Jenn McKinlay

Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay has Mel and Angle helping two professional football players open a franchise of Fairy Tale Cupcakes. What trouble could two handsome, well-known football players be? I liked the unique concept. Jenn McKinlay manages to be descriptive without being overly detailed. I could envision the big football players in the bakery kitchen wearing Fairy Tale Cupcake aprons and holding an icing bag in their large hands (in the case of one player, a cupcake or two that were being quickly devoured). It was great to catch up with Mel, Angie, Tate, Joe, Marty, Oz, and the DeLaura brothers. Ray continues to surprise me. Mel is a friendly, relatable character. The mystery was entertaining. I had an inkling as to the identity of the guilty party early on, but I needed confirmation. I joined Mel as she set out to prove Keough’s innocence by asking questions and following the sprinkling of clues. The reveal made sure I was not left with any lingering questions. There is happy news at the end for Mel and Joe. I love the humor dotted throughout the story. The scrumptious cupcake descriptions will have you heading for your nearest bakery. Fondant Fumble is the sixteenth A Cupcake Bakery Mystery and it can be read as a standalone. The author provides the necessary background details for new readers. Mel fangirling over the new franchise owners (she loves her husband, but a girl can ogle the eye candy) was cute. Fondant Fumble is a sweet treat with delectable cupcakes, football franchisees, a difficult fan, vanilla vomitus, window repairs, and a jovial family.… (more)

Lindsay is waiting for a tardy interviewee to arrive. The opening came because of the library clerk's promotion. A call to the city's human resources office found they must wait 30 minutes past the scheduled start. Lindsay's dogwalker came in to report that her dog Heathcliff had broken free and gotten away from him. Lindsay, children's librarian Beth, the crafternooners, Sully, and Robbie all go out hunting for the escaped dog. A resident saw the dog lay down in front of a motorcycle. The cyclist picked the dog up. Lindsay continued to look. I won't say much more so as not to give away the plot of the book. This is a great bonus short story at the end of A Likely Story.… (more)

Sully takes Lindsay out to an island to deliver books to Stewart Rosen, a somewhat reclusive island resident, but he fails to meet them at the dock, which is unusual. When they go to the house to investigate, they find his brother Peter murdered and call in the local law enforcement. The home and island are booby-trapped and full of clutter. Robbie is out of town through most of this book. (I'd be happy if he'd just pack up and move back to England.) Meanwhile a lady is buying up a lot of island properties. I enjoyed this installment, and I liked the way Lindsay alerted the police chief much of the time. She's beginning to learn her lesson about the dangers of amateur sleuthing. I listened to the audiobook, and I've come to expect Allyson Ryan to do a good job with the series.… (more)

This is A Hat Shop Mystery series, I think it was number two but I read it first.

It was a great easy read murder mystery. The characters are well developed and lovable. There are four interesting characters that work at Mim’s Whims, a ladies’ hat shop in London. Come meet them as they find themselves right in the middle of a murder, the investigation of it, the panicked aftermath and shocking revelation of who done it!

There is a lot of flirting and romance, main character internal struggles in which you get to know her thoughts and how they differ from what she actually says.

The dialogue is humorous and witty in all the right places. It is a very cute fast read, definitely worth putting on your list to read.

I plan on getting number one of this series because I can tell a lot of the characters will be the same in the series. I just must know more about these funny, sweet, sassy and lovable characters 💕… (more)