“ Having a Fudgy Christmas Time“ a novella in the Candy-Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco. I really love this series and visiting Mackinac Island! TIS THE SEASON FOR FUDGE—AND SLEUTHING

I found myself engrossed in the story as the mystery is interesting and well plotted. This time we are seeing the mystery from Carol Tunisian’s point of view which at first I had trouble with but then I got use to it.

I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends and can’t wait for the next instalment “Three Fudges and a Baby” to come out!

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a fun little holiday novella from Carol's perspective. She was a little foolhardy, but it was a nice short read and it was such fun to see the seniors in action. Definitely got me in the holiday mood and want to read the next in the series!

Of course Carol is going to investigate after she finds a senior dead on the floor of the senior center! This novella will make a good introduction to the series for those who haven't read it and provide a sweet stop gap for fans eager for a new installment. Carol, for new readers, is not the main protagonist usually so it's fun to see her have her day here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An easy read for the run up to the holidays.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of HAVING A FUDGY CHRISTMAS TIME (Book 11.5 of the Candy-Coated Mysteries) by Nancy Coco in exchange for an honest review. This story is told from Carol’s viewpoint. Carol is part of the committee planning the Mackinac Island Senior Center Christmas Ball. However, the committee’s plans for using the Senior Center as a venue seem to be foiled when a member of the community is found murdered in the building. Carol and her friends who share a similar interest in mystery-solving are soon sleuthing around town. In so doing, more than one senior is endangered.

#HavingaFudgyChristmasTime #NetGalley

"Carol is looking forward to finishing plans for the Mackinac Island Senior Center Christmas Ball. But when she arrives at the center, she finds the door jimmied open and a dead man inside. The victim is a local senior who seems to have been sleeping in the center at night—but why? Although she promises Officer Rex Manning not to involve her book club in solving the mystery, Carol finds a way to fudge around that. Rallying her troop of silver-haired sleuths—and with some support from Ally in between her batches of Christmas fudge -- Carol sets out to discover which grinch tried to steal this Christmas. All she wants from Santa is to get this case wrapped up with a bow!"
Octogenarian sleuth Carol has discovered a new murder to solve. It's bound to get her into trouble but she can't wait to start.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Summary

It’s Christmas time on beautiful and chilly Mackinac Island. Carol Tunisian is helping to prepare the Christmas Ball in support of the Senior Center when she stumbles across a body. Having helped her friend, Allie, solve some murders in the past, she’s pretty sure that she can handle this one with the help of a few of her friends. The question is whether she can solve it before anyone else is murdered.

This is a short Christmas story for fans of the Allie McMurphy Candy-Coated mystery series.

My Thoughts

I had 3 concerns before starting.

1. I had never read any of the Allie McMurphy Candy-Coated series.

2. I don’t generally like short mysteries because there isn’t enough time to develop characters or plot.

3. I have unreasonably high standards for Christmas mysteries. They are all I read between November 1 and January sixth, and I want them to be as packed full of holiday spirit as a book about a murder can possibly be.

So let’s take my concerns in order.

1. I don’t know why I hadn’t read any of this series before. (How did a series on a small island where fudge is a major industry escape me!?) It didn’t make a difference to this story. I immediately caught on to who everyone was and what was happening. And I have now added this series to my wishlist.

2. This was a great short story! The characters were well-developed and very likable. As a mystery, I admit it wasn’t really one that I could solve alongside Carol and her friends. Normally that makes me mad, but it didn’t here. I felt like I was going along for an adventure with Carol. There was humor and just enough suspense and, ultimately, she helped solve the murder. I was perfectly content with this mystery.

3. There were definitely adequate holiday related activities to meet my high Christmas book standards (even though I read it when it was 90 degrees outside). There was so much snow! Police arriving on snowmobiles kind of snow. Carol’s home was decorated for Christmas. There were fires in the fireplace. There were Christmas cookies which Carol served to guests and took in tins to soften up those she planned to question. I would have loved more details about Carol’s Santas from Around the World collection and the Christmas Ball, but, after all, it was a short story. I’d give it a 4/5 for the Christmas theme.

The Characters

Carol’s a woman in her 70s with no children and a retired husband who is away on a fishing trip. She is brave, intelligent, resourceful, quick thinking, proactive, and a wee bit devious - though she would probably prefer the word sneaky. Her leadership qualities and organizational skills impressed me. This is a woman who is dedicated to her friends, her community, and helping those in need. Her detective skills could use a bit of work, but given it’s the first one she’s tried to solve as head amateur detective rather than as assistant to head amateur detective, I’d say she did an excellent job. She had a very authentic voice and I adored her by the end of the first chapter. Great character!

The other characters were equally fun. Too many authors might just present us with a room of elderly people, but here we found a quintessential grandmotherly type, a hippie, a Polish Santa and more. These weren’t just “old people” but people with independent personalities.

What Else I Liked

A couple of recipes are dotted throughout the story - easy chocolate cheesecake bars and easy maple fudge. I plan to try both.

Her “little book club” liked to help solve mysteries. I’d join that book club.

I received a free eArc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun interlude while we wait for the next full length book to arrive. It was a bit odd at first to have it following Carol instead of Allie, but I adjusted and enjoyed the novella.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cosies for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It’s always fun to go back to Mackinac Island. I love the seniors and the way they take care of each other. Senior Centers are great places for them to hang out. I loved the story line and the characters. I’m looking forward to my next trip. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I really enjoyed this cozy. Carol is off to the senior center to finish planning the Christmas ball. When she gets there she finds the ajar and a dead man on the floor. She calls Rex to come . He tells her to wait outside. Once the police are there other people start gathering. The victim is a local senior and no one can figure out why he is sleeping in the center. As always, Rex tells Carol not to get her Senior book club involved in the investigation. Does she listen?. Find out who it is , how it happened

This was a fun book. While I missed the normal set up for the series it was fun to see a new perspective, especially coming from one of the older residents of the island and someone with inside knowledge of the senior center. I especially enjoyed how the seniors had their own ways of communicating through looks or body language which could get someone to go set off the phone tree - which is a delightful element that I hadn't thought of in years but it worked so well here!

Setting this at Christmas time was just delightful. The island seems so magical anyway, but especially at Christmas and even more so with it's closer knit community of locals. With the popularity of island based Tik Tok creators it is even more fun to read the books in this series because I have an idea of where some things that are mentioned are located and I can easily picture the senior center and all thee seniors in amongst the island.

"Oh Carol... what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

This is the first of the Candy-Coated Mysteries that I have read so I am being introduced to Nancy Coco's series in this novella. Allie's elderly sleuthing friend, Carol Tunisian, is front and center of this story. She is quite the character. She stumbles upon a dead body when she discovers that the senior center on Mackinac Island has been broken into. Shocked at finding this long-time resident who was believed to be in another state, she intends to learn why he was back in town. Seniors led by Carol get involved in their own investigation of the break in and murder.
This is a quick read for a Christmas mystery involving characters of the series. I enjoyed the story that is viewed through Carol's actions and thoughts. I have to say it shows that someone in her 70's can have the intelligence, energy and ability to solve a mystery too. The victim has a sad and special story in this.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the novella from the author and publisher through NetGalley and this is my own unsolicited opinion about it. An intriguing excerpt from the next book in the series featuring Allie is at the end of the book. I look forward to that read.

A cute festive novella set in the Candy Coated Mystery world. This one is centered around Allie’s sleuthing friend, Carol Tunisian. After she finds a dead man at the senior center, Carol sets out to find the culprit.

An easy, fun read! I think we could’ve gotten a bit more wrap up but overall it was a fun novella. And there were still a few recipes just like the full novels!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas on Mackinac Island is a busy time, especially at the senior centre, but all plans are put on hold when a body is discovered inside the building. Carol Tunisian, who helps organise and attend the majority of events held there, is determined nothing will derail their plans over the festive season.

With the police on the case, Carol is warned by Officer Rex Manning to stay away from the investigation, but, as he knows only too well, that is unlikely to happen! With the snow falling and those responsible for the murder seemingly having no qualms about committing more crimes to keep their identities secret, Carol knows time is short if she's to help see justice done.

This is the third Christmas novella in the Candy Coated mystery series, all of which concentrate on one of the secondary characters rather than main protagonist, Allie McMurphy. Although I enjoyed this, it did seem rushed in places, and I felt the big reveal fell flat to such an extent I had to re-read it to see who actually dunnit! The investigation part did work, however, and I enjoyed all the differing personalities of the seniors determined to help Carol whether she wanted them to or not! Two yummy sounding recipes are also included.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Books, but the opinions expressed are my own. This was enjoyable with reservations and is a good length read for the busy festive season.

I’m not a fan of novellas as they are too short to get really invested in and don’t really do anything to move a series along but I read them because I like to read them because FOMO. This was cute. I liked getting to see things from Mrs. Tunisian’s point of view, who has been featured more in the series lately. I also enjoyed getting to know more of the seniors on the island. The mystery was good and the ending was not what I expected. This was a good story to fill the gap before a new regular length one is released.

I received a free copy of, Having a Fudgy Christmas Time, by Nancy Coco, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is part of The Candy Coated Mystery series. Its Christmas time in Mackinac Island and Carol is working on the Senior Center Christmas Ball, when she finds a dead body, and has a mystery to solve. A delightful cozy mystery short and sweet.

I enjoyed reading this e-novella from the perspective of a different character. It was a great fast cozy that was a wonderful addition to this series.

1 of my favorite authors. I liked reading this mini book. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I have. Happy reading

A very well written Cosy mystery. I loved the plot and well developed characters. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review .

Fun, quirky, cozy mystery, with a cast of characters you'll love. It's a mystery, but you can probably guess where it's going. That doesn't matter, though; this story is full of holiday cheer and yummy recipes! Lots of witty banter and cross-generational joviality.

"I settled in to sleep. Tomorrow would be a busy one. I had suspects to visit and kids to hoodwink."

Oh, and there's a fun Home Alone reference! 🤭

This was a fun little novella with a twist on the Candy Coated Mystery Series. With Carol being the MC. Carol finds a dead body in the senior center and has the book club investigate who did it. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more.