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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Check out my full review on my Lisa Latte Booktube Channel at https://youtu.be/V9X2DfpvDaI?t=53
A good start for a new cozy series: it's entertaining, engrossing and had a lot of fun.
The mystery part is well developed, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
The characters are likable and fleshed.
I think this is going to be an excellent series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The mystery part is well developed, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing.
The characters are likable and fleshed.
I think this is going to be an excellent series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Series starters--especially for cozy mysteries--can be difficult to do well, since there is so much foundation necessary, but I think this one did a great job! Our main character, Trinidad, is one of three ex-wives of a crook, and she was deeded a business and is attempting to start anew after the schmuck is put in jail. Trinidad decides to open a "Freakshake" ice cream shop, only to discover her next door neighbor, the caramel corn king, dead in his vat of popcorn!
The thing I liked most about this book was the auxiliary characters. They all were extremely unique with thorough backstories. For example, Trinidad's potential love interest is a farmer vet with PTSD and a mentally challenged brother who is equally important to the story. Likewise, Trinidad's Cuban pops makes an appearance and may my favorite character (I wish he arrived sooner!). Another enjoyable aspect was the description of the freakshakes, which are large, over-the-top milkshakes I wish I could have in real life!
As for improvements... I have no idea why Trinidad got herself involved in this crime. She claims it was to help the person wrongfully accused, but Trinidad had been in town maybe a week and talked to this person once before they were arrested, so I see no reason for Trinidad to have trusted this person enough to go sleuthing on her behalf. Just made really no sense to me. There wasn't enough of a personal stake. Curious to see what the hook for the second book will be...
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars - 7/10
The thing I liked most about this book was the auxiliary characters. They all were extremely unique with thorough backstories. For example, Trinidad's potential love interest is a farmer vet with PTSD and a mentally challenged brother who is equally important to the story. Likewise, Trinidad's Cuban pops makes an appearance and may my favorite character (I wish he arrived sooner!). Another enjoyable aspect was the description of the freakshakes, which are large, over-the-top milkshakes I wish I could have in real life!
As for improvements... I have no idea why Trinidad got herself involved in this crime. She claims it was to help the person wrongfully accused, but Trinidad had been in town maybe a week and talked to this person once before they were arrested, so I see no reason for Trinidad to have trusted this person enough to go sleuthing on her behalf. Just made really no sense to me. There wasn't enough of a personal stake. Curious to see what the hook for the second book will be...
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars - 7/10
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Newly divorced Trinidad Jones is getting a new start in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, by opening the Shimmy and Shake Shop in a building that used to house one of her embezzling ex-husband’s businesses. Opening a shop and serving monster “freak” milkshakes is a dream come true but Upper Spocket is a small town and it just happens to be where ex-wives 1 and 2 also reside. That is not really a problem for Trinidad until one of them is accused of murdering The Popcorn King. His shop is near the Shimmy and Shake and he and Trinidad were splitting an order of nuts. When she went to deliver his half she found him dead in his huge popcorn kettle. She doesn’t really know anything about Juliette but can’t imagine her being a murderer. So she is going to shake things up and do a little investigating with some of the other business owners to find who really popped The Popcorn King.
I was struck right away by the delightful characters the author brings us in this first Shake Shop Mystery. Trinidad is an interesting character with an interesting background. She is smart and does well on her first adventure as an amateur sleuth. She also has a wonderful sidekick, her dog Noodles. Noodles failed military training school but he still acquired some awesome skills.
Trinidad is also surrounded by some intriguing human characters. I loved that Trinidad had a young set of twins helping her get the shop ready to open and to be her taste testers. We also meet nut farmer Quinn and his brother Doug, and Stan who owns the local coffee shop and is a reluctant lawyer. Oh, and the local police chief, who just happens to be her ex’s sister.
Several other residents of Upper Spocket drop into the story as necessary and truly depict life in a small town. Gossip runs rampant and secrets are hard to keep when everyone is in each other’s business. All the characters felt very realistic and unique making them easy to keep straight.
The mystery was extremely well-plotted with different suspects and their motives coming to light. Twists on top of turns kept misdirecting my thinking. The author really scooped me this time. The actual criminal was not even on my personal suspect list. I was totally surprised and had to take a few moments to try to think of what clues I had missed. What I really liked was that when Trinidad had a solid theory the police chief actually listened to her and didn’t just brush her off. She had a plan and the reveal tied all the clues together nicely.
Ms. Mentink has given this series an excellent start in Pint of No Return. We have only met one of the two ex-wives and I am excited to meet the other one when she gets back from her trip. The shake/ice cream theme is fun and had my mouth watering for a freak shake all my own. Doesn’t the one on the cover look yummy? I can’t wait to visit these characters again.
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Newly divorced Trinidad Jones is getting a new start in Upper Sprocket, Oregon, by opening the Shimmy and Shake Shop in a building that used to house one of her embezzling ex-husband’s businesses. Opening a shop and serving monster “freak” milkshakes is a dream come true but Upper Spocket is a small town and it just happens to be where ex-wives 1 and 2 also reside. That is not really a problem for Trinidad until one of them is accused of murdering The Popcorn King. His shop is near the Shimmy and Shake and he and Trinidad were splitting an order of nuts. When she went to deliver his half she found him dead in his huge popcorn kettle. She doesn’t really know anything about Juliette but can’t imagine her being a murderer. So she is going to shake things up and do a little investigating with some of the other business owners to find who really popped The Popcorn King.
I was struck right away by the delightful characters the author brings us in this first Shake Shop Mystery. Trinidad is an interesting character with an interesting background. She is smart and does well on her first adventure as an amateur sleuth. She also has a wonderful sidekick, her dog Noodles. Noodles failed military training school but he still acquired some awesome skills.
Trinidad is also surrounded by some intriguing human characters. I loved that Trinidad had a young set of twins helping her get the shop ready to open and to be her taste testers. We also meet nut farmer Quinn and his brother Doug, and Stan who owns the local coffee shop and is a reluctant lawyer. Oh, and the local police chief, who just happens to be her ex’s sister.
Several other residents of Upper Spocket drop into the story as necessary and truly depict life in a small town. Gossip runs rampant and secrets are hard to keep when everyone is in each other’s business. All the characters felt very realistic and unique making them easy to keep straight.
The mystery was extremely well-plotted with different suspects and their motives coming to light. Twists on top of turns kept misdirecting my thinking. The author really scooped me this time. The actual criminal was not even on my personal suspect list. I was totally surprised and had to take a few moments to try to think of what clues I had missed. What I really liked was that when Trinidad had a solid theory the police chief actually listened to her and didn’t just brush her off. She had a plan and the reveal tied all the clues together nicely.
Ms. Mentink has given this series an excellent start in Pint of No Return. We have only met one of the two ex-wives and I am excited to meet the other one when she gets back from her trip. The shake/ice cream theme is fun and had my mouth watering for a freak shake all my own. Doesn’t the one on the cover look yummy? I can’t wait to visit these characters again.
The cold vanilla ice cream slid down her throat, cooling her on this hot day. The sugary sweetness putting a smile on her face. She glanced around her shop, things slowly starting to come together for opening day. She stepped outside and locked the door behind her, ready for a new start to her life, but she didn’t know that new start would involve a dead body in the shop across the street.
Pint of No Return is the first book of the Ice Cream Shop series and was a cute cozy mystery. I liked the small town feel and the cast of characters. Everyone had a motive for murder to keep me guessing who the killer was. Plus, a cute dog named Noodles and lots of ice cream made for a fun read.
The dialogue was a little odd and unnatural at times and the writing had some word choices that didn’t quite fit and weren’t the correct usage, which made for some choppy reading. There was also some body shaming that was completely unnecessary and wasn’t important to the plot line.
Overall, if you’re a cozy mystery fan and love ice cream… you may want to pick this one up.
TW: Murder, Infidelity, Divorce, Death of a Loved One, Body Shaming.
Pint of No Return is the first book of the Ice Cream Shop series and was a cute cozy mystery. I liked the small town feel and the cast of characters. Everyone had a motive for murder to keep me guessing who the killer was. Plus, a cute dog named Noodles and lots of ice cream made for a fun read.
The dialogue was a little odd and unnatural at times and the writing had some word choices that didn’t quite fit and weren’t the correct usage, which made for some choppy reading. There was also some body shaming that was completely unnecessary and wasn’t important to the plot line.
Overall, if you’re a cozy mystery fan and love ice cream… you may want to pick this one up.
TW: Murder, Infidelity, Divorce, Death of a Loved One, Body Shaming.
In short: Trinadad is left a business in her ex-husbands hometown. Looking for a fresh start she decides to move there and open up her dream ice cream shop, the Shimmy and Shake. All is going well until she finds her neighbor dead and her friend (and another ex-wife) is the main suspect.
My thoughts: I loved this book and it’s probably one of my favorite cozy mysteries that I’ve read lately. This was a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read what happens next.
What I liked:
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No