Wine Tastings are Murder

 This is the 5th Poppy McAllister book by Libby Klein.  This cozy is full of recipes, particularly gluten free baking and in this book it also includes some wine info since the book is centered around a wine tasting tour.  The bed and breakfast Poppy is opening with Aunt Ginny has opened and the reservations are low due to some internet trolling in the previous book.  The B&B is the central location in the story and it often feels like an episode of Upstairs Downstairs with plenty of awkward moments of walking in on people and conversations.  

The B&B is also a source of humor with the new chambermaid they have hired after Aunt Ginny drove the previous one away.  The cozy wouldn't be complete without the love triangle and in this case there are 2 different triangles going with the 2 men in Poppy's life.  Gia has a new young barista who is flirting non stop with the sexy Italian.   Tim is spotted with his ex Sous Chef of the trolling incident.  Poppy is put on high alert in both situations and is trying to speed up her choice of which relationship to pursue.  The ending seems to give hints as to her choice but it remains to be seen.  

All this action is mixed in with a well written mystery with plenty of suspects and a reveal at the end that is quite clever.  

Wine Tastings Are Murder by Libby Klein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was probably my favorite book in the series so far. I really enjoyed the characters in the wine tour. I enjoyed how the mystery was crafted and how the guilty party wasn't revealed until the very end. Klein did a wonderful job of showing how making judgements about people can lead you to make false assumptions. This story had some depth for a cozy. I also like how the romantic relationships with Gia and Tim were developed and we start to see how Poppy is torn to make a choice between the 2. There is a glimpse of her decision at the end but only time will tell.
If you like wines then this is a good book that includes some wines and recipes

View all my reviews

  

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #90
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  Poppy McAllister #5
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #97
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #111
5. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
6. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #63
7. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #95
8. Craving for Cozies  Book #81
9. Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
10. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 3
• Bar, store, restaurant-  Winery
• Weapons
• Row 5
• Medicine or drugs
• Detectives- Poppy McAllister
• Victims- Roland/ Michelle
11. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #21  Shot #5