I have never been to Mackinac Island, but every time I read a book in this series I am that much more determined to get there. This is the 8th book in this series and while it's not necessary to do so, you will enjoy them more if you read them in order. Allie is renovating the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop and staying at her friend Frances' apartment until the work is done. Allie gets a mysterious note with a request for a meeting, but when she arrives all she finds is a dead body. There are so many twists and turns as Allie works to uncover who the murderer is. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the characters, and of course there are some wonderful recipes included.

I have never been to Mackinac Island, but everytime I read a book in the Candy Coated Mystery series I am instantly transported to the island. The authors descriptions are so vivid that I can just picture being there and hanging out with Allie, her dog Mal, and all the colorful islanders, solving mysteries and making delicious fudge.
And the recipes at the end of each chapter sound delicious. Highly Recommend this book and the whole series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas by Nancy Coco
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: October 27, 2020

Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas is the eight book in the Candy-Coated Mysteries series by Nancy Coco. I have not read the previous books in the series and was relieved that this was easy to get into as a standalone novel.

This story had a great storyline, sweet characters, a small town Christmas theme. I loved the characters and thought the story and mystery were great.

I look forward to reading the other books in the series!


I'm so grateful to Nancy Coco, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas is in the air and Allie McMurphy finds time to enjoy the festivities while also managing repairs at her historic Mackinac hotel and making fudge for her fudge shop. But when someone is murdered a big secret comes out and now Allie is trying to help a friend through a trying time and figure out what is going on before others are hurt.

The setting was well done and there were a lot of viable suspects so I was coming up with theories until the end. I also was amused by the group of senior ladies who were ready and willing to investigate even if it meant bending the law a bit. This is the 8th book in A Candy-Coated Mystery series and I have enjoyed them all. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas by Nancy Coco is the 8th book in the Candy Coated Mystery series, and another great adventure. Allie McMurphy owns and runs the fudge shop and the historic McMurphy Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan. Allie and her dog Mal, have a reputation of discovering dead bodies, and they find a dead women face down in the snow. Allie is busy making fudge for Christmas orders, monitoring the remodeling and searching for the killer. The mystery was full of twists and turns, and is fast paced and has well developed characters and plot. This book has mystery, romance, and humor, which I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more books by this author, and can't wait for the next one in the series. I strongly recommend this book and this whole series, for anyone who love cozy mystery books with darling animals.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Do NOT read this book on an empty stomach! All that talk about FUDGE, will have you craving some extra quick, especially since nancy is kind enough to include LOTS of recipes for you to try! LOL. This is a fun little cozy mystery that was an easy way into the series, with the aftermath of a building collapse, Allie is doing her best to get through the holiday rush and keep up her spirits, while missing her grandfather.but her friend are there to provide some much needed fun, until suddenly Frances is taken into custody and there's a mystery to solve. The book will have you wanting to go visit the island (but NOT during winter, LOL), and it's a fun quick read, that helps to get you into the holiday spirit!

This is a charming cozy mystery series that I love to return to with each new release. This is the 8th in series and is a delightful read. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own. This is a Christmas theme edition with fun holiday theme foods and atmosphere. The lighting festival and the fun addition of shopping for Christmas trees make for a fun pre Christmas read. The author included receipes that are scrumptious and perfect to make for the holidays.

We return to our protagnist Allie and her fudge shop on Mackinac Island. Allie is preparing her shop for the holidays and enjoying the holiday theme decorations and festivities on the island. She is busy amid renovations at her hotel and staying with a friend until her hotel and apartment at the hotel are finished. When she finds a mysterious note at her door to meet up with a stranger she decides to meet the person and find out what she wants. She takes her trusty companion her Maltipoo who finds a women in the snow . The women is dying in a snowdrift who utters one last word , the name Frances. Every the savvy investigator Allie pursues the last clue and knows that the Frances she knows is a kindhearted person who would never hurt another person. Together with her friends, Frances husband and her skills she works to clear Frances and find the real killer.

I love this holiday theme mystery. The charcters area ll enjoyable and add to the series. The sleuth was well crafted and enjoyable to conclusion. I highly recommend this fun cozy series .

Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas is the 8th book in the Candy-Coated Mysteries series.

This was my 1st in this series. Although it was book eight, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events and it worked for me as an individual story. Protagonist and Historic McMurphy Hotel And Fudge Shop owner, Allie McMurphy was a great character who I liked immensely from the very first chapters. She was smart and focussed though sometimes inclined towards recklessness. The setting on Mackinac Island, Michigan was well described by Nancy CoCo. There was no shortage of engaging chapters so I was thoroughly invested in finding out what would happen next. The great cast of characters, especially Allie's friend Frances, who offered her a place to stay while renovations were being completed at the hotel and fudge shop, helped to zhoosh up this festive cozy. The author really impressed me with her fluid writing; the details of the plot were very well-executed, and the story was amusing and easy to follow. I was kept guessing until the very end and really enjoyed this Yuletide yarn.

I’m not sure why I have waited so long to try this series, but I am delighted I now have! There are quite a few instalments to catch up on and I can’t wait to visit Allie and her Bichonpoo, Mal (short for Marshmallow) on Mackinac Island again. If you adore a solid Crimbo cozy whodunit with lots of yummy fudgy references, don't miss out on Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas.

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

Allie is preparing for Christmas and filling fudge orders from Frances’ old apartment while the McMurphy is being repaired after the roof collapse in book 7 Fudge Bites.
Allie finds a girl, Kayla, whom she barely knows in a snowbank. Later Kayla dies and it is from poison. Then Allie’s upstairs neighbor at the apartment dies also from poison. This is a troubling mystery because the police think Frances was involved.
There is snow and power outages and problems with Rex’s second ex-wife.
This was a good mystery, well written and engaging. I am troubled with timeline though. In the book supposedly Allie has only been on Mackinac for a year, and this is her first winter there.
The problem with the timeline is that the author has written two other winter stories for this series - “All I want for Christmas is Fudge” and “ Deck the Halls with Fudge”. It seems like there has been at least a couple of years on Mackinac.
I really like the story. However, I did deduct a star, because if you are creating a timeline with a series you need to keep all books and novellas in the same timeline and progress time properly.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This is a new to me author, although it didn’t take me too long to unearth that this is book 8 in a much beloved series. That being said I didn’t find I was lost at all, maybe I would understand current relationships more had I read the previous books first, but honestly I think the author does a good job of enabling you to read this as a stand alone if you wish.
The plot was interesting and kept me guessing- I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t guess who done it in this one. There’s plenty in this book to make you feel hungry and forget the diet, with recipes at the end of each chapter- make just try one or 2 out this week while the kids are off school.
Overall I really enjoyed it and hats off to Kensington for another fabulous cover that just has me reaching again and again for their cozy mysteries- love them.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. What could be better then spending Christmas at Mackinac Island. While Allie is staying with a friend while her place is being remodeled., she receives a strange note. To meet at noon. When she leaves to meet the individual who wrote the note, she finds a woman was killed. This book kept me interested from the first page until the last one.

When we last saw Allie, the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop were in semi-ruins and Allie was moving in with Rex. Now the McMurphy will soon reopen and Allie never had a chance to move in with Rex. One of his three ex-wives has moved in with Rex since she has a stalker, but now the ex plans to make the move permanent. I didn't think the ex has consulted Rex. Poor Mal finds the victim mentioned in the back cover description. Then again Mel finds most of the victims in each book. The death ends up revealing a secret that one of the characters that has been hiding for decades. While the main mystery is wrapped up, there is two subplots that to me aren't quite wrapped up, plus there is a new man on the island that Allie seems to be interested in.

Back on Mackinac Island Allie McMurphy, along with her employees and best newlywed friends Frances and Douglas Devaney, are trying hard to get the repairs finished before the holidays. The hotel and fudge shop sustained major damage, and her crews are working hard to get done before the holiday.
When Allie receives a note on the door of the apartment she’s staying in, Frances’ former apartment, she goes at the appointed time thinking the note was for Frances, only to find a young woman dying. Her last word was Frances, making her a suspect. Another person soon dies of the same cause and the police are looking hard at Frances. Allie and most of the town don’t believe it and are determined to find the killer, putting Allie in their cross hairs and almost costing her her life. Ms. Coco weaves an entertaining intrigue with memorable characters.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC and offer my opinion gratis.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

First off, I adore this series. It always makes me want fudge, and it has a bichonpoo in it. Come on, doesn't that sound like heaven? Well, it sure does sound good to me, and it has me coming back to this series over and over. In fact, when I finished this one, I went back and read others in the series that I had missed originally. I love going back to Mackinac Island, even for a short, sweet visit.

Of course Allie has to clear her friend's name, and does so eventually. It wouldn't be a cozy without the small town detective and their inexplicable drive to find a murderer. I've always said these books depend entirely upon their characters, and this is no exception. You love Allie, and you want her to be happy. Yes, there is murder and death, but mostly there is friends and family, and the small mundane things that make up the everyday. I just love it!

A great series, if you're thinking of starting them. They can be read in any order, but I do recommend the first ones so you can grow with Allie. Five stars!

Nothing like Christmas on Mackiinac. Another murder, another mystery has Allie snooping where she doesn't belong. Still a fun story, although I do wish Allie and Jen would get their love lives sorted out. Pretty sure an earlier book had Jenn and Shane engaged, although somehow they're not really together anymore in this book, and the last book had Mella as the cat of someone else. Again, somehow the cat is Allie's again. The lack of continuity aside, it really is enjoyable to read about Mackinac at Christmas. It makes you want to experience it for yourself! Looking forward to the next book!

Allie wants peace and quiet for the holidays- she's living in her friend Frances' apartment while repairs are being make to her hotel and fudge shop after it blew up in the last book! Don't worry if you didn't read that one (or any in the series) as CoCo will catch you up. This isn't about that- it's really about Frances, who has a secret, a big one, which comes out when Kayla is murdered. And found by Allie and her loyal pooch. And when Kayla's last word was "Frances." Geez. Allie is certain she didn't do it but she can't quite convince her love interest Officer Rex Manning. At least not at first. He's got his own problems, btw, which are really their problems because his ex is back in the picture. Yikes. This is a classic cozy with good characters and it's fun to see Mackinac Island at Christmas. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. CoCo has written enough twists to keep you guessing (in both plot lines) and opened up a new set of options for the next one (which I'm looking forward to very much.).

Another great book for the Candy Coated series. Well written and entertaining plot. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Mackinaw Island has always fascinated me. Reading about it and the characters and the places made this story just a little bit extra fun. And Christmas, oh, yes.
Murder by fudge is a new one for me, but fit the locale and characters. I always try to have at least a hint of who done it, but this one had me fooled the whole way. Even the ladies of the book club were fooled.
And now I want fudge!

I love this book. I am beginning to love her book's haven't read to many of here's, what I have read I have been loving so far. I love the character's the title, the story and the cover. I can't wait to read more or her book's. I got this copy from netgalley.

This is my first Allie McMurphy story. Although it is the eighth in the series. It is a stand alone story. There are several side stories that are carried over from the previous novel. Such as the renovation of the McMurphy Hotel. The roof fell in in the last novel.

Allie follows the directions in a note left on the door of the apartment she is borrowing, from her friend and employee Frances. When she goes to meet a mystery person at the preparations of the holiday light display she finds a dead body. Frances becomes the prime suspect.

France is withholding information from her friends. She has history. Does it relate to this murder or is it just a way to deflect from the killer. Allie is walking a fine line between solving the mystery and protecting her friends privacy.

This is a Christmas themed installment of the series. I enjoyed the sddition of fudge recipes with in the story. Sub plots are Allie meeting a possible new love interest bas well as dealing with feelings and fall out from her previous two relationships. One of which is the local law enforcement official. Which only complicates her endeavors to solve the crime.

I liked the "book club" ladies. The senior ladies who invade not only Allie's apartment but the second crime scene. The site of a second homicide by Poison. I love this genre, cozy mysteries. The fact that it contains a food theme as well as a book club only adds to the likability in my opinion.