"Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won't be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather's wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams. Even with Leila's own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count. Heather's rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so ...
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"Spring has finally come to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and with it the end of syrup-making season. But Leila Khoury, new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, won't be making like molasses any time soon. Her best friend Heather's wedding is coming up, and Leila will do anything to make sure it lives up to all her sweetest dreams. Even with Leila's own romantic past stirring up trouble, everything is going to plan until the bridal shower ends up with a body count. Heather's rich and backstabbing aunt had a whole orchard of enemies, so Leila will have her work cut out for her. Can she tap the killer before Heather's dream wedding becomes a nightmare? Includes delicious Middle Eastern recipes!"--
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Syrup to No Good by Catherine Bruns takes us on a journey to Sugar Ridge, Vermont where Leila Khoury�s best friend, Heather is getting married in two weeks. Unfortunately, the murder of Heather�s aunt could halt her nuptials unless the killer is found. Syrup to No Good is the second book in A Maple Syrup Mysteries. Syrup to No Good can be read as a standalone. If you read A Doomful of Sugar (the first book in A Maple Syrup Mysteries) it will give you the backstory on the characters and it will clue you in on their relationships. I found Syrup to No Good to be easy to read. I did find some of the characters to be exaggerated. Their attitudes were over the top (I found myself rolling my eyes). I was not a fan of Leila�s ex-boyfriend. I did not understand why she felt she needed to go to dinner with him (if you are over him, just say no). I felt that she did not need to appease him or cause more drama (there was enough palaver). I was not a fan of the drama between Leila and her mother (reminiscent of teenage fights between a mother and daughter). It was obvious that the aunt was going to be the victim (the woman was nasty). She seemed to delight in saying mean things to people. Her gifts were in poor taste. The suspect list, naturally, is lengthy. The killer can be identified easily. The details regarding the murder and the victim as well as the clues are repeated over, and over, and over. There is a tense reveal, and we learn why the killer did away with the victim. I was curious as to how the victim could be so rich when she only owned a small jewelry store in a strip mall. I wanted to tell Heather�s father to grow a backbone. I enjoyed learning how maple syrup candy is made. Leila�s mother is a talented cook and baker. It is also interesting to learn about the food from other cultures (in this case Lebanese). Syrup to No Good is a sticky tale with scrumptious candy, a bloody bridal shower, an offensive victim, a surfeit of suspects, wedding woes, an ex-beau with an ego, mama drama, and sugaring off the maple syrup.
Lori
Oct 28, 2023
Great Characters
Dollycas's Thoughts
It's syrup-making season in Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and the new owner of Sappy Endings Farm, Leila Khoury has a lot on her plate. In addition to her duties on the farm, her best friend Heather is getting married and Leila wants to make all her dreams come true. That means giving her the best bridal shower ever. Things get a little tense when Heather's rich Aunt Monica shows up but even with her outbursts Heather and Leila feel the event was a success.
Then, after the shower, Leila finds Aunt Monica dead in her car. Lord knows, the woman had made her share of enemies but who would actually kill her? and why would they do it at Heather's shower?
Now, Heather's wedding is in jeopardy. Her family is up in arms and the only way the rest of her dreams can come true is to find the killer. Things could get very sticky before Leila can make that happen, especially with all the people Monica has backstabbed. She just needs to know, who turned the tables on Heather's aunt?
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I really enjoy the friendship between Leila and Heather. Leila is busy with the farm but her friend Heather needs her more than ever. Somehow Leila finds a way to get everything done and still has time to do a lot of sleuthing with Heather. Her relationship with Noah is new. He has a delightful 6-year-old daughter, Emma and Leila is starting to fall hard for them both while understanding Noah's need to take things slow. Leila also has to deal with her mother and an unexpected blast from her past. As a mother, I was not a fan of Leila's but by the end of the story, my feelings started to change. We are also introduced to several new characters including a new detective. Great characters make you feel emotions. Some you really want to root for. Others, you jump into the book and have a serious discussion with or worse. Ms. Burns has given us great characters, both in the core characters and those added just for this story.
The mystery of Monica's death is complicated with several suspects, motives, and a unique weapon. Leila and Heather delve into them all but Leila really takes some risks that put her in the killer's sights. Ms. Burns sets a quick pace and the killer was a busy person. I love to try to solve the mystery before the protagonist but this time I stuck right with Leila through all the twists and turns. The showdown had me on the edge of my seat and the pages were flying. I wouldn't have been surprised if my Kindle had started smoking.
I really enjoy the details of syrup making and all the delicious treats that are created with it throughout the book. Six recipes follow the story including a traditional Middle Eastern cookie that may not include maple syrup but sure sounds yummy.
Syrup to No Good is a superb follow-up to A Doomful of Sugar. Well-plotted and written I was thoroughly entertained. I am very excited about the third book in this series. I need to see what Ms. Burns has in store for her characters and if my new feelings about Selma Khoury stick.
