A slice of intrigue. . .
Mother’s Day is a sweet and busy time at the candy shop Bailey King runs with her Amish grandmother. This year is extra special, because Bailey’s parents are visiting Harvest, Ohio. Bailey’s father has rarely returned since leaving the Amish faith over thirty years ago, but Bailey is confident that the right treats can help sugarcoat any awkwardness. For Mother’s Day … Mother’s Day Tea at the local church, she’s whipping up her mom’s favorite: butterscotch fudge. All’s going well, until a sticky-fingered thief makes off with the money raised for a local women’s support group.
While Bailey tries to discover who stuck their fingers in the cookie jar, she encounters an assortment of suspects. It doesn’t help that Juliet, mother of Deputy Aiden Brody, is conspiring with Bailey’s mom to plan Aiden and Bailey’s wedding…though they’re not even engaged! Can Bailey find the culprit before events—both criminal and personal—boil over into disaster?
Recipe Included!
Praise for Amanda Flower and her Amish cozies
“As it turns out, Amanda Flower may have just written the first Amish rom com.”
—USA Today
“Flower has hit it out of the ballpark . . . and continues to amaze with her knowledge of the Amish way of life.”
—RT Book Reviews
“At turns playful and engaging . . . a satisfyingly complex cozy.”
—Library Journal
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Botched Butterscotch is an easy to read novella with the Amish Candy Shop mysteries by Amanda Flower.
It’s Mother’s Day week-end and Bailey’s parents are visiting. Hoping for a quiet week-end for the visit, Bailey has planned to take her mother to the village tea at the church. The tea is going along great, when it is discovered the money from the fundraiser is missing. Bailey jumps to help the deputy investigate who would steal the money. Thus doing so, her parents find out she has become an amateur sleuth. As always with Flower, you get a bit of humor and twists and turns.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.
Botched Butterscotch
Amish Candy Shop Mystery, Book #4.5
Amanda Flower
5 Stars
Synopsis:
A slice of intrigue. . .
Mother’s Day is a sweet and busy time at the candy shop Bailey King runs with her Amish grandmother. This year is extra special, because Bailey’s parents are visiting Harvest, Ohio. Bailey’s father has rarely returned since leaving the Amish faith over thirty years ago, but Bailey is confident that the right treats can help sugarcoat any awkwardness. For Mother’s Day Tea at the local church, she’s whipping up her mom’s favorite: butterscotch fudge. All’s going well, until a sticky-fingered thief makes off with the money raised for a local women’s support group.
While Bailey tries to discover who stuck their fingers in the cookie jar, she encounters an assortment of suspects. It doesn’t help that Juliet, mother of Deputy Aiden Brody, is conspiring with Bailey’s mom to plan Aiden and Bailey’s wedding…though they’re not even engaged! Can Bailey find the culprit before events—both criminal and personal—boil over into disaster?
Recipe Included!
Praise for Amanda Flower and her Amish cozies
“As it turns out, Amanda Flower may have just written the first Amish rom com.”
— USA Today
“Flower has hit it out of the ballpark . . . and continues to amaze with her knowledge of the Amish way of life.”
— RT Book Reviews
“At turns playful and engaging . . . a satisfyingly complex cozy.”
— Library Journal
Review:
Any time that I get to spend with Bailey and her family and friends is time well spent. I really enjoy how well they all get along and how close they are. And getting to meet Bailey’s parents was just an added bonus. I am afraid that her parents and Aiden’s mom are going to be making plans for a wedding before Bailey and Aiden even get engaged.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place. And although there was no dead body (which was a nice change), there was still the mystery of who stole the money. There were a few people who could have been the culprit, and I enjoyed trying to figure it out.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well crafted novella. You cannot go wrong reading anything by this author.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
In this 4.5 installment in Amanda Flower’s An Amish Candy Shop Mystery series, Bailey’s parents are visiting Harvest for Mother’s Day and she has plans to take her mother and grandmother to a tea fundraiser for Abigail’s Farm, a retreat for women recovering from addiction. During the tea, the money that was raised is stolen, and Bailey decides to find the thief.
I thought this was a fun and delightful addition to the series, and the perfect little filler story to tide readers over until the May 26th release of Marshmallow Malice. I absolutely adore this series, and it’s always a pleasure to spend time in Harvest with Bailey and the gang. Amanda Flower is a very talented writer, and when you pick up one of her books, you can always expect plenty of laugh out loud moments, well-developed characters, a charming setting, and a mystery that will keep you guessing.
I highly recommend this series. As an added bonus, mouthwatering recipes are included at the end.
I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
BOTCHED BUTTERSCOTCH by Amanda Flower is an entertaining cozy mystery novella set in Harvest, Ohio. It is number 4.5 in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series. This is the first book that I have read in the series and deals with a theft instead of murder.
Bailey King works in her Amish grandmother’s candy store. They have been baking for the Mother’s Day Tea which is a fundraiser for Abigail’s Farm. At the end of the tea, it turns out that the funds have been stolen and Bailey jumps in to help find the thief and recover the missing money.
This was a fun story, but it did not have time for much character development. However, I was definitely rooting for Bailey to be successful. Her goals were clear and her motivations were well-drawn. While I was able to easily determine the culprit, I still enjoyed the novella. I feel that those that are already familiar with the characters will likely be thoroughly entertained despite the lack of complexity. Themes explored were theft, fundraising for charities, family, Amish culture and much more. The book also includes a recipe for one of the desserts served during the Mother’s Day Tea.
Overall, this was a heartwarming, funny, and touching read. I definitely want to read more of this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thanks to Kensington Books and Amanda Flower for an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way.