*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I love cozy mysteries and this was another good read, would recommend and read more from this series!

You can’t go wrong with a cozy mystery with a bakery backdrop. This was a good book. Some things about the narrator irked me but didn’t pull me out of the story.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

I really enjoyed this cozy little mystery. Give me anything with a bakery and cats on the cover, and I'm all in. The narrator did a good job, and the mystery was so enjoyable!

I recently read a charming murder mystery set in Paris, Kentucky. The story had me constantly guessing who could have been responsible for the murder in front of Marci Beaucoup's French bakery. Despite warnings from Deputy Maverick to stay out of it, Marci takes it upon herself to uncover the truth. As she conducts her independent investigation, she finds herself entangled in messy situations.

"Macrons Can Be Murder" by Rose Betancourt was a delightful small-town mystery. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment of the Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery series. I am writing to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape media for providing me with a complimentary audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the entire audiobook of 'Macarons Can Be Murder' and found it incredibly disappointing. The narration was subpar, filled with inconsistencies and strange pronunciations. The plot was riddled with unrealistic events and numerous plot holes, making it hard to stay engaged. Overall, I would not recommend this book and would not continue with the series.

Macarons Can Be Murder is the first book in a -very- light cozy romance mystery by Rose Betancourt. Released 11th July 2023 by Crooked Lane, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This reads more like a romance-y drama filled light novel than a well constructed mystery (even for a cozy). The characterizations are two dimensional and mostly superficial. The main character's name (Marcie Beaucoup) is cringeworthy, and definitely reads like the pun occurred to the author who proceeded to write a whole series around it. The secondary characters are tacked on and just show up and disappear when their scenes are done. The action and plot developments were strongly foreshadowed and there are few twists and turns to the denouement.

The writing is uneven, and the dialogue is a bit rough, but as a first novel, and series starter, it's possibly worth a look for fans of very light cozies who don't mind insta-love and MC mooning like a love-struck 13 year old.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 7 hours 6 minutes and is capably read by Nan McNamara. She has a well modulated alto voice and delineates the characters accurately. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Three stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Although I had high hopes for the book, it ended up being a letdown. I was disappointed and found it hard to stay engaged with the story, despite my initial excitement.

I wanted to love this so badly, cozy mysteries are a guilty pleasure of mine and this one sounded so interesting. However the main character was so deeply insufferable that it made the entire book difficult to get through. I also feel like the book was very surface level and rushed through key moments of the story.

I realise that a start to every new cozy mystery series always involves the protagonist trying to clear his/her name of murder, hence the foray into amateur sleuthing, but I am not sure why Marci Beaucomp feels the need to clear her (and her bakery's) name in this book when the murder didn't even take place in her bakery!

Marci also seems still miffed with Detective Maverick Malone for failing to take her to their high school prom and with another male character entering her life and business, this makes for a potential love triangle angle.

I listened to the audiobook and liked Nan McNamara's narration. The cover design is also eye catching.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Dreamscape Media and the author Rose Bentancourt for the ALC.

I couldn't bring myself to finish this one. While I love cozies, I like them to be witty and sharp. This one had every bad cliche you find in cheesy cozy mysteries. It was predictable, the main character was obnoxious and did the dumbest things and then it ended with the start of a love triangle.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.
I usually love a good cozy mystery but this novel was a hard pass for me. The main character was just blah. Her name was absolutely stupid and a love triangle between her and a man she just literally met and a detective that just boring. I just didn't care at all.
The main character did absolutely nothing and was just acting dumb. Hard pass for me.

Rose Betancourt introduces the reader to her new protagonist, Marci Beaucoup, in Macarons Can Be Murder, the first installment of her Paris Kentucky Bakery Mystery series. Marci has opened her new French bakery but is soon informed that her landlord is selling the building. One of the potential new owners, Antoine Dubois, is willing to continue her lease but the other has plans to tear the building down and build something new. Unfortunately, the day after Marci meets Antoine, she discovers the body of Antoine’s former girlfriend dead just outside the front door of the bakery. Because Antoine quickly becomes the prime suspect, his purchase of the building is placed in peril pending the outcome of the investigation. Due to the history that Marci has with the local police detective, she feels that he is likely to focus on Antoine because of her potential romantic interest in him and decides that she needs to investigate on her own.

While this is a first in series book, the author has done an excellent job of quickly introducing the cast of characters for this book including a concise history of the varying relationships within the town’s residents. While there are significant clues which point to the identity of the culprit, there are enough red herrings, misdirection and plot twists to keep the reader’s guessing and interested until the final revelation of both the motive and perpetrator of this crime. I look forward to future installments of this series especially as Marci explores her romantic future with each of her two suitors.

The narrator of this audiobook has done a fantastic job of creating a variety of voices for each of the unique characters. The pace of the narration is highly appropriate with the narrator altering the pace throughout based on the level of activity and energy that is occurring at the particular point of the story.

I received an ARC of this audiobook from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was so excited to read this one because of the premise. However, the book fell flat for me. While I enjoyed Marci as a main character, her internal dialogue got a bit grating. It also felt more like a romance and less like a cozy mystery.

If you like cozy mysteries that take place around the food industry, specifically bakeries, and you like cute characters you should like this one.

I really enjoyed this book. You have your pretty typical set up; bakery in jeopardy of being sold off and heroine losing it, good guy maybe not so good but she becomes determined to prove he's innocent of the murder of his ex girlfriend that happened right in front of the bakery, little love triangle starting, and the promise of more books to come!

I won't tell you the story so that you can read it for yourself. I really enjoyed it but will say that I don't read a ton of cozies so if you are a more devoted cozy reader I don't really know what you will think.

I highly recommend the audio of this book. The narrator is phenomenal.

Marci Beaucoup owns and runs La Belle Patisserie in Paris, Kentucky and is devastated to learn that her landlord plans to sell the building, knowing a new owner may well decide to kick her business out. Luckily, the top potential buyer, Antoine Dubois, is not only an attractive and charming Frenchman but also would like to keep Marci’s business in that location. When Antoine turns up as the chief suspect in a murder that happens right in front of Marci’s shop, Marci is determined to do whatever it takes to clear his name.

Unfortunately, I found the main character wholly unlikeable, not what you want for a cozy mystery series. She was inept in her sleuthing attempts and absolutely should not have tried to solve this herself. The love triangle between Marci, Antoine, and Detective Maverick Malone was painful. I will not be continuing this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest, personal review. This was an enjoyable cozy mystery and while the narrator wasn't one of my favorites, I will say that she managed the different accents that the story required very well. Marci Beaucoup runs a French pastry shop that unfortunately for her one morning, comes with a body located right out front! Can she solve the mystery before time runs out and her building is sold to a new buyer?

While the narrator did a good job capturing the characters voice it just wasn't enough to sell the bland story that 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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC Audiobook

Description:
“Living in Paris and having a sidekick cat named Pepe le Pew gives Marci Beaucoup’s life a certain je ne sais quoi. Only Marci isn’t in France. She lives in Paris, Kentucky. Combining her love of baking and France, Marci opened La Belle Patisserie, but when a woman is discovered dead in front of her shop, Marci’s dreams come to a screeching halt.
Marci thinks mouthwatering pastries are just what her small Southern hometown needs. Most residents agree, saying that her baked goods are magical, creating love and good fortune all over town. When Kelly Lowry is shot in front of the shop, it gives the pastries a new meaning behind “to die for.” Who killed her, and why was her murder followed by a strange Frenchman’s appearance? When Antoine Dubois wanders into her quaint shop, Marci is smitten immediately. But soon, more questions arise than answers: How did Antoine end up in Kentucky? And what was his connection to the dead woman?
Meanwhile, Detective Maverick Malone is on the case and quickly connects the dots between Kelly and Antoine, accusing him of the murder. Could it be that Antoine had something to do with the dead woman? Marci, enamored by Antoine, is determined to clear his name.
And now that she's mixed up in the murder investigation, Marci has to find the killer before her half-baked theories result in her untimely death.”

I had a few problems with this book. 1.) Why would someone risk their life to prove the innocence of someone they literally just met? 2.) Why would you think your fellow small town neighbors would think you committed the crime? It just didn’t make sense. I am interested in giving the authors other series a try, but I don’t think I would read another one from this series if she continues with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscapes Media for the chance to read this for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. :)

I haven't come across a character quite a ditzy as Marci in a long time. The potential for a great cozy was there, but sadly Macarons Can be Murder did not live up to it.

This was far-fetched, and went from being utterly predictable to way-out fanciful, and I cannot stress Marci's silliness enough, which was exasperating and annoying. I did enjoy the mentions of the bakery coming through, and I liked Pepe, Fifi, and Maverick, the only relatable characters in my opinion.

It started well, but sadly was a no-go by the end.

2 and a half stars.