Magical Bakery #1
Bailey Cates
Obsidian
May 2012/ 978-0-451-23663-0
Mystery/Cozy/Paranormal
Amazon
Reviewed
by Laura Hinds
At the ripe old age of 28, Katie Lightfoot has abandoned her lackluster
life in Akron, Ohio. Her job as assistant manager at a bakery was
barely sustaining her financial leads, holding down her creativity,
and to make matters worse her love life has gone down the drain.
The move to Savannah, Georgia included a whole new life plan. A
bakery that Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben are opening, the Honeybee Bakery
(named for her Aunt Lucy's cat) promises to provide that creative
outlet she craves as well as financial stability; if, that is, all
goes as planned.
Katie loves her new house, and is thrilled to be starting over
and making it a home. With the help of her Aunt Lucy and her Uncle
Ben, she is settling in nicely. When a member of the Downtown Business
Association arrives at the bakery, days before it is open for business,
trouble follows. The woman, Mavis Templeton, informs Katie and Lucy
that she will be having the meeting of the DBA at the Honeybee Bakery,
and they realize that it would be good business to take on the challenge.
After all, the bakery won't officially be open yet and it would
be good practice and help spread the word about their baked goods.
When the mostly successful meeting is over, Mavis hands over a check
for half of the agreed upon fee. Uncle Ben takes issue with her
and Mavis storms out, proclaiming that she could put them out of
business in less than a month.
Very soon after she leaves the bakery, Mavis is found dead, murdered.
Her neck was broken and her body is in her car. Due to the very
public altercation that Ben had with her, he is taken in for questioning
by the police. Lucy and Katie know Ben is innocent, and with the
help of friends and a bit of Lucy's magic they set out to clear
his name.
This is a hugely entertaining debut that promises a wonderful new
series. It is a cozy mystery, that's for sure, and I can honestly
say that I enjoyed every page. Aunt Lucy's magical abilities are
utilized just right, and the bonds of family and friendship are
well represented. The bakery setting did make my mouth water, but
fortunately there are some recipes at the back of the book to help
with the cravings!
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Brownies
and Broomsticks #1
Bewitched,
Bothered, and Biscotti #2
Some
Enchanted Elcair #4
Magic
and Macaroons #5
Spells
and Scones #6
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