I love me a good cozy mystery when I need a break from the hard core thrillers and this book was a great read.

The first in a new Cozy Mystery Series, A Christmas Candy Killing, is fun and has everything I love in a cozy.

I absolutely LOVE the idea of poison-themed chocolate!! Also, the name of the bookshop is fantabulous!! I mean Murder and Mayhem??!! I wish I had something like that to go to 😂😂

Murder, small town gossip and nosy neighbors: yes please. It's one of my favorite settings for cozies. The twin sisters are great, as well as their pup Watson. All the characters, honestly, are fun...even the annoying ones.

This may just be my new favorite cozy series...now to go find a poisoned-themed chocolatier 😂😂

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

I just loved this book. Read it almost one sitting. Just could not put it down.

Hannah and Alex are twin sisters who have left their families behind to start afresh with a new store of their own. A murder mystery book store. They also seller "poisonous" homemade chocolates.

Jane is a really nice neighbor in their village that loves to learn everything she can about her neighbors. When she winds up murdered. The town automatically looks at the handyman with the criminal background and Alex because Jane ate poisoned candy before she died.

A really good murder mystery with a touch of humor from some "wacky" characters and a cute dog named Watson. I think you will enjoy the story as much as I did. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I like mystery novels, but this is the first cozy murder mystery I have ever read. I felt this was a nice introduction to the genre. Especially because of the Christmas theme. The story progressed at a nice pace. The final twist was coherent with all the information we were given; to the point that it could be guessed correctly by the reader. The characters were likable and were given flaws that made them feel realistic. The chocolate recipes at the end were a nice touch given the theme of the book.
I thought there wasn’t enough distinction between the character of Alex and Hanna; but maybe that works in its favor because they are supposed to be identical twins. I didn’t like the jump between the main character suspecting one person to them connecting the dots and finding the real killer. I felt it was a bit clumsy and diminished the impact of the reveal. The final chapter, tying all the non-murder related loose ends was also shorter than I had hoped. After all the time following the characters the resolution two their arcs were fairly obvious but still felt a bit lacking. If this is intended to be the first of a series of books maybe the characters will develop their relationships in further instalments. But I prefer judging this book on its own merits.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and intriguing mystery and even though I read out of season it managed to make me feel the Christmas spirit
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful old fashioned style Who Done it ! Add in the seasonal atmosphere a Book Shop , Chocolates & a darling Dog called Miss Watson & you have delightful cosy reading . #NetGalley,#Goodreads, #FB, #Instagram,#Amazon.co.uk , #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/358a5cecda71b11036ec19d9f7bf5c96d13e2c55" width="80" height="80" alt="100 Book Reviews" title="100 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

What a great read! It’s a dash of Christmas and a whole lot of whodunit with more than one person dying, two possibly innocent suspects and a pinch of romance that comes together to make a book that is almost impossible to put down. I wish we had seen this mystery gift Alex was getting, and find out exactly what Tom wanted to speak to her about, but overall I loved this book!

What a fun and cozy read! I was super skeptical of this title as the description included the “septuagenarian” neighbor. I was concerned it was going to be a cluster of overly prideful vocabulary words. I am happy to say it was a light and wonderful read. I did discover who the killer was about half way through, but learning the details was still very exciting. The author did a good job of building suspects and making the characters easy to like, I would definitely recommend to a friend.

I really enjoyed this book. Since it's the first in a new series, there was a lot of getting to know the characters and how they came to be in the town in which they live. i thought the plot was well thought out and there were several red herrings to make you second guess yourself on who the killer might be. There were some hints at future romance as well, so I look forward to reading more about that. I will definitely continue to read this series!

A great Christmas story!!

Description
Their chocolates are to die for—but things aren’t so sweet when a real killer comes to town, in this debut mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs.

Identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates. But now, there’s a real killer in their midst. Shortly before Christmas, their septuagenarian neighbor, Jane, confides to Alex that a murderer from a true-crime show has taken up residence in the village. Unfortunately, she’s also shared her suspicions with town gossip Netta. The next morning, Alex shows up at Jane’s house to watch the show, but instead discovers Jane's body, with a box of Killer Chocolates nearby.

The sheriff quickly zeroes in on two suspects: Alex, a beneficiary in Jane’s will, and Zack, a handyman who was seen leaving the crime scene. But Alex maintains her innocence and sets out to draft a list of other potential suspects—townsfolk who’d recently been seen arguing with Jane.

When Alex gets hold of Jane’s journal, she begins to understand the truth. But a bearer of ill tidings is arriving early this year—and Alex just might not make it to Christmas.

This book caught my attention with the title. Three of my favorite things: Christmas, candy, & murder. Alex & Hanna are twins who live in a small village where a woman is murdered. She is found to have been poisoned with chocolate 🍫 & stabbed. I enjoyed playing sleuth with the twins as they try to clear Alex's name. Just when they make a breakthrough, another woman is found dead...was it really an accident?

I liked this cozy murder mystery but did feel that it was a bit drawn out in the middle and the end was a bit rushed. 3.5 ⭐

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril.

If you love a cozy mystery set at Christmas time this book is perfect for you. I loved all the different candies and the setting in Montana.

I found the beginning of the book a bit slow especially with the different descriptions of the killing chocolate (chocolates based off the poisoned themes). But as the mystery continued, I found myself wanting to know who committed the murder and why.

The story is told from Alex’s perspective, and I enjoyed her as an amateur sleuth. Alex is smart and knows her mysteries since she has been reading them from a small age and runs a mystery bookshop. This helped with her investigation. My one complaint with Alex is her conflict on whether she wants to date someone who has not even asked her on a date. I felt like the author was trying to bring romance when I did not feel chemistry between the two characters.

The supporting characters were easy to enjoy. The twins had distinct personalities and their neighbors (especially the man who kept diagnosing himself) were a very fun addition. I would like to know more about them and definitely look forward to book two in the series.

As for the mystery, there were plenty of suspects that kept you guessing. I figured out the murderer relatively early but that did not take away from the book. I wanted to know the why and exactly how they did it.
Overall, this was a fun cozy mystery set in Montana at Christmas. The descriptions of the town made me feel like I was there, and I plan to read more of this series when it is published.

An appealing debut cozy that whisks readers away to a world of savory chocolates with poison-themed names. Protagonist Alex Wright and her twin sister, Hanna, are the middle-aged co-owners of Murders and Mayhem: Killer Chocolates and Bookshop in the lovely Rocky Mountains of Montana. When a Sleuth Book Club member is found murdered in an odd manner, Deputy Sheriff Duncan Fletcher is called to investigate. The story action begins very quickly!

Swift pacing, humor, and an awesome main set of characters top my list of things I liked about the story. The theme of using poison in the names of the chocolates is an original concept I’d never heard of before. The author provides an ample supply of secondary characters who seem suspicious until she narrows their alibi’s one by one until close to the end of the story when one person in particular becomes a focal point and the killer is revealed! The lovable Miss Watson, Alex and Hanna’s staffordshire terrier is a heroine! I also enjoyed the Christmastime trimmings. Happy Reading!

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

Even though it is April, it was snowing last week and I felt perfectly in the mood for this Christmas cozy mystery novel.
Alex and her twin sister Hanna run a mystery bookshop / chocolate shop called Murder and Mayhem.
A few days before Christmas Alex’s friend Jane is murdered in her home after she confided in Alex that she had watched a true crime show and she now suspected one of the people in their small village to be a murderer.

I really liked the setting of the shop in the small village and the festive feeling the book gave me. I had some trouble with all the different characters though.

Thank you very much for this ARC. It was an enjoyable read!

This was....ok? It's a workmanlike cozy mystery. The setting and characters were fine. However, the plot was overly dependent on having a really dumb protagonist. I can't tell you how many times I yelled at Alex for being a moron. Overall, this is a good beach read, but don't expect too much from it.

A very enjoyable mystery in which Alex tries to solve the murder of her good friend Jane. As she does so, an array of characters join her, including her identical twin, her eligible neighbor next door (who is hilariously being chased by the neighbor across the street), and other friends. While trying to solve the murder, Alex and her sister also run the mystery & chocolates bookstore.

Definitely a good start to a new series. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. This review can also be found on my Goodreads page.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited about this book, twins owning a bookshop that sells killer chocolates, very appealing. I really enjoyed reading about Alex trying to solve Jane's murder and clear her name in the process. This was a fun book that was very interesting and a great new author to follow.

A simple version of Miss Marple - village sleuth. Set in a small town in America twins (shopkeeper and chocolatier) investigate the related murders of 2 elderly ladies. Pleasant story, quick to read and light.

Alex ignored all polite society etiquette because of her curiosity. She couldn’t resist poking her nose into other folks' business, even with a murderer hiding within their midst. This book captivated me, especially where the killer was deep incognito within the community. It was intriguing and exciting to follow Alex’s sniffing out the killer against the police's advice.

Twin sisters Alex and Hannah Wright are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a bookstore/chocolate shop featuring candies named after poisons used in murder mysteries. Jane Burrows, a friend and neighbor, is a fan of true crime shows and is convinced she has uncovered a murderer living among them after watching a show. When Alex goes over to watch the show with her, she discovers Jane's body. While a handyman is considered to be a suspect, Alex is also under suspicion once it is revealed that she will inherit a great portion of Jane's estate. To clear herself and the handyman, Alex investigates the pasts of possible suspects. Interesting characters.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

After years at a desk job, Alex left her job and with her twin sister Hannah, opened Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that poison-themed Killer Chocolates - poison free of course! Alex prefers her mysteries to be in books but when her close friend Jane is murdered, Alex can’t help but get involved in trying to solve the crime –especially since she is one of the top suspects! Alex starts digging into the past of several people who might have had a reason to kill Jane but when a second body turns up Alex realizes she needs to be careful or she might be the next victim.

“A Christmas Candy Killing” is the first book in a new series by Christina Romeril and for the most part it is pretty good. I really like the characters of Hannah and Alex and I love their candy/book store – naming the chocolates after poisons is an inspired idea (although I might be a bit squeamish about trying a chocolate there!). I also love the small town setting, where everybody knows what is going on, and the fact that the book is set at Christmas. As a leading characters Alex is a good one although she can be a bit too nosy at times (although not as nosy as Jane was) – then again there are a lot of people in town with secrets they want to remain hidden! The mystery itself is pretty well done with a few surprises but certain events were a bit predictable and I did figure out towards the end who the killer was. I do think that now that the characters have been established, the next book in the series will be stronger.

“A Christmas Candy Killing” is a nice start to what looks to be a fun cozy mystery series.