As a lover of Paris and macarons I was immediately drawn to this book. I loved the funny trope that it's not Paris, France, but Paris USA. I also liked the combination of the sweet, Gilmore Girls-setting in combination with a who dunnit story line. The major draw back of this story is that I sometimes got annoyed by the irrationality and crudeness of the main character. She just kept stomping around the murder investigation like an elephant in a porcelain cupboard. Strories don't have to always be realistic, obviously, but this was plain irrational.

Marci Beaucoup is a lover of all things French, so it's no surprise that she has a French bakery in Paris, Kentucky. When Marci meets the handsome new-in-town Antoine from France, she counts herself lucky, that is until someone is murdered right in front of her bakery the next day & Antoine is the main suspect.

The premise of this story had potential, but it went from mystery to just plain ridiculous when Marci decides to take it upon herself to try to find who the murderer is. It was just an all-around unbelievable story. The MC really didn't seem bothered by finding a dead body, but yet, sneaking around a building had her completely freaking out.

There were quite a few factual holes in the story - Marci mentions that her Mom is petsitting her cat and dog, then in the same chapter,mentions that her Mom is on a cruise.

Many characters are introduced, but they hold no relevance to the story, so it was hard to keep track. Not to mention that the attraction to both Maverick and Antoine is quite choppy and almost forced into the story to try to add more layers.

I really struggled to get through this book, there were many times when I just walked away from it and thought about not continuing it, but my curiosity got the best of me as I wanted to see how the story would play out. The ending had a slight buildup, but once again, I was let down when it left off on making dates with both men. All in all, I was not a fan of this book and was left feeling disappointed overall.

I was excited for this book but quickly regretted starting it. I was too far in to quit so I read to the end. Marci is an awful main character. I am not in favor of violence generally. However, there were several points where I felt a good slap would knock some sense into her. She was my main issue with the book. She was mad at the lead detective over something that happened in high school. It was a misunderstanding but she refused to admit she could be wrong.

When I first picked up this book, I was immediately drawn in by the charming cover and intriguing title. And at first, the premise seemed promising – a murder mystery set in a pastry shop? Count me in! However, as I delved deeper into the story, I found myself wrestling with mixed emotions.

The main character (MC) had the potential to be a compelling and relatable protagonist. Her passion for all things French and running her shop was evident, and the setting had a lot of promise. However, I must admit that her constant inner monologue debating every little decision started to wear me down. While introspection can add depth to a character, there was just too much of it, causing the pace to slow and making the narrative feel somewhat stagnant.

Now, let's talk about the love triangle. I'm usually all for a little romantic tension in a mystery novel, but the way it was executed here left much to be desired. The MC's conflicted feelings between the detective and the French stranger felt forced and lacked the spark needed to make the storyline engaging. Moreover, the detective standing her up and her subsequent anger towards him seemed like a contrived way to add drama rather than a natural progression of their relationship. Note I do kind of like their back story, I just felt like it was introduced at the wrong time, or jumped around so that it didn’t feel natural.

Another issue I had was with the sudden shift in the shop's popularity. One moment, the place is bustling and hip, and the next, it's struggling to survive after a murder occurs nearby. Understandable of course, a murder happened but I think this feeling had to do with how Marci reacted to the initial lull making it her reason for solving the crime. The lack of a dramatic discovery of the body also fell flat, missing an opportunity to inject some real excitement into the story.

While "Macarons can be Murder" had an appealing concept, the execution left much to be desired. I was left longing for a more dynamic and gripping narrative, with less internal monologuing and more focus on building authentic relationships between the characters. The potential for a cozy mystery set in Paris, Kentucky at a French Pastry Shop is undeniable, but unfortunately, this book didn't quite hit the sweet spot for me. Nevertheless, if you're a die-hard fan of both cozy mysteries and macarons, it might still be worth a read, just be prepared for some lulls along the way.

I do love a foodie cozy and I love the idea of a French bakery in Paris, Kentucky. There's an interesting collection of characters and the main character Marci has a cat and a dog which is a selling point. The mystery was interesting and the motive ended up being solid.

That said this one fell a bit flat for me. I was never able to fully connect with either the story or Marci as a character. We spent way too much time in Marci's head and a lot of her decisions and conclusions didn't make a great deal of sense. Her investigation seemed to involve sneaking repeatedly into the victim's workplace with every movement described in detail. All of the thoughts and detail got a bit repetitive and definitely impacted my enjoyment of the read. As well, I felt this kept me from feeling connected to any of the characters including Marci herself.

I really liked the premise and the framework of the story but the execution just didn't quite work for me. I will probably try the second book but this wasn't a winner for me.

Macarons Can Be Murder earns 4/5 Macarons … Delicious Fun!

Antoine Dubois is handsome, debonair, and French — all the things Marci Beaucoup finds fascinating. He is also new to Paris, (Kentucky, that is), and pleased to see a tasty piece of home in the form of Marci’s French bakery, La Belle Patisserie. Her little tête-à-tête is interrupted by a woman barging into the shop with angry words for Antoine which, after they leave, continues outside. Kellie Lowry is the “not ready to be an ex” girlfriend. The incident quickly becomes fodder for the town’s gossipers, but more unfortunate, it’s also preliminary evidence implicating Antoine in Kellie’s death.

Rose Betancourt’s new series, Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery, grabbed my interest since Marci and I have one thing in common; we both love anything and everything French! She didn’t fall into that “first book in a series” trap by spending too much time introducing characters and background details, instead the crime occur early (my favorite) and focused on the investigation. Of course, the initial thought is it’s a crime of passion, but first impressions are deceiving. Marci’s landlord is selling the property in which she has her bakery which adds to the drama, especially since the prospective buyer, Monsieur Dubois, could be a murderer. Our amateur snoop shows her inexperience with a stereotypical perspective, contaminating a crime scene, saying too much to the wrong people, and generally showing a greater naïveté than other Betancourt female leads. She evolves, however slowly, to uncover a sinister scheme, wiggle out of trouble, and assist in an arrest.

I loved the southernisms and idioms sprinkled throughout the story to illustrate an emotion, a personality, a characteristic; lately I have experience with it being “hotter than the devil’s underwear.” And recipes! You can’t have a cozy set in a French patisserie, even if it is in the south, and not have French pastries, and Rose didn’t disappoint with four favorites: Financiers, a sweet almond cake, Palmiers, a flakier croissant, Apple Cranberry Galette, a French version of apple pie, and Crepes! But, where’s the macarons?

There's a lot of potential in this story as the mystery is solid and I liked the setting. I think that some more character development and a more mature MC could make this series an entertaining and compelling one.
I want to read the next, this one wasn't my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dollycas's Thoughts 

Marci Beaucoup loves everything French and she combines that with her joy of baking at her La Belle Patisserie in Paris . . . Kentucky. But it is not smooth sailing, her landlord has put the building up for sale. One interested party plans to tear it down and another, a Frenchman, Antoine Dubois, has told her if he gets the property he will renew her lease.

But then Marci finds Antoine's ex-girlfriend dead in front of her bakery, which definitely isn't good for business but it is worse for Antoine because he is Detective Maverick Malone's prime suspect.

Could the handsome Frenchman be guilty? Marci intends to find out but if she's not careful she may have baked her last macaron.

____

I have been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it a long time ago. I love the theme and had really high hopes for Marci Beaucoup and her Aunt Barb but this book really was a difficult read and I stuck with it to the last page pulling for it to turn around.

Most of the book is Marci's internal dialogue. Everything she thinks, she rethinks and thinks again and then makes the absolute worst decision. She is just really naive about the world around her and even with all the thinking she does she never has a backup plan. I hate to say she falls into the TSTL category but she continued to put herself in danger and didn't learn anything from her decisions. She also has a real problem with Detective Maverick Malone. They have a history but she thinks she can do his job better than he can. Her Aunt Barb is like a bull in a china shop. She is very overbearing and it is best to just get out of her way. The love triangle that is just getting started really didn't work at all either. There is absolutely no chemistry between these characters.

The mystery was very straightforward and very easy to solve. There really was no suspense. Again the internal dialogue of Marci destroyed any flow that was trying to emerge.

I did like the French pastry theme and the food descriptions did make me crave macarons and croissants. While I don't speak French I didn't mind the terms casually placed throughout the story since they were pretty basic phases but I feel they need to be used sparingly so they don't go against the flow of the story.

Sadly, Macarons Can Be Murder was a book I couldn't escape into. I think Marci needs a sleuthing friend so they can bounce ideas off each other. Someone that can keep her from making horrible decisions. This would cut down on us reading all of Marci's thoughts. All the characters need more development and the mystery needs to be a lot more complicated.

I am rounding my rating up to 3 stars. There are some good ideas here and I think some changes to the writing style and a good editor could save this series.

This story had a lot of potential - I found the mystery behind the murder and the list of suspects interesting. Having said that, this story wasn't written well. There were a lot of things that could have been better - the main character's childish and stubborn behavior was very annoying.

Also, what's with Marci wanting to dislike Malone though it's been years since some teenage drama (it was a misunderstanding but Marci refuses to believe anything but her own version of events.)

The mystery was good, and the killer's identity was unexpected and shocking. But the main character's bad attitude is what ruined the read for me.

While there is some promise with a quirky main character and charming setting, this doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the glut of foodie cozies out there. It is a fairly charming story with a solid plot.

Marci Beaucoup loves everything about France. She even lives in a town named Paris, although it’s in Kentucky and not the country of France. She has a cat named Pepe le Pew. Now, she’s opened her own French style bakery called La Belle Patisserie. Life is good, but then she finds out her landlord is selling the building that houses her bakery. There are two potential buyers - one wants to tear the building down and the other, Antoine Dubois, wants to keep everything the same including the bakery.

However, things take a nasty turn when Antoine has an argument with his ex-girlfriend and she ends up dead in front of the bakery. Antoine becomes the prime suspect in her murder. If he’s found guilty and sent to prison, he can’t buy the building and it will go to the other buyer. Marci is afraid of losing her business and sets out to investigate. She’s sure Antoine didn’t do it. After all, he’s handsome and he asked her out. The local detective on the case, Maverick Malone, is sure the man is guilty. Marci is convinced he’s looking no further than Antoine. It should be noted that Marci has personal problems with Maverick from years ago. She's convinced he's a womanizer. This just makes her more determined than ever to find the real killer.

This book is the first in a brand-new cozy mystery series. It had so much potential. I admit, the cover drew me right in. I wanted to like this one so much. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to get into the story. It just didn’t click for me.

Marci is an interesting character, but she also seems too naive to me. She jumps to too many conclusions without any real proof. Plus, there are pages and pages of her internal thoughts. It’s as if she’s brainstorming with herself. She really needs a confidant. Marci’s insistence of doing things on her own is too reckless to me. Although, that’s standard with cozy mysteries - the amateur sleuth takes too many risks. For me, it didn’t work in this one.

Although this book didn’t work for me, I still think the idea of a French bakery in Paris, Kentucky could be a great setting for a cozy mystery. I, also, feel if Marci had a close friend helping her with the sleuthing, it would make the world of difference. It gets to be too much just reading her thoughts to herself through most of the book. Sometimes it felt like she was arguing both sides of a situation with herself.

I’d still be willing to give a second book a chance. There are so many possibilities with this storyline, I'd want to give it another try. Perhaps my next visit to Paris, Kentucky will be better.






FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I would say this book is a 3.5 for me... but I am rounded it up because, in general, it fits the genre well.

The characters were likeable and the setting was nice. I just think this book wasn't really for me. It is VERY, VERY French/Paris centered and that doesn't really interest me. It might have been a little much but, maybe someone who is interested in Paris/France might feel differently.

Pros
-Quirky, fun characters
-a main character who actually considers safety
-fun romance angle(s)
-setting
-Very unique


Cons
-the writing was a little too "stream of conscious" for my liking
-a few too many French sayings & such.

Overall, this is a nice addition to the cozy genre.

Thank you for the arc copy.

Macarons Can Be Murder is book #1 in the Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery series by Rose Betancourt.

Marci Beaucoup has a bakery in Paris, Kentucky. She has a dog, Fifi, and a cat, Pepe Le Pew. When there is a murder, she jumps in to investigate.

I really struggled with this book. Marci needs a sidekick to talk to instead of the internal dialogue. She was so back and forth and questioning herself on everything - when the phone rang, should she answer it or not, what did the person want, etc. Her aunt was very pushy and clearly had a boyfriend in mind for Marci while Marci was infatuated by a man that came into her shop. It felt to me that it was trying hard to have the characters be quirky and for me, a little goes a long way. The premise and the location were interesting and if you like quirky characters with a lot of inner monologue, this may be the book for you.

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

Marci Beaucoup lives her best life, running a French bakery in the small town of Paris, Kentucky. Well, she was until two things happened. The first thing was that her landlord was selling her building to a handsome and charming Antoine Dubois, and the second thing was Marci stumbling across the dead body of Antoine’s ex-girlfriend outside her bakery. With Antoine under suspicion for murder and a developer who has plans to demolish the buildings and build a strip mall waiting for that deal to fall through, Marci decides to solve the case. But, when the killer targets her, Marci needs to find out who the murderer is and why this person killed Kellie before she becomes the next victim.

Macarons Can Be Murder is the last book in the series of mysteries that I downloaded from Crooked Lane Books on NetGalley. And I will admit, I only downloaded it because a cat was on the cover. I didn’t read the blurb or check out any early reviews. I wish I did because I didn’t enjoy reading this book.

Macarons Can Be Murder is the first book in A Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery. Since it is the first book in the series, you do not need to read any previous books to understand the characters’ backstories/storylines.

Macarons Can Be Murder is a fast-paced book set in Paris, Kentucky. I wish the plotline had been slowed down (the book takes place within a week of Marci finding Kellie’s body). I had to reread chapters to understand what was going on.

The main storyline in Macarons Can Be Murder centers around Marci and her investigation into Kellie’s murder. There is also some focus on Marci’s love life, which I didn’t like. I did like the bare bones of this storyline (small-town baker turns detective to solve a murder), but I didn’t particularly appreciate how the author executed it. The storyline was all over the place, and several secondary storylines were introduced and never went anywhere. That alone drove me up the wall.

I liked Marci but found it very hard to connect with her. She came across as immature, and the way she went around investigating Kellie’s murder made me wince. She also was very hung up on what happened in high school. It was brought up several times with Maverick (she couldn’t trust him because his car broke down and another girl gave him a ride to prom, or as Marci thinks, he ghosted her and took another girl instead). It was also mentioned during different interactions with different people around town.

The storyline with Kellie’s murder and Marci’s investigation was interesting but was all over the place. I figured out who killed Kellie reasonably early in the book (there is a scene where Marci is talking to the B&B owner, and the person is mentioned). When the murderer was revealed, I almost missed it. I read that chapter several times to understand that person was caught. Marci’s investigation was well done, but she did take unnecessary risks while getting information.

There was a romance angle that ran throughout the book. It was a love triangle between Marci, Maverick, and Antoine. I wasn’t a huge fan of that at all. Why? Marci used Antoine to get evidence from him (she invaded his privacy and stole things from him). She also went back and forth about Maverick (see what I wrote above). I would have liked this angle better if I had connected better with Marci.

The end of Macarons Can Be Murder seemed rushed. Again, repeating myself, I had zero clue that the killer had been caught. The plotline was all over the place, and I had an issue keeping things straight. It was also creepy how the author dealt with the romance angle. With all this said, I will read book 2. Once I have started a series, I need to finish it.

I really wanted and tried to like this book, but I struggled to make it through. It just wasn’t a smooth ‘n easy read, mainly because Marci kept either second-guessing herself or tossing in backstory items where they didn’t seem to belong. Literally, pages were spent on Marci speculating on what would happen if…(fill in the blank.) Aunt Barb wasn’t much better of a character than Marci and was slightly funny when she spouted little colloquialisms or Marci teased her about a guy who liked her.

It wasn’t hard to guess whodunit and the showdown was kinda annoying because all Marci did was egg the perp on instead of simply keeping them talking and buying time that way. Unless it was intentional, this book was everything I really don’t like in a cozy: an annoying main character, her bestie who doesn’t even join the sleuthing with her, an aunt who could be cool and fun but was kinda meh for the strong personality she was, cute pets that don’t really do anything except exist and a predictable perp. Not to mention the super annoying idea of a love triangle.

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

This was such a cute read! Arriving in Paris, Kentucky, I absolutely fell in love with the cast of characters, the mouthwatering pastries, and Pepe, I felt like I was there myself. Marci was a fantastic FMC and I felt a connection to her right off the bat. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!

3.5 stars rounded up

I think the premise of the book was a good idea. But sometimes with these cozy mysteries and the amateur sleuther butting their noses into a murder investigation seems far fetched. I noticed myself rolling my eyes a few times during this book. I didn't really connect with the characters. Overall an okay cozy mystery.

I read a lot of cozies and I was excited to see one with macarons. Unfortunately, the French trope was a bit too over the top for me. I found the main character scatter brained and without much substance that would keep me attracted to the series. I also really hate love triangles in cozies and starting a new series with one is not the way to my heart. Bummer

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC.

Unfortunately Macarons Can Be Murder couldn't even get off the ground for me, although I did read to the end. The main character, Marci Beaucoup, loved everything French, and her cafe in Paris, Kentucky, was named La Belle Patisserie. She also had a poodle named Fifi and Pepe Le Pew was her cat. Some way in, a new character was introduced - Angelina Foley! That was an eye-roll moment! But what killed it for me was the ongoing, continual internal dialogue! And the love triangle - this novel should have been labeled romance, not cozy! I'm disappointed I'm not a fan, as the cover drew me in, and it sounded like it'd be good. The author, Rose Betancourt, just couldn't pull it off.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

‘My mama said I had an aptitude for pandemonium.’ 3%

I’m always a huge fan of anything Rose writers but this time I was just satisfied with the story and not overly thrilled with it. The concept is intriguing, the cast of characters has potential but it was lacking, dare I say it, her usual je ne sais quoi.