Book Review: Italian Iced by Kylie Logan

When Laurel Inwood features Italian cuisine on the Terminal at the Tracks menu, she knows she'll need to stock the shelves, the fridge, and the freezer with plenty of wonderful delicacies. She just never expected one of them to be her former employer, Hollywood superstar Meghan Cohan.

And one day, when Laurel is at the restaurant early to get ready for the regular rush of customers, that's exactly what she finds--Meghan dead in the Terminal freezer.

What's a Hollywood A-lister doing in Hubbard, Ohio?

For Laurel, that's the real question, because the first question she'd ask in any other murder investigation--who would want the victim dead?--seems pretty much a no-brainer in this case.

Who would want Meghan dead?

Just about anybody who had ever met her.[summary via Amazon]

Opening up Italian Iced felt so bittersweet for me. From the very first book in this series, Irish Stewed, I have been head over heels in love with Laurel, Declan and everyone at Sophie's Terminal at the Tracks! 

Laurel was a child of the foster system, and she's found a home in the town of Hubbard, Ohio. She's discovered herself and found comfort in her relationship with The Irish Shop owner and lawyer, Declan. All seems perfect. That is until her ex-boss turns up dead in her kitchen! Laurel's past is about to creep up on her, as she tries to discover who would want her ex-boss, Hollywood superstar Meghan Cohan, dead.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Ethnic Eats Mysteries, each book concentrates on an ethnic food. Laurel introduced this concept to the restaurant, Sophie's Terminal on the Tracks, and it has been a raging success. This time the food of the month is Italian. I love this concept as it keeps the stories (and recipes) fresh and interesting. 

It really felt like Laurel has come full circle in Italian Iced. She's so settled and content in Hubbard, but when Meaghan arrives in town, she causes a stir... and excuse the pun, but Laurel has to bury her past one last time. Literally. I have really liked watching Laurel grow and become "settled". She was a foster kid, and in Italian Iced I feel like she has finally accepted love into her life, not just with Declan, but everyone in Hubbard that cares about her. I love good character growth in cozy mysteries, and Kylie Logan does it so well. So even though I feel sad that the series is over, I'm also glad that I met Laurel and Declan, and was able to have one last adventure with them.

Kylie Logan always delivers a first class mystery, and Italian Iced is no different.  The mystery was very detailed, and I had trouble solving it before Laurel. I loved the final denouement... with the mystery unravelling in front of all the suspects... very Hercule Poirot! 

I love, love, loved Italian Iced. I will always hope that one day this series gets picked up again, because I want another adventure with Laurel and Declan. Maybe one day!

Book Review: French Fried by Kylie Logan

The Statue of Liberty is 130 years old, and for the struggling residents of Hubbard, Ohio, any opportunity to bring in tourists is reason enough for a celebration. Laurel Inwood and her aunt, Sophie, are pitching in. Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks, a former greasy spoon turned charming ethnic eatery, will be offering French cuisine for the entire week.

For expert help with their quiche and escargot, the ladies turn to Raquel “Rocky” Arnaud, a former French chef and friend of Sophie. What looks like a match made in heaven turns rank as quickly as buttermilk on a summer’s day. Rocky turns up dead and when her nightly red wine shows notes of oak, cinnamon, and poison, Laurel turns from soufflé to sleuth.[summary via Amazon]

#QuickandCozy reviews are quick, bite-size reviews that feature all our favourite aspects of cozy mysteries. These reviews are provided on books that I have purchased only.

COZY TOWN: Hubbard, Ohio is your regular picturesque small town, where you can't imagine anything bad ever happening. The cozy shops are quaint, and well Terminal at the Tracks is just delightful. I love the ethnic twist at the Terminal - with each month a new ethnic treat is being served up!

THE CRIME: Sophie's friend, Raquel "Rocky" Arnaud has been murdered. Rocky is a French ex-chef, who likes to potter amongst her herbs. Who would want her dead?

ROMANCE: The incorrigible, Irishman, Declan, is on the scene to help Laurel solve the crime. However, also enter Police Detective, Tony Russo. Things are definitely sizzling up between the pages. Not a fan of love triangles? Don't worry! I have it on good authority that Laurel's love life is going to resolve itself by the end of the book!

MY VERDICT: I'm absolutely crazy for Kylie Logan's books! I loved her League of Literary Ladies books, and the Ethnic Eats are just as good! I'm not usually one for foodie-themed mysteries, but I definitely make the exception for this series. The mystery itself is thrilling, with lots of twists and turns. The Ethnic Eats mysteries are getting better and better, and I can't wait to see what mischief Laurel is going to get up to in Italian Iced.

Book Review: Irish Stewed by Kylie Logan

After flopping as a personal chef to a Hollywood movie star, jobless Laurel Inwood finds herself humbled in Hubbard, Ohio, helping her aunt Sophie run her restaurant. Much to Laurel’s dismay, Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks is not the cozy bistro her aunt would have had her believe—it’s a run-down greasy spoon in an old railroad station. To save the dingy diner, Laurel cooks up a plan to feature alternating ethnic cuisine as specials.

But first there’s the problem of the body in the booth. Slumped over a table with a receipt spike in his back is Jack Lancer—“the Lance of Justice”—an investigative reporter for local TV news. Assisted by the drop-dead gorgeous owner of the neighboring Irish store—who may or may not be a suspect—Laurel sets out to track down a killer who had no reservations about impaling a newshound. But as she turns up the heat, will she end up in the soup herself? [summary via Amazon]

Irish Stewed is the first book in the Ethnic Eats Mysteries by Kylie Logan. Laurel Inwood is back in Hubbard, Ohio, helping out her Aunt Sophie at her restaurant "Terminal on the Tracks", while Sophie is recovering from surgery. Previously a big Hollywood chef, Laurel finds the restaurant to be not everything she was expecting, and least of all, she doesn't expect to find a dead man in the restaurant on her first walkthrough. As Laurel settles into the town, she buries herself into the investigation, alongside the very charming and very Irish local, Declan Fury. Together they must unravel the clues before the killer strikes again.

I absolutely adore Kylie Logan's other series, the League of Literary Ladies Mysteries. I came across the Ethnic Eats Mysteries at my local library and I knew I had to pick it up immediately. I knew if it was anywhere near as good as her other series, I was going to enjoy it.

Irish Stewed had me addicted from the very first chapter. Laurel has run away from her Hollywood lifestyle, and the first two things she runs into are a dead body and the handsome Irishman, Declan. Both of these factors absolutely delighted me. I love everything about Declan - his cocky, self-assured attitude, his thrusting himself into the investigation (despite Laurel not wanting anything to do with him), and his big, loud and maybe not entirely legal Irish family. Having come from a big Australian-Irish family myself, it may be his family that endeared me the most!!

The mystery itself was top notch. When the final denouement was unravelled, I was left open mouthed in shock, as I definitely didn't see the killer coming! 

The Ethnic Eats Mysteries are now on top of my "must read" list. With such a strong first in the series, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy the rest immensely. Not to mention, that I definitely need to find out how the sparks flying between Laurel and Declan unravel too!

Book Review: A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan

Mayhem on the Orient Express was one of my favourite books of February, and I was super excited to see that the second book in this series is already out. A Tale of Two Biddies is set a few months later and sees the girls embarking on a new book to read together, A Tale of Two Cities, and a new murder to solve. This time it's the death of a clumsy local, that a lot of people have a reason to see him dead. It's a job for the League of Literary Ladies to solve this crime!

I love visiting this cozy town in South Bass, and I definitely enjoyed watching the Literary Ladies solve this mystery. In the first book they are at odds with each other, but now they are starting to form a friendship and I love watching this friendship grow. All four are very different from each other and compliment each other when it comes to solving a mystery.

With Charles Dickens impersonators, a trivia contest and even a aging boy band in town, it is certainly a fun time for everyone. Well with the exception of the murder!!

These books are really well-written and I love how Kylie Logan easily combines the mystery with the book that the book club is reading. As a fan of the classics it was enjoyable seeing A Tale of Two Cities being re-enacted through the lives of the locals, with respect to the murder.

A fun reading and I can't wait for the next book to be released in October.