Title/Author: Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 1) / Ann S. Marie
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Date of publish: November 2015
Pages: 121
Book Links: Amazon
About The Book:
Reverse your stress at Cozy Cupcakes Café. Remember, ‘stressed’ is ‘desserts’ spelled backwards!
Her ex-fiancé ran off with her money, her dreams, and her best friend. But that won’t stop Dana Sweet from trying to make a fresh new start. They say the best revenge is sweet success and that’s what Dana plans to do. Turn the struggling cupcake café she inherited from her grandmother into a success. Dana takes a chance and re-opens the café under a new name, Cozy Cupcakes Café, where frosted cupcakes are served with a spoon and delivered with a sweet fortune cookie-like message to brighten customers’ days.
But moving back to Berry Cove in Ontario is not as easy as it looks. For one thing, Dana is not welcomed to town by her competitor. Moreover, the employees at the bake shop haven’t warmed up to her yet. And when the Berry Cove Gazette food critic who gave the café a scathing review turns up dead, all sticky fingers point to Dana. And now a gorgeous detective has her under surveillance…
Excerpt:
Grandma Rae’s key ingredients for a good day:
1 cup of gratitude 1 spoonful of hope
1 ounce of laughter
A dash of resilience
A sprinkle of service to others
1 cup of integrity
1 cup of self-respect
1 good trusted friend (2 is optional)
A whole lot of love for yourself
1 cupcake with a tasty whipped cream frosting with a cup of kind words to sweeten your Day
Marie, Ann S. (2015-11-28). Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 1) (Kindle Locations 33-42). . Kindle Edition.
My Review:
Dana Sweet is starting over in the small Canadian town where she lived when she was young. Grandma Rae, the woman who raised her after her parents death, has left Dana her bakery/cafe in her will. After renaming, re-envisioning the cafe and investing her savings to make it a success, Dana is looking forward to running it with her cousin Kathy.
Things get off to a rocky start when an infamous reporter with the local paper is found dead, poisoned with one the cafe’s famous cupcakes. Made worse by the fact that Dana was in his office when the body was found. She seems to be the prime suspect in the man’s death, even though he has run afoul of half the town with his alley cat ethics. If that weren’t enough, someone is trying to scare Dana off, leaving threatening notes and sneaking around her home. She needs to put the clues together before someone else gets hurt and cafe is lost forever.
This was nice start to what promises to be a decent series. The residents in Berry Cove are colorful and quirky. Dana is immediately likable and her eccentric family provides plenty of entertainment. We even have a watch cat, keeping tabs on his mistress and keeping her out of trouble. It does seem like every other Cozy has a cupcake theme, however this is a unique enough idea that it shows great potential.
More Books By Ann S. Marie:
A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Series
Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 2)
Chocolate Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 3)
About The Author: http://www.amazon.com/Ann-S.-Marie/e/B01C1UVI70
Ann S. Marie enjoys reading and writing cozy mysteries and solving mind-boggling puzzles with intriguing suspects. Join her email list for updates on more cozy mysteries that will make your toes curl and your heart smile.
You can send her an email at annsmarie.author@gmail.com with the subject line: Email Sign-Up.
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