Jenn McKinlay hits it out of the park with another cupcake mystery. Angie and Tate are getting married, but before they can, they need to figure out who murdered a local author who has written a thinly veiled tell all book about the neighborhood. I didn't see who the killer was until the end, and am always excited to come back and see the gang. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is part of a series all about a cupcake bakery and murder. Some of the characters were more likable than others. But I love baked goods and a good mystery do this was a fun read.

I think Jenn Mckinlay is a fantastic author and I have read most of her books myself as well as recommended them to my patrons but I have just lost interest with this series. Wedding Cake Crumble is the tenth book in the Cupcake Bakery cozy mystery series and I've only lasted this long because I do care about Melanie, Angie & Tate but it just doesn't interest me any longer. Thank goodness Angie & Tate finally got married. It is a charming series and will continue to recommend to my cozy fans but it just isn't for me any longer.

What an outstanding book in an amazing series! A must read for all cozy fans. Love all of Jenn Mckinlay books

This was another fun addition to this series! Mel is one of my favorite cozy protagonists and her friends always bring a lot of humor and heart to the books as well. I'm glad I've stuck with this series and I definitely plan to continue on with it as well.

Fun read. Liked the characters and story flow. Very entertaining and interesting book. Like reading the journey people the characters take to love. Would recommend.

WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE is the tenth book in Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery series. This book can be read as a standalone story, but because two of the main characters get married, there is greater significance if the reader has enjoyed one or two previous stories in the series before trying this one. As usual, Jenn McKinlay writes a mystery that's rife with danger and death but with a few laughs thrown in. Melanie Cooper, Tate Harper, and Angie DeLaura have been friends for forever. In the past few books, the friends have been preparing for Tate and Angie's wedding and now the event is just around the corner. Unfortunately, a few mysterious deaths complicate things. When a few of the wedding vendors have been murdered makes Melanie jump in to untangle the mysteries before the big day.

Because of the impending wedding, everybody's under a lot of pressure and Melanie is a bit more intense than she normally is. The first victim is the wedding photographer and it casts a dark cloud over the happy atmosphere and gives a little foreshadowing. In addition to all the wedding craziness is a book tour by an author of a sensational tell-all that's unhinged a few locals. When the author is soon murdered as well, Mel and friends try to figure out if there's any connection between the murders, who is behind it, and who the next victim might be. As usual, the bakery crew and the DeLaura clan provide much needed comic relief as well as help with Mel's amateur detective work when requested.

WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE is a mystery that's tawdry, terrifying, and tremendously fun. Friendships play a big role in WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE and Jenn McKinlay nicely contrasts the good, the bad, and the ugly. The minor mystery involving Mel's mom's mystery man is amusing and breaks up the suspense over searching for a killer. I look forward to Jenn McKinlay's next book--whether it's a fun cozy mystery, or a sweet and sexy contemporary romance.

I love a good whodunit, but I simply could not get into this book. The characters were likeable, but predictable and the plot was lacking. Overall, I opted not to purchase this for my library. Thank you for letting me review it.

Let me warn you, after you read this book, you'll be hungry for cupcakes! I recommend starting this series from the beginning so that what you read in this book won't spoil any surprises! I love that the murder in this book takes place around an author, how cute is that! I have to admit, I didn't figure out who the killer was until the end of the book, which makes a very good read to me. Don't you agree? If you're a long time reader of this series like I am, you'll be pleased to know that all the gang is here! Angie and Tate are getting married, and Mel and Joe are engaged! Of course, Oz and all the gang of Fairy Tale Cupcakes are around too!

Mel and Angie start their investigation when Angie's wedding vendors begin to turn up dead - only to discover that the deaths are linked not by the wedding, but by their connection to a local author's scandalous "novel" about her ritzy community. This was a fun installment with Angie and Tate's wedding at the center, along with discovering who is out to kill the woman who blabbed their secrets. A fun read!

I have to tell you that I will read anything Jenn McKinlay writes. (Well, almost anything. I draw the line at a contemporary romance featuring dogs—she just wrote one of those.) Her books are light, mildly funny, well plotted, and always fun to read. She avoids many of the problems the publishers’ formula requirements cause in cozy mysteries, and even after reading something like a half million such books and getting a bit tired of the formula, McKinlay’s books are still fresh and exciting.

Wedding Cake Crumble is no exception. One might worry that by the tenth novel in a series, the characters and situations might lose their charm and sparkle. McKinlay even mentions this very real danger in her acknowledgement in the front of the book. I have to agree with her that the series has lost nothing yet.

If you don’t know this series, now is a great time to start reading these books. Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura, best friends since childhood, are partners in Fairy Tale Cupcakes, a bakery in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have another bestie, Tate Harper. Tate became their mutual friend, forming an inseparable trio while they were still kids. They love to watch movies together and frequently challenge each other to recognize movie lines that crop up all the time. Tate has grown up to be a genius financier who remains deeply involved in his friends’ lives.

As their relationships grow over the years (and through the nine previous novels), we come to love them as we see them get involved in each other’s families, a series of puzzling murders, and some heart-warming romantic entanglements. One of those has resulted in Tate, the male member of the trio, proposing the Angie. This book works through the preparations for their wedding and culminates at the ceremony.

The mystery part comes about as the girls go about Scottsdale making wedding arrangements. First, they discover the body of their wedding photographer. Then shortly thereafter they find their caterer and limo driver also murdered. After a fairly convincing discussion of why it is that they keep discovering murders as they move through their otherwise normal lives, they need to figure out who is killing the people involved in the wedding.

Meanwhile, another friend, a bookshop owner, has just published the scandalous tell-all book by a local author who skewers the residents of her former gated community by exposing their bizarre secrets under the ineffectual disguise of nicknames like Hair Plugs (her ex-husband) and Child Bride (the beautiful minx who stole her husband). After an amusing—for us, not for the participants—confrontation at a book signing, the author is stabbed with a ceremonial pen.

All of this results in lots of confusion, suspicion, emotion, and hilarity now and again.

Now, remembering that I’m a crusty old male senior citizen, I have to address a problem that worried me. I did not want to encounter a lot of sappy details about the wedding. You know—all that stuff that the ladies glory in: colors, dresses, flowers, the wedding cake (cupcakes for this wedding, of course), decorations, centerpieces, invitations, and on and on.
Ms. McKinlay did a nice balancing job, providing just enough detail for the ladies but not so much that I had to skip any pages, as I feared I might have to. Nicely done, Ms. McKinlay.

Looking back, the motivation of the killer might be slightly less than convincing, but it did not seem so as I was reading. The unraveling of the mystery comes all at once, but again is just convincing enough while reading not to bother you.

If you have never read any of the Cupcake Bakery mysteries, my advice is to go back to the beginning and read them all. If that’s not possible or reasonable for you, go ahead and read this one. It will still amuse you.

Oh, yes… If it matters to you (it doesn’t to me), there are allegedly delicious cupcake recipes in the back of the book.

This is one of those relaxing books to read on a lazy day. It kept me guessing and craving cupcakes through the whole book.

This is hands down my favorite cozy series. Nearly every book I have absolutely loved. This is by far one of the top three in the series in my opinion. I would recommend this book and actually the series to anyone.

Love this series- and Wedding Cake Crumble is a fantastic addition. Tate and Angie are finally getting married but of course they have to stumble along a few bodies in the process. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery!

Good book in a longstanding cozy mystery series. This is book number 10. I haven't read all of the series but I enjoy catching up with the adventures of Mel and Angie. Would definitely recommend!

This was more than a mystery this time, it was a testament to two characters we have come to love. With a mystery woven between the wedding moments and planning it was the perfect spring read! I highly recommend this to be in your spring cozy mystery pile.

Much has changed in the lives of best friends and business partners Melanie, Angie, and Tate since they first opened Fairly Tale Cupcakes in Scottsdale, Arizona. What started out as a small bakery has continued to grow and now has franchises in several states. Even more exciting, Angie and Tate are finally getting married and the ceremony will take place in less than a week. Melanie, her fiancé Joe, and her friends should be celebrating. However, when two vendors the couple has hired for their wedding are murdered, Melanie and Angie feel they must investigate in spite of the upcoming nuptials. To fight her last minute nerves about the wedding, Angie also accepts a last-minute catering event in honor a local author of a tell-all book thinly disguised as fiction. When tragedy strikes again, Melanie and Angie are determined to find the truth so they can fully enjoy the upcoming wedding.

Wedding Cake Crumble is the tenth book in the Cupcake Bakery series. I’ve read most if not all of the prior books. The mystery itself would be enjoyable even to new readers, but longtime readers will have a greater appreciation of Angie and Tate’s journey to getting married. I have nothing but praise for the pacing of the book and the way the story unfolds. There is a nice balance of details of Angie’s wedding plans, the drama that unfolds with the book-signing event and the gossip in the book, and the investigation. The book plays a large part in the plot, so getting to read actual portions of the fictional book would have been great. The reader learns about the stories disclosed in the book from other characters, and that is also fun and provides several motives for murder.

The book is full of humor and the friends who are huge movie buffs are able to recite relevant movie quotes to match the situation. After much drama, everything comes together with the investigations by the end of the book. I couldn’t help tearing up a little at a special moment between best friends Melanie and Angie, and wish Melanie and Tate could have had a few words before the wedding as well. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed in the latest in this humorous series. I’m hoping Melanie and Joe will have their turn at matrimony soon and look forward to reading about their special day, which I’m sure will have just as much excitement as Angie and Tate’s.

~ Christine

Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay is the tenth book in A Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. Angie DeLaura is marrying Tate Harper in just one week. Angie and Mel have left Fairy Tale Cupcakes in the capable hands of Oz and Marty while they head out to issue payment to wedding vendors. After visiting the florist, they head to Blaise Ione’s studio, the wedding photographer and old friend of Tate’s. They find Blaise sitting at his desk with a camera strap twisted about his neck. Later that day, they discover that the driver Angie hired was found bludgeoned to death. Is someone trying to sabotage Angie and Tate’s wedding? To keep their minds and hands occupied, they agree to provide five hundred cupcakes for a book signing Cassie Leighton of A Likely Story is hosting the next day. The event is for the release of Elise Penworthy’s The Palms which has many people up in arms. It turns out that Cassie needed a new baker because the one she hired had been murdered. It seems that Cassie had hired the same photographer and driver for Elise that Angie was using for the wedding. Mel and Angie rush off to find Elise, but they are too late. Elise has been stabbed in the back with her own pen (ouch). Cassie ends up arrested. Angie and Mel know she did not kill anyone and set out to find the guilty party. The suspect list for those who disliked Elise is quite lengthy thanks to her book. Can the cupcake ladies find the killer before the wedding march begins?

Wedding Cake Crumble is not a standalone novel. You need to read the other books in the series prior to picking up Wedding Cake Crumble. I thought the book was well-written and had a nice, steady pace. Jenn McKinlay has a writing style that draws the reader in and keeps their attention. The characters are well-developed and relatable. There is a nice mix of personalities and Angie’s brothers will have you in stitches. Marty is a unique character that has issues with his daughters and his girlfriend, Olivia Puckett. I was happy to see him stand up for himself (finally). Oz has come such a long way. From the descriptions provided, the cupcake tower he made for the wedding was beautiful (the color scheme for the wedding was aqua and pewter). My favorite character was Peanut, Elise Penworthy’s puppy (he stole the show). His hijinks will have you laughing out loud. Peanut and Captain Jack are adorable together. The mystery was not complicated (unfortunately). Identifying the guilty party was child’s play. I thought it was clever how the author managed to work in a mention of an incident from the of A Hat Shop Mystery series. There are plenty of cozy moments in Wedding Cake Crumble with the family and friends coming together for Angie and Tate’s wedding. I am looking forward to Joe and Mel’s upcoming nuptials now that they have set a date. I am giving Wedding Cake Crumble 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). Jenn McKinlay has provided readers with an entertaining cozy mystery that they will delight in devouring as quickly as possible.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I have entered the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series at book #10, Wedding Cake Crumble. Have I been missing a delectable series! I must say, now that I have had a sliver of the series, I am more than tempted to devour the whole series, right from book #1. But first… my review of book 10 ☺.

Initially, I was apprehensive that I might find it difficult to enter the series at such a late date. My fears were quickly squelched. The characters quickly felt like I had known them for a long time, even though this is my first exposure to the these characters of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Angie DeLaura and Melanie Cooper (aka Mel) are not just best friends from childhood (they met when they were twelve) but also business partners – co-owners of a bakery named Fairy Tale Cupcakes. With just one week to go until Angie’s wedding, the list of last minute details to get through are many. During one such errand, Angie and Mel discover the photographer (Blaine Ione – good friend of Angie’s fiancé Tate) dead in his studio. You know when you find your wedding photographer dead that no good can come of this. And thus the amateur sleuthing begins. One would think that with a wedding so close, that they would leave it to the police but apparently sleuthing takes Angie’s mind off her pre wedding jitters. To add further complexity – Mel’s Uncle Stan Cooper is a local homicide detective and her fiancé Joe DeLaura is a public prosecutor. So all of this is “in the family”.

Before long though, more murders happen and it begins to look like they are all connected. But what is that connection?

I quite enjoyed the way the sleuthing was laid out and as luck would have it, there were many twists and turns, along with many bodies that muddied the efforts to find the killer(s). I like my cozy mysteries to keep the mystery alive for as long as possible and I am happy to say that it took until the very end (and one specific “ah ha” moment of Mel’s) to figure out the killer(s) identity.

The way that Mel described hugs from the Cooper clan (her dad and Uncle Stan) got to me:

“There was nothing polite about Cooper men’s hugs. They were big, meaty bear hugs that made even a tall girl like Mel feel safe and protected.”

And then, I fell “in-like” with Joe when Mel described the following:

“One of the many reasons Mel had fallen in love with her fiancé, Joe DeLaura, who was also Angie’s older brother, was that he could give the same type of no-reservations-all-in-don’t-worry-I’ve-got-you sort of hug.”

Humor also abounds in this cozy mystery. I loved the scene where Mel is playing tennis (and yup…she actually can’t play tennis but needs to fake it to further her sleuthing):

“One ball whizzed by Mel on the right. Another ball whizzed by her on the left. When the third one came at her dead center, she yelped and hit the ground, putting her racket over her head.”

“There was a snort of laughter from the sidelines and Mel glanced over to see Ray with a fist at his mouth, as if he could force himself to swallow the laughter that was trying to roar up out of him. She wanted to hit him with her racket.”

Eventually (of course), the mystery is solved but I was dismayed by how people treat each other – a sad commentary on human values… and this led to … you guessed it… murder! So not only is this a cozy mystery with romance and humor but also a bit of social commentary thrown in. Oh…and cupcakes!

The cover art is so enticing…making me want to go out and get a cupcake or two ☺.

Now that I have enjoyed book 10 so very much, I will rush out and get book one and read the series from the beginning! I think I have found another favorite cozy author.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Wedding Cake Crumble is another tasty adventure from Jenn McKinlay. I love following Mel, Angie and Tate while they solve murders and serve up yummy sounding cupcakes! In this installment of the series Angie and Tate are just about to get married, making for a hectic Mel and the bakery is a busy place with all of their orders and usual shenanigans. When several people involved in Angie’s wedding end up murdered Mel rushes to solve them before they ruin her best friends big day.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. I love the cast of characters, including all of the supporting ones. The plot was well thought out and written with plenty of room to guess who the culprit was and lots of side stories that fit in well. The end of the book wraps up nicely and leaves the reader excited for the next book. It may also leave you craving a cupcake or two though!