A senior center break-in turns deadly and the seniors "book club" is once again studying clues in order to track down a killer.
This novella is told from the perspective of Carol Tunisian. Carol is an active member of the senior citizen group that often helps Allie, the main protagonist, in the other books in the Candy-Coated Mystery series. It is a quick read set on Mackinaw Island that keeps the clues coming all the way through the short story!

I love Novellas they’re so quaint but packed full!

Thank you Netgalley, Kensington Cozies, and Nancy COCO

A great short story centering around Carol Tunisian and her senior sleuths. When Carol is trying to finish up her plans for the senior Christmas Ball she and her friends discover a dead body . Who was the man and who would want him dead ? A great mystery and addiction to the series.
Ms. Coco had me guessing until the very end .

I just reviewed Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Nancy Coco. #HavingaFudgyChristmasTime #NetGalley

This is a short story part of the Candy Coated mystery series set on Mackinac Island. This time the lead is not Allie McMurphy but her senior friend Carol Tunisian. Carol goes early to open the senior center and finds the center has been broken into and she finds a body on the floor. Carol thinks the body is that of Martin Oxford who was supposed to be spending the winter in Texas. Turns out Martin has sold his home to help pay for his granddaughter’s medical bills and returned to the Island and was spending the night at the senior center. The police close down the senior center and tell Carol and her friends no sleuthing so of course all that does is cause the seniors to want to sleuth. Carol begins her investigation and immediately she begins to get creepy phone calls and then her neighbor Missy is attacked and she is next if she can’t figure it out. Carol is one smart cookie and I like how she saves herself when her home is broken into. Carol helps crack the case. This was a quick and enjoyable read.

This was a really enjoyable story. I loved having it be from a new POV, especially since it’s a character I’ve really grown to love.

The mystery was solid and kept me guessing. After having so many books in a series, it can’t be easy to still be able to shock one’s readers. Coco really does well with this series and every book in it.

https://openbooksociety.com/article/having-a-fudgy-christmas-time-by-nancy-coco-book-review/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Nancy CoCo is a Christmas Themed cozy mystery novella. This particular story has Carol as the main sleuth and what a journey the reader is taken on.

Just before the big holiday ball is to occur, Carol Tunisian (who is in her early 70’s) stumbles across a body in the Senior’s Center. At first, thinking it is just a break in, she proceeds to enter the building only to discover a body. She then calls 9-1-1. Turns out the body is actually a local senior named Martin Oxford. Given that Carol has previously assisted Ally, the main sleuth in the Candy-Coated Mystery Series, Carol proceeds to “help” the local police in trying to find out the truth as to what and why this happened.

Carol enlists the help of fellow book club members in the sleuthing. I found the characters quite the group! But then, I usually enjoy senior citizen sleuths as they seem to be fearless in their pursuit of justice. And their sense of humor is certainly to be enjoyed.

The story overall was a fun, quick read. Unfortunately, I found the brevity of this particular book distracting and I really was looking for more depth as Carol took over the lead “sleuth” role. It seemed that the development of each theory as to who the culprit might be or the possible motive was quickly proven incorrect and promptly dismissed. I guess the depth I was hoping for was missing (even novella’s can have depth).

While I was a wee bit disappointed in the depth of the novella, I did find the read enjoyable (as I do with this author). If you are looking for a quick cozy mystery and you know the character from reading the Candy-Coated Mystery series, then this just might be the holiday themed story for you.

Fun short story! Kept me guessing till the end! Very enjoyable read! Looking forward to more adventures with Allie and the gang! A little confused because Judith Schmidt was the killer in Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas, but in this book she was back as one of the regulars.

A great addition to the series, this mystery novel couples characters we all know and love with a cozy mystery and plenty of seasonal touches

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Nancy Coco
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 132 / Genre: Cozy Mystery

Amateur sleuth and senior community busybody Carol Tunisian is at the senior center bright and early and ready to get started on her day when she finds the door jimmied open and a dead guy inside. To Officer Rex’s dismay, Carol immediately gathers her book club together to start working on this murder mystery.

I’m on the hunt for some great Christmas-themed books and this one was just meh for me. Carol and her senior friends weren’t nearly as endearing as Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Vera Wong or Fredrik Backman’s Ove. The included recipes for holiday treats were a nice touch though.

Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the advanced copy of this book.

Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Nancy Coco is a short, but sweet, cozy mystery featuring Carol Tunisian and her band of elders. Carol is in the process of opening the senior center one morning when she sees the door is already unlocked. As she explores further she turns on the lights in the kitchen where she discovers a body. It looks for all the world like Martin Oxford, a friend, but he is in Texas for the winter. When the paramedics and police arrive they discover it is Martin. It looks like he has been camping out in the senior center. What in the world? She quickly plans an open house for later in the day and rushes home to defrost Christmas cookies and make other preparations. By the time the open house is over, the seniors have a plan and each has their own assignment.

Carol is in her mid-seventies but as warm and friendly as the day is long. She is also clever, quick, and curious. She doesn’t hesitate to follow someone if she needs to know where they are going, or to knock on someone’s door for a visit if she thinks they have answers to her questions. She is really quite endearing. She is married to Barry but encourages his fishing trips so she can have time to herself. She feels quite safe as they have an excellent security system. Her friends all have quirky personalities as well. The book is full of excellent characters, up to and including the police detective, Rex Manning, who is currently seeing her friend, Allie at the McMurphy, a small local hotel and fudge factory. The discovery of the killers was disappointing for all of them. Their friend deserved so much better. It was a cute, simple mystery with humorous and interesting characters. Pretty much what readers have come to expect from Coco.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Having a Fudgy Christmas Time by Kensington Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonBooks #NancyCoco #HavingAFudgyChristmasTime

Having A Fudgy Christmas Time
(Candy Coated Mystery 11.5)
Nancy Coco



The latest Fudgy mystery opens with a gasp. We arrive at the senior center with Carol Tunisian to prepare to for the Christmas Ball. Only to find Martin dead! The same Martin, who’s supposed to be wintering in Texas.

Rex asks Carol to stay out of the investigation and not to involve Allie. Well, I blame Rex, (lol) he should have known he was asking too much of poor Carol, especially with Barry gone fishing! Carol and the book club aren’t about to let the Ball be canceled it’s too important for the community. This provides funding for senior winter events including meals. Also, it’s even more personal after Missy is attacked!

With about 230 pages and 17 chapters, it is a hefty and enjoyable addition to the Candy Coated series. Two holiday-friendly recipes Chocolate Cheesecake Bars and Maple Fudge are also included. A bonus treat is the first chapter of Three Fudges & a Baby.
5*****

Give Fudge A Chance is the previous full-length mystery in the series.

Nancy Coco's newest installment in the Candy-Coated mystery novella series, "Having A Fudgy Christmas Time", is a fast paced mystery with a healthy dollop of fun mixed in. I enjoy this holiday series so much!
Mackinac Island is the fabulous setting, the mystery is a challenge,
Allie McMurphy's senior ladies take center stage--though she has a cameo appearance--and Carol Tunisian takes the lead. Different than previous books, but not unwelcome. I enjoyed seeing these ladies plot together, and work to solve the murder.
Just the read to get your holiday spirit up and running. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from #KensingtonBooks and #Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#HavingaFudgyChristmasTime #NetGalley #NancyCoco

This is part of the Candy Coated Mystery series but doesn't have the same characters from those (from what I hear). I haven't read any from that series but this was still enjoyable. I loved the Christmas setting and mystery. It's Christmas in Mackinac Island. Carol, who is running the senior center Christmas Ball, get there to find the door open and finds a body Inside. One of the seniors from the center. Now she has a mystery to solve with her senior book club sleuths. I loved the quirky senior characters in this one. They were fun. Lots of Christmasy vibes in this too, which was the reason I had picked it up, so it worked for me.

Out September 26.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Having A Fudgy Christmas Time is the third novella(book 11.5) in the A Candy Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco. As with the two previous novellas, a supporting cast member is brought to the forefront to solve the mystery.

Carol Tunisian is on her way to meet other ladies to finish planning the upcoming Christmas Ball to raise funds for the Senior Center. Arriving at the center, she finds the front door ajar and a body lying on the floor. Carol immediately calls the police, and when police chief Rex Manning arrives, the body is quickly identified as Martin Oxford. Two questions need to be asked: who murdered Oxford and what was he doing back in town, as he always winters in Texas? It’s time for Carol to organize the members of the senior book club and begin to search for the killer.

The story is well-plotted and moves at a quick pace. It was delightful to have a story told from the supporting characters' view. The ladies are very determined and quite humorous.

There are delicious-sounding recipes included in the book.

Having a Fudgy Christmas Time is a holiday e-novella related to the Candy-Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco.

It’s nearing Christmas on Mackinac Island when there is a murder at the Senior Center. This story is told from Carol Tunisian’s view.

This was a fun, quick read featuring the seniors from the Candy-Coated Mystery series. There was humor, friendship, and dangerous situations. It was an interesting case. This was a nice treat to hold us over until the next book is released. There were a couple of yummy recipes included.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Reading this book made me wish I could eat fudge, visit Mackinac Island and enjoy Chritmastime
It's another well plotted and entertaining cozy mystery that kept me guessing and hooked. I was glad to catch up with the characters and the solution surprised me.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I found this novella a little disappointing. If you have not read the previous book in the series, Give Fudge a Chance, some of the plot and the narrator might not mean much to you. Unfortunately, as I have found with other candy coated novellas, I miss the main protagonist, Allie McMurphy. She makes some appearances in this book but this mostly surrounds the "book club" or code name for the senior sleuths that help Allie sometimes in the main stories. I liked the Christmasy backdrop but I missed the main cast of characters. Cute short read.

A senior center break-in turns deadly and the seniors "book club" is once again studying clues in order to track down a killer.

This novella is told from the perspective of Carol Tunisian. Carol is an active member of the senior citizen group that often helps Allie, the main protagonist, in the other books in the Candy-Coated Mystery series. It is a quick read set on Mackinaw Island that keeps the clues flowing until the very end.

Thanks to Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is a delightful short novel taking the reader to Mackinac Island just before Christmas. Carol Tunisian investigates when she finds the senior center broken into and a friend dead inside.
Carol is quite the senior lady. She gets into some creative situations using cookies as her investigative in. Allie the usual main character in this series gets to take a supporting role as Carol marshals the seniors to help her investigate the murder.
I enjoyed visiting Mackinac Island in the winter through Having a Fudgy Christmas Time.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to review this book.

I’ve really enjoyed how Carol’s character evolved over the last couple books and how really involved she was with the previous mystery, so I loved reading this novella from her viewpoint. The seniors made a great sleuthing team after one of their own was murdered at the senior center not that long before the Christmas Ball was supposed to happen.

Allie made a great mentor for Carol as Carol consulted with her a couple times. Carol really used her head when her own house was broken into, and I was glad to read the satisfying explanation that eventually came. It was a relief to know certain parties weren’t involved. And who knew Carol and her hubby were such an adorable couple? Can’t wait for the next book!

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

HAVING A FUDGY CHRISTMAS TIME is the sweet Christmas novella in the Candy-Coated Mysteries by Nancy Coco. The colorful and festive cover invites you in for some holiday cheer and then the reader is treated to an intriguing mystery to solve alongside entertaining characters! In this newest release, spunky senior-citizen Carol Tunisian takes the lead point of view. In past books, she and her senior book club have helped the usual protagonist in this series, Allie McMurphy, solve cases. It was so fun seeing Carol get her own book and use her wits and her book club posse to catch the culprit. Carol is certainly a force of nature and a take charge type of woman. Yet, she has a breezy sense of humor that adds to the enjoyment of the story.

As is usual with Ms. Coco’s writing style, the action takes off from the very beginning. The story immediately drew me in and kept me turning pages. Despite the short novella length, the mystery is fast-paced and features all the characters readers have come to love. There were enough suspects to consider and twists to make me question my guesses. In the end, all the threads of the story came together in a highly satisfactory manner.

Having A Fudgy Christmas Time is the perfect novella to cozy up with over the holiday season and read while nibbling some of the Christmas confection recipes included in the book!