Reviews

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala

taypoor's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

jessa_mendiola's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ciaramonae's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

laakin33's review against another edition

2.0

Um so like the best part of this book is the last like 45 mins. Otherwise she’s not too great…I loved this series so I’m v disappointed

mkreynolds08's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

things100's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Another great book from the tita Rosie’s kitchen mysteries series where finally our fmc chooses a love interest and we find out what’s going on with the shady palms winery 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Death of parent

kristinconnolly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Another installment of Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery’s. I found this one to be as fun and cozy as the previous ones. This one was centered around Christmas but it didn’t feel like that was the main focus and felt more like a winter book. It did focus on people from out of town and I would have loved more character development from the characters previously introduced. The descriptions of good always make my mouth water and love the recipes at the end of the book. This definitely gives hallmark vibes. 

janagaton's review against another edition

3.0

The audiobooks for this series are so good; they nail the Filipino accent down really well! The humor is great in all 3 too, and the family dynamics are super accurate to my own Filipino family experiences. This one was just a silly goofy time, however, and I didn't really care for the actual plot. The second one in the series, Homicide and Halo-Halo, is still my favorite and had the most depth in my opinion, but at the same time, it IS a cozy mystery series, so I'm not surprised.

joshlynjavier's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

another short and cozy mystery. i liked that in this one, manansala added a lot more characters/suspects to add some complexity to the murder! very consistent and always fun to see the character development and romance build throughout the series. 

although i was able to solve this one before the reveal, i really enjoyed the build up and all of the different characters we meet in this one. 

side note: need to stop reading this series when i’m trying to cut out sweet treats :p

elsez326's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This series is a lot of fun, and I always enjoy!