Delicious Suspicious (A Memphis BBQ Mystery)

Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbeque restaurant-family run and located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, the restaurant is known for its ribs and spicy corn bread, but now the Taylor family will be known for murder-unless Lulu can clear their name... Rebecca Adrian came to Memphis to suss out the best local BBQ for prominent Cooking Channel show. Trouble is, Rebecca doesn't live long enough to mention a bad review. A mystery ingredient has killed her-and now all the fingers are pointing to Aunt Pat's restaurant. Horrified that her family is being accused of murder, Lulu fires up her investigative skills to solve the crime before someone else gets skewered...

I was very disappointed in this book, it was an extremely slow read for me.In fact I was about a third of he way through it when I just had to push my way through the rest of it, to just get to the end and say I finished it. I haven't felt that way about a book in a long time. It just had too many characters to keep up with, it was difficult to remember who was related to whom and what interactions they had with each other. I also felt like there were too many points of view from the characters, I understand that the author was trying to get everyone's two cents put in, but it just made it very confusing. I felt the plot was a little lacking also and that there could have been a better ending. I had very high hopes for this book but was seriously let down, It will take alot of convincing to pick up another one of Riley Adams books next time. Honestly... the best part about this book is the recipes in the back... to me it really wasn't worth the time. :(

Buttercream Bump Off (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery)

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura must be doing something right with their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Their business rival, Olivia Puckett, is parading up and down the sidewalk dressed as a Giant Cupcake to steal customers. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, she's clearly feeling desperate.

Unfortunately, she's not the only desperate one in Scottsdale, Arizona. Someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel's mother. Her mom had been hoping for someone drop dead gorgeous-but not literally. Now she's a suspect, and Mel and Angie need to find time between frosting Kiss Me Cupcake to dig into Malloy's past and discover who served him his just desserts.

A awesome follow up to "Sprinkle with Murder"! I think its safe to say that Jenn McKinlay has me officially hooked on her cute and hilarious cupcake mystery capers! Buttercream Bump Off had a great plot and some hilarious scenarios! I love the bits of romance Jenn McKinlay works into the storyline as well. These books are refreshing fun reads and I cant wait to see what Mel Cooper and Angie DeLaura will be baking up next!

Sprinkle with Murder (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery)

"Cupcakes to Die For!"

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Their first big order is a sweet deal, too-five hundred cupcakes for a fashion designer's wedding. The only sour note is the demanding bridezilla who insists on orginal recipes for the cupcakes.
When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead-by-cupcake, she immediately becomes the prime suspect. The police believe that the secret ingredient in the cupcakes caused her death. To save Mel and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer-before the cupcake killer ices someone else...

This was one of the cuuuuuuutest little cozy's I've read yet! What a spectacular ending too! I did recognize the killer a little over half way through the book but it was still very much enjoyable by how psychotic they were! I love the friendship between Mel, Angie and Tate and I also love the little bit of romance that Jenn McKinlay threw in there as well. All in all this book was absolutely adorable and dripping with so much pink frosting cuteness, that I cant wait to read her follow up "Buttercream Bump Off"!

Sucker Punch (A Candy Shop Mystery)

Abby's life is sweet. She's settling into running her candy shop, dealing with her busybody family, and maintaining a solid-if-slow relationship with local police detective Pine Jawarski. But Abby's smooth sailing soon turns into a rocky road when a friend asks her to audition for a musical with some considerably talented locals. Out of curiosity, Abby pops her head into the chaotic audition-and finds a dead star center stage. Now she needs to find the true culprit and clear her friend's name before her newfound happiness is totally fudged...

I liked this book alot and as usual all my favorite characters. I also liked that this particular book was set during Valentines Day, it let have a look at what Divinity is like during a "holiday". I also liked that Abby took a little break from Jawarski this time around, it showed how she is still very strong she is and that she doesn't always need him to come swooping in and saving the day. It also confirmed some of the relationship "issues" she has with him as well and I think that was a great way to tie them together. My only semi-complaints might be, that the victim was killed a little too soon in the story... it kinda made "downtime" in the story drag on a little. I was left a little stunned to find out that Alexander Pastorelli mysteriously disappears and no one ever says why...? Overall though it was a great book with a very suspenseful ending, and once again Sammi Carter has captivated me :)

-Favorite Quotes From The Book-

"My date was waiting for me at the kitchen door, ears perked, tail wagging, and bits of wicker clinging to his nose and mouth."

"I consoled myself with the fact that I had max. He's warm, attentive, and completely devoted. Who could ask for anything more?"

"I helped wait on customers who raced through the front door in a mad search for the perfect gift. One that looked as if they'd put hours of thought into their choice. And yes, you're right. They were mostly men."

"The constant assault of beef and garlic on my nostrils had me convinced that I was hungry too, but steak tonight would mean ramen noodles for the next two weeks!"

"While our server was in the back mining the gold to sprinkle on each of our dishes, I pasted on a friendly smile and stepped over to Geoffery's table."

Chocolate Dipped Death (A Candy Shop Mystery)

*WARNING: CONTAINS A FEW SPOILERS*

There's no use sugarcoating it-no one in Paradise can stand Savannah Horne. The former local girl is now the trophy wife of a ridiculously wealthy businessman. And she's swept back into town just in time to enter Divinity's Tenth Annual Confectionery Competition-and stir up trouble. But someone bent on sweet revenge will guarantee that Savannah won't make it out of Paradise alive, trapping Abby in a case sticker than her gooey taffy.

Blackmail, deceit, poisoned candy and a hit and run Oohh My!!!

I liked this book alot. It was an enjoyable read and I liked the way the murder was conducted, it was a well thought out process. The killer was a bit cliche, however I did like the underlying true identity to the murderer's character. I also liked how "Karen" the cousin to "Abby" got her turn in the hot seat for a while during this book. I'm not sure what it is about her, but she gets under my skin a little, so seeing her in some hot water felt a little satisfying. ;)

I felt there was a few unnecessary side plots though that deviated from the track of the book. For example when "Abby's" niece gets her tongue pierced and "Abby" has to go with "Dana" to tell her father what she did. Did we really need a whole chapter to tie family drama together?

I did like how the last few chapters really had me on the edge and wanting to race to the end, espeically after chapter twenty. The dramatic ending was also very well played out. So far I find this book has the best ending in the series. It's very suspenseful and adventurous.

This book did leave me with a few questions at the end though; For example, where the heck was "Jawarski" when "Abby" needed him? and how exactly were "Miles" and "Jason" connected in "Miles's" past? I guess we'll never know...

A few of my favorite quotes from the book are...

"I launched into my speech, it took me a few seconds to realize that the only one listening was max (the dog) but at least he had the good manners to stop chewing the toilet brush and pay attention."

"The only way out of this was to figure out a compromise they could both live with. Maybe I could convince Miles and Savannah to forgo the public apology if I met them over coffee. Maybe I could convince Evie to stop crying foul. And hey! After that maybe I could spin straw into gold!"
--There is also a wee little typo on page 66. It should read Evie Rice not Evie Rich. :)

Peppermint Twisted (A Candy Shop Mystery)

Paradise's local artists are up in arms when wealthy Felicity Asbury names herself director of the annual arts festival. But she soon gets her just desserts. Abby finds Felicity dead in Divinity's parking lot--an awl lodged in her chest. And when evidence points to Abby as the suspect, she must put aside her sweet making for sleuthing to discover who was twisted enough to do the deed.
Peppermint Twisted was kind of a slow read for me. It just didn't hold the same finesse as Sammi Carter's other books in the series. I also realized the killer within reading just the first half of the book. I also didn't really care for the way the murder victims or the murderer's tied together in the end. I guess its just because her other books sorta blew me away with the ending. I was happy with the climatic ending though. In my honest opinion the book is good and I'm still glad I read it, I just think its a little on the boring side, so my star rating for this is a 3 outta 5. :)

Goody Goody Gunshots (A Candy Shop Mystery)

When Abby Shaw witnesses a stranger being gunned down on the highway, she's convinced she's seen a murder. Problem is, there's no body. But days later, when a body does turn up, wishy-washy witnesses make things sticky. Even elbow-deep in hot syrup, Abby is determined to find out the truth. And it's not as if she can take her sweet time figuring it out -- she's busy running Divinity, training a new employee, and helping to coach her nephew's basketball team. Not to mention that nosing around for too long could get her killed ...

Once again Sammi Carter has held me captive in another one of her "sweet mysteries".
This book was a little slow at first, but page after page it had me hanging on for more
And just when I thought I finally had all the pieces together of this six degrees of murder, BAM!
Out of almost no where I get side blinded with another twisted tale of whodunit! I particularly love the tip toe romance and she is now sharing with a certain detective and, I am also glad that the book introduced some new characters and friends of Abby's like Richie, Dylan, Marshall and Ginger. Really in my opinion if you want a good cozy mystery... pick this one up, I doubt you'll be disappointed. Oh, and YAY! for my recipes in the back of the book! I think its safe to say, I'm officially hooked on these mysteries and am turning into a big fan of Sammi Carter.

Oh and I have the other 2 books in the series (Chocolate Dipped Death & Sucker Punched) arriving from amazon some time next week, I can't wait to get my hands on them! I hate that I'm reading them in kinda a weird order... but it's not the first time I've done it and it doesn't seem to ruin anything so I think I'm ok :)