In the 14th Fairytale Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Mel gets shot at. After more business owners are attacked and one death, Mel most figure out who is attacking the shop owners.

I love this cozy mystery series, and the 14th book was as enjoyable as the first. I love getting updates from Mel and the other characters. Highly recommend this book/series!

McKinlay's latest mystery takes on a mysterious assailant who's threatening the storekeepers of Old Town Scottsdale, and makes for a compelling cat and mouse investigation. I appreciate that McKinlay keeps the core characters around but is always coming up with new plotlines and mysteries.

Fans of cupcakes and cozy mysteries will enjoy this series! The author Jenn Mckinlay does a wonderful of telling a story and creating charming characters. The mystery and the cupcake theme of the story, keep me reading this book. I found this story fun and enjoyable, with making me crave cupcakes.

My thanks to Berkley and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review. I'm looking forward to more of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series!

Strawberried Alive
Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Book #14
Jenn McKinlay
5 Stars

Synopsis:

The crew from the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop risks getting burned when they set out to find a murderer who is terrorizing their town

Life is smooth as buttercream at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery, and newlyweds Mel and Joe are stopping to smell the flours. But things start to crumble one night when an unknown gunman takes a shot at Mel. Though the bullets miss their mark, the cupcake crew goes on high alert to figure out who would want to kill a small-town baker, and why.

When more business owners are attacked, things turn fatal, and locals begin to wonder if the killer could be one of their own. Every shop owner in town starts to fear it’s only a matter of time before they too become victims of the mystery murderer. Despite the cupcake crew's superb baking skills, it will be anything but a piece of cake to catch the killer, as they try to prevent anyone else from being berried.

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Mel and Angie are still the best of friends, and along with their significant others, they are all besties. Mel is shot at when she is leaving the bakery and she does not know why. When more business owners are also targets, Mel and the gang will have to figure out who is behind the shootings and why.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The mystery is well plotted and there are enough clues to soft through and suspects to consider.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This series just keeps getting better and it is one of my favorites.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Once again! This is a book in a series I haven’t read but I don’t care and it was fine, actually. Lots more action here right out of the gate than I usually expect from a cozy mystery, which did make the entire book feel kind of rushed - where is the underpinning of silly red herring drama that make a cozy mystery so cozy? The bonus in the back of the book are cupcake recipes, and overall it’s a very cupcake-centered book. I didn’t catch on to who the killer is, but I had a pretty bad headache while going through most of it. Three stars, and also I want cupcakes.

Strawberried Alive is the latest in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay. I absolutely loved reading Mel, Joe and the rest of the cupcake bakery family’s latest story and can’t wait to read the the next one. Once again Mel and the rest of the cupcake gang are hot on the case to figure out who shot at Mel, but unfortunately before they make any real progress more shootings and a murder happen. Who will be caught in the killer’s crosshairs next and will Mel and the rest of the cupcake bakery family figure it out before it is too late for one of them? Read Strawberried Alive to find out.

I have loved every book that I have read by Jenn McKinlay and this one was no exception. I highly recommend this book and the series to anyone who is looking for a good cozy mystery with lovable and interesting characters.

This was another great book in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I love the cast of characters and I loved how many unexpected twists there were in this book. I did not anticipate who the killer was but the reveal made perfect sense once Mel spelled it out for me. :)

Can't wait for the next installment.

I have really enjoyed this series, even though the books leave me with a terrible craving for cupcakes. This book fits well in the series. It's entertaining and lively enough to keep you reading. I hope this series keeps going with the same high quality the books that have already been published.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. This gang is my favorite and I loved everyone coming together to protect Mel and the Cupcake shop and the local shops. It's amazing how Mel's circle of loved one has expanded so much as this series has gone on, and that is truly showcased here. This felt different than the typical stories in this series, which I loved. It's hard to put my finger on why exactly, but less transparent and more brainstorming. The reveal was just fantastic and I loved the complexity of it.

My only complain is not seeing enough of Angie, though with a small baby it actually is very realistic that she would be home more and out of the fray, which I appreciated. She also had some very pivotal moments which spurred the story on.

Jenn McKinlay does it again!

I never tire of Mel and her Cupcake family and friends. Especially Oz, I always worry he will not be around now that he has a new career but the whole gang is here again, helping solve who attacked Mel and other business owners in town.

If you love a cozy mystery with the best found family as well as real solid family support, you must pick up the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries!

Mel DeLaura is spending a late night at Fairy Tale Cupcakes in Old Town Scottsdale thanks to a bridezilla who needs a last-minute change to her cupcake order. That’s why she finds herself alone behind the bakery well after dark. She’s just locked up when someone starts shooting at her. Fortunately, they missed, but a neighboring business owner isn’t so lucky the next night. As Mel’s family and friends go into protection mode, another incident happens. What is going on in Old Town?

This book starts right out with the action. The plot is a little different, which I mostly enjoyed. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite work out, leaving us with a climax that felt a little rushed. Don’t worry, everything makes sense. The characters we love are all here, which is wonderful since I love spending time with them, and their interactions provide some great laughs. Much of the action takes place around Old Town Scottsdale, so we get to meet more of Mel’s business neighbors, which is fun. Of course, they also serve as suspects, and they do a great job of it. This book will leave you craving cupcakes, so watch for four delicious sounding recipes at the end. Long time fans will be happy to visit these friends again. If you are new to the series, you’ll soon find herself devouring all of them almost as quickly as you would a cupcake.

When a book opens with a bridezilla, what can I say, I was drawn in immediately. Jenn McKinlay writes wonderful cozy mysteries and this series is one of my favorites. Not only will the foods make your mouth water but the story and mystery itself will keep you turning the pages until you find out who done it.

Jenn McKinlay is a must read cozy mystery writer for me. She never disappoints with her storylines and this one was just as good if not better than the prior books in the series.

Thank you to #netgalley and #berkleypublishing for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

In the latest installment of Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Mysteries, we see our girl, Mel, coming out of her bakery with shots ringing out around her. Luckily, she is able to dodge and manage to not be struck by a bullet. Whew! But who would want her dead? Is this a case of mistaken identity? Is this a hit due to her husband Joe's job? They, and by "they" I mean Joe and the brothers, decide to have someone guard her while she works. Someone big, and tough, and drives Mel crazy. All the while, Mel is having to deal with a bride who is more Bridezilla than glowing with happiness. As more people get involved in the story, and a shop owner is leading the charge to make Fairytale Cupcakes close for their safety, what is a baker to do?

This is one of my favorites in the series. I think I say that every single time I read a new book from the Cupcake Mysteries! This is true though, and it really keeps you guessing.

I want to thank the author, publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars


Mel is having one of those weeks so the cupcake levels are high. A bridezilla with last minute changes to cupcakes all but ready to go and after the long hours Fixing the last-minute changes to the cupcakes as Mel is heading home, shots are fired in the alley behind the bakery. Now Mel is looking over her shoulder, another shop owner thinks Mel is at the center of the crime. With neighboring shops turning against her and shooter on the loose, Mel goes into hiding but keeps her eye on all that’s going on to get to the bottom of this cupcake caper.




Strawberried Alive Is a fantastic dive back into the world of the Fairytale Cupcakes crew. There is so much emotion going through this book. Everyone is worried and before they can figure anything else more events keep happening. Angie can’t stand that she can’t help her best friend, Mel doesn’t understand why the town is against her and her bakery and why someone would be shooting at her. Jenn McKinlay did a fantastic job with keeping me glued to the page. Strawberried Alive was a one sit read for me. I could not put it down. It’s always fun to visit with Mel, Angie Tate, Oz and the gang. I love how they come together no matter what is going on. Although I have come to realize it’s very hard to keep a secret that involves anything to do with the Fairytale Cupcake Bakery

This series has long been one I enjoy but this might just be my favorite. From the first page the story hit a fast pace and didn't let up until the last page. Normally with a mystery I have an idea of the who or the why but this was a total mystery for the majority of the book. Mel and the DeLaura clan are scrambling to figure out who the target is and why and trying to keep Mel safe and pool all available resources.

I found the political part of being a business owner in a community as there are quite a lot of tensions - some that Mel was aware of and some that she wasn't. I loved seeing everything unravel as the characters figure out just what is going on. I also really enjoyed that Oz, who was a bakery employee but left a few books ago, got more page time. I had missed him! This is a light and fluffy cozy with a fast pace, likable characters, and yummy cupcakes. Really my main problem with this book was that I was reading it late at night and was seriously craving cupcakes but didn't have any!

Angie, Mel, Tate, Joe, and the gang are back for another adventure. Angie is busy with her six-month-old daughter which leaves Mel handling Fairy Tale Cupcakes. She has a bridezilla customer who changed the color of her bridesmaid dresses at the last minute which she failed to report to Mel. It means an all-nighter redoing three hundred cupcakes. When Mel finally leaves the bakery to head home, someone begins shooting at her. Uncle Stan, Joe, and her new brother-in-law’s close ranks to keep Mel safe. Joe even hires a bodyguard to protect her. One Old Town owner leads the charge to get Fairy Tale Cupcakes booted out claiming they are the cause of the trouble in Old Town. The shooter is not done and attacks other shop owners in the area. Mel with cupcakes in hand does a little sleuthing when she can slip away from her guards. Mel begins sifting through the clues and arrives at a bitter answer. They will need to act quickly if they are going to catch the culprit before they take a powder. Strawberried Alive delicious tale. I always enjoy my visits with these fun characters. I thought Strawberried Alive was well-written with developed characters. They have come a long way since the beginning. There is plenty of humor in this story. I laughed so often while reading Strawberried Alive. The DeLaura brothers are a hoot, especially Ray. Dwight and Marty with their bickering was entertaining. I loved the descriptions of Old Town with its charming shops. Jenn McKinlay brought the area alive with her word imagery. I especially enjoyed reading about Naomi’s Natural Soap. The various scents would have sent my allergies into overdrive, but I love handmade soap. I am especially intrigued with the vanilla and chocolate soap inspired by a cupcake. Strawberried Alive is a mystery driven tale. I just love the whodunit. It was well-plotted and complex. The reveal was complete, and I like how humor was incorporated into it. The cupcake descriptions will have your mouth watering. I find it amusing that whenever there is a traumatic incident (or a joyful one), they all troop to the bakery for a cupcake fix. It is a good thing that the DeLaura brothers do not hang out there too often or the bakery would be in the red. Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay is the fourteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery. While Strawberried Alive can be read as a standalone, you will be missing out on the background of the characters and the relationships (who is related to whom and how). This series just keeps getting better. I hope there will be many more tales in A Cupcake Bakery Mysteries. There are recipes for the cupcakes and their frostings at the end of the book. There is also a preview for The Plot and the Pendulum which is the next A Library Lover’s Mystery which comes out in the fall. Strawberried Alive is tasty treat with a troublous bridezilla, scrumptious cupcakes, bothersome brothers, an annoying uncle, a beloved baby, a mystifying murder, a puzzling petition, and a curious crime.

Strawberried Alive Book 14 in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery

Summary
It’s April in South Scottsdale, AZ, and Melanie DeLaura is locking up her bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes. The bakery’s rear door opens onto an alley, which is now dark and deserted. While she’s locking the door, she hears footsteps. A figure dressed in black is lurking behind her. Before she can unlock the door and escape back into the bakery and safety, the figure fires a gun. The bullet the misses. The figure moves closer and fires again. Oscar Ruiz, living above the bakery, scares off the shooter before he or she can take a third shot. Instead of support from the business community, Mel’s involvement with past murder cases as well as resentment over her successful business become reasons for her fellow business owners to blame her for increased crime in the area. Numerous people have reason to want Mel gone, and one of them is a murderer.

Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. The mystery wasn’t easy to solve, always a plus. There were plenty of solid suspects to choose from, another plus. But the best part of Strawberried Alive was the characters and their relationships to one another. Angie DeLaura Harper, one of Mel’s best friends and a partner in Fairy Tale Cupcakes, has seven brothers. Mel married the middle brother, Joe (an assistant district attorney), but also inherited the rest of the over-protective DeLaura brothers. To further complicate things, Mel’s Uncle Stan is a detective. Somewhere in all of this testosterone, the decision is made to hire Mel a bodyguard, who turns out to be her old high school nemesis Dwight Pickard. Not only does Mel have to deal with a potential killer, but also all the males in her life making decisions concerning her without her input. It’s a lot to deal with and adds the humor to the novel. Another solid read from Jenn McKinley


Thanks to #Netgalley for providing a copy of #StrawberriedAlive.

A wonderful cozy mystery, Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay, book fourteen in her Cupcake Bakery Mystery series, was a fun read as the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew once again areinvolved with a series of murders, affecting their area of the city. It’s been a rough week at Fairytale Cupcakes. First Mel has to deal with a bridezilla customer and having to work late to correct her order. Angie and Tate are at home with their newborn, Mel’s husband is waiting for her at home, and former employee Oz is upstairs in his apartment when Mel is shot at in the alley. Several Old Town shop owners resent Mel’s success and want Fairytale Cupcakes booted out claiming they are the cause of the trouble in Old Town. The shooter is not done and attacks other shop owners in the area. Not to be deterred, Mel sifts through the clues, does a bit of sleuthing, before the answer pops up. Mel, Angie, Tate, Joe, and the gang at Fairytale Cupcakes will need to act quickly if they are going to catch the culprit before they become the next victims.

I’ve read this series from the beginning, enjoying the growth of Mel, Angie, Tate and the gang at Fairytale Cupcakes. This story and the entire mystery series had all the elements I enjoy, interesting lovable characters, an intriguing mystery with a few twists, friendship, and delicious sounding cupcakes. Ms. McKinlay did an excellent job keeping her readers on their toes as they read this story. She had me miss-guessing who the killer was, quite often. I highly recommend Strawberried Alive to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Jenn McKinlay never fails to write a fun cozy mystery! I love Mel and her crew and their mystery adventures. The mystery was very well paced and had me on the edge of my seat! Highly recommend!

Strawberried Alive is book 14 in the Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I've only read one in the series so you don't have to have read the previous books in this series to enjoy this one.

Someone is terrorizing Old Town store owners. Mel, the owner of Fairy Tale Cupcakes Bakery, is shot at one night and it is assumed that she is the target. Jealous store owners who aren't doing quite as well as the bakery see this as their opportunity to remove the "bad element" in the neighborhood. Mel isn't going to stand by while her business is ruined and other store owners are targeted by the gunmen.

In some cozy mysteries, the characters are a little too quirky to feel like real people, but that isn't the case with this book. I felt like I could visit this place. I also think it would make an excellent television show. I kept thinking about the TV show Hart of Dixie while I was listening to this book.

The narrator Susan Boyce does a great job. There are a lot of characters in this book, but each one had their own unique voice and I didn't have any trouble keeping them straight.

The mystery is a good one. There is a lot going on in the town that others weren't aware of. They were right about there being an insidious actor among them, they were just wrong about it being Mel who wanted to ruin their businesses.

I found my favorite pumpkin cupcake recipes when I read Pumpkin Spice Peril and I was really looking forward to a few new recipes. I like that this series includes the recipes at the end. I'm not a big fan of strawberry cake but I might have to make the coconut cupcakes. There is also a recipe for Hummingbird Cupcakes. I was just looking at a recipe for Hummingbird Cake so maybe I'll make the cupcake version.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/04/two-awesome-audiobook-mysteries.html