Book 67, 2023

[chez_jae]

A Killer Cupcake by Fiona Grace

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Finished my latest book this evening. It was A Killer Cupcake by Fiona Grace, and it's the first book in the "Beachfront Bakery" series. The main character is Allison "Ali" Sweet.

Ali's life is in limbo. Due to an incident at the famous LA restaurant where she worked, she's lost her job, and then her boyfriend of three years admits he's gay and says he's moving to NY. Ali has always dreamed of opening her own bakery, and when she comes upon an open space on the boardwalk of Willow Bay, she impulsively leases it, along with a small cottage within walking distance. Ali's dream begins to fizzle, however, when no one darkens her doorstep to buy her fussy French pastries. One of the few people to come in does so to berate her for scooping the lease out from under him. When that same man is later found dead in the bay, suspicion falls on Ali. She had argued with him, after all, and she was also on the pier at the same time the victim was pushed into the water. Desperate to clear her name and save her fledgling business, Ali begins asking questions. Will her sleuthing lead to a solution, or see Ali sleeping with the fishes?

This was a cute, uncomplicated cozy. There were a lot of zany characters introduced, including the handsome Italian twins who own competing pizzerias on either side of Ali's shop. Ali seemed to spend far more time investigating, but in her defense, it's not like she had much business to attend to. I was a tad disappointed that the solution all but dropped out of the sky. It made all of her investigating seem for naught.

Favorite line: Ten a.m. was a socially acceptable time to knock on a stranger's door and accuse him of murder, wasn't it?

This was fun and humorous but lacking in substance. Three stars.


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 is opening 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) No, he's a fellow shop owner on the boardwalk.
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? N/A - Ali doesn't have a pet, but she feeds a stray dog on the boardwalk.
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? Well, if you count her brother Teddy as her BFF, then yes, he's a gay guy.
6. Did the mc find the body? No
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? No
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes, her mother is a disapproving bitch.
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