I adore this series. Although a Cozy Mystery, things are kept a little :"real". I love the progression of relationships and the mystery. I love the characters and their daily lives.

I had an ARC of this book from NetGalley when it first came out, but because I had listened to the first one on audio, I just couldn't get into it in print and ended up abandoning it. Months later, my library finally made the audiobook available through Hoopla, however, and I tried again with much better success. I really like the characters in this series, and it was fun to check in with them and to see more of the evolving potential romance between Dani and Spencer. I also really love that the author occasionally includes chapters from Spencer's point of view. This approach is more common in romance novels than in cozies, but it works well and adds new insight into solving the murder as well as into Spencer's feelings toward Dani. I do plan to stick with this series, but I'll be waiting for the audio version of book three!

Swanson's Chef-to-Go mysteries just get better and better with this latest installment. Between murder and a strange creature being spotted around town, chef Dani can't help but have her hands full.

It’s orientation week at Normalton University and Dani Sloan is looking forward to the students returning to her Lunch-To-Go business. This excitement is marred by a murder, carjackings, and a mysterious monster on campus. Dani realizes that if these mysteries aren’t solved soon she may become the next victim.

This is the second book in the series but my first. The mystery can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, however, I feel that I might understand the characters’ backstories better if I’d read book one first. The mystery is complex with its twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and interesting. Looking forward to more in this series.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Book 2 is more action-packed than Book 1, which is understandable, because Book 1 laid the premise, and now that everything's settled, it's time for our Cozy Mystery Heroine (CMH), Dani Sloane, to get involved in a whole another set of trouble. The catering side of her business is slowing down, and while she's trying to balance it with her Lunch-to-Go service, her younger tenant gets carjacked and a homeless man she is acquainted with gets murdered. And these things happen while she's navigating her rocky romance, wrangling her younger housemates and keeping her business afloat.

Although in theory I should not be liking Dani Sloane because she's a perfect cook (like with other cozy mystery protagonists, and I really loathe the "uber perfect" cozy protagonist), I actually like her and I am invested in her story because she does not have that perfect life. She's wholeheartedly wrapped up in making her business successful because she has something to prove to herself and to her father, and at the same time, she also has to be responsible for three university female students who belong to well-off families (and so the pressure is there). Without including Spencer, her prospective romantic partner, ghosting her, she has a lot on her plate. Also, she helps the homeless people with her food donations, and has no patience for the hypocritical and cold-hearted wealthy residents of Normalton at the expense of her catering business. This book illustrates those shining parts of Dani's character without making her to be a veritable saint that the reader cannot relate to her character and to her story.

The supporting cast also shines without being annoying or upstaging Dani. The three students have their own stories, they're shown having too much fun and being reckless, but they really adore Dani and always has her back. The characters representing the media are quirky without being weird. And the detective handling the case seemed a bit too perfect, but he has his good points. (I hope we see him in future stories.)

What I also liked is that we get to have alternating POVs of both Dani and Spencer. It's not a limited perspective where we as readers are biased towards the POV of the CMH. Although I find Spencer's reasons for his apparently horrible treatment of Dani acceptable, there are some that seemed flimsy and that they could have worked out as friends, so I am still on Dani's side on the issue of their relationship. (Spencer has to work doubly hard to deserve Dani!)

The mysteries (plural, because there are many to solve) are written in a way that you would never know who really was the culprit. The information needed to solve them was distributed throughout the book without overbearing the reader and at the same time, adding suspense to the story. One thing, though, was that I failed to empathize with the murderer because the murder was clearly a black-and-white situation, and not as nuanced like in other series where you can relate to the motive behind the crime and understand the perspective of the criminal better, which makes the criminal human.

All in all, I enjoyed the book from start to finish. I cannot wait for Book 3. This series is definitely on my waiting list.

The second book in the Chef-to-Go Mystery series by Denise Swanson is Leave No Scone Unturned. Dani is glad to see classes starting back at the local university so her lunch-to-go part of her chef-to-go business. Things at the university town seem to be out of control with multiple car jackings and a murder. The book also tackles the issue of homelessness and veterans. Normally I find things like that annoying, but the author handled it very well. The issue was discussed on both sides and did not come across as preachy at all. It added depth to the plot yet did not stray away from what makes cozy mysteries enjoyable.

Dani Sloan,Chef-to-go in a small college town is getting ready for the fall semester by catering a university luncheon. Afterward, Dani learns from one of her boards that she has been taking the leftover food to help the homeless. Not sure that this is a wise idea after meeting the head homeless guy, Dani persuades Spencer Drake, the uncle of the young lady and head of university security to go with her to talk to this man. No talk ensues because they find him dead in his tent.

Believing that his murder may be connected to a rash of carjacking on campus, Dani and Spencer start asking questions to help the new cop in town who doesn't seem to have a clue.

Good story and liked how the characters are continuing to grow. FUN!

It's the beginning of the university's fall semester and Dani can't wait for the college students to return to Normalton, Illinois after all, without them, there is no one to support her Lunch-to-Go service, which is a vital part of her Chef-to-Go business. But Normalton University's orientation week is marred by a mysterious murder, along with a series of carjackings and sightings of a mysterious creature in a pond on campus. And with the whole town feeling unsettled, Dani finds herself dealing once again with the infuriatingly handsome Spencer Drake, the head of security at the university.

Although Dani vowed that her life would never again be boring and routine after she quit her stifling corporate job, she had no idea that she'd end up dealing with such strange happenings not to mention murder. But as the trouble in Normalton draw worryingly close to home, Dani realizes that if the killer isn't caught soon, she may be the next one who is found scone cold dead.

The mystery is well written with plenty of twists, turns, and suspects to keep you guessing who the real culprit is until the mystery's conclusion. The author gives us a nice cast of characters, who are well written, well developed, and with enough details to make them believable and life-like. The one down side I do have with this book is that the author has a negative feeling towards relationships or marriage.
I enjoyed the first book in the series and I will read the next book to see if the authors feelings to relationships and marriage changes at all.

I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks for my review.

This is the second book in the 'Chef-to-Go Mystery' series but I read it as a stand-alone. I loved the characters and the setting and the pacing was great. I guessed the identity of the perpetrator but not the reason why the victim met their death. This was a super, fun read with fabulous writing by Denise Swanson. Well worth five stars!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is the second book in the Chef-to-Go Mystery series. It was an enjoyable cozy mystery that I finished in one sitting. The story was entertaining and the characters fun and quirky. I especially like the college setting. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thanks to Sourcebooks-Landmark for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The 'Chef-to-Go' series is a great addition to the Scumble River series. I like the interaction between the two series. It's not distracting to those that haven't read the Scumble River series but I found it interesting how the characters from both 'relate' to each other.

The mystery is well-written and had me hooked from the first few pages. I love the characters and the way that each is developing. I also liked a story-line that helped raise my awareness of the homeless.

I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series!

Gosh! I don’t know how she does it but it seems like every book I read by this author is great. I’ve been a fan because of other series she has written and this one is written just as well as the others. It didnt disappoint.

This is book 2 in the Chef to go series and it's a great cozy series. Of course anything written by Denise Swanson is a good mystery. Normalton University will soon start the fall semester and Dani is expecting the students to come back for their lunches. But before business picks up she must help Spenser Drake, Head of campus security solve a series of carjackings, a mysterious sight at the campus pond and a murder. I like the characters and the small town, college setting in this series. I feel a romance blooming for future stories. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dani is preparing to make ready to go lunches for a new school year at Normalton University. Meanwhile, Ivy has been giving extra food from the events Dani caters to the homeless camp near the university without Dani’s knowledge. Dani encounters Deuce one day when he comes over to pick up food from Ivy. Dani is happy to have the extra food being used well, but this encounter is what embroils her in the book’s mystery.
Spencer and Dani go to check on the homeless camp and find Deuce murdered. The same day Tippi’s car is hijacked. Spencer has been out by the canal watching for the Blackheart Canal monster.
This was a delight to read. The elements all fit together and it is a fun ride to get there. Dani isn’t trying to be intrusive on the investigation into Deuce’s murder, but she has a way of being in the right place to find information and then putting the puzzle together. I liked the way the author wrote interactions between Dani and Spencer better in this book. In the first one, there was too much instant sexual attraction that went overboard. This was truer to how a man and woman that don’t know each other very well would have acted and the jealousy because of Gray’s interactions with Dani made Spencer more human.
I’m looking forward to future books in the series. It is also fun how the author is bringing in some of the Scrumble River characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and Source looks Landmark for the opportunity to review an advance copy.

Leave No Scone Unturned is another great Chef-to-Go cozy mystery!

Dani runs a catering, personal chef and fresh box lunch business in small college town Normalton. When homeless veteran, Deuce, is murdered, Dani decides to investigate. Assisting her (or vice versa) are sexy city detective, Gray, and her unrequited love interest and University security chief, Spencer. At the same time, there is a carjacking upsurge in the town and the mysterious “Creature from the Blackheart Canal” is sighted on the campus.

It is always nice to see what is occurring in Dani’s life and there is a lot going on in Leave No Scone Unturned. In addition to the mysteries, Dani now has two attractive men to silently lust after. Plus her catering business takes a positive turn when she has almost too much work to handle.

Reading the Chef-to-Go mysteries is like slipping back into a comforting bubble bath. You know what to expect but are still pleasantly surprised by some of the plot twists. This series just keeps getting better and is highly recommended to cozy fans. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Denise Swenson is one of my favourite cozy mystery writers and I absolutely adore her Scumble River series. So to find some connections to that series in this one, makes this series all the better. However if there wasn't those connections I am not sure if I would like the series as much.

I actually finished reading this one a while ago and have been waiting to write my review because I wasn't completely sure what I could say about it. I like liked the mystery but it was also very all over the place and not very easy to follow at times. The characters are growing on me but they don't spark the same "I want them to be my friends" kind of feeling that Skye and co in the Scumble River mysteries. Then there is the overall general make-up of the series. I am not sure if this catering, landlady and sleuth mix is really working for me. There is so much going on and I don't know if I really believe that Dani manages to get it all done on top of never getting a full night of sleep.

So I am confused, the book was an ok read, it could have been much worse but there is also a lot of room for improvement. It is no Scumble River and I didn't expect it to be but I did expect the same quality and I don't think this series has managed to reach it, yet. I will check in on more in the series, if there are some but that is mostly due to the curiosity. I am wondering how things will go relationship wise for Dani and I am also a little invested in seeing where the author goes with the series altogether.

The second book in a series is usually where the series find its footing. We have a sense of who the characters are now and they've all found their footing. This story returns months after the first and it seems as if nothing much has happened. All that insufferable pining Dani and Spencer did over each other in the first book yet their relationship is at a standstill.

Dani's business is thriving on campus though. When I worked on two campuses they had a dining contract which also provided catering services who handled the top events on campus but it seems Dani's business has taken their spot. Dani was a little too perfect of a character for me despite all her talk of never being accepted by her father. Everything seems to come fairly easy to her.

And then there was the introduction of the dreaded love triangle.

The mystery was complicated with alot of twists and turns but it didn't enthrall me. I thought the book often dragged on with endless descriptions of food. Usually I see that in books with chefs that contain recipes but this book does not. This will be my last in the series.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this cozy: it's entertaining and engaging, a fast and enjoyable read.
It was good to meet again the quirky and well written cast of characters and see what was going on.
The mystery was solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end.
I love Ms Swanson's style of writing, she surely knows how to write a book that keeps your attention and makes you turn pages as fast as you can.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Leave No Scone Unturned is the second book in the Chef-to-Go mystery series. The story talks about homelessness, mental illness, and veterans as part of the homeless population and some of the reasons for their homelessness.

The school year is about to start and Dani is looking forward to promoting her business during the orientation going on for the incoming freshman. She is looking for ways to increase her business and possibly find ways to carry the business from end of school to when it restarts.

Ivy (a renter and part time employee) has been giving out the leftovers from Dani's catering business to the homeless. She has an ex-military man named Deuce as her go between. He suffered some traumatic injuries while in the Middle East. Deuce tells Dani that he is afraid of the Zombies at the homeless camp.

Deuce winds up dead and Dani feels the need to investigate. The university security lead welcomes her assistance. There are strange things going on in Normalton.

I liked that this story deals with current issues, has a complicated and twisted plot, and has well-developed characters. I like the town name of Normalton - it is far from normal.