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Cheese store owner Charlotte Bessette is setting up for the town's Winter Wonderland fair. Then, when an old friend is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte's assistant Rebecca, a suspicion falls on Rebecca's boyfriend, a honeybee farmer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?
Charlotte Bessette—proprietor of Le Petit Fromagerie, affectionately known in Providence, Ohio, as the Cheese Shop—is busy setting up her tent for the town’s Winter Wonderland faire, where she’ll offer fine wines and scrumptious cheeses. In the midst of the preparations, Charlotte meets an old friend of her mother, Kaitlyn Clydesdale, who has come back to Providence with plans to start a new honeybee farm.When Kaitlyn is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte’s assistant Rebecca, suspicion falls on Rebecca’s boyfriend, a honeybee farmer himself. Charlotte knows this beekeeper wouldn’t hurt a fly, so she decides to find the real killer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Charlotte Bessette is a wonderful strong woman, raised by her grandparents. Her parents were killed in an accident when Charlotte was just a toddler. She has had more than a few bumps already in life but emerges from each them even stronger. She also has a huge heart which means it is hard for her to say “no” to anyone which sometimes leads her to yet another bump in the road. The trouble is lately this bumps have been dead bodies or live ones she just wishes would leave her alone. Rebecca is quite demanding of Charlotte in this installment but then again her boyfriend is being accused of murder. You can’t help but love these characters.
As you can see from the cover of the book illustrated by Teresa Fasolino, the setting is gorgeous. The Winter Wonderland Faire sounds like an awesome event, the food, the ice sculptures, the choir, the author puts you right there, you may even shiver from the cold weather as the snow starts to gently fall.
Avery also sculpts a wonderful winter mystery. New characters come to town shedding some light on the past and also with big ideas that could mean major changes to Providence making many upset as they learn the details. But who would commit murder? We are kept guessing until the very end.
The setting may be winter but that makes this is a perfect cozy to curl up in front of the fire to read. Don’t forgot to pour a glass of wine and make a little cheesy snack. The story will have you craving both.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 16, 2012
Enjoyed the book. The characters and set up were intriguing. There were surprises mixed with a nice amount conflict and romance. I would consider other books in this series for future reading.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 28, 2012
It’s winter wonderland in Providence, Ohio and the past has invaded Charlotte’s present with the appearance of an ex, someone from her mother’s childhood and a secret that she’s determined to find out her boyfriend. All collide when a murder occurs and with Rebecca’s young friend accused of the crime, Charlotte will have to do some untangling to find the real killer. This is a great read that entertained me from the start to the delectable end. The wonderfully written whodunit tantalized us with an intriguing mystery that I could not put down once I started. With so many suspects, I enjoyed the directions the author took to keep me on my toes. With a lovable cast of characters; great locale and good conversations, this is a terrific read filled with savory delights and I’m excited about the next book in this fabulous series.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 1, 2012
A cozy mystery with fun, quirky characters. Will read the next one.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 8, 2012
Charlotte Bessette was excitedly preparing cheeses for her cheese shop's tent in the Providence, Ohio's Winter Wonderland Fair when her young Amish assistant Rebecca Zook rushes in with the devastating news that a woman is buying up land to start up a honeybee farm. This is devastating not at all to Charlotte, but her assistant assures her that Kaitlyn Clydesdale's plans will put out Rebecca's boyfriend out of business. Far more disconcerting to Charlotte is Kaitlyn's disclosure about the real cause of Charlotte's parents fatal car accident. Before Charlotte can learn much more, though, Kaitlyn is killed in Rebecca's home with the most likely culprit being Ipo Ho, the rival honeybee farm and Rebecca's unlikely suitor. Despite warning from her good friend who happens to be the police chief and her own need to focus instead on own boyfriend's mysterious past, Charlotte finds herself probing into the lives of her fellow Providence residents. Which, unfortunately, may soon include the man who once shattered her heart. This is a cozy on the lighter side, with a protagonist who generally has no business investigating but manages to allow herself to be pushed into territory that is both dangerous and illegal. While Rebecca Zook is supposed to be naive and sheltered, Charlotte's nine-year old cousins show more maturity and knowledge of the world. Rebecca literally pokes, prods, and pushes her employer into interrogating suspects, with some foot stomping and tantrums thrown in for color. As an employee, Rebecca is less than ideal and Charlotte either deserves a medal or is a complete glutton for punishment. Normally I don't use a list of characters at the beginning of books, but with the sheer number of Providence residents who flit in and out of the chapters I did find myself flipping back to it. Couples fall apart and come together so quickly that I wish that more time was spent focusing on fewer relationships rather than providing only brief glimpses into so many. An entirely new complication is introduced with Charlotte's boyfriend Jordan Pace, only to have it abandoned and be put off until a probable future novel. This was rather frustrating, but does have me anxious for the next in this series to discover the direction the many characters' lives are going. - Cindy Chow
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 7, 2012
I do like this series, but I am concerned that the main character seems to be getting a bit "ditzy" in this installment. Still a fun read. The author just needs to make her the sharp business woman she started out to be and keep her on that track. The characters are developing so well and it is fun to check in on their lives.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 20, 2012
Does anyone else think Penguin pay reviewers to give this mediocre nonsense a five star review?
1 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LadyFlash
Posted March 5, 2012
I actually read this first, though it is the 3rd in the series. I found it an easy read an nearly impossible to put down. Following the adventures of the main character as she tries to run a business, help her cousin and his daughters, dealing with his obnoxious ex'wife who came to town, solving murders and figure out the mystery behind the man she loves, makes for an interesting combination. The fact that her impulsive nature gets her into trouble, but still solves the murder, makes this a terrific book. I'm going to have to try some of the recipes out as well as I am also a cheese lover.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 3, 2012
charlotte owns a chesse shop, her brother, matthew owns the adjoining wine shop. kaitlyn clydesdale comes to town and shakes things up, not in a nice way. she is found dead and the suspicion falls on charlotte's assistant's boyfriend. well, charlotte can't let that happen, so she starts to investigate, and finds a great mystery. was it the beekeeper? trying to keep kaitlyn from becoming competition? or someone else with a bigger reason? gotta read it to find out. you won't want to miss this one!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 10, 2012
This is a delightful addition to the Cheese Shop Mystery series. I've read all of them. I love the wintry setting, the Winter Faire, the mystery itself, and the romantic entanglements. I especially like Charlotte because she is so strong and always wants to help people, despite the risks. And I adore her family. There is such a strong bond. And the cheese. Did I mention the cheese? I'm learning so much about different cheeses. I can smell and taste them whenever Avery writes about them. I love the recipes at the back of the book, too. More please.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 30, 2013
Ice sculptures and snow at the Winter Wonderland Faire! I felt like I was right there.
I enjoyed the addition of several characters... red herrings that kept me guessing in this fast-paced whodunit. I thought the plot was believable and moved along nicely. It was fun to revisit the quirky cast of characters. The relationship between Jordan and Charlotte was left open-ended. This was an enjoyable addition to this great series.
Cheese, wine and great recipes. What could be better. I can't wait to read Avery's next book, Clobbered by Camembert!
Anonymous
Posted October 5, 2012
If you have read coffeehouse mysteries or teashop mysteries why not try a cheese shop based mystery?? I learn some fun things about cheese -- yes it can be fun--- and the stories are well written. I have actually gone and bought some of the cheeses discussed to try them out.
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Posted August 10, 2012
Love the setting, the characters and the cheese. A fun series
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Posted August 11, 2012
It's a delightful romp, as was the first book...can't see the ending coming, and the characters are a lot of fun, and a little mysterious. My entire book group enjoyed it, and can't wait to see where the characters end up in the next installment. We all have bets on who Charlotte will choose. We even try the recipes, and our gluten intolerent member swears by the special recipes for her. Sort of Rachel Ray meets Murder She Wrote...only better!
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Posted January 5, 2012
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Posted February 7, 2013
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Posted May 29, 2012
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Posted November 18, 2012
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Posted December 20, 2012
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Posted March 20, 2013
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Overview
Cheese store owner Charlotte Bessette is setting up for the town's Winter Wonderland fair. Then, when an old friend is found dead in the cottage of Charlotte's assistant Rebecca, a suspicion falls on Rebecca's boyfriend, a honeybee farmer. While the town buzzes with gossip, can Charlotte catch the culprit without getting stung herself?