REVIEW and EXCERPT
Bring Your Own Baker
(Death by Cupcake Book 2)
(Death by Cupcake Book 2)
by D. E. Haggerty
Bring Your Own Baker, the second book in D. E. Haggerty's Death by Cupcake series, has just been released. The author stops by today to share an excerpt from the book. You can also read my review. Also available: Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker (read my blog post).
More books by this author: Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem (read my blog post), Jack Gets His Man (read my blog post), and Love in the Time of Murder (read my blog post).
Description
Anna just wants to earn enough money on the side to buy into the bakery, Callie’s Cakes, where she works together with her best nerd pal, Callie. The last thing she expects to see when she walks into Arthur’s apartment to do some moonlighting is a blood bath. Callie’s ready to jump into the investigation of Arthur’s murder, and she’s bringing another bakery worker, Kristie, into their hijinks whether Kristie wants to or not. But things aren’t as they seem. There are gang affiliations, illegal gambling dens, and ladies of the night to wade through. Will Anna and Callie discover who murdered Arthur, or will Callie’s detective boyfriend and Anna’s self-appointed protector put a stop to such aspirations?
Come join us at Callie’s Cakes, where murder investigations are on the menu, but make sure to bring your own baker, because Anna’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.
Warning: This is NOT your mom’s cozy mystery. Bring Your Own Baker may be a "clean" read, but if gangs, illegal gambling, and pimps make you turn your nose up at your e-reader, you might want to skip this one. Although you’ll be missing some sizzling chemistry between Anna and her protector. Not to mention a whole bunch of witty dialogue.
Excerpt
“Apparently, I’m smart and could take over Arthur’s ‘position’. Oh, and I’m beautiful.” I snort again because really? The bookie must be in dire need of someone to play poker for him if he’s calling me beautiful.
“You are beautiful,” Logan whispers. Before I can snort again, he places a hand over my nose and mouth. “Baby, how can you not know you’re beautiful?”
My eyes widen at his question. “You’re serious?” At his nod, I continue. “Because I’m a pink-haired pixie. No one thinks a pixie’s beautiful.”
Logan’s grin is wicked. “I always thought Tinker Bell was hot.”
I huff. “Tinker Bell’s a fairy, not a pixie.”
“Pixie, fairy, whatever.” He shrugs. “Hot,” he mumbles as his lips find mine. He wastes no time in sticking his tongue down my throat but then abruptly stops. He licks his lips. “Have you been drinking?”
“Vodka.” I nod.
“Vodka doesn’t taste like coconut.”
“It does if it comes out of my freezer,” I tell him with no uncertainty.
He rolls his eyes at me. “You’re a nut.”
“Technically coconut is a fruit, not a nut,” I clarify.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
"I loved this cozy mystery! It's a well written book filled with lots of laughs and love. Even looking for a murderer was funny when these ladies get involved in the investigation. The main characters in this novel are absolutely priceless. They definitely drive the story. They were easy to get to know and easy to connect with. Their boyfriends sure help the story along. The fact that they are both big and handsome doesn't hurt either. This is a great series ... " ~ Jo-Anne on Goodreads
"It's adorable, it's funny and it has a mysterious bearded man who just happens to make that look work for him (which is not easy). Add to that a murder, some far from legal actions and some delicious cooking and you've got another great book from D.E. Haggerty."~ Magda on Goodreads
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
In this second book in the series, we see the return of all our favorite characters from Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker: Callie and Ben, Detectives Duchamps and Smits, lawyer Fred Advocaat, and baker Anna. Anna has an accounting degree and has been doing some bookkeeping work for computer whiz Arthur. But when Anna finds Arthur dead, she becomes the number one suspect. Sick of police incompetency, Anna teams up with Callie to solve Arthur's murder. Turns out he had some pretty shady clients, all of who become suspects. So Anna and Callie encounter gang members, bookies, illegal poker games, prostitutes, and pimps, but they get a bit of help from an unexpected source. We also get a good introduction to Kristie, who works at the bakery; I have a feeling we might see a bit more of her in the next book.
Narrated in the first person by Anna, the story is sprinkled with cute similes - usually bakery related - as well as candy-coated expletives (e.g., "Sweet sugar cookies!"). Even the chapter names read like the steps in a recipe! My favorite quote: "Having friends you can trust and lean on is ever better than being able to eat cupcakes without gaining weight."
Dena, your mission is complete - I didn't see that ending coming. The story is followed by a recipe for Mocha Fudge Cake with Coffee Icing. I look forward to reading the next in this sweet series.
About the Author
I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom's Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn't flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed.
College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage every once in a while to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law.
Another job change, this time from lawyer to B&B owner and I was again fed up and ready to scream "I quit", which is incredibly difficult when you own the business. Thus, I shut the B&B during the week and in the off-season and started writing. Several books later I find myself in Istanbul writing full-time.
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