This was an action packed start to a new series. Following her father's murder, Leila is shocked to find out that she has inherited the family's maple syrup business. She seems to have conflicts with everyone from her mother to her employees. Leila is lacking as a business owner and an amateur sleuth. I look forward to seeing how her character grows.

A Doomful of Sugar is the debut book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries Book series. The descriptions of maple syrup bring back a lot of memories. When the children were younger, we took them to a maple syrup festival in Meyersdale, PA. There was the maple syrup tour and explanation of how the syrup was tapped and boiled and made, which is exactly what the book had as well.
It was an easy-to-read book with not too many characters that you can't keep them all straight.
I liked the idea of our main character inheriting the maple syrup business from her father upon his suspicious death. As a teacher out of state, she has no plan to stick around she is just there for the reading of the will. Her surprise is genuine when she realizes her father has left the business to her rather than his wife or son.
Her father has no enemies she is sure of it but having not been there in four years she shouldn't be so sure. Always quick to extend credit and the grandfatherly type he seems like the last person you would expect to see knocked off.
As we move through the book and start to see a backstory of this man and his financial dealing a clearer picture is painted for us.
The suspected killer seems very clear as the clues point right to them, but you'll have to read this to judge what you think of the suspects.
I loved all the cooking and mentions of food, it made for a delectable read. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Pub Date 25 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a FABULOUS start to a new cozy mystery series! I loved the setting of Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and I loved Leila as a protagonist. The characters were so great, and I loved the plot of the mystery! I cannot wait for book 2!

A Doomful Of Sugar by Catherine Bruns

A cosy mystery based on a Vermont maple sugar farm and cafe. Lelia returns to her father’s farm, after he has been killed, to run it. She starts to realize how much of his lifer she has left untapped.

This novel has a bit of everything: murder, maple syrup, Vermont, family, and criminals. It keeps you guessing who the murderer is and why it was committed. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Really fun book. Catherine is one of my favorite authors. I'll read pretty much anything she writes. I can't wait for more with this series!

⭐⭐⭐.5 -- Most excellent cover on this one!

Okay, so to start I will warn you that this review will be all over the place. 😂 Overall it was a solid introduction to the <b>Maple Syrup Mysteries<b/> series. I will start with what worked for me. The setting...love it. I'm Canadian, so maple syrup flows through my veins. 🥞 The town was quaint. The cat was cute. The mystery kept me guessing. Noah and Heather were likable. And the recipes sounded amazing!

Now we are going to talk about what or more like "WHO" annoyed the @$#% out of me. Everyone (apart from Noah & Heather). 😂 Leila was just awful. Rude, defensive, self centered, confrontational. immature, has anger issues, and basically accuses everyone of murder because they dared to take breaths near her father. 🤦🏻‍♀️ And don't even get me started on the mother & father. Both sounded like absolute nightmares to be raised by. Simon (the brother) sounded immature, and even Jessica the old (in age and time) family friend turns out to be a jezebel. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I mean, good lord it was like Games of Thrones maple syrup addition! 😂 All that said, I am onboard for giving book two a try and hopefully some of these characters will be dialed back to a more likable degree!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really enjoyed this first in series by author Catherine Bruns! If have read books in her others series this one is just as good if not better! I loved the unique setting and profession of these cozy characters! The twists and turns lead to a satisfying ending and I can't wait to read more in this series!

I really enjoyed this first book in a new cozy mystery series! I loved the setting and the characters were quirky and memorable! The plot was really interesting, with Leila's father being murdered and her brother being a suspect. I feel like that aspect added even more fuel to Leila's fire to figure out who the killer was. I'll definitely be reading more books in this Maple Syrup Mysteries series!

I absolutely loved this book. Had just the right amount of everything with a little edge. The ending surprised me. I can't wait to read the next installment. The only thing I don't like is the cats name. Ha!

Thank you NetGalley for providing a review copy.

I’m not going to lie this was one a hard cozy for me to read. Not because it was a hard book. But for personal reason. Books that involve the death of a parent especially a dad are hard for me to read. However, that being said I did enjoy meeting the characters and the mystery kept me turning pages till the end.

This was the perfect fall, cozy read when I read it back in October. I thought the characters were really thought out well and the town was cute. I also haven't seen a cozy cover with a collie on it!

I thought this was a decent start to a new series. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character at first but she did grow on me, I loved the guy who is the be the love interest he was so sweet! I l also thought it had a decent mystery though I kind of guessed the twist at the very end. I will be trying book two when it comes out.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Leila returns home to her family’s maple syrup business when her beloved father is murdered. She’d moved away four years earlier after a broken engagement and pressure from her mother to become more like her. No one can understand why such a fine man was killed but as Leila discovers more about the past, she realizes that the culprit might have been someone close. It is easier to think the employee who had wanted to buy the business and whom her father treated better than his own son might be the one. But evidence is evidence and soon there are people she could never have imagined on her suspect list.

After attacks upon her and another murder occur, she does not know whom to trust. But when the killer comes forward, it is a shock that shakes her to her roots. All the while we get to know Leila, her mother and brother and Noah, the man whom she first thought was the villain.
We also get to know an adorable cat named Toast who adopts Leila the first day she takes over as the boss. They are all good characters although Leila starts off veering close to the Darwin line. She does realize she is being foolhardy and does not go out of her way to put herself in danger. I approve.

Four purrs and two paws up.

This was a great beginning to a new cozy mystery series, that I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I enjoyed this book so much. The characters are endearing and draw you into their stories. The story was great with some interesting twists and turns. The only issue I had was that I recently had a tragic event and since the story revolves around the death of the father and how his daughter handled it. I had a hard time with that part of the story. Other than that a great book and I look forward to the next installment in the series

My recent cozy mystery craze has led me to another great read! After the murder of her father, Leila is forced to return home to run their family's company, Sappy Endings. The family dynamics were honest and believable and I think many people could relate to her relationship with her mother-I know I do! The constant questioning about marriage and children that women of a certain age tend to get was an accurate reflection of the lived experience for so many-myself included-that I instantly empathised and related to Leila's character.

As for the mystery side, I was pleasantly surprised to find many twists and turns that made the whole thing exactly that, a mystery, yet completely inevitable once you reflect on the evidence at the end. Also, the budding romance factor was perfect for the dynamics of the book and kept everything moving and engaging. Overall, a great read which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the relationships between characters to be the focus in a cozy mystery.

This is an honest NetGalley review.

I fell in love with the lovely cover and liked this first instalment in a new cozy series. Entertaining, compelling, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I liked the characters and can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading A Doomful of Sugar by Catherine Bruns.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*

A Doomful of Sugar is book #1 in the Maple Syrup Mysteries series by Catherine Bruns.

This is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Bruns, but it won’t be the last! I enjoyed the story with Leila losing her father, inheriting the business, and trying to figure out what happened to her dad while dealing with grieving members of her family. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a super adorable little cozy mystery that will keep you entertained and intrigued until the very end. I loved trying to guess the plot in the story in the culprit and overall had a great time reading it I would highly recommend this if you’re into cozy mysteries of any sort and want a quick escape from the real world.