I loved how much Miriam gets to be a foodie and discuss history and societal issues. We get such a good feel for Puerto Rico. It is not just the setting, but also the issues facing the island and how people are trying to make it better. And Miriam is the perfect voice for us to learn through.
The mystery is complicated and twisty. I loved uncovering all the pieces and seeing how it tied into the issues we are learning about. The use of Spanish felt authentic and the narrator did a great job seamlessly using both Spanish and English.
If untranslated language isn’t your thing, you might not enjoy this one. Also if you want a murder and investigation, this one is not your typical murder and investigation cozy.
If you like a strong sense of place and lots suspects, you will like this one. If you like lots of suspicious actions and Miriam’s food anthropology career, you will love this one.
I was along for the ride with Miriam, so I loved the story and the audiobook.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape for the gifted audiobook!

I was so excited for this one! I love cozy mysteries revolving around anything food related and the cover is adorable!

While I wanted so badly to enjoy it, I just couldn't get into the plot and really struggled to want to pick it up. I think it may have been better if I read the first two books in the series.

This book will be available for purchase on November 10th.

Dang I love this series!! Miri really can't stay out of trouble, even while hugely pregnant! I love her relationship with her friends and most of her family. I also LOVE how she is standing up to her overbearing and racist mother-in-law and has her hubs on board with that. I can't wait to see what the crew gets up to in the next book! Write faster, Raquel V. Reyes!

#BarbacoaBombaandBetrayal
#NetGalley

I was excited to read this because I love Mia P. Manansala's cozy mystery series and saw that this one was compared to it. However, it ultimately fell short for me. The main character is pregnant and I felt that the constant references to her pregnancy took away from the rest of the story. I also wonder if I would have liked it more had I read the previous books in the series.

The audiobook didn't keep my attention like I hoped it would. However, I did like the narrator's voice, and loved hearing her speak in Spanish -- I would have butchered the Spanish sentences if I would've read the physical book.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Excellent audiobook and narration. I enjoy the multicultural interest of this series but I did think this book felt like it ended abruptly.

I read the first book and found it cute but clunky. The third installment was a lot smoother and the pacing was a lot more enjoyable but as a pregnant woman she put herself in far more dangerous situations than she should have, her street smarts continue to be a bit lacking lol 3.5⭐️

Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal is the third book in Raquel V. Reyes's Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. I didn't read book 1 in the series, but I did listen to book 2: Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking. However, I was momentarily confused when I started the audio of book 3 as I thought it was part of a different Caribbean culinary mystery series.

I do not speak Spanish and I think this series, particularly the audiobooks, would be most enjoyed by bilingual readers. I appreciate that the Spanish isn't directly translated and it is easy enough to figure out what is being said from the context and some interpretation by the main character Miriam. What I struggled with was the names of the characters.

We are introduced to a number of characters as Miriam is on location in Puerto Rico for her cultural cooking show. The names are pronounced in the Spanish way, which is fine, but as I was listening to it and not seeing it in print I had trouble catching names (sometimes I wasn't sure if the person was saying a name or just saying something in Spanish, which added to the difficulty in keeping characters straight).

The story takes place during the 12 days of Christmas which follows Christmas Day. So we get Christmas and New Years, plus we get to see the 3 Kings celebrations that are popular in the Caribbean. I learned of this tradition when reading classic Christmas stories from around the world last year, so I was happy to get more information about it and see how it is celebrated in modern times.

If you are looking for Christmas celebrations without the cold and snow, then the sunny Caribbean setting of this cozy mystery is perfect for you.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/10/cozy-up-with-these-seasonal-mysteries.html

What a fun and interesting read. Most of the action takes place in Puerto Rico, but there is some set up in Miami and DR. Miriam starts being suspicious of a real estate dude at the place her parents are managing and then gets pulled into work events in PR. He is there as well and a bunch of friends and work people as well. Lots of action, food, and culture in this one.

This one's gonna be a little bit different of a review. I liked the writing and the characters. I just know a little Spanish so when the characters would weave in Spanish words, I had to really think about what they were saying because I didn't always get it from the context and my limited vocabulary. I just wasn't in the mood to listen to a book where I had to use my minimal brain power. I know that if I had been a little more focused, I definitely would've enjoyed this book. So I don't want to give it a bad review because it was a good intro to the story, but it just wasn't for me. Sorry.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.