Cover Image: Peanut Butter Panic

Peanut Butter Panic

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This is a very well done cozy mystery set in Amish country in Harvest, Ohio. The main character, Bailey, works at her candy shop with Amish grandmother. One of Harvest’s hardest working residents, Margot, has enlisted everyone in help put on a Thanksgiving celebration.

Her mother is coming to visit, she was a judge with a tough reputation and lots of people in Harvest would rather not see her again. She unexpectedly brings her younger boyfriend, Blaze, who has a peanut allergy. When he turns up dead from an allergic reaction to peanuts, Bailey steps in to investigate to help clear her friend Margot.

This book, and the others in the series, are well written and there’s so much to learn about the Amish culture. The supporting characters are great, especially Jethro the pig and his owner. I recommend this book and the series, 4 stars.

Synopsis:
Thanksgiving is Bailey King’s busiest holiday weekend. This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey’s candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio’s first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration. Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people—Amish and English alike—the event’s organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed . . . until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.

Zara’s reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community. So no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner. That should have been the day’s biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he’s eaten and dies on the spot.

Now, Bailey’s desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal. With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds…

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/<id type="integer">4937744957</id>

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I'm a big fan of the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, Bailey King and the little town of Harvest. PEANUT BUTTER PANIC is the seventh instalment.

If you've not tried the series so far, it's got a charming, cozy small-town setting with the added element of the on-off tensions that bubble up between the Amish and English communities. Bailey often finds herself in the middle, as a non-Amish New York that's come to work with her Amish grandmother. The sweets and confectionary in the series always makes my mouth water, and there's a great cast of quirky characters from dreamy cops to polka dot pigs.

If you have tried the series, and are wondering whether to pick up PEANUT BUTTER PANIC in particular, I have to say it's one I really enjoyed.

I guessed the culprit just before Bailey did, which I always think is the sign of a tight mystery with just the right balance of twist vs hints. The Thanksgiving angle made for brilliant autumnal vibes and delicious dishes, and the Black Friday sales portion of the story was fun, as well as playing into some larger business decisions Bailey's working through. On the romance front, this one's a little lighter than the other books, with boyfriend, Aiden, largely out of town, but there are still some sweet moments.

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This is my first book in the Amish Candy Shop series, but it was SO easy to jump right in. The characters are vivid and unique so I quickly got a feel for them and their personalities. I wanted to visit Harvest to see the holiday decorations on the square and of course buy all the Amish candy. Bailey is a smart and lovable sleuth and you can tell how much she cares about her town and her friends. She has the most endearing friends working in the shop with her and I just wanted to hug her Maami. It must be hard to sleuth and run a business, especially in this closed knit town, but Bailey does a great job thanks to her support system. She is sensitive to both the Amish and English alike and does a great job trying to find a murderer while understand the Amish culture of her neighbors and family. I was truly stumped and shocked by this mystery and had a great time reading. I can't wait for more and feel lucky that I can now go back and read the previous ones.

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This is the 7th book in the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries series, but my first to read. I've read many of Amanda Flower's books and have enjoyed them all so I decided to try this series

The community of Harvest, Ohio is a mix of Amish and English. Margot Rawlings strives to blend the communities by planning events that will get everyone together. In this book Margot is planning a Thanksgiving Feast for more than 700 people. She hadn't expected her mother, former judge Zara Bevan to attend as she retired in Florida and they seldom saw one another. Normally calm and in charge, Margot was a mess knowing her mother would be attending so she asked chocolatier Bailey King for help. Bailey is hesitant to help since Thanksgiving is the busiest weekend for her candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, but she does agree. When Margot's mother arrives she has a young boyfriend with her, making things even more difficult for Margot. The Thanksgiving Feast is a success.... unless you count the death of Zara Bevan's boyfriend. Now Bailey is tasked with identifying the true killer before their lazy Police Chief sends Margot to prison.

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Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower is book seven in the 'Amish Candy Shop Mystery' series and my 4th book in that series.

It is an exciting time at the family-run candy shop, Swissmen Sweets as the desserts need to be prepared for the village of Harvest's Thanksgiving celebration. The guest lists for the event run to 7oo-800 people. The event has been organised by Margaret Rawlings whose mum is Zara Bevan, and assisted by the pastor's wife. Blaze Smith, Zara's toyboy, arrives too and Zara has some big news to impart. But then Blaze collapses and dies with his face in the mashed potatoes at the Thanksgiving meal. Things look bad for Margot...

Peanut Butter Panic was a compelling and fun cosy read and you'll want to read the other instalments if you are new to this series. I was sold from the very beginning with its solid characters, great writing and a marvellous mystery that provided a good sprinkling of clues. The cast is quirky, and the busy protagonist Bailey is spirited, big-hearted and sparky.

The mystery itself was well done and there were enough red herrings and twists to keep me guessing the culprit's identity. Overall, a marvellous cosy and very worthwhile read with friendship, romance, and a good dollop of humour. Jethro, the black polka-dotted, pot-bellied, mischievous pig needs an individual mention. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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3.5 upped to 4*
This is one of my favorite series, I love the setting and always had fun in reading these stories.
This is not the best one even if it's enjoyable.
I need holidays and any time I read that Bailey wasn't able to say no I wanted to shout "Grow a spine girl" as I assume there's not a single point of contact in a village.
It was fun but it was also a bit repetitive and the ending was rushed.
I assumed this could be me and not the book but I liked it but didn't love it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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Peanut Butter Panic is the seventh book in The Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower.

Bailey, her grandmother, and Charlotte, an employee, are very busy at Swissmen Sweets making candies for Harvest’s Thanksgiving Festival and having enough inventory for Black Friday. The whole village, Englischer and Amish, have been invited to the Thanksgiving dinner that will be held on the village green. Bailey is looking over where the dessert will be arranged when Margot Rawlings approaches her and asks, well, tells her to supervise the set-up for the dinner, as she has to go to the airport to pick up her mother, Zara. When Margot returns, Zora has her much younger boyfriend, Blaze. Shortly after everyone has commenced their Thanksgiving meal, Zora announces that she and will be getting married. Soon after, Blaze collapses into his plate. He’s rushed to the hospital, where he dies. Blaze was allergic to peanuts, and his EpiPen couldn’t be found. Somebody had switched his peanut-free marshmallow fluff with one tainted with peanuts.

Margot will soon ask Bailey to find out who might have murdered Blaze as she is afraid she will be arrested for his murder. It seems that her mother has re-written her will, that her mother marries Margot would be written out of her will.

Bailey is also facing indecision about whether she and her boyfriend, Aiden, will be able to take their budding romance to the next step.
The book is well-written and plotted, with most of the believable and well-developed characters from the previous books are back once again. And again, Jethro, the polka-dot pig, is back to add some humor with his cute antics.

A delicious recipe is also included in the book.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this enjoyable series.

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Peanut Butter Panic is book #7 in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower.

It’s Thanksgiving and Bailey King is busy preparing desserts for the Thanksgiving celebration and Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. When a guest dies, Bailey is pulled into an investigation by Margot Rawlings and her unpleasant mother, Zara.

I really enjoyed this story. I like seeing characters from the Amish Matchmaker series. Bailey, her family, and friends are wonderful characters. Who did people really show up for on Black Friday - Bailey or Jethro? It was a nice touch of humor. It was an interesting case and I was glad Bailey got to see Aiden.

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

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I have read a few of Amanda Flowers books this one take rhe cake. The twist and turns of who the killer I thought would be and then mysteriously everything changed and bingo one of the main persons got themselves in hot water and went and did it. And please tell me when they are going to get married Aiden and Baily like come on long distance relationships don't work. So, I want to hear wedding bells for real

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Bailey's on the case when an unexpected death occurs during her town's Thanksgiving celebration. She's determined to solve the crime, and bring the killer to justice. Aiden's visiting so he jumps in to help the sheriff's dept. And, of course, Jethro-the-pig is there in all of his cute polka-dottiness and steals the show.

I just can't get enough of this series. The characters, the mystery, the town, Jethro...I love it all!!!

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

#PeanutButterPanic #NetGalley

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I adore this series. I felt like I have been waiting forever for this book just to devour it in one sitting.

This one was hard. It was a lot of just Bailey. Although Charlotte is helping in the amateur sleuthing, I missed seeing more of the regulars.

However, it’s the Holiday Season and there is a mystery and it didn’t disappoint.

There are definitely a few more characters I hope we get to see more of and a few that I wish would just get written out of the book.

There are some big changes coming soon for Bailey and the Harvest gang. I can’t wait to see them unfold.

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Bailey King is meeting herself coming and going as my grandmother used to say. It's the busiest time of the year for Swissmen's Sweets, the candy store she runs with her grandmother and two employees. Besides the expected influx of seasonal tourists the village is putting together a Thanksgiving Day Feast for the community. With about 800 expected to attend, it's an event that most people would shudder at the thought of pulling it together. Not to worry with Margot in charge. She is, as they say, unflappable. Until now. She finds out that her mother is coming to town and that can spell disaster in big letters and not just for Margot. Her Mother has ruffled a lot of feathers and caused lots of damage. Turns out this time will have her doing it again. She has a traveling companion and declares they are getting married. Oh and he's much younger, too. Margot is not happy but will her situation have her involved with murder? Yes and no. Yes, murder joins the party and no, we know she didn't do it but tell that to the police. She may not have been thrilled with her Mother's choice of a future husband but she would never cross the line to commit murder. So, what would be the course of action for Margot and her Mother? Enlist Bailey to conduct her own investigation to figure out who in town put an end to the planned nuptials.
The recurring cast of characters gives me the feeling of reading a letter from friends or family. The plot is well constructed and had me guessing to the very end. The balance of Amish and English is perfect. The only problem for me is my sweet tooth goes nuts with all of the candy talk. This time it was an urge to buy the party size bag of peanut butter cups to go with my mug of coffee while I read. Some series work fine as stand-alones but my feeling is that this series works best as read in order. However you approach the Amish Candy Shop mystery series it is a treat.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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It is Thanksgiving in Harvest, Ohio, in this seventh Candy Shop Mystery featuring chocolatier Bailey and her Amish grandmother. Event planner Margot is busy with the community-wide dinner, but things do not go as planned when her mother Zara arrives with her much younger fiancé’ Blaze in tow. Things go from bad to worse when Blaze drops dead from a peanut allergy, and his death is deemed murder. Margot and Zara each come to Bailey asking if she will look into Blaze’s death. Bailey finds that her plate runneth over with the busiest shopping days of the year, her worries about her relationship with lawman Aiden, Jethro the pig, and murder.

I always enjoy my time with Bailey and her friends, family, and neighbors. Author Amanda Flower does a great job highlighting the English and Amish communities working side by side. They may not always approve of or agree with each other, but they all make Harvest a lovely tourist destination I would like to visit. This is a very character driven series – I really like Bailey (though she is quite insecure at times here), and it is nice to see her cousin Charlotte coming into her own. Charlotte is turning into quite the sleuthing sidekick. I really feel for Margot, who is not always the most pleasant person, here, and Zara is really something. I hope to see more of Leon in the future. Of course, all the talk of delightful confections makes me hungry (there is a recipe for buckeyes included at the end of the book).

The mystery of Blaze’s death is well laid out with a satisfying conclusion, but I feel the clues are slow in coming this time around. I did guess the killer rather quickly, but this did not deter my enjoyment of the tale. The story moves along at a steady pace, but the last fifth or so of the book moves swiftly along. Overall, it is really entertaining read. I love this series and cannot wait to see what trouble Bailey gets into next.

PEANUT BUTTER PANIC is a fun, fall themed cozy with lots of endearing characters, including a supremely spoiled pot bellied pig and fuzzy rabbit. Recommended for current fans of Amanda Flower or any cozy mystery fan.

I received an ARC of this title from the author and Kensington Books and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

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I always enjoy my visits to Harvest and getting to know the residents better. The mystery was solid and despite knowing from the beginning who the guilty party was, I had to wait until the very end to understand why. This did not take away from my enjoyment of the story at all. In fact, I am looking forward to seeing how their lives change with the new developments that came out of this story.

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Death by peanut allergy, Blaze dies at Harvest's community Thanksgiving dinner. Was it an accident or did someone intentionally put peanuts in his food?

This would be a perfect cozy mystery to curl up on a holiday weekend and read. I have enjoyed previous books in this series since the characters are always fantastic, but this one had a fun plot. So many potential suspects, older fiance Zara who has wronged many, event planner Margot, and several Amish men that were wronged by Zara being a harsh judge.

Bailey does her usual amateur sleuthing, but has some lighter activities going on too. I loved the candy shop Black Friday portion of the story and of course the cute Jethro the pig antics.

Zara was a new character to the series and she was done well. She was so easy to hate with her harsh punishments and pressure for perfection, but it really worked. Her character gives the reader a whole new view and appreciation for Margot.

I'm excited for the next book in the series, which hopefully has a bunch of Jethro!

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

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Poor Bailey was already under bunches of pressure from overseeing the rest of the Thanksgiving meal event for Margot. She sure didn’t need a dead body making an appearance at dinner. But knowing Bailey even though she had no real connection to the murder victim, she wasn’t about to let someone get away with it.

I just love how Charlotte’s character’s getting so much more developed now that she’s engaged to Luke Little the deputy and decided to leave the Amish church. She was a pretty good sleuthing partner for Bailey now. Even before, she was just too curious and Bailey normally gave in and let her help. At least now Bailey didn’t have to worry about making anyone mad about what Charlotte was up to, well there was always Luke to answer to because he worried about Charlotte.

I really admire Bailey and Aiden as a couple for working out the outside issues in their relationship. They really came a long way and seem so strong now that not even a two-hour drive for his new BCI job was gonna ruin this awesome relationship. I love what Aiden said to her before he left!

And that little Jethro was at his best mischief and cuteness-wise. I thought it was about time Bailey admitted the little pig was really growing on her since Juliet always had her pigsitting. The little dude’s definitely a star in his own little world!

Oh that showdown was so awesome and satisfying! Couldn’t have wished for anything more or better justice! It’ll be interesting to see how Bailey’s dream for a candy factory for Swissmen Sweets works out now that she’s got the first part somewhat taken care of. Don’t miss this seventh installment in the Amish Candy Shop series that releases this coming Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

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Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower is the seventh An Amish Candy Shop Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to this entertaining series. I like Amanda Flower’s writing style. It is engaging and lighthearted (makes her stories easy to read). I love the humor sprinkled throughout the story. There are great characters in this series. They are friendly, realistic, and relatable. Bailey King is too nice. She ends up watching Jethro way too often. I like how the pig, cat, and bunny get along (so cute). The mystery is straightforward. There is a dead guy, several suspects, a red herring, and curious clues. While I found the mystery a breeze to solve, I enjoyed following Bailey as she looked into the crime. Aiden Brody, Bailey’s boyfriend, is in town for BCI and, of course, he gives Bailey the standard warning (which she has no intention of following). The mystery is wrapped up neatly at the end. There are delectable, sweet treats that Bailey and her family whip up at Swissmen Sweets. I like that the author featured buckeyes (peanut butter and chocolate) since I am from Ohio. I had to laugh when Bailey had to push Jethro about in a stroller. I could picture the scene in my head thanks to the author’s vivid descriptions. I am glad that that Millie and Lois (from An Amish Matchmaker Mysteries) were included in the story. The two friends are a unique pair. I am looking forward to the next An Amish Candy Shop Mystery. Peanut Butter Panic is an amusing tale with cuddling critters, a formidable mother, a fine feast, a fatal allergy, relationship despairs, a surprising secret, and a busy Bailey.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Thanksgiving is Bailey King’s busiest holiday weekend. This year promises to be even more hectic, since Bailey’s candy shop, Swissmen Sweets, is providing desserts for Harvest, Ohio’s first village-wide Thanksgiving celebration. Yet, even with a guest list close to seven hundred people—Amish and English alike—the event’s organizer, Margot Rawlings, is unfazed . . . until she discovers her mother, former judge Zara Bevan, will be in attendance.

Zara’s reputation as a harsh critic is matched only by her infamy as a judge who has actively harmed the Amish community. So no one is prepared when Zara arrives with much younger boyfriend Blaze Smith and reveals their impending nuptials at dinner. That should have been the day’s biggest news, except shortly after the announcement, Blaze suffers an allergic reaction to something he’s eaten and dies on the spot.

Now, Bailey’s desserts are prime suspects, along with Margot and nearly everyone who attended the meal. With such a cornucopia of possibilities, Bailey must dig in and get to the bottom of this murder, before the killer goes up for seconds…

This is the 7th book in the Amish Candy Shop Mystery; however, it is the first book from this series that I have read. I really enjoy Amanda Flower's series and am reading several as we speak. The characters are easy to like (or not, depending on their role in the story) and the settings are interesting. Even though this is the first I've read from the series, I didn't feel lost as to the characters back stories and I will go back and read the beginning books, too!

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***************Coming August 23*******************
Peanut Butter Panic is the 7th book in An Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower. I enjoy this series so much, the characters, Ohio country Amish setting, and that darling pig, Jethro! Though I solved the culprit before the ending of the book, it was more a hunch than a sure thing. I love that about the mysteries in these books---twisted, but solvable! I also liked the stronger touch of romance for Bailey. I am already looking forward to the next installment!
Thank you NetGalley Kensington Publishing and Amanda Flower for sending an ARC of this book as I requested. All opinions are my own. #PeanutButterPanic #NetGalley #Kensington

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What a wonderful cozy mystery!! It's fast paced and full of wonderful characters that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Loved it!!
I received a complimentary copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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