BOOK REVIEW (47): Sugar and Iced (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #6)

BOOK REVIEW:

Sugar and Iced

I haven’t read Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mystery series in a while. I recently saw that the seventh book had released and I noticed I still hadn’t even read Book 6, Sugar and Iced.

So now that I’ve remedied that problem, here’s the review for said book. ^^

Mel, Angie and the rest of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes gang is back! And with more murder, mystery and romantic mayhem…

Once again Mel finds her business in a position where her cupcakes are needed, and the drive for shop and cupcake promotion eventually leads her to come across a body. Poor Mel is in the middle of a murder mystery and solving it becomes top priority when her friends are in the line of interrogation-fire.

I liked seeing Mel delve a little more into her problems. I think that it’s thus far been about her and Joe’s problems, and then Angie and Tate’s up and down relationship, her mother’s botched attempt at re-entering the dating world, etc. It hasn’t been about Mel at all, and the story is told from her perspective. Day-um. Girrrrrl needs a break! Unfortunately that doesn’t happen anytime soon.

You see three very powerful, very well-put together guys are all semi-competing for her heart: Joe, Manny and Steve.

As far as romances go, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see Mel and Detective Manny Martinez interact. Oh! And double-whammy! Steve Wolfmeier makes an appearance, too. Excuse me while I just… –wipes drool-

Okay, where was I? Mel and her problem with choosing the man for her – but it isn’t ever as simple as that. You see Mel is really indecisive. It’s hella annoying to read because I just wanted to burst into the pages and slap her silly, tell her to “get on with it already”! Though I suppose it’s always easier making decisions on the outside perspective. And poor Mel had to make quite a few leaps here and there, and she can be desperately shy.

The mystery was all right. The killer’s identity sort of surprised me, as in I didn’t know it was them, but I could see them doing it. Like the character was just real slimy (there! That’s not too spoiler-y, considering most of the suspects were slimy… I mean we are dealing with a beauty pageant here.)

So pick up Book 6. But make sure to read Books 1-5 because it is a series that builds on the relationships even if the murder mysteries from book-to-book are not connected.

My verdict:

✮✮✮✮.5

(4.5 stars)