There are very few book series I keep up with that aren’t romance. One ensnared me since the beginning, and that’s A Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. Written by Mia P. Manansala, the series follows the same characters with different mysteries.
Most of the time, I’d give up on a longer series yet these books are so fun. Throughout the series, we’ve watched as our main character, Lila, gets herself into more and more hijinks. Coupled with a dash of danger, great food, and a fun sidekick, this series is so fun.
Honestly, I feel like I’m waxing poetic about the entire series but it’s that good. However, since it’s Dog o’ Day, we’re going to talk about the role of Lila’s dog Longanisa in Guilt and Ginataan. Since she’s appeared on every single cover with Lila, it makes sense.
Of course, I have to thank Berkley for sending me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one.
Longanisa plays an interesting role in Guilt and Ginataan.
If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know most of the characters. If you haven’t, then I highly suggest reading all the books before this one or getting caught up. There are so many characters and storylines that carry over. However, if you’re determined, you can figure it out for the most part.
This story hits a little more close to home as Lila’s best friend, Adeena is a suspect in this round’s murder case. Given that she doesn’t remember anything, things aren’t ideal for anyone. It also happens that it’s the rival town mayor’s wife who was murdered. As you can see, everything is connected and it all comes back around once you’re reading this book.
With all that out of the way, let’s talk about Longanisa. While she does appear in the previous books, I feel like her presence made such a huge difference. Not only did she allow Lila to get closer to the killer and figure things out, but she’s just so cute. She makes some of the heavier scenes a bit lighter and that’s nice.
The other thing I adored was how big of a role Longanisa played in the major climax moment of the story. I don’t want to give too much away, but this was such a fun one. If you’re a pet parent who is also a foodie, you’re going to be salivating while reading this. All of the dishes for the Shady Palms Corn Festival sounded amazing.
Guilt and Ginataan feel like the perfect story to pick up while you’re getting ready for Thanksgiving or making a Black Friday game plan. No matter what you’re doing, this story is fun, entertaining, and has enough thrills to make sure you’re questioning everyone.
Guilt and Ginataan is out now where books are sold.