{"id":25332,"date":"2020-04-28T07:41:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T11:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=25332"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:58:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T16:58:45","slug":"review-pumpkin-spice-peril-by-jenn-mckinlay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/28\/review-pumpkin-spice-peril-by-jenn-mckinlay\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers–Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.<\/span>

Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there’s no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery’s signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it’s up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good.<\/span><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Release Date:<\/strong> Apr 28, 2020
Series:<\/strong> \u00a0Cupcake Bakery
<\/em>Book: <\/strong>12
Publisher:<\/strong> Penguin Group
Imprint:<\/strong> Berkley
Price:<\/strong> $5.99<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

Melanie Cooper and Angie Harper are always glad to see their friend and regular customer of their Old Town Scottsdale bakery, Peter Klein. Peter buys cupcakes for his wife Rene every week and now Melanie and Angie will be providing cupcakes for Rene\u2019s upcoming unveiling of her new glass sculpture which will hang above a canal. Rene has been acting erratically and when Melanie visits her to follow up on the cupcakes, she can tell there is something serious wrong. When Melanie goes back to check in with her a few days later, she learns Rene has died under suspicious circumstances. Even worse, Melanie becomes one of police chief Lori Rosen\u2019s main suspects because of Melanie\u2019s bad luck of discovering dead bodies. Melanie is more determined than ever to find the real killer to clear her name and get justice for her friend.<\/p>\n

I have read most of the books in this long-running series and think fans of the series will enjoy this fast-paced mystery as well as some new developments for a few of the characters. I think new readers can also enjoy the book but won\u2019t have the background of seeing more of the close friendship between Melanie, Angie, Angie\u2019s husband Tate, and Angie\u2019s brother Joe, who is engaged to Melanie. It is mentioned Melanie, Angie, and Tate have been friends since middle school and that Melanie had a crush on Joe from the time she met him, but there aren\u2019t as many scenes in this book that demonstrate the love they all have for each other. Melanie, Angie, and some of Angie\u2019s other brothers can sometimes act immature for their age, but all are still likable characters. Tate doesn\u2019t play a big part in this installment and I missed his presence.<\/p>\n

For such a well-liked woman as Rene, Melanie discovers there are quite a few possible suspects in Rene\u2019s murder. She and Angie are also disappointed to learn everything isn\u2019t as it seems in the life of the \u201cperfect couple\u201d Rene and Peter. I enjoyed Melanie\u2019s investigation, but it felt like just as tension was beginning to build, the drama with Chief Rosen was over and the case was solved. I would have liked a little more substance to keep the suspense going a little longer. However, even though it\u2019s a little rushed, I like the way the case wraps up. The characters are the strong point of the book and the series. I really like Melanie and Angie\u2019s characters and how the friends and their families are always there to support them in times of need. There are recipes at the end for several different types of cupcakes, including Rene\u2019s favorite Pumpkin Spice. Overall, the book is a fun, entertaining read that will please returning as well as new readers.<\/p>\n

~ Christine<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0B&N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \t <\/div>\n\t \n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers–Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,89,128,48],"tags":[152,223,367,404,405],"class_list":["post-25332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-christine","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-cozy-mystery","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads"],"yoast_head":"\nReview \u2764\ufe0f Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/28\/review-pumpkin-spice-peril-by-jenn-mckinlay\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay - 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Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.<br \/><br \/>Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there's no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery's signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it's up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p> <hr \/> <p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Apr 28, 2020<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong> <em>\u00a0Cupcake Bakery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book: <\/strong>12<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $5.99<\/p> <hr \/> <p>\u00a0<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Melanie Cooper and Angie Harper are always glad to see their friend and regular customer of their Old Town Scottsdale bakery, Peter Klein. Peter buys cupcakes for his wife Rene every week and now Melanie and Angie will be providing cupcakes for Rene\u2019s upcoming unveiling of her new glass sculpture which will hang above a canal. Rene has been acting erratically and when Melanie visits her to follow up on the cupcakes, she can tell there is something serious wrong. When Melanie goes back to check in with her a few days later, she learns Rene has died under suspicious circumstances. Even worse, Melanie becomes one of police chief Lori Rosen\u2019s main suspects because of Melanie\u2019s bad luck of discovering dead bodies. Melanie is more determined than ever to find the real killer to clear her name and get justice for her friend.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I have read most of the books in this long-running series and think fans of the series will enjoy this fast-paced mystery as well as some new developments for a few of the characters. I think new readers can also enjoy the book but won\u2019t have the background of seeing more of the close friendship between Melanie, Angie, Angie\u2019s husband Tate, and Angie\u2019s brother Joe, who is engaged to Melanie. It is mentioned Melanie, Angie, and Tate have been friends since middle school and that Melanie had a crush on Joe from the time she met him, but there aren\u2019t as many scenes in this book that demonstrate the love they all have for each other. Melanie, Angie, and some of Angie\u2019s other brothers can sometimes act immature for their age, but all are still likable characters. Tate doesn\u2019t play a big part in this installment and I missed his presence.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For such a well-liked woman as Rene, Melanie discovers there are quite a few possible suspects in Rene\u2019s murder. She and Angie are also disappointed to learn everything isn\u2019t as it seems in the life of the \u201cperfect couple\u201d Rene and Peter. I enjoyed Melanie\u2019s investigation, but it felt like just as tension was beginning to build, the drama with Chief Rosen was over and the case was solved. I would have liked a little more substance to keep the suspense going a little longer. However, even though it\u2019s a little rushed, I like the way the case wraps up. The characters are the strong point of the book and the series. I really like Melanie and Angie\u2019s characters and how the friends and their families are always there to support them in times of need. There are recipes at the end for several different types of cupcakes, including Rene\u2019s favorite Pumpkin Spice. Overall, the book is a fun, entertaining read that will please returning as well as new readers.<\/p> <p><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2W900Rt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/pumpkin-spice-peril\/id1474529952?mt=11&app=itunes&at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/pumpkin-spice-peril-jenn-mckinlay\/1132704811?ean=9780451492661\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/pumpkin-spice-peril\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Jenn_McKinlay_Pumpkin_Spice_Peril?id=YLalDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}