Review: Muffin But the Truth

 

* Book 16 in the Bakeshop Mystery series * 

Juliet and her team are catering a company retreat. Even before they arrives, Jules wishes she hadn't taken the job. They're looking for glamorous camping food. When the executive arrives, she's not pleased. But the menu is set and there's not much that can be done to change it. 

The first dinner at Torte is tense; the executive has made it very clear that this trip isn't a retreat but a working weekend. Tensions run high among the co-workers. Jules is not looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

Things get worse as the weekend continues. Accidents happen, but the first night seems to work. But the next morning, Jules discovers a body in the river. At first glance, it looks like the executive, but it is not her. Could it be a case of mistaken identity? 

My Thoughts: I really love this series - for the characters, the baked good, and the mystery. I had this one all wrong - I like how mysteries still surprise me. I liked how the setting was set in town, but also not.  The people at the company were all terrible, which made for an entertaining read. And this cozy sets everything up for the next book in the series. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have series for your public library.

On Your Radar: 52 (The Diva Says Cheesecake)

Title: The Diva Says Cheesecake

Book 15 in the Domestic Diva series

Author: Krista Davis

Publisher: Kensington

Publication Date: May 31, 2022

Why it should be on your radar:

*Favorite Characters

*Mouth Watering Food

* Cozy Mystery

* Cheesecake

* Dogs

*Neighbors and Community

* Small Town Charm

* Natasha drama

* Restaurant drama

I really enjoyed this chapter in the series. I always love catching up with these characters and seeing what's happening around town. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. Excited to see what's next for Sophie and the gang. 

** ARC from Netgalley

Library Recommendation: Another great addition to this charming series - perfect for readers of the series, foodie cozies, and Hallmark Mystery Movies.

Book Spotlight: Homicide and Halo-Halo

 

About the Book:

Death at a beauty pageant turns Tita Rosie's Kitchen upside down in the latest entry (Book 2) of this witty and humorous cozy mystery series by Mia P. Manansala.

 Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new café after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt's Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie's Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.

 To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case—because it looks like one of them might be next.

About the Author:

Mia P. Manansala is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and badass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.

She is the winner of the 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, the 2017 William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy scholarship. She's also a 2017 Pitch Wars alum and 2018-2019 mentor.

Doesn't this sound great?