Mobsters, current and past, hilarious and quirky characters, and a murder mystery.... what more can you ask for?!?!?!

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great mystery that kept me guessing until the end, I can't wait to read more.

Did not finish. I wasn't crazy about the first book and wanted to give the 2nd book a chance. This series isn't for me.

It's fun to follow Mia on her adventures. I like the fact she works at a Catering Hall, which is a little different from the typical themed cozy where the heroine is a baker. This was a fast and fun read and cannot wait for the third installment.

I enjoyed reading this second book in the series. Mia and her Family are back solving another murder. In this one Mia's best friend, Nicole, is having a baby. Her stepmother, Tina, is determined to have an over top baby shower at the competing catering hall Versailles. Mia hosts another baby shower. When one of the gifts turns out to be and unwelcome surprise for Tina the police are once again called. Tina is then found floating in the marina near the Belle View. Nicole's family become the prime suspects so Mia sets out to solve the murder. I really enjoy the Belle View setting and all the fun characters. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. There are lots of suspects, twists and turns to keep it interesting. The writing is good and it is a quick fun read with plenty of humor. I look for word to the next one. Enjoy

This is a cozy mystery, and this is the second book in the Catering Hall Mystery Series. I have to say I really enjoyed the characters, and the mystery of this book was good. This was a fun and funny cozy mystery with great characters. The writing in this book was very good. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corporation) or author (Maria DiRico) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Mia is trying to make a good go at the event place that her father is runing. Even if it was owned by a mobster she wants her father to go clean and stay out of jail so she is going to do her very best to make sure the Belle View Banquet Manor is a success. It would help if they could keep murder of of it.

Mia's friend Nicole is pregnant and she wants Mia to have a baby shower for her, but her stepmom who is always competting with Nicoles mom wants to have one at this fancy rich place. So Nicole is having two showers and things are not going well. Then at the shower hosted at Belle View Tina, the stepmom ends up dead and Mia finds out there is a nice list of people who might have wanted her dead.

I like the characters well enough but none of them stand out really as favorites. It did have a pretty decent mystery and I didn't figure it out until things went down and the MC was figuring things out so that was cool.

This series is decent but it hasn't became a series that I am super invested in but it's only the second book so it might grow on me. It just isn't as good as her other series under her other name.

Mia is excited to be hosting a baby shower for one of her best friends at Belle Vista Banquet Hall and is also interested in seeing the competition when she finds out that Nicole's step-mother will be hosting a baby shower at a competing banquet hall. Nicole gets a very generous gift from her father and her step-mother and their shower, so she isn't expecting one from her at the shower at Belle Vista, but gets two big surprises from her. One that also surprises Tina. This is where the mystery begins and the action doesn't stop until the end. This is a great series and I hope that there will be many more books with Mia and her family.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

Even better then book one! Mia is starting to get the hang of this catering hall business giving it her all. She is excited when her good friend Nicole announces she's pregnant and that there will be a shower. Mia is all over it but has to attend the evil step mothers fancy shower first. It was way to over the top so the second one is more cozy at least until a huge fight breaks out amongst the women of the family. As if that is not bad enough Mia finds the evil woman floating dead outside in the marina after the scene inside. Scrambling to figure out what happened Mia finds herself deep in the investigation which makes for an interesting time. Full of charm and surprise twists we get taken on an adventure as it all plays out making for a great addition to this series. Sure to delight cozy mystery fans. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This is the second book in this series and I have not read the first. I do not think that this effected my enjoyment of this book though. I really enjoyed the writing in this book and really felt that it’s strength lies in good characterisation. There is a good cast of characters around our main protagonist, and I see many pathways that could be developed in future books.
I enjoyed the mystery and found it well paced and an interesting setting of art theft/smuggling.
I think the book ended on a bit of an interesting point and leaves you definitely wanting the next book as i definitely see the seeds planted for further storylines. I read this on a scorching hot summers day as it was my perfect light companion.

There's just something so satisfying about a really well written book that makes you laugh (or emit not very ladylike snorts) and that keeps you engrossed. That's exactly the feeling I had after finishing this delightful cozy. This book has it all.... The Mob, a 20 year old art heist, a murder and the bridal shower from hell. The book is full of absolutely entertaining characters and a well devised storyline. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Mia and her father, an ex mob boss, run a catering hall. They are tasked with throwing a baby shower for Mia's friend Nicole who is caught between her mother and her stepmother. Stepmother Tina throws an elaborate shower at a rival hall which is totally focused on her rather than Nicole. At mother Linda's event Tina stirs up trouble and gets a shock when a previously stolen painting appears on the gift table with her name on it. When Tina is found dead, Linda is the main suspect. Mia sets out to investigate and unearths more mysteries. I enjoyed this book even if the mystery portion was not the strongest. It featured enough red herrings to keep me unsure until the end. I look forward to what the future holds for Mia in the third book.

This was a fun cozy.
The characters draw you in with their personalities, each different.
The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing right to the end and I never did figure out who did it before the end either.
Like mysteries involving the mob and Jersey Shore this is just the book for you.

Pub Date: 23 Feb 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions are my own

Mia Carina is just learning how to run a catering hall, her father's first legitimate business as part of the Family. She's determined to make a go of it in order to make her father proud. But when she attends a baby shower for her friend Nicole, she's stunned by the ostentatiousness of it and can't believe what Nicole's stepmother Tina is thinking. Everything is over the top, and Mia's heart sinks, since she knows her catering hall can't compete with this one.

Still, when it's her turn to have a baby shower given by the mother and grandmother of the bride at her hall, everyone seems happy with it -- at least until Tina arrives and seems to take over completely. Later on, Mia interrupts an argument between Tina and Nicole's mother, Linda, and hopes everything will quiet down. But when the body of Tina is found floating in the water, Linda is the main suspect, and Mia is asked to investigate by her own Italian grandmother and her friends. How can she turn them down?...

This is the second book in the series, and I did enjoy it quite as much as the first. There was one disappointment toward the end, but only because I felt there was a buildup toward something else in the first book. Either way, it did not spoil my enjoyment of the book, nor really change anything too much, so I will have to see how it goes in the third.

When Mia is asked to investigate the murder, she does so reluctantly, because of course, she doesn't want to get involved. But since she's sure that there's something hinky going on with the other catering hall, the people who run it, and she's sure there's a connection to Tina and the painting. But without saying too much more, Mia finds more than she bargained for, and things get a bit more involved than she thought.

There's also a cute subplot involving her grandmother and their new neighbor Phillip that I found quite funny. It weaves in seamlessly, and even Mia gets caught up in it. I do like her nonna and the rest of her family, even her incarcerated narcissistic brother Posi. The author makes the series a delight to read, and the mystery is no less interesting.

When we finally get to put everything together, it's definitely a convoluted twist, but you can see the killer emerging if you look for the clues. I loved the story, the characters, the descriptions of everything Mia sees, and I will keep reading this series and the next can't come soon enough. Highly recommended.

Mia is a strong character who loves her family, even when they get involved in illegal activities, even when they deny they did anything wrong, and she knows they are lying. However, this time, she believes them when they say they had nothing to do with an art heist many years ago. In Long Island Iced Tina, the past comes back to haunt Mia’s friends and family, so she sets out to find the truth.

A stolen art piece shows up at the baby shower of Mia’s friend, Nicole, and Nicole’s step-mother-in-law reacts as if she has been hit by a truck. Shortly after the chaotic shower, Tina’s body is found floating in the river next to Belle View, the event space Mia and her father run. It comes as no surprise that someone murdered Tina, but there is a list of suspects a mile long. Evidence in the murder ties back to an old art heist, and the players involved have reasons to be worried and out for revenge.

The cast of characters all have a good motive, and many do not have alibis, but the finger keeps pointing to the one person it couldn’t have been, and no one, not even the police, can ignore the clues. Every member of this cast is easy to relate to in one way or another; each has a unique quality that makes them irresistible. Mia’s grandmother and father will make readers smile no matter how tense a situation, and even Mia’s brother, incarcerated, can give readers a reason to be happy. The art heist mystery, along with the murder, brings mob and cop together, with Mia, her friends, and her business associates in what could become an explosive situation.

Long Island Iced Tina will leave readers happy and satisfied with the ending. The killer is revealed just in time, and everyone is thrilled not to have a murder hanging over their heads. The art heist is solved after twenty years, and everyone is relieved when the dust settles. This is a delightful book with humor, emotional situations, and a family that loves one another. All of this combines to make this series a must for any cozy reader.

this is book 2 in the Catering Hall cozy series and I really enjoyed catching up with Mia Carina and her friends and family. She and her father are running the Belle View Banquet Manor in Queens, NY. Friend Nicole is pregnant and her family wants to hold the baby shower at Belle View. Nicole's rich step-mother, Tina, is holding a very grand baby shower at another venue. When a stolen painting is unwrapped at the baby shower with a card from Tina the police are called and now Tina is found floating in a pool. Mia and her "reformed mob family" investigate and get caught up in the steamy stolen art world. Can't wait for book 3. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mia’s best friend Nicole is expecting. Of course, the Belle View Catering Hall is the perfect place for a baby shower. Despite feuding mom/stepmom problems, especially stepmom determined to outshine mom, the shower should be a happy success. Well, except for the mom/stepmom loud argument in the bathroom—in front of witnesses. And then Grandma got in on it. Things went downhill from there.

The last gift opened was a painting of a woman riding a cow. It turns out the painting is famous, had been stolen years before, and it’s valuable. Tina is especially shocked to see it. One guest in particular is willing to run her mouth about the original heist. Oddly, neither side of the family knows her.

When Mia arrives at work the next day, there’s a lump of red fabric floating in the water beside the catering hall. Another dead body, one that won’t be mourned by many. With so many people happy to hear about the death, will the police be able to sort it out? Not without the help of Mia. After all, her Family is under suspicion, too. Yes, capital F as in Mob Family. The Belle View is legit, and Mia intends for it to stay that way.

Mia is a delight, surely someone you’d want for a best friend. Her wannabe relationship with Jamie is resolved, the new hire (a favor to one of the Families) is a disaster—is he a hopeless mess or a saboteur? For a fun time (except for the bodies), good food (even when the food orders are wrong), and a big dose of Noo Yawk (can’t you just hear the accent?), this is the perfect read.

This is book two of three. Here Comes the Body was reviewed here. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, available for pre-order now, will be out in October. Ellen Byron also writes the Cajun Country mysteries, seven in all, reviewed here.

At the back of the book, find recipes for Easiest Lasagna Ever, Potato and Beet Salad (Mia was surprised at how good it is), Honey Phyllo Rollups, and Cannoli Cake, plus a tip for fun party favors.

Having read the first of the series, I knew what I was getting into this time. The book lived up to the tone and style of the previous instalment. The plotline differed a little.
In the previous visit, we made our acquaintance with Mia Carina, trying to keep her father's legitimate business afloat so that he doesn't veer back into crime (That's the Family with the big F).
This time it's all about baby showers. There are to be two big ones, one to be conducted by Mia and the other by a flashier fancy establishment. During the unfolding of these two events, things start to strike people as out of the ordinary. It is only when a body shows up that the investigation begins in full force. The humour is subtle in the sense that it is blended in during the narrative but is loud in its content. I chuckled at a few things myself. The investigation is done in a very civilized manner: following clues in order and eliminating suspects while simultaneously adding people to their suspect list! We have a few interpersonal relationships explored and even new groundwork laid on for the next. The writing is simple and to the point, while maintaining the emotional depth of the characters' interactions with family and friends. I definitely want to pick up the next!
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers; the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This was such a fun cozy! I actually enjoyed this installment more than the first one. This was a fun and funny cozy with great characters. The plot was well paced, and I could not guess who the killer was!