Book Tour Review & Guest Post: Once Upon a Grind by Cleo Coyle

Once Upon a Grind

Coffeehouse Mystery, #14
Cleo Coyle

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Date of Publication: December 2, 2014
Number of pages: 416
Cover Artist: Cathy Gendron

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     OmniLit    eBooks

When coffeehouse manager turned amateur sleuth Clare Cosi roasts "magic” beans for Fairy Tale Week, she brews up a vision that leads to a sleeping beauty in Central Park; a big, bad wolf of Wall Street; and an East Side enclave with storybook secrets...

Fairy tale fever has descended on New York City. Broadway fans are flocking to Red Riding Hood: The Musical; museums are exhibiting art inspired by the Brothers Grimm; and Clare Cosi gives her coffee truck a "Jack and the Beanstalk” makeover for a Central Park festival.

Clare’s coffee hunter ex-husband contributes a bag of African beans with alleged magical properties. His octogenarian mother entertains customers with readings of the grinds, but Clare remains skeptical—until she receives a vision that helps her find a young model’s body in the park’s woods.

The police dismiss "sleeping beauty” as the victim of a drug overdose. Then Clare uncovers evidence that points to a roster of suspects, from a wolf of Wall Street to a New York Giant and a wicked witch of the West Side.

Now Clare is really in the woods—with a dangerous predator on her heels and an investigation that leads from a secret Prince Charming club right back to her own NYPD detective boyfriend. If she doesn’t solve this mystery, those magic beans predict an unhappy ending.

Review: 

I have been enjoying the Coffeehouse Mystery series for several years now. I actually started this series based on the recommendation from paperbackswap.com due to some other mystery series that I had read.  This series has always been one of my go to recommendations whenever someone asks me about cozy msyteries.

There is just some much good going on within the pages.  First of all, the maturity and growth of the characters is stellar.  These aren't stagnant characters, they are mature but ever changing. We have seen divorces and weddings, job changes and health issues. You really feel like you are a part of the characters lives, if only for a little bit.  Secondly, the descriptions of some of the food served is amazing and the best part, are the recipes included with each book. Third, the education of the world of coffee has completely expanded my repertoire of coffee knowledge and left me with a better understanding of this drink. I have to admit I still prefer hot tea, but I have come to really enjoy a good cup of coffee now.

If you haven't read this series, I strongly suggest starting with On What Grounds, the first book in the series.  You could probably start with this book, but there is so much history and nuance that you will be missing if you don't know the backstories of the characters.  If you are a fellow fan, be sure that you grab this one.  There is just a hint of a paranormal element, but what I truly enjoyed were the fairy tale stories and themes woven throughout.  Some were obvious, but many more were more subtle.  There is a big announcement at the conclusion of this book, and an exciting hint of things to come in the installment. A wonderful addition to the series and worth all 4 stars.

Guest Post: 

Coffee. It can get a girl killed. But can it also be magical? For over ten years now, Marc and I have been entertaining readers with our series of murder mysteries set in a landmark Greenwich Village coffeehouse. In our latest release, our amateur sleuth, coffeehouse manager Clare begins to have visions after she drinks a very rare coffee.

Readers may think this “magical” coffee is completely fictional. But the truth is—it’s based on an actual coffee from an area in Ethiopia called Lake Tana. This region has been considered sacred, and the coffee grown there is believed to possess mystical power.

Clare remains skeptical about such claims, especially when they come from her ex-husband—the shop’s globetrotting coffee hunter—but he’s not taking her visions lightly. There are clues inside that may help solve a terrible crime.

Join us in Once Upon a Grind for a storybook odyssey through New York City. You’ll open secret doors (uptown and down), face a Black Knight, confront a New York Giant, and follow crumbs that might just lead you to a stone cold killer.

To read the Prologue and First Chapter of ONCE UPON A GRIND, click here.

To see a real African coffee farm with actor Hugh Jackman, click here.

SECRET CODE: The 7th of the 9 words in Cleo’s Secret Code Contest is Someone (Learn how to enter Cleo’s Secret Code giveaway here.)

Thanks to Musings and Ramblings for hosting us here today. We have some exciting stops left on our blog tour—and a few special goodies for you. We’ll see you at the next stop, and…

May your holidays be bright!

~ Alice and Marc (Cleo Coyle)

Giveaways (2!): 

I have an Autographed Hardback to give away. US residents only.

Entry-Form

Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Escape Tour Giveaway - Prize Package Includes... 
* An autographed copy of Cleo's brand new book, ONCE UPON A GRIND, in its beautiful first-edition hardcover format
* A complete set of all 13 Coffeehouse Mysteries published to date, each one personally inscribed by Cleo to the winner
* A durable, custom-designed Coffeehouse Mystery Tote Bag
* A freshly-roasted package of Billionaire’s Blend, a hand-crafted coffee created by One Good Woman Fine Coffees and Teas as a tribute to Cleo's recent bestseller BILLIONAIRE BLEND.
* A Coffeehouse Mystery cup, featuring a favorite saying of Madame's, the octogenarian owner of The Village Blend: “Survive everything. And do it with style.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

CLEO COYLE is the pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. CLEO COYLE grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After earning scholarships to study writing at Carnegie Mellon and American Universities, she began her career as a cub reporter for The New York Times. Now an author of popular fiction and New York Times bestselling media tie-in writer, Cleo lives and works in New York City, where she collaborates with her husband (also a bestselling author) to pen the Coffeehouse Mysteries for Penguin. Together Cleo and her husband also write the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries under the name Alice Kimberly. When not haunting coffeehouses, hunting ghosts, or rescuing stray cats, Cleo and Marc are bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for NBC, Lucasfilm, Disney, Fox, Imagine, and MGM. In their spare time they cook like crazy and drink a lot of java. You can learn more about Cleo, her husband, and the books they write by visiting www.CoffeehouseMystery.com.

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