Macarons Can Be Murder by Rose Betancourt is the debut of A Paris Kentucky Bakery Mysteries. The story is told from Marci Beaucoup’s point-of-view. We are privy to her every thought and feeling (lucky us). Marci, of course, loves everything French. Marci opens La Belle Patisserie in her southern hometown of Paris, Kentucky. I was not a fan of Marci. She quickly got on my nerves. It is hard to believe that someone her age could be that naïve, especially in this day and age. Marci does not make the best choices (the words too stupid to live come to mind). Marci’s Aunt Barb has an overbearing personality. She is a human steam roller, and it is best to get out of her way. The mystery was straightforward. There is a limited number of suspects. There is an attempt at misdirection. The killer can be identified early in the story. Marci works to solve the crime so the building that houses her patisserie does not get sold to a developer and bulldozed. It would have helped if Marci had a cohort in crime so to speak. We would have had to endure less of her thoughts (and the endless repetition). Marci jumps to rash conclusions often (talk about annoying). Marci also believes she is smarter than the local police. Marci was very focused on Antoine not being the killer. The mystery needed work. There are French words scattered throughout the story (alas, I do not speak French). Macarons Can Be Murder has the beginning of one of my biggest pet peeves: a love triangle. I do not feel that romance was needed (let us get to know the main character before you get her involved with someone). There are a number of inconsistencies in the story and some details that seemed not to be researched. The pastry descriptions had me craving a flaky croissant (I love it when they are still warm). Macarons Can Be Murder was more fluff than substance. There is an overload of dialogue, the secondary characters lacked development (they were flatter than crepes), the storyline lacked development as well, lack of suspense, the mystery needed more thought (it was not thought out), and lack of chemistry between Marci and her two love interests. As you can tell, Macarons Can Be Murder did not suit me.

A tasty culinary cozy, this first in series' theme is French pastries with a side of murder!
I really enjoyed reading about the main character, Marci Beaucoup's, pastry shop and felt that the other characters such as her aunt Barb and Maverick Malone were likable and engaging. There were also some cute animal side kicks!
The mystery was well-planned and I was definitely kept guessing until the very end.
I thought Marci did have a bit too much internal dialog going on but it was still a solid cozy mystery.
I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

This is not Rose’s normal writing. I really hope if there's a book two she gets her head back in the game. She could really make this series amazing. This one however fell really flat. After around the half way point was when it fell for me. I definitely would be willing to give book 2 a chance cause I love the idea of the whole concept.

Thank you NetGalley for the free read for exchange for an honest review.

Promising start, but way too similar to the Hannah Swensen Mysteries. The protagonist made dumb decisions and was too nosy. I think if there is a second book some issues can be fixed, but I doubt they will be. I would give the second book a chance though,

It felt miles away from Rose Betancourt's usual books. Where the others are often bubbly and easy to love this one felt kind of phoned in and watered down.

Marci Beaucoup and her Aunt Bev run La Belle Patisserie in the small town of Paris, Kentucky. Marci's passion for baking and her love of anything French makes owning a French Bakery her dream job.

Antoine Dubois, a new man in town, visits the bakery one day. His ex-girlfriend comes in and confronts him. They end up arguing on the sidewalk in front of the bakery for a bit, then go their separate ways. The next morning Marci finds the girlfriend's dead body on the ground in front of the bakery door. The police suspect Antoine, but Marci believes in his innocence and is determined to prove it.

This book is mainly Marci's thoughts, she often decides to do something and then second guesses herself. She imagines what she would do if this or that happens and thinks about all the possibilities. The story about the murder is actually quite short.

“macarons can be murder” is the first installment in the “paris kentucky bakery mystery!!” i love the setting of being in paris, kentucky and how our main character’s name is marci beaucoup however that’s about all that’s stuck with me. this is a first person pov and after a few chapters, i felt like marci’s narration felt a bit choppy. she uses phrases that felt too formal -like “therefore” and “in conclusion”- throughout her train of thought.

i had a harder time connecting with any of the characters. i know that marci is still an amateur sleuth but some of her decisions were too rash; i couldn’t stand how she was putting her life at risk just for the sake of (hopefully) saving her bakery property and (maybe) stopping the police from locking up the wrong suspect. the detective was too grumpy and i felt like his goal was to convict the person with the most “evidence” and close the case. i also wasn’t the biggest fan of marci’s relationship with her aunt. aunt barb was a military cook back in the day and even though i can appreciate her precision and attention to detail, i wasn’t seeing her sharing any love towards marci. i would try reading another novel in this series in the future but “macarons can be murder” wasn’t for me.

Rose Betancourt debuts a Paris Kentucky Bakery mystery in Macarons Can Be Murder. Marci Beaucoup, the French baker of La Belle Patisserie, finds Kelly, a lady who has just staged an argument with a Frenchman Antoine at her shop, dead in front of her bakery the next day. Antoine also wishes to buy the building the bakery is in; Marci would prefer that to another buyer who wishes to pull down her building. Whodunit? Kelly's boss? Antoine? Other townspeople? The mararons are great and Marci pioneering as a sleuth with difficulty.

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.

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.