I did not realize this was 6th in a series but after starting saw I had read the first book in this series awhile back.

I loved the cover which initially attracted me to this book. It didn’t take me long to get back into this little world.

It is day read and in this case audiobook.

My only quibble is the author used the ‘GD’ word. That was overkill for a cozy and jarring especially while listening to audiobook and I highly recommend a change to simple ‘Damn’. I don’t like language like that and using it breaks one of the cardinal rules of cozies of no vulgar language.

3.5 rounded to 4. I do plan to read the books between 1-6.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for chance to listen to this ARC. All opinions in this review is my own.

DNF at around 45%
I just couldn’t get into this story. I haven’t read any of the previous books in this series so that may have something to do with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.

There is a new chocolate shop in town, unfortunately in a small town like East Point, Maine there's room for only one. The new owner is trying everything he can to put The Chocolate Moose out of business. When he ends up dead you can probably guess who the prime suspect is.

Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie is the 6th book in the Death by Chocolate mystery series. It is the first book in the series that I have read. I did have some trouble figuring out who was who and the dynamics between the characters. I'm not sure if it was because I was listening to the audiobook, but I didn't think there was a lot of backstory provided. It might be a good idea to at least read book 1 before jumping into this book. This book doesn't come out for a couple more weeks so you have time to read at least book 1.

I listen to a lot of cozy mysteries as audiobooks, but I had trouble following the plot for this one. There was so much time spent on looking for a missing person that I forgot about the murder victim. The same goes for the focus on art - I forgot that initially, the problem was with a second chocolate shop opening across the street.

Since we are given the backstory of how Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree came to live in East Point and the fact that she recognized the murder victim from her past, I thought that mystery would have tied in more with her history with the mob. While it does relate to the mob business, it didn't really ensnare Jake again as I suspected it would.

I thought it might be more like Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swansen series, but didn't give me similar vibes. At times, though, Jake made me think of Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow. I thought perhaps the narrator, Susan Boyce, read both series. Boyce is not the narrator for the Meg Langslow series, but she has narrated another series I've listened to: Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. Boyce did a good job reading the story and giving characters unique voices. It is probably because Jake is an older woman with a grown son and her father and stepmother are secondary characters.

For me, this was just an okay cozy mystery. It didn't make me want to go back and pick up the other books in the series, but it was enjoyable enough that I don't regret taking the time to listen to it. The audiobook didn't include the recipe. Other reviewers mention that the book has a recipe, but it isn't for the title dessert.

If you are a fan of the series, you will probably enjoy this book more than me as there seems to be some wrapping up of secondary plot threads/character storylines. But as I didn't really know the characters I didn't have an emotional connection to them. It did feel like this might be a closing of a chapter in the lives of these characters.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday April 12 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/04/death-by-chocolate-marshmallow-pie-by.html

My first encounter with author Sarah Graves was a pleasant experience. This was a fairly well-written cozy mystery with a best friend being accused of a crime and our amateur detective must keep her from being falsely imprisoned.

However, there were two things that bothered me a little bit with the writing. First, the people in the story kept getting scratched, scraped, or tangled by the various stickers, thorns, and underbrush around town. Second, the on-again/off-again questioning of the main suspect in the crime. They were both overused too much and ended up frustrating me - "not again".

But I will be going back and reading the other books in the Death by Chocolate series.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie
Death by Chocolate Mystery #6
Sarah Graves
The Chocolate Moose was located in Eastport, Maine. The owner Jacobia Jake Tiptree and her best friend and baker Ellie White were preparing for the summer art festival. Both ladies love their job and are good at it. Ellie tends to be a bit more creative in coming up with new sweet treats. Her daughter has requested a Chocolate Marshmallow Pie for her birthday. The two women have tried different crusts and fillings but there is something about marshmallow that just doesn’t make for a pleasant pie.
A new business has moved in across the street from The Chocolate Moose, the Choco. Competition is one thing, but outright slander is going too far. The owner of Choco was Brad Fairway; he was spreading terrible rumors about The Chocolate Moose. He even told people there was bugs in the flour at The Chocolate Moose. Ellie marched across the street to confront Brad, but she was too late; he was dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Bob Arnold the sheriff of Eastport and a good friend of Jake and Ellie’s warned Ellie to get a lawyer; the gun that killed/murdered Brad was Ellie’s and even had her name on it.
There are several minor plots that I found very interesting. Jake has a past she tries to keep hidden. She, her husband Wade, father and stepmother Bella all live in a large but much older home. Her son Sam, his wife and child live in the guesthouse. Suddenly Sam is moving back in. Jake’s father has decided to move to assisted living although her stepmother Bella is against the whole idea. All of this is going on in the background while the murder plot builds to a climax. I enjoyed the minor plots they complemented the major plot. There was a lot of humor in this tale. This is the first book I have read in this series and yet it stood well alone.

Thank you to Netgalley for granting me access to the audiobook of this cozy mystery.

I am always on the lookout for a new cozy mystery series.  While it is probably best not to start with the sixth installment in a series, I was not at all lost. It was not difficult to follow the characters and the storyline, especially as the book contains some glimpses of the main character's backstories, including past criminal activities and bad marriages. The story contains a helpful flashback explaining how Jake ended up in Eastport, Maine. I will say that I have not read too many cozy mystery series where the main character is hiding a criminal past (although it may be common), and in this respect, this cozy series has a different vibe than others which the main characters have a less exciting backstory.

I enjoy hearing about small-town settings where everyone knows everyone else, either in person or by reputation, and Eastport fits the bill.  Here Jacobia (Jake) is the owner of a waterfront bakery, The Chocolate Moose, where her best friend, Ellie, is the baker.  A new bakery, Choco, opens in the town, and Brad Fairway, the owner, tries to drive the Chocolate Moose out of business by spreading false rumors about their ingredients and selling hos products at a reduced rate. Brad is looking to purchase the shop to tear down as part of a proposed condo. When Brad is found dead shot by Ellie’s gun, Ellie becomes the prime suspect and Jake springs into action to save her friend.

Susan Boyce has narrated several books in this series.  She does well differentiating male and female characters of all ages and sets a consistent pace which allows for an easy listen. As Jake has a criminal past, she gives her voice an edge appropriate to her past.

In all, a fresh take on a small-town cozy series.  I will rate this sixth installment in the series as 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie is the sixth mystery in the Death by Chocolate mystery series. When Jake Tiptree and Ellie White, owners of The Chocolate Moose, stumble into another murder investigation, they don’t stop until the killer is uncovered.

This is the first book I have read in this mystery series, but other than a little background information I was able to jump into this series and follow the mystery just fine. I enjoyed the characters and setting of this cozy mystery and am interested in learning more about Jake’s past (I’m thinking this first five books will help me with this!). This was a good read and a well written cozy mystery that had me guessing until the end. I’m excited to go back and start this series from the beginning. This is a great mystery for chocolate loving, cozy mystery fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook!

Death by Chocolate Marshmallow pie is the sixth book in the Death by Chocolate series. This was my first book in the series but enough context was provided that I was able to enjoy the story and understand previously established relationships.

Jake’s best friend is the suspect in the murder of the owner of a rival bakery. Not only is she attempting to locate the real murderer she is trying to determine if her previous involvement with the mob may have caused this incident.

I really enjoyed the story, setting and characters.

It’s summer in Maine, and it seems Jake’s past may be back to haunt her. There were lots of different motives in this mystery, and I really enjoyed the tie in of the summer arts festival.

I love the banter between Jake and Ellie and how they seem to cause more issues with their amateur sleuthing as the story goes on. They’re pretty goofy and entertaining which made for a lighthearted, fun read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was sixth in a series. Despite not having read any others in the series, the book includes enough call back to important elements of those earlier books to provide context for a new reader jumping in with this installment.

I liked the setting of this book, a small seaside town in Maine, reminiscent of Jessica Flethcer's Cabot Cove. The book gave off a similar cozy mystery vibe, with enough new twists to make it feel original.

The mystery, itself, was satisfying. I enjoyed the quirky artist characters that populated the story and gave it life. I'm not sure I'll be compelled to go back and read the other books in the series, but overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other readers who enjoy the mystery genre.

I enjoyed the characters, mystery, humor, and execution of this story. I also enjoyed the narrator as well, they were so good at reading this! This was the first book I've read by this author and I didn't realize it was a series, but I have to check out the other books now.

I have listened to the audiobooks of the entire Home Repair series and this Death by Chocolate series- so I don’t have to say, I’m a big fan! I love the author’s writing style, the characters and the humor. This mystery, just like all the rest in the series, is interesting and fun. I highly recommend reading all the books in the series!

"Death By Chocolate Marshmallow Pie" is the 6th book in the "Death By Chocolate Mystery" series by Sarah Graves. I also kinda hope it is the last of the Jacobia Tiptree books. It is still very much her classic story line but it just felt a little more ridiculous than in previous instances. More "what was she thinking?" and less "well isn't that unfortunate." Some continuity issues, especially about Jacobia's flight from New York. Each time the story of why Jacobia left is told it is told slightly differently. It still has the cheating husband, badly behaved son and mob connections but the motivator changes and the how changes. The other reason I hope this is the last one for Jacobia is that it wrapped things up very nicely. Gave the whole family a nice ending that doesn't need to have a follow up. I'm glad I read it for the closure, but I'm done with the series if there is more.

Last but not least, what is with the marshmallow hate? You'd think a chocolate focused baker would at least know some good ways to pair marshmallow with chocolate. She doesn't have to love it but man, Jacobia seems to just loath marshmallows in this one. The audiobook didn't have the recipe recorded but I had heard that the recipe at the end didn't even match what the final product for marshmallow pie that the book is even named after.

Jake Tiptree and her bestie Ellie are living the dream in Eastport, Maine, running the Chocolate Moose, a small bakery. Things turn from sweet to sour when shameless Brad Fairway opens Choco’s right across the street and immediately sets out to steal Jake and Ellie’s customers. They can’t afford to lose customers and with the summer season just starting they decide to try to hash things out with Brad amicably, unfortunately, their visit goes awry when they find their rival dead. And the local police are pretty sure that Jake and Ellie had something to do with it. It’s nice to see Easport projected in a positive light (murders and all), this little village has had a rough go and deserves some time in the spotlight

I didn’t finish this one. Early on, there was the ‘mild’ swearing, then she started including rhymes of fouler (she directly told us that’s what she was doing, repeatedly), and there was the unsavory backstory. All things that made it a read that I really didn’t enjoy. (I did jump into this series out of order, so maybe this wouldn’t be a surprise if you read the series in order.) I was just looking for a nice cozy mystery, this really didn’t have that cozy feel. The last straw for me was when after a couple of hours of listening, the language became quite foul. I quit. I wouldn’t recommend it.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

This is the sixth book in the Death by Chocolate series and it can be read as a standalone, which is great because this is the first book I've read by Sarah Graves. This was a very entertaining cozy mystery with great pacing, interesting characters, and delicious food. The plot was engaging and full of sweets and sleuthing. I really liked Jake as a main character. Her sense of humor was right up my alley. The only issue I had with this book was how early I was able to guess the ending. Otherwise this was a great cozy mystery that's perfect for binge reading.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.