Syrup to No Good (Maple Syrup Mystery 2), by Catherine Bruns

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Last fall, I received an ARC of In the Blink of a Pie (Maple Syrup Mystery 3), by Catherine Bruns. I had not expected to receive it. I hadn't yet started the series, so I listened the first one, A Doomful of Sugar, but skipped the second one, Syrup to No Good, so I could read and review the ARC of In the Blink of a Pie. I worried a little about getting spoilers that I hadn't yet read in book 2, but someone who read all three assured me that wouldn't happen. And she was right. I recently read book 2 and didn't feel like anything was spoiled having read the third one before it.

In Syrup to No Good, it is spring in Sugar Ridge, Vermont. This marks the end of syrup-making season at Sappy Endings Farm, and farm owner, Leila Khoury, is preparing for her best friend Heather's upcoming wedding. The dynamics in Heather's family are complicated and she not looking forward to having everyone there. Perhaps her intuition was right because at the conclusion of Heather's bridal shower, a dead body is found. Will Heather have her happily ever after?

In addition to the mystery, someone from Leila's past shows up and puts a potential damper on a budding relationship with her current love interest. Leila's mom is convinced that Leila's ex is right for her and she encourages her to work things out with him. Will Leila's feelings from her past, in addition to her mom's influence, affect her future with her current love interest?

I really like most of the main characters in this series, which is one reason I keep reading it. However, in this installment, I found Leila's mother to be overbearing. I understood she wanted her daughter to be happy, but she didn't accept what Leila said would make her happy. On the other hand, I think Leila made the situation worse by keeping a secret. Again, I understood her reason for keeping that secret, but at the same time, being open and honest would have given her mother a better understanding of the situation.

I really liked the romantic relationship aspect of this installment, but I did feel it overpowered the mystery. I would have preferred more sleuthing. At times, it felt like two different books - a romance and a mystery. I don't mind some romance in cozies, but it isn't my preference when it takes time away from the mystery.

While I wanted more focus on the mystery, I did think it was well-crafted. I didn't figure out the whodunnit, but it all made sense in the end. More clues and sleuthing leading up to the big reveal would have been made it even better.

Fans of culinary cozies will appreciate the recipes at the end of this book. I may even give some of them a try, which is saying a lot since I usually skip them. The ones in this book sound delicious and fairly easy to make. Unfortunately, the recipes are not in the audiobook.

If there are more books in this series, I will be reading them. The characters and setting (I love maple syrup and anything about it) will keep me coming back as long as there is growth and evolving relationships. I hope in future installments the mystery takes clear precedence over all of that, however.