I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Christmas Trifle
by Heather Haven
Series: Snow Lake Romantic Suspense #1
Series Rating:
Published by Wives of Bath Press on September 1, 2019
Genres: Holiday Romantic Suspense
Pages: 322
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
When chefs Charly and Cliff Harding divorce, she gets custody of their upscale restaurant and its namesake, Felix, the cat. He gets custody of their dog, Oscar. What they both still have custody of is each other’s heart. But they seem to be the only two people in the small ski resort town of Snow Lake, Nevada, that don’t know it.
When Cliff opens his own restaurant in direct competition with Charly, bad things start to happen. Death threats, accidents, and murder are now on the menu. Their ‘if-you-can’t-take-the-heat-then-get-out-of-the-kitchen’ battles are backfiring, and regrets consume the two of them. But can they find their way back to each other? Or is it too late? Because they just might spend the rest of their lives in prison unjustly accused of killing someone. Or can love triumph over even murder?
It is the battle of the Trifle. Who will die next trying to win?
Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven has complex characters, suspense-filled situations, jealousy, and is a thoroughly entertaining book. I enjoyed the restaurant parts more than I expected. Perhaps I should lay off the food network a bit.
Chef Charly
Charly is our female lead, and she changes so much throughout the book. At first, she seems timid and unsure of herself. But once she divorces Cliff, she starts to find herself. It isn’t instant, but she figures out how to say what she wants.
I like that Charly loves to bake, cook and she can handle the business side of Chez Felix. Also, she loves animals, cats, and dogs. Charly also has a good heart. I didn’t like a few things about her, but she worked them out in the storyline so no need to worry about those things.
Chef Cliff
Cliff is our male lead. He is a whiz in the kitchen, and he has an ego the size of New York. Great minds surround Cliff, but he hardly listens or notices what is right there. He has a type of tunnel vision, where all he sees is his next goal. I honestly don’t know how those closest to him didn’t just strangle him at times.
At first, I didn’t care for Cliff. However, as the story moved, Cliff changed, and I began to see this sweet guy side of him that Charly hasn’t seen in a long time. There are times when Cliff doesn’t like himself. So, by the end of the tale, I had changed my mind about him.
Suspense and Story
I won’t give it away for you, but the mystery is well thought out, and the clues are hidden well but in plain sight. The suspense leads to many red herrings in my mind, but alas, I didn’t figure it out until the culprit is revealed.
I adored the setting, the supporting characters are magnificent, and the way the mystery was laid out is superb. Also, the way that Felix and Oscar cared about each other and their people is adorable.
4 Stars for Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven
My rating for Christmas Trifle by Heather Haven is four stars. This story is fabulous. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to see what Ms. Haven does in the next installment.
Giveaway
Prize: (3) Kindle Copy – Christmas Trifle (A Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Mystery) by Heather Haven
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Until the next time,
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About Heather Haven
Heather Haven, in the midst of writing her fourteenth novel, has also written short stories, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and plays. She has won numerous awards for her Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries; Manhattan-based WWII Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries; Ringling Brothers’ Circus mystery noir, Death of a Clown; and Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She has two romantic suspense series: Love Can be Murder Mystery Novellas with Lee Alvarez and Gurn Hanson, the Nick and Nora Charles of Silicon Valley, and the new Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels, of which Christmas Trifle is Book One.
She and her husband of thirty-four years are allowed to live with their two cats, Ellie and Yulie, in the foothills of San Jose, California.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Cloak and Dagger
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2019 New Release Challenge
Fantastic review and I loved the book, too!