BLOG TOUR: Cherry Slice (A Cherry Pi Mystery) - Jennifer Stone

Reality TV turns deadly in Cherry Hinton's first case

When Kenny Thorpe, a contestant on Expose TV's Big Blubber, the hot new celebrity weight-loss show, is murdered on live television in front of 3 million viewers, the case seems pretty watertight. After all, everyone saw Martin do it, didn't they?

Cherry Hinton knows there's more to this than meets the eye. As an investigative reporter, she went undercover on dating show Caravan of Love... but after getting in too deep with one of the other contestants, she was caught knickerless in front of the nation. Humiliated, fired and heartbroken, she has fled to Brentwood, where she opens a cake shop, and tries to forget all about Expose.

But when Kenny Thorpe's sister walks into her shop with a letter that turns the case inside out, Cherry realises it's down to her to expose the real killer.

What did I think?

I was drawn to Cherry Slice, not only by the mouthwatering cake on the cover, but by the story being set around the hilariously named reality TV weight loss show: Big Blubber.  I think because I found the show name so funny, I expected Cherry Slice to be quite funny but, although I did laugh at some of the clever show names, I reminded myself that it's a murder mystery not a joke book. 

When Martin appeared to murder fellow contestant Kenny on live TV, he has little choice but to plead guilty.  When Kenny's sister claims that Martin is innocent, she turn to Kenny's old schoolfriend Cherry Hinton to uncover the truth.  'Who killed Kenny?' is the theme of the book and I have to admit to having a little South Park snigger every time I read it.

After being disgraced on TV whilst working undercover to expose vote rigging, Cherry returns home to run a cake shop.  Cherry creates some lovely cakes with clever names and I found the visits from her social media obsessed friend, Kelsey, very entertaining.  Kelsey even gets a cake named after her: a Kelsey Bun.

I really enjoyed the investigative side to the story and the big reveal at the end is absolutely brilliant.  Although I didn't quite connect with Cherry at first, she certainly grew on me and I loved her run-ins with local policeman and one-time crush, Jacob.  This is a part of Cherry's story that is 'to be continued' and leaves the reader not necessarily hanging but interested enough to look forward to the next instalment.

Cherry Slice is a fun, murder mystery with an intriguing storyline and an occasional giggle; it's a great parody of reality TV and social media obsessives.  A light, entertaining read and a good start to a new series.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




Follow the tour:

Sweet Treats Volume 1: Jane's Patisserie - Jane Dunn

Available as a download from the Jane's Patisserie website, her new eBook ‘Sweet Treats Volume 1’ is now available to purchase!

Featuring 14 exclusive recipes, it's definitely one you are all going to enjoy. Cakes, Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Cookies, Desserts, Sweets and Traybakes are all featured, with two new exclusive recipes in each, along with two of Jane's favourites from her blog!

What did I think?

If you haven't visited the blog of Jane's Patisserie before, you are really missing out on a SWEET TREAT or two!  I can't claim to have tried all her recipes, as I would need a whole new (bigger size) wardrobe, but the ones I've tried have been simply amazing!  What I love about Jane's recipes is that she uses well-known chocolate bars and biscuits to make stunning creations that you can easily replicate at home.

Like me, Jane is quite a fan of the cheesecake BUT Jane's cheesecakes are like nothing you have ever tasted before.  For a start there is no gelatine in them; that's right, no jelly animal bits at all.  So it was to my absolute amazement that with a few taps, tugs and nudges (and a panicked tweet to Jane when it wouldn't budge), that I turned out a fabulously set Caramel Rolo Cheesecake.  With the strange spider web decoration, I know mine didn't look as stunning as Jane's but it tasted SO good!

I've also tried Jane's Honeycomb Crunchie Cheesecake and her melt in the mouth White Chocolate and Cranberry Scones, which both turned out exactly as pictured, making me feel like the winner of the Great British Bake Off.  So when I saw that Jane had brought out a recipe e-book, I just had to have it!  What a little gem of a book this is, not only do you have Jane's favourite recipes from her blog, but also some exclusive recipes only available in this e-book.

So what do you get in the e-book?  There are 28 mouth-watering recipes, 4 in each section: cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, desserts, sweets and traybakes.  Within each section, 2 are exclusive to the e-book and 2 are readily available on Jane's blog.  So whether you prefer a traditional sponge cake with a difference or you're more of a cookie fan, then there really is something for everyone. I am desperate to try the Apple Crumble Cake (which is on Jane's blog) and the Peanut Butter Brownies which are exclusive to the e-book.

Proof of the pudding really is in the tasting, so get baking today with Jane's Patisserie.  Whether you're a novice baker or an experienced cook, you will awaken your tastebuds and amaze your guests with Jane's fabulous creations.  Whatever your favourite chocolate bar or biscuit, Jane is sure to have a recipe to delight you and fit every occasion.

I couldn't count on my fingers and toes the amount of times I have recommended Jane's blog to my friends and family.  I will always turn to Jane first whenever I want to make something special or different, with minimal fuss, clear instructions and perfect results.  So please do make sure you visit Jane's blog to purchase her Sweet Treats Volume 1 e-book today!

My rating:

Sold as a digital copy only, buy it now from Jane's website by clicking HERE! 

Do make sure that you follow Jane on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, then go out and buy some stretchy pants because you're gonna need them!