Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinley

Book: Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinley

Series: A Cupcake Bakery Mystery

Published:2011

Extras: Recipes including Kiss Me Cupcakes, Mint Buttercream frosting, Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes, Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Cupid's Bliss Cupcakes, White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Raspberry Syrup, and Moonlight Madness Cupcakes

Plot (Goodreads):

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura's Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery is gearing up for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel's mother. Now Mom's a suspect, and Mel and Angie need to find time around frosting to dig into the man's shady past and discover who served him his just desserts.

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Best friends Mel and Angie (along with their friend Tate) own a cupcake bakery. Mel's mother goes on her first date in years and, in an unlucky twist, her date is killed with her pantyhose on the date. Mel knows her mother didn't do it and must prove she is innocent. And, of course, the relationship turmoil between Angie/Tate/Angie's brother Joe/Mel and a new admirer.

Rating: B-

What worked: I liked seeing Mel's interaction with her mom. The sections with their rival cupcake owner, Olivia Pickett, were always funny.

What didn't: The constant and never-ending movie quotes. I know some people probably love these, I found them amazingly obnoxious. A few, fine. Almost every page? Come on. If I knew someone that talked this way in real life I would serious limit my time with them. The characters were less fleshed out than they were in the first book and I felt they were less likable.

Keep reading? I will give the series another chance to fold (haha!) me back in.

Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood

Book: Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood

Series: A Candy Holliday Murder Mystery

Extras? Recipes including Candy Holliday's Blueberry Whipped Cream, Herr Georg's Bavarian Blueberry Pretzels, Blueberry Lemon Shortbread, and Blueberry Gingerbread

Published: 2010

Plot (Goodreads):

In the seaside village of Cape Willington, Maine, Candy Holliday has an idyllic life tending to the Blueberry Acres farm she runs with her father. But, when an aging playboy and the newly crowned Blueberry Queen are killed, Candy investigates to clear the name of a local handyman. And as she sorts through the town's juicy secrets, things start to get sticky indeed...

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Candy Holliday is a blueberry farmer with her father in the small town of Cape Willington, Maine. An unprecedented two murders occur back to back, shocking the town, and casting suspicion on one of Candy's friends. Candy decides to investigate the mystery to clear her friend and gets a love interest and a second job along the way.

Rating: 8

What worked: As an intro to a new series, this was a great start. A lot of interesting, bizarre characters were introduced (always a good idea in a cozy), the blueberry theme was interesting and different (I knew nothing about blueberry production), and the backstory was believable. The mystery was solid and there were several twists and turns along the way. Plus the Blueberry Queen pageant is a hilarious trainwreck that anyone who has ever been to a small "Queen" pageant will totally get.

What didn't: It was a solid book, it just had some growing pains. I wasn't attached to any of the characters yet, which is the reason I always think first books in a series are usually weaker than the rest. So many mysteries seem to have that "girl moved to big city, failed, and moves to the country" theme that it's getting a bit old for me.

Keep reading? Yes

Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter

Book: Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots

Series: A Candy Shop Mystery

Published: Sucker Punch (2009) and (Goodreads) plot:

Divinity Candy Shop owner Abby Shaw is enjoying her sweet life, until her friend is suspected of killing an actor. Now, Abby is determined to clear her name--before her new found happiness is totally fudged.

Goody Goody Gunshots (2008) and (Goodreads) plot:

No visit to Paradise, Colorado, is complete without a stop at Divinity candy shop for a little taste of heaven. For owner Abby Shaw, it's a sweet deal, too. When her aunt Grace passed away, Abby inherited Divinity--and with it the opportunity to leave her career as a corporate lawyer and dump her cheating husband. Now she spends her time serving up delectable treats--and performing the occasional deductive feat...

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 coach her nephews' basketball team. Not to mention that nosing around for too long could get her killed...

Extras: Candy recipes

My four-sentence or less take on the series: Abby came back to the Colorado small mountain town where she grew up to run her beloved great-aunt's candy shop. While back in town, she stumbles in to mysteries and trouble, as every cozy protagonist seems to do.

Rating: (For the series) B

What worked: Abby is very likable. I like her relationship with her family (troubled and realistic), her friends (hurt that she moved away but coming back to the fold), her employees (she likes some of them more than others, like in real life), her boyfriend (commitment issues!), and her adorable dog. She makes more good choices than bad (calls for backup, doesn't accuse everyone she thinks is guilty right off the bat)/

What didn't: The series started slow for me. I thought the first book in the series, Candy Apple Dead, was a little boring, and I only kept with the series because I had the rest of them. I'm glad I did.

Keep reading? Absolutely, but I don't know if they are still being published.

Non-Fiction Ninth--Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg

Book: Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg

Series: Nope! A memoir

Extras? No

Published: 2001

Plot (Goodreads):

A veteran waitress dishes up a spicy and robust account of life as it really exists behind kitchen doors.

Part memoir, part social commentary, part guide to how to behave when dining out, Debra Ginsberg's book takes readers on her twentyyear journey as a waitress at a soap-operatic Italian restaurant, an exclusive five-star dining club, the dingiest of diners, and more. While chronicling her evolution as a writer, Ginsberg takes a behind-the-scenes look at restaurant life-revealing that yes, when pushed, a server will spit in food, and, no, that's not really decaf you're getting-and how most people in this business are in a constant state of waiting to do something else.

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Debra was a server for most of her life, working in everything from a family-run pizza place to a five-star dining club. She experiences extreme highs (good money, great tips, dating a Chef, the trill of working a perfect shift) and lows (a shift where everything goes wrong, restaurants that just can't get traffic, and, above all,being treated as absolute dirt by your customers). If you ever waited tables or wanted to do so, this is the book for you.

Rating: 6

What worked: Debra writes a good story. She has lots of funny anecdotes about her customers and has great insight about what makes a customer/chef/server tick.

What didn't: The book is pretty ordinary. I expected a lot more personal stories than there actually were--the book wasn't very long and didn't have much of a wrap up. I expected more...of something. I've read similar stories (Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica comes to mind) that are better. I think it's probably better if you've worked in the food industry and can nod along.

Would I recommend the book to someone who hates non-fiction? I don't know. If they worked in the service industry, than probably. Otherwise, I don't think this is the book to turn you.

Have you ever read this book? Were you blown away? Is the movie similar?

Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle

My first review!

Book: Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle

Series: Book 4 in the Coffeehouse Mystery series

Published: 2006

Extras? Yes, recipes including a complex sounding 8-layered drink, plus various drinks and desserts.

Plot (from the back of the book):
Clare Cosi's new friend, millionaire David Mintzer, has an offer no New York barista could turn down: an all-expenses-paid summer away from the sticky city. At his Hamptons mansion, she'll relax, soak up the sun, and, oh yes, train the staff of his new restaurant. So Clare packs up her daughter, her former mother-in-law, and her special recipe for iced coffee-for what she hopes will be one de-latte-ful summer-

Soon, Clare tends the coffee bar at her first Hamptons gala. But the festivities come to a bitter end when an employee turns up dead in David's bathroom-a botched attempt on the millionaire's life. Thanks to the Fourth of July fireworks no one heard any gunshots, and the police are stuck in holiday traffic. Concerned for everyone's safety, Clare begins to investigate. What she finds will keep her up at night-and it's not the java jitters...

Rating: 8

Review: Cozy mysteries almost always have an overriding theme and this series is no different--Clare and her ex-husband Matt are co-owners of a renowned Manhattan coffee shop and experience all the trials and tribulations of running a business with your ex. The first three books in the series are set in New York City while this book moves the action to the Hamptons, which is an interesting change of pace.

Clare is a very likable heroine. She is smart and makes minimal too-stupid-to-live choices. Even though I'm only 29, I like when mysteries have heroines in their 40's who are still considered very desirable with active social lives--I am too used to urban fantasy and romance where anyone over about 35 seems to be considered halfway to the grave.

The plot of Murder Most Frothy isn't particularly deep but it does broaden the characterization of several minor characters (David, Bree, Joy) and introduces a new love interest for Clare. The book had good pacing and I was actually surprised by the ending, which is saying a lot for a cozy mystery. I thought this mystery was more realistic than most--Clare has valid reasons for thinking that her friend and employer David Mintzer is in danger although nobody believes her, she has realistic ongoing problems with her daughter and ex-husband, and she is hired for a job for which she could realistically be hired (not always the case in cozy mysteries).

Like most cozy mysteries, I learned a lot about the coffee industry by reading this book, which was very interesting even though I don't drink coffee. I now know that my espresso, if I ever was to order an espresso, should not pour out of the spout but should ooze.