GRAND OPENINGS CAN BE MURDER
Bean to Bar Mysteries Book 1
by
AMBER ROYER
Categories: Cozy Mystery / Women Sleuth / Romance
Publisher: Golden Tip Press
Date of Publication: February 2, 2021
Number of Pages: 266 pages
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Felicity Koerber has had a rough year. She’s moving back to Galveston Island and opening a bean to bar chocolate factory, fulfilling a dream she and her late husband, Kevin, had shared. Craft chocolate means a chance to travel the world, meeting with farmers and bringing back beans she can turn into little blocks of happiness, right close to home and family. She thinks trouble has walked into her carefully re-built world when puddle-jump pilot Logan Hanlon shows up at her grand opening to order custom chocolates. Then one of her employees drops dead at the party, and Felicity’s one-who-got-away ex-boyfriend – who’s now a cop – thinks Felicity is a suspect.
As the murder victim’s life becomes more and more of a mystery, Felicity realizes that if she’s going to clear her name in time to save her business, she might need Logan’s help. Though she’s not sure if she’s ready to let anyone into her life – even if it is to protect her from being the killer’s next victim. For Felicity, Galveston is all about history, and a love-hate relationship with the ocean, which keeps threatening to deliver another hurricane – right into the middle of her investigation. Can she figure it out before all the clues get washed away?
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES
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Praise
“With as many unpredictable twists and turns as the hurricane approaching Galveston, Grand Openings Can Be Murder is an intriguing cozy mystery set in a new chocolate shop along the island’s historic Strand. Readers will love learning about the bean-to-bar chocolate-making process while the store’s owner, Felicity, pursues truth, justice, and the perfect chocolate bar.”
— Diane Kelly, Award-winning author of the Death & Taxes, Paw Enforcement, House Flipper, and Busted mystery series.
Chocolate, Murder, and a Hurricane
You might have noticed that I started with chocolate because that is the most important thing about the book. Well, in my eyes anyway! All the luscious dark cacao, the processing, and the love put into the single origin bars. This book will teach you a lot that you didn’t know you needed to know about chocolate.
Chocolate aside (but really, who can put chocolate aside?!), this is a fun cozy mystery with a determined protagonist to prove her innocence and solve the murder, a loveable bunny that knows when to protect his family, and a storm that could create some havoc on Galveston, Texas.
I really liked Felicity. She is still suffering through the loss of her husband a year ago, yet foraging ahead in bringing their dream to life. She is also not afraid to jump into the thick of things and try and solve this crime despite knowing nothing about how to decipher the clues and figure out who the murderer might be. I like that she admits to all of her experience coming from books and TV mystery shows. Despite that, it doesn’t slow her down and she does find herself in harms way several times while seeking the truth.
I really enjoyed how the story and the mystery came together. It built up to the conclusion, much like the hurricane that thrashed Galveston. I have heard that there are some that won’t leave their homes even in the case of a hurricane, and this book was no different. In fact, there was a party at a local hotel for those that did not leave the island. Personally, I think that is nuts, but I suppose if you have lived through one (or more hurricanes) then this one won’t be so bad.
While I suspected who the killer was, I discounted this character because I just didn’t think it was possible and couldn’t figure out the “why.” It was quite a revelation and the pieces fell together like a puzzle in the end.
Outside of the mystery, I found the characters to be well rounded and intriguing. Many of Felicity’s friends are very supportive, along with her aunt and uncle. I was suspicious of some of her friends/coworkers and their motives, but I attribute that to the author’s writing and throwing some red herrings into the mix that made me question my suspicions.
There is a hint of a potential romance between Felicity and Logan. Logan is a former police officer, turned bodyguard, turned tour guide. Felicity has her reservations because she still misses her husband, but I think that this could develop into more in future books and I look forward to seeing how that relationship develops.
There was only one thing missing, recipes for her chocolate truffles and more. I salivated over the description of the truffles and I would love to know more about how to make them and infuse herbs and other flavors. Perhaps in future books, the author will share a few recipes with us.
This is a delicious new series and I look forward to future books that share mouth watering descriptions of chocolate, life in Galveston, and perhaps a mystery to solve.
We give this book 4 paws up.
Amber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate on her website. She also teaches creative writing for both UT Arlington Continuing Education and Writing Workshops Dallas. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes.
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
ONE WINNER
Autographed copy of GRAND OPENINGS CAN BE MURDER
and a $25 Gift Card to Dandelion Chocolate
End Midnight, CST, February 19, 2021
US ONLY
Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page
For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,
or visit the blogs directly
| 2/9/21 | Excerpt | Texas Book Lover |
| 2/9/21 | BONUS Guest Post | Hall Ways Blog |
| 2/9/21 | BONUS Promo | LSBBT Blog |
| 2/10/21 | Top Ten | That’s What She’s Reading |
| 2/11/21 | Review | Missus Gonzo |
| 2/12/21 | Playlist | All the Ups and Downs |
| 2/13/21 | Review | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 2/14/21 | Author Interview | Rebecca R. Cahill, Author |
| 2/15/21 | Review | Forgotten Winds |
| 2/16/21 | Scrapbook Page | KayBee’s Book Shelf |
| 2/17/21 | Review | The Page Unbound |
| 2/18/21 | Review | It’s Not All Gravy |
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GOTTA love a book that’s all about the chocolate (AND has a coffee-lovin’ protagonist). Thanks for the fun review! And WOW! Great news about the QR Code for recipes!!
Excellent! I think I had an ARC and don’t remember if there was a QR code but will check out the link.
I have made truffles before and would love some insight into the flavorings. It may be too much for me to prepare, but just love understanding how it comes to pass.
Thank you for such a kind review! Interesting that you mention recipes. At the request of several early readers, we added a QRR Code to the back of the book shortly before the publication date. It takes you to a bonus page — with recipes, including pics and short videos. So far, we have up Carmen’s Dirty Horchata — Logan’s Hotdish — Aunt Naomi’s Jambalaya — Felicity’s Maw Maw’s Gumbo. The plan is to make this page accessible as a freebee and add to it as the series progresses. I had thought infusing techniques and chocolate working might be a bit much for the casual reader, but I can definitely add Felicity’s Lemon Truffle within the next couple of weeks.
If you have the Kindle version of the book, update it and the QRR code should show up. Or follow the link: http://amberroyer.com/bean-to-bar-mysteries-bonus-recipes/