Member Reviews
What a revelation! I’ve read the audio book for the previous 14 books. I love this series. I also love books with recipes. Having listened to the audio books, I assumed I had to figure out the recipe from the story line. In this e-book version I learned there are actual recipes from the story at the end of the book.
Despite missing out on actual recipes, I kind of missed the friendly voice of the narrator. The story line, however, was pure “Diva” and I truly enjoy this series. I got lucky, making this my first foray into the cozy mystery genre.
Great characters, lovely food, and a happy immersion into Old Town. Great escape reading - with food. Recommended.
I’ve read every book in Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series. I’m impressed with how fresh and interesting she has kept Sophie (the main character) and her friends. This is book number fifteen, and it’s just as engaging as the early ones. Sophie’s friends and neighbors all play significant roles in this iteration.
There were quite a lot going on in this mystery! I only put it down to sleep, and finished it the next morning.
While this could certainly be read as a stand-alone, you’ll enjoy it more as a series.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for access to the ARC.
Krista Davis never disappoints!! I’ve read every one of her books, most multiple times, and every single one has an interesting plot with a great group of quirky, fun characters and lots of laughs! Loved this one just like all the others!!
This was another good story in the Diva series. Even this far along, the plots are fresh and the characters are still fun, funny, and interesting.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance read.
I absolutely love this series! The characters are great, and I was thrilled to see Humphrey and Francie back with group. Davis, as usual, brings Old Town to life with her descriptions and Sophie’s day to day life in the community. The mystery pertained to a restauranteur being murdered, and Bernie, being in competition, is accused of the murder. The whole group -Sophie, Nina, Mars, Francie, Humphrey, and Wolf - all work to prove Bernie’s innocence. I enjoyed the mystery aspect, but love the feel of old friends and good food when I read the Diva series!
I always enjoy a Sophie Winston mystery and was excited that all of my favorite side characters made an appearance. However, after 15 books, the plots are bound to get more complicated to fool Sophie (and the reader). I had a hard time following some of Sophie’s logical leaps, often ending up at a different person than she did. I also suspected the murderer (though without the details of how) before Sophie figured it out. However, despite a few gaps in the plot, I enjoyed spending time with the whole Old Town gang, and the mystery was still satisfying.
In the latest Domestic Diva mystery, Sophia is once again up to her ears in solving a murder. When the owner of a popular restaurant is murdered, his wife, Bobbi Sue Bodoin, asks Sophia for her help in finding her husbands killer. When Sophia's good friend Bernie is arrested for the murder, Sophia and her friend Nina pull out all the stops to clear his name. With the exception of the annoying Natasha, I love all the characters in this book. This was a good cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns. I was up all night reading this book so I could see whodunit. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!
ARC Kindle Copy from Review from Net Galley and Kensington Books.
I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Cheesecake leads to murder.
Sophie is hired to do a dessert buffet without cheesecake on the menu as the woman who hires her is known as the cheesecake queen as a token to her success with her employees. Cheesecake is not the only thing missing but her annoying husband.
He is found the next morning as the cheesecake diva becomes prime suspect and asks hep to find who killed her husband. Sophie will have work cut out.
You will be craving cheesecake as you indulge in this mystery.
I'm a newbie to this series and boy am I hooked.
A cozy with a great whodunnit..... I loved all the characters. I love Sophie and Nina and the chemistry with all the characters. I love Francie and Mars and Bernie.
When you are new to a series, and start a book that can be read as a stand-alone and still feel connected to all the characters, you are in for a good read. Throw in a good mystery with lots of suspects, and you are in for a great ride. I can't wait to go back and read the other books in the series. I am a new fan and can't wait to read all the books in the series.
PS I think I gained weight with all the cheesecakes lol....
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this fun book.
Summer in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia is not complete without a mystery for The Domestic Diva, Sophie Winston and friends, to solve! This time, Sophie and friends are trying to prove the innocence of one of their friends, Bernie Frei. Bernie is accused of murdering a fellow restaurant owner and the evidence against him is growing stronger every day. Sophie and her best friend, Nina, embark on a sleuthing adventure that will hopefully clear Bernie of the crime and bring a killer to justice.
Sophie Winston is one of the most relatable main characters I've read. Working at her catering/event planning business, she serves as a "home base" for a variety of quirky and likable supporting characters - Nina, Max, Bernie, Humphrey, Francie. and even the difficult Natasha all add to the charm of the mystery. This book finds Sophie using all her contacts to solve a tragic murder. With a mystery is full of twists and turns and full of red herrings, I couldn't guess "whodunit" and I loved it!
The mystery is a major part of why I enjoy this series, however other enjoyable aspects of the book are the food descriptions (recipes included!) and the lovely neighborhoods of Old Town Alexandria. The descriptions are so vivid that I feel as if I'm at Sophie's dinner table discussing clues and walking through the historic
and lush neighborhoods of O!d Town Alexandria.
Another winner in The Domestic Diva series!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
If you like cheesecake, you'll not only thoroughly enjoy this book but get hungry while reading it. Let's just say lots of food and cheesecake involved. This is the 15th in the Domestic Diva series and although I had read some of the earlier books, I wondered if new readers would grasp what was going on with the letters to Sophie and Natasha seeking advice that started each chapter. It was fun, of course, to see how they blended into the story but that wasn't evident at the beginning. Other than that nitpick, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
A seemingly well liked restaurant owner has been found dead. Initially, it appears it may have been as the result of an accident. Sophie, on hand when the body was discovered, had doubts, however. It isn't long before she is busy asking questions and gathering clues. She has the help of her loyal circle of friends and always seems to be dishing up a yummy meal or snack for them as the discuss their own hunches and findings. There are several suspects and so many twists and red herrings that it can almost make you shake your head in an attempt to shake everything into place. I liked how her friends pulled together to solve the crime, at times even rescuing Sophie from danger. I also liked how well Sophie was able to keep her cool when finally confronting the killer, using her wits to escape.
The contrast between Sophie and Natasha provides some humor, with Sophie seeming to have more common sense. But, wait, what do any of those seemingly innocuous letters seeking advice have to do with the murder? Who is that tall woman both the murder victim and friend, soon targeted as the chief suspect, are seen talking with? Fish fraud? Huh? Will Spence ever have a relationship with his biological father? How does the Coach fit into the whole thing? Would you go out walking your dog if someone had just attacked you? Why did Natasha throw a cheesecake in a smarthy wannabe beau's face? What is the cheesecake queen's role in all this? All these questions and more are answered in this intricate path to the solution of the murder. Grab a piece of cheesecake, some tea, and settle in for an enjoyable ride.
Thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me to visit Sophie and friends. My Daisy dog was happy to come along for the ride and meet Sophie's Daisy, too.
If you've read any of the other books in the series, you pretty much know what to expect. The mystery in this one was interesting and Bernie plays a role in that. I thought we were really going to get a good look at this often mentioned, but little explored secondary character, but it didn't live up to my expectations. We get the barest glimpse into his childhood and family life and something is confirmed that wasn't a great surprise to me.
If you're a big fan of Sophie's posse, they all show up, but are less involved in the mystery than usual, even Wolf.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
How on earth Krista Davis has managed to write 15 wonderful Domestic Diva cozy mysteries I'll never know, but each and every single one is a gem, and The Diva Says Cheesecake! is a perfect example! Sophie and the gang are back at it when one of their own is accused of murder, and as they join together to find the real culprit we are treated to their hilarious antics all while drooling over delicious recipes and the always enjoyable competing advice column excerpts. Lots of fun, fast-paced, and a blast to read!!! 5 stars!
I loved reading The Diva Says Cheesecake. It is a great whodunit. Sophie Winston is the main character who owns Sophie Winston Events. I loved all the supporting characters as well as the new ones. Bobbi Sue Bodoin's 'husband, Tate owns Blackwell's Tavern, When he does not come home that night his she asks Sophie to help her find him. They find him dead in the cellar of his restaurant.. He was murdered. Bobbi Sue asks Sophie and her friend, Nina to help find out who murdered her husband. Bernie Frei, Sophie's friend and manager of the Laughing Hound restaurant had words with Tate and is arrested and prime suspect. Sophie and her friends do not believe he is responsible for Tate's death. This is where the story takes off on an adventure of who killed Tate with all the twists and turns and suspects. I don't want to spoil the story for the reader so I will leave it to them to find out who the murderer is..
I have not read any of the other books in this series but plan to go back and do so.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.
Old Town’s midsummer festivities are getting a tasty addition this year. To coincide with a public performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Bobbie Sue Bodoin, the Queen of Cheesecake, has hired Sophie to organize a dinner with a dessert buffet on the waterfront. Bobbie Sue’s homegrown company is thriving, and since her baking dish overfloweth, she wants to reward her employees.
Bobbie Sue has only one menu demand: no cheesecake! But her specialty isn’t the only thing missing from the evening—Tate, Bobbie Sue’s husband, is too much to her annoyance. Next morning, however, Tate’s dead body is discovered. Bobbie Sue insists she didn’t kick her spouse to the curb, and begs for Sophie’s help finding the real killer. Digging in, Sophie discovers an assortment of Old Town locals who all had reason to want a piece of Tate. Can she gather together the crumbs the killer left behind in time to prevent a second helping of murder?
This one was a fun one! I really enjoyed Sophie and her crew investigating. Lots of twist and turns in this one.
#TheDivaSaysCheesecake #NetGalley
Krista Davis never fails to hold my attention! She has turned out another great episode of Sophie and Natasha’s lives. I love Sophie and her friends and family, and the food and hints she offers are wonderful! Natasha a totally type A individual sometimes gripes me to no end! To do some of her suggestions are just a little over the top and la-de-dah for me!
In this great book, the plot twists and turns so many times, I loved it! I always like to be a little surprised by who did it, and Davis did not fail with the surprises.
I loved it! If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet be sure to do so asap!
I LOVED the latest installment of the Domestic Diva series! This mystery actually had me stumped! It was full of my favorite cozy elements: cooking, friends and pets! I just love seeing everyone pull together to solve case! And the cheesecake recipes sound fabulous!
I knew as soon as I started The Diva Says Cheesecake! I would not be able to put it down.
Sophie Winston is one of my favorite characters, and her natural abilities to get involved in murder investigations shines in this book.
Tate, a local restaurant owner is found, dead, surrounded by broken wine bottles. To the average eye this may look like an accident, however, Sophie is one of the first to discover the body, and she has her own suspicions.
Before long, Sophie's dear friend is accused of killing Tate, and the family feels they have the right suspect.
Sophie, along with her bestie Nina, and a cast of wonderful characters all put their heads together to discover the truth.
I devoured this book in one sitting, and may have to bake a cheesecake this weekend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#TheDivaSaysCheesecake #NetGalley
Another great installment of this wonderful series!! This time Sophie friend Bernie is being accused of murder. Can she help him before its too late
One of my favorite authors and series. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her and her books. I suggest reading them in order. Her bookd always make me hungry