Mix chocolates, a mystery bookshop and true crime documentaries in a story plot and you get A Christmas Candy Killing, the first book in a debut series. This was overall an entertaining read with a good plotline with the mystery connected to true crime documentaries that Jane, an elderly resident, is addicted to watching and which eventually becomes a reason for her death. It wasn't easy to guess who the culprit was until the reveal at the end but later I realised the clues were very much there.

Plus, chocolates are my guilty pleasure, aphrodisiac (whatever you call it) and this book had ample description and discussion of chocolates to get my mouth watering! The book has recipes too at the end but were very complicated for me to give it a try... let the professionals handle the art of chocolate making and I will stick to just eating them 😋😁!

A promising and delectable start to a new cozy mystery series for sure!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Christina Romeril for the e-Arc of the book. The book published on 11th October, 2022.

A well thought out and completely enjoyable debut cozy that kept me guessing until the very end1 I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Pub date: 10/11/22
Genre: cozy mystery
Series: Killer Chocolate Mysteries (book 1)
One sentence summary: Twins Alex and Hannah own a bookstore/chocolate shop - but when their "killer chocolates" are found next to a murdered friend, Alex becomes a lead suspect and must clear her name.

There is a special spot in my heart for food themed cozies, and the chocolates in this book were making my mouth water! I enjoyed getting to know Alex, Hannah, and the supporting cast - there are a lot of characters, but eventually I got everyone straight in my head.

I enjoyed the mystery a lot - victim Jane was close to Alex, and when Alex got ahold of her diary, it was very useful for sleuthing. I didn't guess the killer until the end, and the "ending showdown" scene was satisfying. I'm looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very good debut of what looks to be an entertaining series. The small town bookstore setting may not be totally unique but the name of the bookstore, Murder and Mayhem, is so fun and the poison themed chocolates they create and sell, adds another layer of creativity and uniqueness. The characters are well developed and likable, even though Alex, our amateur sleuth and resident bookstore owner, can be quite blunt during her investigations. The mystery is well done and offers plenty of suspects to investigate. A thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery!

I think this is such a cute story! Good cozy mystery. It reminds me of a well known series of the same type.

The writing is excellent. The characters are well thought out.

I figured out the murderer about half way through but it didn't make me want to stop reading

Excited for the next story if there is one to come!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Christmas Candy Killing is a perfect cozy mystery for the Holiday season as it features a rather festive mood. The main character, Alex, is relatable and gets the story going forward. She is not always very subtle with her investigation, but it does make things interesting. Hanna is also a pleasant character in the book. The storyline moves forward at a good pace, and there are many potential suspects, not to mention a large amount of gossiping by secondary characters to keep the readers guessing. I am looking forward to reading future installments in this series. Don't miss this book!

A Christmas Candy Killing is a cosy holiday themed mystery that I loved. It had great characters, a great storyline and a great setting - I could not fault it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC.

A Christmas Candy Killing is book #1 in A Killer Chocolate Mystery series by Christina Romeril.

Twin sisters Alex and Hannah own a bookshop and sell chocolate. Jane, Alex’s friend, asks her to come over the next morning because she wants to share something, but she has been murdered.

This is a great start to a new series. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and books and a murder mystery. The characters are interesting, the murder kept me guessing, and there are instructions and recipes for making non-poisonous chocolates at the end. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to the author, Cooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril is the debut of A Killer Chocolate Mysteries. I enjoyed this fun cozy mystery. We get to meet Alex and Hanna Wright. They are twins who own Murders and Mayhem which is a shop that sells books (mostly mysteries) and killer chocolates. I love that they name the chocolates after different poisons (very clever). I enjoyed getting to know the twins. There is a good cast of secondary characters. The story moved along at a steady pace. Alex finds herself at the top of the suspect list for the murder of a dear friend. Unfortunately, it is an election year, and the sheriff wants to make a quick arrest. Alex who has been reading mysteries since she was a child and belongs to the Sleuth Book Club is eager to solve the case. Alex gets assistance from her twin along with other Sleuth members (plus the ruggedly handsome next-door neighbor). They make a list of suspects and Alex sets up a murder board. One by one she works through her list until there is one person with no alibi. I enjoyed following the clues and solving the whodunit. There was a surprise or two along the way to the reveal. I did feel there was a little too much repetition of case details as well as information regarding Alex’s life (I got it the first time that she did not like banking). There are wonderful descriptions of the handmade chocolates (had me heading to local chocolate shop). I loved Alex and Hanna’s dog, Miss Marple. This was a good debut and I look forward to the next A Killer Chocolate Mystery. A Christmas Candy Killing is a mouthwatering tale with winter weather, delectable chocolates, a mysterious murder, a stubborn sheriff, rampant rumors, a cold case, and Christmas cheer.

This was a fun and festive book, full of mystery and lovable characters! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Why do cozy mystery sleuths always end up with the best jobs? Take Alex: along with her identical twin sister, Hannah, she acts as co-proprietor of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that serves up poison-themed chocolates. On the flipside, after her friend and fellow true crime enthusiast Jane is found murdered, the sheriff has a short list of suspects and Alex's name is right at the top. Not exactly a great trade-off for such a cool job.

Fortunately, author Christina Romeril in her debut cozy, A Christmas Candy Killing, has provided Alex with all the proper qualities to prove her innocence. She's smart and generally collected. Romeril has crafted a grounded investigator who relies more on logic rather than brute-forcing her way through a mystery. Plus, as someone ensconced in crime in both her personal and professional life, she has a theoretical knowledge of murder that translates to well-thought-out snooping. This isn't a cozy with explosions and whistles, but that makes the moments Alex does take a risk all the more pulse-pounding.

Yet it's not just a fun job and solid detective work that makes this a success. All of this would be for nothing if Alex didn't inhabit a fully realized, almost idyllic world—there's a murder on, after all. Where on earth could a shop made up of toxic-punned chocolates and books succeed? Montana, apparently, with an absolutely charming lot of locals ready to help and hinder Alex's prying. From unrequited love over freezer-burnt casseroles to a gossipy coterie of true crime buffs, Romeril has infused plenty of unique flavor to keep this new series going a good, long while.

Ultimately, A Christmas Candy Killing is a solid debut with the added bonus of featuring one of the best jobs in cozy fiction.

Chocolate, Christmas and Cillings (alright it should be killings but it doesn't have the alliteration thing going). Some of my favorite things. Well, the killings I like only in books. Good characters, plenty of twists, a very satisfying mystery, and even a touch of the holiday spirit. An excellent choice for a holiday read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good start to a new series. I liked the idea of a bookstore with chocolates and found the various names of their chocolates creative. The mystery was OK but I really hate when the MC doesn't actually go to work. The premise of the series is based on their profession - it's what cozies center themselves on - so when you're not actually there, then why mention it? I also didn't really connect with any of the characters and the writing. Whereas there was tons of description of places, several conversations that should have been detailed were glossed over, particularly one section very early in the book with the Sheriff where so much information could have been laid out in the conversation but it wasn't even covered. I may continue with the series but it depends on availability at the library.

This was a fun read. The book drew me in right away, kept me invested and guessing until the end with a bunch of suspects. I loved the premise of a bookstore & chocolate shop, I’d be there all the time! 🍫📚 Overall I loved this book and getting to know Alex & Hannah. Alex did a great job sleuthing and fitting all the pieces together. I can’t wait to see what she’s up to next!

A Christmas Candy Killing, book one of a new series.

I think the premise is a good one. A specialty store with a "murder" theme, a book club and a murder.

Unfortunately, there were just too many characters to keep straight and nothing really to distinguish them apart. I was constantly having to go back to remind myself who was who.

I didn't get a Christmas feel in this book or even a sense of a Montana life or atmosphere.

Also, and this is a small thing, Alex keeps referring to her weight/figure and after a while I was done with the fat shaming.

I won't be going forward with this series.

A Christmas Candy Killing is the first book in the A Chocolate Killer Mystery series by Christina Romeril.

A Christmas Candy Killing is an excellent beginning to a new series that I am looking forward to reading more books. This series is located in the quaint village of Harriston, Montana. Alex and Hanna are identical-twin sisters who have opened a handmade chocolate candy shop with a bookstore sharing space called Murder and Mayhem. Their specialty is chocolates whose names have the name of poison added, such as Belladonna Black Currant, Strychnine Strawberry, Poison Pear Ganache, and others. They also host the Sleuth Book Club, headed by a retired school teacher, Jane Burrow.

Jane asks Alex to watch a true crime program. Jane says the person in the show is living in Harriston. Jane adds that it would be someone who moved to town about years ago. When Alex arrives the following day, there is no answer to her knocking. Alex finds the door unlocked and enters, calling Jane’s name. When there is no answer, Alex starts searching the house and soon finds Jane’s body on the floor of her bedroom, having been stabbed. The police will have two suspects, Zach, a local handyman that Jane had used and has a coin collection that reportedly Jane had given him, and Alex, as the cause of death was found to be chocolates laced with poison from her shop. In addition, Alex was named in Jane’s will, getting half of her estate. To clear her name, Alex soon finds several people who moved to town about ten years ago and sets out to learn if any of them might have a criminal history. Alex wonders if the two deaths are related when a second suspicious death occurs. She knows she must find the killer before any more suspicious deaths occur.

Ms. Romeril does a wonderful job of developing believable and endearing characters. I would love to have them as friends, except for the killer. The story is well-written and plotted, moves at a good pace, and was hard to put down.

Delicious-sounding recipes are also included in the book.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the delightful new series.

This is the first book in a new series which appears to have plenty of promise!

Sisters Alex and Hannah run a mystery themed bookshop called Murder and Mayhem. They also sell home-made chocolates which are in keeping with the theme, with fillings named after poisons often used in the literature like Strychnine Strawberry. (Clever and entertaining but seriously it would put me off eating the chocolates!).

When Alex's close friend Jane is found murdered Alex gets The Sleuth Book Club motivated to help discover the killer. It is a race against time when other people die or are threatened and even Alex herself has a narrow escape. Once or twice I thought Alex's actions were a little naive but then if everyone was smart all the time nothing dramatic would ever happen, and the story would be very dull.

A Christmas Candy Killing is far from dull and I would recommend it, especially for during the holiday season.

A Christmas mystery is a little more magical and what a perfect time to set the first book in this new series. The characters and plot are entertaining, the mystery intriguing, all delivered at a quick pace. The chocolates sound good, and the naming is so clever. A couple of the poisons mentioned I wasn't aware of and had to look up. I like them speaking German and discussing German recipes (don't see that much, if a character speaks another language it's generally not German), but written so any non-German speaker will understand. And the recipes! I'll definitely be trying those! Looking forward to the next book and many more from this new author.

The title and overall concept mixing Halloween and Christmas vibes with books and chocolates named after poison were very intriguing. At first I enjoyed the atmosphere but, sadly, soon after my interest in the plot dwindled away.

A Christmas Candy Killing combines fun elements to bring the reader a mystery to solve. Alex and Hanna are the main characters and twins. They live in Harriston, a fictional town near Echo Lake in Montana. Alex left a career in finance to open a bookstore that specializes in mysteries. To add a special something Hanna makes chocolates and they have a special line for the bookstore that include a poison in the name.
When Jane, Alex’s friend and fellow lover of true crime television, is murdered, Alex starts asking questions. Hanna was more of a supporting character as Alex drives all the action.
Alex overlooks a villager who seemed like a good suspect to me, and I knew this person was the murderer long before it ever occurs to Alex to wonder about them.
All the parts of the book are interesting, but the length feels a bit long.
I enjoyed reading A Christmas Candy Killing and recommend giving it a try if you like mysteries, books, chocolate or Montana.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read this book prior to publication.