Bait and Swiss is book #6 in the Cheese Shop Mysteries series by Korina Moss.

Not only do we have cheese in this book but there is chocolate too! Of course it’s not so good for a new reporter who ends up being poisoned by it. Or good for Willa because the chocolate shop is owned by her ex-fiancé and her ex-best friend. Willa is reluctant to help her ex when he asks her for help figuring out who poisoned the chocolates. But soon, she and Team Cheese are on the case. I enjoyed following along as they investigated. This book is another great addition to the series!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Willa’s peace as she is settling into her new relationship with Detective Heath is interrupted when her ex-fiancée & his new partner move into town & open a business near hers. Things get even worse when he becomes the prime suspect when a journalist is murdered. And he comes running to Willa for help.

I enjoyed this one a lot better than the last one! There were plenty of suspects, a clever twist in how the murder was done, the fun of Willa’s investigating w/ her Team Cheese, and a bunch of recipes that I can’t wait to try! One of my favorite things in this series is Willa and the friendships she has throughout her community, not just her employees, but other business owners and people working for the newspaper.!

And Moss does such a great job making all the suspects valid. Each time I was certain I knew who the murderer was, one of the suspects would do something so suspicious I had to stop and reconsider. And the actual ending surprised me! I do feel the final culprit could have been set up a little better, but overall a twisty mystery that kept me engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this arc!

Bait and Swiss is a cozy mystery and thriller for YA written by Korina Moss.


My favorite supportive character was Holly. The setting in Yarrow Glen was a nice place to work. Willa was the owner of Curds and Whey, who had an aversion to chocolate.


Willa's ex-finance and her ex- best friend set up a chocolatier shop in Yarrow Glen. The last time Willa saw them was ten years ago.


Kevin, the new reporter at the Gazette was killed. Did Deandra kill him? Baz was the investigating officer who also saved Willa's life. The chocolates were poisoned.


I appreciated the twists and turns of Bait and Swiss giving it 5*. There are recipes at the end of the book that sound amazing.


Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, the Libby app, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free copy of the e-book. All opinions are my own.

Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss is a fun cozy mystery and the sixth book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series. Readers return to the small town of Yarrow Glen in the Sonoma Valley. Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is the successful owner of Curds and Whey, the local cheese shop. Life is going well until her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend, now married, set up a pop-up chocolate shop across the street. Willa had no warning they were in town, let alone setting up a store so close to hers. The chocolate shop is in the same space as the local bakery, and Willa needs to go inside to pick up a cheesecake order. When she leaves, she also has a chocolate delivery to make to the local paper. Her bad day gets even worse when the newest reporter in town helps himself to the chocolate Willa left for the editor and is found dead.

Willa is a suspect. The editor is a suspect. But what is worse is when her ex-fiancé and former best friend press her to solve the murder and clear their names so the shop doesn’t go under. The request puts Willa at odds with herself, and the internal conflict adds tension to the story. But clearing their names may also clear hers, so she agrees to their request.

The mystery is well-written, with plenty of suspects and red herrings to throw Willa and the reader off trail. More than once, I was forced to change my “I know who did it” until the end of the book. The only drawback for me was trying to keep all the characters straight. Overall, I enjoyed reading Korina Moss’s Bait and Swiss.
4/5 stars

Willa’s team at the cheese shop and her sleuthing buddies are like visiting old friends now. Her protégé Archie’s grown and changed so much since the first book, and now they had not one but two new employees. I remembered June from the last book and how she’d hit it off well with Archie at the dairy festival.

Willa’s worst nightmare came true when the pop-up shop going in with Hope’s Cakery was her ex-fiancé and his girlfriend, so poor Willa had a ton on her emotional plate including being a person of interest in the murder case. She and her sometimes-buddy AJ from the paper did their own sleuthing. He cracked me up going under cover dressed like some 1940s detective, lol. Willa said the same thing I was thinking: he’s gonna attract more attention that way.

After a tense and crazy showdown at Hope’s Cakery, the perp was going away for a long time and peace reigned in Yarrow Glen once more. Willa and her friends celebrated my favorite way with food and fellowship. And Willa had a special moment with her detective who finally wanted to give their relationship an official label. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin/Minotaur books via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This book was awesome. The author has developed a fabulous world of cheese and friendship. You can’t help but love the characters in this series. They continue to grow and surprise with each book. The plot was non-stop excitement and intrigue. I didn’t guess the killer and that’s always a sign of a five star mystery.

This review is entirely voluntary and reflects my personal opinions.

The last thing that cheesemonger Willa Bauer expects when she goes to the grand opening of Yarrow Glen, California’s new cake store is to run into her ex-fiance and ex-best friend. Pearce Brenner and Riley Stephens broke her heart a decade ago when the two fell in love while all three were working to open a chocolate store together. Willa hasn’t been able to stomach chocolate ever since, and feels even sicker when she sees that Pearce and Riley have started a pop-up location of their chain, Chocolate Bliss, in the brand-new Hope’s Cakery.

A mix of emotions – including a need to pretend that she’s less bothered by her exes’ presence than she really is, and a strong desire to get out of there as quickly as possible – leads her to volunteer to deliver a box of chocolate accidentally set aside with the cake she’d ordered from Hope. She’s known A. J. Stringer, the editor of the Glen Gazette, for quite a while now, and is happy to deliver the box to his office.

She’s surprised, however, to find that not all is well in the local newspaper’s bullpen. The Gazette’s newest reporter, Kevin Wallace, is more than willing to step on toes to advance his career. He offers to take the box of chocolates off of Willa’s hands, but there’s something about him that Willa doesn’t quite trust. Instead, she leaves the box on A.J.’s desk with a little note of reprimand for the tension he’s allowing to build in his newsroom.

It’s thus a huge shock when Kevin is found dead later that night, after having apparently ingested poisoned chocolates from the box Willa delivered. Everyone becomes a suspect, as no one really knows who was the target. Had someone meant to kill A.J.? Had Kevin’s greed caused his death, or had someone deliberately induced him to sample the fatal sweets? The worst theory – in Willa’s opinion anyway – is that she added the poison in order to ruin Chocolate Bliss’ reputation.

No one really takes that last theory seriously, but no one in Yarrow Glen is eager to risk shopping at businesses linked to suspected poisonings either. With her cheese shop and reputation on the line, Willa and the rest of Team Cheese will plunge into solving the mystery, racing to figure out who the poisoner is before anyone else gets hurt.

This sixth installment of the Cheese Shop mystery series finds Willa confronting one of the greatest heartbreaks of her past, even as she navigates her own current relationship with Police Detective Jay Heath. I really identified with her romantic struggles in the present day, as having necessary conversations can be a surprisingly difficult thing to do. I also really enjoyed the playfulness of her friendships with the various townsfolk, and especially with the other delightful members of Team Cheese.

There were three delicious recipes included, and I decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Pizza Smashed Potatoes

15 baby potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon salt
1-2 tablespoon olive oil or spray bottle
⅓ cup marinara sauce
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
2-3 oz. sliced pepperoni or mini pepperonis
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Parchment paper will be needed.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Put the potatoes in a large pot and just cover with water. Boil potatoes with salt for about 12 minutes until fork tender. (Don’t overcook.) Drain.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the potatoes on the parchment and score them with a sharp knife about halfway down in a crisscross pattern. Flatten them carefully by pressing down on each potato with a potato masher or use the bottom of a glass with parchment or wax paper between the glass and the potato (to keep them from sticking). Drizzle or spray with olive oil and season with salt. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown on their edges.

Remove the potatoes from the oven. Cover each potato with about 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Top with mozzarella and cheddar. Top that with pepperoni. Put the potatoes back in the oven until the cheeses are melted and golden. Add red pepper flakes if desired.
END QUOTE

Cheese and potatoes are one of my favorite food combinations, and this was a wonderful way to meld the two! The dish is both easy and forgiving: I mostly eyeballed the ingredients, adding more or less as I saw fit. If you use a variety of differently colored baby potatoes, you also get a visual feast to accompany the treat for your tastebuds. I was also surprised by how well these keep as leftovers: they’re not quite as good as fresh and crispy from the oven, but they do reheat nicely in the microwave.

Next week, we travel to the Midwest to make a delicious soup while investigating the death of a stranger to town. Do join me!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the DRC of Bait and Swiss! All opinions in this review are my own.

In Bait and Swiss, we meet Willa's ex-fiancee and ex-best friend who are trying to open a chocolate shop in Yarrow Glen. Unluckily for them, someone is poisoned by chocolates from their shop. Now the two people who broke Willa's heart and inspired her move to Yarrow Glen in the first place are asking for her help in clearing her name.

Bait and Swiss is another fantastic Willa adventure! I love that we get more of her backstory in this one, especially since this is the sixth book! The Cheese Shop Mysteries is my favorite cozy mystery series so I'm always looking forward to the next one!

Bait and Swiss

A Cheese Shop Mystery

By: Korina Moss

Publish Date: April 29, 2025

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Mystery and Thriller

200 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

This is the 6th book in the series. I haven’t read the other books even though I do have some of the e-arcs. With that being said you don’t have to read them in order, but I recommend that you do so you know the characters from the start. The author does a good job with some background information on each character as needed. I love the friendships in this book and the way the stand up and support each other even when they are stabbed in the back.

In this book Willa is about to celebrate her second year as a cheese shop owner. The day before a new shop is about to open and that owner used to be the girlfriend of one of Willa’s workers. During the grand opening there is a surprise for several people, and the surprise isn’t a good one for Willa. Willa’s ex-best friend and ex-fiancé have joined with the new owner to open up the cakery/chocolate bliss shop. Things don’t end up going well after the opening because a reporter is found dead with an open box of chocolate on his desk. Come to find out the chocolates have been poisoned. Who would have done it and why? Was the reporter the target or was it a mistake? Willa is on the case because she dropped them off for the manager of the chocolate shop/cakery.

During all the goings on you find out what happened between the three and why they are no longer speaking to each other.

This book was fast paced and fun to read. I gave it 4 stars.

This one starts off with a shock, when Willa’s ex & ex bff open a chocolate shop across from her store. When they’re on the suspect list, Willa is the bigger person & chooses to help. As this series has gone on, I find each book better than the last. And this one is my favourite, so far. The group of friends Willa has are well established, as is the cheese shop & the neighbourhood. The descriptions of cheese are mouth watering but also happily informative. This mystery was such a page turner! Not only to find out who the killer was, but who is even the intended victim? Definitely a series you should be checking out!
🧀

Read if you like:
* Grilled Cheese series by Linda Reilly
* Bake Shop series by Ellie Alexander
* Deep Dish series by Mindy Quigley

This is my favorite of the series! The shop and the characters have come so far. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I first read the words, Detective Heath, my heart just warms automatically along with a smile on my face. Now, I know what Willa must feel like! There was so much drama with Willa’s ex-fiance and ex-best friend being in town. The mystery had me constantly guessing and it was a lot of fun. I am ready for the next one!
 
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy in exchange for a review.

Willa's ex boyfriend and ex best friend surprise her with opening a chocolate shop in Yarrow Glen. But when chocolates meant for reviewing are consumed by the wrong person who ends up dead, Willa finds herself talked into helping her ex friends. This is a twisty tale that leads with several suspects and plenty of motives. Just when Willa finally believes she knows who the killer is, she is surprised by another suspect who turns out to be the real killer. Well written and plotted. Love the continued progression of these books and the group working together to solve the mystery.
I was given an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

"Bait and Swiss (Cheese Shop Mystery #6)" by Korina Moss has Willa and her team celebrating the 2 year anniversary of her cheese shop and the re-opening of their friend's bakery as a cakery. However, the cakery has a surprise business partner. The chocolate company Willa's ex-fiancé and ex-best friend started together. Unfortunately, there's something off about the chocolate's and someone ends up dead.

Willa ends up investigating partly as a favor to her ex-friend and ex-fiancé. Mostly because the bad pr over the bad chocolates are affecting her business too. The head of the local paper is her primary investigative partner because her boyfriend, the detective has to distance himself from her on this one. She pretty much stumbles on the correct culprit by accident and ends up only really solving it all because of the accidental discovery.

4.25⭐
Totally enjoyed my visit with Team Cheese in Yarrow Glen. While preparing for the two year anniversary celebration of Curds & Whey, Willa and all head over to the grand opening of the Cakery. However, she finds that there's also a pop-up chocolatier opening in the space. Unfortunately, the owners of that are Willa's ex-fiance and ex-best friend. Awkward with a side of tension. Plus the owners of the local candy store were not pleased with the surprise competition. When someone dies from poison chocolates, Willa and others immediately become persons of interest. Team Cheese is found family at its best, comprised of her employees and neighbor, Baz. All are characters you love and respect. The mystery is well plotted with plenty of reasonable suspects. Count me in when the next book comes out!

Bait and Swiss is the sixth installment of the Cheese Shop Mystery series. It's a typical whodunit with a cheese centric theme.

In Bait and Swiss, Team Cheese -- comprising of Willa, Archie, Mrs. Schultz and Baz, must clear Willia and town newspaper editor, A.J. of any wrongdoing in the death of A.J's new star reporter, Kevin Wallace. But as fate would have it, all the evidence points towards A.J's and Willa's guilt. Will Team Cheese be able to uncover the clues needed to exonerate A.J. and Willa?

I really enjoyed this installment. Team Cheese is back to their usual antics and Archie as well as Mrs. Schultz got their groove back from the last installment. Some new transient characters were introduced. But the regulars are still their with their wry sense of humor.

Being a cozy mystery, the story is all about atmosphere -- whether it be in a restaurant setting, garden setting, or a B&B. As such, the pacing can be a little slow for some. But in this particular series, and this novel, there are numerous clues dispersed throughout the novel that kept me engaged. With an unexpected perpetrator, the novel's ending was a surprise. Five stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

4.5 stars
I've enjoyed all the books in this series, and this is a really good one. Willa Bauer is celebrating the two-year anniversary of her California cheese shop, Curds & Whey. Another Yarrow Glen shop is having a celebration, too. The town's bread bakery has been revamped into a cake shop that also includes exclusive chocolates. Willa has an unwanted connection to the chocolatiers (they are her ex-fiancé and former best friend!) and when a reporter at the town's newspaper is poisoned, Willa becomes a suspect.

Willa's almost boyfriend, Heath, is one of the detectives on the case, but has to keep his distance from Willa so nobody questions the fairness of the investigation. I was disappointed that they weren't able to collaborate on the case. Luckily, Willa isn't on her own, though. She has Team Cheese (Archie, Mrs. Schultz, and Baz) on her side. The investigation is interesting, and Willa does a great job finding other suspects and possible motives to help prove her innocence. I thought I had guessed the killer, but I was surprised when all was revealed. The ending of the case and of the overall book is satisfying and left me already looking forward to more in this series!

I received an advance copy of this ebook for review consideration from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Bait and Swiss is the sixth book in the Cheese Shop Mystery Series by Korina Moss. The amateur sleuth is Willa Bauer, a cheesemonger with a French-inspired cheese shop in Yarrrow Glen, a small town in the Sonoma Valley.

In this installment, Willa's ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, who are now a couple, open a chocolate store near Willa's cheese shop. Willa is less than thrilled about this new development. And when someone is poisoned by one of their chocolates, things go from bad to worse.

Willa soon finds herself caught up in a mystery that she needs to solve if she wants to save her town and avoid getting blamed for the toxic candy.

Willa's ex-boyfriend (Pearce) and ex-best friend (Riley) and Willa's aversion to chocolate have been mentioned in past books, so it was rather nice to have all of that play a role in the story.

It is the two-year anniversary of Willa's shop opening. Having the toxic couple from Willa's background pop up on this anniversary created a full circle sort of moment.

This installment was a page turner. I read it in two sittings during a 24- hour period. The mystery was very twisty but fair and had me guessing right up to the big reveal.

Team Cheese (Willa, Archie, Mrs. Schultz, and Baz) were as entertaining as ever. And there were some really sweet moments of friendship in the story. The found family aspect is one of the best parts of this series.

As usual, there were lots of delightful cheese descriptions to support the theme. The book ends with three delicious recipes for dishes that were mentioned in the story. I'm looking forward to trying all of them!

I love the Cheese Shop Mystery Series and can see why it is so popular among cozy mystery readers. I can't wait to read more!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the ARC.

You don't have to be a cheese lover to enjoy this story. Willa's Curd's and Whey cheese shop is doing well, and she is celebrating its second birthday. Meanwhile, Hope is opening her cakery which brings a terrible blast from the past for Willa, and it also turns out to be disastrous for Hope.

I really like the characters and how well they work together in this story. This is the first book I've read in the series and based on some of the hints and references in the story, I feel like I've missed out on some great tales. I definitely need to catch up on the earlier books.

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

Yarrow Glen’s favorite cheesemonger is back—and murder is once again on the menu. In Bait and Swiss, Willa Bauer’s peaceful life in her thriving cheese shop, Curds & Whey, is interrupted by the arrival of her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend, who have set up a chocolate pop-up right across the street. Things take a dark turn when a local reporter dies from an all-too-literal case of death by chocolate. Now, Willa’s ex wants her help solving the crime. As much as she wants to chuck a wheel of Swiss at him, she reluctantly agrees. With Team Cheese behind her, Willa dives into another case full of quirky suspects, small-town gossip, and dangerously good snacks.

This cozy mystery delivers everything fans have come to love about Korina Moss’s series—pun-filled dialogue, charming Sonoma Valley vibes, and a heroine who’s equal parts sharp and stubborn. The pacing slows a touch in the middle, but the satisfying twists and community feel more than make up for it. If you like your mysteries clever and your cheese aged to perfection, Bait and Swiss is a solid pick for your TBR. Pair it with your favorite snack and settle in for a murderously fun time.

Korina Moss has done it again. Another terrific story about Willa and Team Cheese. It was like a breath of fresh air to come back to Willa's cheese shop of Curds and Whey and revisit all of my favourite characters.

The plot has lots of twists and turns and you are never sure who you can trust. The town of Yarrow Glen would be the perfect place to live (except for the murders) and it's always fun to see the development of the romance between Willa and the town's lead detective.

The only thing wrong with these mysteries is I read them too fast and then feel sad when they are done. :)