Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay

 Fondant Fumble

Book Summary

The Fairy Tale Cupcakes crew helps two professional football players in knead when the athletes are suspected of murder and their dream of opening a bakery is crushed.  

Professional football players Keogh Graham and Tyler Matthews want to open a Fairy Tale Cupcakes franchise. They’re spending the off-season in Scottsdale working in Mel’s bakery, learning about the business and how to bake show-stopping cupcakes. The popular athletes bring a boom of customers to the store as football fans flock to see the friends mixing batter and piping icing.

Everyone’s excited the athletes are pursuing their dream of owning a bakery—except for those who fear the players will ditch football for fondant and retire early from professional sports. The angry naysayers include their team owner and Keogh's sports agent, along with some very vocal fans.

When the owner of their team, the Arizona Scorpions, is found dead on the floor of their new bakery following an argument with Keogh, the pros become prime suspects. As the investigation heats up, Mel and the rest of the cupcake bakery crew must step up and prove their franchise owners are innocent before it’s game-over for the new bakers.

My Thoughts

Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay has Mel and Angle helping two professional football players open a franchise of Fairy Tale Cupcakes.  What trouble could two handsome, well-known football players be?  I liked the unique concept. Jenn McKinlay manages to be descriptive without being overly detailed.  I could envision the big football players in the bakery kitchen wearing Fairy Tale Cupcake aprons and holding an icing bag in their large hands (in the case of one player, a cupcake or two that were being quickly devoured).  It was great to catch up with Mel, Angie, Tate, Joe, Marty, Oz, and the DeLaura brothers.  Ray continues to surprise me.  Mel is a friendly, relatable character.  The mystery was entertaining.  I had an inkling as to the identity of the guilty party early on, but I needed confirmation.  I joined Mel as she set out to prove Keough’s innocence by asking questions and following the sprinkling of clues.  The reveal made sure I was not left with any lingering questions.  

There is happy news at the end for Mel and Joe.  I love the humor dotted throughout the story.  The scrumptious cupcake descriptions will have you heading for your nearest bakery.  Fondant Fumble is the sixteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery and it can be read as a standalone.  The author provides the necessary background details for new readers. Mel fangirling over the new franchise owners (she loves her husband, but a girl can ogle the eye candy) was cute.  Fondant Fumble is a sweet treat with delectable cupcakes, football franchisees, a difficult fan, vanilla vomitus, window repairs, and a jovial family.  

Fondant Fumble is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other A Cupcake Bakery Mysteries here.  Check out Jenn McKinlay's other novels especially her A Library Lover's Mysteries.  Thank you for dropping by today.  I will be sharing my thoughts on Hidden in the Night by Elizabeth Goddard tomorrow.  It is the third book in the Missing in Alaska series.  I'm sorry that my links are still looking wonky.  Blogger has yet to fix the problem (we cannot change the color of links and it is duplicating the links--some funky things are happening).  I hope they fix the problem soon.  I am off to contact HP regarding my main computer (thankfully, I have a warranty).  It decided to die the other day.  The battery went down, down, and then it was dead.  I am glad that I purchased the three year warranty (two year and I would have been out of luck).  My back up computer is not a looker (my cat used her nails to pull up a couple of keys), but it gets the job done.  I hope that you have a joyful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris 

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay

 Sugar Plum Poisoned

Book Summary

It’s Christmastime, and this holiday season, things are heating up for the bakers at Fairy Tale Cupcakes, in the newest Cupcake Bakery Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

When up-and-coming singing sensation Shelby Vaughn arrives in town for two weeks of concert dates, she hires her old friend Angie and the rest of the bakery crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge every night.

After overhearing Shelby in a heated argument with her manager, Mel is concerned, but she and the crew decide to make the best of their time working with the star. Just as the bakers fall into the rhythm of the job, Shelby’s manager is found dead, clutching a bit of fabric from a Santa suit and a cupcake. With the bakery crew and Shelby’s backup dancers all dressed in similar Santa costumes, it’s impossible to say who is the killer. When all suspicions lead back to Shelby, Mel and Angie stand up for their friend, determined to prove her innocence before she’s frosted for a crime she didn’t commit.

My Thoughts

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay takes us to Fairy Tale Cupcakes where Mel, Angie, and the gang are getting ready for the holidays.  I always enjoy my visits with the bakery crew.  A blast from Angie’s past, Shelby Vaughn is in town to perform Christmas concerts and she wants Fairy Tale Cupcakes to provide holiday cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge.  The descriptions of holiday cupcakes will have your mouth watering.  Unfortunately, Shelby has a controlling manager that brings out the mama bear in Angie.  When the manager ends up dead, Shelby ends up a suspect.  Mel and Angie don their sleuthing caps so they can solve the crime before Santa rides into town.  I was able to solve the whodunit early in the book.  I did enjoy following the duo as they asked questions and searched for clues.  I kept hoping, though, that there would be a twist (something unexpected to surprise me).  The crime is wrapped up in time for everyone to have a happy holiday.

Sugar Plum Cupcake

I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story.  I had no idea that Marty knew how to twerk, and Ray should never be allowed near the Christmas decorations.  Of course, they should have known better to involve Ray.  We only get to see a smidgen of Oz.  I miss him being in the bakery.  There is some repetition (preparing the cupcakes, the VIP lounge each night, details regarding Shelby as well as her former manager and the dead manager’s ex-wife).  Of course, it would not be A Cupcake Bakery Mystery without movie quotes from Mel, Angie, and Tate.  I felt bad for Mel who is going to host Christmas dinner for the family for the first time.  I believe Mel understood by the end of Christmas day why her mother was willing to give up the hosting duties.   Sugar Plum Poisoned is the fifteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery.  The author provides enough background information that it can be read as a standalone for those new to the series.  Sugar Plum Poisoned is a sweet treat with a sociable singer, a manipulating manager, killer cupcakes, a swaying Santa, a decoration dilemma, a burgeoning dinner, and Christmas cheer.  

Sugar Plum Poisoned is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other A Cupcake Bakery Mysteries here.  The sixteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery is Fondant Fumble which will be out on June 4, 2024.  You can find Jenn McKinlay's other novels here.  Thank you for stopping by today.  Tomorrow I am featuring Baking Spirits Bright by Sarah Fox. It is the second book in A True Confections Mysteries.  I am almost done with the Halloween display in my front yard.  I am just waiting for one last item to arrive.  I will share pictures once it is complete.  The cemetery is hopping as everyone joins in for a night of musical entertainment.  I hope that you have a delightful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay

 Strawberried Alive

Book Summary

The crew from the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop risks getting burned when they set out to find a murderer who is terrorizing their town

 

Life is smooth as buttercream at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery, and newlyweds Mel and Joe are stopping to smell the flours. But things start to crumble one night when an unknown gunman takes a shot at Mel. Though the bullets miss their mark, the cupcake crew goes on high alert to figure out who would want to kill a small-town baker, and why.

 

When more business owners are attacked, things turn fatal, and locals begin to wonder if the killer could be one of their own. Every shop owner in town starts to fear it’s only a matter of time before they too become victims of the mystery murderer. Despite the cupcake crew's superb baking skills, it will be anything but a piece of cake to catch the killer, as they try to prevent anyone else from being berried.

My Thoughts

Angie, Mel, Tate, Joe, and the gang are back for another adventure.  Angie is busy with her six-month-old daughter which leaves Mel handling Fairy Tale Cupcakes.  She has a bridezilla customer who changed the color of her bridesmaid dresses at the last minute which she failed to report to Mel.  It means an all-nighter redoing three hundred cupcakes.  When Mel finally leaves the bakery to head home, someone begins shooting at her.  Uncle Stan, Joe, and her new brother-in-law’s close ranks to keep Mel safe.  Joe even hires a bodyguard to protect her.  One Old Town owner leads the charge to get Fairy Tale Cupcakes booted out claiming they are the cause of the trouble in Old Town.  The shooter is not done and attacks other shop owners in the area.  Mel with cupcakes in hand does a little sleuthing when she can slip away from her guards.  Mel begins sifting through the clues and arrives at a bitter answer.  They will need to act quickly if they are going to catch the culprit before they take a powder.

Strawberried Alive is a delicious tale. I always enjoy my visits with these fun characters.  I thought Strawberried Alive was well-written with developed characters.  They have come a long way since the beginning.  There is plenty of humor in this story.  I laughed so often while reading Strawberried Alive.  The DeLaura brothers are a hoot, especially Ray.   Dwight and Marty with their bickering was entertaining.  I loved the descriptions of Old Town with its charming shops.  Jenn McKinlay brought the area alive with her word imagery.  I especially enjoyed reading about Naomi’s Natural Soap.  The various scents would have sent my allergies into overdrive, but I love handmade soap.  I am especially intrigued with the vanilla and chocolate soap inspired by a cupcake.  Strawberried Alive is a mystery driven tale.  I just love the whodunit.  It was well-plotted and complex.  The reveal was complete, and I like how humor was incorporated into it.  The cupcake descriptions will have your mouth watering.  I find it amusing that whenever there is a traumatic incident (or a joyful one), they all troop to the bakery for a cupcake fix.  It is a good thing that the DeLaura brothers do not hang out there too often or the bakery would be in the red.  Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay is the fourteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery.  While Strawberried Alive can be read as a standalone, you will be missing out on the background of the characters and the relationships (who is related to whom and how).  This series just keeps getting better.  I hope there will be many more tales in A Cupcake Bakery Mysteries.  There are recipes for the cupcakes and their frostings at the end of the book.  There is also a preview for The Plot and the Pendulum which is the next A Library Lover’s Mystery which comes out in the fall.  Strawberried Alive is tasty treat with a troublous bridezilla, scrumptious cupcakes, bothersome brothers, an annoying uncle, a beloved baby, a mystifying murder, a puzzling petition, and a curious crime.

Strawberry Cupcake Soap

Strawberried Alive is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other A Cupcake Bakery Mysteries here.  Jenn McKinlay's next book release is The Plot and the Pendulum which comes out October 11.  It is the thirteenth A Library Lover's Mystery.  You can follow Jenn McKinlay on Amazon so you will be notified when she has a new book release.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will return tomorrow with Summer Love by Nancy Thayer.   I hope that you have a cheerful day.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

For Batter or Worse by Jenn McKinlay

 For Batter or Worse

Book Summary

For Batter or Worse by Jenn McKinlay has Mel and Joe finalizing the plans on their upcoming nuptials.  Oz Ruiz is preparing the cupcakes for the reception which is being held at the posh Sun Dial Resort where he works his magic as the master pastry chef.  Things are not rosy at the resort thanks to the bullying chef de cuisine.  Joe, Angie, and Mel observe a scorching row between the two men while sampling Oz’s sweet creations.  After meeting with the wedding coordinator at the resort, Joe and Mel decide to stop by Oz’s kitchen and see if he has any more cupcakes.  They find Oz crouching over the chef de cuisine’s body with blood on his hands.  Uncle Stan arrives and, unfortunately, must put Oz at the top of the suspect list.  Mel is not about to let Oz take the fall for a crime he did not commit.  Mel, Angie, Joe, Tate, Marty, and the DeLaura brothers sift through the clues and subtlety question suspects.  They need to work quickly so they can clear Oz before the wedding day.  Can the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew find the guilty party before Mel and Joe say I do?

My Thoughts

For Batter or Worse by Jenn McKinlay is the 13^th A Cupcake Bakery Mystery.  This is a sweet addition to a scrumptious series.  It is finally time for Joe and Mel’s wedding (hooray), but a murder may put a crimp in the big day.  I thought For Batter or Worse was well-written with developed characters and it moved along at quick pace.  I love the snappy dialogue between the characters.  I find the movie quotes (the game they play) delightful.  I have enjoyed following Mel and Angie since the beginning of this scrummy series.  There is a delightful cast of characters that includes Angie, Mel, Tate, Joe, Oz, and Marty.  The DeLaura brothers are a hoot.  I laughed often while reading about their antics.  Marty is another humorous character.  The detailed descriptions of the cupcakes will have you salivating and heading for the closest bakery.  The mystery is well-plotted with several suspects, misdirection, and a tantalizing twist.  I had fun solving this zestful whodunit.  I like the romance between Uncle Stan and Mel’s mother, Joyce.  I wonder if wedding bells are in their future.  There are some special moments in this story.  I just loved the ending.  If you are new to the series, I would not recommend starting with For Batter or Worse.  A Cupcake Bakery Mystery series is one I highly recommend reading in order.  For Batter or Worse has lovable characters, laugh out-loud humor, scrumptious cupcakes, and an enticing mystery.  This is one cozy mystery you do not want to miss.  For Batter or Worse is a tasty tale with delectable delights, marriage arrangements, a pregnant partner, a frantic friend, bothersome and brilliant brothers, and an exultant ending.

For Batter or Worse can be purchased from Amazon*.  You can find the other novels in A Cupcake Bakery Mystery series here.  Jenn McKinlay also writes A Library Lover's Mystery series.  Killer Research is the 12th novel in the series and it publishes November 2.  She also writes A Hat Shop Mystery series set in England (it is delightful).  Ms. McKinlay has Wait for It releasing August 10 (a contemporary romance).  Thank you for visiting today.  Tomorrow I am a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Death Gone A-Rye by Winnie Archer.  It is 6th A Bread Shop Mystery.  I hope that you have a sweet day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Wedding Cake Crumble: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery

Happy Book Release Day!  Lost Books and Old Bones by Paige Shelton, A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling, School for Psychics by K.C. Archer, Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson, Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons by Erin Johnson, Death by Sea by Kathleen Bridge, The Road Home by Beverly Lewis, Cinco de Murder by Rebecca Adler and Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay are some of the delightful novels that are now available. 

Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay is the tenth book in A Cupcake Bakery Mystery series.  Angie DeLaura is marrying Tate Harper in just one week.  Angie and Mel have left Fairy Tale Cupcakes in the capable hands of Oz and Marty while they head out to issue payment to wedding vendors.  After visiting the florist, they head to Blaise Ione’s studio, the wedding photographer and old friend of Tate’s.  They find Blaise sitting at his desk with a camera strap twisted about his neck.  Later that day, they discover that the driver Angie hired was found bludgeoned to death.  Is someone trying to sabotage Angie and Tate’s wedding?  To keep their minds and hands occupied, they agree to provide five hundred cupcakes for a book signing Cassie Leighton of A Likely Story is hosting the next day.  The event is for the release of Elise Penworthy’s The Palms which has many people up in arms.  It turns out that Cassie needed a new baker because the one she hired had been murdered.  It seems that Cassie had hired the same photographer and driver for Elise that Angie was using for the wedding.  Mel and Angie rush off to find Elise, but they are too late.  Elise has been stabbed in the back with her own pen (ouch).  Cassie ends up arrested.  Angie and Mel know she did not kill anyone and set out to find the guilty party.  The suspect list for those who disliked Elise is quite lengthy thanks to her book.  Can the cupcake ladies find the killer before the wedding march begins?

Wedding Cake Crumble is not a standalone novel.  You need to read the other books in the series prior to picking up Wedding Cake Crumble.  I thought the book was well-written and had a nice, steady pace.  Jenn McKinlay has a writing style that draws the reader in and keeps their attention.  The characters are well-developed and relatable.  There is a nice mix of personalities and Angie’s brothers will have you in stitches.  Marty is a unique character that has issues with his daughters and his girlfriend, Olivia Puckett.  I was happy to see him stand up for himself (finally).  Oz has come such a long way.  From the descriptions provided, the cupcake tower he made for the wedding was beautiful (the color scheme for the wedding was aqua and pewter).   My favorite character was Peanut, Elise Penworthy’s puppy (he stole the show).  His hijinks will have you laughing out loud.  Peanut and Captain Jack are adorable together.  The mystery was not complicated (unfortunately).  Identifying the guilty party was child’s play.  I thought it was clever how the author managed to work in a mention of an incident from the of A Hat Shop Mystery series.  There are plenty of cozy moments in Wedding Cake Crumble with the family and friends coming together for Angie and Tate’s wedding.  I am looking forward to Joe and Mel’s upcoming nuptials now that they have set a date.  I am giving Wedding Cake Crumble 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).  Jenn McKinlay has provided readers with an entertaining cozy mystery that they will delight in devouring as quickly as possible.

Thank you for reading my latest review.  On April 4, I will be featuring Shipyard Girls in Love by Nancy Revell.  I hope you will visit and see what I had to say about this historical novel.  I hope you find some new books to add to your TBR pile (I believe mine could fill a room or two).  Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader