Genre: Mystery
Mass Market Paperback; [Audio CD]; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496722034; [97819773696351]
Kensington Publishing; [Tantor Audio]
336 Pages
$7.99; [$24.99]; $6.89 Amazon
May 26, 2020
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With Juliet Brody and Reverend Brook tying the knot in Ohio's Amish Country's most anticipated nuptials of the year, Bailey King is determined to do everything in her power to make the event a sweet success. Except midsummer heat waves and outdoor ceremonies don't mix, and an exasperated Bailey soon finds herself struggling to fulfill bridesmaid duties and keep her stunning marshmallow-frosted wedding cake from becoming a gooey disaster. Then much to everyone's shock, the entire ceremony crumbles when a guest drops dead, and the cause isn't sunstroke...
Turns out, the uninvited victim came equipped with lots of dirt on the devout reverend's hidden past. As Reverend Brook tops the murder suspect list on what should have been the happiest day of his life, Bailey and her sheriff's deputy boyfriend vow to clear his name. Can the duo boil down a series of baffling clues before Juliet considers her marriage a bad mistake -- or the killer whips up another deadly surprise?
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After her grandfather passed away, Bailey King, a top chocolatier in New York, moved to Harvest, Ohio to help run Swissmen Sweets, the candy shop her Amish grandmother, Clara, owns. She has help from Clara's young cousin Charlotte, and Emily Keim, a young Amish woman that used to work next door.
At present she's the maid of honor in the wedding of Juliet Brody and the Reverend Simon Brook. Bailey's boyfriend and Juliet's son, Aiden, is not only best man, but he's the deputy sheriff. When a drunk woman shows up at the church just before the end of the ceremony, attempting to disrupt it, Aiden has his deputy remove her. But during the reception, Bailey once again notices the reverend speaking with her away from other people. When Bailey has an accident and goes home to change clothes, she sees the woman again being coaxed into a car with a man, but unfortunately, she can't get the license plate.
When the woman is later found murdered on the church steps -- again by Bailey -- she's naturally upset and wonders why this keeps happening. But with her best friend Cass in town for the wedding, and vowing to keep Aiden informed, she's once again on the trail of a killer. As if that weren't enough, she meets a woman and her daughter who both intimate to her that the daughter, Kayla, is going to marry Aiden. Confused, Bailey vows not to confront Aiden about this and instead concentrates on helping Aiden, even if he doesn't want it. But once again, will Bailey be able to corner a killer, or will she finally meet her maker?...
I must say that when I read the first book in the series I wasn't too enthralled with it. But I will also say that each ensuing book has gotten better. The characters have been fleshed out, and some of them have even become endearing -- and no, I'm not talking about Jethro the pig, even though he is kind of cute sometimes -- and they've come to grow on me. I enjoy watching Bailey and Aiden's relationship grow, even as she becomes embroiled in his homicide investigations when she knows she shouldn't. I do like Cass, who shows up often enough; she's a strong woman who knows what she wants and being Bailey's friend, she has her back and even, unfortunately, encourages her in her escapades.
The plot was very good, with few clues to the murderer, but then it hits you almost the same time as Bailey, even though you start putting things together a bit earlier than that. The ending was done well, and it was all believable, right down to the fact that Bailey is finally discovering just how much she loves being in Harvest instead of Manhattan.
A very good book with lovely descriptions of the area around Amish country, and I will definitely continue on with this series. Recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Malice-Amish-Candy-Mystery/dp/1496722035/ref
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3372230766
More on Amanda Flower's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/f/amanda-flower/
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