SYRUP TO NO GOOD is the second book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries by Catherine Bruns. This sweet, character-based mystery combines a sticky murder to solve, a bride-to-be faced with canceling her wedding, a cantankerous widower, and a groveling ex. The author has created a wonderful core cast of characters with the protagonist, Leila Khoury, taking the lead. I love how she’s taken charge of her family’s maple syrup business, Sappy Endings Farm, and has made it into a success. There are bits and pieces on how maple syrup and maple candy are made that make the story more authentic. Living with her matchmaking Lebanese mother, Leila has all the frustration of not being treated as an adult and capable of choosing her own partner. I’ve enjoyed watching her relationship with Noah, who also works at the farm, grow, and this newest wrinkle in their relationship—with her mother pushing her toward her ex—adds some tension in the plot. Yet, Leila is also the recipient of yummy dishes prepared by her mother, as her way of showing love. Ms. Bruns effectively captures the family dynamics, bringing life to the story as Leila works the farm and works to make Heather’s (her best friend) bridal shower a day to remember.

Heather’s shower turns out to be a day to remember, but definitely not in a good way. When Leila stumbles across the body of Heather’s unpleasant aunt, little did she know the widower would demand the wedding be postponed until the killer is caught. Heather begs Leila to find the murderer and save her special day. This is one instance where I found both the victim and Heather’s uncle such disagreeable characters that I wanted Heather and her family to tell them to get lost. Instead, they practically groveled to his every demand because he loaned them money for the wedding. Leila, being such a good friend, agrees. With a countdown to the wedding, Leila and Heather have their hands full tracking down clues, which provides for a fast-paced plot. There are a lot of suspects to consider—after all, there were ninety guests at the shower—and given the nastiness of the victim, more pop up. I had a good idea whodunit but the twist of the reason why added to my reading pleasure. With the scenes leading up to the heart stopping reveal, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened next. In the end, the highly satisfying conclusion left me wanting the next book in the series to become available sooner than later.

With mouthwatering sweets and Lebanese food served throughout the story, it was a delight to find several recipes at the back of the book to try out.

I recommend reading SYRUP TO NO GOOD, the second book in the Maple Syrup mystery series. It’s open-house weekend at Leila Khoury’s Sappy Endings maple-syrup farm in Sugar Ridge, Vermont. At the end of the weekend, Leila holds a bridal shower for her best friend, Heather. One of the shower guests, Heather’s outrageous aunt, ends up dead. Who killed Heather’s aunt?

Catherine Bruns has created an interesting array of characters, beginning with Leila Khoury, the Lebanese-American protagonist. I think this book has an enjoyable plot and look forward to reading other books in the Maple Syrup mystery series. Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley, for the advance reader copy of SYRUP TO NO GOOD.

Loved this storyline. Was intriguing and filled w great details and fun and free spirited characters. I also love that the author included some recipes that sound interesting and that I may try.

I enjoy Leila as a main character, and this series overall. The plotting is okay here, but the relationships--between friends, between Leila and her mom, between romantic partners--are the strong point. The murder gets solved, yes, but the most satisfying part of the book for me is the resolution between Leila and her mom. Finally!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great book! I really enjoyed it! Personally I thought the first one was little better than this one, but it was still very enjoyable. I love this series (even if it does make me crave maple everything and Lebanese food) and I can’t wait for the next one!

Ohh what a wonderful book. I hate that I missed the first in the series, but this was still a great read by itself and well worth the read. I had no issues with catching up on the characters and didn’t feel left out by not having read the first book.

I LOVE a great cozy mystery and Syrup To No Good did not let me down. The characters are warm and inviting and the plot always kept me wanting to read just one more character before putting the book down.

I received a free copy of Syrup To No Good. By Catherine Bruns in exchange for an honest review.

To start, Leila is a fantastic lead character to follow! She is level headed & quite clever. When the murder of a very unlikable person occurs at her bff’s bridal shower, she’s on the case to save the wedding.

I really love the world that Bruns has created. The descriptions of the farm & the syrup are lush & the perfect topic for a cozy series. The mystery is well paced & I loved that Leila has her bff helping in the sleuthing. There’s some amazing character building that really takes this cozy to a higher level. There’s a satisfying ending too.

I enjoyed the book so much I read it in one day! I’ve been in a reading slump & this definitely helped bring me out. I’m already hoping for a third one.

Just loved reading this! Definitely got me out of my reading slump. Enjoyed every minute of this book. Just love the recipes included at the end. Sounds yummy and a definite must try.

I gave Syrup to No Good by Catherine Bruns five stars.

Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won't be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather's wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams. Even with Leila's own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count. Heather's rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so Leila will have her work cut out for her. Can she tap the killer before Heather's dream wedding becomes a nightmare?

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Another great read by Catherine Bruns. This is the second installment in the Maple Syrup Mystery series. I feel like this series might end up on my top list if it continues in this way. I love the writing, the characters, the mystery and all the mouthwatering talk about Lebanese food. I am a sucker for middle eastern food, so reading this book make my stomach growl.

I read this book in one day and managed to figure out whodunit, but not the motive. There were several nail-biting moments and if you like cozy mysteries, then you will like this. Highly recommend both book one and two.

This book comes out October 31.

Thank you, Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Wonderful Cozy Mystery!
Love the characters and their interactions. The plot was interesting and flowed smoothly from scene to scene. Had just enough mystery to it to keep me guessing who the killer was. After all, there was a few motives and a list of suspects. And of course, the little hints of romance sprinkled in made the story complete. This is such a great series, I am already looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy d this book. It moves fairly fast, and is interesting. I liked the characters and the setting, I do wish we’d see more of Noah an Emily. I wasn’t that surprised by who the killer is although I was surprised by the reason. The scene at the end when the killer is revealed is captivating. I was worried there for our heroine. #SyruptoNoGood #NetGalley

Release Date: October 31, 2023

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Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won't be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather's wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams.

Even with Leila's own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count.

Heather's rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so Leila will have her work cut out for her. Can she tap the killer before Heather's dream wedding becomes a nightmare?

This is the second book in the #maplesyrupmystery series. The story just keeps getting better and better and the author has made Sugar Ridge, Vermont a place I would love to visit in real life! Vermont, maple syrup, a cat and a solid mystery make for a great read. I can't wait to read more, and I love the fun recipes at the end! I would love more Toast the cat appearances in the next book though!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Leila hosts a wedding shower for her best friend Heather. One of the guests is Heather's rich and obnoxious Aunt Monica, who quickly irritates just about everyone. After the shower, Leila finds Monica in her car. with a knife stuck in her back! Heather's dream wedding is off, unless Leila can solve the murder before the wedding day. This was a pretty good cozy with lots of suspects, a little romance. and a cute cat named Toast.

I am enjoying this series for the most part and I would like to thank #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the opportunity to read book two. Leila is a likable character and I love watching her make a go of the Maple business and her loyalty to family and friends. In this volume her best friend Heather is getting married and things are going well until an Aunt by marriage is murdered at the wedding shower and everything starts to unravel as the wedding is on hold if the murderer cannot be identified. This is where I have some quibbles, Leila just takes too many chances for a smart women, I appreciate loyalty but also value common sense. I was also concerned about two other side stories in the book, a potential love triangle and a character I was starting to seriously dislike, but the author handled these really well before the end of the book and this made this an enjoyable read for me!

I Loved this book so much !!! I Loved the feeling of fall throughout the book with the maple syrup farm and have completely fallen in love with all the characters, the author just keeps getting more in depth with the characters and makes you fall in love with them so much more!!! The story just keeps getting better and better and the author has made Sugar Ridge, Vermont a place I would love to visit in real life! This was a cozy that actually kept me guessing till the end with some twists and turns and I loved every second of it !!! I hope there will be many more mysteries to solve in Sugar Ridge, Vermont!! *** Received an ARC copy for my honest opinion on the book***

This is the second entry in this series. Lei Khoury is the new manager of a maple syrup farm after the murder of her dad. She and her mom operate the farm with the help of Noah --Lei's love interest. Lei is supposed to give a bridal shower for her best friend, Heather. When a murder takes place at the shower, Lei has no choice but to investigate. Characters are likeable and none are over the top. Lei is a well rounded heroine with a zest for life and no acceptance of fools!. Look forward to the next in the cozy series set in Vermont.

A charming second book in the series. Vermont, maple syrup, a cat and a solid mystery make for a great read. Great descriptions. Good characters. One who is quite annoying. Lol Pick this book for a reading pleasure. Thanks #Netgalley and #PoinsonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I love this series. This is the 2nd book in and I like it even better than the first one. This is an adorable cozy mystery, fyi it has recipes with it, taking place in Vermont on a maple syrup farm. I love leila's character. I could so be friends with her. Which is why this cozy series I can dig in and get tangled up in this world. 6 stars if I could.
I just reviewed Syrup to No Good by Catherine Bruns. #NetGalley
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This is part of a series, and it may benefit the reader to check out the prior book before reading this one. I liked Leila, but the other characters were a bit difficult to relate to or like, particularly Heather, who was downright annoying. The mystery was "meh." I really enjoyed the maple syrup farm/Vermont setting. I enjoyed Toast, the cat, and the recipes.

Loved reading this book and author. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her and her books. I suggest reading in order