Cozy mysteries are so fun and this one was hilarious! Bunny thinks she's getting her own cooking show and will team up with an expert mixologist...a little meal and spirits. And in a surprise twist (to her), she learns the spirits are less about gin and tonics, and more of the paranormal variety. She now has the opportunity to travel around, cooking up meals fit for a ghost, buuuut...this story was a little slow and her TV cohorts were a little flat. All in all, I could see this series improving as it goes along--the concept is there!

Bridget “Bunny” MacBride’s career as a celebrity chef is taking off! When her domestic diva boss suggests that she’s ready to move on from fifteen-minute cooking segments to hosting a show of her own, she’s eager to sign on the dotted line. What she doesn’t realize is that the “spirits” in the Food And Spirits title of her new show isn’t an allusion to alcoholic beverages but to actual ghosts.

For Bunny has been recruited to provide the cooking portion of a ghost-hunting/travel/cooking show mashup. Inspired by the Scottish tradition of the Dumb Supper, her task is to whip up a meal both delicious and familiar enough to tempt restless spirits into converging around a table where they’ll be filmed by Brett Bloom and his team. Brett is the former host of another smash show on paranormal phenomena, and came up with this unique angle on the subject. They’ll be joined on-camera by psychic medium Giff McGrady, whose job is to channel the ghosts who are lured to dinner.

Bunny thinks this is all a terrible idea and deeply regrets signing the ironclad contract before getting all the details. It is some small consolation that the show’s first location is Bramsford Manor, a haunted castle in Bunny’s native Scotland. Bramsford is home to the legend of Ann Copeland, a young bride who disappeared on her wedding night during a game of hide and seek. Rumor subsequently had it that she’d used the game as a ruse to run away with her lover. Fifty years later, however, her still grieving husband found her skeleton, adorned in her bridal clothes and wreath, in a long-overlooked chest carved with mistletoe. The heavy lid had slammed shut over poor Ann, trapping her in a terrible death on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Her ghost is said to haunt the manor still.

Fast forward to the 21st century, when the prohibitive upkeep on the historic home has forced its owners, Sir Charles Wallingford and his sister Morgan Wallingford-Green, to open it to paying guests. The more publicity that they can drum up for the castle and its ghosts the better. But when the cameras start rolling and the delectable menu that Bunny has thoughtfully designed is finally served, the unimaginable happens. A distracted Bunny is drawn away from the table, and finds a fresh corpse in the infamous mistletoe chest itself. With her own boning knife sticking out of the victim’s heart, Bunny will have to turn to the most formidable person she knows for help in clearing her name of murder: her clairvoyant Grandma Ella. Will they be able to figure out who really did it before anyone else dies and more restless spirits join the ones already haunting Bramsford Manor?

I loved the premise of this book as well as its ties to Darci Hannah’s prior series, both of which I adore. I didn’t quite like Bunny as much as I do the heroines of Ms Hannah’s other books, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of her adventures. Bunny’s carefully guarded secrets can make her feel a little standoffish to both the other characters of this novel and to the reader, but I have every faith in this author’s ability to make me fall in love with Bunny the way I already have with Lindsey and Whitney, the protagonists of the Beacon Bakeshop and A Very Cherry Mystery series respectively.

There were seven recipes included here for the delicious food and drinks described in these pages. I decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Cornbread Muffins with Honey Butter

For the muffins:
1 ½ cups fine cornmeal
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick) softened
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups whole milk

For the honey butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup honey
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon sea salt (or less)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue beating until well blended. With the mixer on slow, add half the dry ingredients and half the milk. Continue until the batter is combined.

Grease and lightly flour muffin cups. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full, leaving room to expand. Bake 12-15 minutes or until muffins are done. Remove from oven and let cool. Muffins are best served warm and slathered with honey butter. Leftovers can be stored in a zip-lock bag and refrigerated.

Make the honey butter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter until it’s light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Drizzle in the honey and the maple syrup. Add the sea salt. Whip the mixture for five more minutes until nice and fluffy. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate leftovers.
END QUOTE

I think there was a mistake here and we should be using baking powder instead of baking soda, because a tablespoon of soda is a lot for this amount of flour and meal! Not being an expert baker, I figured the quantity might have something to do with the cornmeal, so cautiously used only a little over two teaspoons instead of the full tablespoon. Honestly, I should have used much less. The corn muffins are delicious (and the honey butter is a dream!) until the metallic aftertaste of too much baking soda hits. The muffins rose well, but I’d definitely recommend using baking powder instead of soda here.

Next week, we head back to the United States to whip up a dessert while investigating a spooky season murder. Do join me!

I really enjoyed A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor. This series has a very interesting premise that is quite different from other cozy, paranormal mystery series on the market. It's quite different from the other series I've read by this author as well. The mystery was well-written and very clever. Bunny is such an interesting character, even without her clairvoyant capabilities. I'm definitely looking forward to more books in this series to see how the characters grow.

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, based on the title. It’s a great ghost, has diverse characters & a great mystery. Love the twists & turns. #AFatalFeastatBramsfordManor #NetGalley

3.5/5 ⭐
Bunny MacBride is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to have her own cooking show. She is less thrilled when she finds out it is a combo show - part cooking, part ghost hunting. Still, she agrees and finds herself back in the UK at Bramsford Manor. The show is trying to contact the Mistletoe Bride, but instead a person ends up murdered. Bunny is a suspect since one of her knives was used in the murder, so she sets out to investigate to clear her name.

Overall, I liked this debut fine. I really enjoy Hannah's Beacon Bakeshop series, and I like that a character seen there was one of the main characters here. That was a fun nod to readers! However, I really wish this had been written in 1st person. I think that is one of the hallmarks of a good cozy mystery that allows readers to connect with this character we are going to be seeing over and over again. It also felt long - I couldn't really tell if it was long reading it on the Kindle, but it felt long for a cozy. I definitely will read another Bunny MacBride mystery because I enjoyed the cast of characters and I like the premise of the cooking ghost show. However, I really hope Hannah switches to having Bunny narrate in first person.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually a fan of ghost stories but I love this author so I wanted to check out this series. This book is the first book and it has a few secondary characters from her Beacon Bakeshop series.

Bridget “Bunny” is the main character in the series and she is fantastic. A lot of personality and I could connect with her. She has a segment on a TV show to showcase her culinary talents. She was offered a spot on her very own TV show with a two co hosts. She took the gig without fully reading what the show was about… Ghosts!

Bunny has tried to runny away for the paranormal world for years but alas it has found her. Bunny has premonitions in the form of a rabbit, which has led her to a dead body.

Bunny along with her team must solve the murder because Bunny is a suspect. Bunny’s grandma also makes an appearance and I hope she becomes a permanent fixture.

The main mystery is very engaging along with the learning the background stories of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I'm not always a fan of paranormal cozies, but I have been following Darci Hannah's previous series for years and trusted her with this one- and it paid off! Super atmospheric with its ghostly British manor, great characters (some of whom will be familiar to readers of the author's other books), and both a contemporary and historical mystery to solve. I'm hoping for many more to come.

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor by Darci Hannah. Well, this was a fun book for what I hope is the first in a new series. Bridget “Bunny” McBride worked for an older star on a cooking show. Mary Stobart was the jealous type and Bunny was popular. When Mary asked Bunny to develop some items for a “spooky” Halloween, Bunny said she’d rather do cute things: pumpkins and scarecrows. All seemed to be well and Mary even recommended Bunny for a starring role in a new show. It wasn’t until she was well into it that she understood that the show’s title, Food and Spirits, didn’t refer to drinks. It wasn’t until she met the rest of the crew that she understood Spirits meant ghosts. She wasn’t in the least happy. She had a touch of the “sight” as her grandmother would call it and had had a bad experience. She’s come to New York from Scotland to put that behind her and now she was back in England at a “haunted” manor. Well, she’d prepare the best darn dinner she could and see where it went from there.

Bunny is a terrific character: a fabulous chef as well as a friendly and peppy person. Everyone liked her . . . until she found a body. They would think she was crazy if she told them why she looked there so she did what she always did in an emergency: she called her grandmother. Her grandmother had been living with the “sight” for years and would know how to handle it. There was so much more here than a simple murder: affairs, illegitimate children, a real ghost(several in fact), and more. I am not a believer in ghosts but I have a healthy respect for those who are and I thought Hannah handle this situation beautifully: just enough with ghosts and plenty more with current reality, with an oh-so-sad history. It was an intriguing book with plenty of room and characters for another chapter or ten. Thanks, Darci Hannah, for a terrific book!

I was invited to read A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor by Kensington Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonPublishing #DarciHannah #AFatalFeastAtBramsfordManor

This had everything I love in a cozy mystery (or in any book): travel to a fabulous setting with a fascinating history, mouthwatering meals that teach you more about the setting, fun characters, and ghosts; all of this made for a fantastic start to a new series. The mystery was well-paced and had me guessing the whole time. I can’t wait to see where they visit next!

Talk about a great book hangover! I wanted it to go on, but the ending was absolutely perfect for it! I love how the author made some of the supporting characters spin-offs from her other books where they were mentioned first. I did really like the Beacon Bakeshop book (Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant) that featured the Ghost Guys and spun off those characters into this story. Bunny was a fun main character and I just love her Granny!

I was totally surprised by whodunit and hadn’t ever suspected that person. What a great showdown which showed Bunny how awesome it was to have a Gran that knew just when she needed her! (I think even non-medium grandmas are a lot like that anyway!) Understatement of the year here, but I can’t wait for the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride has been given a special opportunity for her own cooking show with a new reality TV show Food & Spirits. She will team up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady and travel around the world to visit haunted places to hunt out any spirits that have failed to cross over and try to lure them to the table for a special meal prepared by Chef Bunny.

The first episode of Food & Spirits takes Bunny, Brent, Giff, and the rest of their team to Hampshire, England to investigate a historic house that has been turned into a famous haunted hotel, Bramsford Manor. It is said to be haunted by a young woman who died on her Christmas wedding night in the 18th century.

Bunny prepares a traditional English holiday wedding dinner to tempt the Mistletoe Bride to come to the table so Brett and Giff can do their thing but before that can happen, her custom-made boning knife is found in the chest very human dinner guest. She wasn't sure about the whole premise of Food & Spirits but she never imagined she would find herself the top suspect in a murder investigation. Bunny now needs her ghost-hunting friends to help her hunt down the real killer with a big assist from her clairvoyant Grandma Mac.

____

This is the first book in a new series by Darci Hannah (Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries) and she introduces us to some very interesting characters.  Bridget “Bunny” MacBride is a naturally gifted cook who was raised on a family farm in Scotland. She learned from her mother and at the age of ten she knew she wanted to be a chef. Years later a young Bunny MacBride arrived in New York City to hone her culinary skills. This helped her land a job as menu developer and guest chef for a show on the Mealtime Network where she was quite popular. This all leads to her "lucky day" when she was offered the job as host chef on Food & Spirits.  We then enter her life and learn more about Bunny and her family, specifically her Grandma Mac who has a special gift. We also meet her co-hosts Brent Bloom and Giff McGrady and the people at Bramsford Manor. Some of the names may be familiar to Ms. Hannah's fans. I found Bunny very relatable and genuine. Being just the first book in the series I know I will enjoy getting to know her and her supporting cast better as the series continues.

Ms. Hannah's writing style makes it so easy to envision each person and scene both in past and present times. This story starts with an old mystery, the Mistletoe Bride, and then includes a new mystery of murder and more. The author twists them together with detail and precision. She also places bits of humor and romantic tension perfectly throughout the story. I found the current mystery to be complex with several suspects. I was kept guessing right up to the reveal. The past mystery was heartbreaking but had a heartwarming end.

As I turned the last page of the story and an author's note about the inspiration for this book I was delighted to see "Bunny's Culinary Corner: Recipes & tips to entertain your family & friends. (And ghosts, if that's what you're into.)" There are seven recipes, several I would like to try but I have copied the Rustic Apple Tart with Butterscotch Sauce for my personal chef husband to bake up soon. Hopefully, it won't bring any spirits to the table. :-D

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor has set this series off to a fabulous start. The theme for this series is unique. Cozy mysteries are wonderful places for food and ghosts. This book shows how entertaining putting them together can be. I am so excited to see this series continue and what the author has planned for book two.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is such a good read! Darci Hannah pulls in secondary characters from her other cozy mystery series to form a new team with Bridget “Bunny” MacBride, a chef.
Brett Bloom is head of Ghost Guys who play a role in Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant. He is behind a new food show called Food & Spirits. Bunny MacBride is the chef brought in to be the food portion of the equation.
At their first filming location in England, Bunny realizes the past she has been dodging has caught up with her, and she finds a man dead.
The ghosts are a vital part of the ambiance created in the storyline. I haven’t always been a fan of ghosts in books, but this whole premise is making me a fan of at least this series.
If you like some paranormal in your reading, you will love this book. I am really glad I got the opportunity to read an advance copy through Netgalley and Kensington Cozies.

I loved the hook of a chief on a ghost-hunting show! I thought this was an intriguing story, I really enjoyed the murder mystery aspect, and the setting of the haunted Manor. I liked Bunny our main character quite a bit, although I have to say once her granny shows up she steals all the scenes she's in.! I am definitely intrigued to see where the next book is going to go, learn more about Bunny and the other ghost hunters, and see what kind of ghostly mystery they are going to solve!

Bunny, a chef who accepted an exciting job offer for her own cooking show, quickly discovers she’s been bamboozled by her former boss. Despite her aversion to all things spooky, she finds herself making a meal to entice spirits. It does not help that she is also running from the ghosts of her past.

As a fan of author Darci Hannah's other mystery series, I enjoyed the connections found in this story to her other series. Also, the attention to details added a lot to this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor by Darci Hannah is the debut of A Food and Spirits Mysteries. I was excited when I read the premise. An English manor, ghost hunting, delectable food, a mystery, and a clairvoyant granny sound like a delightful combination. I read the book, but I was not able to get immersed in the story. I wish the tale had pulled me in and kept me engrossed. I was not a fan of the characters except Granny Mac. I wanted to like Bunny, but I found her frustrating and cliched. A romantic interest appears on the scene for Bunny early in the tale and flirting continues throughout the story. I did not feel this element was needed (there was enough going on). The whodunit had some interesting elements. I like how it tied into the Mistletoe Bride. The guilty party, though, could easily be identified (before the body is found). The paranormal element was okay. I became frustrated with Bunny over her gift (of course, she was denying it). Hopefully, Granny Mac will be able to assist Bunny. The story moved at a leisurely pace with repetitive details, and I thought the story was a tad long. The food Bunny prepares will have your mouth watering. I enjoyed the descriptions of Bramsford Manor. I am curious to see how the series will progress, because I cannot imagine that they would have a murder where they film each episode.

Rounding up from 4.5⭐

Any reader recognizes that captivating feeling when within the first few pages of a new book/series that you are going to love this book. You feel an immediate engagement with the lead character. And that was this book for me. Already a fan of Darci Hannah's Beacon Bakeshop series, and this new series tops that. Bunny McBride, an up-and-coming chef featured, is offered a new show titled Food and Spirits. Little did she know that spirits aren't booze, but those of the ghostly variety. Why this such a concern to her becomes apparent as the show starts to tape the first episode in a haunted stately home in England. Great characters and a fast moving twisty plot that kept me guessing

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor is book #1 in the Food and Spirits Mystery series by Darci Hannah.

Poor Bunny. I figured out quickly that her boss was up to something when she offered Bunny her own show. I love the premise of the new show combining cook and ghost hunting. The characters are interesting and the mystery had twists that kept me guessing. I look forward to Bunny and the guys traveling to their next location. There was a nice assortment of recipes at the end of the book.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is a great start to this new series by Darci Hannah with fun, likable characters and an interesting premise. Bridget "Bunny" MacBride, Scot born chef, works for a famous foodie and has a small segment on the TV show, is excited to get her own show, Food and Spirits, with two other co-hosts. She knows food but not drinks, only the "spirits" refers to ghostly spirits. She is not happy about that but has already signed the contract. The ghost hunting part of the team is a connection to the author's Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries series, a group of guys with a ghost hunting show that was canceled. Their first assignment is an English manor with the ghost of the Mistletoe Bride who went missing on her wedding day in December centuries ago. The devastated groom found her skeleton in a chest in the attic fifty years later. On the first day of filming of the new show, the manor's historian is found dead in the infamous chest. Bunny is the prime suspect with her knife in his chest, but her knife was stolen. Bunny has special paranormal properties that she has ignored for years and so calls her Gran to come help her. Thus is the start of the journey to find who the killer is but there are many layers to unravel with surprises, twists, and turns along the way. I am not a paranormal fiction reader as a rule, but I really enjoyed this one. I like the characters with their light humor and banter and an interesting mystery to solve in a lovely and fun setting. I look forward to reading more of this series.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

Bunny MacBride is excited when she signs a contract to be the chef of a new TV reality series, Food & Spirits. She’s sent to an English manor which is rich in history and dark secrets. What she doesn’t know is it’s also haunted, and the ghosts can’t rest until their mystery is solved. This is way more than Bunny thought she’d be getting when she agreed to do this show.

Bunny is a trooper and takes it all in stride. She works with her new ghost hunter team to solve a three-hundred-year-old case. They never expect a murder in the present time and now they must solve that as well. In fact, the current death is priority since it could mean they have a killer in their midst.

This series is a combination cozy mystery with paranormal overtones. It’s a good premise and the series has much potential.

It got off to a slow start for me. It took me awhile to warm up to these characters. There were some slow spots in the middle, but then the story took off and I was intrigued. The story stayed in the present day with the characters investigating the past. I was totally absorbed in the story as it moved along. I wanted to know how it would all end.

I liked our main character, Bunny, as well as the supporting cast. Her grandmother was fun, as were the group of ghost hunters. This could be really entertaining and I’m looking forward to reading the next entry into this series. It felt very much like a gothic adventure set in an old manor.

The series is off to a solid start.






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.

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor is the debut book in Darci Hannah's new Food & Spirits series. This is a paranormal with likable characters, ghosts, food, and secrets. Chef Bunny .MacBride gets a chance to go to Bramsford Manor to be a Chef on a new TV show. Her costars are Brett Bloom and Giff McGrath who are both ghost hunters, at least their TV characters are. One of the people in the manor ends up dead and Bunny, Brett and Gift need to figure out who the culprit is to save the show. There aren't too many suspects but along with them, Bunny's TV show group, the ghosts, the household staff and locals, there are a lot of people and most have secrets. The mystery was good but there was a lot going on. This was an enjoyable beginning to the series and it has potential. #AFatalFeastAtBramsfordManor #Food&sSpiritsMystery #KensingtonCozies