McKinlay (who writes decoupage mysteries as Lucy Lawrence) pens a tender cozy full of warm and likable characters and a refreshingly sympathetic murder victim. Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura have just opened their cupcake bakery, Fairy Tale Cupcakes, with financial help from their best friend, Tate Harper. It seems like a dream come true, with the exception of their resentful competition and the excessive demands of Tate's vapid fiancée, fashion designer Christie Stevens. When Christie is found dead in her studio holding a sample wedding cupcake, the bakers become suspects. Melanie has faith the police will solve the case, but she's less sure about the motives of Angie's handsome DA brother, Joe, and concern for Tate and Christie's family drives her to launch her own investigation.

This book is going into Affinity4book's Cozy Mystery Bookbox

I like cupcakes. I like mysteries. I think I'll like this book.
Thanks, aunt-sophie.

And I did like this book. I am not sure I agree that the murder victim was either refreshingly sympathetic or vapid ---she seemed to be quite the opposite, actually--but as a reader of cozy mysteries, I'm mostly interested in the puzzle of solving the murder anyway, so no loss. I liked the author's attention to how the murder impacted the cupcake business and the friendship of the three owners, but I'm choosing to overlook the ridiculous "how Tate became engaged" bit. Would read more in this series!

Going out the way it came in--via an Affinity4books cozy mystery bookbox (round two!).
Hope the next reader will enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Reading!