This series is one of the first that truly made me want to travel to a setting. Character driven (human and 4 legged), fantastic setting, light romance, fudge, AND murder mysteries.... WIN WIN!!!

Fantastic series. One of the first Cozy series I started way back when. Highly recommend!

I'm a huge fan of the Candy Coated mystery series. It was my first introduction into the cozy mystery genre. A midsummers Night's Fudge was just as enjoyable as the other in the series. The cast of characters is charming and you can't help but fall in love with all of them. I loved the addition of Carol and I hope to see more of her in future books.

I'm also excited to see where Allie's relationship with Rex is heading. I think they make a good pair even though he is a bit hard headed when it comes to her safety. Allie is just as hard headed when it comes to protecting her friends and family. I like the bit of drama them bumping heads adds to the story. I'm so excited that Jen is pregnant. It will add so much to the story.

My only flaw with this installment in the series is that I knew who the murderer was at about 40%. The vibes were just off with the killer and I could tell. I will say that it didn't impact my enjoyment and I would still recommend A Midsummers Night's Fudge to anyone who loves a cozy mystery.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mackinac Island is famous for its fudge and the tourists in the summer make it a little hard for the locals to get around. Hotel and fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy is always busy doing fudge demonstrations and giving out chunks of that fudge to drum up business. That July evening, when she was set on watching the Midsummer Night’s Festival, she had to take her little dog home first to protect his ears from the fireworks. A relaxing evening was not to be had by this amateur sleuth though as she sees a body floating in the water. There's the local crowning of the queen and a parade with floats but not everyone is in agreement of who should have been the queen. Could some sour grapes have entered into this deadly competition? A cozy mystery with animals and a bakery or fudge shop? I'm all in. Despite keeping the tourists distracted by the sticky sweet fudge she's making Allie and her boyfriend the cop is working the case from every angle. This charming cozy has a fudge or baked goods recipe after every chapter. This is another cozy series that I've read some but not all of the books in it and will be needing a catch up.

Pub Date 24 May 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Allie discovers a body during the Mackinac Island midsummer’s night festival. The victim turns out to be the committee chairperson of the event. Walking her dog Marshmallow a day later they sniff out another victim, also a committee member. Who has it in for the festival committee? It is the family of the disqualified beauty queen? Or is that a red herring. Allie and her senior citizen cohort do some sleuthing to try and figure out the culprit, until Allie hits the mark and is taken hostage. Can she escape, will anyone find her and Mal? I love visiting Mackinac Island and it’s special quirks in this series.

There are plenty of twists and turns, with a good amount of misdirection. Once revealed, the killer seems to have been hiding in plain sight. The action isn’t non-stop, but there is enough to give readers a great adventure. Of course, the island's history, the celebrations, tourists, and fudge will keep readers enthralled and happy for hours..
The characters are well written and and so well developed that they seem very lifelike. The author does a nice job of describing all of the historic places on Mackinac Island. I have visited the island many times over the years and I know where the characters are at different points in the book because of how well the author describes the places in full detail. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what Allie and the rest of the characters get up to on the island.

This is the tenth book in the candy-coated series. Allie is walking her dog, Mal, home when they come across a woman floating in the lake. Allie dives in in hopes that she could save the woman, but the woman is already dead. Allie starts investigating determined to find the killer.

This has always been a favorite series of mine and while I was not invested in the storyline as much as previous books, I did enjoy it. The characters are always well written, and I love reconnecting with them every time I read a new book.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S FUDGE is the tenth book in Nancy Coco’s Candy-Coated cozy mystery series. This is a classic cozy mystery. The story opens with everybody enjoying themselves at the first Midsummer Night’s Festival and the crowning of the Midsummer Night’s Queen. There are yummy treats, exotic costumes, and friends sharing a laugh. What could go wrong? Suddenly an idyllic setting turns dark when jealousy and violence erupt, and somebody is murdered. With her beloved pup Mal, assorted friends and co-workers, and a gaggle of elderly local amateur sleuths, Allie tries to find the motive for Winona Higer’s murder. Was somebody else the real target? Was it the obvious motive, or some secret shenanigans at the heart of the mystery?

As Allie hunts for clues and chases down alibies, she becomes entrenched in things like committees, sewing circles, and local petty gossip. Yikes! The committees she doesn’t mind so much, but each bit of gossip she hears and each direction she gets pulled leads her somewhere different. It becomes hard to tell what’s important and what’s trivial. Readers must decide for themselves whether the murders have to do with the Midsummer Night’s Queen, or if that’s merely a red herring. The hidden motives for seemingly random murders feel like the key to everything for Allie, but the murderer acts increasingly unhinged. Soon nobody feels safe. I like how Allie has a lot of support as she plays the part of an amateur detective. Her friends and loved ones balance out the sense of danger and malevolence.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S FUDGE casts a sinister glow over small-town life. Although Allie’s police officer boyfriend tries to steer her away from investigating, I thought he did a good job of not sounding like an overprotective parent. If anything, as the danger escalates, I thought Allie was taking a few too many risks for my taste. The recipes included throughout the book are, predictably, tasty. The story moves very quickly and doesn’t lose momentum. I look forward to reading Nancy Coco’s next “Candy-Coated” mystery.

Another action packed adventure for Allie. She completely went in the wrong directions. I am glad the McMurphy is thriving.

thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me review this book.

Entertaining and witty with a cast of characters you can easily fall in love with.

Good mystery and I was able to identify the culprit quickly. It's a good fast pace mystery for all cozy lovers.

It seems that cozy companion Mal and chocolatier/B&B owner Allie are quite literally tripping over victims quite a bit more than usual in this mystery, which is set in the fudge capital of America, Mackinac Island. There are fireworks beyond those of the local celebration when Allie, finds herself at odds with the local law enforcement (aka Allie’s boyfriend, Rex) because Allie is determined to find answers. Whether she is in the line of fire or a direct target, Allie needs to keep her wits about her as she gets involved in more than just the various community committees. You can’t help but to keep turning pages as the mystery develops and the number of victims increases. On the plus side, you learn quite a bit about the island and its inhabitants. Mackinac Island is on my bucket list of cozy places to visit so that I can find some world class fudge, in the mean time I will make due with some of the wonderful recipes that Ms. Coco so generously shares between the chapters, such as the Turtle Fudge and Cinnamon Mocha Fudge.

This is book 10 in the Candy-Coated Cozy series. it's set on Mackinac Island during the summer festival, Allie is taking her dog home to avoid the firework noise when she finds a body floating on the lake. It's the festival organizer who just made a family mad by eliminating their daughter from the Queen contest. Allie is called on to replace Winona as a parade judge and help out with the rest of the festival. Someone doesn't want the festivities to continue and getting rid of Allie seems to be on their mind. All your favorite locals are back but the story will stand alone. Renews my desire to visit Mackinac.

I have enjoyed earlier books in this series but I found myself struggling to continue reading this one.

Mackinac Island is hosting a festival to raise money for the parks department. Allie and her friends are all in attendance and when the fireworks begin she runs home to drop off her dog Mal, who is upset by the noise. On her way back to the festival she unfortunately finds a body in the lake. The victim is the festival organizer, Winona Higer. No one knows who would have wanted her dead, except for the pageant contestant who was just disqualified.
Unfortunately Winona is not the only murder victim found on the island. Could a serial killer be at work?

This is the tenth book in the Candy-coated mystery series. I love this series and have been looking forward to reading the latest book. I was not disappointed. I was a little shocked at the number of crimes in this book, but the action moved at a steady pace and was engaging.
I figured out who the murderer was early in the book, but I continued to wonder if I was falling for a red herring. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book. I recommend this book.

A Midsummer Night’s Fudge
A Candy-Coated Mystery, Book #10
Nancy Coco
5 Stars

Synopsis:

During the Midsummer Night’s Festival, Allie decides to take her bichonpoo, Mal, home to spare her furry little ears from the sounds of fireworks. But on her way back, Allie spots a body in the lake. Just minutes ago, Winona Higer was crowning the event’s Queen—could the competition have really been that deadly?

While she ponders the mystery the next morning, Allie prepares her favorite dark chocolate cherry fudge recipe. But she’s soon recruited to sub for the late Winona and serve as parade float judge, among other duties. As she hears rumors and gossip, and learns of mean pranks and threatening notes, her instincts kick in—despite her boyfriend the cop’s disapproval. Now, between managing a new hire and keeping the tourists filled with fudge, she’s dealing with a case that’s boiling over . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. It was good to get to spend time with Allie, Jenn, Rex and Mal, Allie’s puppy. Again Allie stumbles across a dead body, the woman in charge of the festival that the citizens of Mackinac Island are enjoying. When a second person is murdered Allie feels she has to solve the murders. Her and Mal are on the case.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The writing style flows smoothly and it helped to define the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The mystery was well plotted and it was very hard to solve.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Check out Allie, Mal and the fudge making.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

This was a particularly special read for me so I'm late reviewing it, because I saved it to read in Michigan during my trip Up North. Is there even a better way to enjoy a Nancy Coco book than being less than 30 minutes away from Mackinac island? I've been so many times in my life and there is still a chance I'll be going this trip, so reading A Midsummer Night's Fudge only felt right to do here. Per usual Allie finds herself fully wrapped up in a murder mystery. Things are a bit more complicated this time around since she's dating Officer Rex. I've read every single one of Nancy Coco's books in the Candy-Coated Mystery Series and what I enjoyed most was seeing Allie be treated less as an outsider this time. I mean, by book ten, it was about time, right? She is invited to serve on various committees and even tries to sidestep her sleuthing tendencies. This installment of Allie's adventures didn't leave me disappointed and it was the cozy mystery I was seeking. Recently, my books have been feeling a bit too steamy so the quaint dynamic between Allie and Rex worked for me. I did find his constant nagging annoying and I wish Allie would just stick up for herself a bit more often instead of constantly doing so internally. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for providing me an ARC to review in exchange for my honest feedback. I'm looking forward to the next!

Nancy Coco fills Mackinac Island with fudge and murder in A Midsummer Night's Fudge. in the Candy Coated mystery series. Allie spots a corpse after the Midsummer Night celebrations, then serves as a judge in the parade float contest as a replacement judge for the dead woman. Her boyfriend the policeman disapproves as she sets up her murder board. Others die. Whodunit? Enjoy the fudge recipes.

This is a fun mystery. It kept me interested all the way through. It's not a good book for someone who is allergic to chocolate because I ended up craving fudge when I was done.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This book was great, had an enjoyable time reading it.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Allie and Mai are back sleuthing after she pulls a body out of the Lake. It is during a big festival and the corpse is the lady who was in charge of it. Rex is not happy with Allie getting involved and he becomes even less so when the body count starts to add up. There is someone on the island who is hiding something and quite prepared to kill to keep the secret hidden.

Allie is one of those characters who skims close to the Darwin Award line, particularly in this book. She does not back off when it appears that she and everyone else involved in the festival have targets on their backs. It turns out it was all a smokescreen but she still manages to stumble across the villain and her life and Mal’s is put in jeopardy. I suspected the killer all along so it was vindication when Allie finally twigs. But for all of that, her escape from her perilous situation was sufficiently exciting for me to forgive the occasional groan.

I have enjoyed this series and every time I read one of the stories, I want to take a trip up to Mackinaw Island. Four purrs and one paw up.

The fudge series is my favorite cozy mystery. This does not disappoint. It made me laugh and always has the familiar characters. I love the dog!