Unapologetic Reviews

I read A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death by Valerie Burns for the 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge, for prompt #49, "a book that mentions your zodiac sign". I’m a Dog in the Chinese zodiac, and this book has a very large and very memorable dog, so I’m counting it. A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death is the third book in the Baker Street Mystery series, and I gave it four stars. This book also brings the larger mystery that has been developing since the first book to a conclusion, which I found very satisfying. There is a fourth book in the series, so I’m curious about where the story goes from here now that this particular arc has been wrapped up. We are back in New Bison, Michigan, with Maddy Montgomery, who has now settled much more comfortably into the life she unexpectedly inherited along with Baby Cakes bakery and Baby, her enormous English mastiff. Most of the characters from the previous books return, along with a few new ones, and we also get more of Maddy’s father in thi...

I read Murder Is a Piece of Cake by Valerie Burns as part of the 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge for prompt 14, “A book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan”. Valerie Burns herself is not from Michigan, but the book clearly is set there, so it fits the prompt through the setting. The story takes place in New Bison, which is a fictional small town based on New Buffalo, Michigan. It has that classic cosy mystery atmosphere. Close knit community, familiar faces, and just enough secrets under the surface to keep things interesting. This is the second book in the Baker Street Mysteries series. I had already read and enjoyed the first one, so I decided to continue with the series. That turned out to be a very good decision, because the first book leaves a few threads open, and this one continues to build on them rather than resetting everything. The plot follows Maddy, who is still settling into her new life as a bakery owner. Her development is one of the strongest aspects...

I read Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns for the 2026 PopSugar Reading Challenge, prompt 12, “A book with "pop" or "sugar" in the title”. I gave it four stars. This is a straightforward cosy mystery. Maddie is an influencer in Los Angeles whose life collapses after she is left at the altar. She then inherits a bakery, a house, and a dog from her great aunt in a small town called New Buffalo. The will requires her to stay there for a year. Soon after she arrives, the town’s mayor is murdered, and she gets involved in the investigation, while using her influencer career to the advantage of her new bakery, and the whole town. The strongest part of the book is the cast. Maddie works as a main character because her situation forces a clear transition. She is used to a curated online life and has to adjust to a slower, more personal environment. That contrast drives a lot of the early interactions. The side characters are distinct and easy to keep track o...