On the whole I am really enjoying this series. The storylines are good, keep you guessing and hold your interest. The information about chocolate making adds a unique spin to the series. The characters are also interesting. The issue I have with what’s happening in the series (and please understand it’s my own personal issue and not a reflection on the author), there is an underlying story arc presenting a love triangle. Love triangles are a personal pet peeve and are often overused in my opinion. I like the series enough to continue reading and am looking forward to what comes next, but I’m also looking for a resolution to the love triangle issue sooner rather than later.

I loved the setting of a cruise ship for this one and the addition of Satchmo the beagle was a nice surprise. The mystery was solid, the writing was easy to follow and flowed well, and the story itself kept me hooked the entire time. I always enjoy the chocolate facts that are added into each book. Two things didn’t work for me: 1) the love triangle that is developing, and 2) there’s no way a 3-day cruise from Galveston gets to St. Thomas and back.

Not the most exciting. But still a fun read. The murders are different than most and her assistant is adorable but many of the charts are a bit annoying
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

I DNFed this book in the first chapter. I don't like the writing style or formatting. The sentences were boring and lagging to me, and the font was too uncomfortable. I received this book in the pdf format which I quite dislike.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of OUT OF TEMPER (Book 3 of the Bean to Bar Chocolate Shop Mysteries), by Amber Royer, in exchange for an honest review. Felicity Koerber is excited to attend a cruise conference as an invited guest. Felicity has been invited to give chocolate crafting demonstrations to the attendees. However, Felicity’s excitement plummets when she learns the cruise conference is mystery themed and her invitation stemmed from her participation in the investigation of two prior murders related to her shop. The mystery drama becomes real when one of the mystery writers attending as an invited speaker is murdered. Felicity, her chocolate-shop partner Logan, her law enforcement nemesis Arlo, and retired police dog Satchmo all work together to identify the killer before the ship docks and the murderer disembarks.

I liked the book and the series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, cruise ships, conference events, and chocolate.

#OutofTemper #NetGalley

I liked this mystery but took away one star because I found the characters and their relationships a bit hard to keep straight. I'll be honest, that's on me as I hadn't read the previous two books in the series. Other than that, this was an entertaining read. Having been part of a murder mystery weekend - but on dry land - I was sucked into this one easily. It's the perfect locked room premise. Add chocolate making and a sweet Beagle named Satchmo to a well plotted mystery full of red herrings and I'm now adding the other books in the series to my TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Golden Tip Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Out of Temper by Amber Royer is the 3rd book in the Bean to Bar Mystery, and another fun addition. I love this book/series so far and can't wait for the next book to come out. Felicity Koerber has had a bad year, so she moved to Galveston Island to open a chocolate bean to bar factory in honor of her late husband. In this book Felicity is takes a job on a cruise ship demoing her chocolate skills. Along for the ride is Felicity's best friend, Autumn and a retired police dog turned therapy dog Satchmo. Unfortunately she and Satchmo find a dead body onboard. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. I highly recommend this book/series, if you enjoy cozy mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amber Royer's OUT OF TEMPER is a mystery set in a place I love - a cruise ship. This one is not sailing the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, it's a three-day mystery-themed cruise just outside of Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico. How fun!!  Until an actual murder takes place! (You knew it would, right?) From there, Royer's accidental sleuth (or murder magnet as she is called by a blogger), Felicity Koerber - of the Greetings and Felicitatons Chocolate Shop - is involved in solving the crime, along with a huge packet of friends, including two who are in security, and who are also vieing for her romantic attention.

Having been on several cruises, I can picture the setting perfectly. What I had a hard time doing is keeping track of all those characters - most with Millenial names, like Ash, Arlo, Autumn, Liam, Logan, Flint, Drake, Clove, as well as Bea, Tiff, Craig and Imogene. Yikes. I will admit to re-reading the first three chapters and making notes in order to get everyone straight. (And what was the oft-used LARP? I learned later in the book.)  That done, however, the mystery is as complicated and twisty as an Agatha Christy novel. And getting in on one of Felicity's chocolate demonstrations was a sweet treat. It was there that I learned what the book's title meant. NOT anger or rage. Temper is the delicate way chocolate is cooled and formed into shapes. Yum.

Another tasty chocolate bean to bar mystery to sink your teeth into.

Felicity is going on a cruise out of Galveston to showcase her chocolate making skills and hopefully increase her business, Greetings and Felicitations, a bean-to-bar chocolate shop. What she doesn't know as the cruise gets under way is that this is a mystery cruise and there will be a role-playing crime to solve! Unfortunately, things get out of hand when a real dead body shows up that is not part of the plan. Felicity continues to think she is a murder magnet but rolls up her sleeves to solve a mystery and keep her frenemie, Ash, out of prison. This book is very reminiscent of multiple Christie novels, specifically Murder on the Orient Express.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this plot but I was able to guess whodunit. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story though, I docked a star because I am so sick of these cozy mystery love triangles. Been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt, hate this kind of plot element. Except for that, I liked this book and do hope there will be more in the series. You do not have to read the first two to understand this one but if you like this one I highly recommend the other two.

Another great chocolate mystery !
Felicity Koerber is back and in this instalment she has set sail on a cruise. She’s got her favourite subject matter with her , chocolate and also Logan her business and maybe romantic partner.
Felicity is doing demonstrations of chocolate making on the cruise and as expected things don’t go to plan and murder is high on the menu.
I love the series of books the characters have depth and the writing is easy to read.
Chocolate and murder mystery what’s not to love?
Highly recommended and looking forward to the next in the series .
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial.

A Galveston chocolatier is invited to do demonstrations on a cruise. She brings along her business partner (and possible love interest) and her best friend. Once she's on board, she finds that several other people she knows (including her ex-boyfriend who is now suddenly single again) are also aboard. That fact seems rather improbable in real life, but was undoubtedly convenient for the story. Of course, a murder occurs and she is the one to discover the body (as in the two previous books in this series). This is a boiler-plate cozy mystery, that I really didn't enjoy as much as the others. The cruise aspect was understated (the story could just as well have been in the town), and even the chocolate part isn't as detailed as in previous books. The new characters were rather bland, and the killer was fairly obvious. Meh...

A story of a woman overcoming her recent aversion to being at sea and dealing with a murder on the cruise that has her questioning her conceptions about some of the people around her. Also includes some tasty chocolate details.

Felicity Koerber is going on a cruise. Her bean to bar chocolate shop is invited to do a demo and sell some chocolate. This is my first time reading this author and I was pleased.
#OutofTemper #NetGalley

3 1/2 STARS

Out of Temper by Amber Royce is the third book in her Bean to Bar Mystery series. The storyline of this book is complex and fascinating. I really enjoyed this part of the book. I just couldn't get into the main female character, Felicity Koerber. I read the first book in the series which described her background and her husband's death. Since this is the third book in the series I was hoping Felicity would have moved on from her despondency over her husband's death more. Every time Felicity gets to thinking about his death I get thrown out of the story. I don't know which guy Felicity will end up with but I am Team Logan.

Felicity is invited to join a cruise to present her chocolate making business as part of the onboard entertainment. She's joined by her best friend, a mystery writer with block, her partner want-to-be/is boyfriend, police officer cum past maybe present boyfriend and sniffer dog with handler. These all add to a mystery themed cruise but quite how making chocolates fits in with that is unclear. There is a murder at sea and Felicity sets about solving it in a rather typical cosy way. However, far too much time is spent with her debating which of partner/cop might become her boyfriend for me. Best character - Satchmo. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

In Out of Temper, the third book in the Bean to Bar mystery series by author Amber Royer, readers are presented with an interesting but somewhat impractical mystery. Although I hadn't read the first two books in this series, I found the author gave a sufficient amount of background information on the characters so I knew how they were involved in each other's lives.

Felicity is a physical therapist turned chocolatier who has been invited to present her chocolate making techniques during a three day cruise and has invited Logan, her former bodyguard turned business partner/romantic interest, and Autumn, her best friend and former mystery writer, along for the trip. I found it interesting but unrealistic that these individuals would arrive at the cruise ship unaware that it is actually a mystery cruise and also that Arlo, Felicity's high school boyfriend turned police officer would just happen to be taking the cruise as well. As a business woman who is promoting her product on board, I would expect that she would have done at least a little research to determine the types of people who would be on board to be able to provide an effective and informative presentation.

Once the ship set sail, the development of the supporting cast of characters was such that rather than trying to determine who, on board, had reason to want the victim dead, it was more a case of who wanted him dead the most. Although the author provided some misdirects and red herrings throughout the story, the killer was easily identified early on even though his motive was unclear until the end. I also found it unrealistic that Felicity would initially shrug off the issues of quality that were brought to her attention with regard to her chocolate, when that is how she makes her living.

I do feel that, while there were some believability issues, the author has a captivating writing style which allowed me to still enjoy reading the book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An intricate murder plot is on display on a murder mystery cruise in the third installment of the Bean to Bar Mysteries. Galveston chocolate maker, Felicia Koerber, sets sail as a guest presenter on the cruise ship to give lectures on some of the chocolate processes she uses in her business, Greetings and Felicitations. Several acquaintances are also on board, including her best friend, Autumn; her business partner, Logan; and her ex boyfriend, Arlo; plus Ash, the local island blogger who tests Felicity’s nerves. She also meets Bea, who’s training a retired K-9 beagle who’s sniffed out cadavers in the past. The number of characters make it somewhat confusing to sort through and keep track of who’s with who; however, that was the only semi-negative note I made in reference to the plot. Lots of characters make for lots of suspects once a murder is committed, and they’re all contained on the ship and it’s a long swim to shore!

Author Amber Royer writes a well-plotted novel, and she knows her way around the Port of Galveston, Texas. The storyline moves quickly with a vast assortment of suspicions raised as to why several of the passengers would be killers. I was amazed at all the details the author provided as red herrings. Mystery fans will love piecing all the clues together to solve this murder mystery!

I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Golden Tip Press. All opinions are my own.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Felicity Koerber's bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston's historic Strand has been the scene of two murders - both of which she has been instrumental in helping solve. So when she gets invited to demo her chocolate skills aboard a cruise ship sailing out of the local port, she's excited at the chance to get away from the shop long enough to regain her equilibrium. She even brings her best friend along, and makes plans for time at the spa. But when she gets on board, she finds out that she's been booked for a mystery-themed cruise, and said best friend, Autumn, has to finally deal with the real reasons she quit writing mysteries. Only - if that wasn't stressful enough - it doesn't take long before there's a real murder on the cruise, and someone Felicity knows becomes the prime suspect. When said suspect asks her for help, she can't exactly say no, can she?

Felicity finds herself surrounded by cruise goers who all had connections to the victim - and finds that both Logan (her business partner, whom she recently kissed) and Arlo (the cop who was once Felicity's first boyfriend, before she moved away from Galveston) are dealing with the case until more official help can arrive. How will Felicity survive the ensuing awkwardness?

One thing that helps: the retired police dog turned therapy dog she meets on board. Satchmo helps Felicity deal with being back on the water after tragedy in her past - and also helps her uncover a vital clue to the case. Can Felicity unmask the killer and keep a friend from being framed before all the suspects leave the ship? (Goodreads synopsis)

I read the first book in the series and then, somehow, missed the second book. However, I was very happy to read that Felicity had done some growing in book two. This novel started with her acknowledging her attraction to Logan. And then the novel took the same love triangle that quite a few novels take, and I became annoyed. I believe the author is showing growth with her character but I’m just not a fan of love triangles as the literary device.

I think the mystery was intriguing enough that it took me until the last 5 chapters to solidify who the killer was. The motive even seemed obvious to me, but it was intriguing to have Felicity discover that she didn’t know the people around her as well as she thought. Hopefully this trend will continue further, and readers will see a true comeback for Felicity in all aspects of her life.

Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, and the mystery grabbed my attention from the beginning.
A mystery themed cruise sounds like a lot of fun, but I could do without the murder.
The story was well written and I would highly recommend it to a cozy mystery fan like myself.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#OutofTemper #NetGalley.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by BooksGoSocial and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Interesting characters and a fun series.