Sometimes weddings can be murder.Pastry chef Tess Crawford thought moving from Chicago to quiet Silver Springs, Arizona would simplify her life. That was before she found the body of a maid-of-honor with whom she had traded heated words the previous night, left her fingerprints on the murder weapon, and came under attack for trying to clear her name. When her cheating ex-fiance shows up, intent … ex-fiance shows up, intent on convincing her to come back to work for him, Tess—armed with an extra batch of éclairs—decides to take control and solve the mystery herself, with the help of a few friends.
But will that be enough to save her when her investigation gets too close and the killer decides it’s safer to get her out of the way?
The Sweet Bites Cozy Mystery series:
Brownies & Betrayal
Pistols & Pies
Muffins & Murder
Eggnog & Extortion
more
Fun read moving on to the next one!
Liking mysteries and cooking i absolutely enjoyed this book. Fast reading, too.
Good story
Can she solve the murder before the killer finds her?
Tempest Crawford has come home to Silver Springs, Arizona after dumping her philandering fiancé. She is excited to be opening her own shop to showcase her baking skills after walking away from the job in Chicago that built her reputation. Her first wedding event turns from triumph into nightmare when she discovers the maid of honor dead in the reception hall the night before the wedding. When Tempest looks at the tormented face of the victim’s young daughter, she is determined to find the murderer. Her investigation soon turns into a web of potential suspects and incidents occur that may mean she has become a target. There were plenty of twists and turns to make this a very enjoyable cozy mystery.
It’s an okay read. They’re nothing revolutionary or necessarily new about this story. A big city girl returns to small town roots to open her own business. On her first job she gets caught up in a murder investigation. I think the characters have potential but I believe the biggest issue with the story is why does Tess care. There’s no personal connection where you would think ok that’s a compelling reason I understand why she’s involved. The cops seem completely incompetent compared to an amateur which is unrealistic. I finished the book because I got about halfway and thought I had the solution and wanted to see if I was correct. Otherwise I probably would’ve stopped about a quarter of the way in. Plenty of wonderful cozy mysteries out there and while I really wanted to like this one it just doesn’t stand out. I’d give it a pass.
I liked the story. It was a twisting ‘who dunnit’ plot with a lot of potential suspects. It was a fun, lighthearted read that kept me entertained until the end.
A culinary mystery.
DNF 23%
I really thought I would like this book because it has everything I usually go for in a cozy mystery. Unfortunately all I have felt while reading this is indifference. I haven’t connected with the main character, Tess, nor any of the side characters. While I didn’t get far, there was one major thing that irritated me. One was that Tess body shames herself because she enjoys sweets. She is a baker! If she doesn’t enjoy sweets there is a problem. Also there is nothing wrong with enjoying sweets and not having the “perfect image.”
So overall I am giving up on this book. I am not going to rate it either because like I said earlier, I was pretty indifferent about what I read so no rating for this one.
I’m definitely going to read more by this author!
loved the entire series
It keeps your attention. Well written
Loved this book. Easy read. Enjoyable and relaxing.
This was an entertaining book, light hearted story. I enjoyed it very much.
Fun book and fun to read!
Much better than I thought it would be. My first venture into cozy mysteries so not sure what to expect.
Good reading! Funny and a few twists and turns re who the culprit was. Enjoyable book.
I enjoyed it. its not a heavy read, but I think it needed a cat, I even wrote down the recipes.
I think this is a terrific start to a new series! This story has murder, mystery & romance all in one quick paced, witty package. Tess caught her fiancé kissing another woman, broke off the engagement & went to visit her hometown. While she was there, her best friend convinced her to transform the restaurant her grandmother left her into a high end bakery. Tess decided it was time to come home. Soon, she’s involved with renovations, flirting with the brother of one of her former classmates, trying to solve a murder & having feelings for the paramedic that keeps having to treat her. Things get even more crazy when her former fiancé comes to town to try to get her back to Chicago. What’s Tess going to do?
The plot to this story was fast paced & very involved. There were a lot of pieces but they fit together nicely. The love interests between Tess, Jack & Shawn are just getting started & I can’t wait to see how it develops & which one she decides she should be with. There’s a lot of action & twists & turns to keep the reader fully involved in the story. I really enjoyed the ratio of romance & mystery in this story & can’t wait for more!
Kept me turning pages. Also I had a few late nights because I didn’t want to put it down.
It was a fast read and a light book, but entertaining