kavlovestoread

Conversations with Kav – Summer Catch Up and a bit of Housekeeping + Giveaway

Can you believe we’re more than halfway through the summer already? Can’t say I’ll miss the heat when the autumn comes. We’re already getting back to school advertisements and the stores are stocking up with school supplies. I always get the itch to buy notebooks and pens etc. ’round about now. I might have succumbed at the Dollar Store recently, but, in my defence they had the cutest composition journals! And nifty eraser tape. Coloured pencils. Gel pens in a rainbow of colours. Oy. I may not be going back to school but I still can’t resist!

Ahem, but we’re not here to talk about all that. Today is going to be a smorgasbord of topics in random order. Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments and, if you do, I’ll enter you in a draw for a $10.00 Baker Book House gift card. Speaking of which…the perfect segue to our first topic:

Baker Book House Online Woes! I have been having issues logging on to the BBH site to place my orders for a while now. It used to be hit and miss and then I couldn’t log in on my laptop but I could log in on my computer only I haven’t been able to sign in at all this week. (Apologies to Connie and Cindy, last week’s winners who are still waiting for their wins. Well, Cindy has a long wait since her book doesn’t release until October so we have a bit of leeway there!)

I’ve sent two help emails to Baker Book House without any response. I’m not sure what else I can do. I have a MacBook Air laptop and an Apple computer – not sure if that could play into it? What’s happening: either I get nothing when I click on the ‘sign in/my account’ button OR I do get the log in box but nothing happens when I fill it out. Sooo frustrating. So, I thought I’d ask if anyone else has been having the same problem? And if so, did they find a solution? Any suggestions?

Funny AI Update: Literally the week after I posted my AI blog, my yahoo email suddenly decided to bestow an AI assistant upon me. Every time I opened an email, the helpful AI ass’t would summarize the body of the text for me, getting the simplest things all muddled up in the process. So ridiculously annoying, since emails are usually brief and to the point anyway, so really why would I need a summary of four or five lines?! And hilarious that it couldn’t grasp the important points of an email text.

On top of that this irritating AI ass’t ‘helpfully’ prioritized my emails so that when I signed on, I only got the emails the AI thought were important. It took me nearly a week to realize that I could click on an ‘all’ button and see all the emails and by then I had over fifty of them. So if I’ve missed an email somewhere along the way recently, that might be why. AI always defaulted to ‘priority’ email list and I’d have to manually select ‘all’ every single time I went into my email. Gah!

I finally discovered a cleverly hidden ‘opt out’ button and was able to go back to my plain old un AI email. Phew! Of course, then the email popped up a message box and wanted to know what it did wrong. I was very thorough in my reply and now I’m feeling kinda guilty lest I hurt it’s feelings. 🙂

Garden Woes: Those ripening, juicy red tomatoes? Yeah, the chipmunks enjoyed them. Well, they took a bite out of each one and tossed the rest. Sigh. Now I’m picking barely orange tomatoes and letting them ripen on my counter.

Best Reads Summer Book Bingo Update: We already have 7 Bingo Blackouts and a slew of line Bingos with more coming in every week. Woohoo! I finally found my holiday romance so I’m a Blackout too. Just a reminder that you have until midnight EST time on August 31 to get your Bingos in. So…just three more weeks of summer reading. If you need a refresher here’s the original post: https://kavsbestreads.ca/2025/06/01/conversations-with-kav-summer-reading-fun-giveaway/

Re Giveaways: just a reminder to always check the editions available in your country for the giveaways. I’ve tried to make it as clear as possible by adding ‘+Giveaway’ to the blog title if there will be a book giveaway that day and then listing the options in red under the ‘Giveaway Opportunity’ at the end of each blog. Not every review will necessarily include a giveaway, so do look for that ‘+ Giveaway’ after the title, as well as the giveaway options listed after the review.

But today there is a giveaway! Add to the conversation in the comments below (especially if you have solutions to my BBH woes) to be entered for a $10.00 Baker Book House gift card. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 16 2025.

August Giveaway – Week Two

won by Paula Shreckhise

Winners will be contacted if they left their email address, otherwise it’s up to the winner to contact me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca (please note it’s ca as in Canada, not com.) From time to time a winner and I do not connect so I have a one month time frame on giveaway wins. If I haven’t been able to reach you within 30 days of your win, it will be forfeited. This has happened a few times now, so please, DON’T BE SHY — CONTACT ME IF YOU DIDN’T LEAVE AN EMAIL OR IF I HAVEN’T BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN REACHING YOU!

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

sunday

Conversations with Kav – a place for us to chat about bookish topics if anyone is so inclined. Sometimes there will be giveaways, sometimes there won’t. It will just depend on the topic of the day. Hope to see you there! Otherwise my inner book nerd and I will carry on by ourselves. Bwahaha!

monday

2025 Carol Award Finalists – (Debut) I can’t believe it’s that time already but the finalists were just announced this week and the winners in each category will be announced on September 6 at the ACFW Conference Gala. Soooo exciting. This year especially because 40% of the finalists are indie authors! And most of the rest are from small publishing houses. Tons of new-to-me authors listed and books I’ve never even heard of.

So, while all that is exciting, I’ve discovered it can be a little be tricky when it comes to sourcing all editions of the books. I’ve noticed that small press books seem to carry hefty price tags in print format for a while now, but some of these were crazy! One 300 page book is $80 in Canada! And a $10 US book is $32 in Canada while another book was $7 here and $40 in the US. All kinds of crazy — so, all this to say pay particular attention to the giveaway options for each Carol Award Finalists title in the coming weeks. They will be listed in bold after the title/author/publishing info statement and will be divided by US, Canada and International.

The Secret Investigator of Astor Street

After high school graduation, Piper Sail isn’t quite sure what her future holds—until a possible murder case lands in her lap. Filled with both the glitz and glamor of high society and the dark mafia underbelly of 1920s Chicago, The Secret Investigator of Astor Street is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson.

Piper Sail knows what she to become a detective. After all, she already solved the case of her missing best friend, and there’s no shortage of crime in 1920s Chicago. But for an eighteen-year-old society girl—even one who’s currently dating a police investigator—it simply isn’t done.

That is, until a girl asks her to dig into her brother’s recent death. The police ruled it a suicide, but she’s convinced it was murder. And she wants Piper to help her prove it.

In this companion to The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Piper once again grabs her notebook and plunges into the underworld of mafia-controlled Chicago. But she’ll need all her wits and courage if she wants to become The Secret Investigator of Astor Street.

My Review:

Phenomenal sequel to the first Piper Sail Mystery novel! It’s been a long wait but I am thrilled that this series is continuing. Love the edgy Nancy Drew vibe. Instead of bucolic River Heights, Piper sleuths in mobster-run Chicago in the 1920s, a full decade before Nancy put on her deerstalker hat! Makes for some classic atmospheric amateur sleuthing!

Piper’s dream of becoming a full-fledged private investigator seems destined to go unfulfilled. She is constrained by the expectations placed on a recently graduated high society young miss (aka get married and serve at charity functions.) Can she help it if she excels at crime solving instead of flower arranging?!

So her indomitable spirit and gritty determination seem destined to remain buried in a stifling clerical job until a sleuthing opportunity presents itself. Ofcourse, she can’t resist diving in. Love the complexity of the investigation, the intriguing plot twists, and the tremendous character growth Piper experiences along the way. I’m also a fan of the way her relationship with her police detective boyfriend develops as well. He is refreshingly supportive, a truly forward thinking man of the times!

Tumultuous complications in Piper’s home life, and even in part of her romance, add extra depth to the story and kept me riveted. Definitely a read-in-one-sitting kinda book…or in my case compulsively listen because, once again, I enjoyed Megan Trout’s narration. Love the way she portrays all the characters, especially Piper. And she captures all the intricacies of emotion and humour…and even hair-raising danger…to perfection.

My thanks to Harper Collins Focus / Blink and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

The Second Story Bookshop + Giveaway

She inherits the bookshop of her dreams . . . But she has to run it with the ex she vowed never to speak with again.

Shelby Thatcher adores working in the charming small-town bookshop her grandmother opened years ago. Since high school she’s helped Gram turn the shop into a community hub for book lovers in the lakeside town of Granville, NC. When her beloved grandma passes away, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But to her shock, Gram leaves half ownership to Gray Briggs, the man who broke Shelby’s heart years ago.

Granville residents have been vilifying Gray as long as he can remember. After graduating high school he couldn’t skip town fast enough, even though it meant leaving the girl he’d fallen deeply in love with and alienating her family once and for all. Now he’s back, the beneficiary of his elderly friend’s will. Facing the town’s animosity is difficult, but seeing Shelby again is sheer torture. No one could ever stir his heart the way she did.

As the adversaries are forced to work together, Gram’s beyond-the-grave scheme is working–Shelby’s old feelings for Gray begin to resurface. But the problems that destroyed their relationship before still remain, and a new one surfaces–one that threatens Gram’s beloved bookshop. Is their love doomed to fail again, or will they find a way to make it work this time around?

My Review:

A Second Chance Romance set in a bookish backdrop? Yes please! Even though Shelby and Gray’s love story includes a…gasp…dreaded love triangle! I almost gave up before the story really started but it’s Denise Hunter and if I can’t trust her with my fragile LT resistant heart, who can I trust? And truly, as far as love triangles go this one wasn’t as angsty as it could have been. I could explain why but then I’d be sharing spoilers so…guess you’ll have to trust me just the way I had to trust the author.

Poignant and tender and steeped in emotion, this novel brought on all the feels, from fuming to swooning and everything in between. Kept me invested right through to the end. A high school romance gone terribly wrong and Shelby’s been nursing some significant resentment ever since. Meanwhile, Gray has been trapped in his regrets. Their coming together once again results in an explosion of mixed emotions and the opportunity to finally come to terms with the past.

Hunter explores the complex issue of bullying – both then and now – with stomach churning precision. Gah! I felt for Gray and everything he had to endure. I appreciated the snippets of storytelling from their past that set the stage for the present. It explained so much and helped me feel sympathetic to both hero and heroine. And I love the way Gram’s gentle support reaches out to both of them after her death. Such a wonderful legacy of love!

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘The Second Story Bookshop’ narrated by Kim Churchill. I felt like she had a good grasp of the characters’ personalities which carried over into her performance, making me appreciate them, and their story, all the more.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK DOESN’T RELEASE UNTIL OCTOBER 7 SO THERE WILL BE A BIT OF A WAIT TO CLAIM YOUR WIN!

US – ebook edition

Canada – available ebook or audible — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Second Story Bookshop, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025

Threat of Revenge + Giveaway

A vendetta from the past puts a K-9 team in the crosshairs.

Following an anonymous tip about a gun-trafficking ring, patrol officer Jenna Morrow arrives in small-town North Dakota—and narrowly escapes the bomb that detonates in her car. Rescued by rancher Clay Miller, Jenna and her K-9 partner, Augie, take refuge at his remote property to continue her investigation. But even when she’s under Clay’s protection, an unknown assailant continues to threaten Jenna, making it clear someone wants her dead…and it’s personal. As the killer closes in, Jenna and Clay must unmask an attacker who won’t stop until a long-awaited revenge is complete…

My Review:

I’m not brave enough to read Jessica R. Patch’s thrillers but I do love these Love Inspired Suspense novels! The toned down edginess is just right for me, though I will admit to nearly hyperventilating during one scene! Just happens that one of my phobias matches with one of Jenna’s so we were both experiencing all the big feels only she had Clay to comfort her and I was all on my lonesome. So not fair!

Lots of action and danger! Lots!!! Along with a complicated relationship between two stubborn people who are wary of love and commitment which heaps on even more pressure as Jenna and Clay dodge bullets and try to stay alive! The kind of suspense that keeps you turning pages (or in my case, avidly listening) until everything gets sorted.

Loved the K-9 bits. Augie is an endearing mix of Kujo and Lassie and Patch writes the human/dog relationship with authority. Me thinks she is a dog lover and I love the authenticity that brings to the K-9 dynamics.

This is the sixth novel in the ‘Dakota K-9 Unit’ continuity series but reads really well as a standalone (has it’s own unique suspense plot) though I am getting anxious for the final resolution of the over-arcing gun-trafficking plot. We’re getting close, just two books away. And I enjoyed getting glimpses of the whole team working together.

I listened to the audio edition of ‘Threat of Revenge’ narrated by Courtney Patterson. She is becoming a familiar voice in my listening experiences and I really enjoy her storytelling style. Definitely adds to my ‘reading’ enjoyment.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Perilous Tides, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025

The Lost Girl of Astor Street + Giveaway

random retro reread

To most people, Piper Sail looks like a rich girl with little potential, but she surprises everyone, including herself, when she starts investigating her best friend’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson, The Lost Girl of Astor Street combines the allure of Jazz Age Chicago with a twisting mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Lydia has vanished. Lydia, who’s never broken any rules, except falling in love with the wrong boy. Lydia, who’s been Piper’s best friend since they were children. Lydia, who never even said goodbye.

Convinced the police are looking in all the wrong places, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail begins her own investigation into Lydia’s disappearance. With the reluctant help of a handsome young detective, Piper searches for answers in the dark underbelly of 1924 Chicago. Did Lydia get abducted by one of the city’s most notorious gangsters? Or does the trail lead back to their own affluent neighborhood?

Piper must decide if she’s willing to risk her life to find out the truth.

My Review:

published in 2017

I read this book when it first came out and loooovvved it sooooo much! Was so hopeful for a long running series but then…nothing. For years. So imagine my extreme bibliophile ecstasy when I discovered that not only did the publisher reissue the book with a swanky new cover, but they also included a new audio edition and there’s a second book now as well. Eeeeeeeepppp! I can’t even….

—

Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars in this astounding Young Adult Mystery that can certainly be enjoyed by readers who have passed their teen years.

Love the mix of historical (roaring twenties in Chicago) and mystery. And I’m actually surprising myself by saying I also loved the first person, present tense point of view which is usually my least favourite POV. But it works here, catapulting the reader into Piper’s heart and mind as she navigates a complicated web of intrigue and secrets.

I love her spunk! And her fierce loyalty and dogged determination. She just doesn’t quit, much to the exasperation (and reluctant admiration) of a certain young police detective. But Piper’s stubbornness leads to danger as she exposes secrets and follows clues that lead her into the seedy side of town. And if the heart-stopping suspense doesn’t keep you frantically turning pages, the sweet romance certainly will. Praying this is the first of many cases for this new, intrepid female detective.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Megan Trout’s compelling narration. She did these characters justice – especially our indomitable heroine!

My thanks to HarperCollins Focus / Blink and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Lost Girl of Astor Street, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025.

Carol Award Finalist – Young Adult + Giveaway

First off — what exactly are the Carol Awards?

They are awards given out by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in recognition of outstanding Christian fiction in the previous calendar year. So these 2025 finalists are books published in 2024. You might have read them already, you might not. I’ll include links to books I’ve read and reviewed.

Carol Award Winners will be announced on September 6 2025 at the ACFW Gala in Springfield, Missouri (wouldn’t you love to be there?!)

How does this giveaway work?

You select which of the Carol Award finalists 2025 —Young Adult Category you would like to receive. Mention the title in your comment (or an email if you’re entering that way) and if you win, that’s the book that will be sent to you. Easy Peasy.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

Giveaway details may vary with each book (print, ebook only or winner’s choice of either, plus audible options for Canadians.) Edition availability will be noted in bold after the title/author/publisher of each entry. ALSO NOTE: Giveaway is for US and Canada OR ebook international if you have US Kindle account.

Young Adult Fiction Finalists

The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes – Enclave Publishing (Oasis Family Media) – Editor: Rebecca Reynolds – Giveaway options: US: print or ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.

When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe, trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.

Cain Cross is determined to find a cure . . . if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.

Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare–to change it by mere thought.

Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod–and access to a cure–in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.

Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be . . . will he even have a choice?

Rift by Steven James – Sky Turtle Nova (Oasis Family Media) – Editor: Rebecca Reynolds – Giveaway options: US: print or ebook, Canada: print or ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Kindle account.

Some doors were never meant to be opened. Some tales were never meant to be set free. When seventeen-year-old Sahara O’Saughnessy discovers a rift into the realm of lore, the most haunting stories she’s been telling her friends come to life, and she must find a way to stop them before they tear her world apart. RIFT explores loss, longing, and courage with spine-chilling suspense. Set within the Appalachian Mountains, it walks the boundaries between the known and the unknown.

Mortal Queens by Victoria McCombs – Enclave Publishing (Oasis Family Media) – Editors: Sarah Grimm and Lisa Laube – Giveaway options: US: ebook, Canada: ebook or audible, International: ebook with US Amazon account.

They vanish without a trace, disappear into the night

Each year on the center island, one girl is chosen to be the next Mortal Queen of the idolized fae. The mortals praise these lucky girls, but their daughters are never seen again.

The fae realm is eternal night, where disputes are settled by chess matches, power is acquired through the most devious kinds of trickery, and seven illusive kings roam. The fae hide their faces behind masks and guard their glass hearts to keep them from shattering. But beyond the veil of this luxurious paradise, a dark secret simmers, for their Queens have disappeared.

When aspiring artist Althea is selected, she is desperate to avoid the same mysterious fate. With no one to trust, she conceals messages in paintings and receives anonymous replies from a stranger who slowly reveals the tale of a girl who outwitted the fae. Only if she is clever enough will Althea survive the fate of the Mortal Queens. As long as the king who cannot love does not claim her first.”

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025. REMEMBER TO CHECK EDITION AVAILABILITY FOR EACH BOOK.

Conversations With Kav – Net Galley query, Hello August + Giveaway

First: the Net Galley Question:

I’m pretty new to Net Galley but I know that we’re supposed to read and review fairly quickly. At least 80% feedback being the goal. I’m always about 98% or more because, a) I’m a keener and b) I only review audio books in the Christian Fiction and Cozy Mystery genres. So, up until this summer it was easy to keep on top of things. Easy for me to listen and review efficiently. Usually the only lag time was because I had to wait for an opening for a blog post so it might be two weeks from the time I downloaded the book and then posted my reviews.

BUT everything changed the last week in July when I got approved for 10 books in quick succession. Ack, the organized bookish nerd in me had a mild panic attack. I don’t know which is more anxiety inducing – looking at my ‘start reading’ list or my ‘give feedback’ list. And some of the books don’t even release until October! So, I have questions, and you NG experts will hopefully have answers.

How soon are you supposed to review books with release dates several months away? Review immediately where you can and add online retailer reviews on the release date? Or do you wait until closer to the release date? You can tell from last week and this coming week that I opted to review right away because…that ominous ‘start reading’ list had me hyperventilating! 🙂
How promptly do you read and review Net Galley books? I tend to read them within a week but with ten books approved in two days that just wasn’t possible so I’m kinda panicking.

Which brings me to the reason we’re celebrating ‘Hello August’ on a Sunday. Literally every book I review this week (except for our Carol Awards day) is a Net Galley book. And I’ll still have two books left to carry over into the following week! Ack! So I decided to squeeze in our ‘Hello August’ here…I mean, it’s kinda conversational since we’ll be talking about what new releases we’re most excited about, right? For me it’s ‘Final Approach’ by Lynette Eason. I have that one preordered on Audible. Eeeppp! So excited! Anyway…

It’s Time for Hello August!

Why?

Because I recently discovered that a book’s success or failure is often determined by first month sales! (Though I bet preorders play into that as well.) Publishing houses look at those stats to determine whether they’ll add on to a series or accept the author’s next manuscript! All that literary goodness hanging in the balance but for a month’s worth of sales! (This was a cozy mystery author, but I imagine all traditional publishers use the same ‘system’.) So, I thought I should do my wee little bit to promote Christian Fiction.

How?

By hosting a special “Hello — insert month” giveaway. It’s easy to play along. You just have to choose one of the August 2025 new releases on your TBR wishlist (must be Christian Fiction) and mention the title in a comment below (or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca.) If your name is drawn, that July release is the book you will win and we’re one book count closer to keeping our fave authors in business.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO:

ebook for anyone anywhere who has an Amazon.com kindle account

US – paperback or ebook copy — winner’s choice

Canada -paperback or ebook (in form of an Amazon gift card) or audible.ca audio book (if available) – winner’s choice

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 9 2025.

August Giveaway – Week One

LATE BREAKING NEWS! MY TOMATOES ARE TURNING RED!!!! I was in such a tizzy of joy I forgot to post the winners today! Oops. Spent most of it in the garden weeding and deadheading and cutting back – trying to get as much work done as I can before the next heatwave hits tomorrow.

won by Connie Saunders

LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK:

Sunday

Monday

2025 Carol Award Finalists – (Young Adult) I can’t believe it’s that time already but the finalists were just announced this week and the winners in each category will be announced on September 6 at the ACFW Conference Gala. Soooo exciting. This year especially because 40% of the finalists are indie authors! And most of the rest are from small publishing houses. Tons of new-to-me authors listed and books I’ve never even heard of.

Icing on the Murder

Influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé’s wedding, she’ll have to solve a little case of murder . . .

Aunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery—named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby—into a runaway success, and she’s marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn’t be the country’s biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She’s also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina.

Unfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake—she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there’s one thing the wedding planner didn’t plan on—being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes.

While Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.

My Review:

I love everything about this series from the appealing covers to the pun-y titles and all the characters, especially English Mastiff Baby Cakes, Maddy’s drool worthy sidekick! And, honestly, when I started in on the first book, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to connect with a twenty-something social media influencer but Maddy won me over with her sass and heart. Even if she likes to throw in the occasional hashtag now and then. In fact just call me a #BakerStreetMysteryFan!

Burns knows how to keep a reader engaged with her carefully (and diabolically) crafted mysteries and winning characters. One of the things I have come to appreciate about this series is the tremendous character growth we see in Maddy and that is really highlighted in this fourth book. I found her struggles with insecurity achingly honest. And the way Michael supports her is totally swoonworthy! The romantic elements are divine, and fitting since it’s their engagement story. They just have to solve a pesky murder before their wedding plans can really get underway. And that means the Baker Street Irregulars are on the case!

A lovely blend of cozy and mystery with just enough light romance to keep my heart atwitter. Absolute cozy perfection as far as I’m concerned. Praying there are many more Baker Street Mysteries in my reading future!

I listened to the audio edition of ‘Icing on the Murder’ narrated by Jasmin Walker who did an incredible job bringing all these characters to life with distinctive voices to match their personalities. Such a pleasure to listen to her performance. The audio books are definitely the way to go for this cozy mystery series.

My thanks to RBmedia and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.