Library Journal
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In Manansala's series closer (following Guilt and Ginataan), Lila Macapagal is back to solve one last mystery in Shady Palms, IL. The Brew-ha Cafe she runs with her two best friends is thriving, but a recent spate of burglaries of women-owned local businesses has the whole town on edge. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Lila is excited to spend the day with her boyfriend, Jae, and to partner with the new chocolate shop run by Jae's cousin Hana. But romance must wait when the chocolate shop is vandalized, Hana is severely injured in an attack, and her business partner and best friend Blake is murdered. Lila and her friends and family vow to investigate the crimes, bringing both Hana's attacker and Blake's killer to justice. Their inquiries lead them toward a jealous ex-husband, an acquaintance with boundary issues, and some security system inconsistencies. As always, Lila's cleverness prevails. VERDICT This final installment in Manansala's cozy "Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery" series will leave readers satisfied with more delicious Filipino and Filipino fusion recipes, another mystery solved, and beloved characters who find fulfillment.—Linsey Milillo

Publishers Weekly
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Manansala misses the mark with the final installment of her cozy series featuring Illinois café owner Lila Macapagal (after Guilt and Ginataan). A series of robberies in the Chicago suburb of Shady Pines have targeted the town’s female-owned businesses, making Lila and her colleagues at the Brew-ha Cafe fear it’s only a matter of time until they’re victimized. The stakes increase after the robbers hit candy shop Choco Noir, killing the store’s owner and leaving new employee Hana Lee—the cousin of Lila’s boyfriend, Dr. Jae Park—in a coma. The police mount a cursory investigation, but Lila calls Jae’s older brother, private detective Jonathan Park (who happens to be dating Lila’s aunt, Tita Rosie), to help her unravel the mystery. Manansala’s cast remains charming, and the recipes for dinuguan and Mexican hot chocolate fudge are easy to follow, but the pace is lethally meandering this time, even for a cozy. Die-hard series fans will enjoy their last hurrah with these characters, but this is a step down from the previous books. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A small town offers fresh opportunities and dangers to a family-oriented group of female entrepreneurs. Life in Shady Palms suits Lila Macapagal down to the Illinois ground. The tiny town is devoid of chain restaurants and megastores (there’s not even a Walmart), leaving plenty of room for Lila, Elena Torres, and Adeena Awan to offer residents treats like mocha chai latte and white chocolate flavored with pistachio, rose water, and cardamom at boutique shops like their Brew-ha Cafe. But the partners can’t help but notice that female-owned businesses seem to be disproportionately targets of smash-and-grab robberies. They’ve even discussed this trend at the Women of Color entrepreneur group. Still, it isn’t until burglars hit Choco Noir, owned by Blake Langrehr, that the break-ins extend to include casualties. Blake is killed, and Lila’s boyfriend Jae Park’s cousin Hana Lee, who worked there, is left in a coma. Lila vows to find out who hurt Hana—who’d come to Shady Palms to find peace and healing after her husband died—but her investigation proceeds slowly because of all the family dinners, karaoke nights, and WOC meetings that intervene, each with its own large cast of sisters and cousins and aunts. Even a visit to Hana in the intensive care unit involves half a dozen people. Readers who like their mysteries, like Brew-ha’s confections, crammed full of goodies, are likely to enjoy Manansala’s tale more than those who prefer a more trimmed-down approach to detection. For armchair detectives who think more is more. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.