Ruth Baker

Lucy Hale is loving her life running the bakery her parents began, and enjoying her friends and deputy boyfriend, Taylor. When she's asked to mentor a young woman who is opening her own restaurant, she jumps at the chance. But when Selina Gomez runs into trouble, Lucy wants to help her. Selina finally opens the restaurant, but things go from bad to worse when a rival restauranteur is murdered right in front of everyone. Now the restaurant is closed, and Selina doesn't know if she'll ever recover. That is, until Lucy steps in trying to find out who killed the man...

This is the fourteenth book in the series and I have read them all. I have also enjoyed them all. This time Lucy is helping a young woman open her own restaurant, but when there are problems with the bank, Selina wonders if she'll lose her building, and a mysterious man offers her a large amount of money to move elsewhere, which she turns down.

Then, a rival restauranteur claims she stole his recipes, which Selina denies; and the man shows up on opening night and it looks like an accidental death. When it's not, Lucy steps in to help the young woman find out who killed the man and wanted to frame her.

There's a lot going on regarding the restaurant, and a lot going on behind the scenes. Lucy is wondering what her future holds, and her Aunt Tricia has a new job making Easter bonnets for local ladies, which actually ties into everything well. You can look for the clues and find them; I figured out the murderer pretty quickly, but then again, as I state regularly, I read a lot of mysteries, so I'm an old hand at figuring things out.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it all comes together nicely, and the climax is done well. There is an epilogue that pulls it all in a nice pile, giving us something to look forward to in the next book. Recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book by the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.… (más)

Lucy Hale, an ex-food blogger, returned to town to run her late parents' bakery. Sweet Treats has taken off, and summer is just around the corner. While she and her employees are always looking for new sweets to offer, they're also happy to be part of the town.

When a woman named Phoebe visits, she informs them that she's opening a new bridal shop, which is exciting for one of Lucy's employees, who is engaged to be married. Even more, the grand opening will have an ex-hometown girl who went to Hollywood and made good. But Vanna Verity isn't what they expected; she won't even make eye contact with anyone. In fact, Lucy is completely unimpressed by her.

But when Vanna sends her assistant to her car to retrieve something, the woman never returns. When Lucy goes to find her, the woman is dead -- after eating a sweet that was made specifically for Vanna. Now Lucy wonders who wanted to kill the celebrity, and if they might try again...

I have read all of the books in this series and enjoyed each one more than the last. While Vanna is completely unlikable, you almost wish she were the victim! But Lucy does what she does best, and that's unveiling a killer. Unfortunately, in this case, the killer might not be done, and someone else is on their list.

The plot is well written, and the characters are down to earth. While I guessed the antagonist early on in the book, it was still interesting to see how everything played out. Of course, the climax was intriguing, and the book is a lot of fun to read. Recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher but it in no way influenced my review.… (más)

Lucy Hale owns Sweet Delights Bakery ever since her parents passed away in a car accident. Now she, along with help from her Aunt Tricia and two employees, Hannah and Betsy, have made it the place to go for sweets and bread. Lucy and Hannah's high school reunion is coming up, and they've been tasked with making desserts for the reunion which will keep them busy. But with Betsy being on vacation for two weeks, it's going to be nothing but work.

When an old high school acquaintance shows up -- Luann Pell -- she acts as if she and Lucy were best friends, but they didn't even run in the same circles. After some backhanded compliments, Lucy can't wait to see the end of her. But when Luann starts crying and tells her a sob story, Lucy's good heart melts and she offers her a temporary two-week job to take over for Betsy, much to the dismay of Tricia and Hannah. But the deed's been done, and all they can do is make the best of it.

When someone turns up dead, Luann is the main suspect as she was seen yelling at the person shortly before. She begs Lucy to believe she didn't do it, and Lucy thinks she just might be innocent. Against the wishes of her Deputy boyfriend, Taylor, she sets about trying to find a killer. The only problem is that she might not find them or time, or they just might find her first...

I have read all of the books in this series and enjoyed them one after the other. Lucy is extremely likeable, although I do wish she'd develop a bit more of a backbone. Saying no doesn't make you mean, any more than saying yes makes you nice. It's a matter of circumstance. However, I do enjoy her kindness toward others, and the fact that she wants the best for everyone and always makes time for her family and friends. Now if Taylor would just get off his duff...(read the book and you'll know what I mean).

There is plenty of action going on, and Lucy has her work cut out for her, as it seems there isn't anyone who really likes Luann. But does that alone make her guilty? Lucy isn't sure. Still, she continues searching for clues. When she has her 'aha' moment, we are right there with her as she figures everything out. The climaxes are always the best of these books, as we wonder how Lucy is going to put everything together and get out of trouble. It makes the book worth reading, and this one is no different. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.… (más)