Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop, #1) by Morgana Best

Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop, #1) Reviews

• 
  Muffy Barkocy

  Bad science, awkward writing, wish-fulfillment
  
  I'm prepared to suspend some amount of disbelief when reading a cozy mystery, but the details of the heroine's transformation are unnecessarily preposterous, and she appears determine to ruin her health even if not her figure.
  
  The grammar is correct but the writing doesn't flow well, particularly in the dialog. I did appreciate the one interaction with the police that showed they were doing a competent job without amateur help, as that is a common irritation in cozies.
  
  It wasn't impossible to finish but I wouldn't read another.
• 
  Cecilia

  Ridiculous
  
  It is very hard to like a book when the heroine is a ridiculously defective glutton. The premise by which she becomes slim and beautiful and incapable of gaining weight is way too unbelievable and I am sorry that I wasted my time.
• 
  Tari

  I really enjoyed getting to know Narel Myers and her bestie Carl. They'd both been bullied in high school and sort of stuck together through the last twelve years. Who wouldn't love a best friend like Carl, he was sweet, funny and always there for Narel, especially after she got out of the hospital following extensive surgeries and treatments as the result of a car crash. Someone was killing off the mean kids from high school, and Narel along with Carl made it their business to find out who it was. It was so hilarious to see the two of them in action. In the meantime, Narel was getting ready to open her own gourmet chocolate shop, and the realtor turned out to be a guy she had a crush on in high school, a fellow bully victim. I never guessed the killer until the clues came together, it was a good twist with an awesome showdown. I love it when pets (in this case, her adopted cat Mongrel) get to save the day! I've read the blurbs from the next books and am definitely interested in reading more.
• 
  Books

  A delightful, well written cozy that was fast to read and joy able to read. Narel Mayer’s is obsessed with chocolate. So much so that the kids called “The Populars” in high school nicknamed her Cocoa Narel. “The Populars” were a group of people who spent all their time harassing those that were not up to their definition of the right people. Their high school is having a reunion, 12 years after graduation.
  
  Suddenly “The Populars” start getting murdered. One by one they keep dying. At first Narel and her best friend Carl are suspect’s because they were harassed by them. Can Carl and Narel figure out who the murderer is before one of them becomes a target.
  
  This is the first book in the Cocoa Narel Designer Chocolate Shop Mysteries. I really enjoyed the story and hope to read more of this series.
  
  For fans of cozy mysteries I definitely recommend.
• 
  bex

  2 star
  
  Premise doesn't feel credible, especially how and what the doctor told her. It contradicts itself repeatedly in a variety of ways. The characters feel like cardboard cutouts shoved and manipulated as it suits the author without characterization or consistency. And it was pretty blah for the mystery itself. Hopefully I will remember not to pick up more of these.
• 
  Anastasia

  Sweet Revenge by Morgana Best is the first book in the Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries series. Narel Myers is transformed after a serious car accident leaves her needing extensive surgery and returns to open a chocolate shop. She finds that her previous school bullies are being killed off and investigates. An interesting and fun mystery showing that bullies do not change. I liked getting to know Narel and her friends and I envy her ability to eat chocolate without gaining weight. Although rather unrealistic, it was still entertaining and enjoyable.
• 
  Nadine

  A lighthearted, fun cozy mystery
  
  I SO bonded with Narel over her love of chocolate! I’m a true chocoholic LOL. Very enjoyable book, and lots of fun! The characters are great. The mystery was well-written. I adored Narel’s cranky cat Mongrel! It’s true: any book gets better with pets!
• 
  Tess Ailshire

  Is that the state of the medical practices in Australia? Please say no.... Medically impossible to gain weight? Eating nothing but chocolate without other severe health consequences? Extensive plastic surgery with no evidence? No recommended follow-up medical or psychiatric care?
  
  Then the other nopes ...
  
  One friend in town? A "friend" who brings you a cat who'll rule your life?
  
  The Populars?
  
  Opening a business with no concept of business requirements (well, for a cozy mystery, that one's not too unorthodox). Calling this a "culinary" mystery is well beyond the realm of belief.
  
  Stilted dialog, often repetitive. Unrealistic naming conventions. Twelve-year reunion rather than a milestone year such as 10 or 15?
  
  Too much for this reader's tastes. I came very close to abandoning the book midway, and I'm not certain I did myself any favors by finishing it.
• 
  Mummy's Naughty Corner

  This was a fun read. I would love to wake up in hospital and lose a ton of weight and finding out that you will never put on another pound. I would be in heaven and just like Narel I would buy a chocolate shop and eat nothing but chocolate lol. There is a mystery around all the fun. The popular's from school all start dying and in the end it turns out that even the populars hate each other.
• 
  Suzanne

  I knew from reading some reviews this was a little different. It was and I loved it.
  
  The book is about Narel a woman who spent months in a Sydney hospital recovering after being put back together after being hit by a drunk driver.
  Narel was no beauty to start with and with forced dieting and reconstructive surgery she is now beautiful and when she returns home no one is her town recognizes her except her best friend Carl.
  Now here's the bizarre part of her problem after the accident. She can't gain weight. And she adores chocolate. In fact that's all she eats, except for drinking coffee.
  
  The murders start of the popular's, or the bullies in the school and Narel is suspect #1 since she is in close proximity to the first two victims and she was the most bullied. Grossly overweight, acne and always eating chocolate you can imagine what the bullies of the school did. When the fourth victim is discovered at the reunion Narel, picks up on a chance clue and figures out who the murderer is.
  
  I found this book fascinating because it made me pause and realize that mean, nasty and bullies never really do change when they grow up. They stay the same. They just can be a little better at the put downs.
  It also pointed out that people are more accepting of a good looking person than a flawed one.
  
  The only thing that really bugged me about the book and it probably will the whole series is that Narel eats nothing, and I do mean nothing, but chocolate.
  Now I am not a chocolate person so I had to try to relate with my favorite foods, burgers and pizza (I couldn't pick just 1) and try as I did the thought of eating nothing but those foods made my stomach hurt. So the idea of eating just one thing all the time boggles my mind. And is kind of a fun thought at the same time. Just the part of eating all you want and never gaining weight. Oh the thought of never having to look at a carrot stick again.
  
  There are some editing errors and some of the sentence structure seemed odd to me. But that's just me so it's probably correct.
  
  I enjoyed the first book so much I purchased/signed up to receive the next books since they are always at a discount the first few days (.99) For my dry sense of humor this book is perfect.
  
  The only negative thing is I never got a physical sense of the characters. What they look like. But I do know what makes them tick and that is the main thing.
  And the picture I have in my mind of the little town and the chocolate shop Narel plans to open is perfect.
  
  I'm so happy the theme was chocolate and I read all my fudge shop books. Now I have a new series that won't be on my kindle for two yrs. before I read it. YAY
• 
  Nicole

  Oddly, this book began with a spell rather than a dedication. I am therefore glad that I enjoyed it.
  
  It was unrealistic. The main character had had extensive plastic surgery after a car accident and was also now unable to put on weight. Therefore she ate chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now I love chocolate but even I know that’s a bad idea — teeth and diabetes for a start.
  
  The characters were a little two-dimensional. It would have been nice to find out something about Kitty beyond that she loved chocolate and had been bullied as a kid for it.
  
  However, there was a lovely quirkiness through the story that made it enjoyable.
  
  I was a little disappointed that Best started with a glossary of Australian colloquial terms, but didn’t use one in the book. The setting could have been a small town anywhere.
• 
  Fleur

  I love cozy mysteries and this has some good points but also some bad points, I really liked the idea of Narel having an accident and getting a make over out of it but the whole can't gain weight and only eating chocolate all the time really got me. I did however like all the characters and the whole killing of "The Populars" was great and did leave me wondering who was doing it. This book has left me on the fence of reading more from Morgana Best but I think due to the great characters I will give another book a go.
  
  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
• 
  Maggie

  although she is one of my favorite authors, this is not my favorite series.
  
  as usual, the characters are positive and she has a few close friends that are going to stand by her no matter what. i do love that about this author. the premise for this series wasn't my taste though. (pun intended)
  
  cocoa narel gets in an accident where she loses a ton of weight and can't gain it back. living the dream, right? the problem is this woman literally eats nothing but chocolate. really. chocolate spaghetti, chocolate everything, all the time. no vegetables or fruit unless it's in chocolate. it was really too much for me.
• 
  Abi

  I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
  Sweet Revenge was an okay read, involving a serial killer and a woman who’d recently had reconstruction surgery after an accident, and happened to be chocolate obsessed.
  
  I liked the yarn-whiteboard plotting, and I didn’t see the murderer coming.
  
  I thought Narel’s chocolate obsession was too much, and that all the characters were rather vapid and 2-D. Very stereotypical.
  
  Overall, I sort of liked this, but more could have been done with it. 3 stars.
• 
  Ambrosia

  Something about this book really grated on me. Maybe it’s how immature both Narel and Carl are. And how stereotypical and one-dimensional they are. And there’s also something off-putting about the dialogue.
  
  It’s too bad - I really enjoyed her witches and wine series and was hoping this would be another fun series.
• 
  Barbara Hackel

  In the first book of the series we meet Narel Myers who is being released from the hospital after several months and many surgeries following a horrible car accident. The ironic thing is Narel used to be a very heavy set gal, and not particularly attractive. After all the reconstructive surgery she is now a slim and totally hot woman. But both before and after the accident she has a fondness so strong for chocolate, that she seldom eats anything else. As she is being released the doctor told her there was one thing about all the procedures that he had to tell her. He then said that she would never be able to gain weight again. Awwww! Poor Narel! As you can imagine this news did not bring tears to her eyes!
  
  And thus begins her "new" life back in the same town where she grew up and was bullied unmercifully by a group referred to as "The Populars." She has decided to open a chocolate shop, and with the help of her best friend Carl, proceeds to make the dream a reality. Every time she meets someone who knew her in high school, they fail to recognize her. But she recognizes two of the Populars who come into her shop while she is in the planning and remodeling stages. Then when she is stopped by a handsome man and asked out to dinner, she realizes that he is also one of the Populars, and again he has no clue who she is. It isn't until she meets him for dinner and he gets angry and leaves suddenly that the trouble starts. And the rest of the book, Narel with the help of Carl, must try to find out who is murdering all the Populars, because the police think it is her!
  
  Gotta love a character who orders dessert for her main course and then another for dessert! Or one who is obsessed with eating chocolate! As Narel and Carl's characters are further developed in the book, we learn that even though she was bullied as a high schooler, she is really a kind and gentle person. When Carl adopts an old cat that has been abused named Mongrel and gives it to Narel as a present, she goes out of her way to be kind to a cat who is ugly, ill mannered, and probably psychotic! Mongrel shows his loyalty in the end even though he sure seems to be cranky.
  
  This is a fun book with interesting characters. I caught myself giggling at some of the actions of the other bullied classmates and the reports of what had happened to them in high school. The author has a dry, but wicked sense of humor. I can hardly wait to learn what Narel and Carl are going to do next time they solve a crime!
• 
  Lise

  After a terrific car accident, Narel Myers finds that she is now unable to gain weight. Score one for the plus side as Narel loves chocolate. With her payout from insurance, she plans to create a chocolate shop in her hometown where the kids used to tease her for being overweight. Her dreams will have to be put on hold until she can help the police track down the murderer of her previous bullies who are dropping like flies.
  
  I found this book required me to suspend my disbelief a fair bit. Setting aside the amazing ability to eat everything and not gain a pound, it would get tedious to only eat one food all the time. (I've been to a chocolate buffet where the entire meal was chocolate-based and I was over it at the end - and I, too, love chocolate.) Beyond the chocolate, I was disturbed that so many children were bullied and in such awful ways. Narel mostly was shamed for her weight, but the others were physically harmed. Where were the teachers? Where were the parents? And, where are Narel's parents now? Even if their relationship is strained, I'd expect at least one of them to be on the scene when Narel leaves the hospital after such physical trauma.
  
  With all that negativity, you'd think I'd hate the book. But, no. I have hopes for this series - that Narel will mature and flourish. She already has the perfect best friend and an awesome new life ahead of her. She's not timid and is willing to give what she gets. And, the pet is a cat - not a cute little kitten - but a beast of an animal that they've taken in because he'd never be adopted otherwise. That says a lot. My wish is that Mongrel the cat comes out of his shell and completes this group.
  
  Recommended, cautiously.
• 
  Emily Pennington

  Narel Myers had been lying in a hospital bed for months now. She had been involved in a serious accident with a drunk driver, requiring many surgeries. The result was that she had lost an enormous amount of weight. Now it was time for her to be discharged, but the doctor had some important news to tell her. Because of the massive surgeries, she was no longer able to gain weight! The doctor had expected her to take the news badly, so he was unprepared for her unrestrained, manic laughter! The irony obviously unhinged her for the moment!
  
  Narel decides to open a fancy chocolate shop where she can have all the chocolate she wants without gaining any weight. All the bullies from high school who tormented her constantly about her weight no longer recognized her. When the “populars” begin dying, Narel becomes the main suspect since the motive of revenge makes her the most likely one to commit these crimes. She and her best friend, Carl, need to find the real murderer quickly! Can they uncover the real murderer? Or is Narel’s future about to drastically change?
  
  This was an enjoyable book! It was nice to get to know the characters and see them in action. Even Mongrel, the cat that Carl gives to Narel, has a unique personality! I was terribly envious of Narel’s “affliction” – I can’t imagine being able to eat all that chocolate with no weight worries. (That’s how I knew this had to be fiction, for sure!) I look forward to reading more of these humorous books – all the chocolate I can read about, and no calories! I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
• 
  Eva

  This was a 3.5 for me. A quick read but not entirely my cup of tea.
  
  Pos:
  *The h was likable and relatable, to an extent
  *Supporting characters were likable
  (especially if you were ever bullied or considered unattractive)
  *The killers motivations were explained well
  *I didnt figure out the murderer but it still made sense
  *Story moved at a fairly good pace, we had plenty of potential suspects to consider and a very funny scene with food and dogs 😊
  *I enjoyed the cats role
  
  
  Neg:
  *the h's obsession with chocolate was too much, after the third time she had chocolate cake for her main followed with chocolate for dessert i felt my own teeth rotting...
  *there was too much repetition, same things were explained three times within a couple of pages and this happened several times throughout the book
  *certain things didn't make sense, such as character motivations and lack of important conversations after a significant event...
  
  But I do believe those will be minor issues to some, and I must say i dont regret reading this. I'm unlikely to pick up the next book, but then who knows 🤷‍♀️
• 
  Bev

  Narel Myers was an overweight girl in high school who was bullied and teased to no end. She also had a love of chocolate, which she still does. One day she is in a terrible car accident, spends months in a hospital undergoing surgeries and physical therapy. When she gets out, no one would recognize her. She is a model knockout girl! Her best friend, Carl Camden is the only person who knows who she is. She decides to open a chocolate shop with the settlement she received from the accident. But people she went to school with are being killed, and their high school reunion is in a few days. The police think Narel, is the top suspect since she was around two people already killed. But that isn't the end of it. There are more. Can Narel and Carl figure out who the killer is and why? There has already been an attempt on Narel's life, will they succeed like they did with the other murders? You will have to read the book to find out.
• 
  M.C. Foster

  This is an undemanding marshmallow of a read when you just want something fun... although the descriptions of bullying at school may bring back a few prickly memories for those who went through it at school.
  We get to meet Narel, A-grade chocaholic, as she gets out of hospital having had plastic surgery after a car accident that has also left her unable to gain weight, no matter what she eats. We also get to know her friend Carl of the erratic gaydar, and her very bad-tempered cat Mongrel.
  I appreciated the glossary of Australian terms at the start, most of which were familiar to me as a New Zealander. I was a little disappointed that the plot contained no mentions of budgie smugglers, though!
  On the mystery front, I would have like to see Narel take more initiative, although she does finally deduce who the guilty party is.
  It's not a book to be taken too seriously, but it's not meant to be taken seriously.
• 
  Sidney D Barber

  Chocolate is a girl's best friend. Murder isn't.
  
  I was so surprised to find one of Ms. Best's stories that wasn't witchie or paranormal. Those are just not my thing. Narel has been through some major life issues, from the high school bullying to the life shattering auto accident., to come out on the other side slim, beautiful and ready to move forward with her dream chocolate shop. With her best friend from high school by her side, they try to solve the mystery of who is targeting the Populars, the bullies who made life miserable for so many. Of course, as victims, they are the first suspects! There are enough twists to keep you guessing to the end. A very good read and not so short like many copies.