Gina Rae Mitchell

Stabbed in the Tart by Carol E. Ayer | $10 Giveaway, Excerpt, Review

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.

Book Details

Stabbed in the Tart by Carol E. Ayer
Series: The HSP Mysteries #2
Published by Camel Press on 10/12/2021
Genres: Fiction, Cozy Mystery
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 200

Home bakery owner and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Kayla Jeffries has been hired for the Gourmet and Stay Valentine's Weekend at the historic Countryside Inn in Los Robles, CA.

When one of her fellow cooks is murdered during dinner service, she becomes a person of interest-and a possible suspect.

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.

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Excerpt from Stabbed in the Tart

My first orders came in. I whipped egg whites and scooped the foam onto eight cherry-filled tarts I’d finished earlier. Five minutes later, I retrieved the batch from the oven, pleased to see the meringues on top were nicely browned. I’d practiced my recipes many times over the last few days to the point that I had them memorized, but you never knew what could happen with an unfamiliar oven.

I removed the tarts from their pans, plated each dessert onto a red dish, and added a dollop of whipped cream to the side. Brenda gave me an appreciative glance as the waitstaff took them away.

Conrad came into the kitchen, beamed a smile at us, and said, “Well done, everyone. The guests are thoroughly enjoying their meals. I’ve never seen the dining room in such high spirits or the hotel so well-showcased. This weekend is going to be great for business.”

An hour later, I was feeling pretty good and Conrad once more was raving to us about how well everything was going. Then the wind howled, the windows shook, and all the lights went out. I almost dropped the cupcakes I’d just removed from the oven. I managed to slip the pan onto the counter.

“No one panic,” Conrad said into the darkness. “The generator will kick on soon. It’s a good one. It powers most of the hotel.”

Sure enough, a few seconds later, the lights came back on. Unfortunately, one light perfectly illuminated Edward facedown on the floor near the center island, the kitchen shears lodged in the back of his neck.

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Purchase Links for Stabbed in the Tart

Amazon     Bookshop/IndieBound     Kobo

AppleBooks/iTunes     The Book Depository

Waterstones     The Wordery

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My thoughts on Stabbed in the Tart

Stabbed in the Tart is book two in the HSP series by Carol E. Ayer but it works well as a stand-alone story. I haven’t yet read the first book and had no trouble following and enjoying book two.

The book is much more than a culinary cozy mystery. I learned quite a bit about HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and the way it can affect someone’s life.

As for the main character Kayla, I found her believable, enjoyable, daring, and typical of any amateur sleuth…slightly foolish when it comes to taking risks. I spent a bit of time talking back to her about her choices.

I thought the reconciliation with her biological father added another dimension to the story.

Jason, the boyfriend was a fairly minor character in this book. I did get the impression he was more prevalent in book one and possibly will be in future tales.

Detective Hernandez was one of those characters that grows on you. I wonder if he will play a role in Kayla’s life soon.

Any lover of cozy mysteries will enjoy Stabbed in the Tart. It’s funny, poignant, informative, and full of red herrings, so many red herrings. There are plenty of twists, turns, fun, and adventure to keep the reader turning page after page.

I’m off to add more books by Carol Ayer to my TBR! You can never have too many cozies on your book shelf.

 

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!

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Purchase Stabbed in the Tart online from a local book store.

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Giveaway!

Carol E. Ayer will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page

Full Tour Schedule:

January 24: Andi’s Book Reviews
January 24: Fabulous and Brunette
January 31: Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting
January 31: The Faerie Review
February 7: Iron Canuck Reviews & More
February 7: Gina Rae Mitchell
February 14: Novels Alive
February 14: Our Town Book Reviews

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