"Grand Openings Can Be Murder" by Amber Foyer is a thrilling mystery that takes readers on a journey alongside Felicity Koerber, a resilient woman who is determined to pursue her dream of opening a bean to bar chocolate factory. Returning to Galveston Island after a difficult year, Felicity sees her chocolate factory as a way to honor the memory of her late husband and find happiness again. However, her grand opening takes a dark turn when one of her employees is found dead, and Felicity becomes a prime suspect in the eyes of her ex-boyfriend, who is now a police officer.

As Felicity races against time to clear her name and save her business, she finds herself entangled in a web of mysteries surrounding the murder victim's life. With the threat of another hurricane looming over Galveston, Felicity must navigate treacherous waters both in her investigation and in her personal life. Reluctantly teaming up with Logan Hanlon, a puddle-jump pilot who enters her life at the wrong time but may hold the key to her innocence, Felicity must unravel the truth before the evidence is washed away.

Amber Foyer crafts a suspenseful and atmospheric tale, capturing the essence of Galveston's history and its tumultuous relationship with the ocean. Readers will be captivated by the intricacies of Felicity's investigation, rooting for her as she faces challenges and grapples with her own vulnerabilities. "Grand Openings Can Be Murder" is a delightful blend of mystery, romance, and a love letter to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

this was a great start to a mystery series, it had a great premise and followed through with it. I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the characters.

Felicity has recently moved and opened up a chocolate factory. On opening night, an employee drops dead, and unfortunately, Felicity is suspected for murder by her ex-boyfriend who's now a cop. Felicity and her rabbit work to clear her name. They also make some friends, and maybe more than friends, along the way.

This story was so much fun! I can't wait to read more in this series because I'm sure Felicity and her friends are going to have more trouble to get into and out of.

A fun first in series! I really enjoyed the personalities of the characters and loved that there was a bunny rabbit instead of the typical cozy mystery cat or dog! Also, you can't go wrong with a chocolate theme and the descriptions of the different chocolates that the main character was selling in her shop was really interesting. Don't try to figure out the solution to the mystery because there are lots of red herrings that will keep you guessing until the very end! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Felicity couldn’t believe she was the number one suspect in the mysterious death of one of her employees, her ex was determined to pin the deed on her, what a jerk, no wonder she had dumped him, It was clear he was punishing her, for dumping him back in their high school days.
She needed to do her own investigating or else all her hard work would be lost, so with the help of her new, and attractive bodyguard, she began following and sifting out clues about her employee. She learned some surprising and puzzling things about her employee.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! It was a delight to read! I'll be posting my full review on Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon!

A classic cozy mystery, entertaining and engrossing.
I liked the setting, the fleshed out characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It's such a joy to start a new cozy mystery series and this book, the 1st instalment in Amber Royer's Bean to Bar Mystery series, is no exception! In Grand Openings Can Be Murder set in Galveston Island, Texas, Felicity Koerber has moved back to her small hometown to open a chocolate factory and shop. It's a dream she has shared with her late husband, Kevin, for many years. However, on the opening day of Felicity's new shop called Greetings and Felicitations, an old flame turns up, the dead body of one of her employees is discovered and Felicity is considered one of the suspects.

This is a riveting cozy, rich in intrigue, mystery and plot twists. The police are called in to investigate and Felicity is eager and determined if not experienced in sleuthing. I warmed to her character very early on and found her extremely down-to-earth, with a terrific attitude, though a tad reckless. The novel covers the process of making chocolate which I found fascinating, also detailing Felicity’s travels to buy the beans for the chocolate-making, allowing for added dimension.

Amber Royer's writing style is imaginative and the story has a great flow. Although I have never visited Texas, I thought the author did a brilliant job of transporting me there and I felt the charm of the picturesque Galveston whilst slowly working my way through a box of chocs as I read. The many and varied, colourful characters brought depth to the tale including Felicity's circle of friends, her aunt and uncle and, of course, her bunny, Knightley. I enjoyed the back and forth between Felicity and the town's investigating police officer and high school love, Arlo Romero and the vivid characters all had something to contribute to the story. With several twists in this engaging mystery, there were a couple of surprises. Very highly recommended.

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

I thought this book started out on the slow side but I found myself staying up way too late to finish it. I read it in one sitting.

Felicity is a recent widow who is trying to rebuild her life in her hometown of Galveston, TX and opening her and her late husband's dream bean-to-bar chocolate shop. Unfortunately, during her grand opening party one of the staff is murdered and Felicity is a suspect. To make things worse, the investigating detective is her old high school boyfriend and he still carries a grudge. Felicity has to solve the crime to get her shop and her life back before the bad publicity ruins her shop.

I liked all the chocolate making information in here, it is clear the author did her research and it felt very authentic. I like niche cozies and this is one that has not been explored very often. Felicity is a determined character and some of the book was a little funny with her adding and removing suspects from her list, sometimes bordering on the absurd.

I would definitely read another book in this series.

#netgalley

When I started this book I wasn't quite sure I was going to enjoy it, I felt like the characters didn't act naturally but as the novel progressed I felt like the characters became more 3dimenaionsal and I definitely enjoyed the book.

An enjoyable read that is a decent whodunit
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Grand Openings Can Be Murder was quite a fun read. I went into it expecting a gritty mystery novel that had the sweeter notes of being set in a chocolate shop but got something slightly different. Although both of those points were true, and it was easy to read and follow, I sometimes felt like there was too much information.

As much as I appreciated a lot of the chocolate-making parts to the story, the crime fan in me just wanted more detail on the murder and mystery that this novel is centred around.

I also found that some of her interactions with Arlo, her high school ex-boyfriend to be a bit...typical? Although Felicity still holds onto the love of her late husband Kevin, I found it a bit frustrating when she assumed that Arlo was holding onto something from their relationship so many years ago. But that's just me 🤷🏻‍♀️

The whole time reading this, I pictured it in a TV show. Very similar to Desperate Housewives where it's quite witty in places, gritty in others and a good balance between character and plot driven.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who's in for an easy going read. And although it's around 520 pages it doesn't feel too much of a slog. A good read overall.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this copy of #GrandOpeningsCanBeMurder!
💘

New author for me. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the 2nd book in the series. If you haven't read it yet. I highly recommend it

Grand Openings Can Be Murder is a book set on an island about a girl named Felicity. We look at the start-up of Felicity's business, Greetings and Felicitations, which she started in memory of her deceased husband. The story starts at the first grand opening where one of Felicity's employees mysteriously falls down and dies in the middle of the grand opening. At first, Felicity is the Prime Suspect in this murder but she is quick to take the case into her own hands and investigate who it was who killed her employee. After Felicity is nearly killed the first time, she gets a bodyguard who not only protects felicity but also helps her with her investigations. It is not long until Felicity gets the idea that her employee was accidentally killed and it was herself who the murderer wanted to kill.

This book is centrally themed on chocolate, which is what Felicity's business is about and it offers the reader some pleasure when thinking about the tastes described in the book. This book would be a good book for a chocolate lover and the chocolate theme is what makes this book unique. I have never read a book which has been centrally themed on Chocolate. When you add the murder mystery aspect to the book, this again heightens the enjoyment of reading the book and in a way takes you on two adventures at the same time. You have everything a murder mystery novel would give you as well as the pleasure of unique tastes of chocolate. Blogging is also a theme in the novel which plays a minor yet important role in the story.

I like this book how to start with it takes us on a tour of Felicity's life but then also follows her on the investigations of the murder case. Throughout the book, there are moments when you the reader along with the characters in the book think you know who the murderer is, however, the writer soon kicks in some plot twists which makes you change your mind. When reading this book, I as the reader along with the characters could never guess who the murderer was until the end of the book and it was the last person anyone could expect. The plot twists made this book very gripping which is fantastic and kept making me think who the murderer could be. I also like how the writer could combine something with such pleasant connotations, the chocolate, with something with such unpleasant connotations, murder, and so it was an interesting mix. Finally, I also liked how the book was written in the first person as if it was Felicity writing an account of the events.

Although there are not many dislikes to the novel, I did indeed dislike the first chapter or two of the books which although was important providing us background knowledge on the main character Felicity, was a bit dull at times. This dullness however really did not last very long and we were very soon in the more enjoyable parts of the story which really got the plot going.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars meaning this was a good book. The chocolate element was great and the murder mystery element was also fantastic and really kept me interested as the reader. How could a writer throw in so many plot twists? The writer also thought-out very well who the murderer was and it heightened the suspense and fear of the readers and the characters which is very good. I look forward to reading the next book featuring Felicity's life.

Felicity is a young widow who has returned to her hometown of Galveston, Texas to open her dream business: a bean-to-bar chocolate shop called Greetings and Felicitations. But her grand opening is marred by the sudden death of one of Felicity's employees Emma. Felicity is considered a prime suspect by the local police detective who happens to be her ex-boyfriend Arlo since she had caught Emma stealing money from the business account earlier in the week. Determined to clear her name and get her fledging business back on solid ground, Felicity does her own sleuthing with the help of her best friends.

This was a fun debut cozy mystery. The Galveston setting is unique and the author provides vivid descriptions of the historic Strand district, weather and local dining options. The process of how Felicity transforms cacao pods into single-source chocolate was also very interesting for this foodie. Looking forward to reading the next books in this yummy series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and BooksGoSocial with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Felicity has come back home after her husband's death. She's going to run a chocolate shop they had planned but in her hometown where she has friends. She never expected to find one of her employees dead...

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 2nd.

She's shocked to found out the detective is her boyfriend from high school. They act like they are walking on eggs when they are around each other. He even accuses her of murder.

She decides to figure out who the murderer is so she can get that accusation stopped. She finds a man who was a bodyguard and hires him to help keep her safe.

They arrest a friend of hers (and an employee). She can't believe she did it. And then someone is in her home and shoots at the purse she threw back down the hall.

She keeps checking all the people who knew the victim. She needs her bodyguard now.

It comes down to a dramatic ending. I was surprised by who the killer was...

I really enjoyed this book about a chocolate maker who's returning to start a new life in her home town of Galveston after her husband's tragic death. It combines a great mystery (lots of plausible suspects!) and some romance, as well as the drama of an approaching hurricane. Since I used to live in Galveston, this was of particular interest to me. I thought the portrayal of the events and emotions prior to landfall were mostly accurate. It might have been nice to have a little more inclusion of details of the aunt's restoration of a historic home, but maybe that will appear in a future episode.

Grand Openings Can Be Murder is the first book in the Bean to Bar Mysteries by Amber Royer. The book centers around Felicity Koerber's chocolate shop, Greetings and Felicitations! At the grand opening party, one of Felicity's employees drops dead.--the employee who has been stealing from her. Fingers are pointed in Felicity's direction as the one who has who killed the employee. Felicity hires a bodyguard as her life gets in more and more danger and more people die that are associated with her. Juggling with the opening of her shop and the murder, Felicity is still reeling from and navigating her husband's death as well as trying to survive a potential hurricane. I enjoyed the setting of the book (the chocolate shop) and Felicity's vulnerability and realness. This is a sweet mystery for any mystery lover to read. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book! (This review is also on GoodReads.)

Thank you to NetGalley, Amber Royer and BooksGoSocial for Grand Openings Can be Murder. This is my personal review.
Grand Openings Can Be Murder is the first in series Bean to Bar Mystery Series by Amber Royer.
Felicity Koerber is chocolatier who owns her own business in Galveston Texas. She opened her business after having very rough year. She opens her business because it was a dream her and her late husband had for their future.
After one of her employees dies at the shop on the opening day, she is the focus of the police that she is the guilty party.
The plot had a lot twist and turns but I was able to figure out the guilty party just was not sure of the reason the murders were committed.
The book was a good start to a new series and I look forward to the next in the series.

After the death of her husband Felicity Koerber decided to open the bean to bar chocolate shop that she had her late husband dreamed about. In addition to single origin chocolate bars and sweets that can be made from them, Felicity also wants to sell (rare) books she picked up on her travels or at estate sales. Such as a possible first edition of <em>Sense and Sensibility</em>.

Other than finding the Jane Austen at a bargain, Felicity does not have much luck. She catches one of her employees stealing from her and after the girl promises she will pay everything back, she suddenly dies. During the festive grand opening of Felicity’s shop. Soon enough, Felicity finds herself a suspect in the eyes of former boyfriend and current investigating detective Arlo Romero.

Afraid he’s only going to believe she didn’t do it if she produces the real killer, Felicity sets out to investigate the death of her employee, helped by Logan Hanlon - a former cop - she hired for private security because the real killer seems to be after her.

I loved the cover of this book, the gray and the pink. I’m not so enamoured with the story.

Arlo the detective is an idiot. Not only does he tell Felicity that by sharing incriminating stories about others she is making herself look more guilty, because that’s what the bad guys on Columbo do (a cop that takes his que from TV-detective, no, just no), he also chides her for not sharing certain information about a roommate of one of her employees (What? He should have known this already. It’s called a background check and TV-detectives use them too), plus he was unable to find any information on Logan Hanlon more than a few years back. Logan explains this away by saying he used to go by his middle name, but the police should have been able to find that out.

Felicity isn’t too bright either. She jumps to conclusions a lot. Points fingers before finding out there is a much simpler explanation for the supposed evidence. And she spends about as much time questioning her attraction to both Logan and Arlo (oh, but I can’t, my late husband was the love of my life; he’s not my type; he’s in a relationship) as she thinks about investigating a murder that threatens her business.

The plot is alright, though, and if the cop had been less of an idiot and the former cop more skeptical of the conclusions Felicity jumped too, I would have enjoyed this story more. Now my enjoyment came in part from writing alternative dialogue in the margins.

Grand Openings Can Be Murder by Amber Royer is the first book in the Bean to Bar Mystery, and my first book by this author. What a great start, I loved this book and can't wait for the next book to come out. Felicity Koerber has had a bad year, so she moved to Galveston Island to open a chocolate bean to bar factory in honor of her late husband. Unfortunately at Felicity grand opening, one of her employees drops dead. Felicity is determined to solve the murder and save her factory/store. The police officer, who is Felicity's ex boyfriend, puts her at the top of the suspect list. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. I highly recommend this book, if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.