Playing With Bonbon Fire: A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery

I fell in love with the Southern Chocolate Shop series with the first book so I when discovered that Playing with Bonbon Fire was available on Net Galley, I jumped at the chance to read it. The characters are as great as they were in the first book and I adored them both places. Penn's relationships have shifted and I was not thrilled with the change in Harley, but I will be really interested to see where that goes. On the other hand, I was pleased to see Penn start to reach out and trust. She has become totally involved in the community and helped organize the week long celebration of their town and its music. Through her growing relationship with her sister Tina, Penn is able to pull in a big-name headliner and everyone is thrilled, but it soon seems that he has brought trouble as well as fans. The question soon becomes whether his presence is responsible for murder or whether the answer lies in the past. Someone seems to be targeting the candy shop but even the constant assaults may be aimed at someone else. Penn doesn't really have time to devote to an investigation but she can't just stand around trying to make candy while her store is destroyed inch by inch or when a friend is the focus of the investigation. Twist and turns abound throughout the mystery, so be ready for a fast-paced ride along with Penn and her friends. I received an advanced readers' copy of this book via NetGalley. The opinion stated in the review is all mine. I I shared the book because I enjoyed it so much.

I suspected I would really, really enjoy this book. I couldn't wait to get to the end and find the recipes! Which sound so good! A chocolate lover like myself will enjoy every minute and bite of Playing with Bonbon Fire it's hard not to feel like your gaining inches as you read. All this talk about chocolate is almost a dream come true with the quaint dreamy little seaside town. The town is filled with fun and quirky characters that care of each other and help solve the mystery in their own unique way. Penn is put to the test not only solving the mysteries but making a go of becoming the Chocolatier she wants to be. As Penn goes down the twisty turning road picking up clues the reader is swept along the yummy ride. In the end everything is wrapped up sweetly or maybe savory. Either way it's a win win 5 star read. I received a complimentary copy

Charity Penn is finally settling into life in the quirky South Carolina seaside town of Camellia Beach and cooking up chocolate treats, sometimes. She has helped organize the town’s lively beach music festival which has brought rollicking crowds. That is until one of the band’s lead singers is found dead beside a beach bonfire. While also trying to balance the amorous attention of music star Bixby Lewis, in town for the festival, and her quest to perfect a new hot flavored bonbon, Charity dives into the investigation. Though it’s more spice than sugar when she discovers a threatening note and comes across decades of age-old secrets. Bixby comes into the line of fire when a gas grill explodes on the deck of a beachfront house, and a crazy stalker is chasing after him. -- Series: A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery - Book 2 Author: Dorothy St. James Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary Publisher: Crooked Lane Books - Publishing Date: March 13, 2018 Charity (Penn) is an evolving character who is slowly opening up and enjoying the love and attention of those around her. This is a lively and exciting story filled with all the elements of a good who-done-it. Playing with Bonbon Fire is the second book in the “A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery” series and is a wonderful adventure into the past and the present. Penn is not used to having anyone care about her. When her new friends who have shown her nothing but kindness and love find themselves under suspicion, she does whatever it takes to help the police find a killer bent on framing one of them. Penn is a likable character who is becoming more and more loveable. In the first book of this series, Asking for Truffle, Penn was always downcast with no hope for the future. In this latest installment, she has become more outgoing, more trusting, and fiercely protective of her friends even though her heart is breaking over the past. Tina, Penn’s sister, plays a much bigger role in this book and readers will love her. She is everything Penn is not but is the one-person Penn has always loved and knew that she was loved in return. Other returning characters such as Harley are also present and play important roles in the discovery of the killer. The ocean side setting is a lovely picture of everything a seaside town should be minus the murder. Camellia Beach is a caring community that doesn’t hesitate to lend a helping hand when Penn needs it the most. It has become home, and she will protect it for as long as she can. Playing with Bonbon Fire is a great addition to the series and readers will be left wanting more. Ms. St. James is a talented writer who knows how to grow characters into loveable members of a reader’s fictitious family. This book and series are highly recommended to lovers of chocolate and intrigue.