Keeley Carpenter is a young woman who has final decided to set some roots in a quaint English village.  In the aftermath of the uncovering a murderer, she finds that people tend to be looking to her for advice and input.  Especially when her rival, Raquel needs help clearing her name, after the mayor (and Raquel's latest boyfriend) is found stabbed to death.  Despite Keeley's past with Raquel, she can't seem to say no.  Perhaps it's guilt over suspecting Raquel of the last murder... or perhaps Keeley's just too kind. Regardless, her decision sets her on a whirlwind path to discovering old secrets and coming to face the truth that sometimes your past comes back to bite you in the butt.

I really enjoyed this cozy novel, Keeley seems likable without seeming perfect. She struggles a lot with her self-confidence and body image, especially with her mother around.  The dynamic between Keeley and her mother is strained and you can't help but feel bad for Keeley.  However, I'm curious to see if the author will continue to explore Darla's past and hopefully reveal more of why she is the way she is. I'm torn about Keeley's relationship with Ben. He seems very bossy and that's just not attractive in a mate.

I had a suspicion about who the murder was early on in the book. However, the author did a good job of not giving it away until the end and I completely missed the "why" until it was blatantly spelled out for me. I can appreciate a good mystery and I hope I get to read more from this author.

A little yoga, a little romance and a little murder. What's not to love? An enjoyable cozy mystery set against the backdrop of a yoga studio. I especially liked the addition of explanation of yoga poses.

Concept was slightly different from other cozies but the lacked substance. Couldn't connect with Keeley the main character at all. The mystery was solid and well written but the characters where blah.

2.5 stars
Hmmm... what to say about this book that I did not say about the first book.

Everyone claims Keeley solved the murder in the first book and believes her to be an adept detective when both are false. I will say in this book she does more snooping and I can see how she may be a good detective, but still no dice.

Her boyfriend, Ben, is one of my favorite characters and the one I think it the most level-headed and realistic. He is in the right when he tries to get his own girlfriend to <i>stop asking questions and potentially screwing up the case</i>. Isn't that considering interference? Like, at least in America I think we have a law against it... anyhow, I completely agree with him because she is an amateur and totally clueless in how obvious what she is doing is.

*sigh* I also want to mention that Gerald, the dead man in this book, was planning on a one way trip somewhere else in the last book....so I guess he didn't go?

I also liked Megan and the town dynamics, which were cozy and nice. I actually liked this book more than the first, although that might be because I skimmed a lot of paragraphs where no one was talking. I don't feel like I missed out on anything in the story.

I do think people who like cozy mysteries set in England with an amateur detective might really enjoy these. There are some yummy looking recipes in the back and Yoga poses through the book for people to try. It is a nice book and if this is your thing, totally try it out.
I think, I will need a break from cozy mysteries for a while.

This was the second book in Michelle Kelly's series. Although you don't have to have read Downward Facing Death in order to enjoy this one, it would make more sense to read them in order.

Keeley is content in her life, she has opened her vegetarian cafe - which seems to be doing more business than you would expect in a small English village, and has settled into a happy relationship with her cop boyfriend, Ben.

Raquel has been her frenemy since high school, and Keeley doesn't really admire her dating choices - think old, rich men, but she tries to get along to keep the peace.

When Raquel's boyfriend (the Mayor) turns up violently murdered, she reaches out to Keeley to help prove her innocence.

In the meantime, Keeley's mom turns up unexpectedly and seems to be harboring a secret, her boyfriend is becoming increasingly angry at her meddling in his investigation, not to mention putting herself in danger.

How far will Keeley go to help an old enemy? I can tell you right now, she went much further than I would - maybe I should do more yoga!

I have been eager to read this series since it first came out, and jumped at reading this second book. I am a yoga fan and I love that this was set in England. The village was fun and inviting, with a bright future. Keely is a unique cozy sleuth. She has more of a want to be solving crime than others I have read. I enjoyed the background and banter between the characters. I really liked the poses added to each chapter, I found that actually taking a moment to do each before moving to the next chapter helped my clarity and reading.
The murder was by far different. I usually get a pretty decent idea of who did it, but I was twisted around in this book. And I loved the realism of the relationships, I am a late 20 year old and loved the way I could relate to the characters.
The food is amazing!! I couldn't believe my luck to see the recipes at the end of the book! I recommend this book for any yoga, mystery lovers out there or any readers that are looking for a different style of cozy.

A Death at the Yoga Café by Michelle Kelly is the second book in A Keeley Carpenter Mystery series. Keeley Carpenter is the owner of Yoga Café in Belfrey, England which serves vegetarian fare. The space used to be her father’s butcher shop before he passed away. Keeley lives in the apartment above the shop and she teaches yoga in her spare time. Keeley is listening to Duane moan about the loss of his girlfriend, Raquel (broke up with Duane to date Gerald Buxby, the local mayor) when her friend, Megan comes in. Megan is assisting with the Belfrey Art Festival. They are asking local shop owners to let artists display their work. Megan wants Keeley to host Suzy’s work. Keeley agrees despite Suzy’s negative attitude and expression. Their discussion is interrupted by an argument in front of the café between Gerald and Raquel (which perks up Duane). After the hubbub settles down, Keeley’s critical mother, Darla arrives for a visit (early). Keeley is grateful to escape for a relaxing evening with her boyfriend, DC Ben Taylor. Unfortunately, their night is interrupted when Ben is called out on a case. Keeley later finds out that Gerald was found stabbed in his home. Raquel ends up being the prime suspect because of their public spat. Ben asks Keeley to stay out of the investigation. Keeley tries to comply, but Raquel asks for Keeley to help in clearing her name. Keeley manages to stay one step ahead of Ben (much to his frustration). Then Edna, Gerald’s longtime housekeeper, is found dead after Keeley talked with her. Keeley has stumbled upon some information that the killer does not want to come to light (at least not yet). Will Keeley be able to clear Raquel’s name without falling victim to the killer? Will Keeley regret letting Suzy display her work at the Yoga Café?

A Death at the Yoga Café may be the second book in the Keeley Carpenter mystery series, but it can be read alone. The author summarizes the first book and provides the needed background information on Keeley. The novel is easy to read and has interesting characters. I also enjoyed the beautiful setting (I love books set in England). I give A Death at the Yoga Café 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery was not complicated and could be solved early in the novel. One word gave away the identity of the culprit. I wish authors would put as much work into the mystery as they do the zany characters (like Mega and Suzy) they include in their books. The whole point of a cozy mystery is the mystery (they are not supposed to be gory, but they can be hard to solve). I had a hard time relating to Keeley. I think I need to be younger (or into yoga). Keeley has self-confidence issues (many doubts). Of course, her overly critical mother did not help. I did not understand why Keeley felt compelled to help Raquel. She states it is because she did not want to see an innocent person go to jail. Would you help your nemesis? Would you be willing to die for your arch rival? At the end of each chapter is a yoga post, definition, method, benefits, and contraindications. I wish they had not been at the end of every single chapter. I found it disrupting to the flow of reading. Some information is repeated frequently throughout the book. Examples are about the mayor’s housekeeper, the case, Ben’s wish to get a promotion, Ben wanting Keeley to stay out of the case, and information about Keeley’s mother. These are just a few examples. Do authors think readers are forgetful? I will not be continuing with this series. It is just not the right cozy mystery series for me.