In Wine Tastings are Murder, innkeeper Poppy has an enviable problem. Which of her two love interests should she move forward with? Steady Tim, her former high school sweetheart? Or passionate Gia where you can cut the sexual tension with a knife? Can I have a half order of each to go, please?

Meanwhile, a guest at Poppy’s B & B drops dead during a wine tasting event. And Poppy cooks, a lot. There are seven gluten-free dessert recipes included!

There is something for everyone in Wine Tastings are Murder. A compelling mystery, mouth-watering recipes, and an impossible romantic choice. The characters, especially feisty Aunt Ginny, feel like family. Best of all, the book is hilarious too. It reminds me of early Stephanie Plum books. 5 stars and a favorite.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Spectacularly hilarious, mystery, laugh out loud moments and romance, just my cup of tea.


Poppy McAllister is a riot and I’m kind of disappointed in myself that I have not found the series earlier. The south New Jersey wine tour has partnered with Butterfly Wings Bed and Breakfast to deliver a relaxing and fun filled time.
Poppy and Aunt Ginny are Hosting an eccentric group of characters with personality for days, a few hangups and even a teacup Pomeranian. All set to be a fantastic time until one of the guests mysteriously passes away during a wine tasting.

I have never met a more entertaining cast of characters within a cozy mystery. Poppy is caught up between choosing between two men in her life, one of her guests being murdered, A Pomeranian that thinks he can do no wrong, a crazy Aunt that may be more mysterious than the mystery itself, a cat that is in retaliation for a dog being in its home. That combined together with some amazing characters and a list of suspects that keeps you guessing on every end. Aunt Ginny is a hysterical riot. She really does steal the page whenever she’s there. Poppy’s world is on the verge of chaotic but it’s the good kind of chaotic that was thoroughly entertaining and made me want to revisit these characters as many times as possible. Author Libby Klein is brilliant!!

This is the fifth of the Poppy McAllister Mystery series but the first of the series that I have read. It probably would have been better for me to read some of the prior books but I felt that I caught up pretty quickly. Poppy McAllister runs her Aunt Ginny's Bed & Breakfast in Cape May, on the Jersey shore with her aunt. She loves to bake and does some baking on the side for both of her possible beaus, Gia and Tim, (she cannot decide which fellow she likes better) at their businesses. They are hosting a few guests who are in town for a local wine tour while others on the tour are staying elsewhere. When a guest is murdered at a local winery, she is asked by the detective to keep her ears open for clues to the murderer and even has Poppy house the whole tour group. She and her best friend Sawyer work together to find answers but they aren't alone as Aunt Ginny and her old lady friends or biddies want to help out. This is a mystery filled with lots of possible persons of interest and the deceased is not a likable person. The answer to the mystery is not at all as I had thought so that was fun. There is a great cast of characters with the biddies, wacky new chambermaid, and even a guest's small Pomeranian Tammy Faye Baker and Poppy's cat Figaro along with an unusual group of tourists. And there is a shocking end that will make folks want to read the next book.
I enjoyed this story and plan to go back and read the previous stories in the series.
I received a complimentary ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts are mine only.

4.5/5 stars

Book 5 in the Poppy McAllister mystery series is another intriguing, funny, delicious installment.

Okay, let’s get to the juicy murder mystery. Who killed Vince? Well, an easier question would be, who didn’t want Vince dead?! Is it his young, trophy wife? What about his spoilt daughter or her insufferable husband? Wait, other guests in this tour and residents of Cape May knew him too? What? There are suspects, suspects and then more suspects. Maybe a couple of them are connected? Maybe it just seems like they might be? Is everyone who or what they purport to be? While uncovering all these possible suspects, possible motives and trying to figure out just who had the best motive, you’ll also be treated to the investigative shenanigans of Poppy and her friends. Everything comes out in the Miss Marple-esque big reveal towards the end. I loved it!

Whether you want keto, paleo or regular, Poppy has a pastry cooking up to please your palate. I really wouldn’t mind trying some of those cakes and tarts she was busy describing and serving. The food, is certainly featured throughout the story but not in way that detracts from the mystery.

The romance: If you’ve read even one of the books in this series, you’ll know all about the Tim-Gia-Poppy triangle. Ugh! Finally we pretty much come to an end of the drama but there’s a twist. Sigh. I wanted this part of the story properly over and done with and for us to move into Book 6 with a ‘happy’ couple. Ah well, it still makes for some fun stories… for the most part.

Aunt Ginny and her friends are up to their usual antics, even if a bit crazier than usual. Umm, burlesque dancing exercise? My oh my… the visuals. But I dare you to read it and keep a straight face!

Overall Wine Tastings are Murder is another well-plotted, entertaining instalment in this series. I highly recommend it.

This is the 5th installment in the Poppy McAllister series. This was a very clever mystery with lots of twists which made it very hard to find out who the guilty party was. Guests Vince Baker and his trophy wife Sunny are in Cape May to enjoy a romantic getaway and are surprised when his daughter Alyce and her husband Ryan arrive. They are scheduled for their first wine tour the next day at the Laughing Gull Winery where her friend Kim works. When Vince dies at the winery of an apparent heart attack Kim calls Poppy and her friend Sawyer because the police were sent for. Amber (former cheerleader and now detective) is of course aggravated that Poppy is there but later enlists her help as she puts the entire tour group up at Poppy’s and Aunt Ginny’s B&B. A new housemaid, Sunny’s dog Tammy Faye (yep last name Baker..funny) and Aunt Ginny and her friends keep everything humorous. Poppy works with her friends to find out the real culprit but it was not obvious to me as there were clues pointing to everyone at one point or the other. Is Amber thawing towards Poppy? Never sure. There is also the love triangle of Poppy, Gia and Tim and who will she pick. Of course there is always a twist that keeps you hooked for the next installment. Can’t wait.

Wine Tastings Are Murder is Libby Klein’s very enjoyable fifth novel, chock full of madness and mayhem in the ‘Poppy McAllister Mystery’ series. Although I have only read one other book in this series so far, I don’t think this spoilt my enjoyment of this particular one.

Poppy McAllister is a Bed & Breakfast owner and a baker of glorious gluten-free goodies. She and her Aunt Ginny have agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at the Butterfly House Bed & Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey. Things go badly wrong very quickly when Vince Baker, a rich business tycoon and guest on honeymoon with his wife, Sunny, drops down dead...

Forty-odd-year-old, pastry chef, Poppy, the protagonist, lives with her elderly Aunt Ginny and Figaro, her mischievous cat. I found Poppy and many of the other characters very funny and likeable, so much so that I felt as though I would like to spend some time in their company myself! As someone who has read several cozies, Poppy’s Aunt Ginny has become one of my favourite cozy characters. She provided plenty of humour in this book and I love her zaniness, zest for life and her mischievous antics.

I liked that the opening chapters drew me into the story and captured my attention immediately. Although I had to wait a while before an actual murder took place, there was never a dull moment with such a lot going on. The mystery itself was well thought out with plenty of twists and turns as I puzzled over the clues to discover the perpetrator. With a love triangle and oodles of mouthwatering recipes, some of which contain wine, (the Gluten-Free Moscato Cheesecake Shooters with Drunken Blackberries sound very appealing!) there was plenty to keep the reader entertained.

The book had a natural, steady pace, and even though the murder occurred later than expected in the book, I was kept guessing until the surprising reveal. Delightful and entertaining, Wine Tastings Are Murder is a highly recommended, quick, light read for all cozy mystery fans.

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

This is the fifth book in the Poppy McAllister Mystery Series. I enjoy this series for the humor , great charcters and well crafted sleuth. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

This is one of my favorites of the series. Our protagnist Poppy is running her two successful businesses, her gluten free bakery and her B&B. She has a full house at the B&B for a event when a murder occurs. Aunt Jinny, Poppy and her elderly friends all band together to solve this mysterious murder to save Poppy's reputation and her business. Along the way is a dog vs. cat , many funny antics and a surprising sleuth that kept me guessing to conclusion. A very fun read and the perfect escape from Pandemic stress. I look forward to the next in series.

Poppy McAllister is too busy dodging her two boyfriends, trying to control the mayhem of an out of control puppy and cat and running the Butterfly Wings Bed and Breakfast to get involved in a murder investigation.
But when one of her wine tour guests suddenly dies in the middle of a wine tasting, the local winemaker is blamed. Poppy knows that he is innocent and her friends in the small coastal community would be ruined if he is arrested.
Now Poppy has to work with the local police detective she knew as a teen to get to the truth.
The dynamics between the group of tourists in the wine tour are skilfully teased out in this contemporary murder mystery. It soon seems that every one of them had a reason to dislike the victim, Vince Baker, but who killed him?

This entertaining story put a smile on my face from beginning to end. A wide variety of interesting characters. Clever murder mystery. I look forward to reading the next one in this charming series.

This is the fifth book in the Poppy McAllister Mystery. My only criticism is the dragging out of love triangle. For heaven’s sakes make a choice already! This is resolved at the end of the book with a surprising twist I did not see coming but had a feeling from clues in the book.

I loved the humor interspersed throughout the story. Poppy’s thoughts had me rolling with laughter.
If Aunt Ginny were my aunt, we would have set boundaries long ago.
So, there is a wine tasting tour with some of the participants staying at Aunt Ginny’s Inn. On the tour, one of Poppy’s/Aunt Ginny’s guest is murdered. The hunt is on for who committed the murder. There are plenty of suspects. I enjoyed all the twists and turns on this roller coaster.
I recommend this series.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

It's vintage Poppy McAllister when the gluten-free baker and B&B owner tries to solve a murder at a Cape May winery . . .

When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch. Grumpy guest Vince Baker should be in a better mood—he’s filthy rich and on his honeymoon with his much younger wife Sunny, who seems to dote on him almost as much as her high-spirited teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker.

But the honeymoon is over when Vince drops dead the next day touring the Laughing Gull Winery. Turns out he's been poisoned, and it seems like everybody on the tour is hiding something. Now Poppy has to put her gluten-free baking on the back burner and bottle up her feelings for the two men in her life while she charges after a bitter killer with a lethal case of sour grapes . . .
Amazon.com

Whatever you do, don’t read this book when hungry. Libby Klein’s descriptions of blue cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates; toasted baguette slices infused with orange olive oil, topped with half a fig and goat cheese; and chocolate mousse tartelettes will induce you to buy out the gourmet section at the grocery. Wine Tastings are Murder debuts on December 1. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Murder, mayhem, and chaos are typical at the Cape May B & B and in that milieu, Poppy must decide between beaus. Will she choose Tim, her high school sweetheart or Gia, the kind Italian? Meanwhile, Aunt Ginny and her cohorts are up to something that involves muscular aches and pains, stupefying Poppy, who observes them sitting on bags of frozen vegetables. And then, erroneous alerts and answers to unasked questions spout from Zalexa, the new electronic gadget gifted to Aunt Ginny.

The Poppy McAllister mystery series is a joy to read. In comparison to Poppy’s dilemmas, your stress level will deflate. Please welcome Libby Klein back to WWK. E. B. Davis

Do you own an Alexa-like devise? Have you developed a satisfactory relationship with her yet or does she make you want to swear? Does she embarrass you in front of guests?
I have several Alexas. We have a love hate relationship. At least once a week I check on a timer to hear her respond that there are no timers set - when I know I clearly set a timer. She drives me crazy with her selective hearing. She hasn’t embarrassed me yet, but she is often used against me as a fact checking resource. I need to find a way to program her to agree with me when she hears my husband’s voice.
Tim creates a sign for his restaurant Maxine’s in the form of a female crab named Maxine. Is Tim aware that the crab has attributes of a woman that isn’t Poppy? I don’t think he is. Tim is very focused on making his restaurant successful and he’ll do whatever it takes to draw people in. He is a good example of how we can get tunnel vision and miss the cues around us that something is off.

Why doesn’t Aunt Ginny want to marry her beau Royce? Aunt Ginny has been married five times. She’s not ready to give up her free-wheeling lifestyle and settle down again. Her days of sharing the remote and doing a man’s laundry are behind her - at least for the time being…

Poppy reacts when Tim says he wants her to work for him every day. Poppy reacted to “everyday.” I reacted to his use of the word “for.” Wasn’t theirs supposed to be a partnership, like their relationship? They were always going to be equal partners, in business and romance. A lot of time has passed and they’ve had a few bumps along the way to finding out if they have a future together. It’s possible that we see both of them reveal a side to their true feelings in the use of those words you’ve pointed out. It’s something they’ll have to overcome if they’re meant to be together.

Victory, Poppy’s new chambermaid, passed three requirements to get the job. What were they? She was available. She had a valid work visa. And she wasn’t spooked away by Aunt Ginny and Figaro’s antics. That last one is harder to pass then you might think.

Are cliques now squads? Why the change in terminology?
Cliques exclude others from being a part of the group because they aren’t good enough or cool enough to be friends with. A squad is your group of best friends, but you’re also open to having new friends join the group.

Figaro keeps Poppy on her toes. Does your cat play head-games with you? How do you know for sure? My cat is very naughty. She keeps finding new and creative ways to get what she wants. Her newest trick is pressing the buttons on an air purifier next to my bed until the beeping wakes me up. The first time was a happy accident. Every time after that has been carefully calculated to annoy me.

Birthday boobs? And what might they be? That’s when a rich girl gets breast implants for her 18th birthday. I think I got a diaper bag.

There are TSA dogs in Hawaii that sniff for fruit? Yes. Absolutely. Illegal fruit? What is illegal fruit? Customs is very strict about what you can take on and off the island. How do they train the dogs to sniff fruit without eating it? I have no idea, but I’d love to know the answer to that. How do they differentiate between fruit and illegal fruit? Maybe they go to fruit trafficking school and sniff contraband papaya all day. I don’t think you can take fresh fruit onto or off the island with the exception of Dole pineapple. Maybe they spray that with something to make it safe. We’ll have to ask the dogs to be sure.

Poppy doesn’t react well when Gia hires a young redhead to work the coffee bar. Does she really think Gia will trade her in for a newer model? Poppy’s self esteem is tenuous at best. She’s making great strides in self-acceptance, but a younger, skinnier red head would be a challenge for the strongest of egos.

I grew up going to Ocean City, NJ for vacation. Is Morrow’s Nut House still around? It was there last year. I didn’t get to visit this year because of the pandemic, so I don’t know if Covid has made any drastic changes to the area landmarks. I hope everyone has weathered the storm. I ordered ingredients from a few places in Cape May to put in my recipes for the next book so I’m doing my small part to keep them around.

Guests named Baker check into the B & B with a teacup Pomeranian named Tammy Faye. Which is bigger, Figaro or Tammy Faye? Figaro is bigger than a teacup pom. Which animal is innocent? Neither.

Sunny Baker looks like a gold digger. She’s much too young for her husband. She’s a stay-at-home wife. But when her daughter-in-law and social media lifestyle bogger, Zara, gang up on Sunny, she defends herself well by saying, “I thought women fought for the right to make their own choices in life and not have someone else tell them how they should live.” I felt like applauding Sunny. Is judging Sunny harshly too easy? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. No one is one-dimensional. The characters in my books are rarely what they seem. I hope they surprise you.

Is there a bridge to Cape May? There are two bridges. One from North Cape May that leads to West Cape May, and one at the end of the Garden State Parkway – Exit Zero. Cape May is a man-made island.

Victory has uniform problems, but that’s not her biggest problem. Why does Poppy find Victory asleep all the time? Victory has narcolepsy. That was not mentioned on her job application.

I think we all have had cheerleader problems. Did you? I definitely did. The cheerleaders were the mean girls in my school. That’s not to say that I have a bitter grudge against all cheerleaders. My daughter and granddaughters were cheerleaders, and they were wonderful. I think people are individuals. Bullying and shallowness are not caused by pompoms, but they sure ran rampant in my small neck of the woods.

Who really said, “With great power comes great responsibility”? Uncle Ben. A character in Spider Man. You can ask Alexa. She’ll tell you.

Why does Poppy’s best friend Sawyer think Poppy is cursed? Because it’s not normal to keep finding murder victims. Don’t Google this. Just take my word for it.

Is there a recipe for strawberries in chocolate balsamic glaze? Chocolate balsamic vinegar can be found in gourmet and specialty stores. Just drizzle the chocolate balsamic over the strawberries. It’s delicious over ice cream too.

How much do people need to have in common to make a relationship work? I don’t think there’s a simple answer for this. The only constant is that it takes a lot of hard work to make a relationship endure, and it isn’t always as fun or easy as Hollywood makes it look.

What is keto flu? The temporary detox effect of your body kicking sugar and going through withdrawals from a lack of simple carbohydrates. You feel like you have the flu for a few days. The more sugar you are used to eating before you cut it out, the worse you feel while you adjust. It’s like drinking four cups of coffee a day then cutting out caffeine cold turkey. I get terribly loopy after a vacation or holiday when I go back to no sugar.

Even though Poppy’s high school nemesis (cheerleader) turned detective Amber wants to keep the suspects together by having them stay at Poppy’s B & B, surely Poppy should be able to charge them. Why does she take on the burden and do it for free? Amber can’t make them stay anywhere they don’t want to stay unless they’ve been officially charged with a crime. The detective saying, “Don’t leave town” is only a thing in television and movies. Poppy is trying to garner a little good will with the police by working with them to provide a way to keep the suspects in town during the investigation. Free lodging at a beach B&B would be hard to pass up. And no one wants to make themselves look suspicious by refusing the generosity.

I was so happy with the ending until you dropped the bomb. What is next for Poppy and Aunt Ginny? So many delightfully horrible things. Beauty Expos Are Murder comes out next summer and it picks up moments after Wine Tastings ends. You’ll get to see how Poppy handles the men in her life, and whether or not she chooses to move forward with romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Libby Klein and Kensington Books for the ARC of the book Wine Tastings Are Murder. This is my personal review.
Wine Tastings Are Murder is book 5 in the series Poppy McAllister Mysteries.
Poppy is with us again with her entire group of friends and this book is full of so much of everything you just can not put it down.
This one has you laughing when Aunt Ginny has her interaction with “Alexa”! I laughed out loud reading this part of the story!
The murder is solved but I sure did not see who the murderer was until the very end! Good job on throwing the curveballs in to the murder investigation!
The recipes at the end are a wonderful bonus! I can not wait for the next book in the series.

The previous books in the Poppy McAllister Mysteries are full of humor, wit, and intrigue. Wine Tastings Are Murder is no different, making an excellent fifth book in the series! I love Poppy and her Aunt Ginny, and their new B&B by the sea. When one of the guests in their happy hour event winds up dead under suspicious conditions, Poppy can't help but indulge her curiosity and conduct her own investigation. This story moved at just the right pace, was hard to put down, and kept me guessing til the very end.... all things I enjoy in a great mystery. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a well written story with a realistic protagonist and some hearty chuckles throughout. Can't wait for the next Poppy book!

I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Poor Poppy!! She's got her hands full (again)! Not only does one of her guests gets himself murdered (you think she’d be used to this by now), but her cat is still naughty as all get out, Aunt Ginny is loopier than ever, Alexa has caused heaps of trouble (well, that was mostly Aunt Ginny’s fault), and to top it all off she still on that godforsaken gluten free diet!! What could be worse than all of that? You’ll have to read Wine Tastings are Murder to find out!!
Not only does this book contain a well-planned mystery but the author also threw in lots of humor, a love triangle, and oodles of mouthwatering recipes (which ALL contain…you guessed it…WINE)!!
I highly recommend this series if you want to laugh your butt off while reading a fun cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end! I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!
***NOTE-Do yourself a favor and read the previous books in this series BEFORE reading this one. You won’t want to miss a single morsel of this binge-worthy series!!

"Wine Tastings Are Murder" the 5th instalment in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series by Libby Klein. I love this series and I think this was best one yet.

I love visiting the Jersey Shore and Poppy, Sawyer, Aunt Ginny, and the "Biddies"! Plus we cant forget about her mischievous cat, Figuro! This time around a tiny fluff ball called Tammy Faye joins in the chaos at the B&B not to mention Alexa insert laughing...

I found the mystery was well written and paced with lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing to the end. I can’t wait till the next instalment comes out and finding out what Poppy does next after declaring her love. What a surprise ending didn’t see that coming!

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This series always makes me laugh and drooling over the competition for Poppy's heart by Tim and Gia. I think I have mentioned I am Team Gia all the way, but will he do what it takes to win her heart? We do get to find out at the end of the book which one she chooses, but there is a bit of twist when she informs the lucky guy that he is her love. Let's just say it was a bit of a jaw-dropper for me but that is all I'm going to say and you will need to read the book to learn who she has chosen.

Aunt Ginny and her gaggle of friends are still a hoot and they discover a new interest....but I'm not telling you what that is either because it is quite comical how Poppy learns of this interest. There are some other antics this gang is up to and I like how everything is drawn out over the length of the book and not all at once. I am still quite surprised by what they can come up with to get into a bit of trouble.

The mystery portion was quite intriguing because quite a few potential murderers are discovered and any one of them could have done it. I enjoyed trying to decipher the clues but in the end, I had no idea who killed Vince. There are some very unlikeable characters, Vince included, and I hope that a certain character gets what is coming to him. No hints so as not to spoil anything.

Overall, I have really loved this series and the author leaves me on the hook breathlessly awaiting the next installment for the answer to the twist regarding Poppy's love life, a new adventure, and more delicious recipes to try.

A fun cozy mystery. I would read more in this series. I enjoyed the main character and Aunt Ginny was hilarious.

This novel is part of a series. The protagonist sounds like she is at a crossroad in her life. She is in a love triangle and cannot choose between two men who are interested in her,

And she stumbles on a mystery.

Poppy and her aunt Ginny (and Aunt Ginny's friends) find themselves investigating when Vince, who was a guest at their B&B, is poisoned and dies during a visit to a winery. He and his wife- but more their little dog- had been causing all sorts of issues at the B&B (mostly for Poppy's cat Figaro) but murder? Well, cozy readers know that there will be more than one person who didn't like Vince and that pretty much everyone on the wine tour has a secret. The mystery is only a small part of the novel, though, with perhaps too much attention paid to the cat and, well the romance. Who will Poppy choose? Tim or Gio? I've read all of the books in the series so I have watched the characters develop- I like that Poppy is a, ahem, mature woman. I think it will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't miss the recipes at the end!

Chef Poppy has mixed feelings for Tim and Giampaolo. While trying to run the Butterfly Wings a B&B in Cape May and taking care of Aunt Ginny. Lily Snow is the tour guide, Sunny and Vince Baker checkin for the weekend along with their mini-Pom Tammy Faye.Joining them at the B & B Vince’s daughter Alyce and husband. Alyce feels Sonny only married Vince to get his money. While the tour group is out and about Poppy gets a call from Kim to come to the gift shop right away where they find paramedics trying to revive Vince but they couldn’t. The paramedics think it was a heart attack. Sunny and Alyce the daughter were causing a commotion over the wine tasting upsetting Vince. The tour guide thought she was going to have a riot on her hands with everyone pointing fingers at everyone else. Each person had five glasses of wine with two ounces in each. The paramedics saw something that made them think it was so suspicious they brought in the cops. Kim tells Poppy there has to be someway to help the Baker family and save the winery. Please can you help! So Aunt Ginny declares tomorrow we start investigating. I fun story trying to find the person or persons that caused Vince’s death.