the wrong guy. This time, the wrong guy is found dead in Tally's store, then later one of her workers is also found dead. Good thing the cop is hunky, although the attraction is still light at this time. A few possible men who could lead to romance but still early. A fun read, and one I would highly recommend as a cozy mystery.

I love books set in Texas, and this one is set in Fredericksburg, in the hill country. It took me a bit to really get into it but I'm glad I kept reading. It's an interesting story with a lot of twists. The characters are believable and the dialog is natural. I think you'll enjoy it!

I received an advance copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

The rating is 3,5 stars.
I don't know how to start this review as I found the story enjoyable and think there's a lot of potential but there's also a lot of issues, more than the usual series debut.
The pro:
- The setting is lovely and vivid
- Nigel the cat was one of my favorite characters
- The mystery, even if some parts were over my suspension of belief, was solid and kept me guessing
- Some characters were faulted and this was a refreshing change
The cons:
- The style of writing seemed "strange" with a lot of repetitions
- Some of the characters are a bit mono-dimensional
- Sometimes the plot is confused and too many subplots, some of them distract you from the main story
I'm curious about the next instalment as I think this could become an excellent series
I think it can be recommended keeping in mind all the issues.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

SPOILERS!!!




The series has potential, but they really need to tighten things up better! Pro: I liked the back and worth perspectives between Tally and Yoli. Cons: the characters are fairly unlike able and she doesn’t resolve most things! Did something ever happen with Yoli and Cole? What’s up with Allen? How did Andrea learn Gene was the driver?

In the picturesque tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, Tally Holt has opened a new candy store with a vintage twist . . .but there’s no sugar-coating a nasty case of murder . . .

Tally Holt has poured her heart, soul, and bank account into Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets, specializing in her grandmother’s delicious recipes. Tally’s homemade Mallomars, Twinkies, fudges, and taffy are a hit with visiting tourists—and with Yolanda Bella, the flamboyant owner of Bella’s Baskets next door. But both shops encounter a sour surprise when local handyman Gene Faust is found dead in Tally’s kitchen, stabbed with Yolanda’s scissors.

The mayor’s adopted son, Gene, was a handsome Casanova with a bad habit of borrowing money from the women he wooed. It’s a sticky situation for Yolanda, who was one of his marks. There are plenty of other likely culprits among Fredericksburg’s female population, and even among Gene’s family. But unless Tally can figure out who finally had their fill of Gene’s sweet-talking ways, Yolanda—and both their fledgling businesses—may be destined for a bitter end…
Amazon.com

Kaye George has been nominated twice in the short story category of the Agatha Awards. We’ll see if this May brings Kaye an Agatha. (See our marquee above.) She’s been nominated also in the Best First and Best Historical categories. And that was one reason I was disappointed to see that only one book was listed in the front of Revenge is Sweet as previously written. The fact is, Kaye’s been nominated twice for two books in two different series. The Vintage Sweet Mysteries is the fifth series Kaye has written (one under the pseudonym of Janet Cantrell) plus many short stories.

The main character in the Vintage Sweet Mysteries, Tally Holt, is a likeable character. She’s an experienced candy maker who previously had a bakery shop in Austin, Texas, but returned to Fredericksburg, Texas, where she grew up, and opened Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets. Her best friend, Yolanda, owns a basket shop next door. Kaye presents both Tally and Yolanda’s perspectives as the storytellers. When a young man is found murdered in Tally’s shop both women are implicated in the murder.

Please join us in discussing Kaye’s new series! E. B. Davis

Fredericksburg, TX, is a real place. Why did you decide to set your series there? And please tell our readers a bit about the town.

I’ve visited Fredericksburg and had wonderful times there. I was casting about for a cozy town for a new series and lit on this one. There are lots of shops, it’s a small town, and has some unusual features due to its unique history. It was settled by Germans, and the ones who farmed the surrounding area built small two-story houses, called Sunday Houses, which they used when they drove to town for church on the weekends and stayed overnight. Many of them are still standing. It’s located in the Texas Hill Country, which contains a lot of vineyards, so wineries abound in the area and tasting rooms in the town. You can also get authentic German food in the many restaurants. It seemed like an excellent place, not only for a small shopkeeper, but for one dealing with edibles.

When I read the description of Tally’s Whoopie Pies, I gathered there are similar but different treats in various places in the country. In my home state of Pennsylvania, they are big soft fat chocolate cookies with a vanilla buttermilk filling. How are Tally’s so different?

The fillings I’ve encountered are more marshmallowy, so hers are that way, too. Not very different at all! The recipes she works from were handed down from her New Jersey grandmother, who loved to recreate the store-bought treats of her time with original, home-made versions.

How did Tally come to grow up in Fredericksburg?

Her parents started out there, so she lived with them. When they later decided to go on the road, performing, she and her brother, Cole, were looked after by their grandparents, who had moved there to follow the children.

How have Tally and her brother, Cole, made different lifestyle decisions?

They both wanted to avoid the stage where their parents made a living. At young ages, they were both used in the acts the Holts created. They were sensations, well-received, but, as children often do, they rejected the choices of their parents, although both ended up involved with creative endeavors. Cole is a sculptor of large-scale, expensive pieces, and Tally creates comestibles.

How does Tally’s relationship to her parents differ from Yolanda’s?

Yolanda’s father, especially, treats her as a child and smothers her. He insists on financing her project, Bella’s Baskets, even though he wishes she would go into real estate, his field and the one her sister works in also, and the field that made him rich. He doesn’t understand people who don’t want to be rich.

Tally’s parents are much more hands-off, and have been ever since Tally and Cole began to live with their grandparents.

How did Cole end up with Maine Coon cat, Nigel?

Cole goes through women pretty regularly, never getting attached to any of the females who fall for him. In this book, one who moved in decided to leave him, but didn’t take her cat with her. Since he’s on the road installing his sculptures much of the time, he can’t keep the cat either. He brings it to Tally, who isn’t at all sure she wants a pet, at first, since she’s never had one. Nigel, however, quickly wins her heart.

I was surprised when early July was described as early in the tourist season because here on the
east coast, early tourist season is April or May. How is July early?

I researched this to get the information. The main tourist season is summertime and, for this town specifically, holiday shopping is the focus.


Yolanda seems immature compared to Tally. Have her parents interfered in her development? Why are they still so “hands-on” when she and Tally must be close to thirty-five?

The fact that Yolanda’s father foists money on her, keeps her in his debt. She needs to resist this, but it’s hard, when she really does need the money, and enjoys the things it buys. She loves the expensive Sunday House he bought for her, for example. Yes, they are about 35. Yolanda has also never left home and Tally went to Austin to start her own business with bank loans, which she managed to pay off herself.

How did Tally come by her recipes for vintage sweets? What are some of the sweets Tally sells?

When her grandmother passed away, she had arranged for her little metal recipe box to be delivered to Tally after her death. Tally was delighted to receive it, because she remembers making many of the recipes beside her grandmother. Some of them that Tally markets are her grandmother’s versions of Mary Janes, Mallomars, Clark Bars, Whoopie Pies, even Twinkies.

What are “rhomboid” patches?

You are referring to the light thrown onto the pavement from shop windows at night. Since the windows are rectangular, and the light shines out obliquely, the shapes cast are rhomboids.

Allen, one of the repairmen who services Yolanda and Tally’s shops, attracts Tally. She goes out with him for a few dates, but then she decides she doesn’t want to see him anymore. Why? And how does Nigel’s interaction confirm Tally’s feelings?

She doesn’t see much future with Allen. He has no interest in staying in one place very long. She foresees a broken heart if she gets too attached and he pulls up roots and leaves. She is also alarmed at his temper and wonders if he’s the person who killed Gene, since he was his co-worker.

Allen is rather dismissive of Nigel’s awesomeness, to Tally’s chagrin, although Nigel likes Allen. When Nigel rubs against Allen’s leg, Allen pushes him away.

I was surprised that Tally cleaned up the blood and gore from the murder in her shop’s kitchen. Why didn’t she call experts to do the job?

She wouldn’t even think of doing that. She’s a Texan woman through and through who takes cares of things herself.

Mrs. Gerg is a hoot. Will she continue to be helpful or problematic (or both) to Tally?

Oh yes, both!

Yolanda and Tally are both the oldest sibling. Has their birth order affect their affected their thinking and behavior?

I think they get along with each other well because they are both the older child. They do have very different relationships with their parents and their families are quite different, but they bonded as young children going to school together and have always gotten along.

What is a Sunday House? Is Fredericksburg the only place they exist?

I explained those above and that’s the only town I’ve ever seen them in, which doesn’t mean they don’t exist in other places. They probably have a different name and are not the same distinctive architecture. The ones here were built so the men would sleep on the first floor and the women and children on the second floor. They had an outside staircase, so the second floor was decidedly more inconvenient, which tells you something about Germans of that era.

What is Jaeger Schnitzel (and brats)?

The former is my favorite German food. They are delicately breaded pork cutlets served with a mushroom gravy. Brats are…brats—bratwurst.

Is Enchanted Rock a real formation? Does it have legends or did you create them?

It’s a fantastic park right outside town that I’ve hiked. I didn’t make up a thing. It has enough lore of its own. I haven’t been there after dark (it’s supposed to be closed then), but there are lots of stories.

Why does Detective Rogers say he’d like to take Tally out after the investigation is over, and then ask her out during the investigation? No willpower?

Or a strong attraction. They are drawn to each other, after all.

Can people adopt a child and then have the adoption annulled?

Yes, it can happen. The rules are strict and, ideally, it has to be in the best interest of the child for that to happen.

Are you owned by a cat, Kaye?

I’ve been owned by many. The cat bed is empty right now, but will probably not stay that way.

Will we learn more about how Tally became an experienced baker/candy maker in subsequent books?

I hadn’t planned on going into it, other than that she learned from her grandmother. It’s an idea, though.

The next book in the series is Deadly Sweet Tooth. Can you give us the jacket copy?

No cover yet, but here’s the copy. Thanks for asking!

In a darling tourist town like Fredericksburg, Texas, a vintage sweet shop offering delicious old-fashioned favorites is a perfect fit—until someone decides to debut a recipe that’s lusciously lethal…

With Tally’s Old Tyme Sweets finally—well, almost—turning a profit, Tally Holt is taking one busy Saturday off to host a grand party for her parents, traveling performers who spend most of their time on the road. Tally’s counting on the publicity and free treats to attract new customers. And the event is a sweet success—at least until Fran Abraham, the town’s foul-tempered theater director, drops dead after a bitter confrontation with Tally’s mother.

Murder was definitely not on Tally’s menu, but it’s clear that Fran’s death wasn’t natural. The list of possible culprits includes not just Tally’s mom, but her protective dad too. Relying on Yolanda Bella, her best friend and the proprietor of Bella’s Baskets next door, for help, Tally will need to unwrap the sticky pasts and unsavory presents of everyone from her own parents to her new hires before Fran’s death sours everybody on her fledgling shop….

Thanks so much for having me here. I love interviews with you!

This interview will post on 3/11/20

Revenge Is Sweet is the first book in the Vintage Sweets Mystery series.

Tally Holt and Yolanda Bella have been friends since childhood. Tally has recently moved back to Fredericksburg, TX and has opened a vintage candy store next door to Yolanda’s Bella’s Baskets.

Gene Faust is a handyman that Tally and Yolanda use from time to time. Gene is the adoptive son of the Mayor and his wife, in his youth, he was the local “bad boy”, now he is a womanizer who dated many of females in town and has borrowed money from many of them, most of which has never been repaid. Yolanda is one of the women who has dated and loaned him money. Yolanda has been trying to get Gene to pay her back, but all she gets are promises.

When a refrigeration unit at Tally’s, she asks to see if he can get it up and running. The next day when she goes to see if the refrigerator is working she finds the dead body of Gene on the floor, having been stabbed in the back. When the police find the scissors that were used to kill Gene, they learn that they belong to Yolanda. When the police learn of the argument that Yolanda had concerning the loan she becomes the prime suspect.

Tally wants to believe in Yolanda's innocence and begins to investigate on her own. Gene’s adoptive parents show little remorse over his death, or maybe one of the many women he has been seeing has gotten tired of his two-timing.

I enjoyed the story and it moves at an even pace and had interesting characters.

Tally has opened a sweet shop in Fredericksburg Texas. Things seem to be going well until she walks into the kitchen one evening to find Gene, a local handyman dead. Gene was popular with the ladies but not a very nice guy. There are quite a few possible murderers. Then one of Tally’s assistants is found dead in the employee restroom.
Tally is on tenterhooks trying to figure out who might be responsible. It’s the last person she suspects and it nearly gets her killed.
I enjoyed this first in series cozy mystery. Several things go on that became conversation points with my friends - like would you loan money to someone you were dating?
There are a number of complicated interpersonal relationships introduced in Revenge is Sweet. I’m unsure whether these interactions add to the story or muddy the waters. Whatever the answer to that the flow of the story is good.
Tally’s sweets sound good and candy stores are always fun to visit, so give this a try.

This was a really fun setting and idea for a main character's job, making vintage candies and sweets from scratch. I did get a little bit confused with the switching back and forth of third person narrating about Tally then Yolanda. (I have no problem with third person though). Sometimes I'd get the information mixed up and wonder why one person didn't already know this, but I think the idea was for their actions to be very close or nearly simultaneous results. It was better as I got into the book more and switching between the two girls came more naturally.

I had an idea of who the killer was, then I changed my mind due to some clever red herrings along the way. I had it all built in my mind as to why the person I thought was the killer did it and everything, but I was wrong. It's fun to be wrong though. The showdown achieved its purpose of making me nervous for Tally, but the killer was caught and all was well. I enjoyed reading a little bit of the next book's first chapter at the end. The recipe given was for Tally's version of Twinkies. I'm anxious for the next book that's being released in June, and I'm glad we don't have to wait a year.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

If you want a good suspenseful book then look no further! I blame this book for lack of sleep. I couldnt put it down till I had read every word!

3 Stars

From the sweets of the old time candy store to Nigel, the main coon cat, to the way the mystery unfolded, Revenge is Sweet is a promising start to this new series.
Kaye George will definitely make your mouth water with all the wonderful confections that Tally Holt creates. She will also get your mind churning with mystery that is contained within Revenge is Sweet. Tally and Yolanda are a trip together. You can tell they are still finding their way, but they both have potential. With that said, there are many Aspects of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love this little town. The descriptions of the confections are truly mouthwatering. There’s a lot of personality lying just under the surface that I felt needs to pop out a little bit more. Like the characters I mentioned above I feel this series has a lot of potential. We just had it for you shortcomings along the way. Revenge is Sweet is a good start to what could be a pretty awesome and yummy series.

In the lovely little tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, Tally Holt has opened a vintage candy store, Tally's Olde Tyme Sweets next door to Bella's Baskets owned by her best friend, Yolanda Bella. When Gene Faust, the mayor's adopted son and notorious womanizer, is found murdered in Tally's shop with Yolanda's scissors, the two friends immediately become suspects. Can they find the killer before one of them is arrested for the crime?

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a promising start to a new series. With the author's vivid description, I instantly fell in love with the charming little town of Fredericksburg, and the candy shop setting with all the delectable sweets. I found Tally and Yolanda to be likable and relatable characters and their friendship felt realistic to me. The murder mystery was intriguing and had plenty of suspects to choose from. It wasn't too difficult to figure out the identity of the culprit and their motive for the murders, but I still enjoyed watching the mystery unravel. This was a fun and delightful cozy that drew me in right from the start and kept me hooked until the last page. I will definitely be reading the second book. A delicious recipe for homemade twinkies is included at the end.

I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Revenge Is Sweet by Kaye George, who also writes as Janet Cantrell, is the first book in the Vintage Sweets Mysteries series, and it's off to a great start. Tally Holt has recently opened Tally's Olde Tyme Sweets shop in Fredericksburg, Texas. Next door, her best friend Yolanda Bella owns Bella's Baskets. Trouble comes in the form of Gene Faust, the mayors adopted son, local handyman, and notorious lady's man who dies in Tally's shop. When Yolanda becomes a prime suspect, Tally is determined to find the real killer. There are so many suspects who disliked Gene, including his own parents. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. Hopefully someone else enjoys When I like a book it's from the beginning and on the 3rd chapter and no sparks.

Revenge is Sweet by Kaye George is the debut novel in The Vintage Sweets Mysteries. Tally Holt has opened Old Tyme Sweets next door to Bella’s Baskets owned by Tally’s best friend, Yolanda Bella. When the local Romeo handyman, Gene ends up dead in her kitchen, Yolanda finds herself the prime suspect. Tally searches for the killer so she can clear Yolanda from suspicion. I enjoyed the descriptions of Fredericksburg, Texas and the charming shops in the tourist town. I also liked the delectable descriptions of Tally’s sweet confections. I was put off, though, by the point-of-view being split between Tally and Yolanda. It was confusing because both characters seemed similar. Plus, it took me out of the story as I adjusted to the new speaker. The characters felt flat and lacked development. They never came to life for me. I thought the mystery was too simple. I was able to identify the guilty party immediately (there might as well have been a giant neon arrow over the killer’s head). Tally questions people as does Yolanda. They are both obvious and abrupt when talking to people (the way they questioned people made it sound like accusations). There is a lot of personal drama happening for various characters in Revenge is Sweet. Tally has her brother visiting town and he brought his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Nigel (my favorite character in the book). Nigel is a large Maine Coon cat with a sweet personality. You can tell the brother is trying to unload Nigel on Tally. Yolanda has financial trouble and issues with her father. She also has terrible taste in men and lacks business acumen. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I also found some conflicting details. I also thought it was gross when Tally failed to hire a crime scene clean up crew for her kitchen after the first body was removed. I do not believe the local health inspector would be happy with the do-it-yourself job. I know it is fiction, but little details are important for a believable story. Romance is in the air for our two main characters. There are two potential suitors for Tally (unfortunately). Revenge is Sweet needed another round of rewrites and editing in my opinion. There is a recipe for twinkies at the end (homemade version) and a preview of Deadly Sweet Tooth which is the second book in the series. Revenge is Sweet is a new cozy mystery with tempting treats, sharp scissors, money misfortunes, fridge on the fritz, proof of pilfering and multiple murders.

A new culinary/candy cozy series "Vintage Sweets Mysteries" from Kensington Books, Revenge Is Sweet by author Kaye George hits stores this week.

It is always thrilling to read the first book in a series, and culinary or candy cozy's are among my favorites. They usually have great recipes and mouth-watering descriptions. I understand that new series need time to develop, and character growth is spread out over several books. I know this going in but… I do expect when a new series is being written by a veteran writer that the time allowed for character and story development shouldn't be as long or as hard to achieve. Unfortunately, I do not feel that any of this was attained in this new book.

Tally and Yolanda are in their mid 30's, but they have the emotional maturity of 15-year olds. They do not treat each other as best friends, but more like rivals in high school. In fact, I couldn't find any character in this book that I liked even a little bit. The two main characters in this candy cozy are supposed to be business owners, Tally owned and ran a thriving bakery previously. Yet, she does not seem capable of hiring her staff or balancing the business accounting books. She gets her advice from Yolanda, who depends on her father's money to keep her business afloat.

The murder(s) is unique but not exciting. The investigation is not believable. Tally would have been detained immediately, and anyone who was in the shop at the time of the first killing, not to mention the second, would most likely have been taken in for questioning as well. Every inch of the shop would have been searched, and it would have been closed until the police investigation concluded. The fact that the writer has everyone just going home after speaking briefly, if at all with the police, and living their normal lives makes the premise hard to swallow. The resolution and unmasking of the killer is no surprise what-so-ever; even the motive was easily known immediately. There is no mystery or real investigation. Although this book is a candy cozy, in other words, based in a candy shop, the candy part seems irrelevant. The setting could have been any retail shop of any type.

I can only hope that the second book in this series will show growth and a real mystery. Revenge Is Sweet is not a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a mystery.

This is the first in a new series Vintage Sweet Mysteries. Tally Holt is the owner of newly opened Tally’s Olde Tyme Sweets and she is best friends with Yolanda Bella the owner of Bella’s Baskets and their shops are next to each other in Fredericksburg Texas. Yolanda was seen arguing with town casanova Gene Faust and the adopted son of the town’s mayor. He is currently working as a handyman and has been working in Bella’s shop but Tally’s refrigerator goes out and she asks Gene to fix it. Tally does not like Gene and she knows something is going on with him and Yolanda but she cannot have her candies melt. Gene begins working in Tally’s shop and the next day he is found dead there in her kitchen and Tally is guessing the murder weapon is Yolanda’s scissors which had been in the kitchen earlier in the day. Tally’s brother Cole shows up unannounced with Nigel a large Maine Coon cat and he crashes at Tally’s house. The next day Cole begins seeing Mart who works in Tally’s shop along with Andrea and Cole loans her money. Tally soon learns Mart has been stealing from her (she knew there was money missing) and Colt and Mart have a terrible fight in front of customers. Mart ends up dead the next day and Yolanda’s scissors magically appear in Yolanda’s flower cooler. Tally cannot make sense what is happening and who is doing this. Sure there were plenty of people that did not like Gene including his adoptive parents and about every women in town he took money from but few had the opportunity to have access to Tally’s kitchen. This was a good first in a series but I hope over time the friendship with Yolanda and hopefully others builds as you don’t meet many other characters to begin to see that Tally interacts with anyone in town other than Yolanda and her landlady. The thing that makes cozies I think so great is the community feel that you get and I did not fully get this yet. I love Mrs Greg and I see potential with her yard sale underground group for future stories. I enjoyed and do look forward to the next installment. First in a series can be tricky but see the potential and plan to get the next in the series.

Tally Holt has just opened a vintage sweets shop next to the basket shop operated by her best friend, Yolanda Bella, in the town of Fredericksburg, Texas. Tally’s opened in time for tourist season, and she’s hoping that will give her new business a boost. However, things get derailed when she finds a body in her kitchen. The victim was Gene Faust, the mayor’s adopted son. Gene didn’t have a good reputation, dating multiple women and borrowing money from all of them. Yolanda was one of his victims, and her scissors are the murder weapon. Can Tally and Yolanda figure out what really happened before one of them is arrested for the crime?

This book gets off to a good start, with several strong suspects before Gene even dies. From there, we have fun watching Tally and Yolanda try to figure out who actually committed the crime. The clues are woven into the story well, but one aspect of the plot is never fully explained. Who killed Gene and why is solved, however. The book is written third person from both Tally and Yolanda’s points of view. These switches definitely help tell the story and are always easy to follow. The characters could have been stronger at the beginning of the book, but we do get some development by the time the book is over. This is the first in the series, and I’m sure the characters will get stronger as the series progresses. There is a recipe at the end for one of Tally’s specialties – homemade Twinkies. This is an entertaining debut in what could turn into a series as addicting as Tally’s sweets.

Gift baskets for every occasion and delicious candies that harken back to childhood: the tourist town of Fredericksburg, Texas, seems an idyllic place to start a business. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

When a dead body is discovered in Tally Holt’s Olde Tyme Sweets, her problems of finding reliable employees, keeping her business afloat, and dealing with the many women left brokenhearted by her brother don’t seem as important anymore. She’s more concerned about her best friend, Yolanda, who is the first person the police suspect. The list of suspects grows wider, making Tally wonder who she can trust.

In this cozy mystery, the twists and turns of the plot keep coming: who killed Gene, the adopted son of the mayor, who seems to have dated as many women as Tally’s brother and also has financial trouble? Half the town seems to have a motive, and everyone had the opportunity. In such a small town, gossip spreads at the hair salon and at yard sales, through snippets of conversation overheard in the coffee shop and burger joint and Rathskeller, as Tally and Yolanda try to figure out who might have set them up—and why.

Along the way, Tally and Yolanda try to start new romances (always tricky, when the person you date has reason to think you killed someone), Tally discusses clues with the Maine coon cat her brother added to her household, and readers learn some of the charming peculiarities of Fredericksburg, such as Sunday Houses and the Yard Sale Underground. This novel is a great kickoff to a new series from Kaye George, one that I hope will continue with many more books about Tally and Yolanda.

Candy maker Tally Holt is thrilled with her new venture, Tally's Olde Tyme Sweets and is starting to build up her business until the handyman is stabbed to death in her kitchen. She needs to find out what happened to clear her name, but is stunned when a worker of hers is killed shortly after ...again in her store. Her best friend Yolanda is a suspect, as well as the handyman's assistant, her workers...well before the second death was one of them and she herself.
Her snooping finds many more, but not one definitively until she sits and goes over the information one last time, but not before she's firmly next in line.
I requested and enjoyed the NetGalley ARC I received. It seems to be aimed at the 20-30 age group, but can be enjoyed by all. No sex or gore.

Revenge is Sweet drew me in immediately and kept me hooked from the first page. The characters were instantly likable and relatable. Clues were sprinkled in nicely for those of us who like to play Jessica Fletcher and figure out whodunnit. There were a few passages that probably could have been written with a bit more ease of flow, but they didn't pull me out of the story. Looking forward to book 2!