Criminal Confections - Blog Tour Review

Criminal Confections by Colette London

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: Blog Tour
Description:  Hayden Mundy Moore is the chocolate whisperer.  Her job is to fix what's broken with chocolates from all over the world and from some of the finest chocolate companies in existence.  So a weekend at a chocolate themed resort isn't all that unusual.  However, having a colleague turn up dead is unexpected.  With the help of her friend Danny, a security expert, Hayden hopes to find out what really happened.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  Chocolate and a cozy mystery?  Can't pass that up!

My Impression:
Pro:  I loved all the chocolate talk.  Seriously where was the chocolate whisperer booth at career fairs in college?  Where can I sign up to go to an all chocolate brunch?  I have questions!  I liked the breezy feel of the writing style.  It feels like Hayden is just chatting with the reader.  Also, Hayden's friend and security expert is named Danny which brings to mind the TV show Las Vegas so this is what Danny looks like in my head:

image: lasvegastvshow.wikia.com

This does not make me sad.  The descriptions of the resort are detailed without being overly so as well as the discussions about the chocolate itself.  The pacing is very good and there are a number of little threads that keep me interested without getting to be too much.  I also liked that the murder is for a large portion of the book considered an overdose so Hayden isn't interfering in a police investigation and her motive for being involved in the first place is because there's a chance that she could be a victim.  I'm pretty picky about the reasons amateurs get involved in murders so this worked for me.

Con:  I thought Christian Lemaitre was a little over the top jerk.  I can understand that he wouldn't be a nice guy or would be incredibly driven but he comes off as more of an incompetent child.  Also, there's a lot of repetitive mentions.  Hayden never just gets up and leaves or grabs her purse.  It's always her cross-body bag and the whole "Hayden Mundy Moore" gets a little annoying.  We also hear a lot of about Travis's voice and that he's her financial adviser that she's never met. I don't mind having a character whose basically a disembodied voice (Charlie's Angels anyone?) but I could live with a little less discussion of how sexy the voice is.

Overall:  While there are some flaws they're mainly little annoyances and in no way overshadow all the chocolate-y fun and murder.  I was entertained the whole time reading it and I look forward to seeing where this series goes from here.  However, do not read without some chocolate nearby!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes!  There's lots of potential for a really interesting series and learning more about chocolate!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you're a cozy lover than this is a fun one!

Challenges Met? Reading Road Trip (California), Foodie Reads