Book Review: Frosted Yuletide Murder by Kim Davis (Cupcake Catering Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, fun Christmas set mystery

Cons: Climax could be stronger

The Bottom Line:

Christmas party death

Complicates the holidays

Festive and fun book

Delectable Christmas Fun

I thought I had set my reading agenda for the rest of the year months ago, but some books kept creeping onto my to be read list.  One of those was Frosted Yuletide Murder, the fourth Cupcake Catering Mystery from Kim Davis.  Considering the Christmas theme, I just had to make room for it.  And I’m glad I did.

Before we go any further, I am going to issue a very strong spoiler warning.  No, I won’t be spoiling this book, but this book spoils some events from previous books in the series.  Don’t pick it up if you haven’t read the earlier books and have any desire to do so.

It’s a week before Christmas, and Emory Martinez and her twin sister, Carrie, are catering an event for a mysterious client couple.  When they learn the identity of the clients, they discover that the wife is Blair, someone they know from high school.  Blair made Carrie’s life miserable back then, and she goes right back into her old habits.  In fact, as Emory observes Blair throughout the evening, it appears she treats everyone that way.

When Emory and Carrie return the next morning, they discover Blair’s body in the freezer.  Despite all the conflicts that Emory observed at the party the night before, the evidence seems to be pointing to Emory.  Can she clear her name?  Or will she spend Christmas in jail?

If you pick up this book expecting traditional Christmas atmosphere of snow and cold, you’ll be disappointed.  These books take place in the beach communities of Southern California.  As a Southern California resident myself, I loved it.  This felt like Christmas to me with cool weather (by our standards) but people still enjoying the outdoors.  I felt right at home and enjoyed that aspect very much.

We get to see plenty of Blair before she dies, and that helps set up several suspects.  The plot is filled with events that kept me engaged wondering exactly what was happening and how Emory would figure it out.  I did feel the climax was a bit rushed, and it left a couple of things open, but it was logical and satisfying.  Overall, I enjoyed it.

A great cozy mystery is filled with family and friends that we want to spend more time with, and that’s definitely the case with this series.  I love the supporting cast, and it is great to be able to spend more time with them.  Those who have been following the series since the beginning will be very interested in what is happening in her personal life.  The suspects were strong characters as well.

While this is the Cupcake Catering Mystery series, Carrie is a full caterer and Emory focuses on the cupcakes.  That means we get a wide variety of recipes at the end, from cupcakes to cocktails to other delicious sounding dishes.  If you love to cook, you’ll definitely enjoy those.

I’m so glad I was able to work a Christmas visit with Emory into my reading schedule.  If you want a fun cozy, definitely give this series a try.  If you are already a fan, you’ll want to grab Frosted Yuletide Murder and enjoy as soon as you can.

Pick up the rest of the Cupcake Catering Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

I’m reviewing this book as part of a blog tour. Please be sure to check out the rest of the stops here and enter the Rafflecopter by clicking the link below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway