Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Mistletoe Cake Murder by Lena Gregory

Posted October 22, 2021 by meezcarrie in contemporary, cozy mystery, giveaway, Lena Gregory, mystery/suspense / 15 Comments

MISTLETOE CAKE MURDER
SERIES: All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery #6
GENRE: Cozy Mystery
PUBLISHER: Lyrical Press
RELEASE DATE: October 12, 2021
PAGES: 219

’Tis the season for celebrating when Gia Morelli’s holidays include both a wedding and yuletide festivities. Until someone naughty delivers a most unwanted Christmas gift—murder. . .

For a native New Yorker, palm trees and warm temperatures don’t equal winter, much less Christmastime. Nevertheless, Gia Morelli’s friends have decked the halls and trimmed the trees to truly welcome her into their “family” with an old-fashioned Boggy Creek, Florida holiday season. Even more joyous, Savannah Mills is getting married on Christmas Eve—the greatest gift Gia could ever wish for her best friend.
But when Gia and Savannah stop by the caterer for a final tasting a week before the wedding, they overhear another bride arguing with her son about her husband-to-be. Moments later, the woman is sampling a piece of wedding cake—gorgeously decorated with mistletoe frosting—then suddenly dies.
Now Gia’s caterer friends are the prime suspects in what appears to be murder by poisoning. To clear their names and ensure Savannah has a merry matrimony will require Gia to conjure up a Christmas miracle . . .
Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

Books In This Series

I. Love. This. Series. I just do. It’s one of my fave series that I keep up with, and I get a little giddy when I know a new book is releasing. Such was the case with Mistletoe Cake Murder – add in Savannah’s wedding & CHRISTMAS too and I’m there for it. (The way this book ended – while I loved it – made me a little nervous that the series was ending, but my googling informs me that there are at least 3 more books in the works. Hooray!)

Gia’s cafe is the place to be in Boggy Creek, and it doesn’t take much reading of the series to understand why. Her warm personality and genuine affection for the people in her circle make it more than just a place to get yummy waffles or breakfast casseroles – the cafe is a bright light in the community and so is Gia. I always love hanging out there on the pages, even as my mouth waters over all the delicious sounding food that she & her cafe family serve up. It’s also a great source for intel (otherwise known as ‘local gossip’) which acts as a sort of enabler for Gia’s sleuthing urges. I enjoy how the author frames her snooping in a way that makes sense and that, overall, she doesn’t make foolish decisions… mostly.

The mystery is smartly done, and I had to keep changing my guesses as to whodunit. There are certainly enough characters who could have murdered the victim, whether intentionally or accidentally, which ensures that Gia, Savannah, and their law enforcement boyfriends have their work cut out for them. In the middle of solving a murder (with a valid motive for Gia to be doing her own sleuthing), they are gearing up for Savannah & Leo’s Christmas Eve wedding, and I thought the author did a great job of weaving those moments throughout the story without distracting from the mystery (or vice versa).

Bottom Line: Mistletoe Cake Murder by Lena Gregory is full of suspects and friendship and, of course, all kinds of Christmas goodness. A clever murder mystery will keep you guessing, and you’ll be cheering for romance and the power of friendship (the latter is often the case in this series). The recurring supporting cast – including the 4-legged variety – adds so much color to the story, whether they are adding dimension & layers to the plot or buoying Gia with affection and help. I love everything about this series, including this latest book, and I can’t wait for the next one!

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

My Rating: 4 stars / love it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

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Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.