Cupcakes and Cyanide

The Cupcake Capers #1

by P.L. Harris

Welcome to Ashton Point. One sweet taste could be her last.

Charlotte McCorrson has spent her entire life building her business, CC’s Simply Cupcakes. The town of Ashton Point is her home and she’s garnered a reputation of stellar service and delightful pastries, one nibble at a time. But everything isn’t as sweet in the sleepy, coastal town as Charlotte would like to think. She is in for a rude awakening and no amount of sugar will make this medicine go down any smoother.

After a catering a large town-wide event, Ashton Point’s morning newspaper fills Charlotte McCorrson with an icy sense of dread. The headlines scream Cupcake Killer! and put the blame squarely on CC’s Simply Cupcakes. When bodies begin to pile up behind her confectionary goodies, Charlotte must prove that while her cupcakes are delicious, they aren’t literally to die for—before she ends up in jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

This is Book 1 in The Cupcake Capers Series and may contain elements of humour, drama and danger. However, it will definitely not contain any of the following potentially lethal substances:
Swearing or profanity.
Gore or graphic scenes.
Cliff-hangers or unsolved endings.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Amazon, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2018

About the author

Author also writes under Polly Holmes

P.L. Harris writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense with a twist of mystery and intrigue. Her books are rich in storyline and location with characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. P.L has published stories with Serenity Press, Blue Swan Publishing, Evernight Publishing and now publishes the majority of her books with Gumnut Press.

Polly Holmes is the cheeky, sassy alter ego of Amazon best-selling author, P.L. Harris. When she's not writing her next romantic suspense novel as P.L. Harris, she is planning the next murder in one of Polly's cozy mysteries.

P.L. Harris and Polly Holmes are award-winning authors. As P.L Harris, Hidden Secrets was a finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s 2017 IDA International Digital Awards, young adult category. Callie’s Dilemma, also a finalist in the Virginia Romance Writers of America’s 2017 Fools of Love Contest, short contemporary romance short category. In His Protection was a finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award. (Due to receiving a publishing contract from Gumnut Press it had to be withdrawn from the contest).

As Polly Holmes, Cupcakes and Corpses was a finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s 2019 IDA International Digital Awards, short suspense category. Cupcakes and Curses claimed second place and Cupcakes and Cyanide gained third place making it a clean sweep in the category.

You can visit P.L. Harris/Polly Holmes at her website: www.plharris.com.au or www.pollyholmesmysteries.com or follow her writing journey on Facebook:
P.L. Harris/Polly Holmes author Page: https://www.facebook.com/plharrisauthor
P.L. Harris/Polly Holmes Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21781...

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cozy!

Pleasant food themed cozy with compelling characters and a briskly flowing plotline. The perfect pick to relax with on a cool winter evening.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 1 out of 5]

Charlotte McCorrson and her two sisters moved to Ashton Point, New South Wales, three years ago to help their grandmother and stayed to build a cupcake business. Charlotte is fiercely protective of her business and reputation. This is why, on the morning after catering a wedding for her best friend, when Charlotte discovers from the newspaper that two people have fallen ill with cyanide poisoning from HER cupcakes, she goes on the warpath. The cheeky best man, Liam, has the hots for Charlotte and is determined to get to know her better. He is fearful if she pursues this investigation alone she'll get hurt. Liam therefore offers to assist in the investigation to get to know her better. Then two more people fall ill after another event and Charlotte is furious the police haven't solved this case yet. She knows people are whispering about her and it's only a matter of time before CC's Simply Cupcakes goes out of business for good. Can she catch a killer before it's too late?

This story is more romance novella than mystery. Both plotlines seem forced, with half the story told by Charlotte and half by Liam. The story eschews some of the cozy tropes which can be fine but I didn't care for the way the story played out. The romance is too sudden for me and too much chemistry right away. Stop ogling each other and arguing and get to work. There's not enough baking in this book and it's just a quick unmemorable read.

I don't like Charlotte. She's crazy and has anger management problems. Detective Anderson is doing the best he can with few resources and she is constantly fighting him, arguing and bemoaning his lack of action. She assumes he isn't doing anything because he isn't telling her. Her actions go well beyond the usual cozy heroine's "well I'll just do it myself and show him!" mantra. She's spitting fire and her lame investigation is sure to get her burned! I didn't really care for Liam either. He's cocky, arrogant and thinks- no known- he's God's gift to women. He's instantly attracted to Charlotte based on looks alone and wants to go out with her. The investigation doesn't take long but he does at least get to know her personality and he still finds her attractive. I guess he's loyal but that's about all I know about him.

Mr. Hutson, the victim, was a city councilman and probably shady. Something he was up to didn't sit well with the locals so clearly someone had it out for him. Mr. Calderson, another councilman, fell ill at the wedding too. It sure seems like the motive has to do with the city council so let the police take care of it legally. Charlotte bullies, lies, and snoops to find evidence which I am pretty sure is illegal. Mr. Hutson's personal assistant, Hannah, seems like she's in knee-deep. She certainly is covering up for her boss and willingly too. Thomas is Mr. Calderson's assistant. He's willing to share juicy gossip with Charlotte and quick to judge his boss. His boss is not a nice person to work for, especially not lately. What was going on and who wanted the city councilmen dead?

The only character I liked was Mrs. Stevenson, a cheeky elderly lady who loves cupcakes and flirting with Liam.

This wasn't my cup of tea and I am uninterested in reading the rest of the series.

[bookswithanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man, ich fand beide Charaktere so unsympathisch. Er war so ein mansplainer und meint er wüsste ganz genau wie Frauen ticken, denn die ticken ja alle gleich. Klar 🙄
Die hat grundsätzlich nur gemeckert und die ganze Anziehung zwischen den beiden ging soooooo viel zu schnell.
Irgendwie wirkte der Plot und die Figuren sehr gezwungen

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was book 1 in the "Cupcake Capers" series. This was a short quick read that I liked. Charlotte McCorrson owns CC’s Simply Cupcakes with her sister Claire. They are doing good they even make the cake for a wedding that the whole town shows up for the next morning she gets a shock some has died and they are blaming it on her cupcakes. The newspaper is calling them killer cupcakes Charlotte knows that she has to get to the bottom of this because she is a suspect and she needs to clear her name and her her business reputation. This was a good short quick introduction to this series. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Pam James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently started reading cozy mysteries. I bought the paperback for this book at IRC2019 from the author. I really loved reading this book. It was amusing, yet it kept me on my toes trying to guess who did it. Every time I thought I knew who the murderer was, There was another curve. Good thing I bought the whole set, now I can start reading the next book. Loved it! From a New Fan... Pam James.

[Debra McEathron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cupcakes

This is a good short cozy mystery. The characters are good and so is the story line. Charlotte and her sister own a bakery and Charlotte is being accused of murder. Liam is the romantic interest and helps her investigate the crime.

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very simplistic story in both plot and character development. Charlotte has a bakery company and she has been accused of poisoning people with cyanide through her cupcakes. The poisoning happened at her friends wedding and then at a tea party. Liam the best man at the wedding helps Charlotte to try and uncover the truth and both realise they have feelings for each other.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Binge-worthy❣️
Wow‼️Just keeps getting better and better ‼️
Very anxious to read more . . .
Next please⁉️ More and more difficult to put down . . .
Sorry, you lost 1 * for blasphemy - NEVER acceptable

[Nicole Hogue · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad

Not the type of book I would typically read. It had mystery and some romance but I thought it was rather repetitive. The ending is where it got rather interesting, especially finding out who the murdered is. Not bad overall.

[Sookies Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great way to start off the new reading year. 📚 🧁
🧁 short cozy mystery
🧁 cupcakes
🧁 likable hero and heroine with chemistry
🧁 satisfying read if somewhat predictable
🧁 would I continue on with Series? Yes
🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁 🧁

[Suze Prescot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Romantic Mystery

When some guests at a wedding fall ill, one even dying, blame falls on baker, Charlotte and her sister, Clair. This is a good old-fashioned murder mystery/romance, good clean fun. Very enjoyable

[Lupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative Author

This the second novel in this series I’ve read. Polly’s words let’s you see the different screens, some humorous, or sad. I’d hate to have to clean the kitchen screen. Yes, I would recommend this book to only one.

[Michelle Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reminds me a lot of the Hallmark, Hannah Swanson Mysteries. For me it was just right! it was super cute and perfect length. Moves quick and keeps you interested. Bakery owner bakes cupcakes for a wedding a person dies of cyanide in the cupcakes. She is a suspect who is interview by a cute officer. She solves the mystery and he saves her from the bad guy. I really enjoyed it. Perfect length, Perfect writing, I'm grabbing book #2

[Kylie Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the name - Cupcakes and Cyanide, it drew me to read this cozy mystery from PL Harris. I hadn't read this author before and found I really enjoyed the writing style, the flow of the story and the evolving romance between the 2 main characters.

I won't tell you more - just check it out for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

[Sandi Berumen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A waste of time

Good fiction needs to be based in facts and truths AND you need to know your subject matter.

88 pages does not constitute a book, I question it even makes it into the booklet category, but this is so poorly written it is a blessing there was not more to it.

Neither the story line, nor the characters were well developed.

Sorry, this was painful to read!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

Loved the book. I was baffled on the killer till the end. It made sense when she pieces it together though. The attraction between Charlotte and Liam was fun to see as it blossomed and the fact there is a chance it will bloom.

[Jennifer Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cupcakes aren't dangerous, are they? P.L. Harris has written a quirky story that was easily digested. The title itself is as intriguing as the characters. A must read for everyone.

[Nancy]

Loved it

[Chris Blackton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through this book. I found it boring and the plot lacked depth.

[Laila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummm..... Okayyyyyy
So it's a short romantic-mystery kind of book, everything moved so so fast I couldn't grasp the ends of the storyline.

A few things in the plot were not easily believable such as, "few guests who were not present in the wedding where the cupcakes with cyanide were fed to the guests, are suspected of poisoning I mean how? Or did I misread it or read too much in between the lines? What happened?" And that they went out looking for clues at 8:00 in the morning and were done by Eve? I mean what....many scenes overlapped and didn't make sense, I'm not sure I'll be moving forward in the series.

But for the record, the characters were personified nicely, like you could feel what's happening, moments where they enacted a fake scene was done about right. Rest all felt rushed, I get it that it was meant to be a short story but then the details which were irrelevant to the plot could've been avoided (just an opinion), like the bouquet scene at Beth's wedding, background about Lincoln and Beth, stuff like that...

[Michael Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did CC’s Simply Cupcakes Poison Someone At the Wedding ???

Meet Clair and Charlotte, they are two sisters who own CC’s Simple Cupcakes in a small town in Australia and are hired to make the cake for a couples wedding. During the wedding a councilman for the area is rushed to the hospital with what is to believed as poisoning from cyanide and the next day the local paper headlines blames the poisoning on the cake made by the two sisters which could ruin their business if it were true. To prove there is no truth to this malicious rumor by the paper Charlotte decides to find out who poisoned the councilman herself with the help of the best man she met at the wedding. To go along and help these two fun people save the sisters business from being unfairly labeled a poison factory and the owners arrested, I recommend you read this fun mystery book that is the start of a series I’m sure you will love.

[(Eileen) Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable cozy mystery that had me guessing to the end. I enjoyed meeting the characters, although having read Mistletoe and Murder (Book 4) followed by Cupcakes and Curses (Book 2), I found that reading the books out of sequence didn't affect enjoying each as a stand alone. I'm looking forward to Book 3.
I especially liked the red-herrings along the way, although I am getting to know the genre and my mind is ticking over, is this another one!
Polly Holmes weaves her love story throughout, and I found that while I guessed what the outcome would be, it was a matter of following the twists and turns to see how the couple 'got there'.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's probably a 2.5 for me.

Although I enjoyed this cozy mystery, set in Australia, and with a likeable, take-no-prisoners protagonist, it wasn't really my cup of tea. The writing was solid, a couple of instances of repetition (mostly to do with the eating of words), but overall it was engaging. I really didn't care for the male lead. I found him very condescending. For example:

"Not the marrying kind? I beg to differ. She was definitely the marrying kind, or so Liam thought. She's beautiful, smart and tenacious at times, but in a cute way."
55% in, Chapter Five, Cupcakes and Cyanide by Polly Holmes

[Kristina Sternesky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and Cozy. This sweet, short murder mystery boasts a fiery female character that refuses to leave well enough alone and a brusque male character that's willing to get into a bit of trouble if it means keeping an eye on a woman who doesn't know when to stop. The banter between the characters is fun and their willingness to put their all into a fake performance so the other can snoop shows that they're both up for a bit of mischief when it's needed. The story was short and wrapped up nicely, giving just enough details to get the reader questioning who was actually the murderer all along. I do wish we got a bit more of Clair in the story, but perhaps her time will come later in the series.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte McCorrson owns and runs CC’s
Simply Cupcakes in the small town of
Ashton Point.
Everything seems to be going fine until
after a town wide gathering that she
caters. It turns into a disaster with the
newspaper labeling the business the
Cupcake Killer!!!
Now she needs to start her own investigation
to discover what really happened and clear
both her name and the shops reputation.
Come along on this drama filled with
mystery, questionable characters plus main
characters that are well fleshed out with
undeniably chemistry brewing.
Entertaining and fun read.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

While attending the wedding of a friend, the owners of CC Simply Cupcakes, have provided the wedding cake and cupcakes, several of the guests become ill. The local newspaper blames the bakery, saying the cupcakes contain cyanide. The baker along with the best man from the wedding decide to find the killer as the police seem to focus on the bakery. They apprehend the killer, but the reason for the killing as well as the killer is unexpected. Great book. Looking forward to reading the series.

[Lee Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet, just like a cupcake!

I was gifted this novel as part of a group I belong to. This easy, breezy, 70-something paged cozy mystery is the perfect snack if you are in need of something to entertain you in a waiting room, or just in need of killing an hour of time. The dialogue is pretty much the driver of the action, as there is little description of even exposition to pad this streamlined tale. Baked into this adventure is a blossoming romance, the perfect foil for additional tales in the series. A quick read.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries are often simplistic, but this one is so light as to be almost useless. It's a sort-of romance, a sort-of mystery, a sort-of story. The characters are two-dimensional and the plot ignores the main character's business, treating it as an entity that doesn't require care or attention but rather as a painted backdrop. The sleuthing is sophomoric, and really has no basis, as the business is never threatened except in Charlotte's mind. She doesn't lose business; in fact it appears with one exception she has no business to get back to.

In all, it's a flat, boring tale.

[Klissia Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte McCorrson,é uma excelente confeiteira, e seus cupcackes são famosos na sua cidade,Ashton Point.
Porém,num incidente com a suspeita de envenenamento e seus cupcackes, ela se vê envolvida numa trama de mistério e suspense. E precisa limpar seu nome e não correr o risco de perder sua empresa.
E o tempo, na está o seu favor. Todos na cidade são suspeitos, e ela conta com a ajuda de um amigo para iniciar por própria conta, uma investigação. E a partir daí, ela se depara com muitas descobertas e situações bem inusitadas.
Leitura bem agradável e fluida e agradável

[Rita Liziet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, um ótimo e divertido suspense!
Charlotte é expert em cupcakes e fez uma encomenda para o casamento da melhor amiga. Conheceu um dos padrinhos do casal, Liam, e olhares correram. Mas o que seria uma linda festa tornou-se um escândalo: alguém morreu envenenado por um doce de Charlotte!
Ela, furiosa, quis investigar por conta própria, e Liam aproveitou a oportunidade para ficar juntinho… E durante essas visitas a suspeitos, a paixão falou mais alto, cenas teatrais se desenrolam e descobre-se o assassino.
Só faltou umas receitas de cupcake…