“Being committed to your work is acceptable, as long as you can still manage your life, find a way to step away and unplug from obsessing, laugh at yourself, enjoy a walk in the park, reconnect with people in your life.”

Clare Cosi is busy as a bee planning her honeymoon when murder buzzes into the Village Blend in this all-new mystery in the New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse series by Cleo Coyle.

Honey Roasted is book #19 in the series. This is a cozy mystery centered around coffee, greenhouses, and bees. I have not read any of the other books in the series, but that does not detract from enjoying the story. I am sure there is some backstory that I am missing, but I don’t know that I’m missing it! The story is easy to get into and enjoyable from the start.

If you are looking for a sweet and cozy murder mystery to help get you through these winter months, then grab yourself a cup of coffee and some honey cookies, sit back, and enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

Clare Cosi is planning her wedding and working at her Greenwich Village coffee shop when she becomes involved with a new murder to solve in this delightful cozy mystery.

I wanted to read this mystery because I was intrigued by the coffeehouse setting. I had not read the earlier Coffeehouse Mystery series books, but this book worked fine as a standalone. (That said, I want to go back and read the whole series now!)

What a fun book -- I can't believe this is my first read in the series. Highly recommended for cozy mystery fans.

Clare Cosi is keeping busy managing the Village Blend coffee shop in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City while also looking for affordable honeymoon ideas for her upcoming spring wedding. Her fiance, Lieutenant Mike Quinn, is working on a difficult assignment investigating the death of several homeless men from a synthetic opioid and has no time for wedding planning or romance. Things get even worse for Clare when the coffee shop is invaded by a huge swarm of bees. Clare realizes she knows the owner of the bees and finds Bea Hastings has been attacked on her own rooftop and her hives have been destroyed. Clare is determined to find out who is behind this attack, as well as get things back on track in her relationship with Mike, even if that means accepting help from her business partner and ex-husband Matt.

Honey Roasted is the nineteenth book in the Coffeehouse mystery series. I’ve only read a few of the prior books, so this is a book that is very accessible to new readers. It’s easy to get to know the main character, Clare, and the important people in her life both in and outside the coffee shop. The book has a nice balance of portions devoted to Clare’s personal life and the case she is working on. There is a lot of information about bees, beekeeping, and honey which is an important part of the plot and is presented in an interesting way. Less enjoyable are the numerous bee and honey related puns and analogies throughout the book. The jokes are cute at first, but get old quickly.

Clare doesn’t hesitate to question potential witnesses and suspects in the attack on Bea, who is a good friend of Clare’s former mother-in-law and mentor. With Mike wrapped up in his own case, Clare gets a lot of assistance from her ex-husband, Matt Allegro, on the investigation. I can see why Clare has moved on from Matt romantically, but they make a good team and I really enjoy their teasing banter. I question the wisdom of Clare asking Matt for very personal romantic advice from her ex, but otherwise, I like their friendship. I also enjoy the friendship between Clare and Matt’s mother, “Madame”, who owns the coffeehouse. Madame is a smart businesswoman and is very wise, and I like that she and Clare have been able to remain so close even though Clare is no longer married to Matt.

Clare questions a lot of different people in the investigation and there are many details given about each of these side-characters and locations. I like the complexity of the plot, but sometimes all the details slow the pace of the book and make it longer than it needs to be. There are many red herrings and I was fooled by a couple of them. I was surprised when the details and motives were revealed after a very dramatic finish. The end of the case is followed by an interesting epilogue giving closure to various subplots in the book. There are also several recipes and information on honey at the end. Overall, this is a satisfying installment in this series that fans and new readers can enjoy equally.

~ Christine

Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle is a sweet surprise even though she has proven time and time again that her mysteries never disappoint her readers.

This lighter breakfast blend has sneaky inserts of humor where you’d least expect and a hive of bee information that isn’t heavy-handed but just right as well as downright fascinating. I had no idea there were only seven types of bees that actually produce honey. (Matt’s face when hearing about the mushrooms is priceless.) Take note of the references to intriguing local landmarks that help set the scene and offer city tidbits for later online travel. The characters are delightful and intriguing, and you’ll probably have more than one as your favorite. Between well-placed chuckles is a full-roasted, deep theme to this story about trust and partnership. When Claire climbs those steps into dangerous territory, the tension increases not only for her own personal safety but also for her future with Mike.

Whenever a yummy dish or treat is mentioned, count on the recipe to be in the back of the book. There is also a bonus guide about honey, its benefits, and what you can do with those jars. Even with the tense relationship plot running parallel with the crime, this well-crafted mystery has a lightness to it that is much needed these days and made for a fun escape – no masks needed.

4.5 Stars

Pour yourself a great big mug of coffee, get comfy on your favorite chair and lose yourself in Cleo Coyle’s addictive and enjoyable new cozy mystery, Honey Roasted.

With her spring wedding to her long-time love NYPD detective Mike Quinn fast approaching, Clare Cosi is busy trying to find the ideal honeymoon destination without breaking the bank. Clare’s quest might be proving to be more challenging than she had previously imagined, but at least the coffeehouse manager can distract herself by creating delicious concoctions that will knock her customers’ socks off. Having secured some lip-smackingly gorgeous honey from Bea Hastings that has the culinary world all abuzz, Clare plans to serve her delicious new Honey Cinnamon latte at her spring wedding. But Clare’s plans look set to meet a sticky end when she discovers Bea’s unconscious body after she seemingly fell from her high-rise rooftop-hive set-up!

The police might be convinced that this was a tragic accident or an attempted suicide, but Clare is not convinced. Her gut is telling her that there is more to this story than meets the eye – especially as Bea’s rooftop hives have top chefs all across the country clamoring for it and willing to pay top dollar to secure it. If Clare wants to find out what really happened to Bea, then she will need to step into the cutthroat culinary world where top chefs battle it out on a daily basis in their quest for greatness and competitive beekeepers are willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on Bea’s hives.

Clare will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth, but will she manage to find out what really happened to Bea? Or will she end up getting stung?

Cleo Coyle’s Honey Roasted is a delight from beginning to end. Wonderfully witty, highly engaging and packed with red herrings and twists and turns, Honey Roasted zips along at a fast pace and will keep readers guessing as they find themselves completely gripped by this fun and enjoyable cozy mystery.

A loyal, inquisitive and clever heroine with a terrific sense of humor and a thirst for justice, Clare Cosi is a charming sleuth readers just cannot get enough of.

A terrific mystery that is hard to put down, Cleo Coyle has got a winner on her hands with Honey Roasted.

HONEY ROASTED by Cleo Coyle
The Nineteenth Coffeehouse Mystery

The swarm of bees descending upon the Village Blend is like something our of a horror film. The truly scary thing is Clare and Matt's discovery of the bees actual home. Their hives have been destroyed and their keeper, a good friend of Madame's, is sprawled on the balcony below. Not believing the police's assumption that this was a suicide attempt, Clare decides to figure out what she can while entrusted with the bees care. Will she be able to sort out the mystery of the bees as well as her issues with her fiance?

I love bees so having a mystery featuring these beneficial guys is the bees knees! I also love learning and the nineteenth Coffeehouse mystery doesn't disappoint. Bee police? Who knew?! Cowboys in NYC? And the recipes included at the back of the book? There are so many delicious sounding delights included it's almost as if you're getting a free cookbook along with your mystery. And make no mistake, there's a great mystery here.

The nineteenth Coffeehouse Mystery if filled with characters we know, but who still manage to surprise us. There are twists and turns in this inventive plot with both the mystery and the relationship issues keeping me on high alert. Ultimately, HONEY ROASTED teaches us that appearances can be deceiving and communication is vital.

A highly caffeinated mystery, HONEY ROASTED proves to be a honey of a tale.

I am always delighted to return to the Village Blend and the wonderful case of characters in this series.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinions are my own.

This is the 19th book in the Coffeehouse series. I have enjoyed each book in the series. The writing is very well crafted and fast paced. The sleuth is always enticing and the charcters all add fun to the story.

Clare Cosi our protagnist has roasted a batch of honey coffee and the honey desserts she’s planning on serving at her wedding. The coffee will also be served at her ex mother-in-laws special “honey roast” party. The honey has come from her friend Queen Bea, who has bees in her Manhattan building on the roof. When Clare finds a unusual swarm in her basement she decides they belong to Queen Bea. She then finds her body apparently a victim of a fall from her rooftop and signs her home was broken into. Clare investigates amid her wedding preparations with the help of her friends . I like the sleuth that kept me guessing to conclusion. It was surprising throughout with plenty of red herrings and surprise suspects.

This is a great addition to this beloved cozy series and I look forward to the next in series. I highly recommend this cozy mystery for your reading enjoyment,

This is the 19th book in the Coffeehouse series. I’ve actually read them all, it’s a fun and well written series. This could be read as a standalone but I’d start at book 17 to get some background.

Clare Cosi, her Blend staff, relatives, and fiancé Mike are back for this great read. She’s just roasted a batch of honey coffee and the honey desserts she’s planning on serving at her wedding are ready to go. She needs to decide on a honeymoon destination but Mike’s job as a NYPD detective is keeping them apart. The coffee will also be served at her Madam’s (Clare’s ex mother-in-law) “honey roast” where her friends get together and say nice things. The actual honey has been sourced from an old friend Queen Bea, who has bees in her greenhouse on the roof of her Manhattan building.

Clare finds a swarm of bees in her basement and after they’re removed, she realizes they belong to Queen Bea. She goes to her building and finds her comatose body, it looks like she fell from her roof onto her patio below. The greenhouse is trashed, and Clare wants to know who did it and why.

The plot was excellent, I didn’t guess whodunnit until the very end. The characters are really interesting and feel very familiar. I’ve learned so much about coffee from these books, and the recipes included are always delicious, I’ve made several of them!
I highly recommend this book, 5 stars.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What fun and cozy return to the Village Blend.

Claire Cosi is trying to plan her honeymoon which is not going as wonderful as she would have expected. Just as she is debuting a new honey roasted coffee blend and highly anticipated honey cinnamon latte to her staff a swarm of bees decides to make the Village Blend their new home. Come to find out these bees belong to none other than Claire’s honey supplier and close friend of Madame. Claire takes it upon herself to go and visit the Queen bee Bea Hastings to find that someone has tried to murder her. Upon finding Mrs. Hastings' body on her balcony, Claire has no choice but to get to the bottom of the sticky situation.



The Coffeehouse Mystery series was one of the first cozy series I dived into. From book one I was hooked. How could I not be? Mysteries and coffee. Over the years I have read many books in this series, but not all. Coming back at book nineteen was like walking back into my favorite coffee shop and not missing a beat. Honey Roasted was a fun welcome back.

Honey Roasted gives a lesson in honey, more fantastic coffee knowledge and an intricate mystery that keeps you very involved. Clare is as sharp as always when it comes to putting the clues together, even though her mind is focused on other things. She’s tenacious in her sleuthing abilities and I love that she allows a little bit of danger to fall in the game but yet really lets her sense of danger go out the window if needed. I love how she sought out advice and then acted to smooth the riffs in her relationship. The Village Blend clew is always a delight and can count on them for a laugh. I love how not only has Claire been their boss she has been their friend through this crazy coffee and mystery adventure. Honey Roasted was an engrossing read that I absolutely enjoyed.

Oh, how I love this series and loved this book! I was delighted to get approved in reviewing the recent book from the Coffeehouse Mystery series, Honey Roasted. Now, I’ve only read the first three in the series but so far this book was my favorite. I just really loved the storyline, the mystery and the characters a lot!

I didn’t want this book to end, at all. There was so much going on in all the right ways! Lots of mysterious side stories and clues, great character development, and the secrets just kept getting sweeter. I was so sure I knew who the murderer was and even made my husband listen to my theory… I ended up being dead wrong, it was a big surprise for me and I was looking at all the wrong people. There were a few spoilers but it makes me even more excited to go back and finish the series so I can see the development of some relationships and things. It was SO good!

One of my favorite parts of the book was how Matteo and Clare worked together in this book, they made a great team in so many ways. I also really love when Madame and Clare go sleuthing together, it’s so cute and Madame’s excitement is contagious, not to mention how bold and courageous she is.

You can certainly read this title before the others but I think having at least read the first book will help introduce you to the characters and setting. Highly recommend this read!

In the nineteenth installment of the consistently terrific Coffeehouse Mystery series, an unexpected swarm of bees leads to coffee master roaster Clare Cosi rescuing a good friend of her beloved mother-in-law’s and foiling a drug ring in the process.

When bees invade the Village Blend one chilly fall evening, the last thing Clare expects is to be able to identify the bees as belonging to Bea Hastings, a close friend of her ex-husband’s mother. In her efforts to notify Bea that the swarm has mistakenly relocated itself to her building several blocks away, she realizes that someone has trashed Bea’s rooftop greenhouse and hives. Worse, Bea herself is found unconscious on her balcony, after a fall from said rooftop.

The detective assigned to the case writes it off as an attempted suicide, given the posts that had gone up on Bea’s social media just before her fall. But Clare refuses to believe that strong-willed, feisty Bea would try to kill herself, and certainly not after wrecking her own carefully tended urban farm. Clare is certain that foul play is afoot, and is determined to figure out exactly who is behind all the carnage.

Complicating matters is the fact that Clare’s fiance, NYPD Detective Lieutenant Mike Quinn, has been oddly cold lately. Clare and Mike are supposed to be looking at honeymoon destinations but Mike has grown so distant and wrapped up in his work that Clare is starting to worry that they won’t even make it to their wedding. But then Clare discovers a connection between her investigations and his latest case involving an opportunistic drug ring dumping bodies in a blighted neighborhood. Will her efforts to help solve both cases bring them closer together or destroy their relationship for good?

This was another thoroughly entertaining and informative look at life in modern New York City, with fascinating insights into topics as varied but intriguing as urban farming; honey and the NYPD’s beekeeping unit, and The Hole and Black cowboys. The mystery is smart and twisty, and I continue to be a fan of Clare and her ex-husband Matt’s on-going friendly relationship. I still have pretty mixed feelings about Mike, but it was nice to see Clare take charge in their relationship and make her position and feelings clear.

As always with this series, there was a mini cookbook of amazing recipes included here. This time, all the recipes were honey-themed, with an excellent introduction to honey included beforehand. I had a hard time picking one recipe to try but eventually settled on this one:

QUOTE
Joy Allegro’s Honey Orange Glazed Chicken

2 pounds chicken thighs, skin on
1 cup orange juice (no pulp, freshly squeezed is best)
¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup orange blossom honey
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
2 cloves of peeled garlic, whole
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine orange juice, raw apple cider vinegar, dark brown sugar, honey, coriander, cumin, and garlic in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until sauce has reduced to about 1 cup. Remove the garlic.

Season the chicken thighs with the salt and white pepper and let them reach room temperature, about 15 minutes. Add the olive oil to a large saucepan. (Size does matter. You don’t want to crowd the chicken!) Over medium-high heat, slowly cook the thighs until 165°F in center and the skin is a nice golden brown.

Drizzle the glaze on top and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes making sure the chicken is coated well in the glaze. Serve immediately. If you like, garnish with thin slices of orange or twists of orange peel.

Note: To boost flavor, Joy and Clare highly recommend that you take the time to marinate your chicken before starting the recipe. Combine 1 cup orange juice, ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons orange blossom honey and marinate the chicken pieces for 2 to 3 hours. Discard the marinade (do not rinse chicken) and begin the recipe [above].
END QUOTE

There’s been a bit of a chicken shortage in my area so I couldn’t find skin-on thighs, but the skinless version worked almost as well, and is probably healthier anyway. I marinaded and cooked the chicken as directed, but think it might have done better slow cooked over medium instead of medium-high, which I felt dried the chicken out a little more than intended (though perhaps that was due to the lack of skin!) This dish and its delightful sauce tasted great fresh, however, served with rice and vegetables. The dryness was only really noticeable in leftovers, so gobble this up as quickly as you can!

Next week, we head south for the start of another series, investigating a brutal bludgeoning while baking up a tasty cake. Do join me!

One Sentence Summary: With her wedding approaching, Clare is working on a special blend of honey and coffee, but never expected her coffeehouse to be swarmed with bees, nor for her fiance to start to lock her out of his personal and professional lives.

Warning: Spoilers for books 1-18 lie directly ahead.

Overall
Honey Roasted is #19 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series and dishes up a fun and twisty mystery centered around honeybees and, of course, coffee and food. While it could be read as a standalone as every book introduces a new mystery and new characters related to the mystery, the main characters grow with each book. This one is no exception, especially in terms of the relationship between Clare and Mike. Honey Roasted offered me everything I love about this series, from wonderful characters to cases that intersect to relationships that grow over time. Overall, it managed to feel comforting and refreshing to me and I enjoyed how smooth of a reading experience it offered.

Extended Thoughts
With her wedding looming, Clare, manager of The Village Blend coffeehouse, is working on a special latte to serve, using the honey from special bees a friend of her former mother-in-law cultivates. But all is not quite as sweet as her fiance, Detective Mike Quinn, seems too busy with work to pay her any attention. When bees unexpectedly swarm her coffeehouse, the mystery of where they came from leads her to her former mother-in-law’s friend, Bea Hastings. But the mystery doesn’t stop there, because now Bea is in a coma and her niece is unreachable.

Clare’s mystery leads her and her ex-husband, and business partner, across NYC, crossing paths with the case her fiance is working on, and straight into a rising company with a new method of feeding people.

As a long-time reader of this series I am, of course, a little biased. But what I love about this series really shines through in Honey Roasted: an amazing cast of characters, a little sweet romance, a lot of food, and Clare’s and Mike’s cases crossing paths. There are also excellent appearances of Matt, Clare’s ex-husband, and Madame, Matt’s mother and Clare’s former mother-in-law. Honey Roasted offers a story full of real relationship ups and downs, plenty of food and coffee, and intriguing mysteries that prove to be quite dangerous. If there was anything I was missing, it was some dreamy discussions of how to prepare different coffee drinks, but I’m not a coffee drinker so I was just fine with that.

My favorite part of this series has always been, and will always be, the characters. No matter what mystery is thrown at them, they are all still so wonderful in their own unique ways. Clare is stubborn and doggedly pursues the mysteries that drop in her lap. It’s never what she sets out to do, but she has a strong sense of wanting to do what’s right and just ends up being dragged into a case. Now engaged to an NYPD detective, she’s picked up a lot of skills and intuition that really help her out, but danger is never out of the question no matter how hard her fiance, Mike, tries to keep her safe. Speaking of Mike, I adore everything about him. He really is one of the good guys and works hard to do everything by the book, even if it might hurt him. He has definitely been hurt before, but it doesn’t stop him from doing his best, though I think Honey Roasted saw him at one of his lower points as I can’t say I was a huge fan of him in this one. Still, I love Clare and Mike and it’s always such a thrill to read more about their relationship. It’s really one of the foundations and anchors of this series to me and, together, they never really can be steered wrong, personally and professionally. What I really liked about their relationship in Honey Roasted is that everything suddenly became very real with their wedding approaching. There are ups and downs, pushes and pulls, and a lot of hard words and decisions, as well as some surprise relationship advice.

I also adore the greater coffeehouse staff and Mike’s team, though they weren’t as present in this book. I was also sorely missing Joy, Clare’s grown daughter, but she doesn’t feature in every book. The Village Blend staff, though, are always a ton of fun. They each have their own distinct personality and, while they often bump heads, they also work really well together and there’s such a wonderful undercurrent of understanding between them all. They really feel like a family, and they always make me smile. I wish they had been more present in Honey Roasted, but the ones who were seen more often were two of my favorites and the story had some really fun things in store for them. But The Village Blend family also includes the actual family that owns it: Matt and his mother Madame. Matt is Clare’s ex-husband and current business partner. It’s been amazing getting to know him and his changing relationship with Clare over the previous 18 books, and Honey Roasted really had everything I love about him: his fearlessness and adventurous spirit and his willingness to do what he could to make Clare happy while also protecting her. Madame is, as always, absolutely fantastic and so classy I want to grow up to be her. She has such a big heart and is nearly as fearless as Clare and Matt. I adore everything about her and how sharp she is.

Of course the mystery is also a highlight for me. After eighteen books, I still look forward to what Coyle has to throw at Clare. This one involves a sudden swarm of honeybees, a friend of Madame’s, and a company reimagining how to feed people in NYC. Some mysteries are easier for me to figure out than others, but this one had so many wonderful twists and turns that I couldn’t really tell until it was unveiled. After so many books, Honey Roasted managed to feel really refreshing to me, offering a twisty mystery that did what I love best: making Clare’s and Mike’s cases cross. This happens so much that I know to expect it, but I’m always delighted in how it happens. The fact that they tend to cross is really one my favorite things even if it is unrealistic. I really had a lot of fun with this mystery and I really love how each book, each mystery, seems to teach me a little more about NYC.

NYC is such a big city with so many people that I always feel there can never be enough mysteries for Clare. I love that Honey Roasted managed to show me something new about the city even after 18 books. The city always comes alive in my mind, though it might also be because I’ve been reading this books for over 15 years so I think parts of the city and the usual settings like The Village Blend are just imprinted in my mind. Still, everything about it screams cozy and familiar to me.

Honey Roasted is a delightful addition to the series. While it could be read as a standalone as each book has a different mystery, the relationships between the characters really helps to tie it together and I feel a lot of it is built up over the course of the series. However, the mystery part of this book doesn’t require any previous knowledge as new characters and new circumstances are introduced in every book.

I am, of course, a little biased, but Honey Roasted really gave me just about everything I could want in a book in this series. I love all the food (and can’t wait to try some of the recipes that are included in every book) and the characters feel as familiar as good friends. I love the relationship between Clare and Mike, and her relationships with Matt and Madame. The mystery was a lot of fun and just twisty enough for me. I really enjoyed the layers and how wrong I was so many times. My favorite part of this series, though, is how much I learn about food, cooking, and coffee. This one did not disappoint in that it taught me a lot about honey. Overall, Honey Roasted is a really solid #19 and I can’t wait for more mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Honey Roasted is a delightful mystery full of great characters, bees, and lots of coffee. It is hard to believe this is the nineteenth installment in the Coffeehouse series; it is as fresh as ever.

Coffeehouse manager Clare is busy planning her honeymoon and whipping up new coffees containing a much sought after, gourmet honey produced by Madame’s dear friend Bea. When bees swarm at the shop, Clare believes they belong to Bea and soon finds her unconscious on her balcony. It looks like she fell from her rooftop greenhouse…was she pushed? An accident? An attempted suicide like the police thinks? Since the police consider the case closed, Clare takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of things.

I do love Clare and her family, friends, and employees. Nineteen books in, I feel like I am visiting old friends. I appreciate that Clare is a bit more mature (she has a grown daughter) than the average sleuth. She is smart, responsible, and generally level-headed. Matteo, Madame, and Quinn all play important roles in the story. There are some new characters introduced, and I do hope we see more of Bea’s IT guy in the future.

The mystery is well thought out and executed with several twists and turns. I did not identify the villain until the very end. This whole story revolves around bees and honey, and I learned so much from the authors’ research. Who knew that the New York Police Department has a bee division in Queens?!? Clare and Quinn have a bit of a rough patch within these pages, but it did not take away from the mystery.

Cleo Coyle never disappoints, and Honey Roasted is no exception. With its endearing characters, quality writing, and engaging investigation, it is sure to please any cozy mystery reader. Highly recommended.

You would think that, after nineteen books, a series might start to lag a little. Not so with Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries! If you’ll pardon the coffee-related pun, they’re good to the last drop…er, page.

The mystery here isn’t a murder, but a near-murder. A swarm of bees has shown up on the Village Blend’s chimney, and Clare thinks they may belong to Madame’s old friend, Bea. When she arrives at Bea’s apartment, she finds that Bea fell from her rooftop greenhouse. Police on the scene thought it was a suicide attempt, and now Bea lies in ICU in a coma. Clare and Madame both know Bea wasn’t the type to kill herself, so they get to digging.

Clare is a wonderful protagonist. She’s very good at what she does, she’s stayed on good terms with her former mother-in-law all this time, and she’s quite perceptive and intelligent. It has been a treat seeing her grow as a character throughout the series, and with her sharp eye and deductive ability, I have no doubt the NYPD is glad she’s on the side of law and order.

I’m also glad to see that she and Matt, her ex, are becoming more of a partnership, a team, with Matt not trying quite so hard to get the two of them back together. In Honey Roasted, Clare and Quinn hit a bit of a rough patch. Matt tries to give Clare some couples therapy advice, and that made me snort-laugh. It’s nice to see him wanting what’s best for Clare rather than seeking his own ends.

And Clare and Quinn. I just love them! Their relationship isn’t all sunshine and roses. They both have their own baggage that they bring, and sometimes they trip over it. Work gets in the way of romance sometimes. Things go pear-shaped. They fight, they work through it, and they grow stronger together. I cannot WAIT for the book where we finally get a wedding! I might cry real tears.

There’s always something new to learn when I read one of Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries, and this one was no exception. I was fascinated with all the beekeeping information! Bees are such interesting creatures and such a vital part of a healthy ecosystem, and I enjoyed reading about the efforts Bea went to to keep her hives healthy in the heart of an urban setting. I also had no idea there was actually a New York City Federation of Black Cowboys. I had to go google that. Wild Bill Mosley has a small but crucial role in the book, and his character is one of the little extra sprinkles on top of the main story that makes it such a delight.

I adore books where I learn new things, and when that new knowledge is tied up with an intriguing, well-written mystery, so much the better. Coyle has a positive gift for creating characters and writing them in such a way that maybe THAT one is the guilty party. Wait, no, that one. No, the other one! I seldom see the big reveal coming before it hits me upside the head, and that’s part of what makes these books so much fun.

And recipes! You like your cozies with recipes? This book – this whole series – has tons of them. I have so many that I’ve made note of that I can’t wait to try.

This series is so much fun, and so well-written, I could talk about it all day. I’ll close my review by saying that the series has just gotten better as it has progressed, and Honey Roasted is an excellent new entry. You don’t have to read the entire series to appreciate this one, but I recommend you start at the beginning and read them all.

There wasn't a current murder going on in this book, but there was definitely an almost-murder with a woman now in a coma, and since the woman was a friend of Madame's, Clare made it her priority to get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, Mike was very involved in a case of a string of dead OD/homeless bodies showing up in New York's The Hole neighborhood. Side note: Every time I read one of this series, I learn a little more about something interesting in New York. Not that The Hole is now on my bucket list or anything, but I did Google it just to get a feel for the type of area Mike was having to deal with. Yep, saw some pics of the perfect body-dumping spots, and it'd definitely be extra creepy at night, but on the other side just bording it, things looked very normal.

Anywho, I hadn't guessed who the main perp in all of this was at all! I was surprised at who it was when Clare confronted them in a pretty awesome showdown. For a while there, the side story of Mike getting so involved in his case and the extra animosity he was showing toward Franco (young undercover cop who's dating Clare's daughter), that I was a little worried about the engagement. But I trusted the authors, and they came through in a really nice way. And...I had to giggle at all the bee puns well-sprinkled through the book in the dialogue! Loved it!

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

An NYPD bee squad? Yep, it exists and it's got a role in this zippy cozy. Clare doesn't believe that Queen Bea was trying to commit suicide - someone's gone through her greenhouse among other things- so she, along with her ex-husband Matt and Matt's mom Madame, a long time friend of Queen Bea, launch their own investigation. What about Clare's fiance Mike, an NYPD detective? He's got his own cases going and his lack of interest in this one makes Clare wonder about him. Matt may have been a lousy husband but he's a good partner now. The mystery is entertaining and I learned a bit about coffee, honey, and beekeeping in the city. I'd not read the earlier books in the series so I suspect I missed nuance that fans will appreciate but it was perfectly fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy read.

Clare, along with her ex-husband Matt, runs a coffee shop in New York's Greenwich Village. Her staff is shocked when a swarm of bees descends on the shop, and they call the NYPD beekeeping squad. (Turns out truth is stranger than fiction in this case--this squad really exists.) The bees are tracked to a location where Clare and Matt are just in time to see the elderly beekeeper falling from her balcony. Clare knows the woman, and doesn't buy the police explanation of attempted suicide, so she decides to investigate, all the while trying to figure out why her fiance Mike, a city cop, has become so distant. In addition to a well-plotted mystery and likable characters, the authors (a husband and wife team, according to the bio) have done some research on honey and beekeeping, much more than I usually expect from a cozy mystery, and have included recipes as well. This is the 19th in the series, but my first--it worked fine as a stand-alone. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle is the nineteenth book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. This storyline is complex and quite interesting. I read the first couple cooks in this series. While I liked the storyline in them I didn't like the extensive coffee lectures. I realize lots of cozy mystery readers enjoy lots of background especially in food oriented cozies but I read them for the mystery. I was a little leery about reading more. I did pick up book #18, Brewed Awakening and really enjoyed it because there were fewer coffee lectures. I really enjoyed this book too. I like the characters and in this story I enjoyed Todd Duncan's character. His quick thinking really saved the day. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I absolutely adore this series, and this book was no exception! Clare is a fantastic protagonist and is so smart. I loved the humor and characters, and I love the coffeehouse setting and trivia sprinkled throughout the book. I loved the fast pace and following the mystery.

"Clare Cosi is busy as a bee planning her honeymoon when murder buzzes into the Village Blend in this all-new mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse series by Cleo Coyle.

While struggling to find a romantic (and affordable) destination for her upcoming honeymoon, coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi whips up a honey of a drink made from honey-processed coffee. Clare plans to serve her outstanding new Honey-Cinnamon Latte at her spring wedding to her longtime honey, NYPD detective Mike Quinn. The culinary world is also abuzz about the amazing honey that Clare was lucky enough to source for her shop's new latte. Produced by Madame's old friend "Queen" Bea Hastings, the rare, prize-winning nectar from Bea's rooftop hives commands a premium price, and top chefs compete for a chance to use it in their signature seasonal dishes.

One night, a swarm of escaped bees blanket the Village Blend's chimney, and Clare discovers Bea's unconscious body after she seemingly fell from her high-rise rooftop-hive setup. The police want to rule it as a tragic accident or possible attempted suicide, but Clare does not believe either theory. Like Madame, she knows this Queen would never abandon her hive. To sort out this mystery, Clare investigates a world of cutthroat chefs, culinary start-ups, and competitive urban beekeepers. But can she uncover the truth without getting stung?"

Who doesn't need a cozy read right now? Or should I say Cosi?