Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Killer Wedding Cake by Gayle Trent

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Killer Wedding Cake by Gayle Trent.  Please leave a comment or question for Gayle to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter the giveaway on my stop for one (1) ebook copy of Killer Wedding Cake by filling out the Raffleopter form below.  You can also follow all of the stops on Gayle’s tour by clicking on the banner above. 

Killer Wedding Cake

By Gayle Trent

A Daphne Martin Cake Mystery, Book 5

Publisher:  Gayle Trent

Release Date:  June 20, 2015

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Female Sleuth

Format: eBook/Print

Length:  216 Pages (656 KB)

ISBN:  978-0974109091

ASIN:  B0105201F6

Buy Link:  Amazon Print | Kindle | B&N Print

About the book: 

Daphne Martin’s wedding to Ben Jacobs is only a couple of weeks away. An award-winning cake decorator, Daphne is busy designing their wedding cake. Her twin nephew and niece, Lucas and Leslie, are excited about being in the wedding party. And Daphne’s brother-in-law Jason is planning a bachelor party for Ben. Everything is going beautifully until Daphne’s ex-husband Todd shows up. Just released from prison after serving a sentence based on his shooting a gun at Daphne, Todd comes to Brea Ridge to profess his undying love for her.

Despite Daphne’s attempts to make Todd leave town, he insists on hanging around to reconnect with people he used to know. When he’s found murdered, Daphne finds herself at the center of the investigation. Now she must track down Todd’s killer before she becomes the next victim. Can she still make it to the church on time?

About The Author

Gayle Trent (and pseudonym Amanda Lee) writes the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating series and the Embroidery Mystery series. The cake decorating series features a heroine who is starting her life over in Southwest Virginia after a nasty divorce. The Embroidery Mystery series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop.

Author Links:

Website:  http://www.gayletrent.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GayleTrent

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/gayletrent/

A light hearted cozy mystery with colorful characters, a quick pace and a light touch of humor, Killer Wedding Cake by Gayle Trent is the fifth book in the Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries series.  While it’s the fifth book in an established series, I was able to read and enjoy this book on its own.  If you like cozy mysteries set in small towns and featuring female sleuths, this is a series you’ll want to check out. 

Ms. Trent does a really good job introducing us to her main character Daphne Martin.  A single mature woman who escaped a bad marriage and moved back to be near her family, Daphne has moved on with her life, established a new business and has fallen in love with someone from her past.  Looking forward to her upcoming wedding, the last thing Daphne expects is for her ex-husband Todd to show up and put a wrinkle in her plans.  Especially when he winds up dead and she becomes one of the suspects in his murder.  Ms. Trent does a good job developing Daphne’s character; she’s very likeable and I easily connected with her right away. 

Ms. Trent also does a good job with the secondary characters; they all contributed something to the mystery and I enjoyed getting to know them too.  Especially her sister Violet, her brother in law Jason, and her next door neighbor Myra.  I also liked meeting Mark, a private investigator, who is Daphne’s friend and Myra’s boyfriend.  When Todd ends up dead and Daphne becomes a suspect and begins to worry that her wedding to Ben Jacobs might be in jeopardy, Mark quickly jumps in to help Daphne, Ben and Myra solve the crime.

The mystery is well developed and takes several twists and turns, enough to keep you guessing about the killer’s identity and motive.  I especially liked the bit of family drama and angst Ms. Trent added into the story by having Daphne’s mother support her ex-son-in-law as he tries to worm his way back into her daughter’s life.  At first her behavior doesn’t make sense but eventually we discover why she does it.

Will Daphne and her friends solve the mystery of her ex’s demise?  Will Daphne and Ben’s wedding take place on schedule?  You’ll have to read Killer Wedding Cake to find out.  I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the previous books in this series that I’ve missed.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns

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FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review.  I received no additional compensation for my opinion of the reading material provided.