Thank you NetGalley for approving me for this book. I am so glad I was able to read this book as I really enjoyed this and will read more by this author.

Trying to recover their business after the last murder case, Alexi and her friends host a cookery show at their hotel. But death isn't far behind...
A Contest To Kill For is the second book in this series featuring journalist Alexi and private investigator Jack. There are spoilers about the last case which occurred in the first book A Date To Die For.
Four contestants are battling it out on a reality cooking show when one is found dead. The main suspect is head chef Marcel who admits to sleeping with the contestant and his knife was used to stab the body. But he declares his innocence and Alexi and Jack believe him. Plus the hotel needs him to be exonerated to save their own reputation!
Alexi and Jack grew close in the last book but they have been apart while they try to sort out their lives and emotions. This leaves a romantically charged atmosphere in this book especially as Alexi's ex is on the scene. Alexi's huge cat Cosmo has a starring role once more which offers some light relief and softens the tone.
The murder happens quite early on and the amateur sleuths spring into action trying to clear their friend Marcel's name. The chapters are quite long and I felt that this slowed the pace. There are twists and reveals up until the end to keep us guessing
A Contest To Kill For is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery.

A Contest To Kill For by Evie Hunter is a thrilling murder mystery filled with suspense and a dash of reality TV drama. The story revolves around the desperate attempts of Alexi Ellis and Cheryl and Drew Hopgood to revive the reputation of Hopgood Hall, their struggling hotel. In a bid to boost ratings and bookings, they agree to host a baking show led by the enigmatic head chef, Marcel Gasquet, who exudes arrogance.

As the competition heats up, so does Marcel’s fiery and hot-headed behavior. While his antics make for captivating television, trouble brews behind the scenes. Femme fatale contestant Juliette Hammond is determined to secure the winning prize by any means necessary, even if it means manipulating the prima donna chef. The tension reaches its peak when Juliette is discovered dead, and all suspicions turn to Marcel. Is his tempestuous French temperament to blame, or is someone else a victim of Juliette’s deceitful ways?

With the hotel’s reputation in shambles and Marcel’s freedom hanging in the balance, Alexi seeks answers urgently. Her only hope lies in her old friend and private investigator, Jack Maddox, who is already engrossed in his own case. Despite the risks, Jack cannot refuse Alexi’s plea for help, fully aware that this murder could jeopardize everything they hold dear.

A Contest To Kill For is a captivating page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Evie Hunter skillfully weaves together elements of mystery, suspense, and reality TV drama, creating a compelling narrative. The characters are well-developed, with Marcel and Juliette standing out as particularly intriguing personalities. The book maintains a brisk pace, constantly raising questions and building suspense.

Please see my post for review.

Blog Tour - http://ramblingmads.uk/2023/05/14/blog-tour-a-contest-to-kill-for-e-v-hunter/

I love this one. Second in the series and such a good series with returning characters. I love how they work together they make a perfect pair. Im hoping there will be more to come from this series. As its the perfect mix of there friendship building and solving crime.

E.V. Hunter delivers another delightful cozy, entertaining and full of twists. I enjoyed it even if the culinary contest if quite a common trope in the cozy world and I think it's becoming a bit overused.
The mystery is solid, kept me guessing. The story is entertaining and I enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is the first book I read by E.V. and I enjoyed it. I didn’t realize it was part of a series so I felt a little lost but I was still able to finish the book. It was a good mystery book with lots of clues! It did have me guessing until the end! Thank you NetGalley, E.V. hunter and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

A Contest To Kill For by E V Hunter is a marvellous contemporary cosy crime novel. It is the second book in The Hopwood Hall Murder Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with familiar faces.
Once more we follow the amateur super sleuths of a P.I. and a former newspaper reporter. Together they have the brain power to unravel the clues and to see where they lead.
The pair are joined by Cosmo, a rather ferocious feline companion who is discerning about the company he keeps. He is very much a character in his own right. As a crazy cat lady, I loved Cosmo with his unique personality!
A retreat to a country hotel should bring peace and tranquility but then a body is discovered. Suspicion casts a wide net as alibis are sought.
E V Hunter spins a comprehensive tale that has the reader entertained, glued and guessing. The Hopwood Hall Murder Mysteries would make a fabulous early evening television series – any producers out there, please take note!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Hopwood Hall and look forward to subsequent ones.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was no required. All opinions are my own.

'A Contest To Kill For’ by E.V. Hunter is a Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery and is set in the English countryside. Alexi has invested in the hotel to help her friends Cheryl and Drew. They hope that the filming of a baking reality show will help their profile and will bring in more business. Head chef Marcel is unpredictable, and exactly what the TV producers want to increase ratings. But the death of one of the contestants changes everything. Marcel is the No.1 suspect and if Alexi can’t find out the truth, the hotel will be finished. With the help of private detective Jack Maddox, she races against the clock find the culprit.

Although I haven’t read the first book in the series, I had no problem jumping right in. The mystery is well told and the characters well written. I thought Alexi and Jack worked perfectly as a team, as each had their own unique skills to bring to the investigation. The author managed to create a family feel to the story, as the relationships between the characters felt real. I especially enjoyed Cosmo the cat, a fun and very welcome part of the team.

An enjoyable story with characters I want to see more of in the future.

I was given this ARC to review.

Starting Book 2 in this fabulous series was like getting under a warm blanket and getting ready to see what shenanigans Cosmo the sleuthing cat is going to get up to this time. Obviously he’s not really a sleuthing cat but he has great cat senses and knows who he likes and who is is going to scare half to death. He’s absolutely part of the team. I love this cat and I want him.

Alexi has now invested in her friends hotel and they are hoping to make more money by hosting a cooking contest TV show. Then all hell breaks loose when one of the contestants turns up dead. She is not the most liked person and seems to have been working her way through the male production team as well as the uppity chef Marcel, in the hopes of swaying the final decision and make her a winner. Now she is dead and poor Marcel is suspect number one. Will Alexi and Jack uncover the truth in time? Is there more going on here than a murder to solve?

I really enjoy these cosy murder mysteries by E.V.Hunter. She creates a great plotline that you can get involved with, you can almost sleuth alongside Alexi and Jack. I thoroughly enjoyed the clues as the story evolves and little snippets get dropped here and there. I changed my mind so many times as to who the murderer was I almost didn’t believe the reveal when it came. How could I have been so wrong? I enjoyed the relationship between Alexi and Jack and I really wanted to take Alexi aside and say “Go for it, he’s gorgeous, he clearly cares and he is sooooo much better than slimy Patrick” Will she? won’t she? I’m saying nothing 🙂 except this is a fabulous read and the perfect summer nights on the patio with a glass of something good kind of book so I highly recommend you invest in a new series and ENJOY ! I promise you will

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a free ARC for my review.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery following Jack and Alexi as they uncover the clues with just the right amount of suspense, drama and flirting. Cosmo continues to bring cuteness and comedy to the second book in this series.

I found this an easy fast paced read where the mystery kept me guessing up to the end. I liked that the suspense was not overwhelming, and the comic relief came right at the right time. With a few swoony worthy moments along the way too.

This is such a wonderful book, Alexi is a fantastic main character and the narrative makes for a really great cosy mystery. I was hooked instantly I just needed to know the outcome. The multiple motives and twists in this had me flying through the pages in a few hours. I also loved the romance between Alexi and Jack and the friendships around them. If you a cosy mystery sprinkled with romance then this is your perfect book.

Thank you to @randomthingstours for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 in the Alexi Ellis series by EV Hunter and I’ve really enjoyed both. I still think the star of the books is Cosmo, and he becomes a star in his own right during this one, being filmed during the reality cooking show is being held at the hotel.

All is going well until one of the amateur chefs is found murdered - Juliette, the one that no one gets on with and no one seems sorry she’s dead. Unfortunately, the head chef becomes the prime suspect so it is up to Alexi and Jack to clear his name and save the hotel.

I didn’t have a clue for most of the book who was responsible, there were so many suspects but so many had alibis. I remember from the first book you have to look at the characters that are introduced but don’t really take centre stage to work out who it is, but still didn’t figure it out.

A great cosy whodunnit, and a series I’ll definitely carry on with.

Midsomer Murders meets The Great British Bake-Off in the latest Hopgood Hall mystery by E V Hunter, A Contest to Kill For.

Hopgood Hall is in trouble and owners Alexi Ellis and Cheryl and Drew Hopgood are absolutely desperate to repair the hotel’s reputation. When the opportunity to host a reality TV baking show comes around, the owners are simply delighted. This is just what they need to reverse the hotel’s fortune and help fill up the empty rooms of the property. With fiery chef Marcel Gasquet taking centre stage, this reality show promises plenty of drama, tears and tantrums. However, it quickly transpires that what’s happening behind the scenes is far more juicy, shocking and scandalous than anything in front of the camera…

Contestant Juliette will do anything to win this contest – even offering herself up on a plate to Marcel. Putting the other contestants’ backs up is par for the course for ambitious femme fatale Juliette. So when she is found dead, the list of possible suspects is endless, however, the finger of suspicion is pointing squarely at Marcel. Has his legendary hot-temper got the better of him? Did he snap and kill Juliette? Or is he begin set up?

With the hotel’s name being dragged through the mud and Marcel’s freedom at risk, Alexi needs answers and fast. Turning to Jack Maddox, her old friend and a private investigator, seems like the only logical conclusion. But can Jack get to the bottom of this case? Will he find out whodunnit? Or will this be a case even he cannot solve?

Cozy mystery fans will be delighted by E V Hunter’s witty, tense and intriguing new mystery, A Contest to Kill For. A comic crime caper that will keep readers turning the pages, this nail-biting cozy mystery is packed with twists and turns, shocking revelations and scandalous secrets that make E V Hunter’s A Contest to Kill For a book that has to be read in a single irresistible sitting.

I really enjoyed this mystery. It is an intriguing closed room mystery set at a hotel filming a reality cooking competition. It is the second book in the Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery series but is able to be enjoyed as a stand-alone. I really enjoyed the MC, Alexi, as well as most of the characters in the book. My favorite is the cat, Cosmo. Who doesn’t love a cat that travels everywhere the owner goes and acts as a guard cat?! There is a little romance and a few side stories to keep you entertained. There is plenty of misdirection so I was unable to determine who the killer was with certainty until the end. This was a fun read and I look forward to reading more by E.V. Hunter.

I will be posting this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsJTztZLse9/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5535347980

And Amazon.

A great return to Hopgood Hall where Alexi and her friends Cheryl and Drew have opened a boutique hotel which is now one of the venues of a reality TV cooking competition. When one of the competitors is killed, Hopgood Hall’s own chef is the main suspect. Jack Maddox once again is on hand to help Alexi and her friends determine who is the guilty party.

In book one, newly redundant journalist Alexi Ellis, together with her enormous feral cat Cosmo, ditched her rat of a boyfriend, rented out her London flat and retreated to the horse racing village of Lambourn in Berkshire to reassess her life under the care of her old best friend Cheryl and her husband Drew at his family home of Hopgood Hall which they have turned into a boutique hotel. She met private investigator Jack Maddox, a former Met detective and together they were instrumental in solving a murder, and now Alexi has taken a cottage in the village from which to write a book about the case and has invested in the hotel, enabling it to add a swish conference centre. It is one of five places hosting the heats of “What’s For Dinner?”, a tv reality cooking competition where the two male and two female contestants will be filmed 24/7 for six weeks. Four very diverse individuals are hoping for a place in the final and a year’s training under the hotel’s charismatic but volatile chef, Marcel, a French sounding Cockney. The show is on its second week when Jack drops by on his way home from tailing a suspect in a bogus loan enquiry to find one of the four, blonde bombshell Juliette, has been murdered, stabbed with one of Marcel’s knives only a couple of hours after she had a steamy liaison with him. So who would have wanted the woman dead? Certainly not prime suspect Marcel, Alexi and Jack believe, and so they set out to clear his name. Juliette certainly upset a lot of people and there are plenty of suspects but how could someone have got away with it under the scrutiny of all those cameras? A surprising link shows up to Jack’s case, but will it bring the pair of sleuths any closer to exposing a killer?
This is an excellent follow up to book one where the very likeable main characters were introduced, all with their own skills to add to the mix and still the “will they/won’t they” question hovers over Jack and Alexi, but once again for me the absolute star of the story simply has to be Cosmo, the incredibly large black cat who inspires hero worship in Toby the terrier and mortal fear in anyone he decides to torment. With an engrossing and twisty plot and lots of red herrings to confuse the reader, this is a book incredibly easy to get lost in and enjoy. I am looking forward to book three, A Marriage To Murder For, already.

The second book in the Hopgood Hall Murder Mysteries brings two contemporary obsessions together; cookery competitions and reality television. The newly revamped hall is the setting for the show, and Alexi, Cheryl and Drew, the friends and owners, are invested in the show's success, something that is threatened when there's a suspicious death and a prime suspect close to home. Alexi and private investigator Jack are reunited and forced into proximity, intensifying their obvious attraction.

The mystery is well-written, with many suspects and a close room ethos due to the many live cameras. The characters are complex and realistic, and the setting is authentically portrayed. I like the dynamic between Alexi and Jack, the interactive mystery and its contemporary relevance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Engaging

The owners of Hopgood Hall, Alexis, Cheryl, and Drew, agree o host a reality baking show. They could do with some money to repair and maintain the estate. Their temperamental chef, Marcel Gasquet, heads the show, promising good ratings and extra business for the estate.
Of course, things are complicated off-screen. Juliette Hammond, one of the contestants, makes enemies in a blink, and everyone seems to know she’ll do anything to win the contest. However, none of them imagine she’d get killed in the process.
With Marcel as the prime suspect, Alexis once again has to play detective and find the killer to save the estate. The local PI, Jack Maddox, is more than happy to help, and together with Alexis, they will get to the bottom of the case.
The story comes in the limited-third person POV of Alexis and Jack.

My Thoughts:
I missed out on book one of the series, though it wasn’t a problem in reading book two. This works well as a standalone with enough information to fill the gaps and provide the backstory.
The plot moves at a decent pace (slow in the second half) but has enough twists, developments, and red herrings to keep the reader invested.
There’s a subplot of Alexis and Jack’s ‘will they/ won’t they’ relationship. I didn’t feel much invested in it, but I dislike Patrick (the other guy), so Jack has my vote.
The book also takes up a couple of social issues and weaves them into the plot. It doesn’t get preachy and stays true to the genre.
I’m not too impressed by the reveal (though I guessed 70% right). While I see the intent, the whole thing feels a little bland (even cozies need some excitement). A bit of drama might have enhanced the scene.
Cosmos is Alexis’ black feral cat, larger than average and something people might mistake for a panther. I see his appeal, though I want to ‘really see’ how he terrorizes others instead of hearing about his growling, hissing, etc. Cosmos’ aggressive personality doesn’t come all out in this book, while his playfulness and love for Alexis and Jack are easy to see.
The baking contest is the main theme. However, we don’t get much of it. I expected there would be at least a couple of full-fledged scenes where we actually see the contestants baking. There are only passing references. We get a lot of ‘love cooking’, ‘passion of baking’, etc., but see none of it.
Though the book is set in a small town, it doesn’t exactly give the same vibes as a small-town cozy. This one is limited to the estate, which works for the plot. There’s already a filming crew, so it makes sense to limit the characters.
Alexis is level-headed, and Jack has good instincts. They do make a good pair (investigation-wise and otherwise). I feel I’ll connect more with them when I read the next book or two (I sure intend to).

To summarize, A Contest to Kill is an engaging cozy mystery with characters I could grow to love. Cosmos is already a favorite for being a smarty. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Thank you, NetGalley and Marcela Torres from Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Alexi, Jack and Cosmo (her cat with a real attitude) are faced with another murder to solve. After her job as a journalist gets cut due to downsizing (or as she says "dumbing down") Alexi headed into the countryside to the village of Lambourn at the invitation of close friends Cheryl and her husband Drew.They have turned Drew's family home into a boutique hotel and, thanks to help from Alexi, business is getting better. One of Alexi's ideas brings a baking contest to the hotel but murder is an unwelcome addition. It's bad enough that their very talented chef, Marcel, is a hot head but, when one of the women in the contest turns up dead, Marcel becomes the prime suspect.
Jack is a PI who teamed up with Alexi in the first book, A Date to Die For and it looks like solving murders is right up their alley. It can be said that being a very talented journalist makes for a good investigator. With plenty of suspects, red herrings and twists to the puzzle, this is a series I will be adding to my TBR list. Besides a cast of recurring characters of the human variety, the addition of two pets - Cosmo, the former street kitty who adopted Alexi and Toby, Cheryl and Drew's dog, makes this a mystery that checks all of the boxes for a very satisfying cozy series.
My thanks to the publisher Boldweed Books and the NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.