Blue Moon Mystery Saloon

Final Fondue

A Five-Ingredient Mystery (Book 3) by Maya Corrigan, Kensington, June 2016

Final Fondue by Maya Corrigan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

* An ARC was provided by the author for an honest review.

FINAL FONDUE, the third book in Maya Corrigan's Five-Ingredient Mystery series, is a lighthearted mystery involving romance, revenge, and chocolate fondue.

A bride, two bridesmaids, and the best man have rented rooms for the weekend in the Victorian house owned by Val Deniston's grandfather. The group is in Bayport, MD to scope out venues for the upcoming wedding. Their stay coincides with the town's Tricentennial Festival, a full weekend extravaganza of boating demonstrations, parades, fireworks and food booths. Val is involved in all facets of the festival and has little time to help Granddad with his guests. But she agrees to help her grandfather in the kitchen whenever she can.

After the festival's opening night fireworks, Val returns to the house to prepare the next day's breakfast. To take out the garbage, she has to venture through the dark back yard. First she spots fondue leftovers on the back porch. Then she stumbles across the body of a house guest. Once again a killer is on the loose in Bayport, and Val and her grandfather are on the case.

Could it be a spurned suitor? Or an old nemesis? Might it be the result of mistaken identity? Or a spur of the moment killing? These are just a few of the questions that Val and Granddad must answer before the murderer strikes again.

FINAL FONDUE contains interesting characters, feasible situations, and supporting subplots that provide convincing motives for why each suspect could be the killer. Throw in a haunted corn maze, cooking competitions, family dysfunction, and a few red herrings, and you have a tasty mixture that satisfies the mystery palate.

And don't worry if you haven't read the other two books in the series. This book can definitely stand alone. Though to get a better feel of the main characters and the story's location, you might want to read the books in order.

If You Like This, You May Like: BY COOK OR BY CROOK and SCAM CHOWDER by Maya Corrigan, FOOD LOVERS' VILLAGE MYSTERIES by Leslie Budewitz, COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERIES by Daryl Wood Gerber, FARMERS' MARKET MYSTERIES by Paige Shelton, CHARMED PIE SHOPPE MYSTERIES by Ellery Adams, SOUP LOVER'S MYSTERIES by Connie Archer

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A Dangerous Age

A Novel by Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Gallery Books, June 2016.

A Dangerous Age by Kelly Killoren Bensimon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

* An e-ARC was provided by Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.


A DANGEROUS AGE by Kelly Killoren Bensimon is a boring book about four, once uber fashion-forward, New York City women (who became friends in their 20s) and what happens to them over a few months. Told in first person, past tense, the book is pretentious and silly, and it skips around between current day and memories of the past. The story has very little substance and even fewer interesting scenes.

The four main characters are now in their 40s and no longer the upper society leaders they once were. Each of the four have some crisis going on in their lives. Lucy's marriage is disintegrating, Sarah is on the verge of a social collapse, Billy has no focus other than thinking she's a creative culinary genius, and Lotta, a beautiful art dealer, is a total lush. Their very real, life-crushing issues seem secondary to the reality-show-like circus of their days.

A DANGEROUS AGE may appeal to people who like the Real Housewives and Kardashian reality shows, but readers who prefer a story with substance and likable characters should skip this book.

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Life Before

A Young Adult Suspense by Michele Bacon, Sky Pony Press, June 2016.

Life Before by Michele Bacon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

* An e-ARC was provided by Sky Pony Press and Edelweiss for an honest review.

LIFE BEFORE is a young adult suspense by Michele Bacon. The serious issues of physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, murder, and being forced to run for your life are just some of the topics touched upon in this book.

Xander Fife has been living with his mom, Helen, since her divorce from his abusive dad, Gary. Xander tries to live his life as a normal kid with a normal family. But he has secrets that he can't reveal, even to his best friend Jill.

One day Xander and Jill are planning their Infinite Summer. The next, he's hiding from his murderous father. Xander ends up in Burlington VT, intending to stay off the grid (essentially disappear) until Gary is captured and thrown in jail. While in VT he meets some friendly and intriguing people who help him survive day to day, teach him to approach life with curiosity and wonder, and encourage him to live in the present instead of waiting until some future accomplishment to begin his life.

The characters in LIFE BEFORE are fully-developed with clear identities and motivations. The descriptions of places and things are so vibrant, one feels as if you're standing beside Xander as he stumbles through his days, constantly on the outlook for danger.

Xander's poignant story is both sad and beautiful. Sad for what he's had to suffer throughout his young life. Beautiful for his strength and growing confidence. Though the issues raised are serious, the story isn't depressing. It is, at times, funny and always full of friendship and hope. Xander comes to realize he has the ability to take care of himself and that he is far from alone, as he has wonderful friends who support him and who accept him for who he is.

LIFE BEFORE is perfect for readers of John Green, Jennifer Echols and Sarah Dessen and a quick read for vacation. There are a few kissing scenes and descriptions of feelings, but more involved sexual interactions are either off-scene or just implied.

If You Like This, You May Like: SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen, DIRTY LITTLE SECRET and GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols, PAPER TOWNS by John Green, THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by Jennifer L. Armentrout, HOW TO DISAPPEAR by Ann Redisch Stampler, A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro, TELL ME THREE THINGS by Julie Buxbaum

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