Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed In Cold Chocolate (Southern Chocolate Shop, Bk 3) on + 704 more book reviews
Dollycas's Thoughts
Bullets! Missing turtle eggs! Missing chocolate turtles! The quiet seaside town of Camellia Beach, South Carolina is having a crime wave. A local man is dead and someone is stealing sea turtle eggs from the nests on the beach, and Sea Salt Chocolate Turtles are disappearing almost right before Charity Penn's eyes from her shop. Jody Dalton has accused Penn of lying to get The Chocolate Box Sweet Shop and taunts her almost daily about it, but when she is arrested for Cassidy Jones murder Penn just can't believe it. Then Jody's young son begs Penn to help get his mother out of jail. She finds herself quickly promising that she will do just that. There is nothing sweet about the point Penn finds herself in. There are several suspects in addition to Jody, but Penn needs to be careful or she may end up the killer's next victim.
Penn has so much on her plate in this third Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery. Penn has found her mother, but the family has opened up yet another lawsuit to try to take The Chocolate Shop away from her. The shop is busy so she needs to hire more help and she is still trying diligently to learn all she can about making luscious chocolate treats. She has started observing with the sea turtle watch team her friend Althea Bays is in charge of. Her relationship with Harley, Jody's ex, is starting to move in a new direction. And on top of all that she has told Harley and Jody's son, she will get his mom out of jail before school starts next week.
I really enjoy how all the recurring characters not only grow from book to book but within the pages of this story. Penn is getting comfortable in Camellia Beach and is meeting new people and making friends. She is still struggling with the chocolate making but the woman does not give up. She has a great core of support when any sort o trouble arrives, but she is learning to stand up for herself much better when her family tries to take her shop away. She learns something in this story that shakes and bends her but doesn't break her.
The author has written a dynamic story with a couple of mysteries swirled together with family drama. I really like the way all the subplots flowed together with the main plot almost effortlessly. This seaside mystery does have its share of red herrings and diversions that keep us readers on our toes. Penn seems to hone in on one individual but my mind kept pulling me in another direction. In my mind, the answer really depended on if the mysteries are separate or connected. The family battle over Penn's inheritance gets a new twist that made me dislike members of that family even more. The ending left me surprised and wondering how I was going to wait the approximately 6 months until the next book comes out. ð
It was fun learning about the sea turtles and the great lengths people go to to protect their eggs and the species.
Oh and the chocolate! I have learned to have some nearby while reading this series. It doesn't come close to what Penn and Bertie create for The Chocolate Box, but it takes care of my cravings.
Ms. St. James has penned another delectable treat for her readers to enjoy. I hope she writes the next one fast!
Bullets! Missing turtle eggs! Missing chocolate turtles! The quiet seaside town of Camellia Beach, South Carolina is having a crime wave. A local man is dead and someone is stealing sea turtle eggs from the nests on the beach, and Sea Salt Chocolate Turtles are disappearing almost right before Charity Penn's eyes from her shop. Jody Dalton has accused Penn of lying to get The Chocolate Box Sweet Shop and taunts her almost daily about it, but when she is arrested for Cassidy Jones murder Penn just can't believe it. Then Jody's young son begs Penn to help get his mother out of jail. She finds herself quickly promising that she will do just that. There is nothing sweet about the point Penn finds herself in. There are several suspects in addition to Jody, but Penn needs to be careful or she may end up the killer's next victim.
Penn has so much on her plate in this third Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery. Penn has found her mother, but the family has opened up yet another lawsuit to try to take The Chocolate Shop away from her. The shop is busy so she needs to hire more help and she is still trying diligently to learn all she can about making luscious chocolate treats. She has started observing with the sea turtle watch team her friend Althea Bays is in charge of. Her relationship with Harley, Jody's ex, is starting to move in a new direction. And on top of all that she has told Harley and Jody's son, she will get his mom out of jail before school starts next week.
I really enjoy how all the recurring characters not only grow from book to book but within the pages of this story. Penn is getting comfortable in Camellia Beach and is meeting new people and making friends. She is still struggling with the chocolate making but the woman does not give up. She has a great core of support when any sort o trouble arrives, but she is learning to stand up for herself much better when her family tries to take her shop away. She learns something in this story that shakes and bends her but doesn't break her.
The author has written a dynamic story with a couple of mysteries swirled together with family drama. I really like the way all the subplots flowed together with the main plot almost effortlessly. This seaside mystery does have its share of red herrings and diversions that keep us readers on our toes. Penn seems to hone in on one individual but my mind kept pulling me in another direction. In my mind, the answer really depended on if the mysteries are separate or connected. The family battle over Penn's inheritance gets a new twist that made me dislike members of that family even more. The ending left me surprised and wondering how I was going to wait the approximately 6 months until the next book comes out. ð
It was fun learning about the sea turtles and the great lengths people go to to protect their eggs and the species.
Oh and the chocolate! I have learned to have some nearby while reading this series. It doesn't come close to what Penn and Bertie create for The Chocolate Box, but it takes care of my cravings.
Ms. St. James has penned another delectable treat for her readers to enjoy. I hope she writes the next one fast!
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
In Cold Chocolate is the third installment in the A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series set in the small seaside town of Camellia Beach, SC and featuring Charity Penn, owner of the Chocolate Box. Penn is settling into her new life - thankfully her business partner, roommate and grandmother Mabel's best friend, Bertie Bays, is still helping her to perfect the delicious recipes left by her grandmother. Still having to contend with her aunts and uncle fighting for the building and trying to deny Penn's legitimacy and inheritance she is looking forward to the yearly hatch of the sea turtles.
Going with best friend Althea out at night to check on the protected nest and potentially witness a hatch, she is dismayed that Jody Dalton, ex wife of her tenant and sometime boyfriend, Harley joins the group. Jody has been kicked off the turtle team due to her volatile nature, and when she takes out a handgun and threatens to start shooting out the porch lights of a nearby beach house, Penn suspects trouble. Shots ring out and local playboy, Cassidy Jones is lying face down in the sand with Jody standing over him.
Making a promise to Harley and Jody's young son, Gavin to clear his mom's name before his first day of school, Penn sets out to find the killer. Quickly she finds herself in the midst of danger, someone is stealing her coveted salted sea turtles from her display case, someone is stealing the precious turtle eggs from the nests and Penn is sure that the two are connected.
Great plot with plenty of action from page one. The return of series main characters will transport the reader beach side, smelling the salty air and drooling over the luscious chocolates. The author does drop a bomb in the last chapter that will have the series faithful racing for the next addition.
Going with best friend Althea out at night to check on the protected nest and potentially witness a hatch, she is dismayed that Jody Dalton, ex wife of her tenant and sometime boyfriend, Harley joins the group. Jody has been kicked off the turtle team due to her volatile nature, and when she takes out a handgun and threatens to start shooting out the porch lights of a nearby beach house, Penn suspects trouble. Shots ring out and local playboy, Cassidy Jones is lying face down in the sand with Jody standing over him.
Making a promise to Harley and Jody's young son, Gavin to clear his mom's name before his first day of school, Penn sets out to find the killer. Quickly she finds herself in the midst of danger, someone is stealing her coveted salted sea turtles from her display case, someone is stealing the precious turtle eggs from the nests and Penn is sure that the two are connected.
Great plot with plenty of action from page one. The return of series main characters will transport the reader beach side, smelling the salty air and drooling over the luscious chocolates. The author does drop a bomb in the last chapter that will have the series faithful racing for the next addition.
In Cold Chocolate by Dorothy St. James is the third story in A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series. In Cold Chocolate can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Charity Penn owns The Chocolate Box in Camellia Beach, South Carolina where she is currently finishing up renovations to the shop. The sea turtles will soon be hatching so Penn has created a delectable treat in their honor that is flying off the shelves. On the night of the hatching, Cassidy Jones is killed, and it looks like antagonistic Jody Dalton is responsible. Penn would love to avoid this investigation, but Jody's son asks her to please help his mommy. Despite being warned to keep her nose out of the case, Penn is soon knee deep in suspects. I wanted to give this series another chance after not having been enthralled with Asking for Truffle. Charity Penn is a nice character and I just love the descriptions of the chocolates that she creates for the shop (they have me pining for a chocolatey treat). The island sounds like a lovely place to live, but there are too many mean people in this story for my liking. There were some slow sections that could have been peppier and some areas that could have been eliminated completely (seemed like filler). It was interesting to learn about the hatching of sea turtles. I had no idea they were considered a delicacy (that is just terrible and disgusting). I see why they need people to keep an eye on the hatching ground. The mystery was uncomplicated, and the guilty party can be identified before the coroner removes the body. I did enjoy the dog, Stella and her antics. She was a delightful addition to In Cold Chocolate. While In Cold Chocolate was not the right fit for me, I suggest you obtain a sample to judge for yourself. In Cold Chocolate is a light-hearted cozy mystery with sun, sand, sweets and sea turtles.
