Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this one - the synopsis really had me excited to dive into a cozy mystery involving a bakery and I really love the book cover. I usually love low-stake fantasy and mystery type books, but unfortunately, this one was not for me and I am sad to say that I almost didn't finish it.

The key themes surrounding this low-stake and cozy mystery were there, but overall everything else was lacking. The story and characters were extremely repeitive and eventually became unnecessary. The main characters and other surrounding characters were formed, but not fully fleshed out. I regret to tell you that I don't know anything about Lyndsey, our heroine, other than she was bullied in high school (no explicit details ever given), she had a crush on Bryce, she loves her family, and she owns 40% of the bakery. That seems likes a good amount of information, except that it is all you are ever told over multiple occasions.. In other words, this type of information can work and is important if it is expanded on and allows growth for your characters. However, the characters stayed relatively stagnant the entire book and I felt like they were just cardboard cutouts of what could have been interesting characters. Lastly, I felt the mystery was very slow and the reveal for the murder was a bit disappointing.

I will say that I did enjoy the Grenadian culture and food imprinted into the story. It's always good to see different peoples, cultures, and foods represented in books so I feel like that is where a lot of the story went right. It was also really helpful that even though this is the second in a series, you can still read it as a standalone book like me.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, but could've been way more interesting if more time was spent on pacing, character development, and diving more into explicit details. Despite it not being my favorite, I think others might still enjoy it if you are looking for an easy, breezy mystery read.

After a quick lunch at Lyndsay Murray's Spice Isle Bakery, the principal of a nearby high school passes away. The police seem to be persuaded that Lyndsay's mother committed the murder despite the lack of any convincing evidence, forcing Lyndsay to take over the investigation. Her close-knit family rallies, and the Murrays are determined to fight until the bitter end. Patricia Sargeant is a best-selling and honored author who writes under the pen name Olivia Matthews. The recipe she includes for hard-dough bread will be greatly enjoyed by her admirers. I like how the title describes the contents of the book. "Hard Dough Murder," the second novel in the "Spice Island Bakery Mysteries" series, will appeal to fans of thrillers and suspense fiction, as well as ethnic, black, and African American mysteries. I appreciate the chance to read this galley proof that St. Martin's Press and NetGalley have provided.

The second in the Spice Isle Bakery series. A good addition to the series with an interesting plot and good character development, particularly the main character Lyndsay, who is learning to speak up for herself, her family, and their business. Her arguments with the detectives become a bit repetitive. The community setting is well-drawn, and it's a pleasure to read about a neighborhood that doesn't get too much attention. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a fun, lighthearted cozy mystery! I really enjoyed the backdrop of the bakery, and the MC as she searched for the killer. I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but it didn’t make it hard for me to follow. And now I need to check it out!

Hard Dough Homicide by Olivia Matthews
Sometimes you just need a cozy mystery and this one fills that need.
Lyndsay and her family just opened a family bakery in Brooklyn. So far, business is booming. In spite of a murder to a rival bakery owner. Unfortunately, during their first catering event, the guest of honor dies from poison and Della is a person of interest. Their customers stop coming. Lyndsay needs to discover the murderer to clear the bakery’s name before they lose their business.
I enjoyed this book very much. The family is very colorful and loving towards each other and just positive. Very refreshing!

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review!

Publication: May 23, 2023

Rating: 3 stars

This was a light read and the perfect cozy mystery to dive into. I loved reading about all the different foods that left me drooling and a little hungry. I found some spots repetitive but overall a quick read. Perfect to bring to the beach this summer and perfect for fans of cozy mysteries.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery book. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys the Tita Rosie's Kitchen books. It was a similar vibe except the characters are Caribbean, not Philippino.

This is the second installment following Lyndsay Murray and her family's bakery Spice Isle Bakery. They bake and cook traditional meals from their homeland in Grenada. They have just started to breath easy after being cleared from any involvement in the murder of one of their neighbors. When Lyndsay is pressured into hosting a retirement party for her mom's old boss at the bakery, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of another homicide investigation. Her mom is the key suspect as it was no secret she butt heads on numerous occasions with her boss. In fact nearly everyone who came across Emily hated her. Lyndsay is forced to do her own investigation to clear her mothers name and to protect her bakery from the borderline slander being written in the local paper.

The best part about the book was the integration of the Grenadian culture and the tight knit community of Brooklyn's Little Caribbean. Similar to Tita Rosie's Kitchen you learn all about the traditional foods. One notable thing to look out for is Lyndsay's grandmothers tale of a mermaid she encountered back in Grenada. It was a nice touch of levity to the story. You also will enjoy following the trail to find Emily's killer. Surprisingly, my guess of who the killer was incorrect. I didn't see who it was until the big reveal, which I always think is a great plus for a thriller. Definitely pick this one up, it'll be a good option for anyone who doesn't like super suspenseful thrillers, but also wants a little mystery in their life.

This is such a cozy mystery! The added bits and pieces of Caribbean culture were a treat to read and learn. Love that this reads as a stand alone series. Olivia Matthews is a new to me author and for sure one I’d pick up again!

Thank you to the pubolisher and to Net Galley. The review opinions are my own.
This is book two in the new foodies series "Spice Isle Bakery Series," I enjoyed the first in series . This can be read as a stand alone. Lyndsay Murray is the owner of the bakery she runs with her close family. Foodies will love this series for the exotic foods and receipes included in the back of the book.

Lyndsay is asked to cater a retirement party for a nemisis of her Mother. When said nemisis dies of poisening the local police are looking no farther then Lyndsay. She must investigate to save her family business and her reputation. As clues abound and red herrings add up Lyndsay has a long way to go to solve this mystery.

This is a fun foodie read with enjoyable charcters and humor throughout. The series is growing in this second book and Lyndsay as a protagnist is finding her way as a new business owner with a talent for solving murders. A enjoyabe cozy series.

Hard Dough Homocied picks up where the first in the series left off, with the Murray family busy running their family bakery. They’ve been asked to cater a local high school principal’s retirement party, a woman Lyndsay’s mom, Della, dislikes. And of course, when the woman dies in the bakery, Della becomes the chief suspect in the murder investigation. Lyndsay decides she has to investigate to clear her mom’s name and save the business – being connected with two murders just months apart is definitely not good for customer retention.

I can’t tell if the cops are actually incompetent or not, since we only see things thru Lyndsay’s eyes. There are several suspects and at least from Lyndsay’s point of view, the cops aren’t investigating them all as well as they should. We’ve got a few clues that definitely point to people aside from Della.

Lyndsay and her family are very close. They always have each others’ backs. The family even joins in on the quest to solve the mystery. Breaking and entering, gathering gossip, they are (almost) always up for it. I’m not a fan of the potential love interest though.

This is definitely a fun book. The mystery’s fine but the characters are where it shines.

This is such a fun cozy series! I love the Caribbean heritage. The food they make at Spice Isle Bakery sounds so delicious!

Lyndsay is determined to solve this case. She’s fiercely loyal to her family and I love that. They have such strong family bonds. But sometimes I felt like it got in the way of the investigation? Like she is always misunderstanding the Detective and making it seem like he’s just out for her family when really he’s doing his job...

It can easily be read as a stand alone so don’t worry if you haven’t read book 1 yet. This gives you all the info you need to keep up.

Overall, another good installment in this series. I’ll be looking forward to the next one to see what happens!!

[ Thank you to the publisher & netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

This book 2 in the Spice Isle Bakery Series, Lyndsay Murray is the owner of the bakery and is always looking for a way to expand the family business. When the bakery hosts a retirement party, someone dies during the dinner and the family is blamed. Can the Murray family solve the murder and keep the business going?

I read the first book in the series, and it was an okay read. I didn't feel it was necessary to read that one prior to this book. However, I struggled with this one. Key themes were just too repetitive. The mystery itself was a bit lacking, as well. Things just took too long to come together. The essential pieces of a solid cozy mystery are here, but something just fell flat.

Lyndsay reluctantly agrees to cater the retirement party for Emily, who was miserable to her mother over the years, but she sure didn't poison her either, The Spice Island Bakery is just getting up and running and this is the last thing the family needs, especially since Lynd's mom is considered, albeit briefly, a suspect, Cozy readers know that no one liked Emily and everyone (except Lyndsay's family) could have done it. I like this series (well, this is the second one) for the family and the fact that Matthews weaves in Grenadian culture. And because it's set in Brooklyn. Don't worry if you missed the first one- it's still in the set up phase (there's a nascent romantic interest). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, Recipes!

This is a really fun cozy series. Matthews has some amazing sounding food/baked goods and a solid cast of characters. I still think the setting is perfect - the neighborhood closeness gives it the right feel for a cozy, but the city gives more plot opportunities for the rest of the series. The mystery here was delightfully complicated, with a deep pool of suspects and motives. I’m excited to read the next book in this series!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
1 star.
I read the first installment in this cozy series and was hoping for more from this one. Sadly this series is not for me. While the characterization is coming along, the themes of family, insecurity, neighborhood and financial struggles were constant, repetitive and unnecessary. Also disappointed by the mystery. By the time the resolution occurred, I was frustrated with the heroine and the meandering path she choose to finally get there.

Second book, but not necessary to have read the first. Thoroughly enjoyable murder cozy and food story with recipes in the back. Loved the family and the dynamics of this family, although don't understand why the police lieutenant insisted upon keeping Mommy a suspect in the murder. Lynds knew she needed to do her own investigation after her own accusation in book one. A good list of suspects and investigation to a satisfactory ending. Thank you to NetGalley and publishers.

Matthews does it again! With the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries, Lyndsay returns to catch the killer before their bakery is shut down from bad publicity. Except this time, her mother is on the chopping block. Once again, I loved the family elements in this cozy mystery. Dev and Lyndsay and their parents and grandmother feel like my own family, and I loved seeing them once again rally around each other through another tough time. The ending of this story was also golden as a certain committee received their just desserts and saw just how wonderful Spice Isle Bakery and its owners were!
The only downside was I struggled a bit to understand why the police thought Lyndsay's mother was a suspect. At first, yes, I completely understood. But as several elements of the mystery were revealed, it made less and less sense why Bryce and Stan were forced to keep considering Lyndsay's mother.
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I'm already looking forward to the next one! Matthews is a cozy mystery writer at their finest!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lyndsay enjoys working at the restaurant. When an incident happens her mother becomes a suspect. Lyndsay is unsure of what to do. I liked the different characters in this book.

This is the second book in the Spice Isle Bakery Mystery series. I was new to the series and the author, but I had no problem reading this story as a standalone book.

The story involves Lyndsay Murray and her family's bakery in the Little Carribean neighborhood in Brooklyn. In this story, a private retirement party for school administrator goes wrong and the guest of honor is poisoned. The police don't seem to be getting anywhere and the local newspaper crime beat reported names Lyndsay's mother as a person of interest. Lyndsay watches the business decline at the bakery and decides to start investigating the crime herself.

I really enjoyed the close-knit family aspects of the story, however it was irritating to me that Lyndsay, who is a grown woman, refers to her parents as "Mommy and Daddy.." This could be a cultural thing, but I felt like it was unnecessary every time she called to them or talked about them to call them Mommy and Daddy.

The story itself was interesting, with a limited but varied group of possible suspects. I enjoyed this book and would enjoy reading more in the series.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.