Brew or Die: A Java Jive MysteryThis series is starting to redeem itself for me a little bit, a very little bit. Rather than Juliet Langley just bungling about, getting involved in murders, she's now a trained investigator. Her first job doesn't go very well (the man she's been trailing claims she's attacked him rather than the mistress he just dumped) but she is starting to get the hang of it when Shane, one of the coffee shop's workers, asks her to investigate the death of his fiancee. She apparently died of a drug overdose but Shane claims she's been clean for years. So Juliet (and, of course, Pete) jump into the world of party planning, once again even going undercover to help solve the case.
I still wish we didn't have the love triangle... which may not actually be a love triangle? This will-they-won't-they is cute enough for the span of a book, but not more than that. And we're now six books into the series. This is what got me off of Joanna Fluke and this series is heading that way for me. At least Juliet was slightly less ditzy in this book.

Three stars
This book comes out April 25
Follows A Whole Latte Murder

Brew or Die is another great cosy mystery from Caroline Fardig. Once again we are in Nashville at the Java Jive that Juliet Langley manages and is owned by her bestie Pete. Juliet has become a Private Investigator and is excited about her first case. Meanwhile, Pete drags her into another case focusing on the murder/suicide of one of their friends. As always Juliet is always poking and prying and living over caffeinated to stay awake. Her undercover gig is cleaning at night. Her gig with Pete consists of going to fancy parties dressed like a bride and avoid being hit on. Meanwhile, her ex boyfriend is making noises about seeing and speaking with her and her present boyfriend is being suspicious.

I love the stories that Caroline Fardig comes up with! They are always interesting and rarely a straight line from murder to murderer. Juliet and her group of friends are fun and funny. This is the fourth book in the series and it has not lost it’s fun factor. Brew or Die - a fun cosy mystery.

This was an okay mystery with good characters for the most part. It's just odd that the police listen to a newly minted PI concerning big cases and give her confidential info.

This was a good addition to the Java Jive Mystery series, but not the best in the series. I enjoyed the first three books more than this one.

It is book four in the series. Juliet has recently received her PI license and is working with a friend's agency. She also maintains her job managing the coffee shop. She has a steady boyfriend, Pete has a steady girlfriend. And then Ryder shows up. Cue the awkward love triangles. I get that Juliet still has feelings for Ryder, but after the way he behaved in previous books, I don't understand why she would want him anymore.

This book tries to solve two mysteries. Who killed Shane's fiancée and also, what shady things are going on at Wonder-Gen Fabrications. The Wonder-Gen case is for the PI agency, but the murder case is personal.

I felt like this book tried to cover too much ground. It would have been better if there was only one mystery to focus on. Keeping everybody straight, remembering which suspect belonged to which case, it all began to get a little complicated. Juliet's love life is a problem too. She is dating John, starting to have feelings again for Ryder, and still has an odd relationship with Pete. I think it is time for her to settle down with one guy.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book very much. It felt like reconnecting with old friends. By the end of the book, I was getting tired and ready to move on.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series, and this was the best one yet! I couldn't put it down, even sneaking a page here and there at work. This series is reminiscent of Janet Evanovich books; both authors make me laugh out loud. I highly recommend this book for excitement, entertainment, and suspense.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on April 22 at 00.00 am GMT+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Fun and exciting xD
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The world of Nashville music and crime – and investigative hotness – made for a fun setting.
Characters: I still so do love Juliet. The complicated maze of relationships, trials & errors was fascinating – a bit of a schadenfreude high, lol. Juliet felt like a more mature character, driven less by thoughtlessness emotional reactions (though fun in themselves), and more by common sense and reason. I loved how she kept her spunk but grew.
I will admit I’m starting to find Pete annoying, and that I really liked her and Ryder together again. Evil author was evil on that topic right at the end there, lol.
Plot: The mystery arcs were entertaining and fun. I loved the pace of events, how crazy-busy things got toward the end. The romance arc was angsty and juicy and complicated, just like I like it.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Juliet’s POV. Loved her voice and sense of humor.
Curb Appeal: Hooking blurb, kinna sucky cover but I love the series so it’s insta-buy material for sure.

I recommend Brew or Die to fans of spunky MCs who feel authentic, have real emotions, make mistakes, suffer the consequences, and make the whole ride super fun. And, I mean, the men – of all types – aren’t bad, either

Loved the book! Caroline is now one of my favorites...

I love a good cozy mystery and when it is part of a good series, I love it even more. Now of course, I didn't pay attention to the fact that this is the 4th book in the Java Jive series however, it was ok to read this and not the others . Usually cozy mysteries, give you the background info from the first books so that you are not lost.

I love Juliet's character and the mystery of this story was great. It was captivating and had the humor and lightheartedness that make for a good cozy mystery. I am absolutely going to go back and read the first 3 books and I will be keeping up with this series.

Juliet and the crew are back. Juliet has gotten her PI license and is investigating a case that isn't supposed to put her in any danger. Also, one of the baristas fiancée died of an overdose, but he knows that she would not take drugs. So, Pete and Juliet decide to investigate her death. Now she is working her regular job and investigating two cases. Her love life takes a hit, again, and Ryder is back in her life. How is she going to juggle all of this and keep her sanity?

the next book in the series of the readhead inwestigater. It was interesting und fun to read.

This series continues as it becomes more like a soap opera. All the regular characters are back doing all the things they typically do. The characters are unique, likeable and enjoyable, This would not be a good book to read if you have read none of the others in this series. The interactions and results are much more understandable if you know the backstories. A change has fallen over the series as we only get to see the red-headed she devil once, and Ryder has turned into Doctor Phil. The changes enable a whole different series of interactions between Juliet and Ryder, and they are sustained to the end. The writing is light and bright, and the book is an entertaining and easy read.

# I was given a free copy (ARC) of this book and am providing an honest review. This book was well written. This is the second book by this author that I have read.. This book does not need to be read in order of the series to enjoy the plot and characters. Who knew that that the party business had such turmoil? Fardig has a way of relating everyday relationship problem not seem trite. I do like how it’s not always happily ever after but there is hope. Looking forward to the next installment.

Brew or Die by Caroline Fardig is a book that I wanted to like more than I did. It’s the fourth in a series that features Juliet Langley, as well as her friend Pete and a host of other characters. This book, like its predecessors is an enjoyable read but not a deep read. It also seemed to be a bit all over the place.

As the book begins, Juliet has just received her Private Investigator’s license and is working her first case. This is fine except I couldn’t quite figure out how she could successfully manage Java Jive, her primary job, while working long nights as an investigator. On top of this, she is helping Pete, her best friend since college, get to the bottom of an employee’s fiancé’s death. I liked the resolution of one mystery but found the resolution of the second a bit abrupt. I find Juliet’s love life a bit tiresome. Her “not quite romantic” relationship with Pete, as well as her relationships with two police officers just seem a bit too much. I would love for the series to move forward and for Juliet and Pete to give up the pretense of being just friends and actually explore the attraction between them. This attraction is acknowledged by both but not acted on for fear of screwing up their friendship. That said, sometimes Pete didn’t act much like a best friend. 

I enjoy this series and enjoyed this book. This book, like the others, should be read for enjoyment but not necessarily realism. I am interested in seeing where the next book will take Juliet and what her next adventures will be. I recommend this book to those who enjoy cozy mysteries with some humor. 

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Alibi in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Juliet gets her PI licence and starts investigating a murder, the girlfriend of a Java Jive employee has had a suspicious overdose and Juliet and Pete team up to try get some answers for Shane. Meanwhile Juliet and Ryder are having some very heated arguments as they work through their love hate relationship. As usual, many twists and turns will keep you guessing in another great Java Jive mystery.

I think it's safe to say that I am hooked on this little mystery series. This is the 4th installment in the series and each one allows my fondness for it to grow. And it's not because it's this thriller mystery series. It's the characters. I am a huge fan of Juliet and her best friend Pete. Throughout the series, their desire to solve mysteries (aka murders) has blossomed from wrong place, wrong time into full-fledged PI licensing and I love it.

I hope there are more to come because I need to know what's going to happen next in Juliet's love life.

As I mentioned on my previous reviews, A JAVA JIVE MYSTERY is one of my favorite cozy mystery stories. Caroline Fardig takes us on this amazing adventure with our favorite redhead, Juliet Langley. BREW OR DIE is a ride of mystery, humor, suspense that will keep you guessing who the guilty ones are since the first dead body found.

In this book Juliet Langley (aka Jules) has accepted her friend Maya’s invitation to join her as a Private Investigator. Now with her PI certificate, she will be able to do some sleuth officially. But as we know, Jules gets involved in some weird and funny situations, so it’s not out of the ordinary for her to find herself, on her first assignment, with someone was getting stabbed. On her second assignment, she has to investigate some company, about the income of their money, some illegal transactions, and if it wasn’t enough for her, Shane who works for her at “Java Jive”, asked her and Pete to help her solve her fiancee’s murder, so Pete & Jules are back to doing some sleuthing in order to help Shane. Both will have adventures and will risk their lives more than once. So she won’t have too much time, between her job at Java Jive, her PI job and helping Pete to find who murdered Shane’s fiancee, she barely has time to sleep some hours.

About the characters, Jules is now dating John Stafford, the police ‘cold case investigator’, who is good to her, but there is no fire there. It’s lacking “tut spark”. If you compare her relationship to the one she had with her ex, Ryder Hamilton, (who is now back to ask for forgiveness), it is lacking in all aspects. She knows it but she still thinks he is good for her. Pete is dating Brooke, who was a victim in A WHOLE LATTE MURDER (3rd book of the series) and he also has some doubts about his relationship. After all what happens during their investigation, Pete and Jules will question their love life and they will have to decide if they continue with their current partners, or stay single.

I think this is the last book of the series because it has an epilogue, that didn’t happen before. I enjoyed this novel very much, but I’m not that happy with the ending. It’s not a bad one per say, but I would have wanted more for Jules, she deserves more because I love her character. Overall, this was a very fun series. I would recommend it but you have to start with the first book: DEATH BEFORE DECAF and read them in order.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I really like this series. It has mystery, humor, and a heroine who is having a really tough time with her love life. All elements that I find really make this series work. It is strongly recommended that you read the books in order for the full story.

Juliet Langley is finally getting her life back together after being injured and then left by boyfriend Ryder Hamilton, MNPD Detective, as he chased after a murderer. She hasn't heard from him for over 3 months and is moving on. Her new boyfriend is John Stafford, who was her Knight in Shining Armor from that terrible night. John is with MNPD too, but works cold/missing persons cases. Juliet is also a newly minted PI and working for Maya Huxley, her new employer and trainer. Pete Bennett, Juliet's best friend since college and owner of Java Jive, is not at all happy about Juliet now being somewhat legal with all the crazy things she gets dragged into.

Now that Juliet is an official PI, Maya is handing her a case to work. Gentry, a partner in the company Wonder-Gen Fabrications, suspects his partner of something underhanded and wants to find out what is going on in his company. Juliet crosses paths with Ryder on surveillance and learns some things that make her question her own judgment.

Juliet and Pete also start their own investigation into the death of Josie, the fiancée of Java-Jive cook Shane. She died of a heroin OD, but no one has ever seen her so much as take a drink. This investigation leads them to her place of employment, Leonidas Luxury Events, and some really nasty people.

I don't remember ever reading this author before, but I enjoyed the story immensely. There appears to be books prior to this one, but I was easily able to figure out the characters and their relationships. Juliet is fun. She is a stereotypical red-head. She has just gotten her PI license. There is tension between Juliet and her ex-boyfriend Ryder, her new boyfriend, John, and he best friend Pete. There are two "cases". These cases involve, all 3 men in her life. It is a nice escape story.

I absolutely loved this book . It was a fast read for me. I fell in love with the characters in the book and ended up buying the rest of the series. I highly recommend the book.