Rachel Rowan’s newest assignment is to create an enticing galaxy cake to celebrate the latest release from popular science fiction author, Stan Stickman. But when the legendary scribe is killed in a manner eerily reminiscent of a murder found in his own book, Rachel finds herself sucked into a vortex of mystery & deceit from which she seems unable to escape.
Now, if she hopes to get out with her own life intact, she must figure out who is to blame for the deadly deed. And with a cast of suspects including an astronaut turned senator, an obsessive fan and even her own ex-boyfriend, she is in for a wild ride!
Join Rachel Rowan in Guilt & Galaxy Cake, the 2nd installment of Nancy McGovern’s latest series, “Comfort Cakes Cozy Mysteries”!
I'm a mother, wife, homemaker, pet lover, teacher, student, reader, writer, drinker of tea & wine (depending on the time of day) and sleep-deprived dreamer. I live in Syracuse, NY, with my husband, Doug (also a writer with books available on Amazon), our three children and too many furred & feathered friends to list!
“Guilt and Galaxy Cake” Earns 5/5 Frosted Felonies…Murderous Fun!
Guilt and cake? No, way! But “Guilt & Galaxy Cake” by Nancy McGovern? Yes, I'll have some more! I love a culinary-theme in my cozy mysteries, so I am delighted with Nancy McGovern’s baker/heroine who, ready for a change in her life, decides to pursue her dream of opening a bakery. After a rocky start (book one Murder & Marble Cake), Rachel Rowan is beginning to experience improvement in her success with her Comfort Cakes Bake Shop. She's been asked to create a special cake celebrating the newest sci-fi book by author Stan Strickman. However, when he ends up dead, she uses her amateur detective skills to weed through a ‘galaxy’ of secrets, lies, suspects, and motives. Nancy McGovern has penned an excellent Comfort Cakes Cozy Mystery series, and book two will thrill fans of her writing and garner new fans, like me. The mystery is clever with an astronaut now senator, intense fans, and thrown in for good measure, Rachel’s ex. The descriptions, dialogue, and investigative style of this amateur detective are very entertaining, but it's the characters that have sparked my interest. Rachel is a marvelous young woman with a positive, some quirky, support system…and a black Lab puppy, too. For this romantic, I enjoyed the bit of romantic entanglement between Rachel and the handsome detective… I highly recommend this book, and although I didn't feel something was left out having not started with book one, I am off to read it now!
Rachel Rowan's bakery business is up and running but as a newcomer to town, she's off to a slow start. No one wants to buy cakes baked in a kitchen where someone was murdered. She is delighted to bake a special galaxy cake for a book launch at Cranium Bookstore. Her friends Scott and Emily assure her this is not just A book launch but THE book launch of sci-fi author Stan Stickman's newest novel. Scott convinces Rachel to take a break and come to the pre-launch party the night before. Rachel reluctantly agrees but the party gets off to a bad start when her ex, Brandon, shows up as Stan Stickman's assistant! Rachel wants nothing to do with Brandon. He betrayed her and broke her heart. Then gets into a fist fight with Calvin Donaldson, former astronaut turned senator. Needless the say the party ends early. The next day Rachel is horrified to discover that Stan Stickman has been found face down in her galaxy cake! Not again! The author appears to have been murdered in an eerie parallel to one of his novels. Could it have been a deranged fan? Scott follows the clues that lead to Brandon, of all people! Rachel knows Brandon would never kill anyone and she is determined to help Scott solve the murder and clear Brandon's name!
I enjoyed this second entry in the series so much more than the first. There's an adorable puppy, a hint of romance and a new cake! All things guaranteed to please me. I never guessed the killer's identity, not once. I suspected the same thing as Rachel but I don't know how she suddenly figured out the cryptic clues. I only rated this 3 1/2 stars because I don't think it's all that memorable. It also needs an eagle eyed editor because, while the use of alright is now acceptable, it gets on my nerves and shouldn't be used in professional writing. Also, one sentence reads "My cousin's brother" which is an awkward way of saying "my cousin." Unless she means "My cousin's stepbrother." Later the character does say "my cousin" but that should be fixed.
I like Rachel well enough. She's very proud and stubborn. She gives Brandon a good example of how she felt when he sold the company and I think that makes her more relatable. She stresses all the work she put into the company a lot and she won't accept Brandon's excuses. I did like that she got over her anger long enough to be a bit compassionate towards him and at least listen to some of what he has to say. I don't think he's a heartless villain as Rachel seems to think but merely clueless about other people's feelings. He's a weak young man in need of someone to love him unconditionally. I did kind of feel sorry for him. Scott has grown on me. I can see his good qualities which are plenty. I do agree with Rachel that he IS a biased cop! He refused to believe Emily broke into Rachel's home and now he's quick to suspect Brandon. Scott is amazing and wonderful when it comes to his family; he's sweet and romantic but when it comes to his job, he's biased. The chemistry between Scott and Rachel is starting to heat up and he deliberately tries to make awkward moves towards being more than friends. He needs to learn how to ask for what he wants. Emily has become Rachel's friend. I don't think I could forgive her for her actions in the previous book though. I don't like her propensity for matchmaking.
There are lots of new characters in this book. My favorite is Scooter, the Black Labrador puppy Rachel adopts at the end of the first book. He is adorable but naughty! I just want to cuddle him and play with him but not have him ruin my galaxy cake glaze! Scott is very sweet with the puppy and treats Scooter much like he does Ollie! Tricia Crane, owner of Cranium bookstore is, like Emily and Rachel, owner of a family business and doing what she can to stay afloat. I don't blame her for getting carried away by Stan's death. Rachel is too judgemental. Tricia seems kind and passionate about her business. I'd like to see her stick around. Rachel doesn't have to like Tricia's plans. No one asked for her opinion.
Stan Stickman was a very nasty man. He had no redeeming qualities except, perhaps for his ability to tell a good tale. His sci fi series appeals to readers of all ages and genders. "In [his] first book, the emperor is found dead face-first in a cake and the young prince has to run from his evil uncle while figuring out who killed his father." Sounds rather like Hamlet or The Lion King to me but then life imitates art and Stan is killed. Anyone could have had the motive to kill Stan. Calvin Donaldson strikes me as a consummate politician, always angling for votes. I don't approve of his actions any more than Rachel does, especially because he is a politician. I do not like how he takes credit for things his assistant does. Calvin's "assistant and brain wizard", Wilbur Kuhn, is not a typical sycophant or hanger on but his devotion to Calvin makes me a little uncomfortable. His reasons turn out to be great ones and I suppose I would feel the same way but in the back of my mind I'd be stewing over Calvin taking credit for my accomplishments. Dorothy, Stan's ex-wife (estranged?) is not a likable character either. If he's so nasty why did she put up with him for so long? Money? She seems to have plenty. There's also a rumor she co-authored Stan's books. THAT sounds like a motive for murder to me. Dorothy rubs me the wrong way. Calvin's wife, Melina Schaefer, never appears on page but she has a reputation as a shrew and a cheater. She sounds like a nasty person too and perhaps she should have married Stan instead.
Other persons of interest include Tristan Shaw, a creepy young man who hangs around where he shouldn't. I strongly objected to the loaner kid/stalker fan stereotype. I feel really bad for Tristan. His cousin Becky works at the hospital. I don't quite trust her. She knows too much about the lack of security and doesn't care overly much that someone's clothes have been tossed on the floor and rifled through. She shares too much about hospital business with random strangers (Rachel).
I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I hope there's a recipe because this book needs directions for making that galaxy swirl mirror glaze!
Tricia Crane, owner of the Cranium Bookstore, is planning a book signing event with Science Fiction writer Stan Stickman. She asks Rachel Rowan to bake a special cake for the occasion - A Galaxy Cake!
Rachel is shocked when she discovers that Stan Stickman's assistant is her ex-boyfriend, Brandon. Emily and Jay decide to host a release party the night before the signing. At the party, when Calvin offers to shake hands, Stan suddenly punches him in the face, shocking everybody.
On the morning of the signing, Stan insists on having the hour prior to the signing alone and undisturbed to prepare and rehearse his speech, effectively kicking Tricia out of her own store. When the bookstore is still not open at 11 AM, Tricia goes in through the back door and finds Stan face-down in the Galaxy Cake...dead. Ironically, Stan's death resembles a scene from his first novel, Nebula Next.
Who killed Stan Stickman? Why did Stan suddenly punch Calvin at the party? Will Brandon be able to win Rachel back? Can Scott and Rachel figure out what happened?
Nancy McGovern has a wonderful way of drawing her readers into her stories. She helps the reader feel the tensions and frustrations of the characters as they work to untangle the lies and half-truths to figure out the mystery.
2.4 stars (Kindle). Better than the first, but still not what I'd rate a "good" cozy mystery. I'm also confused about all the British references like "paracetamol" when this takes place in California? On to the next in the series to determine if I'll continue with the others in the boxed set (also, where are all the recipes???).
A very good continuation from the first book in the series.
I don’t know why I thought it’ll be a completely different set of characters but I loved how it sort of picked up in a way and didn’t repeat its self either. I loved having more of a story going on than just the murder mystery AND of course, the cake!!
Take an ex fiancee, add a cute sheriff, a murdered sci-fi author and a lot of suspect's and you have a real page turner. Just when you think you have figured out whodunit, Ms. McGovern sends you in another direction. Make sure you read book one to get to know the characters. Can't wait for Book 3 so make sure you add Comfort Cakes cozy mysteries to your must read list.
This is one of those you-can’t-put-it-down cozy mysteries. I enjoyed it even more than the first one in the series. The author does an incredible job of developing the various characters, along the way you begin to suspect various people may be the killer. Rachel, the baker, her ex-fiancé Brandon, and Scott the Sheriff have some tough emotions to work out about each other too. But the unexpected plot twist at the end kept me turning pages until the very last one. I highly recommend this book!
Rachel Rowen is making a cake for a sci-fi author. He isn't a very nice man. He also has hired Rachel's ex-boyfriend which didn't make Rachel very happy to have him around again. The the author is killed, and there is no shortage of possible suspects. Can Rachel figure out all the lies and deceit that surrounds this murder? Will she be able to live through it? You will need to read the book to find out.
Rachel makes a galaxy cake for a writer of science fiction books. He is found stabbed in the back and he is found right in the fabulous galaxy cake. Now to find out who killed him. His newly divorced wife, old friends. Seems simple not. Scott, the sheriff, who Rachel is liking more and more. Who shows up as the dead writer assistant, Brandon, Rachel ex boyfriend. Sounds like fun. There are twist and turns in the story. But in the end, they get the murderer.
This is book #2 in the Comfort Cakes series and it is as good as the first book which was awesome! Rachel owns a bakery and is commissioned to make a fancy cake for an author event. Along with the author comes Rachel's ex boyfriend which complicates things. Then there is a death at the author event. There are a lot of twists and turns which kept me riveted. The only minor thing was the believability in some parts but I read for enjoyment and this book & series is very enjoyable!
This book in the series was an improvement in my opinion. The storyline is missing some depth but the dialogue between characters is decent and the conflicts don’t resolve out of thin air. I am also happy to say I didn’t see the twist with the killer coming.
The book is missing some Easter eggs that help you see you were missing something with the killer all along but it’s enough to keep me invested in trying book 3.
I have read many of Ms Nancy's stories, I will have to confess.....I have enjoyed the adventures and suspense. The characters are always wrapped up in a wonderful life or trying to live a wonderful life! The romance in this book helps to keep a person reading on. I love Cozy Mysteries?!!
Love this series! I keep finding that the more I read the more I feel connected to Rachel , Scott and the others in town
I keep finding more I enjoy of the characters with each book! Check out this serie because I highly believe you will enjoy reading and getting to know the people of Swaddle!
I think I have found another cozy series I will never want to end. This book was funny, cute and has made the series horribly addicting for me. I love the MC, Rachel. She's sweet and sassy and really smart. Emily, Jay, Scott and little Ollie are also adorable and necessary to the story. I'm greatly looking forward to the rest of the series.
Very entertaining book, story was well written, characters interesting and plot intriguing..I enjoyed reading this book and are looking forward to reading the more by this Author.
I think Rachel will give Jessica Fletcher a run for her money, the will they won't they had been settled. There's a cute puppy, young child and a small town that inhabitants have feel dark secrets waiting to rear it's ugly head
Loved the book. Rachel and Scott work so well together. It's amazing how they solved the murders. I love the Author. You are a great writer. You keep the book interesting from start to finish. Thank you!!
I quite enjoyed this ok as well the twist and turned were quite fun. I enjoy all the caricatures in the book. And a !little romance doesn't hurt either. My name is Linda C. lettau
I read book one yesterday. I read book two today. That how GREAT this series is! I hope people will love this series as much as I am. Can not wait to read book three!
THIS AUTHOR HAS A REAL 👌 KNACK FOR CREATING A GREAT 👍WRITTEN MYSTERY STORYLINE, AND THE CHARACTERS ARE VERY WELL DESCRIBED!😍I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THE AUTHOR! 😍😊😀😀😀SO BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍😊😀😀😀😀
Good pace, nice character development, and some good closure for past items. A little quick on one aspect, but that's more personal preference, I think.