reginasharinette_71's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished reading Irish Stewed the 1st book in the Ethnic Eats Mystery series. When private chef Laurel Inwood's high flying career as a personal chef to an A list celebrity in Hollywood goes the way of the dodo what's a girl to do? She goes to Hubbard, Ohio to help her Aunt Sophie run what she thought was a five star restaurant but what she finds instead is a diner. Laurel agrees to stay while Sophie under goes knee surgery and recovery but then she's out of there, to where she has just to determine, but she's not a laying down roots kinda girl. Things go from bad to worse when a corpse in found in her Aunt's restaurant. Not only does Laurel have to make sure Sophie's beloved restaurant doesn't go under while she's in charge but now she has a murder to solve! Pluse can she resist (and trust) the sexy Declan Fury owner of the Irish Store
I enjoyed every page and I can't wait for the second book in this series.
I thought I knew who the killer was but boy was I surprised at who it turned out to be!
I enjoyed every page and I can't wait for the second book in this series.
I thought I knew who the killer was but boy was I surprised at who it turned out to be!
peggyemi's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because I was a fan of the Button Box Mystery series and I hadn't yet had an opportunity to read any of the authors other series yet. It took me a bit of time to get into this story because I felt like I couldn't connect with Laurel, our protagonist. Personally, she felt a little too detached and judgmental and I found that I couldn't really like her right away. I enjoyed Sophie, Declan and the rest of the characters and so I continued reading. About 1/3 of the way through the book I found Laurel to be loosening up and I began to enjoy the story more. I also liked the ethnic eats part of the story once it was introduced and think it will be a fun theme to play out over future books.
I thought the writing was very good and that the book had a nice even pace that kept the reader moving along. The mystery was well done with plenty of clues, twists and turns that led to an unexpected result for me. The author did a good job of misdirecting the readers attention with one theory of the case and as a result, I was surprised by the identity and motive of the killer once revealed.
Even though it took me a bit of time to warm up to the main character, I enjoyed the other characters and the mystery in this book. I will be on the lookout for the second installment and hope we see continued growth in Laurel.
I thought the writing was very good and that the book had a nice even pace that kept the reader moving along. The mystery was well done with plenty of clues, twists and turns that led to an unexpected result for me. The author did a good job of misdirecting the readers attention with one theory of the case and as a result, I was surprised by the identity and motive of the killer once revealed.
Even though it took me a bit of time to warm up to the main character, I enjoyed the other characters and the mystery in this book. I will be on the lookout for the second installment and hope we see continued growth in Laurel.
erollinus's review against another edition
3.0
Good mystery and interesting characters.
The killer was pretty obvious, and the ending was lackluster. It just kind of... ends. Hope the next in the series is better!
The killer was pretty obvious, and the ending was lackluster. It just kind of... ends. Hope the next in the series is better!
meganr's review against another edition
5.0
A promising start to a new series from one of my favorite authors - this one has many of the elements found in her other series, like the main character starting over after a major crisis in a new town and attempting to reconcile with family, the quirky local characters and businesses, the midwest setting, etc. As with many cozy mysteries, some of the quirkiness and theming can get to be a little over the top, but the premise is solid enough to get past that. So if you enjoy the genre, this is a good one!
maigahannatu's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good read. It took little effort, but I did not guess the murderer, so she did a good job with the mystery. The book was clean and Ms Logan is a good story teller.
kristenmneal's review against another edition
Couldn't get past the MC being a pretentious twat. By page 8 I was done.
mystereity's review
DNF. I got to the part when she was outraged that everyone wanted their usual burgers and fries rather than the quinoa and lentil salad and by that point I realized this book was entirely irredeemable. 0 stars
dollycas's review against another edition
4.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Laurel Inwood arrives in Hubbard, Ohio to find two surprises.
Her aunt Sophie’s restaurant is in nowhere close to what she expected – more greasy spoon – less cozy bistro cafe.
There is a dead body in a booth with a receipt spike stuck in his back.
What can Laurel do? her “aunt” is having surgery tomorrow and needs Laurel to run the restaurant. Maybe she can make a few “minor” changes. . . but how will business really be after someone was murdered there? She has a prime suspect in mind but can that handsome man really be a murderer. He also wants to help her track down the killer. She doesn’t trust him but he knows the residents of Hubbard better than she does. She may need the Luck of the Irish to get her out of this mess. Save the restaurant and find the killer . . . maybe Hollywood wasn’t that bad.
Reading this book was a delightful way to spend my Saturday. It brought back memories of my mother’s restaurant and the one she worked at while I was growing up. The later was called “the greasy spoon” by everyone. It is always hard to keep businesses like this thriving especially today with so many options. I loved Laurel’s idea and loved that she started her ethic eats concept with Irish comfort foods.
Laurel is smart and can cook virtually anything. She is given a recipe for Irish Stew and she takes it and runs with it. Her upbringing as a foster child gives her an interesting way to look at life and the relationships she makes. Laurel holds nothing back when she confronts her aunt about her deception about Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks and that she may not be sticking around. She is a tough cookie on the outside and in this first story in this series, just a little bit of the softer inside begins to show. There is a potential for a lot of character growth and I want to get to know her better and Sophia too.
Laurel’s relationship with Declan, the hunky manager of The Irish Shop, is pretty complex. There is romantic tension, but she doesn’t trust him, and their arguments were very couple-ish. He also has a wonderful family that accepted Laurel immediately.
The man who was murdered Jack Lancer—“the Lance of Justice” was a local reporter that appeared to be loved by everyone, until Laural started really digging into his life and the stories he featured. I really enjoyed this way this progressed throughout the book. There were so many surprises in addition to a few twists that kept my eyes riveted to the page.
This series is off to a terrific start. Well-written, nicely plotted and characters I want to know better. I am looking forward to reading French Fried soon.
Laurel Inwood arrives in Hubbard, Ohio to find two surprises.
Her aunt Sophie’s restaurant is in nowhere close to what she expected – more greasy spoon – less cozy bistro cafe.
There is a dead body in a booth with a receipt spike stuck in his back.
What can Laurel do? her “aunt” is having surgery tomorrow and needs Laurel to run the restaurant. Maybe she can make a few “minor” changes. . . but how will business really be after someone was murdered there? She has a prime suspect in mind but can that handsome man really be a murderer. He also wants to help her track down the killer. She doesn’t trust him but he knows the residents of Hubbard better than she does. She may need the Luck of the Irish to get her out of this mess. Save the restaurant and find the killer . . . maybe Hollywood wasn’t that bad.
Reading this book was a delightful way to spend my Saturday. It brought back memories of my mother’s restaurant and the one she worked at while I was growing up. The later was called “the greasy spoon” by everyone. It is always hard to keep businesses like this thriving especially today with so many options. I loved Laurel’s idea and loved that she started her ethic eats concept with Irish comfort foods.
Laurel is smart and can cook virtually anything. She is given a recipe for Irish Stew and she takes it and runs with it. Her upbringing as a foster child gives her an interesting way to look at life and the relationships she makes. Laurel holds nothing back when she confronts her aunt about her deception about Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks and that she may not be sticking around. She is a tough cookie on the outside and in this first story in this series, just a little bit of the softer inside begins to show. There is a potential for a lot of character growth and I want to get to know her better and Sophia too.
Laurel’s relationship with Declan, the hunky manager of The Irish Shop, is pretty complex. There is romantic tension, but she doesn’t trust him, and their arguments were very couple-ish. He also has a wonderful family that accepted Laurel immediately.
The man who was murdered Jack Lancer—“the Lance of Justice” was a local reporter that appeared to be loved by everyone, until Laural started really digging into his life and the stories he featured. I really enjoyed this way this progressed throughout the book. There were so many surprises in addition to a few twists that kept my eyes riveted to the page.
This series is off to a terrific start. Well-written, nicely plotted and characters I want to know better. I am looking forward to reading French Fried soon.
jgallagher1983's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read anything by Kylie Logan before and being Irish this one sounded especially interesting. Sadly... I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. Laurel, the main character, has recently moved from LA to help out her aunt with a restaurant. From the first page, Laurel rubbed me the wrong way. She was snooty and privileged and judged everyone and everything. I kept thinking things would get better, but alas... I didn't feel any closer to her like I have with other characters. The books pace was good and the author kept me guessing with the murderer until the end. The title was somewhat confusing because the "ethnic eats" didn't really come into play until the middle of the book. I can see where the series is going and I think it will be charming, but not one I will most likely read.
*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
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