Witty, enjoyable read like a cozy mystery book should read. Characters who make you laugh, you find relatable and enjoy their story make it that much more enjoyable. When a cozy goes on reality tv I get a case of the giggles— I love it!

This is the 7th Merry Muffin Mystery and the first time it doesn't include murder. Wynter Castle unexpectedly hosts an opera reality show. This introduces an interesting cast of characters to the book. Most of the contestants and some of the judges are hiding secrets.
Gilda is a news reporter who is on site following the course of the competition. Part way through the filming Gilda goes missing. With help from Becket, Merry finds Gilda unconscious and injured in the woods. Merry has always been very negatively impacted by finding dead bodies on the property, but she was still quite upset that someone was injured and left for dead in the woods.
The story flows pretty well. Merry kept details of the investigation to herself (or the author hid them to keep the guilty party from being obvious). It's at the point of final action that the guilty parties become clear and many of the secrets kept by the contestants come to light.
I found the story to be an enjoyable read even though I am not a big fan of reality TV shows. Basing a book on the filming of a reality show doesn't increase my fondness.
The book could definitely be read without reading the other books in the series. The main characters are all introduced with enough information to make the story work by itself.

This is a series that grows with each installment and this latest addition does not disappoint. Full of well rounded characters, a solid mystery, and a castle, this is a book that the reader will want to read time and again.

Double Or Muffin is the seventh book in the A Merry Muffin Mystery series by Victoria Hamilton.

Merry Winter has a dilemma facing her. Pish Lincoln, her best friend and business partner, has agreed to permit Opera DivaNation to use Wynter Castle to finish taping opera wannabes’ finals. Merry reluctantly agrees, reminding Pish that they have only a week to complete their taping, as another company will be arriving in two weeks to film a docudrama. It doesn’t take Merry long to determine that the cast and crew will be high-maintenance guests. Merry is a fan of opera and is enjoying listening to the singer’s rehearsals. Before long, she learns that it seems that most everyone has some kind of secret that they desire to keep that way. A reporter arrives and begins to talk with the contestants and crew trying to learn what secrets they have to write a story bringing them to light. Before long, the reporter goes missing, and Merry begins a search to find her. She is found, having been beaten and left for dead. Merry can’t have something like this, leaving a blot on her business, so she sets off to find the person responsible for this heinous crime.

This book is an excellent addition to this interesting series. The book is well-written and plotted. There are several characters in the story, but the author has included a list of characters to help the reader keep them straight. The cast is well-developed and very interesting. The book moved at a nice pace and had plenty of red herrings that I was kept guessing until the end.

Readers can find recipes related to the book on the author’s website.

I will be watching for the next book in this series.

I enjoyed Double Or Muffin, book 7 in the Merry Muffin Mystery series by Victoria Hamilton. This book was better than the last one and more like the earlier ones which made me happy. Merry Grace Winter owns a castle that she turned into a B&B and is expanding to include a performing arts center. Merry is married to Virgil who was the local sheriff but is now a private Investigator. In this book, Merry's friend and business partner, Pish invites a group from an Opera reality TV show. There are A LOT of people including the contestants, mentors, producers and the behind the scenes workers. Plus they have window cleaners at the castle. Plus the regulars including friends who help out around the castle or visit. The author does a decent job but it was an effort to keep up at times. A nosy reporter accompanies the group and is left for dead. It has to be someone with the reality TV group so Merry tracks down clues. Everyone has secrets so I wasn't sure until the end. Virgil is gone for most of this book but it would be more enjoyable if they worked together to solve the mystery. Double Or Muffin is an enjoyable cozy mystery with likable characters, a strong main character and an intriguing cozy mystery. #NetGalley #DoubleOrMufffin #BeyondThePage

I love Victoria Hamilton's Merry Muffin series! Double of Muffin features a reality show filming their season finale at the Castle. A snoopy reporter is attacked and all of the contestants - along with judges and crew - are under suspicion with a plethora of motives. Merry is a favorite of mine and I love the characters in this series. Set in upper New York State, Wynter Castle is such a picturesque setting and perfect for a bunch of aspiring opera singers. The plot is well done and kept me guessing. I look forward to Merry's next adventure! Thank you to #NetGalley for the review copy of #DoubleorMuffin. .

Received a free copy for honest review from Netgalley


In the latest installment of Merry Muffin Mysteries, Merry Grace Wynter owner of Wynter Castle and baker extraordinaire must solve yet another crime.

Merry and her business partner and best friend Pish Lincoln rent the castle out for different events and this time the castle and catering services are being used by a production company that is taping a reality based competition that involves aspiring opera singers. As the castle fills up with cast, crew, judges and production staff things may not be as they seem. Everyone involved with the show seems to have secrets and ulterior motives and when a journalist writing about the competition is attacked and left for dead Merry must sift through what is relevant and what isn't to help solve the crime. She even gets a little help from her cat!


I love that there are so many characters in the book. At first it was a little confusing to keep them all straight but I found it really added to the mystery of who dun it, you really had to decided who's secrets and backstory was relevant to solving the crime. This was a great cozy mystery with diverse characters and a small town atmosphere that draw you in from the very first page. I recommend it to all.

Winter Castle is hosting a reality opera singing competition. Merry and Pish work to keep everyone happy, but with big personalities and diva behavior all roads lead to murder and mystery. Well plotted and interesting twists make this another fun read in the series.

I read the first few Merry Muffin books and then missed the two before this one but it didn’t make any difference. I was able to pick right back up with the series.

After a reality show is kicked out of their hotel they move to Wynter Castle to continue filming. When the reporter assigned to the show is found near death in the woods Merry has a long list of suspects. I enjoyed the story and this is one of the few cozy mysteries I’ve read where the local police aren’t made out to be bumbling idiots, which I appreciated. The biggest downside to the book for me was the large cast of characters occasionally made keeping track of who everyone was challenging.

This is the 7th installment in the Merry Muffin Mystery series. Merry Wynter is the owner of Wynter Castle and is settling into married life and has plans with her business partner Pish to get a entertainment pavilion on the grounds and she is shocked to learn he has agreed to have an Opera reality TV show come in and do some filming for the next 7 to 10 days as they are having the castle windows cleaned for another filming crew in two weeks. Merry agrees because Pish knows one of the judges and they have been kicked out of their hotel after a number of mysterious incidents. Merry agrees to cater the dinners and do a breakfast along with housing the contestants. The contestants all seems to have something strange going on with them and are all high strung. Merry is stressed and gets some help from a few of her friends and she gets Lizzie hired on as an intern on the production. Virgil her husband is going out of town for a case (he is a private investigator) so she decides to stay at the castle. Things begin to go missing from the window cleaners as well as in the castle and the entertainment reporter arrives in the middle of the night. All the contestants appear to have something to hide and the reporter Gilda is digging up dirt on all of them. When she goes missing one day, Merry is convinced something is wrong and the night before there had been lots of coming and goings late into the night at the castle and Beckett her cat stayed out all night. Merry sees a clue that Beckett found and she eventually gets a search underway that leads to the finding of Gilda almost dead in the woods. Now she has an attempted murderer staying under her roof. Merry, Pish, Virgil along with the police are gathering evidence to find out what is going on. This was a good solid mystery with lots of possible suspects and I was guessing until the very end. The writing is solid and moves at a good pace and keeps you engaged and wanting more. There are a lot of characters in this story but it is handled well and this can be read as a stand-alone with no problem. I cannot wait for the next installment. A winner.

Wow!!This book is another great one in this series. While it could be a stand alone I suggest reading the 1 st book in the series so you can become familiar with the characters. This one starts out strong and just grabs one mind. There's no putting it down.. Wynter Castle is over run with constants and crew from the reality show. Opera Diva Nation.. But there's more going on than just try outs. Someone (or maybe a few) is hiding some secrets they don't want revealed . However journalist Gilda Greenwald is out for a good story and she'll do whatever it takes to get that story. But things don't turn out well for Glenda and after being attacked she's left for dead. Can Merry Wynter Grace (owner of the castle) figure out who wanted their secrets silenced or will she become the next victim??.

This is book 7 in the series so make sure you read the others before you get started on this one so you can catch up and know all that’s happened before. It’s a really good series and this book is just as good writing and plot as the other 6. The author is one of my favorites and I can’t wait for more books by her to come out!

The seventh book in the Merry Muffin series of mysteries and Merry delves into the world of reality television when judges and contestants arrive at Wynter Castle pending a show for aspiring opera singers. There are more suspicious things afoot, however, and Merry is soon knee deep in a mystery. With a lengthy list of eccentric and quirky suspects can she separate the wheat from the chaff? Entertaining cosy mystery with a likeable protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A worthy addition.

Wynter Castle owner, and muffin baker Merry Wynter returns in book eight of a fun cozy series. Her business partner in their growing events venue business has agreed to a last minute hosting of a reality tv show featuring up and coming opera singers, after they’ve been kicked out of the hotel they were using for unknown reasons.
As we meet the aspiring stars, the famous judges and mentors, we get to learn about the tensions between them all, and find many are harboring secrets from their past they would rather keep hidden. When I first read the list of characters in the beginning of the book I wondered, as I have before with this series, if I would be able to keep them all straight. Don’t worry, the characters are so clearly written about that everything falls easily into place. When a journalist is attacked Merry investigates because the victim was attacked on the grounds of her home, and is likely staying under her roof. I appreciate how the author portrays Merry as a woman with a business to run and a job to do, and fits her investigation around her work, and promptly hands over any findings to the police chief instead of competing with them to solve the crime. With a wide choice of suspects, I was kept guessing until the end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy I happily enjoyed, I look forward to the next book in that series.

From Amazon: In the new Merry Muffin Mystery, baker Merry Wynter must solve a disturbing crime among opera singers before the culprit decides it’s curtains for her . . .

When a reality TV show for aspiring opera singers descends on Wynter Castle, Merry’s got her hands full catering to the endless demands of the distinguished judges and ambitious contestants. Then mysterious rumors about the cast and crew begin to surface, suggesting that some of their performances may be filled with false notes. When a dogged reporter with an eye for scandal who’s been covering the competition is attacked and left for dead, Merry’s determined to discover who orchestrated the heinous deed.

Her long list of suspects is filled with eccentric personalities, including a promiscuous tenor known for making unwanted overtures, a pampered young prodigy and her meddlesome mother, and a quiet up-and-comer whose shadowy uncle may have ties to the underworld. As the musical contest and Merry’s investigation near their finale, she’ll have to act fast to keep a conniving contestant from plotting out her final act . . .

My thoughts: Another great installment from Victoria Hamilton! This has always been one one my favorite cozy series, and this installment did not disappoint.

To see my full review, please go to FreshFiction.com

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page, it was truly an honor to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Double or Muffin, Book 7 in Victoria Hamilton's Merry Muffin series is another treat for her readers. The contestants from an Opera reality show are thrown out of their hotel and Pish, Merry Wynter's business partner lets them come to the castle turned B&B. There are a lot of people besides the contestants, the judges and behind the scenes people are all included as well. Merry, her husband Virgil and Pish know that with this many big personalities this may be a formidable task. They did not realize the mayhem and murder that would come along with these personalites.
Victoria Hamilton's books are always a fun way to spend an evening. This one kept me reading and guessing until the end.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Beyond The Page for a copy of this book for review.

Double or Muffin is a fun cozy mystery, it is book seven in a series. I haven't read the others and found it enjoyable on it's own. It's also fun to find a new to me writer that has a nice back catalogue. Merry Wynter inherited a castle she is turning into a venue for events. Her business partner Pish agrees to allow an Opera competition reality show to film in the castle after they were kicked out of a hotel in another town. There are so many big personalities in the competition, it keeps it interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

So you think you know what reality television is really like? Step inside Wynter Castle, where Opera DivaNation has stormed the castle for a singing showdown featuring many of the genre’s most talented singers. Castle owner Merry Wynter, her bestie and business partner Pish, and Merry’s husband Virgil are expecting a certain amount of mayhem, of course, but they never expected events to become life threatening.

I enjoyed the large, wildly diverse cast of characters, each with their own backstory, agenda and goals. The author deftly juggles everyone, giving her characters distinct personality traits, talents, and backstories rife with tantalizing information. A ginger cat named Becket often steals the show and that’s all right with me. Clues, motives, and red herrings abound. If Murder on the Orient Express had taken place in a castle, it might have resembled this ‘just one more chapter and then I’m going to bed for sure’ wild ride of a mystery.

Double or Muffin is all about the details. You’ll find it easy to picture the lavish settings in your mind’s eye. You’ll feel the tension and excitement of an opera reality show as it comes to life inside Wynter Castle. You may not even notice that the actual mystery doesn’t kick in till the halfway point of the book because you’re having so much fun with all these eccentric people. When the mystery finally is revealed, it packs a good punch since we’ve become so familiar with everyone.

I have to mention that Merry Wynter takes a stab at (forgive me) the reality show contest industry which can drive aspiring talent a little, or a lot, too far. I applaud the author for bringing real problems to light and dealing with them honestly in her fictional world.

Thank you to author Victoria Hamilton, NetGalley, and Beyond the Page Publishing for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Double or Muffin by Victoria Hamilton is a NetGalley advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Merry Grace Wynter is catering to the judges and contestants of a reality television show for opera singers at Wynter Castle. She runs Wynter Castle with a friend and partner Pish and husband Virgil, a private detective. Merry and her crew get the castle ready for "Opera Diva Nation." There are the contestants, judges, and assorted people. There is a lot of work getting the castle ready. They also will cater the events. The cat finds a body, then after a bit of searching, the lady is found. She is taken to the hospital to figure out what happened to her.
It was interesting to read what goes on behind the scenes of a reality show. There seemed to be a lot of back biting and stressful situations. It is really what goes on or do the staff push the contestants to the breaking point to get the reactions. I enjoyed the book. It took me to a place I have never been. Thank you Ms. Hamilton.

Wynette Castle is booked for numerous events. But when a film crew wants to shoot a show, Merry must accommodate them. The castle is bustling with activity, but people are tripping over each other, things are pilfered, and a reporter is missing. Merry must get to the bottom of the batter to figure out the mess. Although robust with people, the castle is a tranquil setting. I liked the parade of characters and their varying personalities since it added spice to the plot. The narrative flowed well and the short chapters made reading a quick work. I like Hamilton’s series and was glad to read the latest in the Muffin series and catch up with the latest mayhem.