Mel and Angie are about to dive into another enchanting cozy mystery by Jenn McKinlay. Christmas is just around the corner, and they’re hosting a singer who’s skyrocketing in popularity, Shelby Vaughn. She’s got concerts lined up for the next two weeks. While Shelby’s in town, she’s thrilled to catch up with her old pal Angie. Since Angie is one of the owners of Fairy Tale Bakeries, Shelby asks her to whip up some delicious cupcakes for the guests during her visit.

Oh no! Everyone’s shocked when Shelby’s manager is found dead. You see, Shelby had a heated argument with her manager just a few days ago, so she becomes the prime suspect. But there are other suspects too. In fact, there were a bunch of guys in Santa’s costumes at the time, dancing for one of Shelby’s performances. So, it’s going to be tough to figure out who the real killer is.

Mel and Angie, the murder-solving duo, are back to help Shelby clear her name and find the real killer. Just like in the previous books, this one’s sure to keep you hooked, especially if you’ve been following the series from the start. Mel and Angie have come a long way, and their stories are just so engaging.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I enjoy this series even though I have only read a couple of them. I do think it’s a little harder to keep this cast of characters straight than some cozy mystery series, but like most cozies they can be read and understood out of order. The characters are fun, and who doesn’t love delicious cupcakes being described? I thought this mystery was ok. I felt pretty confident of who the murderer was pretty much the whole book and I was right. I had hoped for a bit stronger of red herrings, but I still enjoyed the story quite a bit. It’s the holiday season, the most busy season for cupcake shop owner Mel. Her best friend Angie’s good friend is in town to perform some Christmas song shows. While she’s a little uneasy about being replaced she meets and likes Shelby. When Shelby’s manager is killed, the second one to die suspiciously, Mel and her friends can’t help but ask some questions to ensure the murder is solved before the media tears apart Shelby and her entire career. This was a fun book with a good dose of holiday cheer.

Jenn McKinlay knows how to hook the reader and these characters have become such a great part of the series. Of what I love about her books. Each book has me interested from the very beginning and it's hard to put it down. I like how they've become such a good family and can rely on each other in times of need. Even though I know it's fiction, still it feels very believable.

I appreciate getting to read this series early so thank you. Keep them coming, please!

Fairytale Cupcakes has been hired by an old friend of Angie's to provide cupcakes for a series of Christmas music concerts in residence at a hotel. Tension arises when confronted with Angie's friend's manager, and eventually, someone is murdered. With Angie's friend as one of the suspects, it's up to Mel and Angie to try and figure out whodunit without getting into danger. This next installment in Jenn McKinlay's wonderful cupcake mystery series is full of fun, humor, and family relationships. It's a great holiday read that will keep you guessing to the very end.

This is book 15 in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I have read a couple of books in the series but not all. It can be read as a stand alone. Angie's old friend from her traveling days is coming to town for 2 weeks of concerts. Mel isn't sure this will work but Shelby has hired the bakery to cater many of the events. Now Shelby's manager is dead and Shelby is a major suspect. A good cozy with clues and hints to help you solve the crime. A cute Christmas read.

When singing sensation Shelby arrives in town for two weeks, she hires her old friend Angie and rest of the crew to supply cupcakes for VIPs at her concerts. After overhearing Shelby in a heated argument with her manager, Mel is concerned. When Shelby’s manager is found dead, Mel and Angie stand up for their friend, determined to prove her innocence before she’s frosted for a crime she didn’t commit.

I love the Fairy Tale Cupcake gang and their cozy mystery antics. I thought this was a festive edition to the series!

Mel and her friend Angie are getting ready for the holidays when a singer named s
Shelby comes to town. They provide the cupcakes for the VIP event when someone ends up dead ARC from NetGalley.

If you are new to the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, they center around two friends and business partners—Melanie “Mel” DeLaura and Angie Harper—who own a cupcake bakery named Fairy Tale Cupcakes. This series can really be read in any order because they are generally good about not spoiling the culprit from prior books (though occasionally you may learn if someone was cleared).

Christmastime is busier than ever for the two bakers. Things are made even more hectic which an old friend of Angie’s and famous singer named Shelby Vaughn arrives in Scottsdale for a two-week holiday concert.

While she’s in town for her two week concert run, she contracts Fairy Tale Cupcakes to provide an array of delicious cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge. Things are off to a tense start right from the beginning, when it becomes clear that Shelby’s manager Doc Howard is controlling and may even be taking advantage of Shelby.

Mel and Angie are concerned that Doc may be stalling Shelby’s career when he insists she sing only Christmas songs instead of including some of her new album (full of original songs). Doc’s wife, Miranda, also seems to have a grudge against Shelby since he stopped representing Miranda to take on Shelby as a client. Shelby is in an even worse spot when the daughter of her former manager, Diana, accuses Shelby of murdering her mother.

When Doc is found dead holding one of Mel and Angie’s cupcakes in his hand, the duo spring into action to help get to the bottom of what’s going on before Christmas (and Shelby’s career) is ruined!

There were plenty of characters who had motive to murder Doc, and Shelby tops the list. But there was also the possibility that Doc wasn’t the intended victim, which made the case more complicated. Motives ranged from jealousy to hatred to revenge, but the challenge was figuring out which person had the motive, means, and opportunity to commit the murder.

The characters in this series are always fun, and I always enjoy their relationships. In addition, the new cast of characters and suspect list added a lot of intrigue, even the ones I didn’t like. For a holiday-themed cozy, this had the right amount of Christmas spirit, without making it so Christmas-y that it would be hard to enjoy at other times of the year.

I liked that the murder didn’t occur until about halfway through the book, because it allowed us to learn about all of the characters and motives in advance. Once Doc is found dead, Mel is able to jump right into sleuthing—a skill honed over a series of murders she happens to come across in her day to day life (it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery series without this!).

I felt like it was easy to identify the killer fairly early, though I was never completely sure about it. The ending is fast but it works because there is so much build up earlier in the book. Mel and Angie always delight me when I jump into this series, and this was no exception.

A fun holiday-themed cozy mystery that will have you craving cupcakes and holiday cheer!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Another great addition to the Cupcake Bakery mystery series! This one had Christmas, murder, and of course plenty of yummy cupcakes. I love catching up with our favorite characters and solving the murder along with them. A great cozy mystery series!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I loved the Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series, when I entered it at book 10, Wedding Cake Crumble, and I still enjoy the series with the addition of this 15th installment – Sugar Plum Poisoned.

The reader is once again fully entrenched into the lives of Melanie DeLaura and Angie Harper – co-owners (with Tate Harper as well) of the bakery Fairy Tale Cupcakes. The bakery has just agreed to a catering job to supply cupcakes to the VIP lounge at the Hotel Grande for the entire run that Shelby Vaughn is in town and performing her Christmas show. Great opportunity for the business, though Mel is a bit apprehensive. Shelby is a “friend” from Angie’s dating days with a rock and roll drummer named Roach (with the band Sewers) and Mel does not really know Shelby. Everything is going well with the VIP lounge and the shows…well… until there is a murder of course. The murder victim is none other than Shelby’s manager! And get this – it is not the first time a manager of Shelby’s turns up dead. Well, this certainly gets Mel’s amateur investigative juices flowing.

What ensues is pretty standard for a cozy mystery. Identify the potential murderers’ and then sift through the evidence and talk with everyone…and of course the requisite danger for the amateur sleuths. And many “red herrings” and a few side stories to keep it interesting and add depth to the story.

As the story unfolds, Mel is starting to get to know and like Shelby and appreciate her down to earth essence. Mel is determined to figure out by whose hand the manager was killed. There are lots of clues to unravel. A number of potential suspects to rule out. All in all – an enjoyable read.

As the fun of sifting through the possible suspects is the major part of any cozy mystery, I will not expound upon the story further. Suffice it to say – the story will keep you engaged. If nothing else – just for the scenes where people are eating the cupcakes and describing their reactions regarding these delectable cupcakes. Makes my mouth water even thinking about them!

And what a way to get into the holiday spirit. I can even picture the holiday show that Shelby is giving each night. I suggest reading this book with Christmas carols playing in the background to get the full experience, with possibly a few bars of an ominous music thrown in for effect occasionally :).

As what is usual with stories penned by Jenn McKinlay – I was captivated and invested in the story immediately and wanted to continue reading until the end (from my experience at least). With this story in particular though I did get an inkling as to ‘whodunnit’ before the conclusion of the book and my suspicions were solidified in the end. So this is what lead me to give the story a 4 out of 5 rating.

If you like cozy mysteries with interesting and engaging characters and good writing, I suggest picking up Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay. Though be warned – you may want a cupcake or two while reading!

This is the 15th book in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries and the first I've read of the series. Owners, best friends, and sisters-in-law Mel and Angie are getting into the groove of things for the holidays when Angie's old friend, rising music star Shelby Vaughn comes to town for two weeks of concert dates and hires them to provide cupcakes for the VIP lounge each night. Mel overhears and argument between Shelby and her overbearing manager Doc, then he ends up dead. There's no shortage of suspects and Mel and Angie are on the case.

I really enjoyed this. Mel was smart and interesting and Angie was fun. It's hard to do a book that includes a celebrity, but Jenn McKinlay handled it really well. She wove it neatly into the story and threw in some great red herrings. I will definitely be going back and reading the rest of the books.
#thanksnetgalley

This is the 15th book in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries series, set in Scottsdale, AZ. Melanie owns a cupcake bakery and has a bad habit of finding dead bodies. With her partners and friends, she solves murders along with making some very delicious cupcakes. In this book, Fairy Tale Cupcakes is catering for a well known singer when her manager turns up dead. Delicious recipes at the end!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Mel and Angie should know better by now, they really should. Every time they accept a catering gig for a big event or a celebrity there is bound to be a murder. We all know that - it's why we keep a lookout for each new book in the series. This time Angie's friend Shelby from her life on the road with Roach (before she and Tate married) is doing a series of performances at a local hotel for the Christmas season and wants the ladies to cater the VIP lounge. And...of course, a dead body is found.

Our favorite cupcake bakers and the rest of the gang, Joe, their former protégé Oz, Uncle Stan, Stan's partner Detective Martinez, Angie's brothers, and Marty all do their part to protect Shelby while hunting for clues and suspects. But there are so many to choose from: the ex-wife of Shelby's manager, the seemingly hostile hotel owner, the daughter of Shelby's first manager, maybe even an obsessed fan.

As if that weren't enough of a challenge Mel's mother asks her to host the family Christmas dinner. Then Joe's family decides to come too, and there are a lot of them. The Delaura brothers agree to decorate the house and Ray really gets into the holiday spirit. Angie and Tate have their infant to care for and make her first Christmas special. What more can they pack into one holiday season?

Fans will be carefully looking for clues alongside the amateur sleuths and waiting to see if they reach the solution first. A special bonus - recipes for the holiday cupcakes mentioned in the book are provided in the back. So whip up a batch of sugar plum, eggnog, peppermint bark, sugar cookie, or gingerbread cupcakes and then enjoy them as you read this delicious holiday-themed cozy.

SUGAR PLUM POISONED is the fifteenth book in the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay. From the darling Christmas-themed cover to holiday-flavored cupcakes to the carols of the season, this newest release radiates the spirit of the holidays. Fairy Tale Cupcake bakery owner, Mel, and her best friend and business partner, Angie, have been hired to provide cupcakes for Angie’s famous friend, Shelby, for her concert VIP attendees. But all isn’t merry and bright when Shelby’s overcontrolling manager is found murdered with one of Mel’s cupcakes in hand. This is one of those series where the characters become friends and it’s always a pleasure to catch up with them. While this can easily be read as a standalone, starting with the beginning allows the reader to fully know the characters and all the changes and growth that has occurred over the series. The stories are easy and laugh-out-loud entertaining reads and are perfect for bingeing on.

While the mystery isn’t exactly complex, there were enough suspects to consider and clues to follow. And the flow of the story is well-plotted, which kept me turning pages to see what happened next. Between baking all the cupcakes for the two-week-long event, getting ready to host her first Christmas dinner for family and friends (a hilarious subplot!), Mel isn’t sure how to fit in a murder investigation. I love how Mel enlists the help of her close friends and family, and with her trademark humor, Ms. McKinlay weaves in scenes to keep the story light. If you enjoy Christmas-themed cozy mysteries with lots of fun moments filled with mouthwatering cupcakes, then you’ll enjoy Sugar Plum Poisoned!

I listened to the audio version of the book. Narrator Susan Boyce brings the characters to life with all the inflections of humor I’ve envisioned when reading the print version. She expertly captures the voices of both female and male characters and I never felt unsure of which character was speaking.

Sugar Plum Poisoned

Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Book # 15

Jenn McKinlay

5 Stars

Synopsis:

It’s Christmastime, and this holiday season, things are heating up for the bakers at Fairy Tale Cupcakes, in the newest Cupcake Bakery Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

When up-and-coming singing sensation Shelby Vaughn arrives in town for two weeks of concert dates, she hires her old friend Angie and the rest of the bakery crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge every night.

After overhearing Shelby in a heated argument with her manager, Mel is concerned, but she and the crew decide to make the best of their time working with the star. Just as the bakers fall into the rhythm of the job, Shelby’s manager is found dead, clutching a bit of fabric from a Santa suit and a cupcake. With the bakery crew and Shelby’s backup dancers all dressed in similar Santa costumes, it’s impossible to say who is the killer. When all suspicions lead back to Shelby, Mel and Angie stand up for their friend, determined to prove her innocence before she’s frosted for a crime she didn’t commit. (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Mel and Angie are helping out Angie’s friend who is an up and coming singer, Shelby. Shelby hires the cupcake crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP Lounge each night. But when Shelby’s manager is found dead the gang will have to find out who the killer is and why, but it will not be easy.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery was well plotted and not easily solved.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written cozy mystery. I love this series so much and I enjoy the characters so much.

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

Another hilarious adventure with Mel, Angie and the rest of the gang in Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay, book fifteen in her Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. Once again the Fairy Tale Cupcake crew find themselves involved with a murder when an old friend of Angie's shows up in town to put on a Christmas Music Show. With so many possible suspects and plenty of red herrings, Mel, Joe, Angie, Tate along with Uncle Stan are going to need to work double time to save Christmas, their friend's life and possibly even their own.

I’ve read this series from the beginning, enjoying the growth of the characters and the bakery. This story and the entire mystery series has all the elements I enjoy, interesting lovable characters, an intriguing mystery, friendship, romance, and even some humor. 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 Sugar Plum Poisoned to other readers

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I only got this book because I needed to fill a cozy mystery slot on my library's fall reading challenge, however, it was not over the top and I actually enjoyed it. Characters were cute and I love cupcakes.

When up-and-coming singing sensation Shelby Vaughn arrives in town for two weeks of concert dates, she hires her old friend Angie and the rest of the bakery crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge every night. It is pointed out to Melanie that she is always at the scene of a murder, will this holiday concert be any different?

I've only read a handful of books in this series as I discovered it late and my digital library only has a few of the books (I've listened/read all the ones that are available as audiobooks but not the 3 that are available as ebooks only). I really love her Library Lovers series which is how I discovered this series. I enjoy it. I particularly loved the recipe for pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing from Pumpkin Spice Peril. Unfortunately, the audiobooks don't include the recipes. I wasn't sure that was the case since I listened to an advance copy of Strawberried Alive but I recently checked out Red Velvet Revenge audiobook and there wasn't a recipe included.

This series is growing on me and I really liked Sugar Plum Poisoned. It's book 15 in the series, but it is okay if you haven't read the earlier books. While it is set at Christmas, it isn't really a Christmas book and is definitely a full-length entry in the series. The cupcakes are holiday-themed and there are scenes of Melanie preparing for Christmas dinner, which she is hosting this year (and the guest list keeps growing!).

The murder victim is not someone from the town and because I don't really know the person or the people connected to the victim, it is difficult to determine who is the most likely culprit. That just makes the story more compelling.

If you are looking for a Christmas book that isn't overly sweet but still fluffy, then you should read Sugar Plum Poisoned.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/10/2-cozy-audiobooks-for-fall-listening.html

Mel DeLaura isn’t super thrilled when her business partner and best friend Angie Harper announces that an old friend from Angie’s roadie days is coming into town. Shelby Vaughn is an up-and-coming country singer Angie met while on tour with her musician ex-boyfriend. Shelby is about to do a week-long residency in a Scottsdale, Arizona hotel for the Christmas season, and wants Angie and Mel’s bakery to provide cupcakes for her VIP section at every night’s performance.

Angie is, of course, enthused enough to want to offer their services gratis, but Mel is far more wary. She doesn’t know Shelby, and is admittedly a little jealous at how close Angie is with the singer. Meeting Shelby helps assuage her fears: the young woman is sweet and down-to-earth, if seemingly ruled by her new manager, Doc Howard.

Doc and Angie – and by extension Mel – quickly butt heads over what Shelby is and isn’t allowed to do. When Doc is found dead backstage while holding one of Mel’s cupcakes, Mel finds herself unwittingly drawn into yet another murder investigation. Doc was a man with controlling tendencies and plenty of enemies, but was he the intended victim? Angie is sure that Shelby was the real target, at least until she starts learning more about her supposed friend’s murky past. Will Mel and Angie be able to figure out whodunnit before anyone else is killed?

With a subplot revolving around Mel having to suddenly take responsibility for providing Christmas dinner not only for her own family – including her very particular mother Joyce – but also for the large DeLaura clan, this is an eventful novel that deftly juggles its plot threads with humor and charm. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time with this cast of characters, but it didn’t take very long at all to catch up on what’s happened since I checked in on them last. It certainly took no time to get back into enjoying their shenanigans. Shelby is an excellent addition to the cast, a seemingly innocent young woman who’s either plagued by misfortune or playing a far deeper game than anyone expects.

As always with this series, there was an entire section at the end devoted to delectable cupcake recipes. Of the five listed here, I decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Sugar Plum Cupcakes

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put paper liners in the cupcake pan. In a medium bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, mix in the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mix each egg in one at a time. Add the vanilla and the milk, and beat until well blended. Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Fill each liner three-quarters full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Makes 18.

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, cream the butter and the vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed and adding the milk as needed. Scrape the sides of the bowl often. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes in big swirls using a pastry bag.

Garnish with a variety of sprinkles and holiday candy like peppermints or spiced gumdrops.
END QUOTE

Jenn McKinlay publishes the best cupcake recipes in the business, bar none! I have literally never had a cupcake of hers that was anything less than professional bakery quality. Her instructions are clear and always make for a delicious baked good.

The sugarplum cupcake recipe I chose here was no different, of course! The spice cake variation was delightful, with a perfect balance of density and moistness, flavor and crumb. I did use a little less confectioners’ sugar when whipping up the frosting, so you can definitely adjust that to taste, but otherwise it is perfect as-is.

Next week, we travel to the Pacific Northwest to make a down home dish that’ll stick to your ribs while joining forces with a trio of ex-wives to clear a good-for-nothing’s name. Do join me!

A quick fun holiday read with a murder occurring behind the scenes at a concert, it is up to Mel to solve the case, ensure the show goes on and celebrate the season with her friends and family. 15th title in the series.