Cleo Coyle

Honey Roasted is the 19th coffeehouse mystery by Cleo Coyle, the pen name of husband and wife writing duo Alice Alfonsi and Marc Cerasini. This series is my favorite cozy mystery series and I waited over a year for this installment of the series. I was not disappointed. Honey Roasted was a fun, relaxing read.

The story opens with Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi creating a new coffee drink for her upcoming wedding reception. The drink is made from honey processed coffee. The show more honey for the new Honey Cinnamon Latte was sourced by Village Blend owner Madame's old friend Bea Hastings. Bea has cultivated a rare, prize winning nectar from her rooftop bee hives. One night after the shop was closed for business, Clare finds a swarm of bees in the Blend's chimney and basement. She believes that the bees may have come from Bea's rooftop greenhouse and walks over to Bea's home for a conversation about them. However, Clare finds Bea unconscious on her balcony. The police determine that Bea attempted suicide but Clare disputes this idea knowing that Bea would never abandon her hives. She sets out to investigate what happened to Bea and discovers the world of competitive urban beekeepers.

I enjoyed this novel. I read it in one sitting but had a few adverse thoughts about the story. Clare is depicted for the first time in the series as an anxious woman who can not make any decisions on her own. This is not in keeping with her character. Also, her relationship with Mike Quinn is portrayed differently. For the first time, they have problems. While this can be attributed to their approaching matrimony something felt wrong about how much stress they were under. They were not communicating at all. What has always made their relationship solid was their ability to talk with each other about anything. To suddenly start avoiding each other was unusual. Another different aspect to the story was that there was no murder, only an attempted murder. I thought alot about these differences from earlier books in the series and began to see that the authors needed to make changes in their series to keep it fresh. It was all entertaining anyway so were these changes damaging? I don't think so. When there is always a murder in the same place the reader can become bored.

While this book is advertised as a being able to be read as a standalone, I think it would be best if new readers start with another book in the series. The story presupposes knowledge about the Blend and the characters. Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars. show less

I am a die-hard cozy mystery fan. A cute theme, an endearing pet of some sort and a sprinkle of murder on top -- love it. The kitcsch-ier the better, as far as I am concerned. Perfect summer reading for me.

I also love coffee. My morning cuppa is my daily treat that gets my day started.

So, when I came across the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle, I thought it would be a great blend of two of my favorite things.

I wasn't wrong.

However, this first book in the series did point out I am show more wrong about several things.

1. I store my coffee improperly.

2. I brew my coffee incorrectly.

3. And, I have never ever had a "proper'' espresso drink.

Which brings me to a great point about this book -- the author actually includes interesting information when it comes to the background theme -- coffee. There is a lot of information about coffee, brewing coffee and making coffee drinks in this book! It isn't just fluff added for ambiance.....there's great factual information (and recipes included as well).

So let's cut to the chase -- the plot. Clare Cosi has returned to New York and the job she held for 10-years, managing Village Blend, an upscale coffeehouse. The Village Blend has been in business for 100-years, but the last manager almost ran it into the ground. Clare moves back to Manhattan to repair the damage, at the request of the owner (who also happens to be her ex-mother in law).

But, just as all of her belongings have been moved into the apartment above the shop and she is settling back into her old job, Clare comes to work to discover her assistant manager unconscious at the foot of the basement stairs. The police believe it was a freak accident, but Clare knows foul play was involved.

Clare is soon on the case, aided by a police detective and her ex-husband. If they can't prove their suspicions that someone pushed Annabelle down the steps, the Village Blend might face lawsuits from Annabelle's nasty step-mother.

All in all, I liked this book. The mystery was interesting and kept my attention. I enjoyed the factual information about coffee and how it should be properly prepared. I liked the characters for the most part, but as in most cozies, there really wasn't a lot of in-depth character development. It's a light mystery read....not a deep, involved thriller. So I'm ok with that.

The cover-art is eye-catching. Always a plus with me. Recipes included -- also a nice addition to a food/beverage themed cozy.

Cleo Coyle is the pen-name for Alice Alfonsi and her husband, Marc Cerasini. There are 14 books in the series so far, with the 15th scheduled for publication in September 2016. This author duo also writes under the name Alice Kimberly. As Kimberly, they wrote the Haunted Bookshop Mystery series. There were 5 books in that series and a sixth scheduled for publication, before the series was dropped. I remember being frustrated because I loved the series....but it just halted with no explanation. I would assume it was some sort of publisher/contract snafu.....which seems to be a common occurrence unfortunately. I will just have to enjoy the Coffeehouse Mystery series and continue to hope that the Haunted Bookshop will return at some point.

I will definitely be reading more of this series!! Now....I just need to find a coffee shop that makes a proper espresso! show less

There was much I enjoyed about ON WHAT GROUNDS. I loved the setting being a historic coffeehouse in New York City. The author painted a vivid picture of the people and places in Greenwich Village. (There was a very touching scene when Clare remembers the outside wall of St. Vincent’s Hospital after 9/11). Throughout the book, there are detailed descriptions of various coffees and brewing techniques. As a coffee lover myself, I found that interesting, though it slowed the story down a show more bit.

My favorite part of the book was the cast of characters. Each one had a distinct and memorable personality, and the witty dialogue between them was fun to read. It was great to read a book where the female lead was 40-ish. Clare had the traits of a great amateur sleuth – smart, stubborn, caring and nosy. Yes, she was a major coffee snob, but I liked her. There was a great scene with Clare and Matt, their 19-year old daughter Joy and her new beau Mario. I loved watching two stubborn alpha males butt heads while Clare tried to keep things civilized for Joy’s sake.

ON WHAT GROUNDS is an entertaining cozy mystery with some nice twists along the way. The wonderfully crafted characters will draw you further into the story, and all of the java talk will make coffee lovers swoon. Recipes from The Village Blend are located at the back of the book. I’m looking forward to more from this series. show less

Penelope Thornton-McClure and her son leave New York to help her aunt save her bookstore in Rhode Island. What she does not know is that a ghost resides there who was murdered there in the 1940's, a gumshoe on a case. His murder was unsolved. Now another murder has occurred in the bookstore and he is there to help her solve it. Will she believe him? Will she listen to him?

This is good set-up for this cozy mystery series. I love the 1940's gumshoe angle. I love the old black and white noir show more movies set in that time so this is right up my alley. I love that Jack uses the slang from that time. I like the connection between Penelope and Jack. There is chemistry there. Too bad the gumshoe is dead but who knows what awaits us on their journey.

The secondary characters are interesting as they come around. Some are a little too involved in Penelope's old life. But I like the new friends she has made and I like her son especially towards the end of the book. He finally comes to life especially when he finds a book connection for himself.

I cannot wait to read the next installment. show less