Since I have seen quite a few books featuring bakers lately, I guess other readers are as fascinated as I am with this setting. There just seems something wholesome and yet glamorous about wedding cake bakers. And heroine Piper fits this bill.

Piper Donovan is a struggling actress. At one time she thought she had her feet on the first rung of success with a career on a well-received soap opera. But her character was killed off, and now after months with no luck, she has almost tapped out her savings, so she is moving home for a while. Jack, her best friend and an FBI agent, is not happy to see her go, and even offered to let her camp out at his place. But Piper knows that moving home is the right thing to do for now, especially since it seems like her mother is hiding a secret. And while she is at home, she can help her mother out in the family bakery, Icing on the Cupcake.

A former co-worker, Glenna Brooks, is getting married, but not everyone is a happy about it. She is not moving with the soap opera to California, and the director knows that this will adversely affect both the show and his career. Glenna’s fiancé has an ex-girlfriend who doesn’t seem like she has moved on. Glenna’s ex-husband still thinks he can call the shots too. After getting a warning letter telling her not to get married, she asked Piper to get Jack’s opinion on the matter – and soon after that the first person dies.

It has been a long time since I have read a cozy mystery. I typically read women’s fiction or romance, and it can be hard to compare the two. This book is very light on interpersonal relationships, and there is a subtle hint of a possible romance. There is a family problem that Piper has to adjust to which I found interesting, but again, it was handled subtly.

The book flows well, and there are plenty of red herrings. And since I am not an expert mystery reader I was fooled.

I liked Piper and the other characters. I liked the insight into the bakery. I liked the friendship that Piper had with Glenna. Still, I found myself wanting more. More about Piper and Jack, more about her relationship with her friends, and of course more about the bakery. Maybe the author planned it that way, since this is the first in the series.

If you approach this book as a romance reader, then you are going to be disappointed. If you just want to sit back, and spend a couple hours with a relaxing book, enjoying the references to wedding cakes and figuring out the mystery, then it is time well spent.