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IRISH COFFEE MURDER by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross, is the perfect novella trilogy to cozy up with and read while imbibing an Irish coffee concoction and nibbling on corned beef and cabbage with a side of Irish soda bread… or one of the other recipes featured in the book. Each individual novella is a standalone mystery with Irish Coffee as the theme and features the author’s much-loved series characters. If you’re new to the author, this is the perfect opportunity to be introduced to the series. And if you’ve been a long-time fan, you’ll enjoy catching up with your favorite characters while you wait for the authors’ next releases. Despite the shortened length of each story, the authors do a marvelous job of setting the stage, capturing the essence of St. Patrick’s Day, and creating a murder for the heroines to solve. The novellas are well-plotted with a quick pace, yet the stories never feel rushed.

I enjoyed Leslie Meier’s IRISH COFFEE MURDER with the Irish step dancing theme. And, of course, you can always count on Lee Hollis delivering laugh-out-loud humor and their book, DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER, didn’t disappoint.

And lastly, PERKED UP by Barbara Ross rounds out the trilogy. In this instance, the best story was saved for last. I was completely enthralled from the beginning as protagonist, Julia Snowden, is home with her mother, her friend, and Captain George, when the power goes out. A dark, cold, and snowy St. Patrick’s night seems to call for Irish coffee and a ghost story involving an unsolved 150-year-old murder. As Captain George shares the tale, more family and friends arrive and they each share their take on what actually happened. As Irish coffees are passed around, the group tries to solve the case. The author’s storytelling prowess is on full display and her attention to detail made the tale come to life. I was equally fascinated by Ms. Ross’s afterward and the research she’s done to include some of Maine’s Irish history in her story. When I’d read the very last word, it became clear that friends, drinks, food, and tall tales make for the very best St. Patrick’s Day.

While there are other recipes in the book to try, I was immediately drawn to the recipe for Irish Soda Bread, provided by Ms. Ross. I loved how she came to have the recipe (see the recipe below for the story) plus it sounded delicious and easy to make. And it proved to be both! It’s basically a one-bowl bread that comes together quickly. The sweet raisins complemented the texture of the bread. My husband especially enjoyed toasted slices slathered in butter for breakfast, but he was equally happy to eat some with a bowl of soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

Amazon Synopsis

You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee. But someone may have spiked this year’s brew with
murder . . .

IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry too far, or is some other motive at play?

DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS
As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, who’s playing his old hometown for St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee, leaving Hayley to figure out who decided this joker had gone too far . . .

PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS
It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town .

A special thanks to Barbara Ross for providing a print copy of IRISH COFFEE MURDER! Contest ends February 1, 2023 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

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Vee's Irish Soda Bread

In Perked Up, I gave the task of making the Irish soda bread to Vee, one of the two bakers in our story. In the real world, the recipe comes from my husband's sister's husband's mother (got it?), Marie Kent. Though it sounds like a distant relationship, Marie and I attended holiday gatherings, weddings, showers, graduation parties, and funerals together for years, outliers in my husband's huge Italian-American family. Marie was fiercely proud of her Irish heritage and never understood how she ended up in a family that drank gallons of coffee instead of tea. She is greatly missed.

Makes one loaf

Ingredients

• 3-1/3 cups flour
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup raisins
• Oil for greasing pan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

3. Work in butter with your hands until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal.

4. Add raisins.

5. Whisk eggs and milk together, stir into dry mixture to blend.

6. Knead for two minutes.

7. Pat into a lightly oiled 9-inch cake pan.

8. Bake approximately one hour until crust is golden and toothpick comes out clean.

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

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I’m delighted to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour introducing A STUDY IN CHOCOLATE, 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.

With so many mouthwatering chocolate treats mentioned on page, I am happy to share a recipe the author created for this blog post: Banoffee Banana Bread. While I’ve had Banoffee pie and of course, banana bread, combining the two is pure genius. Chocolate, bananas, caramel, and toffee bits wrapped up into a tender loaf is utterly delicious. I added a simple drizzle of confectioners’ sugar mixed with a bit of water, then sprinkled with additional toffee bits and mini chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast, snack time, or even dessert, I’ll be making this decadent bread again soon!

Amazon Synopsis

Felicity Koerber’s bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand is expanding, as it has become a gathering spot for the community, despite having been the scene of multiple murders. Artists she met while doing a chocolate sculpture are now working out of the shop. So when Felicity is invited to tea by an eccentric art collector, she’s intrigued, especially when she gets asked to pose for a portrait done with chocolate on chocolate. Only, where there is a murder the next day at the same historic house where the tea was held, one of Felicity’s artist friends becomes the main suspect.

When the killer threatens that, unless Felicity unravels the murder, one of her two love interests will be the next victim, she finds herself unwittingly at the center of a puzzle, with a Sherlock Holmes obsessed murderer who wants to be the next Moriarty – and wants to cast Felicity as Sherlock.

Felicity starts finding unexpected connects between her friends and acquaintances, and has to deal with the idea that someone who knows her is a murderer. At the same time, she has to keep her business running, despite construction dust and unruly customers – and an unexpected order for thousands of truffles.

Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and the kidnapping of Ruffles, the quirky artist’s cat, helps lead Felicity into the puzzle. Can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?

A special thanks to Amber Royer for providing one winner with an author signed copy of the book and a chocolate bar from French Broad Chocolate. Contest is limited to U.S. residents only and ends January 29, 2023 at 11:59 pm EST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. Contest is administered by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and the winner will be announced on this page and notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

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Banoffee Banana Bread

I love taking classic recipes and twisting them into a different form. This bread has the classic flavors of a banoffee pie, in a much more portable form. I gave the pastry chef at my protagonist’s bean-to-bar chocolate shop the same playfulness when it comes to flavor and form. Because she created this for a chocolate shop, I have her replacing the nuts you often see in banana bread with cacao nibs.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, plus extra for greasing pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (2 medium) mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons dulce de leche or caramel sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x5 or 8x4 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

2. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the bananas, milk, dulce de leche and vanilla, then mix briefly, just until combined. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, place the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cacao nibs, baking soda and salt. Whisk until well combined.

4. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the toffee bits. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove. Cool completely on wire rack.

6. Wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Note:

1. Add one cup chocolate chips to make this chocolate chip banana bread.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 16 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 16 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
January 17 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
January 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 18 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 19 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 20 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 20 – The Mystery Review Crew – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 21 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
January 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 23 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
January 24 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
January 25 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
January 26 – Sneaky the library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 28 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 28 – My Journey Back – SPOTLIGHT
January 29 – Girl with Pen – SPOTLIGHT

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