Kimberly's Reviews > Simmering with Resentment

A bookstore, tons of food references and a mystery, what a trifecta!
I highly recommend this cozy mystery read. It is part of The Cookbook Nook Mysteries but can easily be read as a stand alone. This was my first read of the series and I plan to read the rest.
I loved all the characters! The book starts with the main character, Jenna Hart setting up her display window in her bookstore in Crystal Cove, CA for potential customers from a wedding expo that has come to town along with being weeks away from her own wedding. As your introduced to Jenna’s inner circle and some of the other residents of Crystal Cove, you may notice that several residents have fun or unique names. I loved the story more for this!
Jenna has a wonderful fiancé Rhett who owns a local restaurant Intime. The local gossip informs Jenna of an unexpected arrival in town of Sarita who has reason to resent both Jenna and Rhett. Later at the wedding expo, Jenna and Sarita have an unpleasant interaction. That evening starts a chain of events that will leave you guessing until the end of who done it!
While the mystery is unfolding and more events occurring, it is easy to fall in love with Jenna’s circle of friends and family around the Cookbook Nook. Your drawn into not only the mystery of what happens to Jenna and Rhett and the murder victim but the everyday lives of this delightful community.
Who isn’t nervous before a wedding? Are all the challenges and the murder investigation a sign to not get married when planned? Will something more sinister stop the wedding?
As a delicious bonus, the wonderful food references throughout the book just add to its charm. At the end there are several recipes so you get the pleasure of the story and the recipes as if you shopped at the Cookbook Nook!