Jennifer J. ChowRecensioni

Fun, sure-to-be addicting new magical, cozy mystery series!

Ill-Fated Fortune, the debut novel in author Jennifer J. Chow’s new Magical Fortune Cookie series, is a fun start to what I think will be an addictive culinary-themed cozy paranormal mystery series. Chow’s characters are engaging, the settings welcoming and comfortable, and the plot features not only the protagonist in trouble but also sweet, baked confections and an intriguing magical element.

I loved the cool backstory about the women in Felicity’s family and the history of their magical ways with pastries. I was immediately sympathetic to her earlier disappointment that their gift had somehow passed her by. Felicity was just such a fun character, and having warm and loving relationships with her mother and best friend, Kelvin, made her story even better.

In addition to the unique culinary theme and magical realism, the murder mystery was compelling. The victim makes quite an impression early in the story, and their demise soon follows, off the page, so no waiting around for trouble to come knocking! It’s an insult to injury when Felicity is eyed for the deed when the victim had treated her and her mother so dismissively, and they’d kept to the high road. So, what’s a girl gonna do? Figure it out for herself, right? There are enough red herrings to make things interesting, but enough information slipped in to get an idea of who did it, too.

I recommend ILL-FATED FORTUNE to cozy mystery readers who enjoy culinary- themes and magical elements in their stories and especially to readers who may appreciate a series’ debut with only a small number of characters to keep up with.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Book Review: Ill-Fated Fortune
Stars: 4 X 5
Author: Jennifer J. Chow @jenjchow
Publisher: Minotaur Books @minotaur_books @macmillanusa
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC

Felicity and her mom own an Asian Bakery. Felicity’s mom is an amazing baker who has the ability to transfer joy in to her bake goods. Felicity has he knack to write the fortunes for the cookies. All is going well until an ill-fated fortune is found in a dead man’s pocket. She is now at the top of the suspect list. This does not sit well with Felicity. Felicity will do whatever she needs to do to clear her name and fine the real killer. Joining her on this journey is her best friend Kevin who owns the flower shop next door to the bakery. It was a delight taking the journey myself with Felicity and Kevin to find the real murderer.

This is the first book in this new series. I am also looking forward to reading future books and seeing what happens with the relationship between Felicity and Kevin.
The author did a great job with the mystery and the big reveal at the end.

#illfatedfortune #cozymysteryreaders

Ill-Fated Fortune Cookie is the first book in the Magical Fortune Cookie series by Jennifer J. Chow.

Felicity Jin works in the family “magic” bakery, where most customers experience a happy feeling when eating the pastries from the bakery. Felicity has had some big disasters in the past and fears that the magic touch in baking has escaped her. Felicity finally has produced some tasty fortune cookies, to which she Ill-Fated Fortune Cookie is the first book in the Magical Fortune Cookie series by Jennifer J. Chow.

Felicity Jin works in the family “magic” bakery, where most customers experience a happy feeling when eating the pastries from the bakery. Felicity has had some big disasters in the past and fears that the magic touch in baking has escaped her. Felicity finally has produced some tasty fortune cookies, to which she has added personalized fortunes. But her first customer is found dead after eating his fortune cookie.

The book was well-written and plotted, but it was not for me. The characters just did not appeal to me.
Ill-Fated Fortune Cookie is the first book in the Magical Fortune Cookie series by Jennifer J. Chow.

Felicity Jin works in the family “magic” bakery, where most customers experience a happy feeling when eating the pastries from the bakery. Felicity has had some big disasters in the past and fears that the magic touch in baking has escaped her. Felicity finally has produced some tasty fortune cookies, to which she has added personalized fortunes. But her first customer is found dead after eating his fortune cookie.

The book was well-written and plotted, but it was not for me. The characters just did not appeal to me.
has added personalized fortunes. But her first customer is found dead after eating his fortune cookie.

The book was well-written and plotted, but it was not for me. The characters just did not appeal to me.

Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow is the debut of A Magical Fortune Cookie series. I wanted to like this story, but I was unable to get into it. I found the characters to be flat and I was not a fan of Felicity (she is a whiner especially about getting up early). The plot was predictable with inconsistencies and repetitive details (such as Felicity not being able to bake, not having the family gift, she not like getting up early). I thought the fortune cookies were too simple for a bakery (just plain fortune cookies—did not use a high end vanilla or even dip half the fortune cookie in tempered chocolate). I was baffled as to why Felicity shaped the fortune cookies on the rim of a mug (I know it is a small detail, but it seemed odd considering the items on hand in a bakery). I also thought her fortunes were pitiful (she could have gone online and found fortunes to print). I know I sound nitpicky, but the little details can make a story realistic, entertaining, and interesting. I thought the magical element was lacking (I like the idea). The mystery was simple. Felicity and her friend, Kelvin investigate the whodunit clumsily. The guilty party can be identified easily and early. The resolution was anticlimactic. The story has a feel-good ending, but it took forever to get there.

This first mystery in the Magical Fortune Cookie series was an enjoyable series debut. Sleuth Felicity Jin (also known as Alissa), a baker in her family's magical bake shop in Pixie, California, near Fresno.

While the book started a bit slowly for me, it soon picked up. I really liked the main character (Alissa), as well as her mother and her best friend, florist Kelvin.

I think this series shows a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to reading new installments in the series.

One gripe I had, though not a major one, is that there were so few suspects to consider. Enjoyable nonetheless.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Can’t wait to read the sequel. I’m loving cozy mysteries lately.

I loved Death By Bubble Tea, the first in this cozy series by Jennifer J. Chow. I married a Chinese American and am crazy about Asian food and love the annual traditions and customs like getting together with friends and family for Hot Pot.

Yale gained experience working at her father's restaurant and now has a night marker food stand with her cousin, Celine who is temporarily staying with her. The story is set in Los Angeles and brings back many memories of eating in different Chinese restaurants. That is a bonus for me.

Her father belongs to the Asian restaurant association and Jennifer and her cousin get invited to help at the celebration at Thanksgiving time. She was looking forward to the traditional turkey dinner but it will have great food.

Unfornately, the president of the association plugged in an electric cord to a hot pot that was wet and was shocked to death.

Yale and Celine uncover some clues which help to determine the true murderer.

Besides being a great cozy, this book makes me feel at home.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Hello Fellow Readers,

I really enjoyed this book. I knew I was going to since cozy mysteries are one of my favorites genres, but I was surprised at how much. In the beginning, I wasn't sure about Yale. She's a booklover but doesn't like technology, doesn't have a computer or a phone. I thought she would be obnoxious about it, but she isn't. Yale really did grow on me, her quick thinking combined with her tenacity to solve this case really makes you like her.

I was also really surprised that I liked Celine as much as I did. You think she would be this self-centered, airheaded influencer, but she's the opposite. Celine was my favorite characters and I really wished that we got a couple of chapters from her POV. The only person I really despised (besides the killer) was Nik and his whole side story. I felt it was unnecessary and really didn't add anything. This kinda sucks because I have a feeling he's going to get a bigger role with the next book and could become a potential love interest .

The story was good, and kept he entertained but I did end up guessing who the killer was although not how thy committed the murder. This doesn't take away from the story at all though and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be looking into Chow's other books because I really like Chow's writing. I will also definitely be picking up the next book in this series.

Overall, a very good start to which I am hoping is a solid mystery series.

This was the first book I read in the series and it did give me enough back story that I felt it could be read as a standalone. An amateur sleuth can communicate telepathically with her cat, Marshmallow to help solve a mystery to help her friend. Cute cozy mystery and perfect for animal lovers.

A quick read with some deep topics! Motherhood and the deep yearning to protect ones child, the individual/family/society dynamic, morality, light paranormal. The characters are well formed and compelling.

Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow is a 2022 Berkley publication.

I really wanted to like this one. The title and cover were a big draw, but unfortunately, the book was too busy, with far too many characters. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural, there’s very little chemistry or emotion between the cousins- and the mystery just did not grab me.

1.5 stars½

cozy-mystery, contemporary, Asian-Americans, food, crime, thriller, recipes, restaurant, amateur-sleuth, family, friends, friendship, thanksgiving, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, small-business, marketing, multicultural, multigenerational, influencer, cultural-differences, cultural-exploration, relationships, grieving, suspense, verbal-humor, relatives*****

Yale Yee and her father operate a food stall named Wing Fat family Dim Sum restaurant. Her cousin Celine from Hong Kong shares Yale's apartment and is a well-known social influencer. At what started out as a family Thanksgiving celebration the president of the restaurant association is electrocuted, but the local detective says that it's no accident. Let the sleuthing begin! Good story!
I requested and received an EARC copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!

Jennifer J. Chow cooks up some great bubble tea and clever cozy mystery. I was sure that I liked Celine when she came to visit Yale Yee but I sure did at the end.

Loved that this cozy is family one, I loved her father and I definitely want to read the next book ib this series, Hot Pot Murder or Huo Guo in Mandarin. I lived in the LA area and grew to love downtown LA and all the Chinese Neighborhoods, the food, music and the people. Beside enjoying a page turner cozy mystery, this book back some many cherised memories of Boba tea and Dim Tea. I remember crying when we drove a long ways to find out that our favorite Chinese vegetarian had closed. We ate their with a Buddist monk, on dates and had a few small wedding dinners there.

The murder weapon turns to be one that I would have never have thought of, I was fascinated to the end!

If you love the Chinese food scene of LA and cozy mysteries, this book will be perfect for you!

I really liked the small community feel of a big city story. Cousins Yale and Celine are tapped to man Ba's food stall at the newly launched L.A. night market. It's fall, many wear costumes to the late-night event to add to the carnival like atmosphere. They are shocked when one of their unique bubble tea glasses are found by a dead body as the market closes for the night. What Yale lacks on the technology side, Celine more than makes up for by her work as an influencer. The two utilize both social media and ties to the community around UCLA to help discover who killed food instagrammer Jordan Chang.½

Cousins Yale and Celine haven’t seen each other in twenty years, not too surprising when they are worlds apart, figuratively and literally. Newly arrived from Hong Kong, Celine is visiting Yale and her father. Yale and Celine are coerced into running a food stall together at a night market, but it’s a struggle for these young women to connect with each other after so many years apart. They are thrown together later for a common cause: solving the unnatural death of one of their customers. Celine is high on the suspect list, and even Yale’s father’s restaurant is losing business because of his daughter’s involvement with the dead woman. The first in a new series, there is a lot of character building as well as backstory in the first past of this novel, but the action picks up in the last half. The mystery may be a bit weak, but the flavor of the story is delightful. Filled with references to Asian dishes and more, real recipes are also included. The writing is good, and the characters are quite interesting. I hope future stories will include more of Yale’s father and the other restaurant owners - they seemed more interesting to me than the media influencers.

Mimi’s benefactor has generously offered her a few days at her summer vacation home. Even as Josh and Mimi makes plans for a romantic weekend, a rash of burglaries at the resort homes threaten their good time. It gets worse when a body is found, and Mimi’s friend becomes a person of interest to the police. It’s a good mystery, but the star of the show is Marshmallow, Mimi’s cat. He possesses some extraordinary talents, and is instrumental in saving Mimi from harm. It’s a well written tale, with likable characters and delightful pets. The third in the series, I’m hoping it’s not the last.

Mimi’s sister becomes the prime suspect when a fellow teacher is found dead. Poisoning is suspected, and Alice did give her something to settle her stomach. Mimi just can’t sit back and let the detective solve the case. She knows her baby sis is innocent and she will prove it! Unfortunately, every time she thinks she has discovered a major clue in the case, it fizzles out. To add to her problems, she is afraid her dad has lost interest in her mom. It’s a good thing she has her faithful - and talented - cat Marshmallow to aid in her sleuthing. He is even more talented than Mimi suspected. Another rescue cat, now called Nimbus, is also instrumental in nailing down the clues. It’s a dangerous trail but a fun read, made even more so by these extraordinary cats. Well written with delightful characters, there is a bit of romance in the air, which, hopefully, will soon blossom into something more.

Mimi Lee runs her own pet grooming shop. She adopts a cat, or maybe it’s the other way around. Anyway, Marshmallow is able to “talk” to Mimi, his new owner, by some mysterious talent she has yet to figure out. His lips don’t move, but she can hear what he says in her head. It’s sort of one-way telepathy: she has to speak to Marshmallow. He can understand her as well as understanding what other animals say to him. This comes in extremely handy when a disreputable dog breeder turns up dead. Of course, a neighbor heard Mimi arguing with him the day before his body is found. (If reading cozies has taught me anything, it’s never to argue with anyone in public and don’t be the last known person to see the deceased.) Mimi enlists her neighbor, a handsome lawyer, to help prove her innocence, but really, it’s Marshmallow who saves the day. It’s a delightfully cute tale, entertaining and intriguing. It’s well written with interesting characters, especially the Malaysian mother who is trying to marry off her daughters.

Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow is the debut of LA Night Market series. We meet Yale Yee who lives in Los Angeles, and her cousin, Celine who is visiting from Hong Kong. Yale’s father asks the pair to run his stall at the Eastwood Village Night Market which will feature some items that Yale has wanted her father to add to the menu of the family restaurant. Yale will do the food and beverages while Celine will be in charge of marketing and decorations. After a bumpy start, the evening turns out to be a hit. As Yale is walking home, her cart hits an obstacle near the fountain. It turns out to be a dead woman. Yale later learns that the victim has visited their stall at the market and purchased a drink. Yale and Celine find themselves at the top of the suspect list because Celine added gold flakes to the drink (without letting Yale know). The two cousins must work together if they are going to clear their names and restore the reputation of the Yee family restaurant. I like the concept for Death by Bubble Tea. There are few cozy mysteries that feature people of Asian descent. There are mouthwatering food descriptions (I really need to find a good Chinese restaurant in my area). I was not a fan of either main character. Yale and Celine are opposites. Yale avoids technology while Celine posts pictures of food and drinks on Instagram. Celine likes fashionable clothes and high-end everything. Yale is happy to wear comfortable clothing and work in the local bookstore. Yale loves books which I can relate to, but she is also a bit of Debbie downer. She is still mourning the loss of her mother and feels that her mother’s death was her fault. The reason why Celine had to depart Hong Kong was silly in my opinion. I did not feel it warranted banishment. The mystery had several suspects along with misdirection. The clues are subtle. You never know what detail might be important. The mystery can be solved before the reveal for those who are avid armchair sleuths. I liked that there was a complete wrap up. I did feel that the medical examiner should have been more on the ball. I know it is fiction, but there does need to be realism. Certain details did not track with the supposition. I was not a fan of Yale’s old high school rival. He is an obnoxious jerk (Yale should have told his mother what he was doing). I found the pacing of Death by Bubble Tea to be slow courtesy of the overly detailed descriptions. I liked Yale’s sweet father. He is a good man with a big heart. It was interesting learning about the night market. It sounds like quite a festival with the food, costumes, games, and socializing. Death by Bubble Tea was a mixed bag for me. Death by Bubble Tea is a culinary cozy with a brilliant beverage, night market magic, a poisoned ninja, a nasty nemesis, a determined detective, enticing nibbles, and a cold killer.

Mimi Lee is in over her head.

There's her new Los Angeles pet grooming shop to run, her matchmaking mother to thwart, her talking cat Marshmallow to tend to—oh, and the murder of a local breeder to solve...now if only Mimi hadn't landed herself on top of the suspect list.

When Marshmallow exposes local breeder Russ Nolan for mistreating Chihuahuas, Mimi steals some of her cat's attitude to tell Russ off. The next day the police show up at Hollywoof

Russ has been found dead

Hoping to clear her name and save the pups Russ left behind, Mimi enlists help from her dreamy lawyer neighbor Josh. But even with Josh on board, it'll take Mimi and Marshmallow a lot of sleuthing and more than a little sass to get back to the pet-grooming life—and off the murder scene.

Thank you Goodreads and Berkley Publishing Group for a chance to read Mimi Lee Gets a Clue #1 in A Sassy Cat Mystery by Jennifer J. Chow!

I was surprised to find that I really liked this book. It was easy cozy mystery read. The characters are a lively bunch and easy to like. A whole lot of humor and sass all the way are it was just a lovely book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants to have a good laugh listen to a sassy cat and a mystery. I never really found myself drawn to the cozy mysteries. The ones that seem to all have a type of food in the title. I don’t know why. I just never had the desire but I loved this book. I look forward to reading more by Jennifer J. Chow. Happy reading everyone!

Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines by Jennifer J. Chow is the 2nd book in A Sassy Cat Mystery series. I recommend reading Mimi Lee Gets a Clue before embarking on the newest addition. I did not and I was lost in the beginning. Mimi Lee owns Hollywoof, a pampered pooch palace in Los Angeles, California. She owns a cat that communicates with her telepathically named Marshmallow. Mimi is close to her teacher sister, Alice. Her father always seems to be busy with golf while her mother spends her time trying to marry off her daughters. When Helen Reed, a teacher at Alice’s elementary school, is murdered, Detective Brown puts Alice at the top of his suspect list. Mimi is not about to let her sister linger on the suspect list when she can do a little snooping with the aid of Marshmallow. The whodunit had several suspects, a red herring, and subtle clues. I like how Mimi and Marshmallow work together to solve crimes. That Marshmallow is one smart cookie. The mystery can be solved before the reveal if you pay careful attention to the clues. When not at her pet salon, she spends time with her boyfriend, Josh. They get to enjoy Valentine’s Day together. Mimi and Alice are worried about her parent’s marriage. They decide to plan a little something to help them. Alice finds a small kitten outside her classroom that Mimi takes into her home. She calls the little ball of fluff Nimbus who has something in common with Marshmallow. Mimi will need to come up with a plan to keep Nimbus safe. As you can see, Mimi is one busy woman. She certainly gets some unusual requests at Hollywoof. They provided humor in the story. We also get to learn about the Lee family mixed culture and the food they enjoy (lots of yummy food descriptions). I enjoyed the Harry Potter references and loved the nook under the stairs in Helen’s home. Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a cute kitten, a matchmaking mama, fun foreign fare, parent problems, a setup sister, one panicky principal, and a cheeky cat.

I devoured this book in a weekend. Loved the sense of humor, and the sense of place. While this book had some "wacky" elements that I don't usually like (talking pet, busybody mother), they worked in this book. I also appreciated that the book features a half-Asian-American protagonist, and had other Asian-American characters as well.½

The thing about this book is I had to keep pausing to cry. Don't mistake me, that's a recommendation. I was so drawn into this story and related so well to each point of view character, that I laughed and cried with them.

You might identify most with Silk, who strongly identifies as Taiwanese; or her daughter Lisa who thinks of herself as only American; or granddaughter Abbey who says she is American born Taiwanese-American; and all the things they experience.

You might also relate with Silk and Jack's aging, Lisa's desire for a father, Abbey's longing to belong and unwillingness to sacrifice her morals, Silk's health issues, Lisa's caretaking for a parent and a child, Silk's grief over the loss of her husband and her country, or Jack's loneliness.

You will cry when you read this book. You will laugh. And you will come to love these characters.

(Provided by publisher)

A Chinese haunting.
This was an unusual read with a highly moral message. I enjoyed the narration of the audio version by Kieren Metts but I wasn't so taken with the story itself.

Set in 1880 in Fresno, California, the narrative is based around an immigrant Chinese family. Topaz Woo is just seventeen when she dies in childbirth, leaving the newborn Jas without a mother. Topaz's spirit does not want to abandon her young daughter, so she is given the option of watching her child growing up in return for teaching her the ten commandments. Topaz is barely able to make her presence known but a guardian angel oversees the education of the commandments in the manner that Topaz decrees.

Implication of the initial commandments seems fairly innocuous but the later ones appear to have a more far-reaching effect. For example the commandment, 'you will not covet other people's belongings'. Topaz decides this will be enforced by only allowing Jas to use her own possessions, in response to which Jas starts labeling everything she deems belongs to her, including her new school friend.
Actually I found the ten commandments a bit irritating, especially when I knew that if we were only on number five, we still had five more to go.

One of my main problems with the book was that I was expecting historical fiction, but although it was ostensibly set in 1880, it could equally well have been a current story, there was absolutely nothing that fixed it in any time period for me.

Not a book I was tempted to abandon, but equally, not something that particularly grabbed me.
Beautiful cover though!