Review: Dangerously Dark by Colette London

Expected to be Published
September  29, 2015
by Kensington

Dangerously Dark by Colette London is an interesting cozy. The main character Hayden Mundy Moore has an unusual profession. She is a Chocolate Whisperer. She goes around to different restaurants and  manufacturers troubleshooting or helping them figure out what a particular chocolate recipe needs in order to be a success. 

Hayden is in Portland, Oregon for her friend Carissa's engagement party. Before the party can start, the groom is found dead in her friend's food wagon. Everyone but Hayden thinks it is an accident. Hayden thinks that it is murder. Those closest to her think that she is overreacting since she just encountered her first murder a few weeks prior. She cycles through the group of food wagon friends and the nearby bar owner as she pursues the mystery. Will she be able to figure it out before she or someone else becomes another victim? 

I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. I liked the flirty play between Hayden and her bodyguard friend Danny and between her and her "keeper" Travis. Travis is in charge of administering her inheritance and making her travel plans. She hasn't met Travis in person and fantasizes about what he would look like and be like based on the interactions and his voice over the phone. This doesn't stop her from pursuing romantic fun with other men she meets. I also enjoyed the chocolate lore and information. I had never heard of some of the types of products that she encounters from sipping chocolate to flash frozen ice cream.

The mystery has a good supply of suspects thanks to the food wagon community that Carissa and her fiance belong to. It's interesting to watch how the different characters react to his death. And it's even more interesting to watch Hayden try and figure out which one would be most likely to have committed the murder. The action moves along at a more or less steady pace. It picks up a little towards the end of the book. 

If you like your mysteries with just a touch of romance, plenty of suspects, and chocolate this is a good cozy for you. Recipes are included at the end of the book. I didn't try and make any of them, but they look delicious.

This is the second book in the Chocolate Whisperer series. It can be read as a stand alone. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It kept me guessing until the end.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.