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Love is in the air at Casa Luzzi! Hearts, stars, and tiny gel-cling cupids line the windows while Meg, Clay, Anthony, and Lacey struggle to navigate the waters of their new and (mostly) improved relationships.

But all is not sparkles and sprinkles over at the Luzzi Estate. With Marissa and Clarissa on the run from home, Lacey is tasked to find them – and find them fast. She recruits help in the form of Sherlock and Watson – aka Auntie Nora and Meg – while Anthony sticks close by her side.

As the situation heats up from all angles, things turn spicy between Lacey and Anthony. Secrets from his path are unearthed, while she asks questions about their future. Between a looming birthday, a mystery gift, and the never-ending quest to keep enough underwear stashed in her purse, it’s time for Lacey to face her biggest fears head on. When everything culminates in a dangerous game, Lacey realizes that the end has come.

This time, only one person can walk away unscathed.

** **
Lacey Luzzi: Spiced is a full-length, humorous cozy mystery with a strong female protagonist in the spirit of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, albeit one working for the wrong side of the law…

Note: This book can be read as a standalone, though it is part of a larger series and not all plot lines are resolved in a single book. It is rated a strong PG-13 for sarcasm and mild language. No graphic gore or sex.

405 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2016

470 people are currently reading
301 people want to read

About the author

Gina LaManna

72 books1,465 followers
Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Gina LaManna has also called Italy and Los Angeles home. After studying numbers and equations in college, she realized multiple choice tests were “just not for her” and began writing books instead. She loves cappuccino foam and whipped cream and would subsist solely on sprinkles if possible. She currently lives in St. Paul with her wonderful husband and family.

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5 stars
719 (65%)
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84 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
Profile Image for Cheri.
32 reviews
October 20, 2016
I believe this is the best book in the series. Not saying that any of the other books are bad, but this was just one of the best books I have read in a while. I had a wide range of emotions when reading this. I cried, laughed, surprised and then angry. Lacey has her adventure but this time it was more plot twisting. I sound like a broken record but I can't wait for the next installment to see what Lacey and clan are up to.
Profile Image for Monique.
1,280 reviews56 followers
September 28, 2016
Valentine's Day is approaching and before the two couples can celebrate, they have a job to do. Lacey's young cousins have gone missing and Carlos has asked her to help find them. Anthony is there to help but he is also dealing with letting Lacey know more about his past. There are a few clues as to where the girls might be. We meet a couple of new characters and some old ones return. The only way to get the girls back safely is if the Luzzi family work together, and that includes Anthony and Jackson Cole.

This was another great mystery that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I had moments were I was laughing with the antics, and others were I just wanted to have a group hug with them all. And of course the relationship developments are a favourite too. Lacey and Anthony are discovering new things about each other. Clay and Meg are taking things slow, even if Clay is unaware of certain things. We see a softer side to Meg that made her more lovable. Nora decides following a recipe might actually be a better option and makes something edible. And the ending just made my heart melt. So today is my new favourite day!

Profile Image for Karin.
1,830 reviews34 followers
May 13, 2020
Lacey is asked to find her cousins, Marissa and Clarissa, when they disappear having left a note saying they were running away. However, when they can't be found and their cell phones are found, turned off, in a paper bag in a trash barrel, things get stickier. Before this happened and she became an emotional wreck, Nora has signed the two of them up for a cooking class, sure that if Lacey could learn to cook she'll finally get married. There is plenty of comedy and mayhem as the Luzzis are all working--with the police--to find the missing girls.



Profile Image for Emma.
4,962 reviews12 followers
June 10, 2021
The pepper scene had me ROLLING.
Profile Image for Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️.
736 reviews951 followers
July 4, 2025
Ok guys this is a review for the entire series 😅.
🎧 I did the audios (which was such a mess and highly disappointing) so
I’m gonna break down this whole series without any major plot spoilers but this will have relationship spoilers and the series character progression spoilers.
I wanted a good long audio series. It was my main reason for picking this up!

Overall this was..
Romcom
Suspend disbelief
Silly antics
Mafia family- but also not really done well
Over the top antics
Light and mostly fun listening
Cozy mystery
Crazy reacurring side characters

‼️Book 1-3….
🎧audio was good w a narrator who did voices and personalities.

The first 3 books was hard for the romance. I didn’t like that she was dating OP and that Anthony was wishy washy. I also would have liked confirmation that he wasn’t dating and hooking up w OW.

I didn’t enjoy the weird way the author tried to write a love and romance. She dragged it out way too much and not in a fun way.

😡Why is she still hooking up w her looser ex!
And why is the H waiting so long and sending mixed signals for 4books??!!!

😡Also making the h pathetic isn’t attractive. She was legit in the next room while her ex he was hooking up w OW and she has seen him w a revolving door in his bed. Why is she still hooking up w him in book 3 when Anthony has told her multiple times he wants her and they have had more then one make out sess? It makes her come off as so gross and cheap w no self respect.
Way to much push and pull with Anthony the H. Makes him seem like a douche.

‼️ Book 4-
🎧Audio is the same and still good!
By the end we are finally getting somewhere with the romance! And FINALLY Lacy seems to be growing a bit.

‼️Book 5-
🎧HORRID! We went to VIRTUAL VOICE🫨 after having a great narrator w personality.
Also the story is FINALLY getting better and better and the romance was stating to get super sweet. So I was bummed about the audio big time!

‼️Book 6-
NO AUDIO AVAILABLE!!! WTF I did Alexa reading to me. What a freaking mess!
Also since the romance and story anew literally getting better w each book this is ruining my experience.

‼️Book 7-10-
🎧ALL VIRTUAL VOICE! 🫨 I guess it was better than Alexa reading it to me but WTF I mean this author really needs to get consistent with her audios.
The story was great though these were my fav of the series. We had character growth. Super sweet romance that I loved. And we got some fun storylines and mysteries. TO ME THESE BOOKS WERE THE BEST IN THE SERIES AND WHERE RHE SERIES PEAKED.
Such a shame about the audios! 😭😭😭

‼️Books 11- 12-
🎧BACK TO NARRATION! So great audios
But man the characters and the storylines took a plummet for me. Lacy was annoying me and so was Meg. Anthony turned into her useless husband. I mean he was head security for the mafia and couldn’t keep her safe! And Lacy was pregnant and putting herself in danger. I was annoyed. It’s not cute when you have real adult stuff happening to be acting like an immature child.

‼️Book 13-
🎧Back to ZERO AUDIO!
Fucking hell!!!!!! I mean really!? And I’m over it and ready for this series to end.


‼️Overall my experience of this series was def positive and I did enjoy the majority of the mysteries and stories.
I love the romance after book 4.
But to much stuff dragged to long w the characters and their growth and development.
The audios were a freaking mess! And had I known I wouldn’t have spent money buying the first 4!
By the time the series ended I felt sad to see it go but also ready. I did enjoy watching to romance bloom and grow and then get married and have kids but like I said other factors also made my experience less enjoyable to.

Overall safe.
Book 1-4 not really cause she is hooking up w her ex douche bag BF
No clue is Anthony is hooking up w OW.
After book 3 No OP at all.

🍭🎂ALSO SIDE NOTE BUT NO GROWN WOMAN CAN EAT ALL THAT SUGAR! IT WAS OK AT FIRST BUT ANGUGE TURN OFF WHEN SHE BECAME PREGNANT!
Not cute just gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Loretta TheMoodyRedhead.
1,048 reviews4 followers
August 5, 2023
My favorite book in this series, so far. I really like that each book is at least 300 pages, because although I can’t wait to find out how Lacey escapes in each one, I also want to finish it so I can hit the next book for her next assignment!

Every once in awhile Lacey irritates me to anger and it's usually because of things like this:
"My fingers tensed, and I regretted my lack of a gun. At least for scare tactics.
'Here.' Adriana stood up, pulled a huge, long knife out of the kitchen drawer, and handed it over.
I proceeded to drop it immediately. 'I don’t like knives!'
Adriana gave me a look and scooped up the knife."

My thoughts on that are, Get a grip Lacey, preferably a grip on a knife! I can somewhat understand why she doesn't want to carry a gun, but she needs to at least be a little armed and prepared based on all of her not-so-good luck and her ability to get kidnapped repeatedly, sometimes by the same person. At least she should have a switchblade! Mace? Taser? Shoot, hair spray… to someone’s face! Anything really, because ten pair of underwear ain’t gonna do the trick in a pinch. C’mon, Lacey, you’re a mobsterista not a mouse!

In this read, two very important and innocent girls disappeared with only one clue. Well, the clue was enough for Lacey and her crew to follow, so they did. She gave a spoiled brat life advice and then soon after Lacey fell on ice.

Meg was wild - as usual - and she also turned to Lacey and Nora for relationship advice asking how to spice things up with her new boyfriend. Wait, what?! Independent, bold, and confident Meg asked Lacey for advice?! Yes! Wow, Meg must really like this guy. She does!

Lacey steals Clay's baby and unknowingly traps him and Meg in a Time Machine. She takes a long ride in ten different modes of transportation, including a horse drawn carriage, and faces her stalker in a game of poker. He begins to fall when Lacey calls his bluff by telling him although he has everything - businesses, alliances, and money - what he is and always will be lacking is trust.

Lacey pulls through on her promises, yet again and helps save the day... without a gun or knife. Her dad is there and so is a little girl's mom. Oh! And Nora learns something new, too, and her family and friends ask for seconds and thirds which is shocking and maybe the most shocking of all. No broken teeth or black discs that day.

Then the Unicorn Day magic happens in the form of a kiss in a car wash, a block of blue candy, and an attack to Lacey's ear by a water gun.

Alas, all is well in the Family.

Stay tuned for Lacey, Anthony, Clay, Meg, Carlos, and Nora’s next adventure in Book 9 - “Suckered”.
Profile Image for Marsha.
1,234 reviews31 followers
July 8, 2017
Totally in love with this series and it's entire cast of characters. A clean, hilarious, fun filled mystery with some sweet romance tossed in.

You will laugh with the feisty, sassy Meg. (We can all use a friend like her!) You will swoon and maybe drool a little over Anthony. (He's not just eye candy.) You will wish you had Grandparents like Nora and Carlos. (Just don't tell him he's a big softy.) And you will love and admire Lacey as she continues to gain her confidence in not only her position with The Family, but also in her relationship with Anthony.

As with the other books in the series, this one has all my requirements for a good cozy. First and foremost, it has the humor. (Love Meg's logic.) ;) Of course the mystery (including a bit of suspense,) and wrap it all up in a good romance and I'm hooked. This is clean and safe for all ages.
Why no voting buttons? We don't let customers vote on their own reviews, so the voting buttons appear only when you look at reviews submitted by others.
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Profile Image for Elaine Lucky.
1,128 reviews120 followers
December 28, 2021
It's almost Valentine's Day at the Luzzi estate. Lacey and Meg start reading Lacey's mom's old journal and find a "bucket list" of things that they want to complete and Lacey wants to throw Anthony a birthday surprise. Lacey has been spending more time at she and Anthony's house but she's still holding onto her room at Clay's apartment. Things are looking up until Lacey's evil bratty cousins Marissa & Clarissa wind up missing. Were they kidnapped or did they run away? Lacey is tasked with finding them along with help from Meg. Nothing is as it seems as they sift through the girls middle school life of crushes, teachers, failed spelling test & friends. Along the way Anthony reveals more of his past to Lacey, Meg and Clay kind of try a relationship, & Nora's cooking improves! A nemesis from the past engages in a game and will the cousin recovery actually happen or will Lacey get more than she bargained for? A page turner and an excellent surprise at the end
Profile Image for Ashley Marie.
213 reviews3 followers
November 2, 2018
Ahhh

I absolutely love this series!! I started it back when there wasn't but one out.. However I didn't realize how many were out & have been binging ever since.. Each book it gets better and better but I think this is definitely my favorite!! Lacey & Anthony in the end... Ekkk!! All the feels I got with this one.. I mean stuff seriously happened (not that it doesn't always) but I was worried more than usual while reading this one. Looking forward to the next one as soon as I get a few hours sleep.
Profile Image for Amber Brooke.
184 reviews
March 18, 2019
Our favorite mobsterista takes us on another thrilling adventure in “Spiced”! I love Gina’s writing style and the little tidbits of serious wisdom she drops in these books. This story was particularly captivated as Lacey tries to find her cousins Melissa and Clarissa who have gone missing. I love the storyline and continuing antics of the characters. We get to see several budding relationships in this book and I appreciated that. I found myself turning page after page to see what happened next, and I definitely can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment of Lacey’s story!
Profile Image for Kimberly Gordon-Bercich.
1,859 reviews5 followers
January 9, 2023
Hot

"Don't eat that!" is a line Meg never listens to. In fact, she is downright deaf to those words in that order. So a pepper at cooking class is like a challenge. They should have taken a class to learn how to cook a fish. Lacey finds her cousins by giving herself up to The Fish's machinations. Then she celebrates Anthony's birthday with a twist.

These books are always fun, funny and a smidge romantic.
Profile Image for Tina Knippa.
51 reviews5 followers
May 29, 2018
I absolutely loved this. As much as I enjoy Stephanie Plum, Lacey is just as good at making me laugh so hard I cry.

I’m glad that The Fish is taken care of in this book. I had a feeling when the girls went missing it was because of him.
Also Lacey and Anthony getting engaged at the end made me cry. I was extremely happy. I’ve been waiting for that for a while!!! And on Unicorn Day!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cheyenne.
585 reviews46 followers
November 18, 2016
Yes! Yes! Yes!

This was a great addition to the series! If you're invested in Lacey Luzzi's life, you will love this part of it. A lot of things come full circle, so to speak. Can't wait to see what happens next. :)
627 reviews3 followers
August 15, 2017
Not your typical classic

One of the many common denominators you will find in what would be a classic - raw emotion, heroes....male and/or female, and a strong response from the readers. Well, Ms. LaManna manages to do this with her comic lines and quirky characters.
1,015 reviews1 follower
December 8, 2018
Sugar

This is one of the sweeter stories in this series. Cheer Lacey on as she encounters The Fish again, while trying to finish her mom's bucket list. Enjoy Anthony and Lacey as they move their relationship forward.
439 reviews5 followers
March 5, 2020
Woot Woot Woot

This was my favorite so far in the serious. A little of this and a little of that - the most difficult part of leaving a review is not giving the storyline away. As much as i want to say why this is my fav - i won’t because i do not want to ruin it for YOU.
23 reviews
December 29, 2024
Fun book with surprises

Great quirky characters. Lots of silly and serious passages. Totally enjoyable story line. Sometimes very weird. Sometimes very thoughtful and philosophical.
97 reviews
September 11, 2025
WOW!

Unbelievably riveting! I couldn’t stop reading! Gina LaManna, where do you get the inspiration? I absolutely will not tell anything about the book other than to saw AHHHMAZING!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
281 reviews2 followers
July 18, 2017
I think this is my favorite so far. What starts off as a rather minor assignment turns into a major deal. I liked how all the characters "played" their parts in this book.
2 reviews
June 5, 2018
Love these books.

Smile ,laughs, lots of laughing. Want a best friend like Meg, cousin like Clay. A wonderful, funny happy feel good book
Profile Image for Jordan Anglin.
46 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2018
My favorite Lacey Luzzi Mystery so far! Gina Lamanna’s writing keeps getting better with each book.
Profile Image for SB.
468 reviews
December 30, 2018
One of the better books in the series. It has one of the funniest scenes I've ever read in print. Still don't much care for her BFF, but the plot was good.
38 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2019
Cute and easy to read (or listen to on Audible). Very simple but keeps you enjoying the story up to the end.
128 reviews6 followers
February 11, 2020
Fabulous!

This book had all the feels in it. It’s now one of my favorites in the series. Loved. Every. Page.
9 reviews2 followers
February 14, 2020
Ring Pop!

Cute and funny. Enjoyed this book and love all the trouble Lacey gets her self into. Can’t wait for another one!
Profile Image for Amanda Merrill.
8 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2020
Delightful, Delicious, Delectable!

I just can’t get enough of Lacey Luzzi and her sidekicks! There's adventure, humor, romance, mystery, what more could we ask of a cozy mystery?
28 reviews
August 30, 2025
Great easy read! Light comic book that is perfect when you need a little laughter in your day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews

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