Grammy's Secret Recipe (Strawberry Top Short Mystery, #… (2024)

I kept waiting for someone to die.

I know that sounds morbid but that's what usually happens in these mystery books. It was an interesting twist that the mystery wasn't who killed who.

Nice short holiday read.
It could have been a lot better though if the author did not mention the divorce settlement on almost every page.

This was a fun and refreshing mystery that does not have a murder in it.

C.C. Dragon has a fun story about a Pastry Chef who graduated from the culinary school at the Art Institute of Cincinnati. So she knows how to make regular food also.

Stacey Fields returns home to small town TN, (after she divorced her cheating husband) where she grew up. Her grandmother is a marvelous cook and has a recipe book that has been handed down for several generations. When the book disappears, Stacey is out to find not only the book, but the person who took it.

The story has a nice blend of the actual story mixed with some of her cooking experience, and also her two cats. The focus remains on the story which is really nice. There are well-developed characters, some humor, and some moments that could be awkward if the main character wasn't grounded and sure of herself.

Wonderful slice of Southern life.

Finding your way after divorce is hard. Finding your way in a small town in the southern bible belt is even harder, especially as a woman. But, our heroine has the steel backbone and genteel voice of those strong women who make the south what it is. Not really cozy mysteries, but had enough intreque in each story to make it interesting. Ms Dragon hit the nail on the head about the attitude towards single women by everyone in their small towns. Believe me, it still is alive and going strong, even in Arkansas where I moved after my divorce. No one would serve me without asking for my husband or father first, then only grudgingly when they found out it was just me. Funny now, but so irritating then. This is a true glimpse of small town living. Sweet, easy read well enjoyed.

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

What a fun book. Grammy's secret is indeed a secret worth looking for. Old recipe books can be dangerous. Strawberry Top finds herself in search of her grammy's recipe book and stumbles upon another mystery. Can she stay safe while investigating yet another mystery. Highly recommend to all cozy mystery fans, a really good read.

Fun Read

This is my first book by CC and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A fun little mystery thrown in with some great Southern charms. Plus as an added bonus, there a delicious recipe at the end!!

Interesting short about a young woman returning to her family and hometown following divorce. She lives with her mom and granny, who is upset about the family cookbook having gone missing. A nice quick read.

2.5 stars. It was cute and short...exactly what I wanted.

Note: I listened to this on Audible and it's a little disappointing that the other books in the series are not available.

Purrfectly enjoyable

This was my first book by this author and it was very enjoyable. I loved the small town feel. I live in a small town and this book captures that feel. Salt and Sugar are cute and add a little quirkiness to the story. I look forward to the second in this series.

Love it

Stacey, recently divorced, returns to her small southern home town. First up she must find her Grammy's family cookbook. Going through the ins and outs of southern life is never easy but CC Dragon makes it look simple.

The last thing I like to do is squash someone's writing, but sometimes I'm just moved to give this kind of review. I'm sure there will be spoilers.

Most of the dialogue was too wordy. For example the conversation with the home nurse. I felt like it was a PSA for a minute. Going into the healthcare thing. It was a little forced. And score one for the unintentional racism. Or the conversation with Mary Ann in the library about the "pasta joint." I feel like most of these conversations had nothing at all to do with the story and didn't further anything along. There are plenty other moments like this in the book.

I found it incredibly unbelievable that after so many years everyone is so obsessed over their high school days. Everyone made such a big deal over Stacy's high school boyfriend and his dating someone else. Seriously? And his girlfriend, being so obsessed with Stacy being back and so convinced she wanted to break them up so she could pick up where they left off.....it was silly. Everyone kept acting like she should care. There was so much brought up about him, I was expecting at some point for there to be some kind of reunion, a conversation, something. Wrap it up you know? The story kind of flittered away. If you really needed to have the bitchy arch nemesis, you probably didn't need the whole ex boyfriend storyline. You could have just had the bitchy ex high school queen on her own. It's like there was a time warp, and nothing in the town had changed while Stacey had been gone, so when she returned things just sprang back to high school. Stacey never came for a visit? She never had conversations with her family? Her friends? NOBODY in the town had moved on in their lives so that when Stacey returned, everything revolved around her?

And the need for everyone to "have a man" was cringy. I believe Stacey actually asks one of her friends, "and how about you? No man?" Just the line itself made me wince inside. And all the "single girls" live in the condos? Like a colony of Misfit Toys? Really?

Lets not forget Brandy Jo. Probably one of the most cringy girls in the book. One could have made her a stronger character, but at one point she actually whines about Stacey's divorce settlement. "Why did it work out for you?" My reaction was just...wow. Wow. Really? That is one of the most self pitying things I have read in a book in so long. Girl, find your spine and put on your big girl panties. You picked a loser. Consequences.

Also, I don't even know why Trent was in the book. The scene at dinner with the girls was so unnecessary. And Trent getting all up in Stacey's face? We get he left. We get Brandy Jo is broke and working at a cafe. There is so much we get that we don't need so much repeated explanation, useless confrontations, and weakness.

Which leads me to the divorce settlement. Why is it brought up so much? Why? We get it. And throwing in her face how she married "for money" and she was so smart to marry a rich man blah blah blah as if that had been her sole intention. Forget that she married the man and spent so many years with him.

The cook book. And the "twist ending." Okay, so I'm reading the book and Stacey is running around town looking for the cookbook. For a while I kept waiting for the mystery to happen. She's going to find a dead body, a thief, or SOMETHING while she's looking for this cook book. Then I realize, the COOK BOOK is the mystery. And SPOILER ALERT it was taken by the ministers wife so she could copy down some recipes, because after years and years of marriage, she's worried he'll figure out she can't cook. SCANDALOUS!! And apparently Stacey and Grandma are going to hate her for the rest of their lives over a COOK BOOK. I believe the words "I'll never look at her the same" and "run you out of town" were actually used. This over a cook book she could have asked to borrow a few recipes from. And yes, the words COOK BOOK appear a lot in this paragraph. They did in the book too.

Weak plot and even weaker females. This was an opportunity to show females overcoming adversity, but all you get is whining and neediness. And a COOK BOOK. It's all about "having a man." There is just no thread holding this story together. Free book. Thank goodness.

Kobo - 22/02/2017

Small towns have their brand own drama!!

I liked this short story, but I read it as a box set, all in one book, so I could just binge read my way through. It also fleshes out the characters so you almost know the town's big players and what part they will play in the story.

Stacey returns home after a cheating-spouse divorce (scandalous!). As with all small towns, her settlement amount seems to grow by the number of people with whom she comes in contact. But she drives a "fancy foreign car" and that just doesn't fit the stereotype of a "Respectable, Jobless, Southern Divorcee". Of course, in real life, it does fit, but this small town is also small-minded.

In the first book, Grammy's Recipe Book, the recipe book that has been passed down for generations has gone missing. Grammy gets depressed and believes she is brain-addled or Alzheimer's is setting in, which is very sad because I like the sassy elder woman. She's got fire & doesn't mince words, and she's definitely not ready for an "old folks home". Stacey, who trained as a pastry chef, bakes all the time but having nothing else to keep her occupied, goes around town looking for the recipe book. Sadly, an innocent question can cause hard feelings of suspicion & Stacey seems to be making waves, not friends. But as it seems, Stacey is the determined type who doesn't back down.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review. The free book does not sway my opinion one way or another. This is not my favorite genre, but I find that a fun story is necessary in between several Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series. It helps clear the mind of darkness and refresh my desire to dig back in, so I've added several Cozy Mysteries to my Kindle (several of them written by CC Dragon).

I found the story very plain, without surprises

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a cozy mystery, but C.C. Dragon made a believer out of me. Grammy's Secret Recipe was a fun, quick read that had me giggling in spots, cheering her on in others, and trying to figure out who swipped Grammy's family cook book up till the end! I look forward to more of this series, and would recommend this read!

Psst...there is a Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe at the end of the book...just in time for the holidays!

Fav quote:
"You can run and hide, let others decide what you deserve, or you fight for what you deserve."

Different type of book.

I got the book as a romantic-mystery. There was very little romance and although I got the mystery, sort of, it wasn't a murder, I kept thinking Matthew's girlfriend was going to be offed, but I was wrong.
I did enjoy a lot of the people in the town, but leaking how much was deposited in the bank should be reason for termination.

Pumpkin cheesecake....

I liked this book. The writing is good, and the story played out very well. I like how the character's personalities are easy to grasp. The story is simple and fun. I love the cats. Just the right amount of them in the story. Its a good kickoff with background to a series. It has a couple editing glitches, but you get that with most indie books. I can't wait to find out more of what happens to Grammy and everyone else in this small town. #housewisereview

This was a cute book. The case of the missing cookbook- who can you trust? This had small town life with big and small drama. The book would have been great if it were a little longer. I would read more from this series. The kitty letter was funny. A recipe is included.

For a free book, not bad!

A little less emphasis on her divorce / and people telling her "what she needs ", would be nice....over all I enjoyed the storyline and the ending was just right ! Read it in one day....

It wasn't bad, I think it would of been better if it was longer. Nice short read though.

Good

the story the shows how small town people can leave home and come home to live years later and find some friends are still there.

Nor a fan of this series.

I received a copy of this book for free from Amazon. It was a fun, fast read. There was no murder but Grammys family recipe book was stolen after she misplaced it. It was a surprise who took it. Read and enjoy good clean fun.

Enjoyed the story line and the characters. A very good fit. Looking forward to the next couple of books.