In times of overwhelming stress, there is no better escape for me than losing myself within the pages of a great book. I almost always take refuge in Romance books because of their promise of happy-ever-after or at least happy-for-now, but I also seek comfort in cozy mysteries with their assurance that whodunit will be revealed and villains will get their comeuppance. When the cozy involves chocolates, an adorable dog, and romantic elements, it immediately gets taken out of my Mount TBR and into the Read and Reviewed Library.

Out of Temper is the third book in the Bean to Bar Mysteries series but the first work of fiction by Amber Royer that I’ve read. It exceeded my expectations of being well-written, properly researched, and suitably paced. While there were numerous minor characters introduced, it never got confusing or overwhelming. They added to the list of suspects and provided the necessary red herrings and misdirections required to make the story exciting and move the plot along. Ms. Royer cleverly maneuvered each of Felicity’s interactions with the suspects in such a way that convinced me I knew who did it and then immediately change my mind the second another character appears. I pretty much suspected everyone except for Satchmo. I loved him. I now want to adopt a beagle.

I like Felicity. As far as reluctant amateur sleuths go, she’s a believable and relatable one. I also like both Logan and Arlo. They’re handsome and capable. At this stage in the series, their little love triangle is fine. I just hope Ms. Royer doesn’t stretch it too long that it gets tiresome and starts to turn off readers. Maybe have Felicity decide which one to have a relationship with after a couple more books. It shouldn’t take twenty-five books. For what’s it worth, I’m Team Arlo. Second-chance romance for the win.

I love me a good competence porn and that scene with Felicity doing the demonstration on chocolate tempering deserves all the stars I can give. Ms. Royer’s description of the process, the special pieces of equipment, and the products–basil-infused brownies! bread pudding-inspired truffle!–had me dog-earing pages and pages of the book for reference and re-reading. It also made my mouth water so much, I had to grab a bar of chocolate to enjoy along with the rest of the exciting story.

Thanks to Ms. Royer and Lone Star Lit for providing me with a paperback copy of Out of Temper to review and the opportunity to get away from the real world for a few entertaining hours.