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Comfort Cakes Cozy Mysteries #1-5

Comfort Cakes Cozy Mysteries, The Complete Series

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FREE WITH KU! This box set includes ALL 5 books from Nancy McGovern's popular series PLUS 5 delicious cake recipes straight from the pages of the stories! That's more than 1,000 pages (KU) of delicious desserts & tasty whodunnits in one big bundle! Grab your copy TODAY! Book 1, Murder & Marble Rachel Rowan yearns for a new start. So, ready for change and up for a challenge, she has decided to relocate to the beautiful coastal town of Swaddle, California to pursue her lifelong dream of opening her very own bakery! And, as a self-professed “Queen of Cakes”, she can’t wait to show the world what she can do! Sadly, not everyone shares her enthusiasm. While the majority of the locals are thrilled with her new Comfort Cakes Bake Shop, Rachel soon learns that the owner of a local café is determined to ruin her. Of course, business is business, and a bit of competition may even make things interesting! But when Rachel finds a dead body in her kitchen just before the Grand Opening and she is accused of the murder, she quickly realizes that this is more than a little friendly rivalry! Book 2, Guilt & Galaxy Rachel’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 obsessed fan and even her own ex-boyfriend, she is in for a wild ride! Book 3, Strangulation & Strawberry When Rachel is hired to bake a special strawberry cake for Sheriff Scott’s grandmother’s 90th birthday, she works extra hard to make it as perfect as possible. After all, the sharp-eyed millionaire is known to have a hot temper & a short fuse. But, despite all of her hard work, there’s no way Rachel could have prevented this party from going awry. Not when someone is murdered right before dinner! Grandma Mallory’s accountant is the victim. It seems he’d learned something that someone wished to keep secret and, with nobody at the party other than members of the family, one of them must be the killer. Unless, that is, it’s the ghost in the attic… Book 4, Bodies & Bundt How exciting! Rachel is off to spend a weekend serving as a judge for a baking contest! She’s ready to fill her belly with delicious desserts and clear her mind of everything to do with work. But there’s just one problem… Someone has just been murdered, and one of the contestants just may be the killer! And there’s reason to believe that one of Rachel’s closest friends may be next on the criminal’s list! Now, all thoughts of selecting the most talented baker have been replaced by trying to catch the culprit before he or she strikes again! And the clock is ticking… Book 5, Weddings & Wine Rachel wants nothing more than for her father to be happy.

735 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2018

477 people are currently reading
201 people want to read

About the author

Nancy McGovern

83 books173 followers
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!

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5 stars
222 (63%)
4 stars
93 (26%)
3 stars
27 (7%)
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6 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
674 reviews15 followers
August 15, 2018
Murder & Marble Cake - Comfort Cakes Mystery #1
Rachel Rowan has inherited her Aunt Rose's bakery and moved to the coastal town of Swaddle, CA. Aunt Rose did not have a will, so Attorney Arthur Rafferty helps Rachel with the necessary paperwork. When Arthur is found dead in the bakery while Rachel is on the phone, Sheriff Scott Tanner immediately suspects Rachel of killing him.

Who killed Arthur and why? Who is trying to frame Rachel? Can Rachel convince Sheriff Tanner of her innocence and find the real killer?


Guilt & Galaxy Cake - Comfort Cakes Mystery #2
Stan Stickman, a famous Science Fiction writer, is planning to do a book signing at Tricia Crane's Cranium Bookstore. Tricia asks Rachel to bake a special Galaxy Cake for the event. Rachel is surprised to learn that Stan's assistant is her ex-boyfriend, Brandon. The next morning, Stan is found dead, face-down in the cake, just like in his first book, Nebula Next.

Who killed Stan Stickman and why? Will Brandon be able to win Rachel back? Can Scott and Rachel figure out what happened?


Strangulation & Strawberry Cake - Comfort Cakes Mystery #3
Sheriff Scott Tanner and his sister, Emily, have been invited to attend their estranged grandmother's 90th birthday. Rachel Rowan has been hired to bake the special strawberry birthday cake. Since Emily refuses to go, Scott and Rachel attend the family gathering together. When Johnny Hayes, Grandma Mallory's accountant, shows up just before dinner, he is told to wait in the parlor until after dinner. Suddenly the lights go out and when they come back on, Johnny Hayes is dead.

Who killed Johnny Hayes? Why was he killed? Can Scott and Rachel uncover the killer and the motive?


Bodies & Bundt Cake - Comfort Cakes Mystery #4
Rachel Rowan has been asked to be a judge for the annual Home-baked Cake Contest in Swaddle. Being a professional baker, she is obviously ineligible to participate. Due to an issue the previous year, all cakes were to be delivered to Gina Graham, who would transport them to the contest. When Gina fails to show up, Rachel and her friend, Tricia, go to check on her. Arriving at Gina's house, they find the front door open and Gina in the kitchen - DEAD!!

Who killed Gina? Why was she killed? Can Rachel unravel the puzzle without jeopardizing her friendship with Tricia?


Weddings & Wine Cake - Comfort Cakes Mystery #5
Rachel Rowan gets an unexpected call from her father, Ryan Rowan, telling of his plan to get married again. surprisingly, Valentina, his bride-to-be, is only 33 years old, just slightly older than Rachel. The wedding will take place on a small private island near Key West, FL that is owned by his business partner Leon Ericson. Rachel manages to talk Scott into accompanying her on the trip to Florida. Shortly after their arrival, Rachel, Valentina, and Denise (Leon's wife) go on a shopping trip to Miami. The three ladies returned just before midnight. While Rachel and Scott are discussing some of her family's history, they hear a gunshot close by. Rushing to Leon's cabin, they find Rachel's mother, Lily, in the room with a gun in her hand and Leon on the floor dead.

Did Lily shoot Leon? Why is she even on the island? What was she doing in Leon's cabin? If Lily did not shoot Leon, who did? Can Rachel and Scott solve the mystery? Will Rachel and Scott's relationship survive the "vacation"?

Nancy McGovern has a wonderful way of drawing her readers into her stories, that make it nearly impossible to put any her books down before you have finished them. Then you want to immediately reach for the next one in the series. All of her books have plenty of twists and turns regarding the culprit and their motives.
Profile Image for TenshiMari.
549 reviews1 follower
December 9, 2024
This will be my review for the series as a whole. I'll start off by saying I listened to the audiobook on Audible Plus, which is using a computer generated narration. I'm not sure whether that means they had a computer program read the text (like google translate) or whether they used some kind of AI generation for it, but honestly, it wasn't as bad as I expected. The voice sounded pretty natural and human and not that robotic, however, where the narration really fell flat was the intonation and different voices for different characters. The whole book is read in the same monotonous voice. There is no way to tell a difference in which character is speaking. It helps that the book is written in third person, so it will often say the name of the character who is speaking. But especially in very fast dialogue, it's not often clear who is saying what. This also made the books incredibly boring and confusing at times. There are so many characters, but, because of the narration, they don't feel really distinct. There's a few characters that stand out, mainly because of how awful they are, but most of the characters are fairly generic and unmemorable. However, one character that deserves a mention, and not for the good reasons, is Grandma Mallory. The third book deserves a trigger warning for how manipulative and abusive the family dynamic is. It was not cozy at all. The whole book was so unpleasant to read because of it. I considered giving it one star, but I couldn't bring myself to, because while it was unpleasant, it was not a book I hated, and I do think it still has some redeeming qualities. So if you're planning to read this series, know that book three will be full of gaslighting, manipulation, blackmail, and other abusive family behavior. So while I am not super enthusiastic about this series, I don't think it's a bad series. It's just painfully mediocre. But honestly, I think if I had read the ebook rather than the audiobook, I would've enjoyed it more, because I could've imagined the voices myself. I would've probably given it a higher rating. But alas. Also, as a sidenote, I know the series is called Comfort Cakes, but do these characters eat anything other than sweets?
Profile Image for Michelle Ferrari-Johnson.
1,559 reviews39 followers
September 7, 2019
Murderous Cakes

Book #1

We are introduced to Rachel as she relocates, gets ready to open her bakery and is trying to get over a broken heart. Many of the locals have been supportive of her but some are upset that she is even there.

When a murder takes place in the bakery before opening day, Rachel is the sheriff's first suspect. They butt heads and soon, Rachel believes she must figure out the murder to clear her name.

Book #2

When a well-known author shows for a book signing, Rachel is asked to create a cake to represent the galaxy. On the morning of the signing, the author is found, face first in the cake and dead! As strange clues surface, we soon realize that an old cold case is behind the killer's reasoning for the present day murders~

Book #3

By this time, Rachel and Sheriff Scott are dating. When he is summoned by his estranged maternal grandmother, he asks Rachel to accompany him for moral support.

When the family accountant shows up unexpectedly and then dead, Rachel and Scott learn just how twisted and crazy these relatives are. So many things happen in this story it will have your head spinning. You will want to reach inside to smack the grandmother and the one evil uncle~

Book #4

Rachel has been asked to be a judge in a local baking contest. When asked to help deliver the cakes to the park, Rachel stumbles upon a murder! As the clues leave twists and turns it is discovered that bribery and blackmail is running rampant in Swaddle~

Book #5

Rachel's father is getting remarried. Too bad it's to someone Rachel's age! When one of her father's partners is murdered, Rachel and Scott find their relationship hanging on by a thread. Can they find the murder and stay together, or will this be the end of them?~
Profile Image for Christine.
82 reviews
February 2, 2024
I managed to get through this series this with an AI voice narration and the pronunciation of some words drove me a little crazy. Stories and plots were good - but the main characters were not very much fleshed out. Example, I couldn’t even picture how Rachel looked like and where in other stories I get a little annoyed with the description of hairstyles, it would have been nice with a little more description. The use of British words took me out as well - theres no way a lifelong No. California sheriff would use the word fortnight. The author doesn’t appear to be British either. I do like a complete series though and it was an entertaining listen. My favorite book in the series was #3 - I like old money family intrigue and a locked room mystery.
Profile Image for Amanda Jane.
1,337 reviews10 followers
August 3, 2020
Ok

It's not the greatest thing ever written but it's not bad either. It's an ok read, the characters do seem to be either millionaire rich or be connected to overly wealthy people which actually just becomes a little bit too much.. several of them are so over the top as to have become cartoonish and so unrelated to reality that they're a little hard to emphasise with.

What is most annoying is the author requesting a positive review.. an honest review is what you should ask for..
Profile Image for Lyssa.
861 reviews26 followers
December 28, 2023
Solid cozy mystery series. And I love when they include recipes.

The characters and relationships are what you'd expect - light. People are generally two dimensional, lacking in shades of gray and complexity. Plenty of snap judgments, fast friendships, etc. The plot is not necessarily believable, but not usually too over the top. The stories are engaging enough to keep you turning pages, but not so suspenseful that they steal your sleep or peace. I enjoyed them.
Profile Image for Kimberly Albright.
19 reviews3 followers
October 9, 2025
The stories were ok, some better than others, but the narration was terrible. They were read by an AI generated voice. There was no differentiation between characters because the narration sounded exactly the same, no matter which character was speaking. The AI could not pronounce some of the words, even though it may have been pronounced correctly the prior instance, latte was "lahtay" one instance and "lot" for others.
Profile Image for Short, Sweet and Cozy.
1,505 reviews
October 4, 2018
Comfort Cakes series is a perfect cozy mystery series!

This is a very enjoyable cozy mystery series with everything I like about cozy mysteries. These are engaging books with likeable interesting characters, friendship, and romance. It is clean, not graphic or scary, and very enjoyable!
210 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2019
Had read Murder and Marble Cake as a stand-alone, so was delighted to continue with all the characters, their friends and families. Well written narrative and relatively short chapters make for an easy read while the plots are intriguing with a delightful touch of romance. Recipes are an added bonus. Loved the series.
Profile Image for Rhonda Busby.
64 reviews1 follower
May 17, 2020
Lovely series

Rachel and Scott start off on the wrong foot, she is suspected of murder and he is the sheriff. She had a previous run in with him over his sister breaking into her home and is still I’ll over his treat. Over all, I had to read all the stories in this series as fast as possible. Love how the characters developed through each story. Wonderful cozy mysteries!
Profile Image for Domnica.
225 reviews5 followers
April 11, 2024
Good stories overall, really liked the baking theme throughout the series and devoured book after book to see what murder mystery Rachel stumbles upon. The cozy vibes are not missing from this small town storyline and there is also a romance subplot which some readers may appreciate.

This wasn’t my favourite book series to read, but since I finished it, I think this is a good sign.
Profile Image for Bev.
3,272 reviews98 followers
August 27, 2018
I have read each of these books when they first came out. Great cozy mysteries and recipes too! I have enjoyed every adventure, or should I say mystery of each book. These are are clean mysteries without any cussing, sex or gore.
1,769 reviews24 followers
October 2, 2018
A sweet mystery ×5

I have now read all five free Comfort Cakes Cozey Mysterys and enjoyed each one on I'ts own with I'ts own group of additional caracters leading to a new murder , mayhem and mystery.
Profile Image for Robin Resch.
651 reviews5 followers
November 27, 2018
When life throws you a curve...Bake

I really enjoyed this box set. Great characters and plots. Kept me guessing to the end of each story on who did it. Highly recommend this box set. Great recipes included.
Profile Image for Sandy Van domelen.
143 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2019
One of The Best Book Sets Ever!!

This storyline was well thought out, perfectly written, and a fantastic read. I loved how the characters were written, the surprises, and then the recipes!.Hope there is more to follw!
40 reviews
February 11, 2019
Crazy

Don't care for a woman who thinks she is a detective and nuts in everyone's life.If she likes it then get a P I'd license and work with an attorney or the district attorney's office Did not care for the last book at all.
Profile Image for Jennie Ersari.
409 reviews2 followers
March 3, 2019
Sweet cozies!

Rachel starts life over in the small town of Swaddle opening up a cake shop and soon gets involved with a murder. Each book in this set was full of mystery, romance and the sweetness of cakes!
184 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2019
If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries, then this series of books is for you.

Intriguing plots, interesting characters...this author is what you need. I hard a hard time putting this series down and was disappointed when the series ended. I WANT MORE!!, please. TA TA
5 reviews
October 4, 2022
Excellent stories

Loved the series kept me reading to the end because I didn't want to stop until the end And I will definitely try the recipes they look like they would be very tasty
5 reviews
April 30, 2024
Entertaining characters. Good storyline.

I enjoyed reading these books. The characters were interesting ... sometimes frustrating until you need there back story. The stories themselves were good. Easy reading.
Profile Image for Kelly.
5 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2025
I really liked the series, but the series was narrated by a virtual voice, which made it painful and kind of absurd in places. I wish they’d have a human read version. Recommend the series, but not the audiobook.
4,374 reviews28 followers
September 4, 2018
Good

this set of books have the two main characters in all of the books and the man who is a sheriff continues to have murders to solve.
239 reviews3 followers
September 15, 2018
Comfort Cakes Cozy Mysteries Set

I couldn’t stop reading the books. I went into one and straight into the next until I got to the last one. Wanted more. A very good book set.
4 reviews
October 28, 2018
Good Read

Stories were easy to read. Characters were very likeable. The stories kept me entertained. Definitely worth buying. Will buy more books by this author.
Profile Image for Rhonda Groze.
1 review
November 21, 2018
Love,love,love

Nancy does it again!! All of her books draw you in and make them hard.to put down. Then the icing on the cake is the amazing recipes at the end!
Profile Image for Gabi Eagon.
492 reviews6 followers
November 24, 2018
Comfort Cakes

Nancy McGovern writes some great cozy mysteries. This 5 book box set was great and I enjoyed it tremendously. A little romance thrown in was great!!
2 reviews
December 4, 2018
I 💕 Nancy McGovern books

Interesting characters, great plots, mysteries that keep you guessing right up to the end! And amazing recipes at the end - Bonus!
207 reviews
January 8, 2019
Great read

Loved each book kept me wonting to read a head but I didn’t . I won’t to see if I was write as to the killer was
265 reviews
February 11, 2019
Comfort Cakes Cozy Mysteries

This was a really great series with wonderful characters and plots. I would recommend this series to everyone. You will enjoy it. Thanks!
1 review
February 21, 2019
Good mysteries

These books keep you guessing "who done it" all the way to the end! I would recommend this author for good writing of mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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