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Wedding Cake is a series of cozy mystery novels written by Mary Jane Clark. The books follow the exploits of an aspiring actress who must put her career on hold to bake cakes and solve mysteries.
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Order of Piper Donovan / Wedding Cake Mysteries Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | To Have and to Kill | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Bracelet (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Look of Love | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Friend (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Footprints in the Sand | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | That Old Black Magic | 2014 | Description / Buy |
The series began publication in 2011. Readers first encounter Piper Donovan, the protagonist of the series, in ‘To Have and To Kill’, the debut novel.
There, Piper is at a crossroad. The heroine has given what feels like her whole life to her acting. However, she isn’t making any headway.
When it becomes clear that her prospects for success are unlikely to improve anytime soon, and when her engagement abruptly ends, Piper Donovan is finally compelled to abandon her Manhattan life for a new beginning in her parent’s New Jersey town.
Piper moves back in with her parents because she needs a moment to breathe. She also has to take proper stock of her life, to figure out where she belongs and what she will do for the remainder of her years.
It is during this introspective process that the heroine joins the family bakery. Piper has no intention of making baking her new career. But when she’s hired by a friend to make a wedding cake and a murder happens, the protagonist realizes that there might be so much more to life than she initially realized.
Wedding Cake series chronicles the cake maker’s life as she tries and largely succeeds in reinventing herself.
For the most part, these books are cozy mysteries. They tick all the right boxes. You have a protagonist pursuing a relatively mundane career who is unexpectedly drawn into the sleuthing arena.
She is joined on her many escapades by a cast of bizarre characters. And more often than not, the drama of her ordinary life is more compelling than the mysteries she has to solve.
The Wedding Cake books are only distinguished by their heroine’s personality and the pace of the stories.
Piper, unlike many of her peers in the cozy mystery genre, does not actively seek out mysteries and murders. Piper is always just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And even when things go wrong, the protagonist is more than happy to let the police do their job while she focuses on her cake making endeavors.
Unfortunately for her, trouble never stops dogging her heels. And it is as she goes about fulfilling her obligations and living her life that Piper unexpectedly brings resolutions to the mysteries that surround her.
Some people hate the fact that she is more of a glorified bystander. Others love the quirk because it sets this series apart.
As with most cozy mystery heroines, Piper has a love interest in the form of a handsome FBI agent, though she struggles to accept her feelings for him.
Best Wedding Cake Books
These novels have been praised for their rapid pace and well-crafted mysteries, with some of the best books in the series including:
The Book of Love: Piper Donovan has only ever made one cake in her life. But she did such a good job that she has been invited to Los Angeles to make a cake for the director of Elysium.
Even though her father is wary, Piper believes that she can live up to Jillian Abernathy’s expectations. The fact that the heroine is met with murder upon her arrival doesn’t shake her confidence in the least.
Footprints in the Sand: Piper is in Florida to attend her cousin’s upcoming nuptials. The sleuth is the Maid of Honor. But she gets to make the wedding cake as well. And she wants to commit herself to her responsibilities.
But things keep going wrong. It isn’t just bridesmaids disappearing and teenagers being threatened. People are also dying. Piper must get to the bottom of these occurrences before the wedding ceremony is canceled.
Other Book Series You May Like
The Hannah Swensen Series by Joanne Fluke is another good read. Hannah Swensen is a red-haired heroine who solves mysteries and murders whilst also finding the time to create the most delectable desserts in Minnesota.
You may also enjoy “The MacKade Brothers” Series by Nora Roberts. These books tell the stories of the wickedly handsome MacKade brothers whose dangerous attitudes are tamed by the women that barge into their lives.
What Is The Next Book in The Piper Donovan / Wedding Cake Mysteries Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Piper Donovan / Wedding Cake Mysteries Series. The newest book is That Old Black Magic and was released on January, 1st 2014.