The second book in the Killer Chocolate is an addictive read that kept me hooked from start to finish!

Our main character, a sharp-witted sleuth, takes center stage in this fast-paced mystery. I loved how she fearlessly pursued clues, making for an engaging and thrilling storyline. Alongside her twin sister, the dynamic duo added an extra layer of intrigue to the plot.

Speaking of the plot, it was brilliantly crafted, and I couldn't put the book down once I started. Christina Romeril masterfully kept me guessing with an array of well-developed characters, making it impossible to figure out whodunit.

The cozy Christmas-time setting added to the charm of the story, but I must admit, I was hoping for a bit more holiday spirit. While the occasional mention of the season was there, it didn't fully embrace the festive atmosphere I expected.

Additionally, I had some mixed feelings about the protagonist's romantic involvement with an older pastor. It felt a bit uncertain and lacked the depth I was hoping for.

Yet, despite these minor concerns, the shocking reveal of the killer took me completely by surprise. I didn't see it coming, but looking back, it made perfect sense.

Overall, "Killer Chocolate Strikes Again" is an enjoyable mystery read with a compelling main character and an engaging storyline. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries with a hint of Christmas, this book is definitely worth a try! 🎁📚💕"

I gave a Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril 5 stars

This new installment is the second book in the Killer Chocolate series. It was so, so good. I could not put it done once I started. The story is great, and I really like our main character (and her twin sister). She is a proper sleuth who go out looking for clues instead of letting them come to her. It is a fast-paced mystery that never gets boring. Since there are quite a lot of characters in this book, I never figured out whodunit.

A Christmas cozy series I highly recommend!

This book comes out October 17.

Thank you, Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzPoYrLqt9/

First read with this author but won't be the last. Enjoyed the characters and the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was a great cozy mystery. I love the characters and the smaller side stories behind each. The plot moved quickly and was highly entertaining. When not one, but two murders are committed during a reunion weekend, Alex finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a suspect. So what can she do but a bit of sleuthing. Lots of suspects, all with similar motives, making figuring things out even more of a challenge.
Love this series, highly recommend to all cozy mystery lovers.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Quick, easy, fun read. Perfect for the mystery lover with a holiday theme. Part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone (I haven’t read the first one in the series). Wonderfully written characters and thought provoking who done it. Will definitely read more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Christina Romeril and Crooked Lane for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Alex and Hanna are prepping their bookstore/chocolate shop for Christmas, making chocolates for a food competition and sleuthing after a murder at the alumni reunion. A charming cozy with a village full of interesting characters.

Having not read the first book in the series, I didn't feel lost or in any way hindered by my lack of foreknowledge while reading this book. The characters were quirky and engaging, and the relationships between them - while twisty and unexpected in some cases - were easy to follow for someone new to this particular genre. I deeply enjoyed the recipes included in the book and will be looking forward to trying some of them out once I'm ready to confront my fear of tempering chocolate. Even though I read this in June, I would put this firmly in the category of cozy holiday read and will definitely be picking up this book as well as the rest of the series in the future when the need for cozy yuletide reads becomes apparent again.

Harriston is hosting a high school reunion. Many are excited to reconnect with their classmates, but others are not quite so happy to reminisce. The class of 1999 was a small one and only a handful of alumni are in town for the reunion but that doesn't mean there won't be fireworks as suddenly they're being picked off one-by-one. Who is killing these people? And why? Since Hanna was the last person seen with the first victim and she had a motive for seeing him dead, Alex is determined to get to get to the bottom of things!

As with the first book in this series, this book started off a mite slow. The first chapter was a bit of a slog but I knew from reading the first book that a little patience would pay off. Once I got into this book I could hardly put it down (which worked out quite nicely since we were without power and my Kindle was the only device I had charged!) I really like the characters, kind of a fun twist that the main characters are twins. The recipes look great and it's a neat side business to go along with their mystery bookstore. The one thing I don't like is the relationship between Alex and Tom. I don't see the appeal of Tom and I don't know why a woman would "date" a man for an entire year without him ever once expressing any real interest in her.

The investigation was perhaps a bit over complicated. The killer was fairly easy to spot, perhaps that's why there were what seemed to be an almost excessive amount of red herrings, but it all got a bit confusing and that narrowed my attention even more closely on the killer. On the other hand it's always kind of fun to have a victim that everyone hates so very much.

Overall this is a great new series and I love that it's Christmas themed. Fans of Christmas themed mysteries should definitely check this out!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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

First I must say I love the cover of this book and that is what really drew me in. But then the blurb grabbed me too and I just couldn't wait to read this one.

From page one I was drawn in. Hanna and Alex and the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop really set the scene. This is the perfect cosy mystery with a great story and one that didn't leave me bored or wanting more.

Love the characters and I can't go past a book with recipes at the end to whet my appetite. This book had it all but I must say my one and only complaint (if you can call it that) is the cast of characters. So many I had to stop and take stock to work them all out.

A great cosy mystery, easy to read, a bit of fun yet with enough mystery and intrigue to keep my happy. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril sounded interesting, but sadly, I couldn’t get into the story; I don’t know if it was because of the writing style, the plot or the rythm. It seems that this is the second book in the series, but I found the Joanne Fluke series more interesting, fluid, entertaining and fast moving than this.
I’m not a fan of « If you like (an author’s name) then you will LOVE (this author).

Review of A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this cozy mystery. This book will be released on October 17, 2023. This is the second book in the series in the Killer Chocolate Mystery.

The setting is during the Christmas season. Twins, Alex and Hanna run the chocolate shop and bookstore in their small town. Alex being older by a minute takes care of everything including her smart terrier dog, Watson. The chocolate shop has delicious treats named after killer substances. Which is very interesting. A high school reunion is the main event right before Christmas. Alex and Hanna are providing the desserts. Alex mingles with the partygoers and discovers a classmate dead in the basement. The weapon being a nutcracker. A storm prevents anyone from leaving the gym after Alex calls on the deputy sheriff, Duncan. Alex investigates and soon her sister, Hanna is a point of interest to the sheriff. Alex then ramps up the investigate because she knows her sister did not kill anyone. Then another body is found by Alex and this time Hanna was no near the scene. Alex must race to find the killer before Christmas.

I enjoyed the story and the premise of the Christmas time cozy. I had trouble relating to Alex who seems to be unsure of her abilities to solve a murder and her romance with a pastor who was older than her by a few years. She took Tom’s business for aloofness with her. She never asked him questions about until he told her toward the end. Plus the puns that they told to each other and their friends were a little cringy. The small town character were all relatable and you could like any one of them.

I gave this 4 stars only because I think the characters could be developed a little bit more.

In this second book in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series, the twins are working hard on books and chocolate, plus some romance. During a local high school reunion, an arrogant alum winds up dead. When murder is confirmed, Alex steps up to help. There are way too many characters in this novel for its length and topic, so many that I lost track of who was whom and who did what. I almost needed a murder board! Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Land Books for providing an ARC.

This is Book #2 in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. I really enjoyed this book. I hadn't read book #1 so I wasn't sure what to expect. The characters were quirky and there were many of them which were hard to keep track of at the beginning. But like all cozy mysteries, there are a number of suspects and red herrings to throw you off the track of the real killer. A fantastic read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril is book #2 in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. Harriston High School's Class Reunion had some unexpected excitement. A member of the class of 1999 has been murdered. Are the rest of the members of that class safe? In any event amateur sleuth and Murder and Mystery chocolate shop owner Alex Wright is on the case. Somehow she manages to get clues by chatting with possible suspects and others. This was a fun cozy mystery to read. I enjoyed the characters, the twists and turns and suspense. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

recommend reading A NUTCRACKER NIGHTMARE, written by Christina Romeril. Hanna Eastham and her twin sister, Alex, own and operate Murder and Mayhem: Killer Chocolates and Bookshop. The shop is located in Harrison, Montana, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains near Echo Lake. The twins are helping prepare for Harrison High School’s reunion weekend when Alex discovers one of the alumni dead in a utility closet. What is the reason for this person”s death?

A NUTCRACKER NIGHTMARE is the second book in the Killer Chocolate mystery series. I like the idea of a mystery bookshop with chocolates named after poisons. (Each chocolate created is named after a poison used in a popular novel.) The mystery is intriguing, and getting to know the twins is a joy. Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great read filled with books, chocolate (yum!) a nutcracker, a reunion filled with bickering and gossip, and murder. Plenty to keep it interesting.

Montana, competitive-people, competition, local-law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, small-business, small-town, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, twins, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, verbal-humor, chocolatier, Canadian-author, Christmas-season, family-dynamics, family, family-business, friction, bookseller, pets, snow-season, recipes*****

The most obnoxious person at the event is bashed over the head with a large replica of the Nutcracker and Alex and Hannah are in the middle of things. The twin sisters have relocated from elsewhere a time ago and now run an imaginative chocolate candy shop and a bookstore as well as hosting several special interest groups. Now there is a competition and some real friction. The murder spurs them to recap the sleuthing they did last year. Good sleuthing!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Hannah and Alex, twin sisters run a bookstore/chocolate shop. They are delightful characters. When a school reunion is scheduled all kinds of stuff starts happening. With twists and turns, A murderous nutcracker and a solid mystery this book is great for any season. Thanks#netgalley and "crooked lane books for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

I enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the chocolates are amazing and yummy. I liked the characters although I was starting to have trouble keeping track of them as there’s so many. I did suspect who the killer was and I was right. I was a bit thrown off by the red herring. I felt that it was evenly paced without any slow spots and I wasn’t frustrated by it going in circles. #ANutCrackerNightmare #NetGalley