Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Cake Popped Off by Kim Davis

CAKE POPPED OFF
SERIES: Cupcake Catering Mystery #2
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Cinnamon & Sugar Press
RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2020
PAGES: 295

Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead. Can she explain to the new detective on the scene why the Bavarian Barmaid was murdered in Emory’s bathtub with Emory’s Poison Apple Cake Pops stuffed into her mouth?

With an angry pregnant sister to contend with, she promises to clear her brother-in-law’s name. As Emory starts asking questions and tracking down the identity of the costumed guests, she finds reasons to suspect her brother-in-law has been hiding a guilty secret. Her search leads her to a web of blackmail and betrayal amongst the posh setting of the local country club crowd. Can Emory sift through the lies she’s being told and find the killer? She’ll need to step up her investigation before another victim is sent to the great pumpkin patch in the sky.

Includes spooky Halloween recipes!

Other Books In This Series

Take my advice – before reading this book, bake up (or buy) a batch of cupcakes, muffins, cake pops or something similar to appease your sweet tooth as you encounter all of Emory & Carrie’s various foodie concoctions. You’ll thank me later 🙂

In the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure if I liked Emory or not. All those hesitations are gone in Cake Popped Off. She’s engaging and warm, and you can’t help but be drawn to her. I love that she’s not the typical body type for fictional heroines in her age group. I also love her relationships with Tillie, Carrie, Brad – and Randall – and I’m looking forward to how these play out as the series progresses. We get to spend a lot of time with Tillie in this book & I adore her. She is a hoot!

The mystery aspect in Cake Popped Off is well plotted & keeps you invested in the story. About the time you think it’s going a certain direction, a new body is added to the mix and/or the author throws in a new twist I didn’t see coming.

Bottom Line: Cake Popped Off is a fun way to spend an evening – or a weekend, depending on your reading speed. Great characters, a layered plot, and an engaging writing style combine with all the traditional elements of a cozy – plus the added bonus of delicious baked goods! Snuggle in with a comfy quilt, a mug of your fave hot beverage, and Cake Popped Off & you’ve got a good weekend ahead!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received via the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

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Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Kim Davis lives in Southern California with her husband. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters she can be found either writing stories or working on her blog, Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats.  She has published the suspense novel, A GAME OF DECEIT, and cozy mystery, SPRINKLES OF SUSPICION. She also has had several children’s articles published in Cricket, Nature Friend, Skipping Stones, and the Seed of Truth magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

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