Overall:
3/5
Storyline:
2.5/5
Writing Style:
2.6/5
Character Growth:
2.5/5
Enjoyment:
3/5
“Together? Were they, like, doing the rumpy-bumpy?”
– Poisoned in Provence by Cat Green
Synopsis Key Elements Series Continues
Synopsis
Book 1 in the Nina Brown Mystery Series
Provence: A magical start to a bright new life garnished with buttery croissants, cafe au lait, and a delectable French chef. But when murder is on the menu, will she be the next victim?
Still reeling from a romantic betrayal, 22-year-old Nina travels to Provence, France to oversee her magazine’s chef competition. The kitchen heat sends her swooning into the arms of a scrumptious French contestant Jacques, a tasty Creme Brulee of a chef she’d love to nibble.
As Jacques gives Nina a tour of his family’s historic caves and magical gardens, secrets waft through the lilac-scented breeze. Secrets that come to light when the head judge shrieks “poison” during the competition’s climax.
Can Jacque be the culprit? Will Nina prove her creamy cuisiner’s innocence and discover the real culprit before it’s too late?
Key Elements
-
Mystery -
Cozy – Mystery -
Competition -
Romance -
Humor -
Cooking -
Friendship -
France -
Chefs -
Attempted Murder -
Paranormal
Series Continues
Book 1 in the Nina Brown Mystery Series
Provence: A magical start to a bright new life garnished with buttery croissants, cafe au lait, and a delectable French chef. But when murder is on the menu, will she be the next victim?
Still reeling from a romantic betrayal, 22-year-old Nina travels to Provence, France to oversee her magazine’s chef competition. The kitchen heat sends her swooning into the arms of a scrumptious French contestant Jacques, a tasty Creme Brulee of a chef she’d love to nibble.
As Jacques gives Nina a tour of his family’s historic caves and magical gardens, secrets waft through the lilac-scented breeze. Secrets that come to light when the head judge shrieks “poison” during the competition’s climax.
Can Jacque be the culprit? Will Nina prove her creamy cuisiner’s innocence and discover the real culprit before it’s too late?
-
Mystery -
Cozy – Mystery -
Competition -
Romance -
Humor -
Cooking -
Friendship -
France -
Chefs -
Attempted Murder -
Paranormal
Why This Rating?
This was an enjoyable quick read, but it wasn’t quite what I thought what I was going into based on the synopsis. We dive into a lot of set up for the characters and answering a ton of questions like: What is Nina doing here? Who was the cutie that picked us up from the airport? Why is that judge an ass? Set up is very important, so I commend the author for achieving this nicely. I was always getting my answers pretty quickly in the story if something new popped up. However, it isn’t till WAY into the story do we get an inkling of this being anything but a getaway in France for two friends and a dog. Less mystery and more of a great vacation/getaway book.
I would have loved to follow Nina while she does all kinds of sleuthing while in France during the after hours of the cooking competition. But the detective work really wasn’t a forefront of this story. And seeing Nina and Jacque to get some more time together would have been great! I was kind of expecting it to be far more than what showed up. Their spark together was super sweet and could have been a huge part. Could have allowed Nina’s self-revelation to be more flushed out and less abruptly thrust upon us. Love that she sees a positive connection, but giving the lady a bit more time to come to terms with it would have been a bit more believable.
Something that bothered me was how quickly the entire mystery was solved. Nina seemed to have no idea about who could be the culprit in the attempted murders. There were moments she showed an interest in figuring it out, so she asked a question here or there. The ideas would start to build up for her which was exciting. But then when she attempts to work the problem out, Nina almost seemed like she’d rather just focus on other things like her job while there. – Kudos for staying focused girl! – And then, at the very last second something is discovered which solves the entire thing. This discovery snaps everything place for Nina and the whole thing is solved. Bam Done! A bit anticlimactic and a rushed solution.
I really like Holly and Jasper! These two stole the show in my opinion. Holly is hilarious! She is where the quote on this review actually comes from. She is a woman who absolutely dances to the beat of her own drum and I love it! Holly is a friend that I think everyone should have. They will always encourage you to do what you desire. They are also the one that will help get you into trouble and be right next to you the whole time. Plus, she is constantly making new doggie clothes for Jasper. You never know what new little outfit that cutie is going to be in! Jasper was one talkative pup too. He definitely wants all the attention, especially while showing off his adorable doggie outfits! Just saying the last one is he’s in is perfect!
It was a good story and one that I am very happy that I was given a chance to read an ARC. I think this series has potential to grow into a great world and storyline. The abilities that Nina has could propel her into a lot of interesting situations. And of course I would love to keep up with Holly and The Jasp! But I don’t know if the rest of the series is for me.
