A Midsummer Night's Fudge

Although I haven’t read all the books in this series, I really enjoyed the first few in the series. However, for A Midsummer’s Night’s Fudge, I was extremely surprised at the situations the sleuth, Allie was putting herself in. I read a lot of cozies and I know not all the circumstances are realistic. But Allie inserted herself in such extreme and unrealistic scenarios such as coming across three bodies herself within a short amount of time. And to be allowed to interrogate the suspect in the interrogation room is so outlandish that it turned me off from the story. There are smart ways to have the amateur sleuth within a cozy to be in the midst of a crime investigation without having it come across as reaching. And Allie in this book was certainly reaching. What I did enjoy about the book were all the recipes included and I love that Mal, Allie’s adorable dog gets involved. I won’t let this book detract me from reading the other stories, but I hope that the future books in this series scale back on the extremities of situations. Thank you Kensington Books for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Midsummer Night’s Fudge by Nancy Coco takes us back to Mackinac Island, Michigan in time for the first Midsummer Night’s Festival which celebrates the beginning of the summer season. The fireworks are scaring Mal, Allie McMurphy’s bichenpoo so she takes take him back to the McMurphy. On her way back to the festivities, Allie sees someone floating in the water. Allie dives into the water to bring the person back to shore. It turns out to be Winona Higer who had just crowned the Queen of the festival before the fireworks began. Winona has crowned her last queen. The next day as the parade is beginning, Allie is recruited to take Winona’s place on the festival committee. It has Allie in the right place to hear all the juicy gossip about the victim. Allie with help from Mal begins digging into the case when the killer strikes again. Allie works to sift through the clues, but she will need to be careful so that she does not get burned. A Midsummer Night’s Fudge is the tenth A Candy-Coated Mystery. It can be read as a standalone. I like reading the series in order because it allows me to get to know the characters and the setting. I thought A Midsummer Night’s Fudge was well-written with developed characters. Allie, Rex, Jenn, Frances, and, of course, Mal are back for another adventure. I just love Mal who has a nose for crime. He is good at sniffing at bodies and clues. I enjoy the vivid descriptions of Mackinac Island with its charming shops, lovely hotels, and delectable fudge. Allie is busy at the hotel since she lost her assistant. She must get up early to make the various flavors of fudge and take care of the hotel guests. Plus, she does fudge demonstrations during the day with free samples (yum). Of course, no matter how busy Allie is, she cannot resist a mystery. The whodunit was fun to follow. There are various suspects along with a red herring or two. The clues are there if you pay close attention. I enjoyed the dramatic reveal. The only thing that I did not like was Rex constantly discouraging Allie from investigating. One or two mentions I could live with, but it seemed like every time Rex saw Allie, he gave her a warning. I was sorry to see my visit to Mackinac Island come to end. There are recipes included for the fudge Allie made for the McMurphy Fudge Shop. A Midsummer Night’s Fudge is a tasty tale with a contentious contest, fabulous fudge, fatal fireworks, a clever killer, a fun festival, and an inquisitive fudge maker.

Glamorous costumes bring a magical feel to the island's first beach side ball, What a wonderful way to begin A Midsummer Night's Fudge, the 10th book in Nancy Coco's Candy-coated Mystery series, but the magic disappears when Allie spies a body floating in the water. I am happily drawn back into Allie's world with every new book in this delightful series! I have a blast visiting the island and Allie's friends, even though Allie's tendency to put herself in danger frustrates me almost as much as it does Rex. In a Midsummer Night's Fudge, the newest book in the series, I enjoyed the natural, more definite relationship between Allie and Rex, loved Jennifer's exciting news, and laughed and ah 'ed over the way Mal wraps herself around everyone's heart with her sweetness. Allie has been throwing herself into the community more and more, and now she has added two key committees to her busy life. It is one of those committees that pulls her into investigating multiple murders even though she again assures Rex that she has no reason to investigate. When a bullet barely misses her and another one hits a friend, the murderer has crossed a line that the young hotelier can't ignore in spite of her best intentions. My thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane, and author Nancy Coco for giving me the chance to read an ARC of Midsummer Night's Fudge. I share my reviews because I enjoy sharing books that I enjoy. #NetGalley #CrookedLane #NancyCoco #AMidsummerNight'sFudge