Bailey King is looking forward to a cozy Christmas in Amish country, celebrated simply with her devout  grandmother.  Peppermint is the dominant scent at Swissmen's Sweets as the chocolatier cheerfully bakes up a sleigh-full of goodies for her eager customers.  Bailey's enthusiastic ho ho ho's soon turn to bitter "bah humbugs" when her ex-boyfriend, celebrity pastry chef Eric Sharp, shows up in town to film a documentary on Amish Christmas practices.  His producer wants an "authentic" story greedy t.v. viewers will eat up, which Bailey fears will involve exploiting her friends, family, and business for ratings.  

When the documentary's executive producer, Rocky Rivers, is found dead in a Harvest gazebo, Eric becomes the primary suspect in her murder.  The town's sheriff's deputy, Aiden Brody, who has been sweet on Bailey ever since she came to town, seems only too eager to slap some cuffs on Eric's wrists.  Bailey's hardly Eric's biggest fan, but she doesn't want him to be wrongfully convicted.  Reluctantly, she agrees to play detective.  She believes in Eric's innocence (doesn't she?), but if he didn't kill Rocky, who did?  And why?  If she doesn't find the killer soon, no one in little Harvest is going to have a very merry Christmas ...

Premeditated Peppermint is the third book in Amanda Flower's delightful series revolving around the folks in Harvest, Ohio.  Although the quaint little town has a surprisingly high crime rate, it's still a fun place to visit.  The residents are appropriately quirky and there's plenty of Amish/English tension simmering under the surface to create lots of intriguing conflict.  Although the stories get far-fetched, I'm happy to suspend my disbelief in order to be entertained by the townfolks' antics.  Just like its predecessors, Premeditated Peppermint offers likable characters, a compelling mystery, and a unique setting.  Its vibe is Christmas-cozy, remaining warm and upbeat throughout.  I'm picky about which cozy mysteries I read; this series is one of my favorites.  The stories are fun, light, and entertaining.  Premeditated Peppermint is no exception.  I enjoyed it, just as I have all the previous installments.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books in the Amish Candy Shop series, including Assaulted Caramel, Criminally Cocoa [novella], Lethal Licorice, Botched Butterscotch [novella], Toxic Toffee, Marshmallow Malice, Candy Cane Crime, and Lemon Drop Dead, as well as cozies by Kylie Logan, Ellie Alexander, and Vivien Chien)

The Amish Confectionary Competition is a big deal ("It's like the NBA playoffs, but with way more sugar"), as is the fact that little Harvest, Ohio, is playing host.  Not only would winning the competition be the perfect way to honor Bailey King's late grandfather, but it would also mean great publicity for her Amish family's candy shop, Swissmen's Sweets.  Although Bailey herself is not Amish (a fact that at least one other competitor thinks should disqualify her) and the rules stipulate all sweets must be made in the Amish way (which is not at all how things were done at the exclusive Manhattan shop where she trained as a chocolatier), Bailey is determined to win the competition.  

When a town-wide search for a missing pot-bellied pig leads to the corpse of Bailey's biggest competition rival, Bailey is shocked.  She becomes even more distressed when she learns she's the primary suspect in the woman's death.  As if she's not stressed enough trying to bake her best sweets for the confectionary contest, now she has to convince the authorities she's not a killer.  But who is?  Once again Bailey must channel her inner Nancy Drew to solve a perplexing mystery.

Lots of cozy mystery series feature eateries of some sort—bakeries, cafes, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, etc.—but none are set in quaint Amish country.  The unique setting is what first drew my attention to the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower.  After reading the first installment, Assaulted Caramel, I definitely wanted more of Harvest with its fun characters, Amish/Englischer interactions, and upbeat vibe.  Lethal Licorice delivered all this as well as a new mystery to entertain me.  Once again, I enjoyed my visit to the small town.  This second book in the series is just as fun as the first, offering a light, diverting read that made me smile.  It even kept me guessing, which doesn't always happen in cozies.  Although the books have their flaws for sure, I still like this series a lot and will absolutely keep reading it.  A little light reading is pretty much exactly what I need right now, thank you very much!

(Readalikes:  Other books in the series, including Assaulted Caramel, Criminally Cocoa [novella], Botched Butterscotch [novella], Premeditated Peppermint, Toxic Toffee, Marshmallow Malice, Candy Cane Crime, and Lemon Drop Dead, as well as cozy mysteries by Vivien Chien, Ellie Alexander, and Kylie Logan)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

Bailey King learned everything she knows about sweets from her beloved Amish grandparents, who run a candy shop in sleepy Harvest, Ohio.  Although she's poised to become New York City's next great chocolatier, when she learns her grandfather's heart condition is worsening, Bailey books it to Harvest.  The old man is doing better than expected, but that doesn't last long.  When the corpse of a real estate developer who was pressuring Bailey's grandfather to sell is found at Swissmen Sweets, the elderly candymaker becomes the prime suspect in the dead man's murder.  Bailey doesn't care how hot the local deputy is, she's not going to let anyone accuse her family of doing something so nefarious.  If the police aren't willing to search for the real killer, she will.  As she channels her inner Nancy Drew, Bailey discovers that while Harvest may look quaint and sweet, something very rotten is going on underneath its placid surface ...

I used to be a big hater when it came to cozy mysteries, but my heart has softened toward them considerably in the last few years.  Although I'm never going to find one that is realistic or Nobel Prize-worthy, I can appreciate what the genre does offer—quick, clean, entertaining reads that don't tax the brain or cause nightmares.  I'll take it!  I'm still choosy about the cozies I do read, so I'm always happy when I find a series that appeals to me.  Carla over at Carla Loves to Read raves about the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower, so I gave the series opener, Assaulted Caramel, a go.  The setting charmed me right off the bat, not just because it's warm and unique but also because Flower imbues her little town with some Amish/Englischer tension that I didn't expect.  That makes the community feel more authentic while adding some interesting conflict to the story.  There are some fun characters in Harvest, although Bailey and Deputy Brody could both use some fleshing out.  Plotwise, this isn't exactly a nail-biter and you'll probably see the killer coming, as I did, but the story is still engaging enough to keep the reader turning pages.  All in all, I found Assaulted Caramel to be a fun, easy, entertaining read.  I'll definitely continue on with the series.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of cozy mysteries by Ellie Alexander, Vivien Chien, and Kylie Logan)

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find