I’ve never been tempted to become a caterer or an advice columnist (unless that advice is related to books… come to think of it, I guess that’s kinda what my blog is lol) but after all the cozy mysteries I’ve read or watched and the true crime TV shows and podcasts I follow I’m basically an amateur detective, right? So if I can relate to nothing else about Sophie Winston, we can at least bond over sleuthing.

I’ve said this before but Sophie is such a great cozy mystery heroine – she’s sharp, savvy, and observant as well as compassionate toward others and a good friend. She also works closely with the police instead of against them, and in fact includes two of them among her circle of friends. She’s the kind of friend who always shows up and the kind of significant other her exes want to remain close to. (On that note, there are hints of some rekindling romance with one of them in this book and I’m here for it!) She values giving back to the community, too, but in The Diva Delivers on a Promise her charitable aspirations are temporarily tabled when the luncheon she attends features a dead body that was most definitely not on the agenda.

I really enjoyed watching Sophie and Nina investigate this case, with the help of their inner circle whom I also love (not the least of which are her dog Daisy and cat Mochie). Their instincts are spot-on even if they hand us a few red herrings in the process. This murder mystery was fascinating to me – ghost kitchens (which I’ve seen popping up on Door Dash but didn’t know the name for them), fraud, con men, family secrets. The list goes on. So many layers that were such fun to unpack as the story progressed.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a mouthwatering and entertaining cozy mystery to fill your weekend reading, The Diva Delivers on a Promise by Krista Davis has got you covered! Have some snacks on hand because Sophie and her friends love to eat yummy food to fuel their sleuthing, and thankfully some of the recipes are included in the back of the book. The plot is well-crafted with several interesting twists, and the characters are – as usual – delightful to spend time with as you read.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

By book 16, I feel like my review is redundant. Simply stated, this is my favorite Cozy Mystery series of all time. The cast is just incredible. It truly feels like visiting old friends every time I read these books. I also get so many helpful hints from Sophie and yes, sometimes even Natasha lol. Do you remember Hints from Heloise or Dear Abby and Ask Ann Landers? Sophie and Natasha have advice columns like that. The core characters of the series, Sophie, Nina, Mars, and Bernie are just the absolute best. The secondary characters are just as important to the story. I laugh out loud at their shenanigans.
While this may not have been my favorite storyline of the series, it was still fun and eventful and kept you guessing,

I recommend this series to everyone and the audio version. Hillary Huber is the narrator of the series and is my favorite narrator of all time. She makes an amazing book exceptional! I am not a rereader but have read/listened to several of these multiple times and they are just as great the next go round.

I'm always excited for a new domestic diva mystery, as I think Sophie would be so fun as a friend. Alas, now I will have to wait for a new installment to visit her for more delicious mysteries and fun.

As someone who has been reading this series from the beginning [2008!! So crazy!!], I have huge expectations when I get a new one in this [great to me] series, and thankfully, with a minor caveat, this one delivers once again.

It is always so fun to visit again with book friends and I never realize how much I miss Sophie,Nina, Mars, Bernie, Daisy, and Mochie until I sit down with them again, and then I don't want the story end because I am enjoying my time with them so much, and friends, THIS was quite the story. Murder, blackmail, anger, bitterness and wanting something someone else has enough to want to kill them - it is all here in this book and all the suspects lead Sophie and Nina on a merry chase [and I LOVE how Nina has become a part of all the mysteries now; I just love her and how there is no competition between her and Sophie; just true friendship and caring - it is so refreshing] until the very end.

Unfortunately, that is where we reach the caveat - the end. Sigh. For such a great book, with so much going on, that end was...meh. Totally tepid and flat. And really, it was so unsatisfying. I am not sure what happened, but it was totally an ending that was unworthy of the book and the story that had just been told. While I cannot, in good faith, rate it less than 4 stars [because until the end, it is a fantastic story that I had to MAKE myself put down to move on to something else {like sleep LOL} and was almost a 5 star read for me; when you are sure it is one person and then that person becomes unavailable and you are left scratching your head, THAT is a sign you've been reading a great story], that end made it right on the border [in my own rating system] and certainly kept it from being higher.

All that said, I am so glad I was able to read this and I look forward to more adventures with Sophie and company. These books have been such a joy in my reading life and I have loved going on all the mystery adventures Krista Davis writes for us.

Thank you to NetGalley, Krista Davis, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This sixteenth installment of the Domestic Diva mystery series might be my favorite yet! It starts out calmly enough, as our heroine Sophie Winston is heading with her best friend Nina Reid Norwood to a charity luncheon meeting for A Healthy Meal. The organization provides meals for Old Town Alexandria’s less fortunate children and is chaired by the recently widowed Gerrie Stansfield, a wealthy socialite and powerhouse hostess who enjoys organizing elegant meals for the ladies on the committee.

Unfortunately, her latest soiree, held in her own beautiful four-storey Federal home, is swiftly marred by the discovery of a dead body in her dining room. With members of the committee panicking or fleeing the scene outright, it’s up to Sophie and Nina to take control until emergency services can arrive. As they do so, the two sleuths can’t help but note several worrying details that point to the involvement of several people they know.

One of these details is a box of cookies emblazoned with the name of Sophie’s best frenemy, Natasha Smith. Apparently, the dead man was delivering a box of treats from Natasha’s most recent enterprise, a ghost kitchen selling exclusively cookies. When another delivery man is found assaulted, Sophie can’t help but wonder whether the crimes are linked, both to each other and to the conference on ghost kitchens she’s currently helping to run. The more she investigates, though, the more deeply buried Stansfield secrets she digs up, and the more criminal attention she attracts. Will she be able to figure out what’s going on before she or anyone else gets hurt?

In addition to the excellent relationship developments in this book, I loved so much that we finally got to meet the infamous Eddie Wong, the ex-husband of one of OTA’s best police officers. Officer Wong kept her husband’s last name after the divorce, and in this installment we find out why. On a personal note, I really appreciated how Eddie was such a change of pace from the Asian characters I usually encounter in cozy mysteries. While it’s awesome to have Asian sleuths and casts with plenty of Asian characters, it’s also refreshing to read about a devastatingly handsome Asian American man with a loose interpretation of morality. This unusual but very welcome bit of representation reinforces the realism of a series set in one of my favorite actual neighborhoods.

I also enjoyed the plethora of recipe options included here, with thirteen different food and drink options for me to decide between. Since I haven’t made an entree in a while, I decided to try out this one, lightly edited for space:

QUOTE
Salmon and Portobello Mushroom Salad with Lemon Dressing
Serves 2-3 depending on serving size

1 pound red or pink salmon fillet
1-2 portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red pepper
Baby spinach greens
1 red onion
6-9 black olives

Lemon Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons whole grain or Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Wash the salmon and dry. Brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and on the bottom. Lay on baking sheet skin side down.

Wash and dry the portobello mushroom and cut into ¾-inch-wide slices. Brush with olive oil and place on baking sheet.

Wash and dry the red pepper. Slice in wide sections and place on the baking sheet. You can use separate baking sheets for each, if you prefer.

Bake 15-20 minutes. If you prefer salmon that is not baked through, then bake it a shorter time.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Pour the oil, lemon juice, honey, and mustard into a small bowl. (Krista’s hint: I like to use a Pyrex type-glass measuring cup because they have spouts!) Mix vigorously with a fork or a whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mound the baby spinach leaves on each plate. Cut the onion in thin slices and arrange 3 on top of the spinach leaves. Drizzle with a little bit of dressing. When the salmon is done, slice it in inch-wide strips (eyeball it) and place the strips on top of the spinach and onions on each plate. Add the portobello mushroom strips. Cut the red peppers into strips and add them. Add 2-3 olives as garnish. Drizzle with the dressing.

Save leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
END QUOTE

I was a little skeptical of the fact that none of the protein or vegetables were seasoned before cooking, though I can understand how limiting salt to the dressing alone makes for an overall healthier dish. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, however, as everything came out so deliciously when assembled as a salad. The flavor profiles are well-balanced, and you can always add more salt and pepper as needed (or just more olives, as I like to do.) This recipe actually made about five guilt-free portions in my household, and tastes just as good the next day as it did the night before.

One tip for saving a smidge of time: you can buy pre-sliced portobello mushrooms at the store, like I did. Overall, this is a really great sheet pan (plus mixing bowl) recipe that I’ll probably be making again and again over the upcoming summer months.

Next week, we head to the midwest to make the most delicious candy I’ve ever managed while solving a murder at the county fair. Do join me!

I love this series! It’s so cozy and always makes me wish I was friends with the characters. And the recipes at the end look so delicious.

I really enjoy this series and the close-knit characters, the quaint small town setting, and the intricate mystery. Sophie is organizing a conference for ghost kitchens and she's getting together with a group of women that provides children in need with healthy meals. When the ladies get together at Gerrie, the organizer's house, for the luncheon a man is found dead. Gerrie asks for Sophie's help in finding out who killed the man, since she is a suspect. Sophie and her friend Nina start looking for clues to see if they can figure out who the culprit is. I enjoyed following along with Sophie and friends as they worked to solve the mystery. And, I love all of the food descriptions and the recipes included at the end too. This is such a good series and I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Diva Delivers on a Promise: A Domestic Diva Mystery
By Krista Davis
Kensington
June 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

While Domestic Diva Sophie Winston is thrilled to be a part of A Healthy Meal, an organization providing meals for children in need, she didn’t expect that she would be attending its annual luncheon meeting. Its regular host Gerrie Stansfield was still in mourning after the death of her husband just three months ago, but apparently Gerrie has recovered enough to provide her usual outstanding decorative table settings and elegant cuisine. Not on the menu was the body of Russ Everett, whom a now-screaming attendee finds stabbed to death and left in the dining room. For once Sophie doesn’t recognize the victim, but Gerrie soon identifies him as a worker for her late husband’s kitchen supply company. An additional complication alarms Sophie when a deliveryman goes missing and she needs to fill in as a favor, only to find Irv Baskin alive but with his head concussed and missing his delivery hat. Sophie believes this may be how the killer was able to enter Gerrie’s home undetected, but suspicion is quickly stirred up linking her to the victim and perhaps to a jealous rival.

Sophie’s alarming but successful track record in solving murders would normally have her in the midst of the case, but she’s also distracted by a scheme taking advantage of the increase in Ghost Kitchens. The pandemic’s closure of restaurants coinciding with the need for more takeout delivery services led to the creation of more food services working without sit-in dining, and Sophie is all for well-crafted food being made accessible to more customers. Someone is taking advantage of the system by being an illegitimate middleman jacking up the prices and assuming false identities, which not only cheats clients it also upheaves Sophie’s need for fairness. Despite the ensuing multiple investigations, Sophie still has time to care for her adorable pets, cook up delicious meals, and provide sensible and sane advice to her Domestic Diva readers.

This 16th in the series rewards longtime fans with appearances by nearly all of their favorite characters. Having gone through a number of rocky romantic relationships, Sophie is – for now- focusing on her businesses and the happiness of her friends. Her eternal nemesis Natasha Reid Norwood has not slowed down one bit in their one-sided rivalry, still intent on mending her relationship with her ex, who just happens to also be Sophie’s ex-husband. That Natasha has managed to not get herself murdered yet is something of a miracle, and no one shows more tolerance or patience for her antics than Sophie. The love life of Sophie’s friend Officer Wong is fraught with tension as well, as her own ex-husband Eddie has just appeared in town having lost none of his charm nor his affinity for criminal acts. Readers will be drawn to the intrigue as much as they will the descriptions of tantalizing luncheon and food events, with recipes included at the end. There are enough new characters introduced to make this accessible to those jumping into the series for the first time, but it’s those who have long followed the books who will relish the appearances by their favorite friends and their pets.

Another masterful cozy from Krista Davis! Excellent characters, more dishes for Sophie (WHERE DOES SHE KEEP ALL OF THEM), a good mystery, and plenty of details about the characters' lives in Old Town.

Ok, here's the deal - every single time I read a new Domestic Diva book from Krista Davis I swear it's the best one yet in the series. I don't know how, since the series started off with such a winner (The Diva Runs out of Thyme is a classic!), that we are on the 16th book and they just keep getting better and better, each new release being my fave! The Diva Delivers on a Promise was once again a one-sitting read for me as I (via my armchair) traipsed through Old Town with Sophie, Nina, Mars, Bernie, and Natasha (and Daisy, too!), learning about ghost kitchens and discovering the deep, dark secrets of the influential Stansfield family, all while to nab a murderer. Absolutely A+++ and 5 stars!!!

Another fun adventure with the diva! I'll admit I read these mainly for all the foodie / home decor stuff but the mystery is always fun too :)

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<I>

Huge fan of this series because 1) Sophie is relatable, 2) Old Town is personal favorite of mine, and 3) I love the letters at the beginning of every chapter. I learn so much about different aspects of hospitality and feel like I am visiting with friends every time I pick up a book. The mysteries are always well plotted and there is always just enough to keep me guessing until the very end. Bonus points for finally letting me know how it’s possible to have food around for unexpected guests (I’ve been wondering for years how she always has something available. A great addition to the series and I highly recommend this for anyone who loves a little whodunnit with friends.

Finally, a new „Diva“. It's like catching up with old friends – well, except for Natasha, who, if I were Sophie, I'd constantly be hitting over the head with a frying pan. Sophie is just too nice. Sophie and her group of friends make you want to be a part of them.

The new mystery was intriguing, with suspect galore, and I was kept guessing until the end. Well done. Hope the next installment won't be too long.

Fun mysteries, with lots of red herrings and suspects, but a bit too long for me. Nice to see how all the characters are, really an ensemble mystery series now.

Dollycas's Thoughts 

Sophie is always busy and in this story, she has taken on the Association of Ghost Kitchens convention, their first, as ghost kitchens are a new thing. She is also working with A Healthy Meal, a group organized to provide children in need with healthy meals. The lunch meeting is being hosted by socialite Geraldine Stansfield in her beautiful home. The committee arrives ready to work out their plans but before they can even get started the luncheon comes to a screeching halt, thanks to the dead man on the floor next to the table with a knife in his chest.

Sophie tries to take control by calling 911 and keeping the other women away from the body. The dead man looks familiar but she can't place him but it seems Geraldine Stansfield and her entire family knew him and they are not talking. No one claims to know what he was doing in the house or why he would have been killed there. Assuming the only ghosts around are the kitchens, Sophie knows to get The Healthy Meal and the people of Old Town back on track she is going to have to track down the killer, probably with Nina by her side.

_____

I love this series! The characters created by Ms. Davis are always engaging and doing interesting things. Sophie is down-to-earth and practical. Natasha is so crazy with her ideas and recipes and still hoping to win back Mars even though he seems pretty happy right now. Nina is the best friend ever, always up for a stake-out complete with snacks. Bernie too is always game to help Sophie especially when his business is involved. The author even gets the pets right. Daisy is such a good dog and I love that Mars and Sophie share custody. Mochie, Sophie's ocicat has such a personality and clearly makes his wishes and demands known.

We are introduced to several new characters and all are unique, relevant to the story, and are allowed to evolve over the course of the story.

The mysteries contained in this story are so well written and plotted. Twists and turns, suspense and humor, clues and motives, all come together to keep the reader's attention and on our toes. The author weaves together the main plots and subplots with such ease. The story flows perfectly. I really enjoyed tagging along with Sophie as she juggled everything she was involved in. When that final clue fell into place and Sophie stepped in I gave a little cheer. She is a strong woman and I loved the way she took control and empowered another character too.

The theme of ghost kitchens was so timely. Due to COVID, they’ve become a legitimate and even preferred alternative to starting up a full-fledged restaurant. These kitchens make food for delivery only. I loved learning about them and realized they are everywhere.

As always, the advice questions and answers that start each chapter are always a treat. Natasha's advice probably should never be taken while Sophie's responses are spot-on and helpful.

Ms. Davis has written another fabulous mystery. Her descriptive style makes it so easy to escape into the story. The characters are genuine and I have truly become invested in their lives. I hate when each book in this series ends because I always want more and never seem to be ready to leave Old Town.

Krista Davis never fails to deliver. The Diva Delivers on a Promise was truly a Perfect Escape. It's an excellent addition to this series and I can't for Book 17 next year to see what Sophie and her friends get into next!

One of my top ten cozy series. I'm never disappointed in the characters or the well crafted whodunit.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Krysta Davis gets it right. The subplots are as interesting as the main plot and keep the story moving along without unnecessary repetitions or dullness. The descriptions of food do not overwhelm the story and the addition of many recipes at the end is appreciated. A small suggestion is when listing the cast of characters it would be helpful for a very brief identification.
Example: Natasha is ex-wife of Mars. Only once in the body of the book did this come out I remembered this because I have read many Diva books, but readers unfamiliar with past books in the series would benefit from a bit more facts. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheDivaDeliversOnAPromise.

Sophie and friends have their work cut out for them on this one. Sophie and Nina are going to a luncheon meeting when a dead body is discovered in the dining room at the house they are going to. It's anyone's guess as to who did it. Then Wong's ex shows up and she knows there will be trouble following close behind him. There are plenty of suspects and it is all clear as mud. When another dead body shows up in the same house, Sophie knows that they have to find the killer soon. Can they do it?

Sophie and Nina got in a lot of sleuthing together in this mystery because there was plenty to sleuth out. I liked the side mystery of the ghost kitchen scammer, and we got to learn more about Officer Wong and her disastrous marriage. I liked Gerrie and her granddaughter a lot—it’d be fun if they showed up in a future book especially now they’ve got a furry companion. Nina always cracks me up with her love of food which is always a good way to get her to do something, like maybe a stakeout or two?

The showdown was a really good one with the perp finally being caught and hauled away. The ending was typical cozy Sophie style—friends, food and a warm fireplace. And pups, of course!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This is a well done cozy mystery, set in Alexandria VA. I was there recently and I kept imagining these characters there. This cozy series has quirky characters galore, and they make the book go by too fast.

I think this is one of the better books in the Domestic Diva series, this is the 16th book! There are lots of delicious sounding recipes and household hints sprinkled throughout the book.
Take a trip to beautiful Alexandria through this one, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.