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THE DIVA GOES OVERBOARD is the seventeenth book in the Domestic Diva Mysteries by Krista Davis. This character-driven series has become one of my favorites and I couldn’t wait to dive in and immerse myself in Sophie Winston’s world in Old Town Alexandria! Ms. Davis did not disappoint and spun a tantalizing tale with twists and turns that made me read the pages faster and faster. I also eagerly looked forward to each chapter’s beginning, which offers reader column advice (on food or style) from Sophie and her frenemy, Natasha. In this newest release, I was happy to see Natasha’s mother, Wanda, celebrating her engagement to a wealthy man. Wanda hasn’t had an easy life, so I was thrilled to see her find someone who loved her. Natasha, having been abandoned by her father, finally seems to have found a father-figure, which you can’t help but cheer for. The author does an amazing job making you care for the characters and brings each scene to life through vivid imagery on the pages. Sophie and her friends are definitely people I would enjoy hanging out with, especially during their food and drink get-togethers.
Unfortunately, as happens in mysteries, not everyone gets a happy ending. In this case, things turn deadly at the party when Wanda’s intended collapses and dies. He’d been eating from a variety of food boards, prepared by his adult daughter, when he collapsed. (The description of the charcuterie and butter boards are drool-worthy!) Was it something he ate or drank? Was his daughter or her soon-to-be-ex after his fortune? With so many guests at the party, Sophie has her hands full, narrowing down the suspects, along with help from her friends. Things heat up when Sophie finds herself as one of the major beneficiaries of the deceased, and fingers point at her being a suspect. There were so many unexpected twists that made gasp and just when I thought it had been solved, something else happened to keep me on the edge of my seat. The Diva Goes Overboard is a worthy addition to a delightful series and I eagerly await each new book!
Be prepared to be hungry while reading. Sophie and her friends frequently socialize and strategize their investigations over delectable dishes. Thankfully, Ms. Davis includes several recipes at the back of the book for the home cook to try. Since I always have a lot of bananas on hand, which too often get overly ripe, I decided to try out her recipe for Salted Caramel Banana Pudding. While the ingredient list may look daunting, it was actually easy to make. Banana pudding is pure comfort food, but when paired with the scrumptious caramel sauce this simple dessert is elevated to company worthy! My note about the photos: The recipe calls for ending the top layer with pudding but I forgot to read the directions all the way through and ended mine with bananas and caramel. No matter how you layer, it’s still delicious!
Amazon Synopsis
In Old Town Alexandria’s unlikeliest match, Natasha Smith’s free-spirited mother, Wanda, is engaged to notoriously pompous antiques dealer, Orson Chatsworth—leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party. For the extravagant affair, Natasha splurges on trendy food boards created by rising social media star, Stella St. James. The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, as Stella dazzles guests with picture-worthy butter boards, dessert boards, and even doughnut boards. Just as Natasha planned, the food is to die for—until someone actually does.
When the groom collapses, it seems as if a heart attack is to blame. Then guests discover Orson was poisoned, and suddenly Stella’s bespoke boards look a lot less appealing. But with an event this big, the spread of suspects is sure to be impressive. Could Orson’s killer be a jilted ex-lover? A money hungry relative? A bitter former business partner? When even Sophie is not above suspicion, she knows it’s time to get on board and scrape together an investigation of her own . . . before murder becomes the town’s next trend.
A special thanks to Kensington Publishing for offering a print ARC copy of THE DIVA GOES OVERBOARD to one lucky winner! Contest ends May 26, 2024 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!)
Makes 4 servings.
This is a fun twist on an old favorite. Be generous with the caramel and the salt so they don't disappear in the mix. Table salt will not work here. You will likely have some leftover caramel. Store in the fridge, and microwave to warm, then pour over ice cream!
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- Dash of salt
- 2 cups cold skim or nonfat milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- Vanilla wafers
- Bananas (not green)
- Flaked sea salt
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Place cornstarch, sugar, and a dash of salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Using a whisk, mix them together. Pour the milk into the pan and whisk with the dry ingredients to blend. Crack the egg into the empty milk-measuring cup and whisk to break the yolk and combine. Use a fork to whisk if you don't have a mini whisk.
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Turn on the burner to medium high. Stir the milk mixture with the whisk to be sure it doesn't burn. You may need to turn the heat back a bit when it begins to bubble. Stirring the whole time, let bubble softly for one minute. Remove from heat.
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Drop a few drops of the hot mixture into the egg and whisk. Add a few more drops and whisk again to temper the egg. Add the egg mixture to the milk mixture and whisk to blend. Stirring continuously, bring it back to a gentle boil and cook for one minute.
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Remove from heat. Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon butter. Stir to mix.
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Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a deep microwave safe dish. (I used a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Microwave in short bursts, stirring occasionally until it bubbles up and the sugar is melted.
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Beat 1 cup of heavy cream in a mixer. When it begins to take shape, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/3 cup powdered sugar. Beat until it holds a shape. Spread or pipe over the top level of the vanilla pudding. Store extra for use in coffee or hot chocolate!
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Cover the bottom of a serving dish or individual bowls or trifle glasses with vanilla wafers. Top with a layer of pudding. Top with sliced bananas and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with flaked salt.
Note: Depending on your preference, you can be a little heavy-handed with the caramel sauce and the salt so they are more noticeable.
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Add another layer of vanilla wafers, pudding, and bananas and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with flaked salt. Repeat until you end with a layer of pudding on top.
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Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top level of the vanilla pudding just before serving.
Optional: You may wish to drizzle caramel over the whipped cream.
Shopping List:
4 bananas (not green)
Vanilla wafers
Flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
1 egg
2 cups cold skim or nonfat milk
Sugar
Cornstarch
Vanilla
Unsalted butter
Dark brown sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Love the review! The recipe sounds very good too. Thank you
Thank you for the delicious sounding Salted Caramel Banana Pudding recipe.
Can’t wait for the opportunity to read and review THE DIVA GOES OVERBOARD. Do so love both this author’s books and this series.
Omgosh! I am drooling over that recipe! I LOVE salted caramel! And this cozy series is one of my favorites! Sophie is such a likeable character. I could see us sitting down to coffee and a slice of pie together.
Love her books. Can’t wait for this one.
I am a big fan of this long running series! The pudding looks awesome.
Love the banana pudding smiley face above the recipe. 🙂
Lol, now I can’t unsee it!