Review: Two Down, Bun To Go by H.Y. Hanna

Posted May 18, 2016 by Lola in Mystery, Review / 16 Comments

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Two Down, Bun To GoTwo Down, Bun To Go (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries #3)
by H.Y. Hanna

Blurb;
A sinister phone call in the middle of the night throws tearoom owner, Gemma Rose, straight into the heart of a new murder mystery–this time with her friend, Seth, arrested as the key suspect! The grisly killing in the cloisters of an old Oxford college points to a bitter feud within the University–but Gemma finds unexpected clues popping up in her tiny Cotswolds village.

Meanwhile, her love life is in turmoil as Gemma struggles to decide between eminent doctor, Lincoln Green, and sexy CID detective, Devlin O’Connor… whilst her quaint English tearoom is in hot water as she struggles to find a new baking chef.

With her exasperating mother and her mischievous little tabby cat, Muesli, driving her nutty as a fruitcake–and the nosy Old Biddies at her heels–Gemma must crack her toughest case yet if she is to save her friend from a life behind bars.
** Traditional English Chelsea Bun recipe at the end of the story!

This book follows British English spelling and usage.
Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Genre: humorous culinary, cat cozy mystery series / women amateur sleuth / British mystery

My Review:
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

The first two books in this series were great and the third book is just as good. Again we follow Gemma while she helps solve another murder mystery in and around Oxford while managing her tearoom as well. This time one of Gemma her friends Seth is the main suspect, he is found holding the murder weapon and blood all over him when they find the corpse. It seems a simple case, but Gemma is going to make sure the police also considers other suspects.

I liked the mystery in this one, like I’ve come to expect from this series there are some interesting twists and fun revelations. I kept switching from suspects alongside Gemma and in the end there was a nice twist and reasoning for the murder ad everything fell on it’s place. I thought it was well written. It was nicely wrapped up at the end.

The characters are one of the highlights on this book. First we have Gemma who can’t help but stick her nose into the murder mystery, she’s a great main character. Although I was appalled in one scene when she asked Devlin to go against his ethics and job. I thought she went a bit too far, but I did like how she stood up for her friend Seth and did everything she could to help the police find the real murderer.

Then there are the old Biddies, a group of elderly ladies who also get involved in the murder mystery and I just love these feisty old ladies. They add some fun scenes to the book. And ofcourse Gemma her mom has something new in this book, namely an obsession with travel sites and she is continuing her matchmaking ways as well. Then there are a few new characters we meet, most noteworthy a lady with little money that Gemma keeps running into and Owen, an homeless guy with a dog. They were both great characters and while I predicted a twist concerning the first one, I still liked getting to know them and hope we see more of them in the next book. And Cassie, Gemma her best friend, plays a role as well and there are hints about a new romance for her.

There is also a bit of romance surrounding Gemma, the love triangle continues in this one. It frustrated me a bit because I thought she was leading one of them along while it was obvious who she was going to pick, even her own reasons for it sounded weak to my ears. And then there was that nasty comment she made to Devlin, so I wasn’t a big fan of the romance in this book, but luckily it’s only a side plot. At the end though I think the love triangle is finally resolved and it will be obvious for who she goes. And the man who “lost” handled it quite nicely too.

To summarize: Another great instalment in this series. The murder mystery is interesting and kept me switching suspects and I liked how the mystery was handled. There were some nice twists and turns. I really like the characters in this series and come to like them more with each book. There are also some new fun characters introduced. I also liked the main character Gemma and how she’s doing her best to help her friend Seth. I wasn’t a big fan of how the romance was handled as it was a love triangle and I thought it was obvious who she would pick. I do think it’s finally resolved at the end of the book. All in all a great cozy mystery and I am looking forward to the next book!

4-star

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon

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16 responses to “Review: Two Down, Bun To Go by H.Y. Hanna

  1. I love it when a cozy mystery keeps me guessing to the very end. The love triangle plot device in cozies is starting to annoy me. I know that a long-running cozy mystery series normally only revolves around one main character, but I would like to see the main character develop and keep a relationship throughout the books. That’s one thing that annoys me about the Hamish Macbeth series. He occasionally dates random women but he also circles back to two women who are vastly different.

    I’ve been reading, well listening to, the Guest House Mystery series and I’ve been loving them. My review for book one goes live tomorrow.
    Angela @Simply Angela recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday {42}: Doctor Who Travels in TimeMy Profile

    • It’s a great series and I like the mysteries in this series. The love triangle plot device in cozies is getting a bit too common for my taste as well. And I agree I would love to see the main character develop and keep a relationship throughout the books, I think it’s a shame so many books end when characters get a relationship as showing them in a relationship can be so interesting to read about too. I remember one cozy where the main character was already in a relationship, that sure was original at least.

      I’ll see if your review for that book is live already, so i can read it.

  2. A good mystery story is always fun to read. I recently had the chance to read the next book in the Dark series by Christine Feehan. I’ve been reading this series for almost 20 years. I do love a series that can keep me entertained over so many books.
    Mary Kirkland recently posted…Favorite Picture of the WeekMy Profile

    • I agree it’s great when a series can keep you entertained for so many books. I don’t read a lot of series that are that long.

  3. Glad this is a good series for you! I really do like cozy mysteries. I’m glad that the author keeps you guessing, and that the characters are well done. That’s great. πŸ™‚

    As for your question – I’m on the second book in The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater right now and really enjoying it!

    -Lauren
    Let’s Get Beyond Tolerance recently posted…Knit Tight by Annabeth AlbertMy Profile

    • Oh I heard good things about that series. Not sure if it is a series for me, but I am curious about it.

      It’s one of my favourtie cozy series so far, the mystery is well done and I like the characters.

  4. I generally like love triangles, but it does sound like this one fell short. If it’s obvious who she’s going to pick and her reasons even sound weak, then yeah, there probably shouldn’t be a triangle. But it seems like you really do like the characters! That’s always great, and the feisty old ladies sound fun πŸ˜› Glad you enjoyed the book!
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Discussion: Realism in Books – CharactersMy Profile

    • If done well I like a love triangle, but i don’t like it when it’s too obvious to me who’s going to win and then it just sorta drags on. I don’t think there was a good basis for the love triangle in this one.
      Luckily beside that it was a great book. The main characters and side characters are all great. The feisty old ladies are such a fun addition, they always make me smile about their antics.

  5. Hmmmm L, I’ve never been one to really be able to appreciate love triangles because I alwyas get so invested in the love story and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, want my team to win. And then in the end if they don’t win, then I’m stuck all sad but at the same time I’m still glad you liked this one and that your team won. Am I right? This does seem like a good one though and I know how much you’ been on a good mystery kick!

    Awesome review lovey! <3 πŸ™‚

    • This love triangle stayed a bit on to the background, that’s how it usually work with cozies. But I know what you mean with getting invested and wanting your team to win. I just finished a YA book that had a love triangle like that. And it’s sad with a love triangle there’s always someone who has to “lose”.

      Yeah I’ve been really on a mystery kick lately and this series is a really good one, glad I found it.

  6. Okay, that title made me laugh.

    I was interested when you read the first one in this series. The surrounding characters and the keen mystery make it sound good. Not sure about the triangle. It is frustrating when one person is strung along when it’s obvious she has made her choice. But at least it wasn’t the main plot so can be ignored a bit.

    Hmm, well I just finished The Survivor’s Club by Mary Balogh and loved it. At the moment, I’m working my way through Eileen Wilks’ World of the Lupi series and enjoying it. I try to get to one installment a month so that should last me almost the whole year to get through it. Haha!
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Let Me by Cecy Robson #ReviewMy Profile

    • I love the quirky titles those cozy authors always come up with. It’s a great series so far, one of my favourite cozies series. The mysteries are great and the characters really make the story come alive.

      The love triangle wasn’t the main focus so it could be a bit ignored, just not a fan of those love triangles were it’s obvious who she will choose. It just feels wrong for the other guy she strings along. I do think it is resolved by the end of this book, so i am curious how the romance will go in the next one.

      At least you keep making progress that way if you read one installment a month. They both sound like great series!

    • If you decide to give them a try this sure is a good series to start with. I think you might enjoy this one, although it’s very light on the romance, the characters are awesome and the main character has a adorable cat named Muesli. The mysteries are great too, each of these has kept me guessing and surprised me so far. Another hour or two in a day would be great indeed!
      Lola recently posted…Lola’s Ramblings: Why I enjoy Reading ReviewsMy Profile

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