This was such a fun book! I loved the setting, not only of the small town but also that the mystery revolved around people staying at the Inn on the Green. The parts about Sprinkles were so funny, and I loved the whole cast of Riley’s friends and coworkers. I also love series where you can read any book in any order and not be missing out on important information, and this is one of those!

Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen

A movie production brings drama and murder to a close knit New England Village, forcing Riley Rhodes ton scoop out the suspects.

I enjoyed this book. I like this series. Good book to read around Halloween. Also, learned about many new ice cream flavors. Thev Ice Cream Shop.is where the town gossip was discussed. Likeable characters. The mystery had many twists. I recommend this book.

Thoughts: This was an interesting, slightly macabre Halloween cozy mystery. I’d have found the Halloweenish type décor for a wedding strange if I hadn’t had a friend who did this (with the addition of zombies). That made everything fun for me. When the bride-to-be ends up dead, there are a lot of suspects to choose from. And Riley is a great amateur sleuth for the job.

What I liked: Riley being a CIA librarian gives her a background in research but not necessarily chasing down the suspects. I loved the description of the wedding cake and all the decorations around town and at the big house. Throw in a TV crew doing a shoot and you have all the mayhem you need for a good mystery.

What I didn’t like: I got a little confused sometimes trying to keep everyone and everything straight and their relationships. But that was minor at best.

Recommendation: Recommended.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

A fun, cozy mystery with a Halloween theme.
Riley is tasked with making a Halloween themed ice cream cake for a wedding. After a few mishaps, things are looking better until the bride to be is found dead. Suspicion is cast on Mary Ann, who happens to be the grooms ex, and Riley will do her infamous sleuthing to set things right. Some fun scenes, a few little twists and and overall enjoyable plot.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"A movie production brings drama - and murder - to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that's filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley's, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long - each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?"

Tell me more about this Halloween Happening...

And now I never want to have ice cream again... This is a perfect read for fall, and for anyone that really loves the always good decision of a scoop of some chocolate fudge ice cream, and some warm cookies to go with. This is set during Halloween, and the town feels very much like it's come out of Hart of Dixie. Anyone that loves animals will also enjoy this one because of the wonderful character Sprinkles. :)

This is the first of the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series that I have read. I really enjoyed the small-town feel and camaraderie of the characters. The mystery is the death of Diantha, the Inn owner, the night before her elaborate Halloween wedding to Dominic, a celebrity chef at the inn. Riley, manager of the ice cream shop and former CIA librarian, steps in to help her friend, MaryAnne, who has become the prime suspect in the case. The mystery was fraught with twists, turns, and false leads, which made it hard to solve and so much fun to read.

I was in a cozy mystery mood and this did not disappoint! I loved the small town vibes with a quirky cast of characters and furry friends,cozy used bookshop and an ice cream parlor. The descriptions of the ice cream flavors had me drooling throughout the story. The mystery was enjoyable and It’s also set during Halloween so a great read for the fall time.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc.

The third installment in Allen's Ice Cream Shop Mysteries, former CIA librarian Riley Rhodes finds herself playing amateur sleuth when a socialite is found dead on the morning of her Halloween-themed wedding, and Riley's friend Mary Ann becomes the prime suspect.  This cozy mystery hit all the buttons, and had me staying up way too late playing amateur sleuth myself.  I have not read the first two books in the series, but I had no problems immersing myself in the story and quickly learning the characters (added bonus for the cast of characters at the beginning).  Another bonus for it being autumn/Halloween themed, my favorite!  This is one cozy series I will definitely be following in the future.

Review: Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen

If you love a cozy mystery set in a small town with an intense Halloween festival (think Stars Hollow) and muuurder, check out Fatal Fudge Swirl.

Coming out on June 27, this small town Murder mystery will be a perfect read for those of you who love quirky characters with lots of secrets. The plot was a bit slow for me, but it’s possible that without reading the others in the series, my investment wasn’t as strong.

Overall, it was an enjoyable mystery with many great elements. If only I could taste some of the fantastic sounding ice cream flavours.

Couldn't get into this one. Takes too long to get to the mystery and I just didn't care about the characters. DNF.

The third book in this cozy series finds Riley making an ice cream cake for a Halloween wedding. Things go wrong though when her cake is first destroyed, and then the bride is found murdered. Riley's friend Mary Anne becomes the natural suspect since her ex-husband was the groom. Riley must investigate to clear her friend's name.

Another enjoyable entry in this series! I wish there had been more within the ice cream shop because I enjoy those characters, and I like when she's gotten clues from customers in past books. Besides that, there were good clues, including some red herrings, and an overall good plot!

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

A fun cozy mystery, set in a small town ice cream shop, inn, and other town buildings. I “requested” this through a technical error where I filled in a Google form of which books I wanted and the form submitted as if I’d requested every book on it. Thankfully I wasn’t given every book, just this one, but I decided to read it, even if it’s not my usual genre. There wasn’t anything particularly memorable about the story, but it was a fun little escape read, clearly part of a series.
The main character used to be in the CIA and now, for some reason, lives in a small town and works in an ice cream shop. She seems to do some traveling, and only lives in this town near her dad for part of the year. But I am not really sure. This particular mystery involved movie stars, fighting over wills, and a murder the night before a big wedding. If cozy mysteries are your thing, you should definitely check it out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I've become a fan of this series when I read the first book, The Rocky Road to Ruin. I really enjoyed reading this book! The story and characters made this a fun cozy read. The Fall/Halloween season where the story takes place adds a spooky element to the book along with its wonderful cover.

this is a fabulous series that has a solid, well thought out mystery in each and every entry. The protagonist is strong and lovable and you’ll find yourself craving a scoop or two of frozen goodness as you read and try to solve the mystery along with Riley and the gang.

While you can read this book as a standalone, I recommend checking out the other entries in this series. Anyone a fan of cozy mysteries and ice cream will enjoy both this book and this series.

AND THIS IS HOW A COZY MYSTERY IS DONE

After reading a deluge of books of this genre with more holes than swiss cheese, I am so glad to have finally read a fun little murder mystery that really just hits the spot. The clues are woven in so beautifully throughout the novel....it doesn't feel heavy handed at all and it blends soo beautifully. Also I love how unpredictable it is, all the plot twists were genuine plot twists and how things ended up shaking out was NOT how i thought it would end at all.

Having not read the rest of the series, it was a bit hard to follow all the characters in the beginning, but this is definitely something you can just pick up, although you may miss out on some ~character development~ nuances. I loved the ice creams and all the delicious food descriptions that really put the "cozy" into this book.

Also the set up for the next book was so beautiful, it wasn't a horrendous plot twist but a nice reveal of an open door that we know will lead to some ~spicy things. Absolutely recommend this book if you're looking for a fun and light read!

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Thank you publisher and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

amateur-sleuth, Connecticut, culinary, ice-cream-flavors, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, friends, friendship, cats, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, innkeeper, family-dynamics, family, famous-persons, holiday-madness, tv-film-industry, tv-personality, ex-CIA, ex-librarian, angst, situational-humor*****

Halloween, a birthday, a wedding, and a murder.
Riley is back in her hometown where her father runs the bookshop, she runs the ice cream shop (left job a CIA librarian plus), a friend runs the local expensive inn, and the cat rules the world (even the television crew). Lots of interesting characters, a beautiful setting for a a good sleuthing. Loved it!
I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Cozy mysteries are never really my thing BUT Halloween Cozy mysteries are my absolute favorite!

I LOVE the cover of this book!

The Halloween vibes were absolutely perfect, and the story went right along with the vibe!

I will definitely be buying a copy of this just because of the cover!

Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A cozy mystery is not my normal genre but I just could not resist an ice cream filled plot and an amazing spooky cover.

Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did the revealing of the murderer surprise me? Yes. But, it kinda lacks a wow factor excluding the recipes in the back.

Fatal Fudge Swirl can be read as a standalone but it is probably best to read the series in order.

Diantha Collins, owner of the grand inn in Penniman, is back in town in time for her Halloween wedding to chef Dominic. Riley Rhodes (our heroine from the previous Ice Cream Shop mysteries) has provided the luscious ice cream cake for the wedding reception, but on the morning of the wedding, Riley finds a knife stabbed into the cake -- and Diantha dead in her room. And while the wedding might be off, there's still a Hollywood movie being filmed (by Diantha's sons), and a whole lot of suspects running around...

This third book in the series has an inn full of outwardly congenial but ultimately suspicious characters, with a couple of side plots to add confusion and complexity to the mix. Foodies will enjoy the ongoing discussion of new ice cream flavors, and pet lovers will love Sprinkles and her glamorous cameos. Fun and fast-paced, with threads getting tied up at the very end.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Starting with book 4 in the series it took me a bit to keep the characters straight, but it was worth it. I thoroughly enjoyable book full of New England charm and wonderful characters