Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of possible Spoilers*

Emma and Arabella, along with their quirky friends, are back on the case when tragedy strikes at Sweet Nothings’ first ever in-home trunk show!  One of their guests loses their life when one of Bitsy’s cupcakes has a poisonous flower atop of it instead of the usual edible ones that Liz supplies.  Could Liz have made a mistake when choosing the flowers or did somebody tamper with the cupcakes?  The cops aren’t moving fast enough on the case so Emma will move Heaven and Earth to clear her friends of the crime.

I was pretty skeptical when I started reading this book, mainly because I really didn’t like the first book of the series, Murder Unmentionable.  But I wanted to give the series another shot and make sure the first one wasn’t just suffering from first book of the series syndrome.  I’m happy to report that this book was a vast improvement over its predecessor.

The murder wasn’t quite as predictable as the one in the last book.  I was able to figure out the culprit easily enough, but I was never completely sure if I was right or not until Emma finally figured it out!  So, I did appreciate there being enough suspects to make me doubt my own guesswork:)  And, it did keep the book from being dull.  But there is nothing like a bunch of small town gossips playing detective!

Then, there is Emma’s love life.  Ugh…. Brian, Brian, Brian.  I like Brian, but his sad excuse for romance is really starting to drag me down.  It was bad enough he called Emma by his ex’s name in the previous book, but now he lets his work keep him from seeing her or even calling her!  And, that’s before his ex wants to see him again.  I understand that he was hurt and is scared, but come on already!  It’s time to grow a pair and move on!  Part of me was hoping that Emma would go out with Walker to wake Brian up to what he could lose if he doesn’t act soon!  It was bad enough that all the senior citizens have hotter romances than Emma, but now even Arabella’s dog is getting more action!  Speaking of …  that was the quickest litter of puppies I’ve ever seen born, with only a week or so from them finding out the dog was pregnant to the pups going to their new homes!

I’m hoping that Emma’s love life will finally get on the right track in book three!  I’m happy to see the growth London has made since Murder Unmentionable, and I hope the series continues to improve.