Cake & Punishment by Maymee Bell-Great Escapes Tour Review/Giveaway

About the book 

In the first of a delectable new Southern-set baking cozy series, Sophia Cummings, pastry chef extraordinaire, must craft the perfect cake for an old friend’s wedding while sifting through the suspects in a murder.

Bucolic Rumford, Kentucky has glowing fields of bluegrass, a fine selection of bourbons, and now a professional pastry chef. Broken-hearted Sophia Cummings has come home from New York City. She’s not there a minute before she’s charmed into making her high school friend Charlotte’s wedding cake. The kitchen at the Rumford Country Club seems perfect until Chef Emile’s body is discovered, sprawled near the stove, a cast iron skillet on the floor close by.

With one look at the shiny, new frying pan, Sophia knows it’s not Emile’s. She offers her knowledge to Sheriff Carter and her talents to Evelyn, the manager, who needs an interim chef. The mood in the country club is grim: Emile’s peppery personality had burned members and staff alike. Sophia wonders which one of them burned him?

And others are saying 

Incredible start to a brand new series. . . I absolutely loved it . . .
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Maymee Bell has whisked a confection of mystery in her debut novel that will have readers savoring every word.
~Bibliophile Reviews

This cozy mystery has a little bit of everything that makes this book genre one of my favorites: Humor, mystery, romance, and likable characters.
~Ms. Cat’s Honest World

When reading anything written by this author, there are a few things you can be certain of exceptional characters, a homey setting, humor, and a great mystery. And of course, all of those things are found in this book.
~MJB Reviewers

Delightful characters, delectable southern banter, I guarantee you’ll pick up a few new phrases for your own use, and an unpredictable future for Sophia are all on the menu.
~Laura’s Interests

Nobody does small-town Kentucky quite like Maymee Bell and her alter ego, Tonya Kappes.
~Reading is My SuperPower

Adding this one to my list of favorite reads for the year wit

And I thought

Adding this one to my list of favorite reads for the year with a big 'ole 5 stars!

Maymee Bell starts things off from the first few pages drawing the reader in with a little murder to solve.

The main character Sophia comes home to lick her wounds for a few days after a nasty break up with her cheatin' boyfriends. 

Sophia's plans for a few days away suddenly get thwarted when she runs into a high school buddy that begs her to bake her wedding cake when the hired baker backs out.  

Who can say no to that?

And then when they meet at the country club to discuss the cake and the venue what happens but the chef gets whacked in the head with his own skillet!  Or is it his?

  There's no place like home.

When Sophia's mentor gets becomes the prime suspect the wedding becomes jeopardized.  And so Sophia becomes a sleuth to save her friend and the wedding. 

It seems everyone is against her leaving and returning to NYC.  

Her mom begins matchmaking.  Her friends keep coming up with 

important events for Sophia cater.  

And there is no shortage of suspects who could have been the one weilding that iron skillet!

And then there's that closed up and empty bakery space in town. 
And a charming little house with a kitchen that needs a baker. 

Sophia's heart is torn between returning to NYC and her dream job and staying in her hometown.  

I loved Cake & Punishment I am looking forward to
 more in this series.  

This review will appear on retail sites, Good Reads and Net Galley.
I received a complimentary copy.

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