First and foremost I would like to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for sending me an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Tara Lush’s A Bean To Die For is a delightful cozy mystery that immediately pulls you into its vibrant world, where the characters are as quirky and interesting ever. From the very first page, I was impressed by the colorful personalities of the townies, both old and new, of Devil’s Beach. I especially appreciated how the narrative incorporates the hobbies and interests of the characters, adding layers of depth and making the characters feel all the more fleshed out.

Devil’s Beach, the setting of the story, is wonderfully brought to life. Lush paints the backdrop so vividly that it feels like a real, bustling tourist destination—an environment you’d want to visit again and again. The coffee shop at the heart of the plot is the perfect cozy haven, with its fun blend of interesting plot moving interactions, recipe and shop operation banter, and side plot drama.

The mystery itself is engaging and well-crafted. The plot progresses at a smooth, natural pace, offering enough twists and turns to keep me hooked without feeling rushed. Tara Lush has a way of balancing the intrigue with the charm of her characters, allowing the mystery to unfold in a way that keeps you guessing while still feeling grounded in the cozy atmosphere.

The audiobook is well done. The narrator has this natural ability to subtly apply emotions to what Lana is saying that might not be apparent while reading the physical or e-book.

Overall, A Bean To Die For is an absolute treat for fans of cozy mysteries. With its endearing characters, immersive setting, and well-paced plot, it’s a book you won’t want to put down. As a fan of the series, this has been my favorite book so far.

I read books 1-3 to prepare for this ARC and am so glad I did! I love this series and all the characters! Lana never met a case she didn't want to get involved with solving and she does it again in this latest book! I can't wait for the next installment to see how things are progressing.

#ABeantoDieFor
#NetGalley

A cute cozy mystery, read as a standalone instead of as a series. My only issue is that the killer is identified early on and then it's more about finding rather than identifying.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy of this audiobook

I have seriously been loving cozy mysteries recently and have been alternating reading them and nonfiction between my typical romance books. I absolutely loved the description of A Bean to Die For, this sounded like such a sweet book, but this is definitely a case where I think the audiobook narrator ruined the book for me.

Lana grated on me a little, although that may be due to the narrator. However, I did absolutely adore her dad. I did enjoy the small town feel of Devil’s Beach and following along while trying to solve the murders of Jack and Darla.

This is book 4 of the Coffee Lover's Mystery series, but can definitely be read as a stand alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the review copy of A Bean to Die For.

In this fourth installment, Lana’s juggling Perkatory, leveling up her romance with Chief Noah Garcia, by meeting his family. Cue the flashback to my own lasagna-filled meet-the-parents saga! 😂 Tara’s storytelling had me in stitches, relating hard, and playing detective all at once.

I love Noah’s mom, Ileana. She’s a gem, and I’m crossing my fingers for more of her in the next book. Shoutout to @the.book.lush for the ARC copy and @dreamscape_media for the ALC version – you guys rock! All thoughts are mine.

If you’re on the lookout for a cozy mystery series to include with your knitting sessions, give this one a whirl.

I found this cozy mystery enjoyable. The characters were likeable and the storyline was easy to follow. The narration was great. A light read with a good plot. It makes me want to try more books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Like so many cozy mysteries, this book was chock-full of hilariously cute puns and adorable characters, and I can't wait to spend more time with them.

When I first asked for this book, I didn't realize it was the fourth in a series. I just saw cozy and was like "yes, please." When I noticed, I was like well most cozies are kind of standalone. And this one didn't suffer too much from being the fourth in a series. The biggest issue is that one of the best parts of cozies is the characters, and when a book is the fourth in a series they are usually written believing that you know the characters already. If, like me, you're just picking the series up, it leaves you feeling a little bit like you walked in on a friend group that doesn't quite have room for you yet.

But it's okay, eventually they ended up feeling like friends. And I definitely want to go back and read the ones before this one. It's a great cozy. It features a former journalist, one of my favorite type of cozy leads, and the cop boyfriend. She has a cast of kooky friends and town people surrounding and helping her, including a loving and mostly helpful dad. We usually see moms in cozies, so it was nice to see a dad. I loved him and look forward to seeing more of him. Seeing a strong father-daughter relationship is so powerful these days, when so often we don't see those bonds portrayed. And often growing up, when we did see a dad, he was goofy and mostly a big joke. Once I got used to them, I really enjoyed all the characters and their interactions.

I'm not a big beach fan, so the setting wasn't my favorite. However, I do love coffee shops and dogs so that kind of balanced it out. Living in a tourist town, I can also appreciate the author's portrayal of the sometimes annoying nature of dealing with tourists all the time.

The mystery was full of twists and red herrings. I kept thinking I had it figured out and was then completely surprised by the ending. It definitely surprised me more than the typical cozy mystery, which is a credit to Ms. Lush's writing.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kae Marie Denino. It took me a little time to get used to her voice, but after a few minutes, it was delightful. She really brought the story to life and helped me envision the characters and scenes. And she's someone I'd have no trouble listening to twenty books of audio by, which is something you have to consider when you get invested in a cozy series. And whatever format I start with is what I like to stick with.

Also, I love the name of the coffee shop - Perkatory - sooo much! And "what the fluff!" is one of the cutest non-curse, curse-words I've heard yet.

Who's It For?

If you love a cozy mystery, this is a pretty good one. If you're tired of winter and longing for some sunshine, this is set in Florida, so the beachy setting might appeal to you. And, if you've never tried cozies, they're full of sweet romance, an adorable cast of side characters, and murder that keeps the story going, but also somehow seems to be beside the point.

Content Warnings: Infidelity, Adult Situations, Murder, Betrayal

I love this series, While I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it for fans of Janet Evanovich, I thought the narration was too breathy. This is my opinion and others may not think the same of the narration.

I listened to this audiobook and it is the first that I’ve listened to in the series. I thought that narration was really great! The story truly came to life. I really enjoyed the story and felt like all the characters were likable and pleasant to listen about. It felt like a nice little vacation to listen to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Tara Lush for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this series, and this book did not disappoint! I loved the mystery and thought the plot was well paced and very engaging. The characters are endearing and fun to follow. I cannot wait for the next one!

4 Stars

Tara Lush delivers another caffeinated entertaining mystery.




Welcome back to the southwest Florida island town of Devil’s Beach. Lana finds herself right in the middle of a whole lot of stuff going on. Deciding to grow her own coffee, she has secured a spot in the community garden to be able to grow her plants. She has an offer to test out a cool new machine at the coffee shop, Perkatiey.  Not to mention she’s about to meet Noah’s family for the very first time.

And last, but not least, there's the Local funnel cake festival going on.  Just as everything’s getting started, lana finds a body among the garden plots. With the long list of rules for the community garden, a body is one thing that should definitely not be there. Laura’s mind starts brewing to try to figure out the pieces to be able to crack this case.  




I absolutely love this series. Not only because the only thing that I love more or equally as much as reading is coffee. Lana, her best friend Erica, and her hippie. Father, Peter are all on the case. I love the interaction between not only these three, but all of the characters that we have grown to know through the course of the series. What makes this story interesting and a little different from the others is that someone is coming to Lana to help get this mystery solved. We see growth within all of the characters within the story. Along with the twisted mystery that kept me guessing for most of the book.  




Tara Lush includes humor with her mysteries, like a well-blended brew.  The characters she has created are complex, but yet grow with each book, have their quirks that make us love them and provide something to each and every story.  A Bean to Die For is a well-crafted and entertaining read.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one. I felt like it was a solid installment in the A Coffee Lover’s Mystery Series.
It was nice to dive back into the world. It’s pretty easy to jump right back in even if it’s been awhile since reading the previous books. The author does a good job of reminding you about the world and the important people in it. I liked that we got to see some new parts of the town we hadn’t seen previously. I like getting to see more of the town.
This was your fairly typical cozy mystery. There were nice twists and turns throughout the story to keep me intrigued and guessing who the culprit was. I liked that Lana and Noah worked more closely together in this story.
I really like Noah and Lana’s relationship with each other. The way they care for each other just brings a smile to my face. I’m excited to see how they progress in the next book with the decisions they made at the end of this one.
Overall I think this series is super well written. By this point in a Cozy mystery series it usually starts to feel a little repetitive (to me). With this one, I’m still excited to see what’s up next for these characters. If you are looking for a fun typical cozy mystery to dive into. I recommend this one!

A Bean to Die For
by Tara Lush narrated by Kae Marie Denino


This may be the fourth book in the series, but it is the first one that I have read. I was hooked from the beginning. I do have to admit, I am not into coffee. Yea, I know that isn't something to admit to. I will drink coladas occasionally. I just don't like regular coffee.

Now that we have that out of the way, the main protagonist is Lana who owns the Perkatory (a coffee shop in Devil's Beach, Florida). She is to the point in her career where she is thinking about growing her own coffee beans. Her dad gets her set up with a plot in the community garden.

Darla, the woman who runs (or should I say rules) the community garden, has a long list of rules that must be followed. It is very easy to get thrown out. In fact, Lana is taking over the plot of someone who was recently thrown out. While she is there clearing out his plot, she finds his dead body.

The victim's name is Jack and at first it looks to be an open and shut case, but is it? Not so fast there, buster. It seems Jack has been making enemies far and wide. So, who would want him dead and why?

It really was a great mystery to listen to. The narrator did a wonderful job on the voices. The story and voices meshed together to keep me wanting to listen all night long.

As soon as I finished listening, I immediately went to the FantasticFiction website to look to see what the names of the other books in the series are. I also see that Tara Lush also wrote a few other series that I will be putting on my to be listened to pile as well. I can't wait to dig in to more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an open and honest review.

2.5 ⭐️

I love cosy mysteries. If anyone loves a cosy, it’s me. But the main character kept saying, “What the fluff”, when something happened and the main characters love interest calls her “cupcake”. They were both just a little grating.

It was like the target audience was people who normally read Amish romances.

Obviously, cosy mysteries aren’t dark and gritty but this was sanitized in ways that felt different.

This is the fourth book in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series. I have not read the previous books, however I had no problems reading this as a standalone novel. There is just enough back story to get a new reader up to date, and the mystery itself is a new story. I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator was great.

I chose this book because the coffee shop is in Devil’s Beach, Florida and is called Perkatory. How great is that? I thought that the characters were fun and the island vibe was also a treat. I could imagine this being a great place to visit.

The mystery was well crafted and the there were several possible suspects, which makes getting to the truth more fun. I would recommend this book, especially in audiobook format, to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.

A Bean to Die For narrated by Kae Marie Denino and written by Tara Lush was a fantastic audio book to listen to on my road trip.
This is Book 4 in the Coffee Shop Mystery.
I have enjoyed all the books in this series and getting to listen to it by Kae Marie Denino really made it wonderful.
Lana has decided to try growing her own coffee beans. Little did she realize she would find the dead body of Jack Daggett in the community garden. This was a murder she needed to solve so she could clear her friend Darla as the main suspect. Things get even thicker when Darla turns up dead. Lana gets busy solving this case.
Thank you NetGalley, Tara Lush and Dreamscape Media for the audio book of A Bean to Die for. This is my personal review.

Another fun mystery in the Coffee Lover's Mystery series. I love all of the coffee knowledge that Tara Lush shares in her books. Being a tea drinker, it is interesting learning how the drinks are made, beans are chosen, and how the latte printer works.
I love how close the coffee shop staff are with one another and how well they work together to solve the mysteries.

Kae Marie Denino did a great job narrating this novel and I will definitely look for more books narrated by them in the future,

Lana Lewis, a former investigative journalist and current co-owner of a coffee shop called Perkatory, is beginning to get a reputation for solving crimes. And when the president of her father's gardening club, Darla, is accused of murdering a former member who'd been evicted from the garden, Jack, Lana has no intention of getting involved, despite having found the body. She knows her boyfriend (and police chief) won't appreciate her having anything to do it, and she wants to stay in his good graces.

But when Darla comes to Lana begging for help to prove her innocence, Lana has a hard time saying "no." And the more questions she asks, the more convinced she is that Darla didn't do it, until she isn't convinced anymore, and then she is. :-)

With plenty of people around who had a motive to kill Jack, Lana has a lot of information to sort through. But in the end, Darla's penchant for mnemonics might just solve a murder.

While this is the fourth book in a series, it's the first one I've read from it, and despite that, I found it to be easy to get into and enjoyable to read. Yes, it does reference the earlier cases, but in enough detail that you don't feel lost when they do.

Thank you to Tara Lush, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advance review copy. I look forward to reading further installments in this series!

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

In "A Bean to Die For," Tara Lush serves up another delightful installment in the Coffee Lover's Mystery series, blending the cozy charm of Cleo Coyle with the wit of Lucy Burdette. Lana Lewis, the reporter-turned-barista, finds herself entangled in a murder mystery once again, this time in the midst of Devil's Beach community garden. The narrative unfolds with the discovery of environmental activist Jack Daggett's body, and Lana, unable to resist her investigative instincts, gets drawn into the intrigue. As the plot thickens with unexpected twists and turns, Lana races against time to clear Darla's name, uncovering a web of enemies and secrets in the process. Lush's writing is engaging, and the quirky characters, including Lana's adorable dog Stanley, add a delightful touch to the story. "A Bean to Die For" is a fun and recommended read for cozy mystery enthusiasts.

Tara Lush crafts a narrative that combines suspense and humor seamlessly in "A Bean to Die For." Lana's determination to solve the murder case, despite her promise to stay out of trouble, adds a layer of relatable complexity to her character. The intricate dynamics of the Devil's Beach community garden provide a unique backdrop for the mystery, and as Lana peels back the layers, the plot unfolds with surprises that keep readers guessing. The book strikes a balance between the serious pursuit of justice and lighthearted moments, making it an enjoyable read. Lush successfully captures the essence of a cozy mystery, and with the promise of more to come in the Coffee Lover's Mystery series, fans of the genre have something to look forward to.

This was a light cozy read, very beachy and perfect for a summer read in a chaise lounge by the ocean. Lana and the other characters are likeable, and there are more than enough suspects and possible motives for the murderer - who I did not identify before the reveal. The machine for artwork on lattes was an interesting side note, and Noah's mom was a pleasant surprise. However, this one lost points with me because the characters and the language seem to be almost caricatures, trying too hard to be quirky Floridians, stoned hippies, and surfer dudes; Cutting off the endings of words may be trendy, but it is overdone here. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read and encourage you to pick this one up for your next vacay. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)