THE DEMI-TASSE DEBUT by Katy Leen
Fiction, Cozy Mystery
4****
Blurb: A mysterious diary, a handsome stranger, and a sweet secret. Lora Weaver’s life is about to get sticky… Lora Weaver is not in the habit of spying on people. It’s rude. It’s unseemly. It’s an invasion of privacy. It’s also almost impossible to avoid in a crowded café when a handsome stranger sets to scribbling secrets into a journal mere inches away from her croissant and mochaccino glacé. Secrets she has no business knowing. Which is just as well since the scribbles are in French and her skills in the language verge on lost-in-translation territory. Not that anyone watching would know that. Anyone watching would think Lora knows plenty. Which Lora soon realizes when her new life in a new city plunges into a mélange of suspicious strangers, backstreet barters, and sweet secrets. Find out how Lora Weaver met bestie Camille Caron and future co-boss Laurent in The Demi-Tasse Début, a Lora Weaver mini-mystery prequel. Pull up a chair and hold on to your mochaccino, this one could get sticky:)
Thoughts: I enjoyed this quick read. And it is quick, but also well-done. The character of Lora comes across very well. There’s not a lot of description, but enough that you get the idea of Montreal. And though there is some French, there are also enough explanations—without being intrusive—that you understand it even if you don’t speak a word. The “mystery” is low key and fun without a lot of danger that many cozies have. But as this is a prequel, there are also a lot of threads left dangling. I look forward to reading more in this series.
Recommended for a quick read, but with the caveat of dangling threads.
Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
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