Book Review: Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery Mysteries #14)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love, interesting plot

Cons: Climax rushed to explain everything

The Bottom Line:

Shooting in Old Town

Was Mel really the target?

Fans will eat it up

Who Shot at Mel?

I always enjoy picking up a Cupcake Bakery Mystery since I know I’ll get to enjoy a good plot with characters I love.  Strawberried Alive, the fourteenth in the series, is no exception.

Mel DeLaura is spending a late night at Fairy Tale Cupcakes in Old Town Scottsdale thanks to a bridezilla who needs a last-minute change to her cupcake order.  That’s why she finds herself alone behind the bakery well after dark.  She’s just locked up when someone starts shooting at her.  Fortunately, they missed, but a neighboring business owner isn’t so lucky the next night.  As Mel’s family and friends go into protection mode, another incident happens.  What is going on in Old Town?

This book jumps right into the action.  Fans will be hooked from the start, wanting to find out what is going on and how Mel will be okay this time.  The plot of this book is something a little different, and I enjoyed that.  However, I didn’t feel like it was developed as well as it could have been, leaving us with a rushed climax.  Don’t worry, everything makes sense at the end, but it felt a little abrupt.

I know I just talked about Mel in my teaser, but don’t worry, the gang is all here, and they get plenty of page time.  That’s a wonderful thing since I truly do love these characters.  There was plenty of humor thanks to their interactions, as always.

The action takes place mainly in Old Town where Fairy Tale Cupcakes is located.  We don’t always spend much time there (outside of the shop, anyway) and I enjoyed getting to know some of the other shop owners.  Of course, they also wind up serving as suspects, and the fact that Mel likes them makes us care even more about the outcome.

By the time you are done with this book, you’ll be craving cupcakes.  Fortunately, there are four recipes at the end, including a gluten free and a vegan cupcake, to help you satisfy your cravings.

While this is the fourteenth book in the series, you can jump in here without missing too much.  Yes, a few things from the character’s lives are spoiled.  On the other hand, I appreciated that, as Mel was reviewing some of her past involvement in mysteries, she was referring to those cases by the victim’s name, leaving the mystery unspoiled.

This series has many fans, and they will be thrilled to visit Mel and the rest of the gang in Strawberried Alive.  If you’ve yet to start this series, pick one up and you’ll soon find that, just like cupcakes, you can’t stop at just one.

Enjoy the rest of the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.