When chefs Charly and Cliff Harding divorce, she gets custody of their upscale restaurant and its namesake, Felix, the cat. He gets custody of their dog, Oscar. But what they both still have custody of is each other’s heart. and they seem to be the only two in the small ski resort town of Snow Lake, Nevada, who don’t know it. Cliff opens his own restaurant in direct competition with Charly’s and … and bad things start to happen. Death threats, accidents, and murder are now on the menu.
Their ‘if-you-can’t-take-the-heat-then-get-out-of-the-kitchen’
battles are backfiring on them. But can they find their way back to each other? Or will they spend the rest of their lives
in prison unjustly accused of murder?
more
It is the battle of the Trifle. Who will die next trying to win?
Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven has complex characters, suspense-filled situations, jealousy, and is a thoroughly entertaining book. I enjoyed the restaurant parts more than I expected. Perhaps I should lay off the food network a bit.
Chef Charly
Charly is our female lead, and she changes so much throughout the book. At first, she seems timid and unsure of herself. But once she divorces Cliff, she starts to find herself. It isn’t instant, but she figures out how to say what she wants.
I like that Charly loves to bake, cook and she can handle the business side of Chez Felix. Also, she loves animals, cats, and dogs. Charly also has a good heart. I didn’t like a few things about her, but she worked them out in the storyline so no need to worry about those things.
Chef Cliff
Cliff is our male lead. He is a whiz in the kitchen, and he has an ego the size of New York. Great minds surround Cliff, but he hardly listens or notices what is right there. He has a type of tunnel vision, where all he sees is his next goal. I honestly don’t know how those closest to him didn’t just strangle him at times.
At first, I didn’t care for Cliff. However, as the story moved, Cliff changed, and I began to see this sweet guy side of him that Charly hasn’t seen in a long time. There are times when Cliff doesn’t like himself. So, by the end of the tale, I had changed my mind about him.
Suspense and Story
I won’t give it away for you, but the mystery is well thought out, and the clues are hidden well but in plain sight. The suspense leads to many red herrings in my mind, but alas, I didn’t figure it out until the culprit is revealed.
I adored the setting, the supporting characters are magnificent, and the way the mystery was laid out is superb. Also, the way that Felix and Oscar cared about each other and their people is adorable.
4 Stars for Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven
My rating for Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven is four stars. This story is fabulous. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to see what Ms. Haven does in the next installment.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven.
Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading
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Well, I didn’t see that killer reveal coming!
This book is a cross between a cozy mystery and romantic suspense and if you like those genres I think you will like this book. The book has murder, stalkers, jealousy, love, and Oscar and Felix (dog and cat respectively) that are so bonded they escape from their homes to find each other.
Charley and Cliff love each other, she just can’t stay married to him because of his ego. Cliff thinks he is hot stuff and doesn’t realize what he has lost until it is gone.
I enjoyed this picturesque mountain town, the interactions between Cliff and Charley, the trifle descriptions, and the suspense of wondering who the killer might be in this book. There are many potential suspects but none of them really fit in my eyes and when the killer is revealed it is someone I never even considered but the reasoning made sense in the killer’s eyes.
After the killer is unearthed, I enjoyed the story continuation for Charley and Cliff and can’t wait to see what is in store for them in future books.