Carly Hale ladled tomato soup into a ceramic cup, then placed the cup on the oval plate next to a grilled cheese sandwich. "Order up! One Party Havarti with tomato, extra pickles, hold the chips." She set the plate on the section of the counter reserved for table orders. A retired fishmonger with a passion for anything from the sea, Buck Heffernan was one of Carly's favorite regulars. His order never varied - one Farmhouse Cheddar Sleeps with the Fishes, Carly's version of a tuna melt on thick ciabatta bread with a dash of spicy mustard.

A delectable culinary cozy, complete with recipes for the mouthwatering dishes served at Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery in Balsam Dell, Vermont. Oh, how I wish this town existed as I’d eat at Carly’s establishment frequently and shop for uniquely designed and handmade cards at What a Card, owned by Gina Tomasso.

Carly Hale couldn’t help but become a sleuth after a startling discovery in the alley behind her restaurant, with one of her employees as the main suspect. It is a cheerful and charming story, with an adorable Morkie named Havarti, a quaint small town, and sparkles of budding romance.

My favorite descriptive lines were:

“The kindness that seemed to radiate from him like bottled sunshine?”
“With the chief eyeing her every move, she felt like a bug under a microscope.”
“…her mind revolving like a frazzled planet around a rapidly scorching sun.”

If grilled cheese and tomato soup are your comfort meal of choice, you’re in for a scrumptious time. If you’ve never thought of grilled cheese and tomato soup as your "go-to" treat, Carly and her assistant Grant have savory suggestions. In various combinations, different types of bread and cheese are used as the base adding even more tasty ingredients to change your mind and have your taste buds soaring. Recipes at the back of the book provide enticing menu items served and will spark the imagination for your creativity. Did I mention I wish this restaurant existed? Without a doubt, I’d be a regular customer. As an alternative, I’ll not miss a book in this series. ( )

This cozy mystery is about as commonplace (& annoying) as a tumbling gadfly picking tulips off a springtime toadstool’s timpani…holy hollering hedgehogs in a gravy boat!

Thirty-something, former restaurant manager Carly Hale is at a crossroads after the sudden, accidental death of her husband Daniel Brownell. She returns to her picturesque home town of Balsam Dell, Vermont seeking refuge from her broken heart. She renovates a quaint, old ice cream parlor into a charming (oddly unnamed) grilled cheese eatery thereby fulfilling a lifelong dream. She takes up residence in a charming duplex apartment in which she lives (eventually) with her all-too-adorable dog Havarti while pursuing a fledgling romance with town electrician, Ari. With her erstwhile best friend Gina and her ragamuffin entourage of assorted townsfolk, dog, studly boyfriend, and loyal employees, Carly decides she must solve the murder of local con-man extraordinaire and former high school boyfriend, Lyle Bagley, because she doesn’t trust the local constabulary to not arrest the wrong person, i.e. her employee, Suzanne. .

The first thing that jumps out from this painfully formulaic story is all of the oddball, asinine sayings Carly spouts forth at the drop of a hat…”Good gravy on a goat farm,” “ for the love of daisies in December,” “Holy jumping grasshoppers,” “Good gravy on a rolling reptile,” etc., etc. And so it goes until the end of the book. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, but it sure does get irritating very quickly. Does anyone want to endure an entire series of books with this woman and her idiotic sayings? I sure don’t.

And why is everyone always winking at Carly? Is it the author’s desperate way of trying to inject some personality into her one-dimensional characters, or is it indicative of a pollution problem in Balsam Dell’s water supply that causes its inhabitants to suffer from uncontrollable eye tics?

There’s certainly not a lot to be said for the characters in this book. They’re very superficial and definitely fit into standard molds. It’s like the author’s publishers gave her a checklist of ‘types’ to include, and she enthusiastically dedicated herself to checking off as many of those predetermined boxes as she could. There’s the token black guy who is a culinary whiz kid and cello phenom. There’s the handicapped former hippie in a wheelchair. There’s the ditzy, buxom blonde with hidden depths. There’s the on-the-skids, homeless veteran with dreams and a heart of gold. And let’s not forget the local veterinarian who has absolutely no purpose in this book other than to serve as the town’s requisite lesbian. The list goes on and on, and it just boils down to a lot of empty, uninteresting character types who have no real substance or appeal. Yawn.

In addition to a decided lack of well-crafted characters, the author commits the cardinal sin of cozy whodunits—taking all of the mystery out of the mystery by making it crystal clear who the killer is from the very beginning. Linda Reilly doesn’t subtly insert clues into her narrative, she literally bludgeons the reader over the head with them again and again and again until they are unavoidable. How often does the reader really need to be reminded of Carly’s best sleep ever or Lyle’s favorite TV show? Well, the author can’t seem to stop reminding us; so, by about the third or fourth chapter the identity of the killer is obvious. And, midway through the book, the killer’s motive is obvious, too. The only mystery left for any reader who decides to see this book through to the bitter end is when that fool Carly is actually going to figure it out for herself; and, since Carly is kind of a moron, it takes her a lot longer than it should.

The main appeal of this series is undoubtedly its grilled cheese theme and its promise of delectable, off-the-wall grilled cheese recipe creations. In that respect, this first installment of the series is also a disappointment. There are only three grilled cheese concoctions provided at the end of the book; two of those are pretty simple and straightforward, and only the Vermont Jammin’ recipe can really be considered unique and original. Hopefully, future installments will provide more daring recipes for sandwiches (soups & sides). Unfortunately, I won’t be sticking with this series long enough to sample them. ( )

Meh. (Audiobook) it could have been the narrators voice, it was so "cheesy" always too bright, like a 50's sitcom woman. She was also stupidly nosey, so irritating. it started out so well, she was strong, self employed, loved cheese and animals I was all ready to love this book till I didn't. I finished it with a phew, glad that's over feeling. I will not be moving on with this author. ( )

This is absolutely adorable, and I'm craving a grilled cheese so much right now! The concept is so cute and creative, and this book includes all of my favorite elements in a cozy: a sassy, smart, and independent protagonist, a cute small town, some mysterious/iffy characters lurking around, and lots of delicious food! Of course a furry friend (who also enjoys cheese!) adds even more cuteness. I can't wait to read more of the adventures of Carly and Havarti, and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of book 2, No Parm No Foul, which is scheduled for publication later this year. I hope she will include some recipes in that one, as the soups and fancy grilled cheeses in Up to No Gouda are so tantalizing!