The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis is book fourteen in the Domestic Diva Mystery series, It can be read as a stand alone. This series is one of my favorites. I love the main characters being so likeable and relatable. You will want to live in the protagonists, Sophie, neighborhood.
When a murder happens during the DIY Home Decorating Festival that Sophie is in charge of, Sophie has her hands full. She is dealing with the victim's family, vendors, some of whom like to complain about anything and everything, and keeping everthing running smoothly. Then when a second murder occurs and set exactly like the first, she wonders are the murders related to a trip to Portual a group has recently returned from or is it just robbery. When her BF Nina, who was on the trip, is targeted Sophie kicks into high gear to save Nina and keep herself out of harms way.
There are plenty of twists and turns that will have you guessing to the end, friendship, humor, loveable pets, helpful tips, and recipes included.
I was given an ARC by Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis is the 14th A Domestic Diva Mystery. This cozy can be read as a standalone if you are new to this entertaining series. Sophie Winston is organizing Old Town Alexandria’s DIY Home Decorating Festival. When Paisley needs Sophie to locate her mother for help with her rowdy brood of boys, she is happy to help. Unfortunately, Lark is found dead in her back garden and is not from natural causes. Lark left them a cryptic clue to help. When another woman is found dead in a similar manner, Sophie wonders if something happened on their recent trip to Portugal. Sophie must gather the clues and sift through them so she can identify the guilty party. I thought The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit was well-written with developed characters. Sophie Winston is a friendly and relatable character. I like how various characters are still friendly despite previous relationships and residents of the community are there for each other in times of need. I love the setting of this book. The author provided beautiful descriptions of Old Town with its beautiful old homes. The DIY Home Decorating Festival was fun. There were some great items being sold along with some interesting demonstrations (I want a festival like that in my town). I especially loved the word images of Paisley’s hand painted furniture. The whodunit was a delight. I enjoy a good mystery that is thought out and complex. I had a good time solving this mystery. It was fun following Sophie as she asked questions and collected clues. I appreciated that Officer Wong and Detective Wolf are friendly. Detective Wolf does not discount Sophie There was a lot going on in The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit. Besides the whodunit and the festival, Sophie has houseguests, Paisley’s rowdy children (I do not know how she does it) plus her irritating husband (she needs to get a divorce), Natasha carrying on about her house, and the dashing new medical examiner Dr. Chryssos who takes an interest in Sophie. There are mouthwatering food descriptions (made me hungry). There are recipes at the end of the book. I enjoyed reading The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit and did not want it to end. Cozy mysteries like this one are rare. The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit is a diverting tale with cute canines, a fun festival, tasty treats, a clever clue, boisterous boys, a dashing doctor, and an astute amateur sleuth.

Domestic Diva Sophie does it again. This series never fails me with a guaranteed hit. Krista Davis knows what her audience likes and keeps it fresh.

This was a fun cozy mystery. Sophie is busy organizing a DIY Home Decorating festival on the streets of Old Town, and it looks like it's going to be a massive success, until a body is found in one of the neighbors gardens. Lark Bickford was liked by everyone and a respected member of the community, so why would someone murder her? Could it be linked to the group trip to Portugal that she and Sophie's best friend Nina have just returned from? After Nina appears to be next in the killers sights Sophie and her group of friends decide to do some sleuthing of their own.
I enjoyed the setting of Old Town in Virginia, and I loved the characters. I'd like to be friends with Sophie, she was such a likable character and really relatable. I loved the dynamics between the group of friends and how they all protected each other, and were just generally there for each other. It was just such a warm read, as well as a really well plotted mystery. Bonus points for all the recipes at the end too, I'm going to make all of them!
I've never read anything by this author before, and so as this is the 14th book in this series I have to say I was really impressed that I didn't feel as though I was out of the loop or needing any backstory filling in to understand Sophie and her group of friends. The moment I finished this book, I reached for my phone and ordered the first in the series!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sophie Winston has organized a DIY Home Decorating Street Fair and it looks to be a rousing success until a dead body is found in one of the backyards. Lark Bickford had just returned from a trip to Portugal. Sophie’s best friend Nina was on the same trip so she knew the trip did not go totally smoothly but could it have led to Lark’s murder? The victim did leave a clue to the killer’s identity but Sophie just can’t figure it out. When another woman from the trip is killed Sophie knows she has to step up her investigation or Nina could be next.

This series is so much fun. I love the way the characters have grown over the course of this series. In this story, Natasha is still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce from Mars but she does have some family around for support. Sophie is really on firm footing and happy with her life which is a good thing because Nina really needs her best friend right now. I love the way Mars and Bernie jump on board to help too. Sophie’s home again becomes the gathering spot to compare notes while noshing on whatever food she has whipped together. Sophie’s dog Daisy again steals my heart as does Mochie, her cat.

We are introduced to a new family, Paisley and Frank Eames, and their 6, yes 6! rambunctious boys. Paisley has some beautiful painted furniture for sale and was hoping her husband and her mother Lark would help with her tent and the boys but her mother’s death throws a real monkey wrench into her plans. Officer Wong and Detective Wolf Fleishman are on the case along with the new medical examiner Dr. Peter Chryssos who was also on the Portugal trip. These characters really came to life over the span of the story both for the good and for the bad. All the characters are very realistic. A certain little boy really tugged on my heartstrings while one of his brothers was just a little devil.

The mystery was complicated with a variety of subplots weaving in and out of the main plot. Several suspects came to light with different motives. I had several theories of my own and by the end, I learned I was partially right in one aspect and totally wrong in every other. I loved the twists that started to unfold from almost the beginning of the book. The author is a real expert in dropping clues while misdirecting her readers at the same time.

Krista Davis is an excellent storyteller. She has kept this series fresh and by the time I flipped the last page I was already excited for book 15. These characters are like old friends that I can’t wait to meet up with again. There is always a top-notch mystery that I can escape right into. I love the question/answers at the beginning of each chapter. Sophie’s answers are more my style but Natasha’s answers always crack me up.

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit is an entertaining whodunit that can be read all on its own but I strongly suggest the series be read in order to really get to know Sophie, Natasha, and all their friends.

I have spent many an hour wandering the streets of Old Town Alexandria where the Domestic Diva mystery series is set, so I have such a soft spot for these books even before taking into consideration their delightful characters and intriguing plots! In this fourteenth installment of the series, our heroine Sophie Winston is in charge of a week-long DIY Festival, featuring demonstrations on Market Square and plentiful vendor’s booths. Of course, being in charge of a festival with vendors means having to listen to their complaints and troubleshoot their problems, no matter how trivial. Sophie is geared up for all this, but is definitely not expecting to find a corpse in the process.

Right before the discovery, Sophie was helping Paisley Eames, the stressed out mother of six young boys, whose festival tent is conveniently set up in front of her mother’s OTA townhome. Paisley has been expecting said mom, Lark Bickford, to come help with the kids, so asks Sophie to go check on Lark when she doesn’t show up. Sophie has trouble finding Lark in the house… until Paisley’s eldest child leads her to where his grandmother is lying in the backyard. Lark is quite dead, and has apparently been so for some hours.

While Lark’s corpse is arrayed in what looks like a textbook accidental death, Sophie’s suspicions are raised by several incongruous aspects of the scene. After an intruder later tries to get into the house of Sophie’s best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, and another woman dies in a manner that uncomfortably echoes Lark’s death tableau, Sophie and Nina have to wonder if the Portugal trip the three women recently returned from has some bearing on the crimes targeting them. With the help of Sophie’s ex-husband Mars and his best friend Bernie, the friends are determined to unravel a complicated web of international crime in order to bring a remorseless killer to justice.

Even if I weren’t enamored of the close-to-my-home setting, I’d love these books for the delightful comedy of manners interactions between the cast members. It’s really nice to see strong adult friendships between sensible people, and even between sensible people and those a little more out there, like Sophie’s life-long frenemy Natasha. In The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit, Natasha has taken it into her head to blame Sophie’s reasonableness post-divorce for setting Mars’ expectations too high now that Natasha and Mars have broken up as well. Natasha is such a hoot: so quickly going from enraging to endearing and back again. The mystery also zigged and zagged cleverly, and the trademark domestic advice in each chapter header was by turns helpful and hilarious.

There were eleven recipes included and I was definitely in the mood for something sweet, so decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Bourbon Chocolate Chip Blondies

This recipe makes a thin, chewy blondie.

8x8 pan

6 Tablespoons butter
⅔ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2-3 Tablespoons Bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, optional

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour an 8x8 pan and line with one piece of parchment paper cut to fit the sides, but long enough to act as handles and two sides for removing the blondies.

Melt the butter and set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Beat the eggs with the dark brown sugar until thick and lighter in color. Beat in the bourbon. With the mixture on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the butter. Give one quick mix to combine and pour half of it into the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips in a single layer and pour the remaining batter over them, spreading it out over the top. If adding flaky salt, dust the top with a pinch or two.

Bake 20 minutes. (Do not bake longer or else they won't be chewy!) Using the edge of the parchment paper as handles, lift out of the pan and cool on a baking rack. They can be eaten warm or cold.
END QUOTE

I really ought to have spread the batter all through the pan, but I was so worried about balancing my cool-running oven with the desired chewy texture that I erred on letting it spread by itself, which made for slightly thicker, even chewier blondies than expected. They were very good though, and you could definitely taste the bourbon! I used a honey bourbon we like to keep at home (so dialled back the brown sugar content just a smidge) and that came out wonderfully. I felt that these were actually a little less blondie and a little more cookie, an impression which would have likely been stronger if I’d opted for that thinner layer. Which honestly sounds delicious too, and might be something I try the next time I make these!

Next week, we head way, way northwest to investigate another festival-related murder while whipping up a versatile side dish. Do join me!

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit: A Domestic Diva Mystery
By Krista Davis
Kensington
June 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

While Domestic Diva blogger and professional event planner Sophie Winston has been gearing up for the Do-It-Yourself Festival in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, her best friend Nina Reid Norwood is just returning from a long vacation in Portugal. Her husband may still be in Europe finishing up his medical convention, but a beleaguered Nina is more than ready to settle in back home after an exhausting series of tour bus expeditions. Her fellow vacationer Lark Bickford could be said to be even more drained from the gorgeous tour through Europe, as Sophie has the misfortune to find her body just outside of Lark’s home. Led to the body by the victim’s grandson, Sophie immediately notices that it has been set up to look as though Lark died by an accidental fall from her ladder. The investigating police realize this as well, and Lark’s predatory relatives quickly place themselves high on the suspect list by trying to sell her belongings before the crime scene tape is even removed. A mysterious drawing in the dirt left by Lark leads Sophie in many directions, and the clock is ticking on whether she can solve it before the murderer does.

Sophie’s longtime nemesis Natasha continues to write competing lifestyle columns that frequently - and impractically – counter Sophie’s much more realistic and economical suggestions. It’s hilarious when the entries that begin each chapter seem to be offering opposing advice to those seeking help on the same matter, but from different involved parties (a charming example being Natasha’s advice to air out an aromatic dresser by leaving it on the curb for trash pickup, while sentimental Sophie offers hints on using charcoal or vodka as a cleanser). While Natasha values trends over sentiment, she herself is unable to sever her own connection to the home she bought with Sophie’s ex-husband Mars. Placing it on the market is causing no end of headaches; for Natasha because of her feelings for Mars, and for Sophie because of Natasha’s insistence on complaining about it. As the list of victims increase and they all seem linked to the Portugal vacationers, Mars and Nina all end up holed up for protection in Sophie’s home as they attempt to unravel the puzzle of stolen jewels, disgruntled heirs, and the mysterious life of Lark.

This 14th of the series starts with a bang as it quickly brings in readers to the large cast of Old Town Alexandria characters. Sophie’s ex-husband and ex-boyfriend are still very much a part of her life, and with Natasha just across the street the antics never cease. An attack on Nina brings her and her foster pets even closer to Sophie for comfort, and their friendship is as relatable as it is enviable. Sophie’s time managing the DIY Festival will be fascinating for crafters and home improvement aficionados, and much can be learned from the advice columns and recipes. The tone is kept light despite the rather alarming number of crimes that ensue, but at this point Sophie and her friends are accustomed to finding themselves in the midst of murder. The characters are so likable and their banter so delightfully quippy that readers will want to spend as much time as possible with them and their charm within the Domestic Diva series.

Domestic Diva, Sophie Winston, is running Old Town’s DIY Home Decorating Festival. Checking in on opening day she assists one of the vendors and discovers a body. Is it an accident or homicide? Sophie conducts her own investigation and soon discovers another victim. The common thread they share, a recent trip to Portugal. Could it have something to do with the trip? Sophie races to find the killer before her best friend, Nina, who was also on the trip ends up being the killer’s next victim.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Kensington Publishing and Krista Davis for an e arc copy of this book.
It was so nice to be back in the Sophie world again. I loved the wee notes at the beginning of each chapter.
Sophie is run off her feet with the Old Town DIY Home Decorating Festival, the last thing she needs is to find a dead body. The person murdered had just returned from Portugal along with Nina (Sophie's friend) and a number of other town members. What happened on that trip? Are other members of the trip in danger as well? What effect will this have on the festival?
Sophie with the help of friends tries to find out the truth.
A good fun read.

Another good read in an amazing series. Sophie must deal with a neighbors murder and someone going after Nina

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis is a Domestic Diva Mystery starring Sophie Winston, who is an event planner, usually fundraisers. In this case she is running the DIY Makers' Festival in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, her home. The story opens just before the first day of the festival when she is picking up her friend, Nina, at the airport, home for three weeks in Portugal. It was a rough trip and Nina is glad to be home. As Sophie is walking the festival the next day, she comes upon Paisley Eames' booth of hand-painted furniture, set up in front of her mother, Lark Bickford's home. Everything seems to be going smoothly, or as smoothly as possible when there are six little boys, less than 10, running around, "helping." Paisley needs help and asks Sophie to go inside and get her still sleeping mother. Turns out Lark was not still sleeping, but was found a few minutes later by the oldest of the boys, dead in the backyard. The next night, Nina and her pup awake Sophie in the wee hours: someone had tried to break in to her house. Then the next day, the body of Dulcie, another of the Portugal travelers was found dead in her back yard. This whole thing was out of control...and there were few leads.

Sophie is a middle-aged divorcee who has assisted the police in solving crimes in the past. Plus, she used to date the detective in charge. Nina is staying with her now, as is her ex-husband, Mars, short for Marshall staying as well. They are all pretty freaked out. Plus their friend, Bernie, is there more often than not. As with all families, being privy to the inside of one makes a person happy with their own situation. Lark's family was a mess: Paisley had a sorry excuse for a husband, who wanted to pillage Lark's house immediately for a few dollars. And his mother is a real piece of work. And, of course, there are the six boys, and Paisley's brother, who is a "professional gambler," and her uncle who is a realtor, anxious to sell homes that are not for sale. The whole thing is a mess, and the deaths haven't stopped. This was a convoluted and unlikely series of crimes, which Sophie navigated with minor damage to herself. The people in the story were more exciting than the deaths. Davis has a real way with writing characters. It was a good book. I suggest you read it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #thedivaservesforbiddenfruit

Great Diva series, always enjoy reading each mystery and always on the edge of my seat reading how the characters solve each murder that takes place. I enjoy how Sophie and Tasha share decorating advice tips with all their readers. Kudos to Krista Davis. Keep them coming. Highly recommend.

Falling in love with a cozy mystery series can be the proverbial double-edged sword. On the one hand, I get all excited when I get the latest edition. It’s like catching up with old friends you haven’t seen in a long while.

However, there is always the risk of the newest installment not living up to the previous books. We cozy mystery fans have all experienced the decline in a well-loved series. It starts when we come to the end of a book and think, “Hum, that wasn’t as enjoyable as I’d hoped.”

Then you try one more book. Maybe even another. Then you give up because the books just aren’t as good anymore.

Thank goodness this hasn’t happened with Krista Davis’s Domestic Diva series!

I just finished reading The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit, number 14 in the series, and I loved it!

In this edition, event organizer and domestic advice expert Sophie Winston is in the middle of Old Town Alexandria’s Home Decorating Festival. Still, she has time to pick up her best friend, Nina, at the airport after she returns from a trip to Portugal. However, when Sophie finds one of Nina’s traveling companions dead the following morning, she wonders just what went on during that trip. Perhaps the clue scratched into the soil by the victim before dying will hold the answer.

While the story takes place in the well-known Washington D.C. suburb, it has some international intrigue and a possible smuggling operation. When another traveler turns up dead, Sophie worries her friend is next on the list.

The story was enthralling from the first paragraph to the last. There was a surprise at the end, which made me both laugh out loud and cheer. Plus, it was lovely to catch up on all that was going on with Nina, Mars, Bernie, Humphrey, and of course, Natasha, the other domestic diva in the book who is antagonizes Sophie the most.

Natasha doesn’t have as prominent a role in this book as the previous ones, which I found to be a relief. She is pretty annoying, though Davis is good at giving her some redeeming qualities to keep us from wondering why Sophie remains her friend. Still, it was nice to only have her pop in from time to time as part of an entertaining subplot to the main story.

Of course, the book also ends with some tasty recipes. I can’t wait to try the Mango Peach Salsa, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes, and Pear Upside-Down Skillet Cake. Since it’s the start of berry season, I made the Berry Pecan Coffee Cake. Buttery and full of blueberries, it’s the perfect partner to my morning cup of coffee.

As with all Sophie Winston mysteries, I get pulled in from the very start. I mean what book that starts with Nina coming home from the airport with no shoes could possibly not compel someone to keep reading, right? Nina always has a great story. I just love her character, and she always cracks me up without being haha funny, if that makes sense. The sweet little dog she was fostering this time seemed to be a little more special to her than others too.

Boy, the Eades family that Sophie met at the DIY Festival was a dysfunctional nightmare if you didn't count Paisley and the little boys. Frank and his mom were a piece of work times infinity! This is another author who does an awesome job of either making you like/love a character or despise the ground they walk on. At first Paisley's kids seemed like just another brood of brats, but I really took to Tommy, the oldest. I guess he made me think a little of young Sheldon with his intelligence and sensitivity. Sophie was so sweet and kind to him. But Paisley was a very good mom despite the being she was married to, or I'd have been pulling for Sophie to foster the kid.

I'd started getting a little suspicious of whoalldunit (like that one?) thinking it could be a group or couple of people. Everything seemed connected to Nina's trip to Portugal, questions and secrets surrounded a woman on their trip who was killed when she got home, and there were just suspects coming out of the woodwork. The showdown was great and a good team effort as well! The wrap-up as always was stellar. And the last few paragraphs were just so fitting and sweet--it made for a perfect ending!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis is the fourteenth book in the A Domestic Diva Mystery series but can be read as a standalone. Books are so well written that readers can read them in any order and they will not lose on quality.

I particularly like main character Sophie who is like a whodunnit domestic goddess. She juggles both sleuthing and her job so well. There are many colorful characters in this book and other recurring protagonists who are so believable if not all of them likeable, which I think only adds to the authenticity of this series.

Mystery was well written as always and clue plainly presented so that readers could go on and solve mystery along with the sleuth.
Book is easy to read and flows nicely. There is never a dull moment.
I especially appreciate little tidbits of advice at the beginning of every chapter.
As always a delight to read and enjoy.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

A group of tourists, upon returning from a three-week vacation from Portugal, succumb to a series of mysterious deaths, leaving the police baffled for an alternate connection, enter Sophie Winston, neighbor and friend. Join Author Krista Davis, in this superb cozy-murder-mystery, The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit. This is the 14th book in the Domestic Diva series.

Sophie Winston is the protagonist in this whirlwind murder-mystery. I love her hospitality, forwardness and her amazing determination to protect the vulnerable. She’s also a magnet for dead bodies and unusual circumstances. Even though I think Sophie is great, she is even better with the people she surrounds herself with.

The real winners, and why this book is such a gem, is because of the supporting characters. The camaraderie between the friends was amazing. I can’t decide who was my favorite, they were all so great, Mars, the ex-husband, Bernie, the restaurant owner, Nina, neighbor and friend and poor Humphrey. The dialogue between the friends, and really, throughout the book, was effortless. The other characters in town were lively and entertaining and contributed so much to the plot. I loved how all of them were characterized. This is how you lose yourself in a book.

This cozy mystery was one of the best ones I’ve read in a while! It’s all in the way the story flowed and the exceptionally good dialogue. I loved every bit of it and truly enjoyed my time reading it. If I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about getting back to it. Nerve wrecking in the best way, but still not heavily angsty; a true mystery till the very end. Actually, there’s more than one mystery in this story, which is brilliant, because it throws everything slightly off and keeps you guessing.

This is the first book that I’ve read in this series and I had absolutely no issues falling in love with the characters or their setting. I highly recommend and extra, extra points, because Sophie Winston and her friends, usually gathered around food and those recipes are included at the end of the book. Enjoy!

~ Patricia

Krista Davis never fails to give a fascinating Diva book. I have read this series from the very first book and have to say everyone has been wonderfully entertaining. Sophie always seems to get her man ..........or woman in the end. If you are looking for a fun beach read this is it!

I received an ebook ARC from Netgalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

Oh how I love visiting with Sophie and her friends and this one did not disappoint; after several just average cozies, it was so good to dive into one that I knew I'd love and thankfully, that was the case here.

This was a really good read; I love Sophie, Nina, Bernie, and Mars together [I look at them as the Fantastic Four] and how well they work together to keep Nina safe [and later, Sophie as well] and to solve the mystery. ALLLLL while doing their regular jobs!! IMAGINE THAT!!!! Which again just proves that adults CAN do their jobs [I will give here that Sophie's job makes it easier to do both, but she STILL DOES IT before snooping] and solve mysteries. Other authors should take note. Seriously.

Return from a whirlwind overseas trip, murder, mayhem, out-of-control children, out-of-control husbands and a DIY craft fair is the setting of this book and it just keeps you guessing from beginning to end. I was SURE I knew who the killer was but was wrong this time [though my second guess was correct], which is always a plus and there are a couple of unexpected zingers in this one [one that includes Natasha of course LOL] and that keeps it hopping. All-in-all, this was a very good, very enjoyable read!! Well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Krista Davis, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The fourteenth in the Domestic Diva Mystery series. The covers to this series are absolutely inviting. I am never disappointed when I pick up a Krista Davis story. I enjoyed this standalone novel. I do not what to give anything about the mystery away.

Set in Old Town Alexandria, VA. I enjoy not liking Natasha. I find her tips and designs to be impractical for most people.

Sophie is in charge of the Old Town's DIY Home Decorating Festival and must find time to clear Nina, her BFF, of murder or being next on the killer’s list.

A well written and plotted book. Plenty going on to keep the sleuth in all of us guessing to the end.
This could have been a very dark story but the author’s use of compassion and community spirit helped lighten the murders.

Throughout the book, there are DYI tips for projects.

Bonus: there are recipes provided at the end of the book.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy by Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.