Billionaire Blend (A Coffeehouse Mystery)

This is the 13th book in the series. Clare is dealing with a mysterious customer who comes in and quizzes her baristas on esoteric drinks. But he has met his match in Clare, whose knowledge of coffee and tea drinks is extensive. After he admits being bested, they are all stunned when a car bomb goes off outside of the cafe. The mystery man is injured and Clare provides first aid until the paramedics arrive. Clare is dismayed to find out that the insurance payout will not cover most of the necessary costs to repair the damage and is worried on how she is going to keep the business going. But her mystery man comes to the rescue; he is Eric Thorner, a tech billionaire, and he has repairs going at an unreal pace and upgrades to their equipment. It turns out that he wants to recruit both Clare and her ex-husband to support a new app he is developing and also help him to gain entry into a very select billionaire’s club by making a unique coffee blend. As they travel around the world, Clare continues to try to figure out who the real culprit is for the bombing before they try again. The book contains a series of recipes and information on coffee.

Every time I pick up a book written by Cleo Coyle, I know she is going to take me on a fun-filled adventurous ride where I don’t want it to stop. This was a great read from the first sentence to a finale that had my heart palpitating as I had to know the outcome of how it will all end. Murder seems to find Clare and when it comes too close to her business, she gets pulled into a billionaire’s grasp and discovers the trickery a person will use to their advantage, including herself.This is a fast-paced read that you don’t want to put down as the pull of the action keeps you on your toes from one scene to the next. Cleo did a great job in keeping me in suspense with plenty of suspects and several twists and turns that were full of surprises. With a superb cast of characters, engaging conversations and a friendly and warm atmosphere, this has become one of my favorite books.One of the best part in this wonderfully brewed and delightfully fantastic series is that I love seeing New York and her surroundings through Clare’s eyes.

An explosion outside the Village Blend propels Clare Cosi into the cut-throat world of high tech competition and the high-pressure social world of billionaires. She finds herself dining in the most exclusive club in New York City and flying by private jet to Florida, Paris, the Orient, and South American (more than once). Along the way she is mugged, assaulted by a drunken but large Australian billionaire, nearly drowned, nearly electrocuted, attacked by a drug cartel (so it seems), and forced to defuse a bomb to save her life.It all has to do with creating an exclusive coffee--Billiionaire Blend--with rare beans now almost unavailable, but it also has to do with corporate take-overs and murder. In her mind, Clare goes from suspect to suspect, most often landing on Eric Thorner, head of THORN, Inc., the boy billionaire who has declared his everlasting love for her, much to the dismay of her lover, Mike Quinn, and the amusement of ex-husband Matteo Allegro. Is Thorner the intended victim or the mastermind killer? Clare takes incredible risks to find out.If you've read other books in the Coffee House Series, you know Clare, Matt and Mike, along with Madame (Matt's aristocratic mother) and Joy (Clare's daughter). A nicely tied-in sub-plot brings Joy back into the action. Mike Quinn is seen less in this volume, but we see a lot of Clare and Matteo.Billionaire Blend is a good read, fast-paced, making you turn pages, but the billionaire's world and the world of high-tech apps, holographs and remarkable digital creations is hard to grasp. Does it really exist? Did Coyle research it? I bet so

We don't see much of Mike or Madame in this one, but it's a fast-paced adventure for Clare as she tangles with amorous, arrogant high-tech billionaires. Who planted that bomb? Who's the murderer? Who's the mole, and what is s/he after?Clare can't help but get involved: her beloved Village Blend coffeehouse has been devastated by said bomb. The coffee lore is downplayed somewhat in this novel. The recent stories have given more emphasis on food and cooking - so you may not want to read these on an empty stomach!The solutions are getting more fantastical as the series continues. This may bother you, or it may not. Just be aware you may be required to suspend belief a few times as the story winds down to its ending.

Very good book.

good

I love the characters in this book and the settings come to life as you read. I can envision the coffee house and Claire's apartment and this really helps when you want to feel that you are part of the story. I liked that there was a lot of action in this book. I really enjoy when the characters are on the move. Although I predicted the outcome I felt that the manner in which it unravelled still held suspense for me. I especially enjoy all the coffee info and background that is put into this series. As I said in my opening, I cant wait until the next book.

Love this series. great story line. Great recipes

Great story as usual. Love anything written by Cleo Coyle.