Cake Tastings and Killers

Paradise Bed & Breakfast #1

by A.R. Winters

A Bed and Breakfast Mystery

Wedding photographer Laura Fisher is back in the Florida Keys to help her sister manage the Paradise Bed and Breakfast. Business has been slow, but when a guest is poisoned at a cake tasting, they’re in danger of going under.

It doesn’t help that Laura confronted the victim, her high school boyfriend Charlie Porter, in front of the entire wedding party, declaring he’d answer for his actions one day. Charlie taunts her and laughs off the entire exchange, but the joke’s over when Laura becomes the prime suspect for his murder.

With her sister Danielle and Granny Margaret on her side, Laura’s prepared to confront her past to catch the real killer and prove she’s innocent. If she can’t, not only will she be branded a murderer, the struggling Paradise B&B’s reputation will be ruined and her family will be forced to sell the property.

Laura soon learns how many secrets islands can hide—and if she’s not careful, she may find herself the next victim...



"The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com

"A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, Amazon.com

"For fans of Janet Evanovich, Rhys Bowen and Jana DeLeon, this is a funny, clean mystery." - Clara B, Amazon.com

This is a humorous cozy mystery featuring a strong female protagonist, some unusual friends and family, and a mystery that needs solving! It has no graphic gore, bad language or sex.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2021

About the author

A.R. Winters is a cozy mystery writer who loves writing about crazy characters and vibrant locations. And food, lots of delicious food!

When not writing, A.R. Winters is usually busy eating too much cake...

You can also find her on Facebook

Reviews

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only suffered through for the reading challenge

[Natalie Golbitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storyline

I really like this author and the stories she crafts, but her editor and or proofreader do a terrible job. The cat, Coral, becomes Coco in several places, misuse of words, spelling errors...the only reason I did not give five stars was because of cringeworthy errors. The author deserves better than this. The story was very good.

[Harmony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I tend to do long reviews there is a short and a long version, the long version may contain spoilers and is under the spoiler tag.

Short Version: Paper thin mystery with flat, underdeveloped characters. I was so bored and annoyed that within the first 20%, I started skimming through the book. This is one of those books were it makes absolutely zero sense for the MC to be the suspect. It also makes zero sense for her to investigate. The one thing I was thankful for was that the police weren't corrupt and incompetent. That made the MC thinking she needed to investigate even more improbable.

Long Version:



At 6% into the book, the below interaction happens between Charlie and Laura:

“Somebody is going to give you exactly what you deserve one day, Charlie Porter,” I said. “And I hope I’m alive to see it.”

That's it. That's the whole reason why she is the prime suspect. Never mind that before that interaction, there are three characters that were more likely suspects. Paige, Simon, and Jason. Then after this interaction, the fourth more likely suspect is introduced, Lloyd. I knew I wasn't going to like this book when the detective rolls in and decides instantly that Laura is the prime suspect. Then she decides that she just has to investigate to clear her name and save her sister's business.

SIGH.

I probably should have stopped reading there but I was curious to see if the author would somehow save all this and make it more interesting. She doesn't. I wound up really not liking Laura, she's one of those stereotypical cozy mystery FMC. The kind who are too-stupid-to-live and who decide that they (the one with zero knowledge about detective work or crimes) are the only ones qualified to solve the mystery.

UGH.

I liked the detective though and felt sorry for him that he had to deal with this idiot. A 33 year old woman who sticks her tongue out at others constantly, charming... and mature /snark. The detective is good at his job and probably could have done it better and more efficiently without Laura mucking things up.

Until he wasn't....

At the very end of the book, the author decides that the detective just isn't capable of solving this mystery and that Laura has to endanger her life to do it. The culprit is glaringly obvious from the first 5% of the book and becomes even more so as the book continues. The detective that was first introduced would have figured this out, if the author hadn't hindered him in order to make Laura the "hero" who solved the case.

At 78%:

I wanted to scream at him. To tell him that he was being unreasonable. That his blind devotion to evidence when it so plainly had to be wrong was nuts, and it was getting a lot of people hurt.

When Laura had this thought (the majority of this book occurs inside Laura's head), I didn't even want to finish it. I was done. I can't stand characters like this.

I have another book by this author on my to-read list, I really hope that the next FMC isn't like this one. I liked the writing and thought the author had a way with words. Her writing flows smoothly and is descriptive enough that I could see the images in my mind. I'm hoping that my next foray into her stories is better.

[Goldie Fishbaum · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first book I. Read from this author and it will be the last. Not only was the story dreadfully boring, it felt as though this book was just a bunch of words written on paper. The characters were flat and boring. It drove me crazy how she would call the cat Coral in one sentence then the next she would call it coco. If that’s the cats nickname then tell the reader that. If that’s not the case, there’s something called proofreading. Another thing that I found annoying was she would call the detective, detective Reid a few times then change it up to Connor Reid then just Reid. There were just a few other characters in the book as well and every time she mentioned someone’s name she had to include their last name. I mean….seriously? The plot was bad. It was so predictable and just so poorly written. I hate giving bad reviews for a book but when reading it makes me want to rip my eyeballs out of my skull, I need to give it a bad review.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great setting for a wedding venue...if said wedding ever got to take place. After one of the wedding party was murdered, Laura knew she'd need to work fast to find the real killer and make people unafraid of using her sister's B&B/venue. Dealing with an annoying developer who wanted to buy the B&B property was just one of the many headaches. It's too bad someone didn't off him LOL. My favorite character had to be Granny. She was such a hoot. I liked both Laura and Danielle too. They seem to work well together.

I was on the right track with whodunit eventually but kept going back and forth. THe showdown was good, and reinforcements came when they were needed. I'll be borrowing the next one in KU to see if they ever get rid of that developer, ha.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I like about cozy mysteries is the fact they have very little violence in them and lots of everyday people. This story was no exception, except you grow to like the protagonists quite well. The plot is easily followed and the amateur sleuth managed to find the killer just before the police detective does. Not without a lot of spent theories and headaches during the search. Family comes first over everyone else. That matters to me. I definitely recommend this book.

[Patricia H. Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Family Affair

Laura Fisher is considered the lead suspect when an old nemesis is murdered on the property her sister and brother-in-law own and run as a Bed & Breakfast in the Florida Keys. Although told by the lead detective to stay out of it, her sister's business is in jeopardy and she can't let that happen. A very good story.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a promising new series! I liked the characters, and AR Winters always writes a good story. I had a good suspicion of who the "bad guy" would be, but it didn't hurt my enjoyment one bit.

[David M Horak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my my

Laura fumbles when she sees her ex boyfriend. No one likes him but who killed him. Having her sister, granny & Andrew on her side will it be enough to keep Detective Reid from arresting her?

[Bekah Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I liked the book but was disappointed that there wasn't more background on Laura and George. TBE mystery part was decent. I like the tension with Laura and the detective and Granny is hilarious

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely Binge-worthy❣️You are hooked as soon as you start reading...

Very anxious to read more . . .

Next please🐿️ More and more difficult to put down . . .

Spelling errors let you down though

[Cym · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, there were a lot of errors and inconsistencies, though. The main character could be annoying most of the time. But I guess that’s how the story moved forward. The sleuth wannabe was the one who solved the murder. Yay her. But I got an inkling who did it so I was not too surprised.

[Thomas Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tasty Treats

I love reading A.R. Winters books and was excited to start this new series about sisters, Laura and Danielle and the excitement happening at th B & B. Of course a murder occurs, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, not! Can't wait to read Book #2!

[SueAnn Schoonmaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tastings and Teasings

I think anyone who likes cozies will like this story. It's just convoluted enough that you think you have it figured out, but that teases you to being complacent, then "bam," you find you're wrong about that. I liked it very much, and believe you will too.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and cozy mystery

Easy reading except for spelling errors. However, none of the characters have much depth. This mystery seems like it’s attempting to mimic a Stephanie Plum mystery but without Evanovich’s talent or humor.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start to a new series

An excellent cozy, with plenty of ways to go in future books! Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to the next installment!

[Bette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the characters in this book. Looks like Detective Reid is going to be a tough but to crack. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Linda C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good cozy mystery

This book reads well and is written for an adult. Some cozy mysteries seem to be written in a childish manner. Kept my interest throughout the entire book.

[Giizis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the starter in this new series! Already started the next book! These characters are wonderful. I want a Granny like Laura's! Simply can't go wrong picking this one up.

[Carolee DeWitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book.

[Nina Hei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick read, not anything groundbreaking but a decent book to read on a sunny day in the garden!

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the greatest book ever written. I just enjoyed the book and finished it in 3 days after a long book slump.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good first book

This book follows the theme….heroine solves the murder that the very good looking cop can’t solve. But it was good and I will read the next one

[Mary j. childers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family

Paradise does not always mean peace. Death can take away your comfort and make you doubt everyone and everything. But you take all kinds of chances to protect family.

[Janet Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining cozy mystery. Interesting characters and a good story. Will look for more from this author. Recommended.

[Kathleen Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read

Liked this very much. The end made me want to know what happens next. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you'll like this one.

[Leslie Grosvenor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely not one of my favorites from this author. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The storyline was just so so. I will try and read the next one.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is a clean, cozy mystery that keeps you guessing. It is hard to put down once you get into the book. I would recommend.