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Spirited Sweets #1

Bittersweet Betrayal

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Claire and Nick are the perfect crime-solving couple.

Except one of them is dead.

Ever since Nick passed, Claire has been able to see ghosts.
Well the grounded ones anyway.
When Nick’s not-so-dearly departed grandma makes an untimely exit, Nick relies on his ever-clever wife to track the clues and bring the killer to justice. Claire is more than willing to take the case if only to send Grandma up to the Pearly Gates and get her out of her hair...and bakery.

If you love a clean paranormal mystery, heavy on the whodunit, you're going to love these quick reads!

70 pages, ebook

First published October 22, 2018

319 people are currently reading
467 people want to read

About the author

Stephanie Damore

92 books159 followers
I'm a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and humor, too. I love all things girlie with a dollop of danger, have a strong affinity for the color pink (especially in diamonds and champagne), and, not to brag, but chocolate and I are in a pretty serious relationship.

My books are fun and flirty, and feature smart and sassy sleuths. If you love books with a dash of spice and twist of whodunit, you're going to love my work!

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5 stars
275 (49%)
4 stars
200 (35%)
3 stars
70 (12%)
2 stars
11 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for Yvonne.
1,338 reviews266 followers
March 11, 2019
After Claire’s husband dies, she’s suddenly able to see ghosts. Her husband, Nick, is one of them. Now, she can see Nick’s grandmother, although she’s not dead. Well, as far as Claire knows, she’s not dead. As it turns out, Nick’s grandma really passed away and Claire figures it’s up to her to find out why. With the help of her late husband, Claire searches for a killer.

I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but what a unique story! It had the feel of the old The Ghost and Mrs. Muir series. It’s not a complex mystery, but it was unusual and the characters were quirky. This is a short story, but filled with much emotion and an interesting “whodunit”. I actually had tears in my eyes at the end. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m definitely going to be reading the next one in this series.
Profile Image for bookswithanna.
459 reviews37 followers
November 5, 2023
So cute!!!
Ich mochte den Schreibstil so sehr! Es war einfach eine kurze, lustige und cozy mystery 😍
6,726 reviews5 followers
October 23, 2023
Entertaining ghost 👻 listening 🎶🔰

This was a free novella e-book from Amazon.

Claire is running a bakery in Northern Michigan. Her husband, Nick, had died but returned as ghost 👻. She is working when Nick and the ghost 👻 of his grandmother show up ☝ in the Bakery. She travels to the estate finding the dead body of the grandmother and a sick grandson. What happened? Is it murder? Or natural? With the help of Nick and the grandmother Claire finds the truth leading to an arrest.

I would recommend this novella and author to 👍 readers of family and friends relationships murder mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😀😡🏡💘
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
October 24, 2018
A great twist at the end - terrific!

A full blooded cozy in the form of a short read. A masterful plot with great red herrings and characters that you will bond with.
Having the floating head of her Grandmother-in-law suddenly appear in the dough can have an off putting effect on anyone but telling them that they are dead is far worse. Now they (she and the ghost of her husband) have to devise a means for the body to be found. Although with her other grandson living with her it should have already been discovered - shouldn't it. Making up an excuse she goes over there for her and the other grandson to "discover" the body. The police suspect foul play as the room is set up for afternoon tea. Fearing poison they call in others only to have the idea poo pood by the grandson and he eats one of the offerings only to become ill. Now she is left to look after the cat but who kill the quarrelsome old woman. Will her idea to go back and look for evidence gleam any clues? Will she find the killer and send the bane of her life onto the other side?
Profile Image for Wulfwyn .
1,172 reviews108 followers
September 29, 2019
I enjoyed this quick cozy mystery. At 70 pages it is just the right size for taking a break out of a busy day. The fall through Christmas always seem a busy and stressful time. A quick, no stress, book is a great antidote.
With Bittersweet Betrayal you can relax and refresh. Claire and Nick, the main characters, have a love tie that goes beyond death. They make me smile and give me hope of finding a love like that. I’m excited that Milo will be appearing in future books. A surprising like, for me, was Adele. I truly enjoyed her. The mystery was good. I was interested but not stressed with keeping track of everything. Being a short, it is fast paced.
This book is available in a boxset. If you like your books longer, I would recommend getting the boxset so you can keep going. If, however, you like to keep some shorts on hand to read between errands on busy days or to refresh with, Bittersweet Betrayal will fulfill that.
Profile Image for Miss W Book Reviews.
1,771 reviews155 followers
October 24, 2018
Bittersweet Betrayal is the First Book (Novella) in the Spirited Sweets Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series. If you love a fun cozy paranormal story, this short story is for you.

In this book we meet Claire and Nick , and they are a fantastic couple, except Nick is dead .
Since his death, Claire can see ghosts. When Nick's grandmother passes, Claire starts investigation.

This is a great paranormal story. I loved Claire and Nick right away. The characters are so sweet and well thought out. I am excited about the next book in this series to see what they are up to next!
1,279 reviews6 followers
February 2, 2022
A light-hearted paranormal cozy mystery with wonderful characters, a good plot, and lots of humor. Indulge yourself, and add a smile to your day.
Profile Image for Jae.
883 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2020
This is the first in the "Spirited Sweets" mystery series, featuring young widow, Claire, and her ghostly husband, Nick.

Ever since Nick was killed in an auto accident, Claire has lost her baking mojo. As a result, her bakery is suffering, and she's struggling to make ends meet. Just when Claire thinks things can't get any worse, the ghost of Nick's grandmother appears. Adele never liked Claire and made no secret of it. By the time Nick puts in an appearance, Adele has disappeared. Nick goes to her house and finds her dead on the floor. Claire knows she can't leave Adele lying there, so she packs up some of her baked goods on the pretense of paying a visit to her grandmother-in-law.

Nick's abrasive cousin, Andrew, answers the door, and he and Claire "discover" Adele dead in her parlor. When the police speculate she may have died by poison, Andrew deliberately eats one of the nibbles on Adele's tea tray. He immediately gets sick and is whisked off to the hospital. In the meantime, Claire takes Adele's cat, Milo, home with her, knowing no one else in the family cares for the cat.

Now it's up to Claire, with help from Nick and Adele, to determine who, among Adele's cantankerous family, wanted the old woman dead.

This was a short, lite read. I enjoyed Claire's character; I didn't have much opportunity to get a feel for anyone else except, perhaps, for Adele. It seemed several family members had motive to want to hasten Adele's demise, and there was a nifty twist at the end.

I'd like to give this 3 1/2 stars. I'll settle for giving it 3. It was good, but unremarkable.
Profile Image for John A. Sillasen.
359 reviews4 followers
April 26, 2022
A Very Short Paranormal Cozy Mystery but Priced Accordingly

Sure this is a short story but its part of a four part series of ones. Claire lost her husband some time ago. At least she's visited by his ghost once in awhile for jovial visits, so there was that. No one else could apparently see his ghost but she told her helper in her bakery. That helped nullify the crazy lady who talks to herself thoughts, at least by Ellen. But his loss caused her to lose her will to bake, her once passion and of course her once thriving business. Now the food was lackluster and tasteless. It got even worse when the disembodied head of her husband's grandmother appeared in her bread mixer! Adele had never seemed to like Claire and was openly hostile to her. So when Claire informed her she was in fact dead, it didn't win her any favors.
Only no one knew she was dead. When ghost grandma and Claire's ghost husband went to do a check on A else's house, it was confirmed. She was dead and no one had discovered her body! Now what? Call her policewoman sister, Autumn? She'd arrest her for sure. Autumn was all by the book. How'd you know she was dead? She needed an excuse to go there and visit so that's what she did. She was totally surprised when Andrew, Adele's other grandson answered the door! How could he not know? Was he that self absorbed? Adele was discovered and found to be poisoned! Now with two ghosts as her aides, Claire had to discover who killed the woman loved by her husband and not very fond of her grandson's choice of a wife. Great partnerships and a really good whodunit story with a Cozy, Paranormal element. Another good Stephanie Dakota story.
Profile Image for Michele.
1,852 reviews63 followers
November 4, 2021
Nick died and Claire threw herself into her bakery--but something was wrong-nothing tasted any good anymore! To top it off ever since Nick died Claire could see ghosts and converse with them. She was pretty used to Nick popping up--but then-

But then Nick's grandmother died all alone in her home. Nick convinced Claire to go find her and let the police know. She did not get along with this woman but went anyway. Much to her surprise the woman's son was there but had not noticed.-then

Grandmother started visiting Claire---oops---luckily Claire remembered that there was a cat which she ended up taking home with her since no one else wanted the poor thing.

Did they find out what actually happened--was Grandmother murdered or just died of old age? There is an extremely happy ending to this clean cozy mystery-and I am sure most if not all of you will agree with it! Read to find out all!!!
1,700 reviews35 followers
December 12, 2019
Claire London's baking has been off ever since her husband's death.
And her bakery was paying the price for it.
Adele London was one of the most unliked people in town. And she made clear time and again of her opinion of Claire. Her grand-daughter-in-law.
No one was more surprised than Claire when Adele's head popped up while Claire was baking, well, maybe Adele was more surprised than Claire as she didn't know she was dead yet.


This was a fun story that surprised me in that I don't normally like short stories. But, this one was a complete story that did not feel like anything was left out, unlike many other short stories I've read.

The only confusing part was in the first paragraph where Claire mentioned recent experiences with the paranormal. I assume she's talking about her deceased husbands ghost hanging around, but that was never clarified.



Profile Image for Bev.
3,271 reviews98 followers
October 25, 2018
Claire is still reeling from Nick, her husband who died in a car crash. Now she has his grandmother, Adele haunting her. Adele and Claire never got along in real life and it seems this trend is carrying on in the after life. Adele's body needs to be discovered as she is lying on the floor in her home. Claire and Andrew, Adele's other grandson, discover the body and call the police. When Autumn, Claire's sister gets there, she notes the room and tells them it is a crime scene. Who would kill Adele? No she wasn't a very nice person, but she was old. There is more than what meets the eye in this story. It is very well written, the story and characters are great! Can't wait for the next installment. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Profile Image for Disney14604.
609 reviews6 followers
November 14, 2018
Really an excellent book!!!!

Really quick fast easy to read book. Author evens says 1-2 hours usually and It was. Yes I read this after reading the second book. It does read by itself.

The kitty is smart and cute too. Wondering if he will have special powers too?

I had to check to make sure it is book one. I felt like I missed something about how Nick is a ghost and what happened to him that he died. Claire says something about what had happened to her in the beginning but I felt lost. Did I miss a novella or a previous series that this book is a spin off from?

This initial confusion is why i gave it four stars. i would give it 4.5 but do not know how to do that, sorry.

This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.
Profile Image for Darla Taylor.
1,852 reviews
August 5, 2019
Claire has been able to see ghosts since the death of her husband, Nick. When the head of Nick's grandmother shows up in Claire's bakery/café, she's surprised to see her so Nick's ghost goes to check on her. He sees his grandmother on the floor of her parlor so sends Claire to discover the body. But when Claire gets to the house, the other grandson answers the door and was supposedly unaware she had been killed. Claire's sister is a detective on the police force and she comes to investigate. Claire winds up taking Grandma's cat home with her and is surprised to learn that she was named his guardian but it's the rest of the inheritance issue that gets everyone up in arms.

While short, this was a cute read and I enjoyed it.
959 reviews9 followers
December 31, 2022
Claire & Nick her dead husband who is a ghost that she can see, have a bakery. But since Nick’s death 2 years ago Claire’s baking skills have fallen off. Then one morning there in her dough is the ghostly head of Nick’s grandmother who obviously has to have died. Trying to work out how to discover her without being suspicious takes a bit of doing. Things go ok as it turns out. But, when Claire’s sister who is the police turns up things get a bit more solemn as she thinks the death is suspicious. A grandson who is staying with her laughs & eats one of the pastries & needs to go to the hospital. Claire immediately rescues the now ownerless cat Milo & takes him home with her. A very interesting introduction to a series.
Profile Image for Judy Johnson.
839 reviews2 followers
November 28, 2018
This is the first book in a new series by this author. I was so excited to read this book because Stephanie Damore has never written a book I haven't loved and true to form, this book was no exception. This book kept me swiping my Kindle till the end of this short, quick, enjoyable read! Just the right amount of sass and snarkiness, humor in just the right places, this paranormal is sure to please! Characters you both love to love and hate and you find yourself cheering about the dead character being dead! (no spoilers, read this story!) A surprise ending that catches you off guard, completely enjoyable, why are you still reading this review, go ahead and take the plunge!
1,769 reviews23 followers
July 8, 2019
One Sour &Sweet Surprise

What a hoot, some in-laws can be nasty to deal with and sometimes they can surprise you,as in life and after. A gal that spends time with her ghost of a husband that she still loves dearly is one thing. But when the cantankerous gran in law's head shows up as a body less insulting ghost first thing in the morning well that just closes any good day and you know it can only get worres right. I thnk you get the idea. A fabulously L.O.L. Read,so well written you just can't resist picking it up and you put it down until you've reached the end word. 😮😥🤔🙄😃😉 Kat
Profile Image for Lise.
1,068 reviews
August 13, 2024
Claire London is a widow, but her husband's ghost watches over her. It's not a great shock, therefore, when his grandmother materialises as a newly formed ghost. Unfortunately, the lady has been murdered and needs Claire to bring her killer to justice.

This story was adorable. Claire's sorrow tugged at my heartstrings and had me on her side from the beginning. When Claire set out to solve the murder even though Grandma was terribly insulting, it completely won me over. I read this in less than an hour but didn't feel short-changed - all the elements of a well-written story were there.

I recommend this to other cosy lovers, especially those who adore cats.
5 reviews
October 27, 2018
In return of receiving an ARC, I am posting an honest review.
Want to read a quick cozy and lose yourself for a couple of hours? Meet Claire, a widow, bakery owner, oh, and an actual ghost whisperer! When her deceased husbands grandmother, Adele, passes away, who does she turn to? Claire of course!! With her husband and his grandmother (figuratively) at her side, Claire knows Adele didn't just die of old age. There was foul play involved! Follow Claire as the clues fall into place in this cozy. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
Profile Image for Lisa Denn.
510 reviews2 followers
October 29, 2018
Bittersweet Betrayal was great! I loved both the characters and story line. The paranormal aspects included in the book were perfectly balanced with the rest of the story so as to not over exaggerate the believeability of the story. Some authors over do their paranormal elements to the point that I lose intetest due to a lack of realism. For me, a good book with a paranormal theme depends on the author's successful trapeze walk between the real world and the after life. Damore scored all A's in Bittersweet Betrayal. Highly reccomend.
1,024 reviews20 followers
March 13, 2019
Hum, wonder why Claire lost her baking talent when she lost her husband and cat? This was a quick and fun reading experience. Love that Claire can see ghosts and that she sees her husband all the time, except when he is playing poker with the other dead men. The plot was very interesting, Adele, Nick’s grandmother always picked on Claire and Claire thought Adele disliked her. But did she really? After all Claire was the first one Adele visited after her death. You will have to read the story to see how the mystery plays out, you will be glad you did.
7,763 reviews50 followers
July 6, 2019
Claire maybe a morning person for her bakery, to have a headless grandmother of her husband appear, is too much. Telling her how to make bread, and the comments,I never liked you much. The question of why is she even here then. a husband who still makes her heart race, is also from the afterlife, who visits her. No one knows of why she is dead and laying on the floor, he wants her to call the police, and how will she tell them. She wants to solve, if nothing else to get her away from the bakery.
A cute story, with a humorous plot. Will be interesting of the other characters that will pop up.
Profile Image for Barbara Hackel.
2,810 reviews46 followers
November 4, 2018
I liked the concept of a widow having her husband's ghost around for comfort and company. However I felt a little disappointed in the build-up of this book. I was expecting more crime solving drama and ghostly help. It was pretty tame in mystery solving and involvement. I thought maybe the author rushed the ending a little and could have developed more clues and red herrings. It needed more tension.
Profile Image for Claudia.
2,986 reviews38 followers
October 25, 2018
This is fun and entertaining, and a fantastic introduction to a new series. A ghost, a cat and an investigation!

I loved Claire and Nick right away, they are a lovely couple and the mystery was really well-thought., with a neat and surprising twist at the end. I'll sure be waiting for the next book :)
114 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2018
Unexpected is the word that I would use to describe this book. Enjoyable is another. I thoroughly enjoyed Bittersweet Betrayal by Stephanie Damore. She has a quick wit and knows just how to play one character of the other. I won't give away any spoilers, just let you know that this book is highly entertaining.
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Short, Sweet and Cozy.
1,496 reviews
October 29, 2018
This is a short cozy mystery but better than a novella! Claire owns a bakery.
Her husband Nick died in a car accident two years ago but his ghost visits Claire. Then Nick ' s Grandmother's ghost appears. Claire hadn't heard Adele died. Claire, Nick and Adele investigate to find out what happened to Adele. Very enjoyable and fun!
Profile Image for Janet Graham.
2,506 reviews11 followers
November 20, 2018
Best Short Cozy Ever!
I so enjoyed this cute cozy mystery. There were parts that were so funny I laughed out loud! The mystery is simple, but it introduces us to the characters of the series. I think that this backstory is essential. This is going to be fun! The mystery, the humor, and the crazies! I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
258 reviews
December 10, 2018
Very enjoyable.

Very enjoyable little story about how much you can miss interpret the feelings of others. Characters were well defined and likable. This is the type of series I like to read at bed time. Interesting and no bad dreams. It can be read as a stand alone but I plan on reading the next one in the series.
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