This is an entertaining new installment in this series. When Lilah’s long lost cousin returns to town, she knows he’s trouble. He brings a host of partners and investors in his new wine business, as well as a bunch of secrets and underhanded activities. The mystery gets pretty complicated by the end, but it’s an enjoyable read.

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala is a delightful mystery novel that is a perfect fit for readers who adore cozy mysteries, Filipino culture, and mouthwatering food descriptions, and are looking for a lighthearted and entertaining holiday read that combines family, food, and festive atmosphere.

A truly delicious and delightful cozy mystery. I must read them all now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Again, Lila is confronted with a mysterious death and as already reveiled in the title, a blackmail. While secretly investigating, she still has a lot of time to bake delicious cakes and to enjoy the mouth-watering filipino food of her aunt Rosie. I love how the filipino American diaspora culture is portrayed and at the same time, the book is really multicultural. Lila's sweetheart Jae is Korean, her bestie Adeena is Indian and Elena, Adeena's girlfriend and co-owner of the Brew-Ha café is Mexican. If you live in a big city, you can absolutely relate to that. I think this is the huge plus of this story, telling cozy, ordinary but chaotic life in the diaspora. Feeling at home in the US and the Philippines. The murder mystery is just a bonus to the whole story. I hope in the next book, we'll learn more about the love story between Lila and Jae!

A perfect cozy read for the winter time. You will also learn a lot about Filipino Christmas celebrations like Simbang Gabi.

This cozy series keeps getting better! There were even more drool-worthy descriptions of Filipino dishes and baked goods in this third installment, and Lila has definitely matured since the first book. I really enjoyed revisiting Shady Palms, especially during the holiday season! I’m already looking forward to trying to solve another murder mystery along with Lila and the Calendar Crew in the next book!

Speaking of comfort: I just love this Tita Rosie’s Kitchen cozy mysteries! Enjoyable, easy-to-read, yummy Filipino food, so much to love here. I can keep going. How about the Christmas backdrop?

You can read any of these as standalones, but they are much more fun if read in order. I’ve enjoyed watching Lila grow and evolve as a character. Plus, there’s an adorable dachshund! I love the characters so much that the mystery is an added bonus. A series well-deserved of all the love it’s receiving.

I received a gifted copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

While this series is one of my favorites, this particular book wasn't my favorite.

Firstly, there was a sentence in the book 'that old movie Holes' that movie came out in 2003. I was obsessed and remember all the promos on Disney channel for it almost too vividly- I know feel ancient.

Speaking of ancient, there was SO MUCH Gen X slang! I know I sound like my mother when I say that I was seriously lost- what are they talking about? They own businesses, are they really <i>that</i> young?!

I was pleasantly surprised with a Pride and Prejudice reference! That made me smile. The mystery this time was pretty basic: typical red herrings, tons of suspects, all that jazz.

I wanted a bit more interaction with Dr. Jae- their dynamic is one of my favorites! While I love all of Lilas friends and family, this balance felt off. Speaking of feeling off... if you've read it, please DM me because that ending had me.... well I refuse to say.

Mashups: so much family, so much food, so much of feeling old and so much Tagalog.

P.S. all the dog scenes warmed my heart!

The last two of Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery Series have been sweet. BLACKMAIL AND BIBINGKA had the same vibe as the other books. Lila Macapagal had to solve another murder mystery. Some new characters joined the story, and the old ones were still involved in Lila's life.

Frankly, the writing keeps getting better. I loved the cultural aspect that the author brought to the table, including the delicious Filipino food. However, the story could be shortened because it was too draggy and slow. I hope this will be the last of the series because the mystery pattern has become too predictable.

Blackmail and Bibingka is the third installment following Lila Macapagal and her friends and family on yet another murder mystery. This book, like the others in the series, is a cozy mystery that also sprinkles in Filipino food which leaves the reader engaged (and hungry!). I enjoyed getting to learn more about characters we already loved, and meeting new characters (such as the infamous long-lost cousin). Blackmail and Bibingka is for readers of Mia P. Manansala’s previous books and lovers of cozy mysteries.

Initially, I was intrigued by this book because I had read the first two books in the series and enjoyed it. The premise of a Filipina-American baker solving mysteries was intriguing. Unfortunately, the characters all felt a little too similar to each other and the mystery was not set up well enough that it felt like a satisfying payoff. I wouldn't recommend this book to readers, but my institution will probably purchase it, if only to complete the series. It's a high-demand book, for sure.

The perfect cozy mystery for the holidays !
I love Christmas and I love cozy mysteries and this gave me everything I needed. I advise to read the other books in the series to fully understand this book.

Mia P. Manansala does it again! Though Book #3 is yet to recapture the magic of #1, I still found it enjoyable. Wherever the story fall flat, the likeable characters make up for it. Cozy mystery lovers and foodies alike should find this suitable to their tastes.

Murder and blackmail are both part of the mystery in this book! The recipes are absolutely on point and makes me wish we had Filipino restaurants or bakeries in my town. This book gets back to Lila's family. Her trouble making cousin Ronnie is back in town after fifteen years away, and she's worried that he will break the heart of his mother, her beloved Tita Rosie. Ronnie's back to start a winery and has brought his business partners and their two weird snobby assistants. It doesn't take long before someone is dead, Ronnie is a suspect in the murder, and Lila is determined to protect Tita Rosie by finding out what really happened.

The culprits feel pretty telegraphed. You know who to like and who to dislike and that's basically all you need to know. I'm here more for the relationships between the characters, which is fine because the hunting for clues is fairly ridiculous. I'm here for the next one. Food and characters were great in this book but the mystery was not, and I'm hoping for a bit more polish with the next mystery.

What keeps me semi-invested in the series is probably the parts that have to do with the businesses run by Lila, her friends, and her family. I do like the characters, but I was expecting a lot more romance in this third installment than what I got. Lila and Jae are in a relationship, but nothing really happens between them. The status quo is maintained but that is it.

The murder mystery itself was okay. One thing that immediately stands out is how every book so far has included direct involvement of someone Lila knows, which is the main reason why she then feels compelled to help solve the case. It's starting to feel more and more unrealistic, however, and the fourth book doesn't seem like it'll veer away from this pattern.

These books continue to be quick reads, and I like the focus on Filipino food and culture, but I don't have enough experience within the cozy mystery subgenre to say with any certainty if this is a good example of one.

This one involved MC, Lila Macapagal's long lost cousin, Ronnie returning after disappearing 15 years ago. His mother, Tita Rosie (what this series is named after) is thrilled and dotes on him as if he never abandoned her. Everyone else is weary.

Soon after, Ronnie is suspected of murder and Lila needs to uncover the truth. Is her cousin the murderer or innocent? Who are these characters that came with him when he returned?

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. I felt this one was interesting but missed the punch that the first two had. It was a really easy read. However, sometimes I felt the story was too convenient and things just fell into Lila's lap too easily.

It was still a good cozy mystery that involved lots of yummy Filipino and other cultural foods. There were diverse characters and it didn't feel forced. And Lila's gaydar was definitely off! We continue with Lila and her love life as well.

I am loving this series. Black@ail & Bibingka felt more like Arsenic & Adobo. It wasn’t quite as heavy as Homicide & Halo-Halo did (which I still loved, it just felt different). I loved the addition of Ronnie & his crew. They added new layers to the OG crew. Lila having to deal with family in a delicate way was a great contrast to all that she dealt with in Halo-Halo. Seeing how Manansala can transition her characters between the books has been great! If you’re in the mood for a good cozy mystery series, this is a great one!

This book started off super fun and entertaining! We are back in cozy mystery series with Lila and at first this but was very fun and what Arsenic and Adobo was like.

Then from like 55% to the end, it fell off for me. I loved the food references and obviously the puppy sidekick, but overall the plot kinda felt nonexistent and wasn’t going anywhere. Too bad. Lots of promise!

A solid third entry into this cozy, American-Filipino, food-centered series. Stories and characters are sweet. Not a deep think, but pleasant enough. Fans of the other two in the series, as well as cozy mystery readings who like a food tie-in will enjoy.

Possibly my favorite installment of the series so far. Loved the holiday setting and recipes, and the cast of characters/intriguing mystery had me reading through as often as I could to get to the reveal.

Another excellent installment in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen series! As usual, Lila remains a fun and engaging protagonist, and the secondary characters really bring forth the vibrancy of the community and keep you engaged with the story. Looking forward to the next one!