REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper
(Death by Cupcake Book 4)
(Death by Cupcake Book 4)
by D. E. Haggerty
Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper is the first holiday novella in the Death by Cupcake series by D. E. Haggerty. Grab your copy now for only $0.99! Also available: Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker (read my blog post), Bring Your Own Baker (read my blog post), and Self-Serve Murder (read my blog post).
Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper is currently on tour with Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
More books by this author: Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem (read my blog post), Jack Gets His Man (read my blog post), Love in the Time of Murder (read my blog post), Fat Girl Begone! (read my blog post), Searching for Gertrude (read my blog post), Finders Not Keepers (read my blog post), Picture Not Perfect (read my blog post), and Hide Not Seek (read my blog post).
Description
It’s all candy cane cupcakes and peppermint coffee until you find a dead elf on your doorstep.
Only the elf wasn’t a real elf, because elves don’t actually exist – not even at Christmas time. A college student dressed like an elf decided taking a nap in sub-zero winter temps was a good idea. It wasn’t. Anna, the pink-haired baker extraordinaire of Callie’s Cakes, is convinced the student’s death was not an accident. She drags Callie and Kristie along with her as she attempts to discover who killed the elf … um … student.
Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes find the killer before Christmas is ruined?
Cupcakes not included, although you’ll find recipes for all the delicious Christmas cupcakes Anna baked.
Excerpt
“Holy cow, batgirl, these cupcakes are the bomb.” The chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting are decorated with red and green sparkles for the Christmas season and look absolutely scrumptious. I grab one and rip the paper liner off before shoving half into my mouth. I moan as the taste of chocolate and fluffy cream combine to create heaven in my mouth but then the heavenly cream melts and a burn replaces it. My eyes water and I start to cough. “What the heck did you put in these?” I somehow manage to ask.
“Too much?” Anna scrunches up her nose and frowns at the cupcakes as if the things have let her down.
I wave a hand in front of my face to cool the heat now spreading across my face. “Um, yeah. Just a bit.”
“Huh.” She wrinkles her nose. “The original recipe called for six teaspoons of Irish Cream in the frosting and two teaspoons of whiskey in the ganache filling. Sounded like way too little.” She grabs a pencil and starts scribbling notes on a piece of paper.
Throwing cupcakes away, anything chocolate really, is sacrilege, but there’s no way I can finish this thing. I toss the remaining cupcake in the trash with a shake of my head. “Remember,” I tell her as I walk to my office. “We don’t have a liquor license.”
I’ve nearly reached my office when Kristie pushes the swinging door into the kitchen open. “I hate to interrupt your loving on some cupcakes, but we have a problem.”
“I got this,” I shout to Anna and start to follow Kristie.
“Um, I think both of you are going to want to see this.”
Well, now she has my attention. “What’s going on?”
“You have to see it to believe it.”
I motion for her to lead the way as I follow her through the door with Anna hot on my heels. I stop when I see the room is empty. “Why haven’t you opened yet?”
“That’s what I needed to show you.” She points to the front door.
As the door is glass, I immediately spot the problem. There’s an elf sitting in front of the door, leaning his back against it while obviously passed out. I roll my eyes. Typical. This time of year brings out the drunks, which is saying a lot in Wisconsin. “I got this.”
I march to the door and unlock it. As soon as I pull the door open, the elf falls backwards. I jump out of the way, and his body lands with a thump in the doorway. Ugh. I hate dealing with drunks. Not that we get too many drunks coming to Callie’s Cakes. We are a cupcake bakery and not a bar after all. “Come on, dude. Time to move on.” I gently prod him with my foot, but he doesn’t move or make a sound. “How much did you drink?” I lean over and squeeze his shoulder. No reaction. Uh oh.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“A label on the cover promises laugh out loud fun and for a story that is a little over 100 pages with three spunky heroines, it definitely makes good on that guarantee.” ~ I Read What You Write
“There are some twists and turns and a bit of a shocker at the end ... D. E. Haggerty has a new fan of this fun cozy series.” ~ My Reading Journeys
“This book is humorous and kept me engaged from the first page to the last ... Anna cracks me up – she is petite but a force of nature. Let’s just say you shouldn’t mess with her.” ~ Storeybook Reviews
“Filled with witty banter, colorful phrases and misdirections, can the women avoid the men attempting to protect them while they get to the bottom of a dead elf delivered to the cupcake shop.” ~ Laura’s Interests
“It is always fun to revisit with Callie and her friends and as an additional bonus these a quick reads that are ideal for a commute or whilst waiting for an appointment!” ~ A Wytch’s Book Review Blog
“The easy rapport between the three women is very well written, drawing us into their inner circle of friendship and teamwork. The story is written with the perfect blend of drama and humor – and cupcakes!” ~ Book Babble
My Review
Callie and the girls are back! This time, they investigate the murder of an elf found dead on their doorstep.
This is a quick, fun read, perfect for getting in the mood for Christmas. It comes complete with seven delicious cupcake recipes as made by Anna in the book. I can’t wait to try them!
This is the first holiday novella in the Death by Cupcake series. I look forwarding to spending more holidays with these girls.
About the Author
I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby 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 on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. 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 before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.
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