Title/Author: Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker (Death by Cupcake Book 1) / D.E. Haggerty
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: DE Haggerty
Date of publish: April 2016
Pages: 204
Book Links: Amazon
About The Book:
A mystery with a heap of laughs, a generous portion of romance, and just a smidgeon of suspense.
Callie’s life is rather awesome. She owns a successful bakery and teaches German literature at the local university. There’s just one tiny problem. She has no self-confidence when it comes to her body. And then there’s the little matter of her being accused of murdering her pole dancing instructor. There’s no way Callie’s going to risk losing her teaching position and thus she embarks, with her best baker bud Anna, on a journey to discover the real killer. Between stripper auditions and a detective who insists Callie is the woman of his dreams, it’s a roller coaster adventure. Cupcakes not included.
My Review:
I can easily say that DE Haggerty has become one of my favorite authors. A while back I was given the chance to review her book, “Molly’s Misadventures.” I honestly can’t remember when I enjoyed a book so much. I was thrilled to be asked to review this latest release, “Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker.”
Callie has a lot going for her. Her business, Callie’s Cakes, is successful, she has a budding career as a professor at the local university, and she is being romantically pursued, with active approval from her lifelong bestie Anna, by the man of her dreams, super hot police detective Ben. Still her life is colored by what she sees when she looks in the mirror and what she sees in the mirror is colored by a callous ex-boyfriend whose erroneous opinions about her were superficial and flat out rude.
Anna decides to help bring out Callie’s inner sexy and confidence by enrolling them in a pole dancing class at the gym. The teacher is a full on witch and when after several verbal clashes, she turns up dead, Callie is the prime suspect. The murder weapon seems to be a cupcake from Callie’s Bakery.
Though the evidence is circumstantial, the dogged insistence by the investigating detectives that Callie is guilty leads to her being suspended by the university. She is given a deadline to prove her innocence before the suspension becomes permanent and as the police aren’t inclined to explore other options, she and Anna set out to solve the murder themselves.
Callie and Annie are a hoot. Every woman in the world needs to have a best friend relationship like theirs. Insanely funny hijinks ensue as the two attempt to find the clues they need to clear Callie. “Detective Hottie,” Ben, is every woman’s dream man. It is hard not to feel his frustration as Callie’s self-esteem issues keep her from seeing how he feels. It’s hard not to feel sorry for him as he tries, in vain to keep Callie and Anna from getting into further trouble or danger while they jump headlong into investigative mode. They are a force of nature and he doesn’t stand a chance.
As if the story weren’t enough to keep the reader thoroughly engaged, the chapter titles had me once again waking up my sleeping family with my giggles as I sailed my way through the book in the wee hours of the morning.
An apple a day will keep anyone away if thrown hard enough.
“Wow, that Lean Cuisine really filled me up,” said no one, ever.
Celery is 95% water and 100% NOT PIZZA.
Cupcakes don’t ask silly questions. Cupcakes understand.
And my favorite, Procrastibaking: The art of making cupcakes instead of doing what you should be doing.
I am totally stealing that!
I totally recommend this book to cozy lovers of all kinda and I am looking forward to further books in the series.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Other Books By This Author:
The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives Books
Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem (The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives Book 1)
Jack Gets His Man (The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives Book 2)
Love in the Time of Murder (The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives Book 3)
Molly’s Misadventures
Buried Appearances
Unforeseen Consequences
About The Author:
I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage every once in a while to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. Another job change, this time from lawyer to B&B owner and I was again fed up and ready to scream I quit, which is incredibly difficult when you own the business. Thus, I shut the B&B during the week and in the off-season and started writing. Several books later I find myself in Istanbul writing full-time.
Author Links: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Google+ / Pinterest
I Read What You Write! 
Thanks for taking the time to read & review Callie’s story. Your well-written review has made my day (okay, probably the week if not the month)!
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I am glad you liked it. Good luck with the release.
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