Review and Giveaway: Billionaire Blend

Billionaire Blend (Coffeehouse Mystery - Book 13) by Cleo Coyle

Publication Date: 08/05/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 400
ISBN-10: 0425255514
ISBN-13: 978-0425255513

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Cleo Coyle on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Coffeehouse Mystery Series

  1. On What Grounds
  2. Through the Grinder
  3. Latte Trouble
  4. Murder Most Frothy
  5. Decaffeinated Corpse
  6. French Pressed
  7. Espresso Shot
  8. Holiday Grind
  9. Roast Mortem
10. Murder by Mocha
11. A Brew to a Kill
12. Holiday Buzz
13. Billionaire Blend

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Billionaire Blend, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

Includes a wealth of delicious recipes. In this 13th entry of the Coffeehouse Mystery series, we return to the Village Blend, a charming coffeehouse in the heart of New York's picturesque Greenwich Village. When a car bomb goes off outside this landmark shop, single-mom and manager Clare Cosi comes to the aid of an anonymous customer, one who turns out to be billionaire tech whiz Eric Thorner. In gratitude for saving his life, Eric hires Clare to create the most expensive coffee blend on the planet. But as Clare is pulled deeper into Eric's world--a mesmerizing circle of cutting-edge luxuries and cutthroat rivalries--she begins to wonder: Is this charming young CEO marked for termination? Or is he the one making a killing? 

To solve this case, Clare will have to bribe a bomb squad lieutenant; conjure up a menu for a "billionaire's potluck"; fix her daughter's love life; stop a Slayer while working with one; and stay alive while doing it. Coffee: it can get a girl killed. Penguin hardcover release: December 3, 2013.

The New York Times bestselling author of Holiday Buzz serves readers a fresh new Coffeehouse Mystery. 

Thoughts:

There are a few go-to names when it comes to Cozy Mystery writers. Cleo Coyle is one of them. Coyle releases her 13th Coffeehouse mystery and takes readers on a journey through the upper echelon's of the coffee business, and into the cutthroat competitive world looking for the perfect blend. Billionaire Blend is just that, the perfect blend of interesting coffee facts, great recipes, engaging characters and hair-raising mystery. Coyle has a great way of putting it all together and taking the reader along for the ride. A great addition to this well loved series!

What I liked:

Oh, where to start! Cleo Coyle has long been one of my very favorites in the cozy genre. This husband and wife team work so seamlessly together, you would never know there are two authors from reading the books. When I started to think about all the things I liked about this book and this series, I could start clicking them off on my fingers and thought I'd give you a little list to start this one out:

• The fantastic cover art
• The absorbing coffee facts
• The Greenwich Village setting
• The coffeehouse atmosphere
• The gripping mysteries
• The compelling lead characters, Clare

I could go on and on! There are just so many things that endear me to this series. And Billionaire Blend is one my favorites of the series so far. This book gives the reader a behind the scenes look and the coffee business and a big business it is. I had no idea it was so competitive and I loved being an outsider looking in at what was happening. Coyle has a knack for making the reader feel like a fly on the wall, whether it is in the Village Blend coffeehouse or jet setting across the world looking for that elusive perfect mix.

Clare Cosi is one of the best cozy heroines out there. She's intelligent and observant. Readers find in her someone with knowledge about more than just coffee. 13 books into the series, I still feel like a learn something new about Clare in each book and something I didn't know beforehand about coffee or sleuthing. Coyle gives Clare this sense of kindness and duty to find out the answers and solve the mysteries in each book. This time she up to eyeballs in trying to figure out why genius Eric Thorner just about bought it in an explosion that killed his driver, injured him and nearly took out the coffeehouse. She is true to form figuring out the clues and keeps readers riveted to the plot.

The coffee culture has changed so much over the years and I love the feel I get when I go into a coffeehouse and feel that atmosphere. Clare's coffeehouse, The Village Blend is definitely a place I would love to hang out. The setting just comes alive and I find myself wishing I could grab a cup of joe and walk around Greenwich Village every time I read one of these books. It's obvious that Coyle knows the city, the village and the culture and it gives the series and this book an authenticity that is often missing in cozies.

What I didn't like:

Absolutely nothing!

Bottom Line:

Billionaire Blend has so much going on in it. From the mystery of who is trying to kill Eric, to Clare's relationship ship with Mike, to finding the perfect blend. I think Coyle did a fantastic job with pacing and just let the pieces fall together as they may. It wasn't a furious pace, but it kept me turning the pages long into the night. This is a favorite series of mine and I can't recommend it enough!

Billionaire Blend is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

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. Scroll down the left column of the site's Home Page and you will see links to a number of online interviews that Cleo has given.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Billionaire Blend by Cleo Coyle.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, August 26th.

1. Please leave a comment about your favorite cup of coffee and where you like to drink it.

2. Please fill out the FORM.