Book 49, 2023

[chez_jae]

Strawberries and Sweet Lies by Rosie Sams

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Wednesday night I finished reading Strawberries and Sweet Lies, which is the first in author Rosie Sams' "Bakers and Bulldogs" cozy mystery series. The main character is bakery owner Melody.

Melody's bakery is popular and busy, her BFF Kerry works there with her, and life is just about perfect. Alvin, the sheriff, seems sweet on her, but Melody is still recovering from a broken heart. When well-to-do Amelia buys some of Melody's divine strawberries, she exits the shop and leaves her French bulldog pup leashed outside while she attends another appointment. It isn't until later that Melody realizes the puppy is still outside. She takes the pup in and alerts Alvin that she suspects something may have befallen Amelia. When Amelia's niece comes to town the next day to report her aunt missing, the search for Amelia begins in earnest. It gives Melody a chance to spend some time with Alvin, whereupon she begins to see him in a new light. Is she ready for a new romance? And will they find Amelia?

This was certainly a lite read; it was not at all complicated. Melody had no real motive to ask questions around town, but Alvin seemed to actively encourage it. Sigh. I liked the puppy (Melody began calling her Smudge), and the baked goods were delicious sounding. Here's what I didn't like:
- Amelia's body was never found
- The killer threw another character under the bus, no surprise there. What is surprising is that the killer and the other character were planning to run off together.
- About midway through the story, Kerry's name became "Ker" more often than not. It wouldn't have bothered me if the author had used 'Kerry' and 'Ker' interchangeably throughout, but not when she began to do so that far into the narrative!

Favorite line: "After failure there can be another success."

A rather ho-hum story--average score of three.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes, she owns a bakery.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No, she does not
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Yes, he's the sheriff.
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, has a dog.
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? NO ONE FOUND THE BODY!
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes, she did
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, her mother is absent
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes, she's child-free