Assaulted Caramel (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #1) by Amanda Flower

My Rating: 5 Stars

A great beginning to the new series Amish Candy Shop Mystery! Amanda Flower proves yet again to be a memorable writer of cosy-mysteries.

Bailey King has the perfect life: she works in her dream job, being an assistant chocolatier at JP Chocolates in New York City and she’s up to a promotion. Unfortunately, nothing is meant to last forever. When she gets a call that her grandfather is very ill in Harvest, Ohio, Bailey rushes to them. Adapting to their Amish ways isn’t easy but it was there, at the Amish candy shop Swissmen Sweets she grew her passion for chocolate. One night, while coming down from her room into the kitchen’s shop to grab her phone, she trips on a dead body. It’s Tyson Colton, the man that was interested in buying all the shops in Harvest and he was stabbed with a kitchen knife in her grandparent’s shop. With her grandfather appointed main suspect, Bailey knows she will do everything to prove his innocence.

A cosy-mystery with a different flavour. The fusion between mystery and the Amish ways add the spicy to the story.

The story-line is solid and engaging and the mystery is twisted and impossible to guess that happens next. When the reader thinks they know what’s coming, it just The setting is also unique and refreshing. I had no previous knowledge of Amish and it’s quite nice to discover them with Bailey. Flower builds up the mystery in a steady pace, building the list of suspects and takes the reader through a colourful little town and its people. Additionally, the amount of research the author did is impressive. It seems like she actually visited a place with these values and used them masterfully in the creation of this story.

The characters are, as always, the best part of Amanda Flower’s novels. They have depth, they are engaging and the reader feels and walks with them through the story. Bailey’s grandparents, Clara and Jebediah, are very well-developed; they are kind-hearted people that radiate warmth across the pages. Even though Bailey doesn’t share her family’s beliefs, it’s not possible to miss that she shares the deep knowledge and values that her grandparents taught her. She is a great main female character and her chemistry with the handsome deputy Aiden is the chilly in the chocolate. It will be a treat to get to know them better in the next books.

A tasty and chocolaty beginning of a series that I recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Kensington Press and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

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