Perhaps the hardest personal aspect of this investigation, well, other than being considered a suspect, was the need for Willa to avoid contact with boyfriend-detective Heath. Seems his superior is watching this one very closely and would like nothing better than to take the case away from Heath, thus denying Willa what protection he can provide from harassment. If only she hadn't given in to that moment of pique and left that now questionable note with the chocolates she delivered to the newsroom for the brand new shop. Nothing like leaving your fingerprints and a potential threat in broad daylight. Needless to say, despite being stunned that the pop-up chocolate shop is headed by her ex-finance and former best friend, Willa carries on what she does so well, trying to run her own cheese shop as usual while ferreting out evidence and questioning potential suspects, even those who happen to be people she likes.

So, who poisoned the new, quite pushy newspaper reporter? Who had motive and opportunity to put the poison into the chocolate rum cremes? We barely got to meet ambitious reporter Kevin Wallace before he was dead, so little is known about him other than that he'd surely managed to annoy many in a short time, but...enough to kill him? Or, wait. Was he even the target? Or was it Gazette editor/owner AJ? Or, gasp, even Willa? I won't detail the plot further other than to say that there seem to be ample suspects but none with a seemingly legit reason to kill. Willa is already unhappy by the presence of her former fiance Pearce and former friend Riley but reluctantly agrees to help. Side-stories are less stressful, with even some budding romances. And, oh, for those unaware, a pop-up shop is meant as a temporary shop, usually used to test a new product line in an area with heavy foot traffic.

Bottom line, lots going on, including some humor. I'm pretty sure Willa didn't like how her bed-head hair was described, for instance, and AJ's attachment to that fedora certainly isn't helpful in going undercover. The characters were likable and it was fun watching them interact and deal with their own lives, romantic and otherwise, in addition to helping Willa with the case. Yarrow Glen sounds like an intriguing town with close knit shop and shop owners who support each other through both the good and bad times. It was sad to see the sudden drop in trust of food places as a result of the poisoning but perhaps that is normal. Fortunately, I've had no experience with that. You'll get to know them by the time the big reveal of whodunit rolls around, one that was a bit of a surprise to me, I must admit, even though it made sense. Thanks #St.Martin'sPress for giving me this early look at how Willa's life is progressing in Yarrow Glen. After that scene at the end definitely looking forward to the next book.

Curds & Whey has only been open two years and Willa needs to solve a sixth murder.

Willa’s ex-fiancé, Pierce, and his partner, Willa’s former best friend, Riley, have opened a pop-up chocolate shop in the town’s revamped bakery. Willa is, reasonably in my opinion, angry that the pair has chosen her town for their newest store, but when a reporter is killed by poisoned chocolates, she knows she’s not guilty, even if the police chief isn’t so sure. I felt a little bad for the character who got killed. We met him, saw he was pushy, and then he was dead. There was never much consideration that he was even the intended victim.

The reader has several suspects to look at, although Willa would rather not believe any of them are guilty. And was destroying the business’s reputation the point, or was someone trying to kill AJ, the newspaper editor, or Willa herself? Turns out Pierce is not a very nice guy – no surprise, and not entirely honest. Duncan, the store manager, is unhappy with the contract. The owners of the town’s candy shop aren’t thrilled with the competition. And the bakery’s former bread baker/manager is out of a job due to the change in the bakery’s focus.

As always, I enjoy the friendship and banter between Willa, Archie, Baz, and Mrs. Schultz. Detective Heath annoys me a bit – I wish he could be more supportive, but the ending gives me hope.

I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be, but I probably should have seen it coming.

There are also a couple of recipes in the back that I might try: a creamy dip that sounds perfect for game night and pizza smashed potatoes.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked getting a sense of Pearce and Riley, since they were so key in Willa's life and decision to open her shop. The mystery was a good one, with nicely developed red herrings.

Curds and Whey is going strong in Yarrow Glen. Willa is thriving as well.

But there is always something around the corner. This is Willa’s ex!

A Chocolatier and the reason Willa steers clear of chocolate. So what is said ex up to? A pop-up shop directly across the street. Although it may be a short lived venture, after the first day finds a dead reporter. Turns out Death by Chocolate is a real thing!

And Willa and the gang are going to help no matter what!

Always fun!

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press/ SMP Paperback April 29, 2025

Willa's ex is in town. He and his girlfriend (Willa's former BFF) have opened a pop-up chocolate shop in Hope's new cakery. Of all the places they could have put a pop-up shop, they had to come to Yarrow Glen. And yes. It goes exactly how you'd think it would. But when one of their customers dies after eating poisoned chocolates, it looks like revenge might be sweeter than anyone may have thought.

I really enjoy this series and this book was among my favorite of the series so far. Every single thing that is going on in the book is serious and I was very anxious to find out how everything turned out. Sitting down to read one chapter inevitably turned into two, then three, then six. There was also a lot of humor, A. J. in his fedora, Willa with a squirrel on her head, and of course the calming cheeses!

For anyone who is a fan of cozy mysteries, this series is a must read.

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

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and St Martin's Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Team Cheese us back not only with delicious cheese and even chocolate. Willa’s former ex-fiance and boyfriend needs her help when a murder takes lace at a pop up chocolate store. Can they be civil or will someone end up in a gooey mmess? It’s one cheesy event that will required some melting of feelings. Sit back and nibble your favorite cheese and chocolate along the way.