Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café by Jodi Thomas Reviewed on May 18, 2020 3+ Stars ~ I did like this story

Author, Jodi Thomas is new to me, I was totally drawn to this cover plus I just love the title..

Told from the POV of Honey Creek’s mayor, Piper Jane Mackenzie, Coby McBride ~ the Trooper, Sam Cassidy~ Preacher, and Pecos Smith ~ a teenager who just graduated from high school.
Piper’s boyfriend (well sort a boyfriend) is missing and Piper’s brother fears she may be in danger. He hires Cody to bodyguard her.

At first, I had a hard time liking Cody but liked Sam and totally love Pecos! And, of course, we all dislike the “sort a boyfriend”!
The ended is great but certainly leaves us readers wanting more! I especially want to know more about the next stage in the life of adorable Pecos but now have to wait until next spring for the next Honey Creek Café novel.

Want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 26, 2020

An entertaining and engrossing read that I loved.
The setting is lovely, the characters are likeable and the plot is well told and kept me hooked.
It's a perfect book to make you smile in this bleak times.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I have been thinking all day about what I could write about this book. It’s good but for me it doesn’t sparkle. It’s a romance but it didn’t resonate with me. So it gets 3 stars.
The story is told from 4 perspectives - Piper, Colby, Sam and Pecos Smith.
Piper is Honey Creeks’s mayor and she needs someone to help her with the disappearance of Boone.
Colby is a Texas patrol officer (sorry I have forgotten the correct terminology), but he wants to be a Texas Ranger. He takes the job of helping Piper in hopes of making that happen.
Sam is a firefighter but trained in seminary and he comes to town to fill in as pastor at the church.
Pecos Smith is a high school senior with ambitions.
The story progresses with most chapters from a different perspective. Piper and Colby find love. Sam finds love. Pecos graduates and gets involved with the smartest girl in school.
I didn’t connect with any of the characters, so while it’s well written it just didn’t do much for me. I would guess that fans of Jodi Thomas will enjoy this new series.

Piper Jane Mackenzie, mayor of Honey Creek, won’t let a major scandal rip her quirky hometown apart, or jeopardize her dream of one day running for higher office. So she’s willing to welcome undercover detective Colby McBride, hired to help solve the mystery behind her wannabe fiancé’s disappearance. Colby’s cover? That he is an old boyfriend now begging Piper for a second chance—always when there are plenty of townsfolk around to witness his shenanigans.
Welcome to Honey Creek, a delightful, quirky little Texas town. Once you enter, you won’t want to leave. In addition to Piper Jane and Colby, you meet Sam, the temporary pastor who is hoping that returning to the past can help him find his future; Pecos, the local high school graduate with big dreams and Winston who lives in one of the towns biggest homes but has no family. These are just some of the wonderful characters that Jodi Thomas has created for the reader to enjoy. The characters not only reflect the quirkiness of small town life but also reflect the hopes, dreams, doubts and wishes we all face at one time or another. You will find Honey Creek to be full of mystery, romance, and secrets. Pull up a chair and enjoy.

Welcome to Honey Creek, Texas, founded by outlaws and misfits, and safe haven for outsiders like former firefighter Sam Cassidy. Sam comes to town like an Old West hero, seeking a quiet and meaningful life, only to find the Mayor in the midst of scandal, with romance and danger lurking around every corner. But this isn’t just Sam’s or Mayor Piper Mackenzie's story, it's about a community of people you can’t help wanting to be a part of. As with most small-town stories, the townsfolk are what make the book. Thomas has crafted excellent caricatures of people we already know. From the busybody secretary who thinks she runs the town, to the trio of greeters at the church, and the lonely old rich man down the road. These are people you knew once upon a time, and the author allows us to meet them again in Breakfast at the Honeycreek Café. 

Our stars include aforementioned Sam Cassidy, the interim preacher, alongside Mayor Piper Mackenzie and State Trooper Colby McBride.  I love how the author takes time to give each character dimension and rewarding story arcs. The romance and dialogue are quirky, fun, and engaging. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the premise, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected direction Jodi Thomas took these characters. Our preacher protagonist's credentials are a little over the top, but it’s soon clear every character in Honey Creek is larger than life in funny ways. In fact, much of Breakfast at the Honeycreek Café reads like a social commentary, a la Austen. The people and the place are somewhat surreal, like an impressionists painting, but under their painted layers are startlingly real bones. Yet it’s clear from the beginning that everyone has a part to play, from Pecos, the earnest teen, to Daily, the town drunk. All are pieces to the overarching mystery of just what happened to the mayor's boyfriend?

What truly makes this a five-star read for me (besides excellent characterization) was the author’s ability to turn a phrase. I can't think of another book I've read this year that made me laugh with lines like: "A coven of witches reportedly ran the local bakery. No one knew for sure, but they made great scones." Thomas also shows a keen sense of the layers that make up a person through clever character descriptions like: "From his stance to his slight twang, the man before her seemed pure Texan. He might be the type who said “yes, ma’am” to the ladies and fought his way out of a bar at midnight." 

For everyone who doesn’t quite fit into the mold society has made for them, Jodi Thomas has created a place anyone can feel at home. I know I'll be eager to read more books from this author. Perfect for fans of clever dialogue, rich characters, and fans of "that small-town feel," I urge you to take a chance on Breakfast at the Honeycreek Café. Thomas sums up the feel for Honey Creek as Mayor Mackenzie reflects, “She wasn’t made for a small town, not in her dreams anyway. But this place flowed through her veins, slow and steady as the Brazos River wound around the city limits. Low as the wind blowing down the valley whispering of legends of outlaws and ghosts.”


**I was provided with a copy of Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by the publisher and this is my voluntary and honest review.**

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe is a heartwarming tale about people in a small town of Honey Creek Texas. The story is told from four different Points of View: Piper the Mayor, Colby the state trooper, Sam the new preacher, and Pecos the recent High School grad.

There are a lot of characters in this book, which is understandable because it was laying the foundation for the series. However with this many characters and storylines in the same book, I feel like some weren’t fleshed out as well as they could have been. Especially the story of Pecos, I wish he would have been given more air time; hopefully he will in future books in the series.

My favorite characters were Piper and Colby and I wish there would have been more time devoted to these two, they were perfection! Their dialogue and exchanges were witty and entertaining.

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance and books about small town life.

3.5/5

I loved this book, all the different characters but especially I loved Pecos. He was so different from his upbringing. This was definitely one of those books that I hated when it ended. I need a sequel to continue their stories!!

I enjoyed this book I thought it would talk mainly about Piper and her being the mayor, but this book focuses on other characters as well. One of them was Pecos. I thought he was kinda of weird in a funny way. First he was working for Uber without them knowing. I thought that was funny. Then He takes on the responsibility of being a father although he didn't have to. I can't wait for the next book to come out. I would like to know if they find piper's fiance and whoever was writing the notes.

i am grateful that Netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. It took a little bit to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down. I found it to be a light read that was entertaining and had romance.

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café was a lightweight and entertaining book. The author knows how to write character development and the characters were interesting. What annoyed me a bit was that the mystery of the missing sheriff and missing not-fiancé were a bit missing from the second half of the book, even if the missing sheriff was somehow resolved. Also, I would have loved to read more about Pecos.

I am a big fan of Jodi Thomas, particularly her contemporary romantic fiction stories. Set in charming small Texas towns that I want to spend time in, filled with interesting, relatable, and sometimes quirky characters, her stories bring a cozy comfort with a dash of intrigue.

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café reminded me of her Laurel Springs series (The Little Teashop on Main and Mornings on Main) but with more quirkiness and more humor. If the mystery in this story played a more prominent role, I would daresay the style could be compared to a cozy, what with the quaint town, quirky characters, and romantic elements that remain clean.

The book alternates between four characters. The primary storyline is that of Piper Mackenzie, the dedicated mayor of Honey Creek who has found herself in a pickle. Colby McBride is the undercover detective sent by her brother, a Texas Ranger, to help find the missing fiancé. It’s a small town, and so to win the confidence of townfolk Colby pretends to be an old boyfriend in town to try to court Piper so that people will open up to him. The public interactions between Colby (with a put-on over-the-top optimistic and flirtatious persona) and Piper are among my favorites in the book.

A separate storyline belongs to fill-in preacher Sam Cassidy. His arrival in Honey Creek crosses paths with Colby McBride, but it isn’t until later in the story when their stories intersect. His character is quiet, filled with self-questioning, and introspection. He meets his match in Anna, a fiesty, loud, opinionated, and short-spoken whirlwind of a woman. She is completely not his type, and of course, he’s immediately intrigued – and her bold, bossy presence provides a bit of levity to his solemn persona. His story is one of soul-searching and personal growth, and both of them have baggage they need to overcome before they find each other.

The last storyline belongs to Pecos, a high school graduate who has big goals, and a simple but somewhat lonely life. He’s a fascinating character (and honestly, I almost would have loved for him to get his own book). When his character is first introduced, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how he fits into the bigger story, but by the end, his weaves in with the other two. By that point, I had fallen in love with his optimistic spirit and positive attitude, and I’d set aside the initial disconnect I felt between his story and the greater book.

One of Thomas’ strongest suits is character development, and it shines in this novel. Piper is the most solidly defined of the characters; she’s driven and direct, but little details show her softer side (like how she leaves her shoes in the office when she looks over the town from the parapet or her collection of soda cans in her office that reflect how much time she devotes to her job. Thomas has a lot of fun with Colby’s character, you can tell. Anna was another character that was a contrast in traits – defensive, colorful, chaotic, driven – and I hope we see more of her because she’s such a burst of personality.

I do love my happily ever afters and Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café delivers them in spades. Admittedly, Pecos’ HEA came in an unexpected manner (and this is where I wish we had more time to spend with his story), and Sam’s HEA was MORE than anticipated.

Additionally, the mystery of the missing sheriff and missing not-fiancé feel like MacGuffins, fading from focus in the second half of the book until the ending.

The book shifts gears at the end as the storylines come together and an unexpected bit of excitement occurs.
Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café is an easy book that provides a comforting escape and neatly tied up endings, something I definitely appreciated. I’m delighted by the characters and can’t wait to see what the next book brings to Honey Creek.

I adore Jodi Thomas books so, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to read Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a mystery when I read the prologue. Who could possibly be threatening the beloved mayor, Piper Jane Mackenzie, in such a cute little town like Honey Creek?

Cut scene and we are introduced to the intriguing Sam Cassidy whose name perfectly matches the outdoorsy manly man who is attempting to step into his father’s shoes. As he is peeling away one life to start another, Sam bumps into another man who seems to be doing the same, Colby McBride. Each man assesses the other in back to back chapters, and it made me nervous about a possible love triangle with Piper. Flipping back, I tried to look for clues early on about who would claim the mayor’s heart, but Thomas kept those early encounters professional and didn’t hint at any romance… yet.

Much like a Stars Hollow but set in Texas, Honey Creek is small but a busy hive of locals who are all up in each other’s business. I really enjoyed the time that Thomas took to tell us tidbits about the inhabitants: from the old ladies in the walkers that take up the second row real estate in the church to the town drunk who is tailed by children wanting to bring home a daddy to the youngest son of a family who uses children as free labor. Those last two sound a bit tragic but they’re anything but when Thomas brings them to life on the page. And I am truly amazed at how much world building is accomplished in such a short book. Not only do many eventful happenings occur in this town in the span of a few days, but also Thomas has created fully developed characters with interesting backstories, all being interwoven as they interact with each other.

When you take into account how much happens, it is surprising to realize that the pace is perfect. No loitering in fanciful daydreams about the love interest for pages on end, but a gradual and realistic build of attraction, respect, and then love. It seems that all of the male characters have to break down the cold hearts of their female love interests, and I would have loved to see at least one relationship that deviated from that pattern. I also felt like the end was no fully resolved, at least to my satisfaction. But when I read the teaser chapter at the back of the book, I realized that maybe some of the questions I had would be answered in the next book. Well played, Ms. Thomas.

Should you read this book? Yes! The mystery is great and the romance is even better. This book further solidifies Jodi Thomas as one of my go-to authors for romance reads. If you’re a little nervous of steamy stories, don’t worry. This one is cozy and so much fun to read.

The mayor of the small Texas town of Honey Creek is having a rough time. She is receiving anonymous letters, and rumors are swirling around the mysterious disappearance of a man thought to be her fiance. While this is going on and she doesn't know who she can trust because of the letters, two strangers appear in the small town. One is the temporary pastor for a local church - a man who seems uncomfortable in the position. The second stranger is a policeman who was asked by his friend, the mayor's brother and a Texas ranger, to keep an eye on his sister.

The first few chapters of the book felt a little disjointed because of the alternating points of view, but it all came together after a few chapters. It is a mix of mystery and romance - three romances. By far my favorite characters were high school kid Pecos Smith and his friend Kerrie, and my favorite parts of the book were those written from Pecos' point of view. He's wonderful.

This is a great read after the first few introductory chapters, and I can't wait to read book 2 and revisit this town and the people who live there, particularly Pecos and his new family. I received an advance reading copy of this book from Kensington Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my opinion of the book.

This is the first book in the new series titled Honey Creek, and the first book I have read by this author.
My favorite part of the book was the town of Honey Creek , a place I would like to visit.
The reader is introduced to a large number of characters which for me , sometimes was exhausting.
The storyline, at times a tad slow, has some mystery, and a little romance in this interesting town.
Though I never felt totally engaged in the story, it was entertaining .
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

New Series by Jodi Thomas

Come to Honey Creek -
a small town with a lot going on!!

Come meet some new friends, and make room for a new series!!

Love Jodi Thomas! This book started off with too many character and separate storylines but came together and was a fun read. I would recommend this!

Thanks to Kensington Books
#BreakfastattheHoneyCreekCafe
#Net Gallery

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started to read it as each chapter went from person to person and nothing seemed to tie in. After reading further all fell into place and I ended up enjoying the story line. Everything tied in and this became a book to enjoy. Try it and see, I am giving this 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Jodi Thomas's books are like a warm blanket that helps you forget about everyday stresses and enjoy this town. This story starts off with the mayor Piper in some trouble when her fake fiancee goes missing.....and the press is starting to ask questions....her brother hires a bodyguard for Piper.
This book is told from four characters in this book, Piper Jane McKenzie, Colby McBride, Sam Cassidy and Pecos Smith. This town is lovely to visit and the plots are fun to see them get to their happy ever after. Great author and fun read.

#BreakfastAtTheHoneyCreekCafe#HerBalist
Breakfast at the honey creek cafe is the first book of a new series by Jodi Thomas.She does not disappoint as it has it all. romance, mystery,small town drama. It is full of hope and second chances. Mayor Piper has a childhood friend who is her pretend fiance.She hires a private investigator to find him when he comes up missing. There are many characters with many different points of view. These characters were believable but flawed.and enjoyable to read as all Jodi Thomas books are. Many people will be awaiting the next book in the series. Thank you for the chance to read this Arc and to review it.

Breakfast At The Honey Creek Café is book one in the new Honey Creek series by Jodi Thomas. I’ve been a fan since reading Rewriting Monday ten years ago. I’ve grown to love the small town settings, quirky characters and charming plots that are hallmarks of her novels. This book is no exception and was just the book I wanted to read when I picked it up. I find them a comfort no matter what’s going on in my life but especially during a quarantine.

I enjoyed learning about the small Texas town of Honey Creek, the mayor and her challenges, the substitute minister, and an undercover trooper whose goal is to be a Texas Ranger. I liked the light mystery and drama woven through the story as well as the romance. All told with humor and heart which is what I’ve come to expect from Jodi Thomas. Recommended.