A Murderous Macaron (Beachfront Bakery #2) by Fiona Grace

A Murderous Macaron (Beachfront Bakery #2) Reviews

• 
  David

  A Murderous Macaron is book #2 in a charming and hilarious new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, whose bestselling Murder in the Manor (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery) has nearly 200 five star reviews. Allison Sweet, 34, a sous chef in Los Angeles who we met in the first book, has had it up to here with demeaning customers, her demanding boss, and her failed love life. After a shocking incident, she realizes the time has come to start life fresh and follow her lifelong dream of moving to a small town and opening a bakery of her own. A rude shock jock tourist dies after eating his way up and down the boardwalk while tossing insults to practically everyone, and all eyes fall on Allison, as the police blame her new macarons that have a secret ingredient that is so delicious it has customers lining up and down the boardwalk—but she knows they are not, the cause of the death. Allison is forced to clear her name and salvage her customers. She has no choice but to retrace the victim’s foodie trek up and down the boardwalk, and to figure out what he ate—or who he insulted—that could have gotten him killed. With her beloved dog at her side, it is a race against time to crack the mystery and solve the crime before she loses her bakery—and her budding romance—for good. A hilarious cozy mystery series, packed with twists, turns, romance, travel, food and unexpected adventure, the Beachfront Bakery series will keep you laughing and turning pages late into the night as you fall in love with an endearing new character who will capture your heart. Nicely done sequel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
• 
  Roberta

  An enjoyable cozy with a wonderful heroine who has to deal with some not too nice people. Will continue on with this series.
• 
  Romanticamente Fantasy

  Rormid - per RFS
  .
  Si avvicina l’estate e con il caldo, il sole e la spiaggia non può mancare un bel libro sotto l’ombrellone. E perché non leggere un bel cozy thriller? È quello che ci vuole, proprio il genere a cui appartiene il secondo volume de I gialli della pasticceria della spiaggia di cui vi parlerò.
  
  Alison Sweet, nonostante le peripezie che ha dovuto affrontare, ha finalmente realizzato il suo sogno, quello di aprire una pasticceria a Willow Bay, un posto di cui è follemente innamorata e a cui è legata per i ricordi del suo passato. Il locale va alla grande, i suoi cupcakes vanno a ruba, ma desidera dare uno sprint in più decidendo di aggiungere dei meravigliosi macarons al suo menù. Ha già in mente il giorno in cui vorrà lanciare le sue nuove delizie e ad aiutarla ci sarà la sua nuova dipendente Piper, una ragazza decisamente sbadata. La giornata tanto attesa è arrivata e sembra tutto fantastico fino a quando un critico culinario blogger, tanto arrogante quanto buffone non decide di scegliere Willow Bay come tappa per le sue registrazioni. Qualcosa di strano accade e il tizio farà una brutta fine. La nostra pasticcera dovrà fare i conti con questo mistero e farà di tutto per trovare il colpevole, perché in questo momento tutto sembra indicare lei!
  
  Alison è una ragazza determinata a perseguire i suoi sogni. Diciamola tutta però, sembra un po’ Jessica Fletcher versione pasticcera, si ritrova sempre un cadavere tra i piedi, ma diversamente dalla nostra beniamina degli anni passati, finisce per essere la prima indiziata. Tutto questo non la scoreggerà, deve trovare il colpevole così che la sua pasticceria torni a splendere. Povera Ali mi fa un po’ pena, sfortunata sotto ogni aspetto della sua vita e con una famiglia che non la appoggia per niente, a parte il fratello Teddy, il quale la incoraggia sempre e comunque.
  
  Piper, l’aiutante bella e goffa di Alison, è la tipica ragazza che va in California per riuscire a sfondare nel mondo del cinema, ma si ritrova a far qualsiasi lavoro pur di andare avanti e non rinunciare ai suoi sogni. Questo accomuna le due ragazze, ma per tutto il resto non potrebbero esser più diverse. Piper è sbadata, né combina una dietro l’altra mettendo a dura prova la pazienza del suo datore di lavoro, che però ha un buon cuore e non vuole mandarla via. Farà bene?
  
  Ritroviamo ancora una volta Delaney, carissima amica di Alison che è sempre lì pronta a sostenerla e aiutarla con la sua natura eccentrica.
  
  Nate è il bel surfista australiano con cui ancora non sembra batter chiodo… è sfortunata anche su quel fronte.
  
  Se con Nate non funzionerà, forse potrà pensarci il nuovo arrivato, l’affascinante ed elegante Newyorkese Seth.
  
  Questo libro, come già accennato, è perfetto per il periodo estivo, un ottimo compagno durante la tintarella, un cozy thriller divertente, un mix di mistero, intrighi, sorrisi e qualche risata, un’atmosfera unica e leggera, per niente pesante e complessa come può esserla in un classico del suo genere. L’autrice ha uno stile molto fluido e semplice, ma ciò non deve ingannare, riesce sempre a creare una trama interessante e per niente scontata.
• 
  Rosie Sullivan

  These books remind me of Hallmark Mystery Movies and I love them!
• 
  L.S.

  A fun cosy mystery with likeable characters (excluding Miriyam!) and an original plot with the visiting vlogger who causes trouble wherever he goes. Ali Sweet, MC, is building up her business despite her family who seem to think she's making a mistake. Determined to prove them wrong she throws herself into her bakery so when there's a murder on her premises she has to prove her innocence. With a new employee who mixes up ingredients, two men vying for her attention, and a rival in the bakery business, she has her hands full even without the investigation going on.
  On top of that, there's news about her father who left the family many years ago. Is it any wonder she jumps to the wrong conclusion now and then?
  I didn't read book one in this series but I enjoyed this one and will read more about the beachfront bakery.
• 
  Kathy

  Ali is suspected of murder again! This time a vlogger dies in her bakery after eating her new macarons. Can Ali find the real killer and clear her name? There is also a new romance in the picture for Ali. And more info on her father's whereabouts. A fun read!
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Bonnijean Marley

  A Murderous Macaron is an example of fast fiction, books that are written quickly with no developmental editing. The audio version is the main reason for my giving 2 stars. The book itself rates 3. The audio was frustrating to listen to because the narrator is inconsistent with accents and pronunciations, and there are several mistakes and verbal stumbles that should have been edited out before the audio version was released
  
  After a food critic dies in her bakery, Ally decides to find the killer so she isn't the main suspect. She careens from one false accusation to another. What was the writer thinking? The protagonist is going to make a lot of enemies with her blunt interviews. Every time she has a clue she accuses someone of murder. Her protagonist is going to have to continue to live and work in this town, so maybe she should be more subtle.
  
  A good editor should have caught the time discrepancies. For example, toward the end of the book, Ally is just having her morning coffee when she has an idea, goes to get someone, then the two of them go to a restaurant to confront a third party. The book previously stated the restaurant was within walking distance, yet suddenly it is nighttime. And a police detective magically appears at the restaurant manager's office to take the suspect into custody even though no one had called him and he was not on duty. His presence at the restaurant is explained, but his appearance in the office is not.
• 
  Judy

  In this second of the Beachfront Bakery series, our new bakery owner is adding macarons to her offerings and about to be reviewed by a vlog reviewer who is known for his outrageous treatment of the businesses he reviews. When he drops dead in her bakery, she is (of course) a suspect and decides to solve the mystery herself. Another typical but entertaining cozy from this prolific author.
• 
  Amanda

  Not as fun as the first, but still a great read. I like the new characters Piper and Seth. However, the 2 guys fighting over 1 girl is a little overdone. It'll be interesting to see how this series continues.
• 
  Maria

  This was a chore to get through. I really enjoyed the first one but this one was not as good. I cringed every time Piper was mentioned as she is possibly the worst employee ever, costing Ali money, creating more work, and she still hasn’t been fired. Then there’s the writing: “just then” and “wide as dinner plates” are constantly used. This was just a ridiculous story and I could not get through it. I skimmed just to find out who the murderer was. I will not be continuing with this series.
• 
  Jennifer Brown

  4.5 Stars
  
  This one started a little slow for me and then took off after the death. There were quite a few suspects and I liked that. I didn't guess who the killer ended up being. They also keep having this story that I was answered! Onto the next one!
• 
  Linda Kaban

  Very clever twist at the end. Enjoyed this very much!!
• 
  Holly Mcclain

  Still a cute cozy, but the comparison of the narrator of #1 in the series to the the narrator of #2 took away a star and a half for me. I am a narrator and it always pains me.to criticize knowing what it's like, but you gotta have some EMOTION, girl! Many many people can read well. But you HAVE to do MORE than that. Put some concern in there somewhere. Don't give us "see Jane run".
  I actually HAD that review once and it was infuriating because they actual BOOK was so bad the author decided later just to rewrite it, lol. So I did what I could with what I was given. That's not the case here though. A good narrator could've given this book the humor it deserved.
• 
  Kymm

  A Murderous Macaron by Fiona Grace is the second book in A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery series and was the perfect follow up to the first where we met Allison Sweet, the newest business owner on the boardwalk who specializes in pastries and baked goods. Her business is now going strong and she's ready to introduce a new item to her menu, her wonderful macarons. She's redone the menu, made hundreds of the sweet treats in a variety of flavors and even had a special sign made to commemorate the day. Everything is going to be great! Or is it?
  
  On the day of the big macaron debut, a well known YouTube blogger is due to show up in town and he's not known for his manners or good will. He's a rude and crass young man who finds humor in others hard work and offerings. He thinks it's funny to pretend he's puking and gagging after tasting samples from restaurants around town and now he's headed to Allison's shop and her macarons are his next target. He makes a big scene upon entering and already Allison knows he's not someone she's going to like, in fact she thinks he's a real jerk! After tasting several different flavors of her delicious macarons and spitting them all out he gets up to leave complaining about the horrible food he just ate, but he doesn't even make it to the door before he drops! He's dead and Allison is shocked!
  
  Here she goes again, a dead body and she's right there. The investigation is of course centered on her and her store. Since he died in her store and the cause of death seems to be poisoning, her macarons are now suspect. The police are once again focused on her and her alone, but she knows she's innocent and to clear her name and that of her shop she's going to have to handle this investigation on her own. She's done this before and can do it again! With the help from her assistant at the store she sets out to find a killer on the boardwalk.
  
  Cozy mysteries are all about the characters, settings and the who dunnit. At least they are to me. I love the simplicity of them. They don't take a huge time commitment, or a lot of thought or concentration. They're just fun stories with great characters who usually end up in the middle of a crime and it's all about the solving of that crime that keeps me reading. I just love them and they're perfect for those times after you've read a few really intense or long books that take a lot of thought or concentration. And then there's the joy of following the series, getting to know all the characters throughout and by the end feeling like you know them all. Once you find a series you love, it's like finding a treasure. You know you're in for a wonderful journey with great people you've just met and you can't wait to see where you're going! So far this is one of those series! Happy Reading!
• 
  Jerrye Bell

  A Murderous Macaron by Fiona Grace
  
  Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  __________________________________________________________________
  Story Notes
  
  Fiona Grace brings readers the second in her Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery series and its a fun story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing Whodunit?
  
  I love these shorter-styled mysteries that are complex enough to be engaging but not so heavy as to be intense. And I'm really enjoying this series by Fiona Grace. Ali Sweet is a bakery owner in a small seaside town and has been enjoying a wonderful uptick in business. Her cupcakes sell out daily and she is now hoping to diversify her menu with the addition of rainbow macrons. But her launch day becomes a day of tragedy when a popular prankster food critic visits her shop and dies after tasting her macarons! Once again, Ali is tossed back into the suspect pool and has to decide if she'll sink or swim. With her friends alongside her and a new love interest in sight, Ali must puzzle her way out of this dilemma if she's going to get her shop back before she loses all her customers for good.
  This delightful cozy mystery was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Ali has such a hilarious personality that is snarky and realistic but also kind and helpful. A true friend and compassionate boss, she can't seem to fire her inept assistant, despite all the evidence that says she should. I loved her "investigation" and how she ended up solving the case. Everything was tied up nicely for the case but Ms. Grace left us all wondering what will happen next for Ali - will she choose Nate or Seth? I, for one, am looking forward to finding out.
  
  I received this temporary complimentary E-book from the author via BookSirens in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Allison Sweet (“Ali”) was a sous chef in Los Angeles who got tired of the demeaning customers, demanding boss, and even her failure at love. So she moves to a small town to open her own bakery.
  
  A rude tourist, eating his way up and down the boardwalk, dies in Ali’s bakery. She, of course, came under suspicion as the police blamed the new macarons she had added to the bakery menu. Brandon Lennox had been a food critic who had become sidetracked by prank videos when they generated more popularity for him. But Ali is certain her macarons did not kill him, despite his spitting each one out as he took a bite and ruined an entire plate of macarons. The police figured he tasted the poison which is why he did that and did not believe he was just play-acting for his video review. Therefore, she has to clear her name to keep her customers, and the toxicology report would take at least two weeks! She had to investigate this on her own. And she had a few suspicions already – or at least questions she needed answers to.
  
  Ali starts her search by retracing Lennox’s path along the boardwalk to figure out what he ate—or more likely, who he insulted—which would have gotten him killed. Can she solve the murder in time to save her business?
  
• 
  Jen

  I didn’t hate it, but I sure didn’t like it. I gave this book a LOT of grace, largely because it was part of a series (the first installment of which I did not read), so things that were overly convenient or glossed over I was willing to look past…
  
  But a saintly blonde baker with a month old (but very successful) business in a new town, a father who mysteriously abandoned her, her mom, her sister (both of whom are selfish raging narcissistic jerks), & her sweet also saintly brother who is also the best friend of a stray dog that she’s apparently responsible for feeding but won’t adopt, a conveniently fantastical former apprenticeship at the feet of a renowned French chef, who also somehow has a penchant for solving murders, and is tolerated by the police while also somehow having been previously arrested for a murder she didn’t commit?
  
  This book went so far beyond the parameters of the suspension of disbelief that I think I might have sprained something. I wanted something sweet and lighthearted after reading Andy Weir’s newest book (Project Hail Mary), and this… this was a mistake.
  
  Do yourself a favor and skip it.
• 
  Shalini

  What do you do when a vlogger, who was a jerk of a food critic, dropped dead right in the floor of your shop after eating your macarons? You panic, then take a deep breath and start the investigation to prove your innocence. That’s what Ali did.
  
  My second book by author Fiona Grace, check out review of book 1 here. I loved how she picked herself up and went about questioning others. The author managed to make the story come alive with a few side plots of Ali’s father and hints of a new romance.
  
  This book had a slight difference as there was a race against time before the toxicology report came in. Ali had no time to waste. The story moved slightly faster than book, for me.
  
  Filled with quirky characters, the fortune teller and her monkey were the best, I found this to be one of the delightful Sunday reads. And yes… Twists and turns marked the journey and Ali found her killer.
  
  Yesterday was cupcakes, today it was the macarons… My hips jiggled too much now. No more cozy food books. They were bad for my diet. My thrillers…my precious…here I come…
  
  
• 
  Hilary

  I'd give this 2.5*.
  
  I really like the setting of this. A cute little bakery in a seaside town in California and the owner lives in a small 1 bedroom apt on the beach (I think). The author does a great job of describing the town.
  
  The story itself is 'good enough' but I wouldn't put this on a must read for murdery mystery series. I have listened to the first two on audio. I really liked the narrator of the first one but the second narrator. .. needs some work. I think she could be ok but it seems like this might be her very first book she's narrated. Her cadence isn't quite right for audio books. She almost enunciates too much & so it's choppy when listening to it.
  
  i do not like how the author uses the dog in these series. It feels a bit like Lassie is making a cameo and it makes me roll my eyes. I like animals that add a little something to the story ... not ones that are literally saving the day.
  
  All this being said... I'll probably keep listening to future audio books in this series.
• 
  Lissa Knowles

  This description of this book drew me in but once I started reading it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. The characters weren't all that likeable and I found it difficult to empathiize with the heroine. As she pursued her investigation after an obnoxious food critic had te nerve to die inside her shop, Allie jumps from suspect, desperate to get her bakery reopened. I had a difficult time getting through the book because it didn't grab my attention so I was able to put it down and go away from it without feeling any need to know what happened next. By the time everything was revealed at the end I was left feeling a little unsatisfied with the conclusion although Allie had her bakery back so her world was complete.
  
  It should be noted that not everything mentioned in the description matches the story line of the book.
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  MandyMarie

  Beachfront Bakery: A Murderous Macaron was a fun weekend read. This was my first book by Fiona Grace, but I’m so glad I picked it up!
  🧁
  Ali is newish to the seaside town and has just recently opened up her bakery, Seaside Sweets. She is very proud of the success she has and has decided to expand her menu. She’s feeling optimistic about her and her business’ future until someone, whom she has a strong dislike for, drops dead in her lobby.
  🧁
  If you’re a fan of Janet Evanovich or Susan Mallery, you will like this book! It is enjoyable reading, great writing, and likable characters made this book a page-turner!
  🧁
  This is the second book in the series; I could tell I was missing some pieces that must be from the previous story (relationships mostly), but it didn’t take away from the story.
  🧁
  The story ends in a HFN and continues with the third book out in a few months. I don’t feel like it ended in a cliffhanger.
• 
  Lise

  Ali Sweet's bakery is finally off the ground, enough so that she's confident in the repayment of her initial loan. That all changes when a vlogger comes to town. Known for his antics and controversial reviews, Ali dreads letting him through her door. Should have listened to your gut, Ali - the guy drops dead after spitting out her new macarons, hardly a resounding endorsement.
  
  This is the second mystery I've read this week that was set in a beach town with a stray dog. Total fluke or maybe I'm longing for warm sunny days. Either way, A Murderous Macaron would have been a perfect beach read - not too complex and yet interesting enough to keep my eyes firmly on the page. I nitpicked some plot points, grammatical errors, and typos, but it wasn't a terrible read and it built on the original story.
  
  So, once again, if cosy mysteries are your genre, this book might be right up your street.
• 
  Laurie Franco

  This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first one. As a few other reviewers pointed out, there were several typos etc that made me pause but didn’t detract from the overall story too much.
  Once again we see Ali stuck in the middle of a murder investigation, but this time the victim is a customer in her shop. She again puts her sleuthing cap on to discover the real culprit and save her business from ruin. We meet a few new characters in this book, as well as a new love interest for Ali, which is exciting. I hope to read the next book soon. I see a pattern with the “whodunnit” that I kind of hope doesn’t continue as it is getting monotonous already and kind of takes away from the overall ending. I still give it 5 stars because it was a great read!
• 
  JulieAnn Crane

  Another fabulous cozy mystery from Fiona Grace. In this sequel, Ali Sweet’s bakery is doing well and she is about to launch her new product: Macarons. However, while eating the new macarons in her bakery, a high profile blogger publicly criticizes them and within minutes falls down dead. With the help of Delaney and Tommy, as well as some new friends - Seth and Ali’s new ditzy employee - Ali tries to get the heat off herself and find out who the true murderer is. I really like how Fiona Grace creates such full and unique characters, who you are excited to get to know. A lovely and relaxing mystery…I’ll definitely be continuing on with this series and some of the other series that Fiona Grace has to offer!
• 
  Mary Welter-o'connor

  This is the second in the series that I have read. I liked it better than the first. Thought the story line was the same, I felt that there was more character development. It was a quick read. That could still use a little more depth. I do enjoy the different characters along the boardwalk. I hope that she can delve into their personalities, helping the reader to feel like they really know them. I feel no longing to continue reading about them, which is disappointing. To be honest if i hadn’t received these for free I definitely wouldn’t have purchased the second book.
  
  I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.