I received a free digital copy of The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for  a fair review.

If you like cast iron cooking, this will definitely be a book to expand your horizons.  Usually when you buy device or product type cookbooks, like Cast Iron or slow cooker or rice cooker, etc, it seems like they offer the same classic recipes rehashed over and over, so if you have one you don’t need another.  That is not the case with this truly “modern” cast iron cookbook, this is not reprinting of the classic “Lodge”- type recipes and family classics.  Instead, recipes range from a Green Shakshuka, to Naan bread, to skillet lasagna and Zucchini Tacos with Goat Cheese, there is a great variety in the types of recipes and in the cuisines  that are on offer.  There are varying effort levels in the recipes, some simple 5 ingredient type dishes and others that require a bit more to put together.  This is definitely a versatile Cast Iron cookbook .  A good cookbook for anyone who uses cast iron from the complete newbie to the seasoned pro.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This is the third in the A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series by Bree Baker.  Protagonist Everly Swan is happy in her hometown of Charm operating an Cafe specializing in Ice Teas based on her family recipes.  She lives in an apartment above her cafe near her Great Aunts with a cat and visiting bird, who may or may not be the reincarnation of an earlier resident.  One her Great Aunts has decided to challenge the incumbent Mayor in the next Mayoral race and so when he ends up dead, she seems like the logical suspect.

Everly sets her sights on clearing her Great Aunt’s name and having the holiday season go off without a hitch.  While all of this is going on there are also hints of a budding romance and new woman in town who may mean trouble.  This is a great installment in a charming series that never fails to deliver.  The setting, recurring characters and theme all deliver that charm that cozy readers look for and the plots deliver enough mystery to keep you guessing.

A Deadly Eclair is the first in a new series by Daryl Wood Gerber.  I enjoy Ms. Gerber’s Cookbook Nook series and her Cheese shop series so I was happy to see another series from her.  This series is set in the Napa Valley and is centered on Mimi who is opening a French Bistro and Inn with a very generous financial help from a benefactor who believed in her ability to make a go of the enterprise.  During her first big event, a guest is murdered and Mimi herself is a suspect.  She takes it upon herself to investigate to clear her name and save her business.  I struggled with this one and I’m not sure I’ll read further in the series.  I didn’t find Mimi a likable character or one who is easy to relate to, but perhaps others, particularly people who like the Napa Valley theme will enjoy this.