Rating: Liked It
Source: Publisher
Description: Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers--Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.
Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there's no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery's signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it's up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good.
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: I enjoy this series and McKinlay is one of my favorite cozy authors so I couldn't resist this one!
My Impression: There's a lot going on in this 12th mystery in the Cupcake Bakery series! Mel and Joe are planning their wedding, Angie and Tate have changes in their life, assistant Oz keeps having to go to unexplained "meetings", and friend and artist seems to be falling apart right before the opening of a major exhibit. Unfortunately, the falling apart ends with the death of the artist and of course Mel is right in the middle of the investigation.
This seemed a little edgier then previous mysteries in the series and while several scenes did take place in the bakery Mel was definitely the primary character with the rest of the cast fading very much into the background. I kind of missed the ensemble cast feel but I didn't mind Mel taking the lead. This mystery read incredibly quickly which was nice but also made the ending feel a bit rushed. While I feel like everything was wrapped up nicely I would have liked just a bit more detail. I did love the very last chapter where we got to catch up with all the rest of the cast. While not my favorite in the series this was a good mystery that makes me excited for the next book in the series.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! McKinlay is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy cozy mysteries you must read McKinlay. While I probably enjoy her Library Lovers series a bit more this one is also a lot of fun.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I'm just saying NO to pumpkin spice these days, Kool Katherine!(lol) Sounds like a good read though, and glad you enjoyed it! Hugs, RO
ReplyDeleteLOL, I always say NO! to pumpkin spice.
DeleteI've read several books in this series, but I can't remember where I left off. I need to figure that out. When I originally saw that this book would be published, I found it curious that it wasn't coming out in the fall.
ReplyDeleteWhile you had a few details that weren't quite to your liking, this still sounds good and that cover appeals to me!
ReplyDeleteDespite the weaknesses, it sounds good. I may add it to my library wishlist.
ReplyDeleteI sure like that cover!
ReplyDeleteI read the first book in this series years ago and loved it. I have no idea why I haven't gone back to it. I guess there's just so little time for all the books I want to read. I will definitely be taking another look at this series, though.
ReplyDeleteSecond review of this book on the blogs this morning. That cover alone will draw you in.
ReplyDeleteI have read the first few books in this series and really need to get back to it. I am glad you liked this one.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Jenn McKinlay but haven't tried this series before. I will have to check it out.
ReplyDelete