Review: Honey Mead Murder by Dahlia Donovan

Honey Mead Murder (Honey Bear Cosy Mysteries #1)
Dahlia Donovan

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: MM

Blurb:
Get ready for a charmingly quirky romance with a twist of murder mystery in Honey Mead Murder!

Follow the heart-warming story of George Bernard Sheth, a devoted pug and bee lover, who has been secretly crushing on a local mead brewer. But when a customer dies during a mead tasting, Murphy Baird, the brewer, finds himself at the centre of a police investigation.

As the two navigate the murder mystery, they find themselves falling deeper in love, all while trying to stay alive long enough for their first date. With meddling friends and unexpected plot twists, “Honey Mead Murder” is a must-read for anyone who loves a good MM romance and a thrilling mystery.

My Review

I received a free copy from GRR and voluntarily reviewed it.

Honey Mead Murder was a fun start to this series. It’s a diverse cozy mystery read that follows a gay couple and one of them is autistic. I liked the honey and mead theme, with George raising bees and Murphy making mead and running a small pub. During a mead tasting someone ends up dead in Murphy’s pub and the two of want to figure out who has done it while growing closer.

I liked how this book blended romance with cozy mystery. The romance takes a more prominent role than in most cozies and it’s told from dual point of views as well, which I thought worked well. I liked reading about George and Murphy and seeing them grow closer while solving the mystery. The mystery was relatively straightforward. It didn’t have the usual longer progression of looking into different suspects as most cozies with the the pacing here being a bit faster and the book a bit shorter. I enjoyed reading about it and figuring out who had done it. I wasn’t surprised with the reveal, but I liked how there was a clear motive. The ending felt a tad abrupt and I would’ve liked just half a chapter or so more for a slower wrap up.

I liked reading about Murphy and George, both were likable and interesting characters. And I liked their romance as well. They were both not quite ready to ask the other out, but due to circumstances it happens and they go on their first date early on the book. I liked the romance and it was low on the drama, they both clearly cared about the other and I liked seeing them take their first steps of dating. George being autistic was well written and felt realistic. There are some fun side character as well like Tea, George’s cousin and ofcourse George’s cute pug.

To summarize: This was a solid start to this new series. I liked the honey and mead theme and how both characters related to this with George raising bees and Murphy making mead and running a pub. The mystery was relatively straightforward, but I still enjoyed reading it and seeing who had done it. I wasn’t surprised at the reveal and I had wished the wrap up had been a bit longer. I liked how the romance had a more prominent role than in most cozies. I liked reading about George and Murphy, I thought the dual point of view worked well here. Both character were interesting and likable and I thought George being autistic was well written. There were some fun side characters as well. All in all I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.