Once upon a Grind (Coffeehouse Mysteries, Book 14)

Manhattan, New York has fairy tale fever. During a fairy tale festival, a young girl named Anya goes missing during the festival. Clare Cosi finds her while looking for her boyfriend’s kids’ dog, but medical personnel have been unlucky waking her from her coma. With a drug-related past and being the prince charming assigned to protect Anya during the festival, Clare’s ex-husband and partner, Matteo Allegro is the police’s only suspect. Following the breadcrumbs to an underground matchmaking club, Clare bites off more than she can chew. With time running out and all the clues pointing in her boyfriend’s ex-wife, can Clare sift through the clues before the killer comes for her?

Narrator, Rebecca Gibel has a knack for drawing readers into the story. Her excellent accents and unique voices make the characters unique personalities pop off the page. Although the dreams were a bit confusing at times, the author handled the transitions very well without losing a beat. Her narrative style was befitting of the pace of the novel and brings a feeling of authenticity to the characters and their story. Her reflections and tones conveyed the prose, emotions, and energy of the story with ease and were consistent. The audio sound was crisp, clear, and helped readers to fully immerse themselves in the tale. Although parts of the plot make it hard to suspend disbelief, the plot is well-developed and engaging. The author’s unique insertion and twist on a bit of Cold War history to fit into the story was ingenious and showed a bit of the author’s flare and unique writing style. Although recommended, it is not necessary to have read the other books in the series. Readers who enjoy mystery with a bit of magical realism, humor, and romance will enjoy reading this book and the others in the series. This audiobook was received in exchange for an honest review.