Piper Jane Mackenzie, mayor of Honey Creek, won’t let a major scandal rip her quirky hometown apart, or jeopardize her dream of one day running for higher office. So she’s willing to welcome undercover detective Colby McBride, hired to help solve the mystery behind her wannabe fiancé’s disappearance. Colby’s cover? That he is an old boyfriend now begging Piper for a second chance—always when there are plenty of townsfolk around to witness his shenanigans. 
 
Piper hardly knows whether to laugh or cry, especially when she finds herself drawn to the handsome rascal. He’s not the only newcomer she has to deal with. There’s a new interim preacher in town, Sam Cassidy. Drifting from one assignment to another since his one love died, Sam isn’t sure he’s the right fit for Honey Creek. But as Piper knows, this is a place chock-full of surprises. And if she can keep her town—and her heart—from going completely off the rails, there may be a sweet, unexpected future in store.

Titles in the Honey Creek series include — Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café –

Title:  Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café
Series:  Honey Creek #1
Author:  Jodi Thomas
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  May 26, 2020
Publisher:  Kensington Books – Zebra
My Rating:  4.5 stars

‘Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café’ begins the ‘Honey Creek’ series with a bit of mystery, definitely people who aren’t exactly who they first appear to be, all the fun of a quirky small town with romance in the air for some residents.  We meet Piper, the mayor of Honey Creek with a bit of a PR problem on her hands since the friend who claimed they were engaged (they were not) has done a disappearance act and many are wondering just what the mayor has to do with that situation.  Colby who has been hired by her brothers to investigate Boone’s vanishing act and the jilted, still in love wanting a second chance lover is the perfect cover for those questions he’s asking around town.  Then there’s Sam, the new preacher in town who is not everything he appears to be on the surface.  Finally, Pecos, a young man about to graduate high school and leave behind the sad and complicated life he’s lived right under the noses of the residents of Honey Creek.

I enjoyed myself very much in ‘Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café’.  There is world-building, of course, there has to be some when it’s the beginning of a new series, but I didn’t find any of it overwhelming.  I fell in love with this small town with its secrets, residents who are, for the most part, good-hearted, and characters who came alive on the pages quite easily.  The writing is smooth, the plot interesting, and the people we meet are as diverse as can be found in any small town across the country.  There are threads woven throughout this story that I’m guessing will be picked up on throughout the series.  So, not all answers will come in this one, but it is a series so that’s not unexpected.  I had a blast with this one, and I’ll definitely be watching for the next story in the series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available in paperback, audio, and for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle