A STUDY IN CHOCOLATE is the fifth book in the Bean to Bar Mystery series by Amber Royer. This delicious new release had me drooling over the descriptions and kept me engrossed in the Sherlockian-style murder mystery. While I haven’t read any of the previous books, Ms. Royer does a fantastic job introducing the characters and the setting, so I never felt at a loss. The protagonist, chocolatier Felicity Koerber, comes across as relatable and someone you’d love to spend time with… especially when she’s working in her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic strand. My only little quibble is her love triangle, which detracted a bit from my overall enjoyment of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the bits and pieces woven into the story about the process of making chocolate from the cacao bean until it was turned into a delectable truffle. And I was especially intrigued by the mention of chocolate sculpturing and painting portraits with chocolate. These aspects easily segued into the theme of artists and the art world, setting the stage for the murder of a local artist and collector.

Even though Felicity attended the tea hosted by the artist, she really didn’t know him. It comes as a complete shock when the killer contacts her later and tells her she has only a short time to save his life… but she receives the message too late. The killer tries to pull Felicity into the game by leaving her A Study in Scarlet, with the threat that someone Felicity loves will be killed next unless she can solve the crime before it happens. The fast-paced plot kept me guessing and the clues are there for a sharp reader to follow. With a 100-year-old cold case thrown in the mix, I’ll admit I didn’t guess correctly. The edge-of-your-seat reveal was electrifying and unsure what the final outcome would be, I turned the pages faster and faster. Ms. Royer writes a compelling mystery that is sure to appeal to fans of both chocolate and intriguing plotlines.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Didn’t realise that this was part of a series, im not sure everything would fully make sense if i tried to read it as a stand alone. It does seem very interesting and i wish the rest were available on kindle so i could read them. I dont feel like i could give a proper review without knowing what happened in the other books. For future it would be great if you put it in the description or something that its part of a series to save the confusion. Hopefully i will get to read this one day because it seems so fun

I am simply obsessed with this book. I now have to read more. And throw in Satchmo the dog and Rufflesthe cat, Yes! I need to read more!!
I just reviewed A Study in Chocolate by Amber Royer. #AStudyinChocolate #NetGalley
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Couldn't put this one down. A page Turner for sure! Very well developed characters. A solid mystery that pulls you in and keeps you reding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thanks #netgalley and #BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

An entertaining addition to this excellent cozy series. I had fun, the solid mystery kept me guessing, and was happy to catch up with the characters.
Enjoyable, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is the perfect mixture of delicious chocolate and literary classics. While I don't share Felicity's love for Jane Austen, I appreciate her delectable chocolate and cute bunny.

Felicity is hoping things settle down in her life, although she is having to chose between an ex-flame, Arlo and her hunky business partner, Logan. I get tired of the love triangle bit.

Unfortunately, an artist and known forger winds up dead and a copy of A Study in Scarlet ends up in Felicity's chocolate shop. The killer wants to play a game and Doyle's story is at the center.

I read this book in 2 sittings, excellent writing and yummy chocolate. Can't wait for the sixth installment.

Felicity’s business is expanding and other artists are also working from her shop. When one of her artist friends is accused of murder, Felicity finds the murderer wanting her to put on her sleuthing hat. If she doesn’t, the killer threatens to go after one of the two people she holds dearest. Can she solve another murder or will everything seize up and lead Felicity to even more loss?

A great series with cute fur babies and a great mystery every time. The first book I read, I came for the chocolate and then came back for the mystery…and the chocolate. ;) Grab some good chocolate and settle in with this one for a cozy read!

So glad this one caught my eye! I could not stop reading till the end. It has me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing... Page turner till the very end. Can't wait to read all the books in this series! I'm hooked. Definitely a fan for life.

Setting the Scene: In Amber Royer's 5th book in her Bean to Bar series, set in Galveston, Texas, chocolatier Felicity Koerber is in the process of taking her chocolate shop to a whole new level. At the same time, she has finally set a deadline for herself to let Logan and Arlo know which of the two she will choose. In the midst of it all, a new murder occurs, and this one is personal. The killer challenges Felicity to a macabre contest based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Study in Scarlet., and if Fee cannot solve the case and stop the murderer, someone close to her will die.

What I Thought: This is a well plotted mystery with equally well developed intelligent characters, most of whom are very relatable on various levels. Although, I identified the killer and even the means by which the second murder would be committed, it was not until later in the book, and even then, I was not sure until the actual reveal. The story is filled with red herrings, twists, turns, and subplots. The setting in a fictional historical home on Galveston Island gave the story a bit of a period feel, particularly since there was a murder in the old home in the 1920s. As a 5th generation Texan, I enjoyed references to Galveston, past and present, as well as a few other Texas locales. There were 3 things in the first half of the book that detracted from the flow of the story: (i) The information on chocolate and chocolate making is interesting, but there is too much minutiae; (ii) The first half of the book is very busy, almost manic, at times; and (iii) As with the chocolate/chocolate making, too much extraneous detail is provided in the early part of the book. For instance, providing an irrelevant relationship chain when referencing seemingly minor figures interfered with the actual story. Other readers may find all of those things energizing, but it overwhelmed me. That said, it is an excellent read, and I definitely plan to read Book 6. By the way, I am Team Logan.

A clever and engaging cozy mystery. I think this is my first experience with this charming series. I will have to read the previous ones as the characters are quite enjoyable. An extra half star for the mention of turtles, one of my favorite critters. Of course, I adore rabbits and dogs, too. I do look forward to the next one. I wonder if the romantic mystery will be solved. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This was the first book I’ve read by Amber and I did enjoy it.
However, it was quite slow paced & the chapters were long, which is two negatives in my opinion.

The book was relaxed throughout with not many moments of tension, compared to the books I usually read in this genre.

I didn’t have a clue who the suspect was until near the end, I think that suspicions could have been cast a bit stronger throughout the book on certain characters & this would have made it a more enjoyable experience for the reader.

I did enjoy the slight romance side story in the plot too.

Overall, if I had to describe it in one word, it would be ‘okay’.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

This was a fun mystery! I loved the premise, the characters, and who doesn't love reading about chocolate? It was also really cool that we got to learn how to make it! All that aside, I was not aware this was part of a series but that didn't hinder my reading experience. It was super easy to understand the dynamics and this little world, and it just made me want to read the others!

This is the 5th release in the charming foodie series "Bean To Bar" . This is a must read for chocolate lovers and foodies. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My review opinion is my own.

The wow factor off this fun cozy series is the chocolate bar. Our protagnist Felicity makes chocolate from bean to bar and her business in Galveston is very popular. She also has a reputation for solving murders. In this next in series she is requested to attend a tea at a historic mansion in town. The following day when a murder occurs at the mansion one of her friends is one of the top suspects. Felicity finds herself desperate to solve this murder to save her friend . Her sleuthing abilities will be put to the test when she receives threats and has to call on her friends to help.

I love this series for the intriquing well crafted sleuthing, the eccentric charcters and of course the chocolate descriptions. This is a mystery that kept me turning pages into the night to conclusion. Well done to the author. I look forward to the next in series.

Ms.Royer pens an intriguing culinary cozy.
Felicity’s chocolate shop/ coffee shop is doing so well that she’s expanding next door with her partner/dear friend. She’s very busy and seems to often get involved with murders, and this tale is no exception. Together with Logan, her partner, former PI and ex Arlo, and her friends, they chase down any clue to try to solve the case.
I enjoyed the twists and turns this tale takes and as it was my first in the series, I’ll have to add the rest to my TBR list and catch up what I missed. I highly recommend it.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC gratis and offer my opinion in the same

This was a fun book you learn how to make chocolate too. There is even a mystery trying to find out who murder someone. This book was approved by netgalley and the publisher for me to read and review.

I found this story to be frustrating, it’s all over the place with the suspects and clues. I did enjoy the ending with the suspense of capture of the killer. #AStudyinChocolate #NetGalley

An interesting murder cosy-mystery seemingly based upon chocolate. Murder of an eccentric art collector who has recently renovated the Wobbly House, itself rather gothic in appearance and history. Felicity runs her bean to bar chocolate shop and was having tea with the now dead man the previous day, along with a lot of her friends, some of whom are not quite what she thought. Red herrings and a lot of characters with secret tunnels, art forgery and the, horrid thought, portraits done in chocolate. The one thing that bored me was the continuing (from the previous book at least) saga of which man will Felicity choose - the old boyfriend now policeman - or the newer boyfriend maybe. Thought that this would get sorted in this book, sadly not so we'll have to suffer for at least another one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was cute! Honestly, I chose this mostly because it had a cute cover, but I throughly enjoyed this. I think the mystery could’ve been a bit stronger, but no worries. I think people who grew up reading Nancy Drew would like this, because that’s how I felt reading it.

ex-physical-therapist, Galveston, amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, chocolatier, ex-cop, verbal-humor, small-business, widow, friendship, series, theft, relationships, cozy-mystery, island-life, family, family-dynamics, asthmatic, business-partners, crafts, culinary, books, catnapping-a-feline, yarn-crafts, rivalry*****

Come for the chocolate, stay for the inventive murder investigation.
Another great addition to this tasty series! There is a literary inspired murder (Sherlock Holmes) with some real oddities, an amorous rivalry, and a few other interesting sidelines. There is a fairly large cast and suspect pool in this extremely interesting and engrossing story (plus a retired K-9, lop eared bunny, cockatoo, and others). Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from BooksGoSocial and Golden Tip Press via NetGalley. Thank you!