As co-owner of Sugar and Spice Cookbooks, Sugar Calloway has seen simple confections bring friends together and spark fiery feuds. Except this time, the recipe truly is to die for . . . After losing her job as food editor at a glossy magazine, Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway—aka “Sugar” to friends—isn’t sweet on accepting defeat and crawling back to her gossipy southern hometown. So when she has … So when she has an opportunity to launch a community cookbook business with blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer in peaceful St. Ignatius, Iowa, she jumps at the chance to start over from scratch . . .
But as Sugar assembles recipes for the local centennial celebration, it’s not long before she’s up to her oven mitts in explosive threats, too-hot-to-handle scandals, and a dead body belonging to the moody matriarch of the town’s first family. With suspicions running wild, Sugar and Spice must solve the murder before someone innocent takes the heat—and the real culprit gathers enough ingredients to strike again . . .
* Includes delicious recipes! *
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As co-owner of Sugar and Spice Cookbooks, Sugar Calloway has seen simple confections bring friends together and spark fiery feuds. Except this time, the recipe truly is to die for. . . After losing her job as food editor at a glossy magazine, Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway—aka “Sugar” to friends, isn’t sweet on accepting defeat and crawling back to her gossipy southern hometown. When she has an opportunity to launch a community cookbook business with blue-ribbon baker Dixie Spicer in peaceful St. Ignatius, Iowa, she jumps at the chance to start over from scratch.
As Sugar assembles recipes for the local centennial celebration, it’s not long before she’s up to her oven mitts in explosive threats, too-hot-to-handle scandals, and a dead body belonging to the moody matriarch of the town’s first family. With suspicions running wild, Sugar and Spice must solve the murder before someone innocent takes the heat—and the real culprit gathers enough ingredients to strike again.
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Series: A Sugar & Spice Mystery – Book 1
Author: Mary Lee Ashford
Genre: Cozy/Culinary/Business Mystery
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Game of Scones is the debut book in the new “A Sugar & Spice Mystery” series by Mary Lee Ashford. Ms. Ashford is not new to the cozy book industry. She is half of the writing duo of Sparkle Abbey, author of the national best-selling Pampered Pets mystery series from Bell Bridge Books (http://www.bellebooks.com).
Sugar loves her new home in St. Ignatius, Iowa. Even though having everything she has tied up in a new business venture is stressful, she knows that she and her partner, Dixie can and will be successful. It is just going to take a lot of work, and she has never been afraid of hard work. But when their very first project is in jeopardy before it’s even finished because one of their backers is murdered, she jumps in to solve the case before it puts her in the poor house.
The characters in this book are well developed and highly entertaining. They each have distinctive characteristics that make them instantly loved. Even the murderer and the victim aren’t hated by the community or by the reader. The killer, in particular, is a likable character, and some readers will even feel pity for the motive.
The setting is great for this type of story. Small town life can often seem to be one giant gossip fest and knowing everyone who lives there is like have a giant extended family. Like many families, they have the good and bad, but when it comes down to it, they are always there for each other.
The story is fast-paced without skimping on the detail. The writing is intelligent and smooth with easy transitions. The delicious recipes contained in the book are included and will cause the readers mouth to water. The second book in this series comes out in 2019, and readers will grab it up as soon as it hits the bookstore shelves. I highly recommend Game of Scones to anyone who loves a great who-done-it
Game of Scones is a shining new gem in the world of cozy mysteries! I was pulled into the story from the get-go by the author’s charming prose and flowing style. The characters were so well-described that they leaped off the page for me. Sugar Calloway captured my heart by the kindnesses she extended to others, but she was also a dogged sleuth, determined to ferret out a devious killer. I’m looking forward to the next installment in this delightful new series.
Game of Scones by Mary Lee Ashford was a delight to read. Ms. Ashford is a “new to me” author but this book had everything that I look for in a cozy mystery.
I enjoyed this setting as it was quite different from the usual small tourist town setting. St. Ignatius, IA is a small rural community that has survived through hardships by working together. I loved both Sugar and Dixie as they both seem to be strong, smart and capable young women who have begun their own business publishing community cookbooks. I found this to a unique career choice that I’ve never seen in other books.
The plot moves quickly and drew me in from the first chapter. After the death of the town matriarch (who had created plenty of enemies), there were several suspects that had a motive to want the troublesome woman dead. Then a second death occurs and the sheriff has his hands full and Sugar and Dixie keep asking questions. There were also a couple of secondary threads throughout the story that weren’t directly related to the murders but did show how small towns thrive on gossip as well as how they come together to help each other.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to more books from this author.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway and Dixie Spicer aka “Sugar” and “Spice” have teamed up and opened a community cookbook business, Sugar & Spice Publishing. Former food editor Sugar handles the logistics and blue-ribbon baker Spice tests the recipes.
Their first client is the committee for the local Founder’s Day Centennial Celebration. Sugar meets with the committee to discuss a duplicate scone recipe. Working with adult women, Dixie’s Aunt Bertie and Ellie Farmer, she is sure they can work it out. What happens is a shouting match that almost comes to blows. The meeting ends with no resolution. Hoping individual meetings with the bakers will solve the issue Sugar sets up a meeting with Ellie. But she finds the woman dead clutching a scone. With the ladies’ ongoing feud Bertie quickly becomes the prime suspect. When Bertie leaves town telling no one of her plans Sheriff Terrance Griffin turns up the heat while Sugar and Dixie worry if someone has hurt Bertie too.
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This was a delightful cozy mystery. I have been on a few fundraiser cookbook committees so this story excited me from the start. Thankfully our cookbooks were completed without any dead bodies but there were some heated conversations. People take their recipes seriously! The author includes 3 recipes at the end of the book.
Sugar and Dixie have their work cut out for them in making a business like this flourish, especially if this one is any indication. Both women have the expertise needed except they need to bring in a photographer. Enter Max Windsor, a friend of Dixie’s brother. We also meet Sugar’s pain-in-the-butt neighbor and her landlord who recently moved to a senior living community. There is a palpable tension between Dixie and the sheriff, which plays out throughout the story. These characters have a real small-town feel with gossip running rampant and a bit of Southern charm from Dixie. The dialogue is strong. While we have been given a great introduction to these characters, the author has left a lot of room for them to grow.
A little cooperation from Bertie would have removed her from the suspect list but in lieu of that Sugar and Dixie find themselves right in the middle of the investigation. It was easy to find additional suspects because the victim rubbed several people the wrong way. I enjoyed tagging along for each clue, twist, and turn. The pace had a couple of dips but quickly got back on track. The ending was exciting.
I love that this series is set in Iowa. Not too far from home for me and not a common setting for cozy mysteries even though it is full of small towns that could host this genre.
I found Game of Scones to be a very entertaining story. I am excited to see where Ms. Ashford takes her character next. Risky Biscuits will be out July 9.
Sugar and Spice and everything nice? Not so much when Sugar and her best friend Dixie (aka Spice) take on their brand new business’ first community cookbook publication. First, you have two of the most competitive women in the entire community fighting over who has the better recipe to enter for the same dish. Then, you have one of them turn up rather dead and the other seems to be the murderer. Only she’s disappeared too and nobody has the slightest idea where she could have gone to. Since the murder victim isn’t exactly the most popular of community members, there’s plenty of candidates who could have done the dirty deed. If Sugar and Dixie want this publication to be a success (and not called off), they’re going to have to get busy trying to figure out whodunit.
It’s so great to join in on the first book of a series and if you have checked out other reviews, you’ll notice I don’t get that chance often. Let’s start with what you can expect from this book. I always like strong characters with good development and we definitely have that here. There’s clearly some past history between Dixie and the investigative officer. Max is a mystery in himself and he’s got some great chemistry cooking between himself and Sugar. These seemed like very interesting relationships I would love to see develop. I always find it interesting to learn new things, so I definitely enjoyed seeing how Sugar and Dixie were building their business and the various steps involved in publishing this style of cookbook. The dialogue was fun and scenery was well-written. There were a few other questionable activities going on that you weren’t sure if they pertained to the main mystery or not. All in all, I felt this was a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more in this series.
Thank you to Kensington Books, Mary Lee Ashford, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
“Game of Scones” earns 5/5 Sugar & Spice Scones…Deliciously Fun!
I am always eager to check out first-in-a-series cozy, so when I saw “Scones” and “Mystery” in Mary Lee Ashford’s new book, I was eager to check this out…and I was not disappointed! “Sugar” is Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway and “Spice” is Dixie Spicer, and although they start out creating Sugar & Spice Publishing, a cookbook company, “Mystery” ends up being their game. Sugar and Spice have a unique mission for their company; they publish community cookbooks much like those that charities or local groups would create as a fund-raiser. Their first project will be the St. Ignatius Founder’s Day Commemorative Cookbook, but it turns out to be more murder than meringue!
Culinary-themed cozies are a favorite, and Mary Lee’s book checked all the boxes to be one I’ll continue reading. I really enjoyed all the sweet and savory references and three bonus recipes, but keeping me entertained was the clever mystery challenging my detective skills, quirky characters providing a few giggles, and a satisfying end that made me eager for more. Mary Lee penned well the first-person narrative of Rosetta “Sugar” sharing her inner thoughts and perspective along with laying out the clues, suspects, and motives. And my two favorite words, not “it’s murder,” but “recipes included”! Along with two easy-to-follow scone recipes for Bertie Spark’s Proper English Scones and Elsie Farmer’s Irish Scones, Mary Lee has included Betty Bailey’s Broccoli Gratin. I recommend this book for cozy fans!
“Disclosure: I received an ARC from Net Galley. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.”
After losing her job at a food magazine, Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway, “Sugar” to friends, opens a new business with award winning baker Dixie Spicer. Together, the two will shepherd community cookbooks through the publishing process. Their first project is for the centennial of the town where they live, St. Ignatius, Iowa. However, this cookbook has heated up the feud between Elsie, a member of the most prominent family in town, and Bertie, Dixie’s aunt. The two are fighting over which of their scone recipes should be included in the book. When Sugar goes to meet with Elsie to attempt to reach a resolution, she finds Elsie’s dead body. Bertie is the prime suspect, but she has disappeared. Is she in danger as well, or is she the killer?
This book gets this new series off to a fun start. Sugar and Dixie are a great duo, and they are surrounded by a fun group of family and friends. I enjoyed getting to know them here, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them better in future books. The town is wonderful, with all the hallmarks of a delightful cozy setting, and I enjoyed the fact that it is in Iowa, not some place we typically go for cozies. I did feel the pacing of the mystery was a bit off, but this never lasted for long, and we had a great climax. We get a total of three recipes at the end of the book, including both scone recipes.
I liked this book. I found the business that Sugar and Dixie started very interesting and all the challenges they had to face in it. The murderer was unexpected but fit in well to the mystery. The characters were very well-defined. LIked the small town atmosphere.
A fun new series — well-written!
Who knew a cookbook could be so entertaining! This is a fun read with a twisty plot and engaging characters as they struggle to get a community cookbook published for the Founder’s Day Celebration. It keeps you guessing but never quite resolves why Dixie and the sheriff seem to hate each other. Bet a sequel is in the works. A good beach read.
This book started out slow, but stick with it. It ends pretty good and you will not guess “who done it”.
Excellent read!
Game of Scones by Mary Lee Ashford takes us to St. Ignatius, Iowa. After the publishing company Rosetta Sugarbaker Calloway aka Sugar worked for downsized, she moved to St. Ignatius, Iowa. Sugar joined her friend, Dixie Spicer to open Sugar and Spice Publishing to produce community cookbooks. Their first project is the St. Ignatius Founders’ Day Commemorative Cookbook which is due to the printer in six weeks. Unfortunately, a scone war has broken out between Elsie Farmer and Bertie Sparks. Only one scone recipe is needed for the book, but neither women is about to back down. The next day Sugar heads over to Elsie’s house to talk to her about the scone situation. When no one answers her knock, Sugar heads around to the back yard. She notices someone disappearing through the bushes and finds Elsie dead on the ground with a scone in her hand. Elsie was poisoned, and the evidence leads straight to Dixie’s Aunt Bertie who has disappeared. Someone is setting up Bertie to take the fall which angers Dixie. Sugar and Dixie start sifting through the clues and suspects. Can they serve up the killer before he strikes again? While investigating the murder, the pair need to continue working on the cookbook. Dixie cooks up the recipes from the upcoming cookbook for handsome photographer, Max Windsor to snap. Sugar is also dealing with a cranky neighbor and her elderly landlady who seems to need something she stowed in her attic daily (lonely for company at the senior living facility). Will Sugar and Dixie get the cookbook completed in time while trying to crack the whodunit?
Game of Scones is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a charming small town and a variety of quirky characters. I did feel like the book could have used a little reworking. Sometimes the story moved along and other times it dragged from the amount of detail especially on how a cookbook is published (you have to wonder how Dixie and Sugar stay in business with only one client). There were a couple of subplots in addition to the main mystery. There is the cantankerous neighbor who seems to nitpick (I had a grandmother like that). Greer, Sugar’s landlady, who has moved into the local senior living facility. She left a number of her possessions in the attic of her home that she has rented to Sugar and calls Sugar frequently for a miscellaneous knickknack. Then Greer’s son gets it in his head that Sugar is taking advantage of his mother. There is a hint of romance between Max and Sugar plus Dixie and Sheriff Griffin. Numerous townspeople are introduced in Game of Scones. All the characters felt superficial and flat. I wanted more character development to bring our main characters to life. I did like the description of St. Ignatius. The mystery is straightforward with the guilty party easily identified. There are a limited number of suspects and little investigating. The story follows Sugar on her day-to-day activities and her interactions with the people she encounters. Though Game of Scones is not set in the South, it reminds me of a certain authors Southern cozy mysteries. I am giving Game of Scones 3 out of 5 stars. There are two scone recipes at the end of the book. Game of Scones contains a great deal of cooking and eating along with a cat, a dog, nosy townspeople, plenty of gossip, a mysterious aunt, a make-up maven, flirting, and thorny whodunit.
A fun cozy mystery by the Sparkle half of Sparkle Abbey. Cozy fans will love the small-town atmosphere and all the food mentions (including recipes at the back.)
New Author Mary Lee Ashford stirs together a delicious culinary concoction for cozy readers! I was delighted to read this fun, fast-paced Mystery. Rosetta ‘Sugar’ Sugarbaker Calloway has a food editor background and has recently partnered with fantastic cook, Dixie Spicer to publish cookbooks. Project One—Put together a tempting cookbook for their town—St. Ignatius Founders’ Day Commemorative Cookbook—that will please sponsors, committee members, and the community. Wouldn’t you know, however; a dispute crops up over whose scone recipe will go in the cookbook and one of the disputees turns up dead! Sugar and Dixie put their sleuthing skills to test to nab the killer and must be getting close to the truth because threatening messages and vandalism begin to occur to warn them off. More than one mystery is examined in this plot and I found the story quite enjoyable. The characters are easy to get to know and the killer may just surprise readers! Delicious recipes included.
i adore the series and am excited for more!!!
Typical cozy mystery, but i really enjoyed it!
This is a fun cozy book with enough mystery to keep the reader interested.
This was a fun read.
Nice book if you like cozy mysteries