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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
French Fried by Kylie Logan is the second book in An Ethnic Eats Mystery series. Laurel Inwood has been in Hubbard, Ohio for the last six months running Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks. It was supposed to be for a short time while Sophie had her knee surgery and recovered. Recently, Sophie suffered another knee injury requiring Laurel to extend her stay. Hubbard is getting ready for their Statute of Liberty Festival to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the landmark. Terminal at the Tracks will be offering French cuisine (French country/bistro type) in honor of the celebration. Laurel is waiting for Rocky Arnaud, a local farmer, to arrive with a few items before heading over to the Book Nook. Aurore Brisson, author of Yesterday’s Passion, is in town for a book signing event. Rocky arrives looking quite unlike herself and slightly drunk. At the book event, Rocky accuses Aurore of stealing the novel from her deceased friend, Marie Daigneau. They are watching the parade the next day when Rocky suddenly takes off. She sends a text assuring her friends that she is fine and will meet them for the fireworks. That evening Rocky is a no show. Worried about her, Laurel along with Declan Fury (a handsome Irishman) go to Rocky’s farm to check up on her. They discover all the lights on in her home and the music blaring. Inside, Laurel and Declan find Rocky dead in a chair. The police rule Rocky’s death a suicide which enrages Laurel. She knows that Rocky would not kill herself and sets out to find her killer. Can Laurel prove that Rocky was murdered? What happens when Laurel is offered a dream position that will take her out of Hubbard?
French Fried is the second book in the series, but it can be read alone. I have not had the opportunity read Irish Stewed (first book in the series), and it did not hinder my understanding in any way. The author provided the background information on Laurel and a synopsis of what occurred in the first novel in An Ethnic Eats Mystery series. I did, though, have trouble with the main character, Laurel Inwood. Sophie is family and asked Laurel to help out. Laurel, though, cannot wait to escape Hubbard which is mentioned in just about every chapter. Declan Fury (a very handsome Irishman with a large family) wants to date Laurel, but she is unwilling to make a commitment (does not want to form attachments that will hinder her from leaving town). I was shocked by Laurel’s choice at the end of the book after all her ranting throughout the novel (I would say more, but it would be a spoiler). Laurel’s personality was unappealing. She has no patience, trouble controlling her temper, and unreasonable. One thing I have discovered after reading cozy mysteries for over fifteen years—you must like the main character in order to enjoy the novel. I give French Fried 3 out of 5 stars (it was satisfactory). There are three storylines (murder, Laurel’s job prospects, and did Aurore Brisson write Yesterday’s Passion) in French Fried that keep the story interesting. The murder mystery was appealing, but I could identify the killer early in the book. One detail gave away the murderer’s identity. There is some repetitive information in French Fried along with numerous food descriptions (does every food item need to be described in detail). The writing style made the book hard to get into (it was not conversational). French Fried failed to capture and hold my attention.
French Fried is the second book in the series, but it can be read alone. I have not had the opportunity read Irish Stewed (first book in the series), and it did not hinder my understanding in any way. The author provided the background information on Laurel and a synopsis of what occurred in the first novel in An Ethnic Eats Mystery series. I did, though, have trouble with the main character, Laurel Inwood. Sophie is family and asked Laurel to help out. Laurel, though, cannot wait to escape Hubbard which is mentioned in just about every chapter. Declan Fury (a very handsome Irishman with a large family) wants to date Laurel, but she is unwilling to make a commitment (does not want to form attachments that will hinder her from leaving town). I was shocked by Laurel’s choice at the end of the book after all her ranting throughout the novel (I would say more, but it would be a spoiler). Laurel’s personality was unappealing. She has no patience, trouble controlling her temper, and unreasonable. One thing I have discovered after reading cozy mysteries for over fifteen years—you must like the main character in order to enjoy the novel. I give French Fried 3 out of 5 stars (it was satisfactory). There are three storylines (murder, Laurel’s job prospects, and did Aurore Brisson write Yesterday’s Passion) in French Fried that keep the story interesting. The murder mystery was appealing, but I could identify the killer early in the book. One detail gave away the murderer’s identity. There is some repetitive information in French Fried along with numerous food descriptions (does every food item need to be described in detail). The writing style made the book hard to get into (it was not conversational). French Fried failed to capture and hold my attention.
veganheathen's review against another edition
3.0
I started reading this book for the Vancouver Island Library's summer bingo for 2021. The cozy mystery square has been the toughest one for me to check off because cozy mysteries just aren't my jam. I started umpteen of them and couldn't get past the first few pages or first couple of chapters on most of them. This one was okay, and not terrible. I think if you like this genre, you'd like this book. It wasn't trying too hard to be quirky and the characters were likeable. There were certain elements that were quite repetitive, but maybe that's to be expected in a book like this. Anyway, not for me, but overall, not bad. I prefer my mysteries as thrillers or with some paranormal elements thrown in.
kaczorlantz'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rebecca_isreading's review against another edition
3.0
While I don't find this to be one of the strongest cozy series out there, I do find the mysteries in it thus far to be fairly enjoyable. Throughout this one, the main character is still struggling to accept her relationships with the new people in her life and her current circumstances, and I find her somewhat unlikable in her insistence on not making connections, but, without giving spoilers, I think she may start coming around in future books.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest opinion.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest opinion.
dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Laurel Inwood has stayed in Ohio even though her Aunt Sophie is back to work. She has applied for a job as a private chef and hopes it will be her ticket out of town. Until then, Hubbard is celebrating the Statue of Liberty in its quest to bring more tourists to town and Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks is serving up French cuisine. Sophie’s friend, a former French chef, Raquel “Rocky” Arnaud has shared some recipes and herbs from her garden to make the dishes as authentic as possible.
The city celebration also includes a parade, a signing by a French author, fireworks, and a Statue of Liberty expert will be speaking at the library. Rocky was excited to attend all the events, but she caused a scene at the bookstore and left the parade early. Then she failed to show up for the fireworks. Laurel and Declan are worried about her and with good cause. When they arrive at her little farm, Pacifique (Peaceful), there is loud music playing and Rocky dead in a chair with an open bottle of wine and an empty wine glass on the table next to her. The police arrive and as soon as poisoning is confirmed they decide it was a case of suicide. Both Laurel and Sophie know that can’t be the case. Declan in his efforts to protect Laurel attaches himself to her rogue investigation to prove Rocky was murdered and get Rocky the justice she deserves.
Oh, Kylie Logan has cooked us readers up a delicious story!!
I love the setting of Sophie’s restaurant and Declan’s store nearby. The unique little traintown is doing all it can to bring in business. Celebrating the 130th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, sure why not. It sets of the French theme of this installment of the series perfectly.
The characters are continuing to develop. It was wonderful to see Sophie’s improvement but that gives Laurel the boost to move on. Her coming to help Sophie is just a temporary arrangement. That is why she has worked to keep Declan at arm’s length. But Declan has other ideas. I love the way his whole family supports him in his pursuit of Laurel, even though she isn’t the Irish woman he claims to be looking for.
As for the mystery, it was so well written. I was totally floored when the actual killer was revealed. There were a few red herrings thrown into the pot that really changed things up. Even when Laurel started to really get a “picture” of the killer and revealed it out loud, I was like, “no, that can’t be right”. Then after the reveal, there was another little twist that again rocked me to my core, a shiver went right up my spine.
I so enjoyed the way the entire story flowed. The subplots melded nicely with the mystery and there were some surprises there too. Ms. Logan knows how to keep our attention for all 300+ pages and leaves us more than ready to rush into the next installment of this series. I am so excited to read Italian Iced! It will be released next week.
Laurel Inwood has stayed in Ohio even though her Aunt Sophie is back to work. She has applied for a job as a private chef and hopes it will be her ticket out of town. Until then, Hubbard is celebrating the Statue of Liberty in its quest to bring more tourists to town and Sophie’s Terminal at the Tracks is serving up French cuisine. Sophie’s friend, a former French chef, Raquel “Rocky” Arnaud has shared some recipes and herbs from her garden to make the dishes as authentic as possible.
The city celebration also includes a parade, a signing by a French author, fireworks, and a Statue of Liberty expert will be speaking at the library. Rocky was excited to attend all the events, but she caused a scene at the bookstore and left the parade early. Then she failed to show up for the fireworks. Laurel and Declan are worried about her and with good cause. When they arrive at her little farm, Pacifique (Peaceful), there is loud music playing and Rocky dead in a chair with an open bottle of wine and an empty wine glass on the table next to her. The police arrive and as soon as poisoning is confirmed they decide it was a case of suicide. Both Laurel and Sophie know that can’t be the case. Declan in his efforts to protect Laurel attaches himself to her rogue investigation to prove Rocky was murdered and get Rocky the justice she deserves.
Oh, Kylie Logan has cooked us readers up a delicious story!!
I love the setting of Sophie’s restaurant and Declan’s store nearby. The unique little traintown is doing all it can to bring in business. Celebrating the 130th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, sure why not. It sets of the French theme of this installment of the series perfectly.
The characters are continuing to develop. It was wonderful to see Sophie’s improvement but that gives Laurel the boost to move on. Her coming to help Sophie is just a temporary arrangement. That is why she has worked to keep Declan at arm’s length. But Declan has other ideas. I love the way his whole family supports him in his pursuit of Laurel, even though she isn’t the Irish woman he claims to be looking for.
As for the mystery, it was so well written. I was totally floored when the actual killer was revealed. There were a few red herrings thrown into the pot that really changed things up. Even when Laurel started to really get a “picture” of the killer and revealed it out loud, I was like, “no, that can’t be right”. Then after the reveal, there was another little twist that again rocked me to my core, a shiver went right up my spine.
I so enjoyed the way the entire story flowed. The subplots melded nicely with the mystery and there were some surprises there too. Ms. Logan knows how to keep our attention for all 300+ pages and leaves us more than ready to rush into the next installment of this series. I am so excited to read Italian Iced! It will be released next week.
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