I loved, loved, loved this book! Valerie Burns has created some of the most charming characters and the story is delivered with fresh and fabulous prose. There wasn't a boring moment in the book. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next installment!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read.

This book is a delight ! The author has a wonderful charming cozy series here with great charcters, a lakefront small town of interesting people and one savvy smart protagnist. I love every aspect of this book and cannot wait for the next in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

Maddy Montgomery is a social media influencer who loves expensive shoes and the online life . When she is humiliated by being left at the altar by her doctor groom in front of a large wedding filmed online her strict parents and social media blame her and she needs to start over away from everything . She is shocked to find out she inherits a house and bakery from a long lost great aunt she never knew. She also inherits a very funny Mastiff dog who is very protective of her and soon she falls for him as her companion.
The Aunt has stipulations in the will that she lives and works there for a year. The town is rural and very small. .The bakery and the house are amazing but need improvements she plans to make. She find out both her aunt and the bakery were loved by the locals who welcome her with open arms except for the no good Mayor who wants to buy her Aunt's properties and makes a threat to her in the bakery . Soon after her arrival he is murdered in her bakery and Maddy is suspect number one. Its one of her kitchen knives with her prints that was used in the crime. In order to save her life, her home and business she must investigate the murder as the local police only care about charging her. She must find out who is setting her up.
With the crime to solve and people suspecting her, the clues are buried in small town secrets. The red herrings abound and Maddy finds she is savvy smart investigator and good at getting people to talk. The humor throughout is delightful . This is such a fun read I read it cover to cover. Well done to the author .

Yes! I loved this book. I was invested in the characters and Maddy is a wonderful protagonist. She has quite a bit to keep her busy. I hope her old life pops up in later books. I appreciate that the series will go against the cozy norm where the love interest is the cop, but instead show badass April and a friendship.

There are lines of repetition, so another once over by an editor would be helpful.

One Part Murder by Valerie Barnes was amazing! This is the first in a new series that I’m so excited to see where it goes! It’s a more modern take on Hannah Swenson set in a small town on Lake Michigan. Maddy Montgomery is on the way to Michigan for the reading of the will of On the heels of being jilted at the alter by her doctor ex-fiancé this is an inheritance is a dream come true. She inherits a house, bakery and small horse sized dog, but has to stay in town for at least a year before she can sell. I loved the small town cozy vibes and feeling like part of the book club in this book.

Maddy Montgomery is a social media influencer whose Insta-worthy life falls apart just when she inherits a house and bakery from a beloved great aunt -- as long as she lives and works there for a year. She leaves the big city for the rural town where the bakery is located and settles in.

Maddy's challenges in figuring out small-town life are written with compassion and humor, and we're rooting for her during her transformation. There are crimes to solve and local color, but the relationships are the important part of this book. It's a good story, though, and a fun read throughout.

I look forward to more adventures with Maddy.

Maddy’s great-aunt dies and leaves her a bakery and a house. Somehow she stumbled onto a murder mystery and has to work with locals to solve it. It’s a fun premise for a cozy mystery, but I feel like several things didn’t make sense. Maddy’s choices are confusing throughout the book and that lessens the enjoyment!

This book surprised me. I liked the characters and the town. I was wishy-washy on how I felt about Maddy, but she grew on me. I liked how the town rallied behind and hello helped her. I liked the new friendships she made and how she continuously tried her hand at baking.
Cute series.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Valerie Burns has hit a home run with this series. It’s a wonderful cast of characters.
Maddy Montgomery is used to the finer things in life. Moving to New Bison Michigan was a shock. Running her late aunts business in which she knew nothing about to taking care of a massive dog.
I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait for more.
#TwoPartsSugarOnePartMurder #NetGalley

Wasn't quite sure what to expect with this new series and was pleasantly surprised. With the colorful characters, yummy baked goodies, and plenty of action to keep it interesting. Will be keeping an eye out for the next one.

2.25 stars
I really wanted to like this book more, since the concept is so cute and fun, but the execution of the crime solving fell very short for me. To start off, I just finished reading the book, and I was so flabbergasted that it was over. I was half convinced that my kindle just glitched and skipped a few chapters or something because the mystery felt very incomplete to me? I get that this is setting up for a series so there will probably be a sequel, but the fact that the ending was soooo abrupt was so strange to me. But getting into what I liked and disliked in this book:

I really enjoyed the entourage of side characters. Most of them were really fun and likeable and I enjoyed seeing how hardworking and kind they were? The Baker Street Irregulars gang is such a girlboss gang and I really loved them together. April is my absolute fav and I want to see her slay everyday 😫😫 Miss. Octavia also seemed like such a Queen and even though the book starts off past her death, you can really get a sense of her character through the memories of others as well as the little Easter eggs of her personality hidden throughout the town. The English Mastiff, Baby, is also the HIGHLIGHT of the book. He is just SO PRECIOUSSSSS. Also the descriptions of food were quite tantalizing and I loved hearing about the baking escapades.

Now onto the plot line, I feel like there were several continuity errors in the book. Hopefully this will be fixed in the final published version, but several times I was flipping back to try to reconcile conversations or timelines and it made absolute no sense to me. For example, one of the Irregulars talks about a casino that opened, in which Maddy 'remembers' Brad bringing up earlier. But I was so confused--and even went back to search in the book--but there was 0 mention of a casino beforehand. Like maybe this was an offpage convo that happened, but then again, when would this have occurred/why would it not be on page if Maddy specifically brings it up later? Also a lot of the timing of the events felt really strange to me like there were random gaps of time that disappeared or mismatches. Like how did Leroy drive 30 miles and back, and shower, in the same time it took Maddy to drive home and crack 6 eggs? Not to mention this girl barely sleeps since she's constantly getting home like when the sun rises but then wakes up early to do bakery stuff?????

For character development, there were times when I really loved Maddy and other times I was just like 'girl nooooo.' I get that this series is trying to show her transformation from 'rich, city airhead' to 'down-to-earth small-towner' but the level of incompetence really got to me. I simply don't understand how someone cannot even crack an egg. I get a mishap or two, but the first two eggs she cracks onto the floor??? the next two all the shells get in the bowl, and when she finally cracks 2 eggs with minimal shell, she can't even figure out how to turn on the stove? Also she's constantly posting about what she's doing on social media, and I have the feeling this is going to come to play in the future when she solves the mystery by looking through all the photo documentation she has, but like girl, sometimes it is not the time and place to be posting. It seems a tad insensitive to post a picture of your bakery that was set on fire right after someone was murdered in it and #smokinghotbakedgoods

Now onto the actual mystery part of the novel. The entire crime-solving portion of the novel felt very much like it was missing something. First of all, I was constantly bothered when Maddy would come to some Big Realization and connect two dots, but then like forgets about it (?) and 20 pages later, re-establishes this Big Realization??? Idk if the author just forgot she had already established the realization or she's just trying to emphasize this point but it was so disconcerting when Maddy's like 'omg I hear Person X discussing his Evil Plans in this room' and then two chapters later being like 'OMG Person X was in this room???!!' Additionally, within the first few chapters of character introductions, it becomes very obvious who is a "Bad Guy" and who is not. There are very unsubtle indications of sus behavior so the end reveals were not surprising at all. While I'm sure there is a turncoat within the Good Guy Group (and I have my suspicions of who they may be 👀👀) the mystery doesn't feel half as satisfying when within the first 10 minutes your screaming at Maddy that this mans is so sus and obviously is nefarious.

Also the whole middle portion dragged a little bit but then the ending was resolved so quickly I couldn't even process it. Within the last ~5% of the book we get the quickest cleanup ever of a mystery, with several loose threads remaining and a clear indication that this tie-up was wayyyyy too clean and that there was still too many holes remaining. I feel sooooo unsatisfied that there was no overall resolution to the mystery!! Like it is so clear that the real mastermind is still out there, and while I can understand the Big Honcho still being out there and a resolution of the current book's murder mystery in order to further the series, most of the mysteries in this book were not resolved.

Also very very minor point but there are some factual inaccuracies that kinda bothered me, but I feel like for the sake of the story was fine. But like when a person is shot in the arm, said person demands a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. I know I'm not a medical professional, but even I know while yes, a tourniquet can staunch bleeding, it's also a super dangerous solution because it can very easily lead to the loss of a limb? So when it's quite obvious this person is not going to bleed to death I don't get why they (particularly given their background) would ask for a freaking tourniquet when it might mean they lose their arm?? Like you could just apply pressure....

Anyways, I really really wished I enjoyed this book more, and hopefully with some editing, some of my issues with the book can be resolved, but as it stands now, it was very underwhelming for me. The mystery was very not satisfying and left so many holes, and the inconsistencies throughout the story made it really difficult to follow. However if you're just reading this for the food or the Doggo or the relationship development, there are some good promises for some spicy opportunities down the line 🤩

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Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. I absolutely loved this first book in a new cozy mystery series by Valerie Burns and hope the series continues for a long time. Recently and very publicly dumped Maddy Montgomery is all about changing her life (and sharing the changes on social media). Inheriting her great-aunt’s bakery and house on the shores of Lake Michigan, Maddy makes a last-minute decision to go and reset both her online image and her personal life. Things don’t start particularly well when she realizes she’s not exactly dressed for either small town New Bison or the other surprise part of her inheritance, a 200-pound English Mastiff dog named Baby. Or if she stays less than one year, she forfeits everything. Oh, and she doesn’t know how to bake. Still, almost everyone is kind and welcoming but there’s that matter of the body turning up in her bakery with her fingerprints on the knife.
As I said, I loved this first book. Maddy is smarter than she realizes but her upbringing as the daughter of a widowed US Naval officer causes her to second guess herself and her skills. Her warmth and openness draw others to her, and she develops some great relationships during the book, including a possible romantic interest. While the immediate mystery is solved, the author leaves open a developing arc about who killed her great-aunt. So much to look forward to!

the first in a new cozy mystery series has Maddy, a privileged young socialite, moving to Michigan after she inherits a house and bakery from her great aunt. The catch is that she has to run the bakery and take care of her aunt’s dog, Baby, for a year before she can sell anything. Soon after she arrives, there is a murder and a fire in the bakery. Maddy is determined to find the culprit as she grows to love this small town.

At first, I really didn’t like Maddy as the protagonist but she grows on you as you read. Plus who doesn’t love a giant dog companion?? I look forward to reading more in this series.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I think of cozy mysteries, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels, thrills and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

I enjoyed this book so much. Maddy’s not only relatable but just plain old fun and the Baker Street gang are a hoot! I very much enjoyed the mystery, which had just the right amount red herrings that left me guessing to the end. Oh and can I say, I simply adored Baby, the English Mastiff! This is the first book in the Baker Street Mystery series and I can’t wait to read what comes next.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

Valerie Burns' writing is a delight and Two Parts Sugar is an excellent start to a new series. A recommended first purchase for collections where cozies are popular.

This was a cute cozy+ mystery. There was more content and complexity that your average cozy. My favorite character is by far Baby the mastiff.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Kensington Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I truly appreciate a good cozy and this new series has it all. Maddy Montgomery is fabulous and the cozy series is a true delight.

Maddy Montgomery may lead a charmed life, but when her Great Aunt leaves her a home and a business on Lake Michigan, Maddy decides to give life in New Bison a real try. Once she finds out that she must live in the house and run the business for a full year before she can sell it, that makes her even more determined to make New Bison home and show her mettle to her father.

As soon as Maddy hits town it seems people are trying to buy the house and at the business from her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to sell, nor can she. But when the Mayor is found murdered inside her shop, it looks like someone is playing a high stakes game to get her property and that of some other hold outs. Was her Great Aunt Octavia murdered or did she die of old age? Only one way to find out…and Maddy is down for it with the Baker Street Irregulars. Her’s hoping that Maddy, Baby and the gang can solve the case before anyone else is hurt.

This is a great new series and I am thrilled to see another cozy series with an African American protagonist. Baby may just be my favorite, but Maddy is a close second and closely followed by the Baker Street Irregulars. A new cozy series added to my must read list…score!

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.

Social influencer finds herself stranded at the altar in a live feed. Her reputation takes a dive but she inherits her great aunt bakery and is asked to do a reality show running the bakery while living in her aunt’s house taking care of her aunt mastiff. So she takes a chance to rebrand and regroup.

Maddy Montgomery finds herself out of her league as she cannot bake nor equipped for walking large dogs in high heels. She’ll find help in her aunt’s friends who will help keep her head afloat.

Her soon peaceful life will go astray as the mayor is killed and her fingerprints are on the knife. All is not as peaceful in this town as secrets will collide. Can she find a killer before her bakery reputation takes a hit?

A fun new cozy read with potential.

Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns is a wonderful cozy mystery about recently dumped & seeking direction Madison, who takes a leap of faith when she inherits her Great Aunt Octavia’s house & bakery.
Madison also inherits Octavia’s dog, Baby, Baby is an English mastiff, an absolute scene stealer & the reason for many smiles whilst reading this book.
Baby being able to put his paws on her shoulders & give big dog hugs is what dreams are made of. I recently received a hug like that from a friendly neighbor big dog & they’re the best.
At the beginning our main character Madison may seem a bit spoiled, directionless & too obsessed with image & social media, but give her time for a beautiful redemption coming into her own arc that showcases her hard work, incredible & giving spirit & knowledge of how to use her social media for good.
I loved how Madison gets to know her Great Aunt Octavia through her budding connection s with her eclectic group of friends. I appreciated that Octavia had her own Baker Street Irregulars & the nod to famous detectives of past.
The recipe for the book is as follows: bake with mystery, sprinkles of great friends, a heaping of action & intrigue, a cup of humor & a dash of some romance all mixed together to create a story to devour that’s as good as Octavia’s famous chocolate cake!
Valerie Burns has a killer book here & is exactly what the cozy mystery genre needs. I cannot wait to read more in this series.
Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder comes out August 30, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains murder, violence, gore & violence to dog (small spoiler: the dog is okay).