Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley, Eve Calder and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of A Tale of Two Cookies. This is my personal review.
A Tale of Two Cookies is the third book in the series A Cookie House Mystery.
I was glad to get back to Katie and her adventures in Coral Cay Florida. It never fails when I pick up a book from this series there will be a lot going on to hold my attention and keep me guessing.
This one has it all fantastic desserts , yummy cookies, last minute wedding, reality show filming in town, and a missing groom.
Kate along with Oliver her dog, her friend Max and others in town know they have to figure out what happened to the groom.
If everything they are being told is true is a question they need to figure out.
As you read you will think you have figured it all out but then you have to rethink what is happening.
I look forward to more in this series.
A Tale Of Two Cookies is the 3rd cozy mystery book in A Cookie House Mystery series and it is a winner (both the book and the series). Kate McGuire moved to Coral Cay, FL a few months ago and is now co-owner of the Cookie House Bakery with Sam. Her best friend is Maxi who owns the flower shop next door. They both belong to a mystery book club whose members are a very nice addition to the stories. Kate's friend Desiree is in town for her wedding to Judson Cooper, who is a famous environmentalist. But odd things happen and then he doesn't show up for the wedding. Desiree is convinced something happened to him but everyone else thinks he didn't want to get married. Kate and friends all work together to locate Judd. On top,of that a reality TV show is in town. It all keeps Kate and friends very busy! This is a wonderful cozy mystery and the characters are likable and interesting. Very enjoyable! The title would be less confusing if the title (2 cookies) and book number (3) matched. #NetGalley #ATaleOfTwoCookies #EveCalder #StMartinsPress
Desiree Goldsmith and Judson Cooper are suppose to be getting married on the beach at Coral Cay . Trouble is Judson doesn't show up on the wedding day!! And it seems he never told anyone about a wedding!! What's up with that?? Was it just wishful thinking on Desiree's part and Judson took off to avoid her?? Or has something happen to him?? Desiree enlist Kate McGuire and Maxi Mas-Buchanan to help her find out what happen to Judson.. This is another great Cookie House Mystery filled with wonderful characters and Oliver the dog. Too bad they won't let us give it 10 stars.
A Tale of Two Cookies is the third Cookie House mystery, and begins with an intriguing challenge: what happens when a groom goes missing and none of his friends or family seemed to know he was getting married in the first place? Is he really missing or did he get cold feet?
I thought this cozy was particularly good, I enjoyed the side story of the reality tv show filming at Harper’s old house and how that affected the town as well. Kate and her friends are trying their best to help Desiree but they’re finding many more questions than answers. It really keeps the reader intrigued to find out where it is going to go.
The only off-note in the book is the odd moment with Ben; I think it’s going to go in a potential love triangle direction which is irritating because the heroine winding up with a cop is old. Let’s go outside of the cozy blueprint and wind up with the vet, please. Or someone else. But a vet’s a pretty good source of info in their own right and the chemistry there was set up in the last two books.
The setting and cast of character continue to make this series a gem, and the mystery of Judson’s disappearance with clues that just don’t quite fit made it an entertaining read.
4-1/2 out of 5 stars
This excellent cozy really kept me on my toes. It's a complex puzzle that works. The resolution is satisfying, and I finished the book with a contented sigh. Believable? Nope. (Are any cozies?) Delightful? Yep. It really kept my attention throughout. Looking forward to my next visit to Coral Cay.
Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
“A Tale of Two Cookies” by Eve Calder the 3rd instalment in the "A Cookie House Mystery" series. I loved this book and totally need to read previous books, which I bought last week! Even though this was first book in series I read I was able to follow along easily. I really enjoyed visiting Coral Cay, Florida , and the Cookie House. I love the island setting and Kate and her BFF Maxie. I was surprised by what happened and drawn in for the ride of finding out what happened to the groom. Kate turns out to be a great friend to Desiree by never doubting her and enrolling everyone to help find Judd and figure out what happened.
I found myself so engrossed in the story that I read it in one day. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Kate did. plus all the descriptions of the cookies made my mouth water.
I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 4 to come out!
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St.Martins Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
Happy to have found a new author I know I'll enjoy. This was book 3 in the Cookie House series and I really enjoyed it. The characters fit and who doesn't enjoy a mystery. I need a little more romance in my cozy books so I'm crossing my fingers for Ben to show up more in future books. I will be going back and reading the first books in this series just because I did enjoy the read. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advance copy of this book and introducing me to Eve Calder.
A Tale of Two Cookies, the third in the Cookie House mystery series by Eve Calder, is a sweet treat of a mystery! Kate McGuire, a junior partner in the Cookie House bakery in Coral Cay, Florida, is excited to welcome her friend Desiree and to help plan her beach wedding - that is until the groom disappears.
I enjoyed the fact that this was not a cookie cutter (pardon the pun) murder mystery. The reader is kept guessing as to whether the groom simply ran out on his bride or was kidnapped. The characters are delightful and just the type of people that you would want as your own friends.
The beach setting made me want to grab my beach chair and flip flops then head out for a day in the sun. And the dessert descriptions - to die for! The only thing missing was a recipe section. This was the first of Eve Calder’s books that I’ve read but it won’t be the last. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)
Kate McGuire a pastry chef living island life in Coral Cay, Florida is settling in for the long haul. When Katie is asked by a friend to make a last min wedding cake Katie happily says yes. Then the drama starts with a missing groom and a reality show. She has her hands full with this one!
#ATaleofTwoCookies #NetGalley
It's hard not to like this series, the characters and island are a genial combination. I thought the mystery was good with several good red herrings.
I have read a few books lately with a reality show setting/story line utilized. I've enjoyed them all despite not being a big fan of real life shows (except The Great British Baking Show). I felt the use here was just a waste. The service it provides to this story could have been handled quickly by another means and saved the author the opportunity to use a reality show in a future book for greater effect.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
baker, Florida, family-dynamics, friendship, cozy-mystery, series, dog, situational-humor, verbal-humor***
I'm sure it was a great book for followers of the series, but I felt left behind a bit too often. And since I abhor reality TV, there went another star. The mystery surrounding the missing groom was okay (but no cigar). Sorry to disappoint, but I was disappointed, too.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pastry chef Kate McGuire is loving life on the laid-back island of Coral Cay, Florida. As junior partner in a bakery renowned for luscious desserts—especially her cookies—life is pretty sweet. So when an old friend arrives and announces a spur-of-the-moment beach wedding, that’s just the icing on the wedding cake.
But the groom vanishes right as a television crew descends on the town to film a hot, new realty show. Is there a connection? Is her friend Desiree somehow involved? Or did groom Judson simply get cold feet? The bride and groom were paired better than warm cookies and cold milk, so Kate doesn’t buy it.
As the show’s cast runs amok on the island and the investigation into Judson’s disappearance heats up, Kate and her pal Maxi, along with town dog Oliver, will brave the rambunctious world of reality TV and a wedding weekend gone awry, in an all-out effort to find the missing groom.
My Review
Just finished reading this book and it left me wanting more. The storyline was believable and the characters were well-crafted. The author made me think I was right there alongside as the story developed.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. Well job done!!
When Desiree is jilted at the alter she is determined to find her man regardless of what anyone thinks. Such an enjoyable read. The characters and story line are delightful. This is the third in the series. I have not read the first two (yet), but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.
A Tale of Two Cookies was my first ever cozy mystery, and what a cozy one it was! I had so much fun in the world of Coral Cay and the Cookie House Bakery and can attest to not needing to read the first two books in order to be swept away. Equal parts sweet, mysterious, and fast-paced, I loved following along with Kate to solve this whodunnit and promptly baking cookies once I was finished. Thanks for the intro to this fun genre!
What an awesome cozy mystery! Had me hooked from the start.
Kate co-owns a bakery and her friend, Desiree, and her fiancé, Judd, are coming to the Florida island to get married. Judd is an animal activist, and loves and is invested in saving marine animals, like the loggerhead turtles. On the night of the wedding, Desiree arrives at the beach only to find the groom is a no show. Desiree knows something bad has happened to him, but the rumors around the island are that he didn't want to get married and has run away. Who and what are people supposed to believe? Well Kate and her cookie baking class have decided that they are going to get to the bottom of this mystery and help Desiree find out what happened to Judd.
Love the characters and their interactions. Looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review posted to Instagram and Goodreads on March 15, 2021.
Genre: cozy mystery
Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Pub date: April 27th
Kate is loving life on Coral Cay Island- she manages the Cookie House, has lots of great friends, and she's making the wedding cake for her BFF Desiree's wedding to the man of her dreams! What could go wrong? When groom Judson fails to show up for the wedding, things start unraveling at a rapid clip. Was Judson cheating on Desiree? Is she a gold digger, or worse, involved in his disappearance?
I grew up in FL, and the tropical setting here felt like home. I loved how much passion Kate had for her baking and her friends - there's a really wonderful cast of characters here. The mystery was especially strong (hence the 5 star rating) - sometimes I feel like cozy mysteries are more just cozy with a side of mystery, but I was definitely hooked here and eager to find out what was going on. The only negative about this book is that it forced me to make chocolate chip cookies - but that's not really a bad thing now, is it?
Note: this is the third book in the Cookie House Mystery series - I haven't read the first two, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Life is good for pastry chef Kate McGuire. The Cookie House is now featuring more than just bread - many of Katy's delicious cookies. When Kate's old friend turns up and announces she is planning a beach wedding in a few days, Kate is happy to help, but when the groom disappears the night before the wedding, there is cause for concern. Did Judson just get cold feet or has he been kidnapped? He is a world famous environmentalist and there have been some suspicious goings on near Coral Cay, Florida. When people begin to question whether there actually was a wedding planned, Kate jumps in to assist her friend Desiree. Another fun mystery in this charming series.
The third in the Cookie House Mystery series, "A Tale of Two Cookies" is another cute mystery that easily can be read as a stand-alone book. Baker at The Cookie House in Coral Cay, Florida, Kate and her florist friend Maxi set out to solve another mystery, this time involving Kate's old friend from New York, Desiree. When Desiree's fiancee goes missing on the night of their wedding, Kate, Maxi, and the town's mystery book club group set out to discover what happened to the groom, Judson Cooper. Did he disappear on his own, not wanting to get married? Or has he been abducted or something more sinister, as Desiree is afraid of? Added to the mystery, a reality TV show has begun filming in town, renting out the empty mansion there for the cast to stay in, and an actress (and former girlfriend of Judson) has also appeared- are they connected to Judson's disappearance as well?
"A Tale of Two Cookies" was a fun, quick read, with an enjoyable cast of characters. Another cute book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "A Tale of Two Cookies" is scheduled to be released on 4/27/21.
I received this ARC via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery and look forward to the next in this series. While the third book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Kate McGuire is a Culinary Institute of America trained pastry chef and the junior partner in The Cookie House bakeshop on Coral Cay, Florida. She’s excited when her former colleague, Desiree, arrives and announces that she wants her intimate wedding held at the beach, with Kate making the cake. The couple seem perfect together so the prospective groom vanishing on the night before the wedding leads to all kinds of suppositions and finger pointing. Added to that, his grown children believe Desiree is a gold digger out for their dad’s money so they’re out for her immediate arrest. At the same time, a reality television show cast and crew are on the island to film a ‘all in the one house’ show that brings a whole different group of suspects to consider. Kate wants Desiree exonerated so she uses every opportunity to solve what happened to Judson so Desiree and Judson have their happily ever after.
Fun, fun book! Well-crafted characters, good storyline, unexpected villains. This is a solid cozy and a lovely addition. If you love cozy books with amazing food, wonderful settings and strong characters, you should enjoy this one.
A Tale of Two Cookies by Eve Calder was another excellent addition to her Cookie House cozy mystery series. Ms. Calder always captures my attention from the first page and I hate to put the book down until I reach the end.
The main character, Kate McGuire, has a lot on her plate in this one with a friend getting married, a missing groom, a reality television show in which she teaches a cookie baking class and suspicious activity at one of the nearby coves. Kate, Maxi, The Coral Cay Irregulars all hunting for clues the plot twists and turns with plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing until the end. Ms. Calder's descriptive writing made every scene come alive as I read. I really like the fact that Kate always work with Ben Abrams, the Coral Cay detective and never jeopardizes herself or her friends while investigating. To me this adds more realism to each story. I never guessed how the threads would all weave together for the end. Ms. Calder has written another outstanding cozy mystery.