Alexi, Jack and Cosmo (her cat with a real attitude) are faced with another murder to solve. After her job as a journalist gets cut due to downsizing (or as she says "dumbing down") Alexi headed into the countryside to the village of Lambourn at the invitation of close friends Cheryl and her husband Drew.They have turned Drew's family home into a boutique hotel and, thanks to help from Alexi, business is getting better. One of Alexi's ideas brings a baking contest to the hotel but murder is an unwelcome addition. It's bad enough that their very talented chef, Marcel, is a hot head but, when one of the women in the contest turns up dead, Marcel becomes the prime suspect.
Jack is a PI who teamed up with Alexi in the first book, A Date to Die For and it looks like solving murders is right up their alley. It can be said that being a very talented journalist makes for a good investigator. With plenty of suspects, red herrings and twists to the puzzle, this is a series I will be adding to my TBR list. Besides a cast of recurring characters of the human variety, the addition of two pets - Cosmo, the former street kitty who adopted Alexi and Toby, Cheryl and Drew's dog, makes this a mystery that checks all of the boxes for a very satisfying cozy series.
My thanks to the publisher Boldweed Books and the NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

amateur-sleuth, contentious, contest, cozy-crime, cozy-mystery, egoist, England, family-dynamics, framed, friendship, journalist, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, partners, pet-cat, private-investigators, publicity, read, romance, secrets, series, situational-humor, suspense, tv-film-industry, tv-personality, twisty, verbal-humor****

Held my interest to the end.
The mystery is exceptionally well done with believable characters (including the cat!), good world building, and witticisms. The other level is the relationship between Alexi and Jack which is as up and down as the mystery is twisty. Very good read.
I requested and received an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you

This is book 2 in a series, which I didn't know before I read it, which is my fault. It's probably best that you read book 1 first, but she did a good job summarizing so it wasn't absolutely necessary.

It was a good mystery. I liked the baking show element, but I wish there was a little more of it. It definitely doesn't take a long time before someone gets murdered, so if you're wanting a book of complete mystery solving, this one is for you.

I think the author did a good job with the clues and how they were put throughout the plot. I did have a feeling who did it soon into the book, but I think I just had al lucky guess.

Overall, a really good murder mystery book! I'd recommend it.

A Contest To Kill For is book two in the Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery series. The book follows former journalist Alexi, as she tries to rebuild the reputation of her good friends' country hotel. In so doing, she convinces Cheryl and Drew to host a reality cooking competition, with Marcel being a main star of the show. Unfortunately, one of the contestants is found murdered, and Marcel, due to his over-the-top antics and short temper, is the prime suspect. In order to save Marcel, as well as the reputation of Hopgood Hall, Alexi, once again, finds herself, alongside Jack and Cosmo, investigating a murder.

A Contest To Kill For has everything a reader would want in a cozy mystery - relatable characters, a charming setting, a feisty feline, and a murder. The overall mystery wasn't as intriguing to me as mysteries in other cozies; however, I still enjoyed the book because of the characters and the setting. I'll continue to follow Alexi and Cosmo's adventures.

I go crazy for a good British cozy mystery with a baking show added it!! And this one was absolutely amazing. I loved this so much!! It kept me guessing til the end!!
I just reviewed A Contest To Kill For by E.V. Hunter. #AContestToKillFor #NetGalley
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A Contest to Kill For is Book 2 in the Hopgood Hotel mysteries. I have read book 1 and think it helps to have read it when heading into book 2, not for the main part of the mystery, but when the mystery becomes tighter and more twisty.

Alexi and Jack, our 'will they, won't they' couple, find themselves flung back together when one of the stars of the cookery competition is found dead in her bedroom. With everyone being recorded almost 24/7, how could someone have been murdered and it not been witnessed by these cameras?

As events escalate, Marcel, the grumpy chef, becomes the prime suspect as the TV company distances itself from the allegations. Over to Alexi and Jack to clear his name, if they can.

As with Book 1, this is a twisty mystery, and nothing is quite as it seems as the mystery nears its conclusion. It does help to have read book one as the mystery deepens to appreciate all the nuances fully.

This is an engaging read, and once again, I failed to guess the culprit, which is always a sign of a good story.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

A Fiery Fiasco..
The second outing in The Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery series and a reality television cooking show is planned, a baking show to be hosted by the Hall’s very own chef, the fiery Marcel. It transpires that something more than Marcel’s temper is about to become overheated and murder most foul is just around the corner. Alexi needs to jump into action and calls on, friend and private investigator, Jack Maddox. Enjoyable and entertaining mystery with a deftly drawn cast of characters, a swiftly moving plot populated with red herrings and twists aplenty and a well utilised setting. There is much mention of the first in this series and it may, therefore, perhaps be more enjoyable to read in sequence.

A Contest to Die For starts with Alexi and Cosmo visiting Hopgood Hall. The shooting is about to begin, and things are all set. Cheryl and Drew are now parents (Cheryl was preggers in the previous installment), and Marcel, their chef is also ready to show his nasty-chef attitude. The four contestants are introduced - one of them is called Juliette.

Marcel is known for his temper. When Juliette is found murdered, he becomes the main suspect. As Alexi and Jack start to investigate the case, they learn that other contestants didn't like Juliette, and nor did the host of the show.

They dig deeper into the case, following the crumbs of clues that Juliette left - phone calls to an unknown number, her family life (controlling father), and much more. But the local police are convinced Marcel killed her. Marcel claims he's innocent - did someone purposely set up Marcel so that he could be out of their way?

A Contest to Kill For by E.V. Hunter is an enjoyable read. Cosmo, Alexi's feral cat (and looks like a panther) steals the show. The mystery behind the contestant's murder kept me guessing till the end. Plenty of red herrings made it impossible to guess not only the killer's identity but the motive for murder too. The only niggle I had with this story was the ending. The motive and killer's identity were unexpected and shocking - I didn't see it coming, yes. But I didn't like it much.

It goes without saying that this was yet another entertaining and enjoyable addition to the series. I am looking forward to knowing what's next for Alexi and Jack.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, A great who done it, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This is book two in this series. Having read the previous one I was excited to have the opportunity to read an early copy.
It has a good mystery and I guess I was surprised with the ending. Cosmo is up to his old tricks which adds to the book. I did think this book moved rather slowly and probably not as good as the first one.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the early copy

Hopgood Hall owners decide to host a baking competition to get ahead of their competitors. However, things get complicated when a contestant winds up dead.

I'd recommend reading the first one of these mysteries first otherwise you will be a little lost.

This is book 2 in the Hopgood Hall cozy mystery series. I hadn't read book 1 (and didn't realize there even was a book 1 until I had already been approved for the ARC). The author did a great job of giving me enough background that I didn't feel lost. I understood what murder Alexi solved in book 1 and everyone's relationship to each other - it was very well done. It also didn't seem overdone so I would imagine that those who did read book 1 won't feel like it's too much.

This story follows our main character Alexi as she investigates a murder at the hotel that she partially owns. She's working with the sexy private investigator Jack whose case coincides with this one so they have to spend time together. Overall, it was a decent story other than the final reveal. I was rolling my eyes so much when they revealed what happened to the dead girl - that was a let down and felt a bit silly. I also got tired of the relationship focus between Alexi and Jack, especially as the book went on. "Yes, I know there was a murder at the hotel that my husband and I own, and our head chef is suspected, and we might lose our livelihood - but have you boned Jack yet???"

I wish the cat would have featured more. From the description, I was expecting more of the style of <i>The Cat Who</i> series. There was a good amount of the cat but he mostly hissed at people or guarded the vehicle. I also was very unclear about how big this cat is since people were asking if it was a jaguar/large wild animal. But when he was there, I enjoyed his presence.

This is a minor thing but the baking show's host was named Paul and all I could think about was Paul Hollywood. It was very distracting when the book Paul would act very different from Paul Hollywood. I'm torn between this being a petty comment, because Paul is a very common name so my brain should not fixate on one specific Paul, or a valid point since if you say "British baking competition", I think a lot of people will think of <i>Great British Baking Show</i> and Paul is the only continuous host/judge.

I think many people will enjoy this book, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Drew and Cheryl Hopgood have worked hard to establish their hotel, Hopgood Hall, as a premier spot for weddings, conferences, retreats and country getaways. Cheryl’s college friend Alexi, a freelance journalist, has partnered with them. Hosting What’s For Dinner, a popular cooking show, may be the perfect way to get attention for the Hall. It does, but not in the way they planned. Juliette Hammond, one of the four contestants, will do anything to win. She flaunts her charismatic beauty and uses tricks to make her fellow chefs look bad. Days later, she is found dead. There are many suspects and Alexi asks her close friend Jack, a private detective, to help with the investigation. He’s busy with what seems to be an unrelated case. It’s not.

A Contest To Die For successfully combines two of my favorites: mystery and a backstage look at cooking competitions. I thought there was too much mention of a case solved in the first in this series. I hadn’t read the book and found the references hard to understand. I also thought the mystery was a little long so maybe if some of those references were shortened or omitted? That said, I enjoyed the characters and the location. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and E.V. Hunter for this ARC.

From the moment I read the outline this book seem to bring together two of my favourite things: baking in a certain tent and the love of grand estates. Alexi as well as Cheryl and Drew will do anything to try and save their beloved Hopgood Hall that they agreed to host by a reality television show.

Enter a hot headed head chef and Juliette, one of the contentsants is desperate to do anything to win this show. But when she it found dead, murdered there's only one thing for it, to bring in Alexi's old friend Jack Maddox. This is a fast pace novel by EV Hunter.

Normally I don't go for these types of books but I couldn't resist this. Unputdownable for sure. I was laughing on the first page, it drew me with their crazy animals that you will meet to.

One of the best books I’ve read this year, another great novel by E.V Hunter, always enjoy reading her books and this didn’t disappoint