Smothered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery

I was intrigued by the cover and description of this book, and though I found some parts a bit strange, I really did like the story.
As I read more of the story, I became quite curious about the investigation. Alene has the potential of becoming a great character, I'm looking forward to reading more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
#SmotheredAWhippedandSippedMystery #NetGalley

This was a whole bunch of fun! A new, to me, author, new characters and one heck of a whodunit with enough red herrings and rabbit holes that I was completely guessing and second guessing myself the whole way through. Just wish I had discovered this series far sooner! But I’ll remedy that with the first book in the series and am looking forward to the third entry due out soon.

Thank heavens for the list of characters in front of the book, there are a lot of characters and that means you will find some that are quirky, some that you tolerate and some that you just outright love! Give it a read, you are going to love it!

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Smothered, A Whipped and Sipped Mystery
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: G. P. Gottlieb
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 16 February 2021

“ An excellent cozy mystery you should add to your TBR today! ” - @dupuisshowreads

This was an excellent cozy mystery! Do you want a cozy series with lots of characters, like a classic Agatha Christie novel? You should give this book a try. You’ll really like it, especially if you can follow multiple storylines that involve murder, disappearances, family situations, and budding romances.

This is the second book in the Whipped and Sipped Mysteries series (Battered is the first) and Gottlieb provides a list of characters at the beginning with a brief bio on each. I was able to pick up reading speed after a few chapters and the characters were easy to keep sorted (thanks, G.P.!).

Alene owns a vegetarian/vegan cafe and coffeehouse. She is accompanied by a cast of delightfully intriguing, varied characters and a mystery you may (or may not!) be able to solve before all is revealed.

I really enjoyed her father’s outlook on life and his situation. Being set in the big city of Chicago, I admire Gottlieb’s ability to keep locations close, enabling the reader to feel more in-tune with Alene’s world.

This book was a new-to-me author, new characters, and one helluva of a whodunit paired with red herrings and rabbit holes galore. I was left guessing and second guessing myself the entire way through. I’ll have to give the rest of the books in the series a try! 

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for α complimentary digital copy!

This was a good read, however there seemed to be a lot of characters! It was nice getting to know them all! Look forward to more on the series.

This is a quick and easy reading cosy mystery that is entertaining and includes recipes. I love that!
This is also the second in the series and having not read the first one I think I now need to.

There are twists and and plenty of intrigue to get your teeth stuck into. The characters are good with Alene, the vegan cafe owner, Cal, who is Alene's father and Fran, the romantic interest. There is so much going on in this book that although I found it easy to read you do need to wrap your head around everything that is happening.

Overall though it is a great length, a good story and love the setting. A good, entertaining read for sure.

Alene owns a vegetarian/vegan cafe and coffeehouse. She is accompanied by a cast of delightfully intriguing, varied characters and a mystery you may (or may not!) be able to solve before all is revealed.
The cover and description of the book intrigued me. It was a fun and cozy read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book. Look forward to more on the series.

It doesn't feel like Alene is investigating. She is just concerned. Her life is busy, her family is a handful and business is booming. Then the owner next door dies. How can she not be concerned? The story has lots of side stories that all play out in good detail. It makes for an interesting lead. Doesn't hurt that her boyfriend is a detective, does it! A good story!

Nothing goes better with a great recipe than a good old fashion mystery. Being the little shop on the corner has all the disadvantages of being smack in the middle of a mystery. One perk? Dating a detective, or trying to.