I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Nutcracker Nightmare
by Christina Romeril
Series: Killer Chocolate Mysteries #2
Series Rating:
Published by Crooked Lane Books on October 17, 2023
Setting: Harriston, Montana
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 320
Format: ebook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook
Also in this series: A Christmas Candy Killing
Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. They’re eager to see old friends—and perhaps avoid old foes. One person they can’t avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna. He even uses his status as a judge at the upcoming chocolate competition to threaten her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, the twins soon bond with their fellow classmates over their nostalgia of their youth—but the party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.
Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—everyone saw her slap Kyle across the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him: Is there a football team secret Coach Fenton was covering up? Could the mayor, Everett, have a skeleton or two in his closet? And for some classmates, maybe time doesn’t heal all wounds.
When the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hannah know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.
A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril is another Christmas mystery for Alex Wright and Hanna Eastham.
Can Alex find the true killer of Kyle?
Alex Wright and Hanna Eastham
Alex Wright is back again working in her bookstore and candy shop. She has a hard time believing that Tom still wants to date her or even have anything to do with her. Alex, out of the two twins, is always the one who sticks her nose into other people’s business. Especially when it comes to solving a murder. I think that Alex will forever want to solve mysteries as she likes being able to solve a crime that isn’t in one of her mystery novels at the bookstore, despite what her sister and friends all think about Alex doing that.
Hanna Eastham loves making the specialty chocolates for the bookstore. She has been busy trying to create two new chocolates that taste excellent for the competition that they signed the shop up for. Hanna is accused, this time, of killing the victim when he is found dead. I have to say that out of the two, I don’t think Hanna could hurt anyone. However, Alex, I think she can if it is to protect someone.
The Victim
Kyle Allerton is the victim of this current mystery. Alive, Kyle wasn’t the best person, and now that he is dead, many people have a lot to say about him, and none of it was good. Well, even when he was alive, no one liked him. Kyle upset a lot of people growing up there and even more so now that he was back. At the class reunion for the Class of 99, he wasn’t well-liked by most of his former classmates, who didn’t want to talk to him. I have to say that finding out more about Kyle, I was surprised he wasn’t killed sooner.
Four Stars
A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril is another good Christmas read. I am giving A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril four stars and recommending it to anyone who likes a holiday mystery.
The only thing that I have to say to Ms. Romeril is maybe have a mystery set at a different time of year to make it different, and not all murderers go to Montana during the winter time.
Ms. Romeril has a how-to guide for making chocolate molds at home, True North Nicotine Caramel, and Gingerbread Gelsemine Truffle.
Killer Chocolate Mysteries
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Christina Romeril
Christina Romeril is the author of A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING, her debut novel and the first in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. The series is set in Montana at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, one of her favorite places to visit.
The debut author loves to plot murders, especially by poisoning. When she’s not plotting how to kill one of her characters she’s coming up with ways to dispose of the body. Since writing her debut novel her husband’s friends have been regularly checking on his well-being.
Christina also loves to read, eat chocolates, and travel when she’s not in her she shed writing. She grew up in Southern Ontario and spent most of her summers in Muskoka swimming, boating, and generally getting into mischief. She’s lived on both coasts of Canada and has a love of being near the water and close to a forest. Thus, it makes perfect sense that she moved to the prairies of Southern Alberta over twenty years ago.
During the warmer months you’ll find her escaping to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park with her cooler stocked full of chocolate and pastries. Occasionally, she will even set out on one of the many hiking trails and hope she doesn’t run into a hungry bear.
Christina is a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys interacting on social media. Be sure to like her Facebook page and follow her on Instagram and Twitter for upcoming book releases, special events, and more!
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2023 Beachcombers Mystery RC
- 2023 Cloak and Dagger
- 2023 Craving the Cozies
- 2023 Cruisin' thru the Cozies
- 2023 Goodreads RC
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