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| Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas, a Candy Coated Mystery. takes place on Mackinac Island |
"Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas", the latest book in The Candy Coated Mystery Series by Nancy Coco and a tasty collaboration between TeaTime Magazine and Kensington Publishing, will inspire you to sit fireside with a cup of freshly brewed hot tea and a plate of that sweet confection that is Mackinaw Island's trademark product. It may also inspire you to travel to Michigan's famous island or reminisce about past visits.
We here at BTS did all of the above.
Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas is a murder mystery that takes place on Mackinaw Island, a place where time continues to stand still in vintage charm, supported by large Victorian shoreline homes, the elegant Grand Hotel with its welcoming porch that spans the length of two football fields and the prohibition of any automobiles (other than emergency vehicles). In this idyllic environment, Allie McMurphy, the candy-coated protagonist, solves murder mysteries while overseeing restorations of, and making batch after batch of fudge in, the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge shop. Talk about multi-tasking!
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| A horse-drawn carriage makes its way from the Grand Hotel, part of the island's vintage charm. |
This is a fun read, filled with lovable town folk and a fine assortment of not only smooth and tempting fudge, but equally smooth and tempting eligible men. Allie manages all with an easy-going, but disciplined, manner.
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| Views from the Grand Hotel include the straits of Mackinac |
Nancy Coco, aka Nancy Parra, paints an inviting and cozy picture of island life at Christmas-time; fireplaces blaze indoors, hot cocoa is plentiful and light displays twinkle over fresh snow. And, it's clear you're reading a northern Michigan winter story when the characters spend a good deal of their time donning and doffing parkas, mittens, hats and boots!
Entertaining and fast-paced, the reader gets an extra bonus of fudge recipes sprinkled generously throughout the book. It will surely make you want to ferry to Mackinac Island to sample some of their signature fudge, take ride in a horse-drawn carriage and, the ultimate, afternoon tea a the Grand Hotel.
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Mackinaw Island is a Michigan treasure and afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel is a MUST when you visit. We have been there many times, but a favorite memory of mine is from May of 2012, when our whole family met up for tea and were joined by the Grand Hotel's historian, Bob Tagatz. While we were served scones, sweets and savories and the harpist played tunes in the background, Tagatz shared the story of the Grand Hotel (see A Grand time at the Grand Hotel blog for the whole story).
Afternoon tea guests are treated to beautiful views both inside and out, the latter includes the picturesque straits of Mackinac where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet up and border the mitten state's upper and lower peninsulas.
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| Barb Gulley and Grand Hotel historian, Bob Tagatz |
The Grand Hotel afternoon tea time is also the cover of BTS' Michigan Tea Rooms, still available on Amazon!
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| Afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel, harpist (far left). Photo also cover of BTS' Michigan Tea Rooms |
It's no mystery why the Grand Hotel is a favorite destination!
While the Grand Hotel is buttoned up for the season, Nancy Coco books will keep you connected. Heat up the tea kettle, put another log in the fire, make yourself a batch of easy-to-fix fudge and curl up in your comfy chair with a sweet read and "Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas".
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