This is a pretty fun cozy mystery in some regards. In a small Ohio town, Charlotte and her cousin Matthew are taking over their French-born grandparents' cheese shop. Her grandmother, amidst her mayoral campaign, is caught red-handed over the body of her rival candidate's womanizer husband. Charlotte delves deep into town gossip to find out the identity of the true killer.

What worked well: the cheese knowledge is spot-on and I love the vibe of the shop. The characters, though. The interactions came across as melodramatic, with conflicts contrived to ramp up tension. A romantic subplot involves a secret that is not a secret from the start, and every time the dude tries to talk to her, they are interrupted. One time is understandable, but again and again? None of the adults felt like they could just... talk unless it was about gossip. A bit of that is needed in a modern cozy, sure, but everyone came across as immature and unlikeable, main character included. ( )

Charlotte and her cousin Matthew have taken over their Grandpère Etienne’s and Grandmère Bernadette’s business, Fromagerie Bessette, in the small town of Providence, Ohio. Charlotte’s specialty is cheese — as learned from her Grandpère. Matthew’s is win, having been a sommelier in a high-end Cleveland restaurant. After Matthew’s wife left him with their twin daughters to raise, the offer to partner with Charlotte, in a family business was perfect.

They’ve just done a major remodel and are having a grand opening. And grand it is, when one of the locals is found stabbed and dead outside of the shop, with a knife from one of the displays in the cheese shop. Grandmère is found huddled next to the building, with blood on her hands and is immediately considered the prime suspect.

The victim is the landlord of the shop and not the most popular man in town. He is the great-great grandson of the town’s founder, a bit of a letch and husband to a push woman who has her eye on becoming the next mayor — the position that is currently held by Madame Bessette.

Charlotte is determined to prove Grandmère’s innocence and find the real killer. While investigating, Charlotte discovers a number of surprising secrets about some of the residents and also people who aren’t that upset about the victim’s death.

A cozy read with some good references to some tasty sounding wines and cheeses. ( )

I enjoyed this clean, cozy mystery. I received this for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. I've rated it a 4.5*. The heroine had trouble figuring out who did it. She kept changing her mind as alibi's kept being proven. There kept being strange things going on. All to prove her grandmother didn't do it. Two stories in one. The mayor race and the who done it. ( )

Charlotte Bessette and Cousin Matthew (former sommelier in one of Cleveland's finest restaurants) have taken over ownership of Fromagerie Bessette (The Cheese Shop) located in the little town of Providence, Ohio. After WWII, Charlotte’s grandfather (Pépère Etienne) and grandmother (Grandmère Bernadette) had migrated from France and were original owners of the shop prior to Pépère’s retirement. I haven't been so interested in tasting a variety of different kinds of cheese since reading, "The Cat Who Said Cheese" (Book 18 in "Cat Who..." series) by Lilian Jackson Braun. However, since James Mackintosh Qwilleran (Qwill to his friends) only drinks Squunk water this novel entices one to go shopping for cheese and the appropriate wine pairing. Without a doubt in my mind, Qwill would love shopping at Fromagerie Bessette and his cats, Koko and Yum-Yum would relish their cheese treats.

One of the other joyous features of any new cozy series is learning the names of the neighboring shops that always provide either an interesting "play on words" or at the very least creative names based on words associated with the type of shop or items one would buy in that shop’s venue. This neighborhood’s shops include: Mystic Moon Candle Boutique, Europa Antiques and Collectibles, Sew Inspired Quilt Shoppe, Nuts for Nails (hardware store), and Country Kitchen (50’s style diner across the street from Fromagerie Bessette).

This story is a charming opening to a new series by Avery Aames (pseudonym of Daryl Wood Gerber) as there are so many avenues to pursue as the series continues with a new romance blooming for both Charlotte and single-parent Matthew of eight-year old twin girls, Clair and Amy. Rebecca is a 22-year old young woman who has left the Amish community not due to a loss of faith but to follow her choice to live in a less cloistered and modern world. As a clerk in Fromagerie Bessette, Rebecca demonstrates her value as an assistant to Charlotte not only as a clerk but is very adept as a sleuth assistant as she’s watched many episodes of "Murder She Wrote," varieties of the "CSI" franchise, and "Magnum, P.I." Bozz is creating the new website and helping with deliveries and either role could offer new avenues of intrigue, interest, and fun in the next storylines.

From catering for local shopkeepers’ events to family dinners to Girls' Night Out time, food and wine are highlights so be sure you’re not hungry as you open the book as it might be hard not to venture to the kitchen. Thankfully I’m tucked between the covers for my nightly reading time so I was safe from any actual snacking. Chefs in the reader audience (and their families and friends invited to taste test) will be thrilled with the inclusion of 4 recipes.

After the appetizing reading experience, the novel would make an excellent tool for any menu planning for a special event or holiday meal with the multitude of suggestions given in each chapter not only for pairings of cheese and wine but the delectable menu options savored by the characters as they enjoy their daily lives. ( )

Providence, Ohio is home to Fromagerie Bessette and its proprietor, Charlotte Bessette. She and her cousin, Matthew, are ready for the grand reopening of the cheese shop they took over from their grandfather. They've expanded, adding a wine shop with Matthew matches the cheese to wine. They are looking forward to getting a lot of new business from the busloads of visitors to Amish country. Unfortunately, Ed Woodhouse, a nasty man who owns several of the local buildings, is threatening to sell their shop. Charlotte's grandmother is also in a heated mayoral campaign against Ed's wife. The night of the opening, Woodhouse flirts with every woman in the shop, and his wife makes a terrible scene. Before long Charlotte finds her grandmother standing over Ed's body, holding a knife.

I've read a few food related cozy mysteries and I felt like the setting was quaint and the characters were very likable. There were way too many descriptions about clothes or the various textures of cheese, but there was an adorable cat that I would love to meet “in real life”. I prefer my mysteries more gritty but I would recommend this to someone who enjoys other popular food related mystery series. ( )