From #1 Amazon, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday comes deliciously deadly decadence in wine country…In order to boost her struggling family winery’s reputation, Emmy Oak throws a Wine and Chocolate party for the Sonoma Valley elite-featuring her delicious drinks alongside her friend Leah’s decadently chocolaty desserts. But when Leah’s ex-husband’s new trophy … wife turns up dead after the party, the police paint Leah in the role of main suspect and the only thing anyone in town can talk about is the murder at the Chocolate Bar. In order to save face and her friend, Emmy finds herself infiltrating high society and sorting among the catty and cantankerous for her killer. Did the victim’s rare-wine brokering business have anything to do with it? Or was it the hot new golf pro at the club or the frenemy with a jealous streak? Or maybe her husband found a less messy way than divorce to end their short and unhappy marriage? Emmy isn’t sure, but she knows a mysterious man in a cowboy had has something to do with it, and the deeper she digs, the more trouble seems to follow her. Between crashing the country club, dodging danger, and trying to stay one step ahead of the sexy Detective Christopher Grant, Emmy has her work cut out for her to catch a killer…before hers is the next death by chocolate! Simple and delicious recipes included!
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Great paced story that keeps you guessing who did it. Love the relationships between the main character and her best friend along with the growing love interest. Another great story from Gemma Halliday!
Love this author!
“Chocolate Covered Death” earns 5/5 Glasses of Zin…Clever & Entertaining!
Emmy has teamed up with Leah Holcomb, owner of the Chocolate Bar bakery, for a Wine and Chocolate Tasting event. However, as the VIPs begin to arrive, Leah is shocked to see in attendance her ex-husband’s new wife. Emmy apologizes for the uncomfortable situation; she only knew Mrs. Atherton as a wine broker, and getting her attention could be very fortuitous for her own bottom line. Emmy had a hard time not sympathizing with Leah. Heather’s elitist attitude along with her “snooty” posse making veiled negative comments about the wine and the event was insulting…enter Karma! Emmy goes looking for Leah to coordinate the clean up, but instead finds a dead body. It’s the snooty wife, dead, and Leah with the perfect motive. This doesn’t look good!
Cheers! Gemma Halliday has a very enjoyable writing style laced with descriptive language and humor making this book two a Top Ten favorite! Following a traditional cozy formula she begins by revisiting basic background and with an effective introduction to new characters. She immediately sets up conflicts, potential suspects, and a few motives to put any Sherlock on the right path. I greatly appreciate that she avoids extraneous falderal and gets right to the mystery. I’m not saying there aren’t delightful strays into the ins and outs of the winery, interesting conflicts with law enforcement, and interactions with good friends; those make this book an entertaining read. She continues to revisit background and character connections to keep newbies engaged, but it’s the twists, turns, and dead ends that make this story intriguing: jealousies, reputations, and secrets! I highly recommend this book and the series…clever, wonderful characters (good and murderous), satisfying end perpetrated by karma, and wine! What else do you need…recipes, of course! Included is Leah’s Chocolate Molten Lava Cake, two other chocolate delicacies, and a delicious Chocolate-Hazelnut Coffee for those who profess starting with dessert. But also included is an appetizing charcuterie suggestions and two entrees to make any gathering a hit! Ok, now my experience is totally satiated!
Chocolate Covered Death is another amazing mystery from Gemma Halliday. I love the recurring characters of Emmy, Ava, Conchita, Jean Luc and Detective Grant. I hope we see more of Eddie. Ms. Halliday knows just how to structure her mysteries to keep them entertaining. I can never put them down. She stumped me again. There are many suspects and several possible motives, but I did not see this one coming! You will not want to miss this exciting adventure.
Excellent venture back into wine country with Emmy Oak! The first book in this series “A Sip Before Dying” is an outstanding cozy mystery, and this book hits it out of the park! The book can easily be read as a stand alone, but don’t miss the great mystery in book 1. The wonderful characters of Emmy, Ava, and Detective Grant are back to solve another murder. I also love the warm cozy characters of Conchita her house manager and Jean Luc the sommelier. Emmy finds the victim and can’t help but get involved when her friend Leah is implicated in the crime. Much to the dismay of Detective Grant who continues to advise Emmy to stay out of it. I loved the reappearance of David Allen who keeps Emmy and Ava in the know about what is happening at the Links country club. The action is well paced, the writing is exceptional, the characters are perfectly described and the adventure is so entertaining. I simply can’t wait for more Emmy Oak!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest review.
This was another fun cozy mystery. Fun plot, fun characters and character interactions. The mystery was good but not too complex, I knew what was going on early one, but the details were a bit elusive.
This series is doing a good job of staying clean with language and adult situations.
This is the second book in the series and just as good if not better than the first does not disappoint. Twists and turns keep you guessing until the end as to who the murderer is and you will certainly be surprised! Emma Oak is working hard at her winery while looking for ways to make the vineyard profitable. In the meantime, as you can well guess, things go terribly wrong at the latest even and chocolate and wine tasting. No spoilers here, grab a copy of this book and immerse yourself in a great story with an excellent plot, laugh out loud moments and a host of suspects that will completely keep you entertained. Recipes at the end are icing on the cake (no pun intended) so you need to read this to find out exactly what I mean. Gemma’s books are always entertaining, this is no exception! I received an ARC from the publisher and am offering my unsolicited, unbiased review of this book.
Another great series by Gemma Halliday. Emmy Oak is trying to save her families struggling vineyard but when a friend is accused of murder her priorities change to hunting down a murderer. She discovers some interesting dynamics at the local country club thanks in a small part from an unexpected source. The question is does this new indiscretion have anything to do with the murder.
The characters in this story are interesting and I think the newest character, Eddie, will provide a lot of entertainment in future books. The mystery takes some twists and turns but the biggest surprise will come at the end. I look forward to more books in the Wine & Dine Mystery series.