Thank you to the publisher and author for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review! I requested this book and was honestly not expecting to enjoy it that much for some reason. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next book in this series! Very well-written and has well-developed characters that I became invested in.

The author has written a successful series that also takes place in Illinois, but this new series takes place a couple hours from there. It was fun to have a character from the first series appear in this series, as well as mention of the old chief of police and his wife. This series however takes on a totally different feel because it is set in a much larger town with three universities located in town. Due to an unexpected and extremely generous bequest, our main character, Dani has been left a large Victorian house that is mostly renovated to be use as a bed and breakfast or an inn. The woman who left it to her was a close friend of her grandmother. (This was definitely one of those too good to be true moments!)

Murder, a hateful detective, a new cooking business (Chef-to-go), college students and more all add up to an interesting story. Throw in a hunky uncle who has retired from long term undercover work, and the story gets even more interesting. Plenty of motives and a surprise connection give the reader much to think about.

While this book has a lot to offer, it felt a little too good to be true at times. Being given the house that is perfect for the business as well as college girls writing novels that are involved in bidding wars seems unlikely. The menus sound ultra fancy to me, yet are always a hit with every customer. An ex-boyfriend who gave a gift and now wants it back because of it's resale value seemed extreme. Even with these factors, it still was an enjoyable book to read. I'll be ready to read the second book in the series when it comes out. Perhaps it will feel a little more settled and real.

I want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for making a copy of this book available for me to read and give my honest review.

Nice start to a new cozy series which is totally classic (woman remaking herself in the cooking world becomes a murder suspect and investigates with help of friends and has a little romance.). This time, though, there are some twists because Dani's friends are college students. Ivy, her main sidekick, is a hoot and Ivy's uncle Spence is the romantic interest. The murder of a sorority girl who isn't very nice propels this and while the real villain isn't hard to work out, Swanson has put in enough turns to make it interesting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious where this will go as Dani's house of students graduate and move on.

A great first in series! Denise Swanson is a new to me cozy author and after reading this book I am hoping to read more of her cozies.
A fun premise, interesting setting, and engaging characters! A great mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
I also enjoyed the food descriptions which is always a plus when reading a cozy mystery!

Dani is on the case when she and one of her boarders become the prime suspect in the death of her client. The detective investigating is bent on pinning the crime on Dani and it will take Dani and an assortment of friends to solve this puzzling case.

I like it. The pacing is on par with how well this light drama is being told. The mystery was nicely done, keeping me engrossed in all aspects as the main cast all had pivotal roles that enhanced the telling of this tale. From first meeting Dani to the boarders (Ivy, Tippi and Starr) to Regina-the victim, to Spencer and to the suspects, all provided me with an enjoyable read that I could not put down until the last sentence was read. The narrative was visually descriptive and I could visualize the college town, the mansion, and the scenery as the story moved forward. The author did a great job in presenting this story and I especially loved the “cameo” appearances, some in person and some in name of family friends from Denise’s Scumble River series. This is a wonderful story that boasts a likable cast of characters, a small-town atmosphere and engaging dialogue. There is an unrequited romance on the rise and I look forward to seeing where it goes in the next book in this delightfully charming series.

Although, I enjoyed this new series by Ms. Swanson, I was also disappointed. It didn't hold my interest as well as her other series. It was interesting seeing a bit of crossover with characters. Although there was no graphic bedroom scenes, I felt that the the descriptions of her 'heart-shaped ass' were not in line with my views of a 'cozy'.

Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson is a first in a new series.

The story is interesting and I like Dan I, the main character.
It seems like Dani has a self esteem problem and I hope to see that go away in the future.

When Dani inherits an old house, her future becomes more bright, leading her to follow a path that leads to murder.

Deciding to go into the catering business is no small expense. When Dani has the opportunity to collect rent in exchange for sharing her home with college students, it seems like a win win situation.
Unfortunately, her first job takes a nasty turn of events and Dani finds herself in the middle I'd a murder investigation.

Dani and Ivy, one of her college housemates, are both considered suspects.

Ivy calls her uncle to help, and when he meets Dani, the sparks fly.

The story is good and the series has potential. I think the author is teetering on the thin line between cozy mystery and romance.

I have no problem with romance, but some of the references in this book were a bit much.

I don't particularly care to know about the shape of someone's butt while reading a cozy mystery.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I decided to request this book because I was interested in seeing how the writer would weave typical college town life into a cozy mystery. I wondered just how quaint the town could be. Having left college a few years ago,worked at a different college a year after, and making monthly visits to another college town; I have a picture of college life in my head that doesn't necessarily fit into most cozy mysteries. There were some parts of this story that felt like the author just browsed buzzfeed to find out what ‘The kids are saying’.

Dani was so pretentious it was hard to imagine the girls described in the book thinking of her as a big sister when she acted much more like their mother. Her judgmental ways at times made it hard for me to tolerate her. She often treated these adult women like they were young teens. She was only 9/10 years older than them.

She was also so preachy when it came to anything involving alcohol. I don't know if the author knows but in most states you do not have to be 21 and over to serve alcohol at an event. And we're these girls not almost 21? I just found it strange to emphasize her servers not being old enough to handle liquor. It was also incorrect as Illinois where this story is set has a legal serving age of 18.

The descriptions of Regina were so over the top she felt like a caricature. Definitely inspired by Regina George from Mean Girls. The funny thing is Dani was very pretentious herself but not in an as overt way. But at the story went on Regina’s past actions became more ridiculous as the author tried to hammer that everyone had a reason to dislike this young woman.

And then there was Uncle Spencer. His lust over Dani was annoying after this sentence “The naturalness of her beauty was like a cold glass of water after being forced to drink nothing but artificially flavored soda his whole life”.

If I had to read about how he stared at Dani’s heart snapped bottom one more time……

I must say after struggling through the story the most disappointing part was the anti-climactic ending. Overall the mystery definitely took a backseat to the Chef-To-Go business and flirting attempts. I recommend giving this book a pass.

Just in the nick of time Dani inherits a huge mansion that gives her a place to live and the opportunity to start a new business, Chef-to-Go. The mansion was in the process of being renovated as a B & B, so the kitchen is new and commercially furnished. Establishing the community for this new series finds three college students in dire need of a place to live and strike an agreement with Dani to rent rooms and work as part-time staff for her catering business.

Dani’s first big catering event goes well until the hostess dies. And since she is killed by eating Dani’s food the morning after the big party, Dani and her three helpers are prime suspects. The investigating policeman has a bone to pick with Dani over decisions she made in her previous job as a HR manager. There is also the uncle of one of the students, a handsome former policeman, Spencer, that finds Dani attractive and, of course, she likes him as well.

This adventure begins with an interesting premise and Denise Swanson is an engaging writer who pens a good mystery.

Right when Dani thinks she’s hit a dead-end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous old house in a quaint college town. This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion—cooking! So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.

But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects! She’ll have to scramble to clear her name and save her business before the killer reappears—perhaps to silence the new chef forever.

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I have a passion for 'food mysteries' so I was excited about a new series. This first book is likable--Dani is an interesting female protagonist, down on her luck with new opportunities for a career and love on the horizon. I thought it was funny that she essentially becomes a den mother to college girls but it the basis for a good premise.

General assessment--the plot works but felt a little clunky at times, especially with the suspect development, the investigation and the wrap up. It all felt a little forced and as a reader I wanted more finesse. I also think I'd prefer the POV from one character rather than shifts from time to time.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Awesome book! This was my first read by Denise Swanson and now I know why she has so many great fans. Great characters, great sub-plots and I loved that people of different ages can work/live in harmony. So refreshing in a story. Can't wait for more books in this series.

I usually really like Denise Swansons' mystery but I had some problems with this one.
Even if it is well written and with a sound plot it lacked the humour present in her other mystery.
I also did not like very much the main charachter, too serious and very professional woman.
It is a good cozy but not my cup of tea.

Oh, this one was just a lot of fun to read. The opening was a bit rough, but once Dani sets up her Chef-to-Go business and the college girls move in, we're off to the races.

The romantic elements are a bit stronger in this cozy mystery series than I like, and some of Dani's actions made me frown, but other than those few bumps, this was a really fun new series. I liked the details about Dani's chef business, and her interactions with the upper crust of the small town she lives in. The addition of the college girls who live with her and help her with the business makes the series feel a bit younger and edgier--a welcome new take on the cozy mystery genre. The mystery wasn't too tough to figure out, but still well-plotted for the avid mystery fan.

Recommended if you like cozy mysteries, but are looking for something a bit edgier and fun.

*NetGalley copy provided for review**

3.5 stars

I wanted to like this series debut because the main character, Dani, was a strong, resilient and appealing woman. But lots of things got in the way: about the third or fourth time the male lead labelled someone an ass hat, or we had to listen to a description of Dani's heart-shaped ass, I was vexed by the repetitiveness.

Dani is a caterer who has esteem issues and a bit of an inferiority complex since she has never been able to please her father. She lives in a great old house she inherited and rents rooms to several female college students which is an appealing part of the setting. A catering client is found murdered after an event which Dani catered. The investigating officer has a grudge against Dani and she and her boarder's uncle decide to look into the crime. She and the uncle have a definite attraction but they are both wary. The romantic interactions are disjointed and unsatisfying.

Dani is constantly dispensing advice, nodding and smiling and listening to everyone's troubles. She is the master of the affirming response, and when I checked the author bio and found she was a retired psychologist, I was not surprised.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really good cozy mystery with a wonderful cast of characters. The mystery was top notch, as well. There's no, "getting into", this cozy, it reads with a great flow from beginning to end. Looking forward to the next adventure in this series.

At first I was skeptical about this new series from Denise Swanson, although I have always been one of her biggest fans. But, when Dani inherits a mansion from a distant family friend, I think "right, like that is going to happen!". but Dani has real-life issues and concerns about the cost and upkeep of her new home, so I relaxed and let my guard down.

Dani takes in college students to help offset the cost of new meals to go/catering business and it all falls into place until one of the snarky college friends ends up dead. Murder you say?

Dani has to work fast to clear her good name and new business as all indication points to her.

Hop along for the ride and enjoy the great sounding dishes (you can almost taste them!) while Dani tries to clear her name and save her livelihood..

GREAT fun!

Highly recommend this for family and friends - stick inside their next gift basket!!

Dani has quit her job in HR after the way a serious issue was handled, and dumped her lying cheating boyfriend she decides to figure out a way to turn her love into cooking into a career. The answer comes in the way of a surprise inheritance. Geraldine Cook her grandmother's best friend. has left Dani her Victorian mansion, which is under renovation. The older woman had plans to open a Bed and Breakfast, but Dani isn't fond of having strangers coming in and out of her home. Having lived in a townhouse and befriended the trio of college girls across the hall, Dani takes the girls into her new home when they are kicked out of the townhouse after a party gets out of hand. The rent money and the girls' agreement to help Dani get her business Chef-to-Go up and running will allow them to all to stay in the old mansion. When Ivy Drakes study group member Regina Bourne hires Dani to cater her Summerpalooza nobody expected the hostess to turn up dead after the party is over, with Ivy and Dani as the prime suspects. With the help of Ivy's Uncle Spencer, Dani begins her own investigation to find Regina's killer and clear her and Ivy's names. Dani uncovers plenty of suspects who hated the girl, but she is thwarted at every turn by the nasty Detective Mikeloff. The plot and subplots are well developed, and the mystery has plenty of suspects with motive. Fans of the authors Scumble River series will get a visit from Frannie Ryan. I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebook for my honest review.

I like most everything author Denise Swanson writes and this ranks up near the top of the list. This is book 1 in her new Chef to Go series. It introduces us to Dani and her three student boarders and a potential love interest in Spenser. This new series revolves around Dani and her catering home chef business. There is conflict with the local police, a university full of friends and potential criminals and lots of fun with her boarding house. Can't wait to see where this series goes.

Tart of Darkness is an exceptional start to a brand new cozy mystery series from one of my beloved authors, Denise Swanson. I was enamored with this book. I loved "meeting" Dani and I am so excited to see where she goes from here. To say I am excited about the next release in the series would be an understatement... But I will say it anyways, I can't wait!!!

Recommended Read

I enjoyed this first book in a new cozy series. Dani has inherited a large mansion that was being remodeled for a bed and breakfast. She is unhappy with her corporate job so she decided to move into mansion operate it as boarding house for college students and open catering/food service business. When one of her catering customers is found murdered she is the main suspect. The investigating cop is determined to find her guilty so she she has to solve the crime to clear her name. Like many first books there is a lot of set up with all the characters. There is a budding romance and a little too much time was spent on it. Fans of her Scrumble River series will enjoy references to those characters. The mystery was good and the solution did make sense. I look for word to reading more in this series.