This third installment of the chef to go series finds things heating up with Dani and her is he or isn’t he her boyfriend, Spencer. With a new client hiring her to cater a swanky engagement party Dani is busier than ever and hoping this will kick start her business even further. At the party a treacherous storm ensues and the bride to be is found dead, but not from the storm, she’s been murdered. Turns out she is Spencer’s ex-wife. Dani works to find out who else might have a motive to kill her client before Spencer becomes a suspect.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I love a cozy mystery and this was a good one. I really enjoyed it.

I love this book and this Cozy series! Denise Swanson writes great Cozies. I need her books to become a tv series too! Can't wait for the next one in the series!

I love the college town setting, although that does make it hard for Dani to find bigger clients. An engagement party for a wealthy couple fits the bill, but a storm and ensuing death lead the police right her direction. I will definitely read more of this series.

The author gives us an interesting mystery that has a handful of suspects, lots of clues, red herrings, twist, and turns. This mystery will have you thinking about who the killer is until all the clues come together at the intriguing conclusion. The characters are so well written and full of life they almost seem like they could be real people that you would want to be friends with. The author does a wonderful job of describing the places in the book and all the characters in the book.

I did enjoy that the author lets us see things from the point of view of both Dani and Spencer so things don't seem one sided in their relationship. I also like the fact that Dani and Spencer's relationship is growing stronger. I really didn't like Yvette and what kind of person she really was, so I wasn't all that surprised when she turned out to be the murder victim. I did find some of the college things a little trivial and they didn't need to keep popping up throughout the whole story. I hope the author continues with this series so we can see what happens with all of the characters and to see what kind of mystery they find themselves involved in.

I received an ARC of this book from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley for my honest review.

This is the third book in the series and whilst I haven't read the others it wasn't a problem.

Dani gets a job catering the high profile engagement party of Yvette and Franklin, at the party a storm causes the marquee to collapse and the bride to be is found dead. As the bride to be is her boyfriends ex wife Dani has an interest in unmasking the real killer.

The characters are fun, there are plenty of suspects and its an enjoyable cosy read.

This is the first book I read in the Chef-to-Go series. I’m not sure what to think of Dani. I know I don’t like Spencer. He got a page and a half to reflect on a fight between two students, which was about a page of synonyms for testosteron driven idiots more than I could stomach. But mainly, I don’t like his ethics.

I was enjoying this story for the first 100 pages or so. Okay, chapters 2-4 had me wondering what they had to do with the plot. It’s mainly character building and background. Two things not usually found in cozy mysteries, not to that degree at least. But it was well written so I carried on.

Then in chapter 7 the story that I came for starts. The engagement party Dani Sloan is catering comes to a sudden end when a storm breaks out and tries to take off with the tent erected for the party. Apparently, weather in Illinois is so unpredictable that weather forecast sends out a 10 second (!) warning before a devastating storm breaks out.

I was enjoying the story up to that point, but stupid surprise storm and stupid behaviour by main character broke the spell.

I read on because the story was well-written, but I never really got back into it. Near the end I had to put the book away because I didn't like the plans that were made to confront the murderer.

What I loved about this book were the character development and relationships. We get to a different side of Spencer, someone who is there in every book, but up until now was not multi-faceted like the rest. Also, the author touches on some touchy subjects, but does that with flair and such a well thought out way. The murder and mystery almost played a back burner to the characters and I didn't mind at all.

Denise Swansong never fails to deliver engrossing and highly enjoyable stories. This one is no exception and it kept me hooked till the end.
I was happy to meet again the characters and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Winner Cake All is the third book in the Chef-to-Go mystery series and I LOVED IT! My only complaint about this series is the amount of time I have to wait in between books! When you love a series as much as I love this one, you want to read them all the time! That's exactly how I feel about this one. If you're a culinary cozy reader, this is a must read series!

The personal chef trifecta and an absolute dream job in my opinion, is what Dani Sloan does for a living. Cozy mysteries have the best main characters, so very real and down to earth, completely relateable and is no different. So what is worse than taking a much needed catering job for a bridezilla? When the bridezilla is your boyfriend's exwife and the murder victim. This series is told in a He said/She said format which means you get know what our culinary clue-finder is thinking as well as her campus cop love interest. I really enjoy the way the chapters go back and forth to give a bigger picture and such great character developement. Dani knows that Drake is going to be top of the suspect list, especially since he was at the dinner when the storm hit and Yvette aka Bridezilla was hit. Dani knows that there is no way her guy could have done it, after all, he was well rid of the god-digging diva and couldn't be happier with his personal chef, accept that he would really like more alone time with her, but their jobs keep them both so busy. So in addition to getting up before the crack of dawn to make lunch-to-go bags to sell to the college kids, landing the catering job that is going to help her with home maintenance, personal chef gigs for the well to do, playing Dear Abby to the three girls who live with her, work for her, and treat her like a big sister, Dani will also need to add a dash of sleuthing that might just help more than one person have a happy ever after.

Dani wants to grow her catering business beyond her chef-to-go and lunch box talents. Being in a small university town, there isn't much call for big ticket catering gigs. Soon that may change with one event that could put her business in the black for a year. The wealthiest man in town is getting married to Yvette, a drop dead gorgeous woman with the hint of a French accent (which sort of comes and goes). She wants to have some 400 people to attend their engagement party and the event is just two weeks away when she shows up at Dani's house to meet her and maybe hire her. That's very short notice but Dani does some quick math and decides she will be up to the task. Little does she know what is in store - she should have listened to her spidey senses. Homicide will be joining the festivities. There is, literally, a storm on the horizon.
During the party the weather turns nasty and the tent collapses. In the chaos somebody bumps off the obnoxious Yvette and boy, are there a lot of suspects. Too bad Dani and her new boyfriend are members of the list of suspects. Turns out that Spencer was once married to Yvette. The list is long and both Dani and Spencer set out to unmask the killer. The puzzle kept me interested every step of the way with enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep me guessing wrong. The small university town setting, not far from Chicago and the people in Dani's life were perfect. Ms.Swanson has written four mystery series that I have enjoyed - Scrumble River, Devereaux's Dime Store, Forever Charmed and Chef-to-Go and I will not hesitate to read her next mystery.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A cozy mystery where the female sleuth doesn't do stupid things to put herself in danger? Right there, that's enough to make it a favorite series.

Winner Cake All is the third book in the Chef-to-Go Mystery series. And while it can be read as a stand-alone, it is better when read as a series. In this book, we get to learn more about Spencer and some of the reasons behind his actions in the previous books. The mystery kept me guessing until the end without being implausible. Overall, an entertaining read.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third installment in the Chef to Go mysteries. In this, Dani is slated to do an engagement party for the owner of the local baseball team; Franklin Whittaker and his new fiancée Yvi. She’s a high maintenance pain, and Spencer’s ex. In the middle for the party, a massive storm hits, and she becomes his dead ex. Who killed her? Who wanted her dead?

The story in this was, like the past, fairly organic- there’s no insta love or instant answer to the problems. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Insta love stories, but this one is better for being a slow burn, and about the mysteries. I liked how the story pushed forward their relationship through open dialogue and that’s how they eventually figured everything out- by talking to each other and paying attention.

Winner Cake All by Denise Swanson is a Chef-To-Go mystery with minor crossovers from her popular Scumble River series. It is every bit as good as Scumble River with its protagonist being a chef who does personal cooking, and daily take away lunches as well as catering. It is a new business so there is plenty going on. Dani Sloan inherited this Victorian mansion from her grandmother's sorority sister. With an apparent eye to the future she had already modernized the kitchen into the ideal place to run a catering business. The rest of the house held three college girls who also helped with the business as part of the rent, and rooms to be remodeled for additional eventual boarders. Everything is going well when a hug gig lands in her lap: an engagement party with promise of the wedding reception and related events. The party is anticipated to have 400 guests; the problem is its two weeks away, and suddenly gets moved up to one week. Dani puts her head down and pulls it off for a huge payday. The moment arrives-the party is in a huge tent, no the regular variety but windows, wooden floors, the whole nine-yards. This guy is rich. Tragedy strikes: there is a storm, a big one, and the tent collapses with people inside it. It seems everyone got out alive, with only minor injuries until the groom carries the body of the bride to the EMTs. She's dead and it appears to be murder.

I must confess to being a hug fan of Denise Swanson. This series/book is as endearing as her Scumble River series with characters and a setting that is every bit as wholesome and endearing as it can be. Dani is not some lithe, gorgeous woman, she is petite but roundish and her boyfriend, Spencer loves her just as she is. She is a terrific housemother to the three college girls, protecting the, disciplining when necessary, and being there with words of wisdom. The setting is Normalton, Illinois, and its name could not be more appropriate. Her home is full of personality, and she is generous and giving, volunteering to cook for the local free dining room, where she also donates leftovers from her business. This is a wonderful new series; with everything a cozy reader needs, including murder. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Winner Cake All by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #winnercakeall

Hi. My name is Mrs. Leaf and I’m addicted to cozy mysteries. Light, quick reads that combine lovable characters, romance and a murder mystery.
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Winner Cakes All was my most recent which I finished this morning. This book, 3rd in the Chef To Go series by Denise Swanson, comes out this Tuesday, Sept 29th.
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Synopsis In short:
Chef caters engagement party
Bride is killed
Who did it?
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I enjoyed this book. It had me guessing to the end and falling in love with the main characters. I have never read the previous 2 in this series so I appreciated that it could be read as a stand alone.
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Thanks you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.
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This is a really fun cozy series to read! Dani is one of the kindest characters I've come across in a very long time. I love all of the other side characters - the three girls who board with and work for her, and of course Spencer. Being a major foodie, I love all of the descriptions of food ... I was halfway expecting there to be recipes in the back! (Maybe there will be some in the finished copy?)

This was a nice, quick, fall-themed mystery to read. I'm a fan of this series! Thanks, Netgalley, for this arc.

Winner Cake All is one of my favorite newer series. Dani has inherited a mansion which has since a chef’s kitchen that she quits work and takes up her dream job as a chef. Three college girls live in the mansion while going to school and working for Dani. In this book, Dani’s newest client is getting ready to be married, starting with her rush engagement party. Interesting side stories evolve throughout the book.

I loved this book. The characters are great and set on a college campus there are always amusing activities going on. I highly recommend.

Dani Sloan's catering business gets a boost when Yvette Joubert hires her to cater her engagement party to wealthy businessman Franklin Whittaker. But when a nasty storm hits the party tent, the dinner is ruined and Yvette is found dead. But was it a tragic accident or murder? Dani is surprised when she learns that Yvette was the ex-wife of her campus security chief boyfriend Spencer Drake. Dani discovers that Yvette was a manipulative woman leaving plenty of other broken male hearts left behind, including Spencer's former best friend, Brock Ortiz.

Dani's suspicions come true and with the help of the police and Whittaker, they set up a trap during Yvette's memorial lunch to get the killer to confess.

This was another enjoyable entry in the Chef-to-go mystery series. One small disappointment is that there are no recipes listed at the end of the book.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press/SOURCEBOOKS with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Mystery fans will not be disappointed. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.