Book 64, 2021

Knead to Know by Liz Schulte

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I began reading an ebook novella yesterday evening, not realizing how short it was. I managed to finish it by bedtime, but since it was chaptered, I'm a'counting it. The book was Knead to Know by Liz Schulte, and it seems to be a prequel to the "Knead to Know" series. At this point, I'm not sure if the series would be considered mysteries or romances or what have you. The main character is half-vampire Maggie Edwards, who is on the verge of opening the bakery she's always dreamed of.

Maggie isn't about to let something like being half-vampire ruin her dream of having her own bakery, although it's too bad she can't taste what she bakes. Mere days from her grand opening, her shipment of display cases is delayed, she hasn't fed in far too long, and a nosy reporter witnesses her incredible healing ability after Maggie has an accident in her kitchen. Now she needs to find an alternate source of cases, hunt down a demon or two to feed from, and try to convince Garrett that he didn't see what he saw. Luckily, Maggie has friends, including her new handyman, Boone, to help her out. Will it be on time for opening day?

Eh...not sure what I just read. As mentioned, there was no mystery, and not much in the way of romance. Maggie finds both Boone and Garrett attractive, along with the jinn, Phoenix, but it's not like there was a budding relationship. It seems the author was simply setting up the series. I still would have liked there to be a point to the plot, along with some resolution, but again, this was shorter than I had anticipated. Maggie was likable enough, I guess. Her recipes sounded delightful. Also, I believe this is a spin-off of another series, which only added to the confusion in my opinion. Don't assume your readers have read your other works.

Favorite line: "You would be to blame. It's a heavy burden to carry. Ask Mrs O'Leary's cow."

Least favorite line: Or maybe I'd read one too many Liz Schulte books and watched too many movies.
While self-insertion may be fun in certain private situations, it is not amusing when a creator uses it in his/her art or writing or film, unless, of course, your name is Alfred Hitchcock, and Ms Schulte is no Alfred Hitchcock.

I was prepared to give this an average score of three, but I'm knocking a point off for that cheesy self-promo. Two stars, it is.