I'm going through the books I requested pre-2018 when I stopped blogging to clean up my NetGalley TBR and this was on the list. I don't think it's a book for me anymore and will not be reviewing at this time, but if I do read it, I will update this review. Thank you for the opportunity.

DEATH BEFORE DECAF - Caroline Fardig

DARING! - 3 stars

Plot - 4 stars - When Juliet finds the Java Jive cook dead in the dumpster on her first day of work, right after their argument, she finds herself one of the suspects. So she works on the investigation in order to clear her name. But while she's doing that, she finds some other mysteries to solve.

Writing - 4 stars - The characters and the setting are easy to picture. I liked the setting that Fardig created, and the cast of characters worked well together.

Characters - 2.5 stars - The relationship between Pete and Juliet is cute--sort of the cross between friendship and romance. But they fit together nicely, and I enjoyed the banter between them. Seth is obviously some sort of undercover person, but we know very little about him besides the fact that he's hot. My biggest problem was that I thought Juliet took way too many chances. She dragged Pete into her investigations against his better judgment, and I was worried that she'd get both of them into trouble (which did, in fact, happen). She's impulsive and quick to temper, but she used the excuse of being tired or stressed out to cover the fact that she was overstepping her bounds.

Title - 3 stars - We can assume this is a murder mystery from the title and know that it is based around a coffee shop.

Cover - 3 stars - The cute cartoony cover implies that this is a cozy mystery rather than a hard-boiled one.

Overall - 3 stars - I couldn't get past the fact that Juliet kept investigating despite the obvious danger. It was clear that she was being threatened, but it didn't seem to register at all; she simply ignored it. In addition, her treatment of Pete seemed pretty callous for someone who supposedly cares about him. She would use him as a shoulder to cry on and for support, while complaining about how Seth/Ryder was using her. The mystery was interesting, and it kept the story moving forward. Perhaps in the next book in the series, Juliet will stop trying so hard, making her more appealing.

Great idea and concept for a book. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended. .

Wow - what a mean, condescending staff at the cafe. I felt really bad for the main character at first but then the over the top rudeness from the press and the police made it seem a little over the top. I don't understand why theyre so mean to her. It's completely unjustified and not really explained very well. Even villains have a reason for being the way they are. Also - based on the cover I thought this would be a fun lighthearted read but it was more doom and gloom and super serious.

What a fun book to read! If you like light-hearted mysteries with a good bit of action, this is the book for you!

Juliet needs to solve both the mysterious killing at the café she manages and the mysteries of what man she will stick with.

Young-feel chick lit mystery (is that even a genre, or did I just invent it? :))

This is a cozy mystery with very low level of thrill, so nothing for the lovers of scandi mayhem crime. But it is quite cute, with youngish feel and enough of chick lit element to attract the female reading crowd (mainly around thirty in my opinion).

It is quite funny, quick read - I have not cared about the mystery a bit, but got quite interested in the human dynamics and frankly, some easier read was exactly what I needed at that time.

I don´t agree about the hookup mentality presented here (caring about one man, sleeping with another one), or I would go at 3.5 stars. I find this being immature behaviour at the least.

No longer interested in reading this. Clearing out old galleys.

I had read the third book in this series some time ago and decided to go back to the beginning. I am glad I did. It introduced us to the characters and gave us some information about their past relationships. This was told using flashbacks and it filled in the details nicely. Juliet Langley, has returned to Nashville after losing her cafe. She is going to manage Java Jive owned by her best friend Pete. Gertie, Pete's grandmother who raised him, is a lot of the comic relief in this story, I absolutely loved her character. Seth, is a regular at the cafe that seems to have fallen for Juliet, although he picked up quickly on the fact that she has deeper feelings for Pete than just friendship.

The story is a cozy murder mystery, where Juliet is one of the suspects. As in any cozy, she decides that in order to clear her name, she needs to investigate on her own. What she does, and what she finds will make you laugh one minute, then worry about her the next. She seems to be alienating much of the staff at the cafe while investigating, although she is not doing it intentionally.

There are many laugh out loud moments in this story, including the funeral of the murder victim. The plot is well developed and includes intrigue, suspicion and especially danger. The twist at the end was great, and I was not expecting it at all. This book has something for everyone, a mystery, humour, some romance, food and drink as well as human dynamics. I am now going to continue to read this series and see what else Juliet gets herself into.

This is the only author of what they seem to term 'cozy mysteries' in the US that I actually enjoy. The book is fairly light hearted, so no gore and nasty bits, and the story develops well with sufficient interest to keep my attention to the end.
I received a review copy of this book and would be happy to read more by this author.

I AM SO EMBARRASSED ... JUST NOW FINDING THIS ONE ON MY KINDLE/AMAZON. WAS NEVER READ SO NO REVIEW COMING AT THIS LATE DATE. MY SINCERE APOLOGIES. BOOK HAS BEEN ARCHIVED.

This was entertaining, but I did question some of the choices the characters made.