This is the second book in the Candy-Coated series by Nancy Coco. I couldn’t bring myself to leave Mackinac Island so fast so I started right into the second book. I think I may have liked it even more than the first! Let’s just say I would love to see the Lilac Festival in person someday!
My Goodreads review:
To Fudge or Not to Fudge by Nancy CoCo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series just keeps getting better! What an exciting and fun read! Mal got to sniff out bodies again and now Allie had two interested men in her life.
It was Lilac Festival time in June and the entire island was getting ready for the festivities. While walking with Allie to the newspaper, Allie’s furry little friend Mal dug up a bone that had once belonged to a foot. Meanwhile Allie’s cooking school teacher and mentor was on island and wanted her to fill in on a reality series he was doing with a fudge competition. Toss in a couple of bodies and you have another grand adventure for Allie, Mal, Jenn and the gang at the McMurphy.
I think I liked this one even better than the first one. There was so much going on but it wasn’t a confusing type of going on, just lots of fun activities and wondering if some bones and a couple other murders could all be related. We got to meet Sandy, an intern Allie hired for the summer whose chocolate creations sounded amazing! Jenn had really gotten her chance to shine at event planning and even Allie’s mom came to the island to hang out with them a little. I ended up liking her a lot more than I thought I would, probably after hearing her side of why Allie’s folks left the island.
The reality show angle was kind of fun. I’ve never been a fan of reality shows but since this one was centered around fudge making, it was pretty interesting and I liked meeting part of Allie’s educational past, Chef Peter who continued to be her mentor she admired.
The killer was definitely a surprise to me–I had been suspecting someone completely different.
Onward to the next book. Can’t wait to see what happens over July 4th!
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 