Witches and Wedding Cake
Magical Bakery Mystery, Book #9
By Bailey Cates
ISBN#9780593099223
Author Website: baileycates(.)com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis:
Baker Katie Lightfoot is crafting her own magical wedding cake and tracking down a malicious murderer in the newest installment of this New York Times bestselling series.
Katie will be marrying firefighter Declan McCarthy in less than a week, and she’s still finding time to run the Honeybee Bakery, where she infuses sweets and treats with special spells and cheerful charms. But her hope of getting hitched without a hitch is short-lived. When Declan’s family shows up early to enjoy a few extra days in Savannah, his youngest sister finds an unsavory surprise: her ex-husband, dead in a hotel room hours after they argued.
The ex was scam artist with a lot of enemies, but the argument puts Declan’s sister under suspicion. Between dress fittings and dough-kneading, Katie–along with her witchy friends in the spellbook club–will really have to work some magic to figure out who killed the con man…or there may not be a wedding. (Goodreads)
Review:
Witches and Wedding Cake is the charming ninth book in the Magical Bakery Cozy Mystery Series. Longtime readers of the series will find this installment an especially satisfying read since Katie and Declan are finally getting married. I do think it can pretty easily be read as a standalone for readers new to the series.
With only a few days until her wedding, Katie is BUSY with work and preparations. Plus, she wants to socialize with Declan’s family who has arrived early to enjoy time together. Things get off to a rocky start when Declan’s youngest sister Rori’s ex-husband comes to call. A complete jerk and conman, Tucker is murdered not long after the confrontation and is found by Rori. Katie thinks he was into something deep, and a bit of witchcraft may have been involved. When Rori becomes the police’s prime suspect, Katie does all she can to solve the crime and get to the wedding on time.
The Magical Bakery series has captivated me from its first book. The characters are so appealing and feel like good friends at this point. Katie is likable, friendly, smart, and curious without being obnoxiously nosy. Her spellbook club (coven) is full of diverse, interesting women of all ages. They add a lot of color to the story. Aunt Lucy, Uncle Ben, and Declan are always fun, and of course, Katie’s terrier familiar Mongo is a great addition to the cast. I enjoyed getting to know some of Declan’s family and wonder if they will appear more in future installments. There are going to be more books, right?
The mystery is well crafted with plenty of suspects. I appreciate how Katie is able to whittle down the list as she uncovers more and more clues. I did not guess the killer’s identity until late in the book, and even then was not confident that I was correct until the climactic end. The story moves along at a quick pace, and as compelling as the murder mystery is, the best part of the book for is the wedding.
Witches and Wedding Cake is an entertaining read that is sure to please most any cozy fan.
