When Mel learns that two pro football players want to purchase a Fairy Tale Cupcakes franchise, she isn't sure she heard correctly. But Tyler and Keogh are taking the time during the offseason to learn all about baking and decorating delicious cupcakes. It seems that Tate, the bakery's business manager, is helping the guys start a franchise as part of planning ahead for their eventual retirement from sports. What could be better - a beloved line of cupcakes teamed up with popular football stars?
It turns out that some people don't agree. The team manager and Keogh's agent both want the guys to drop the idea and concentrate on football. The coach is pushing hard for Keogh to forget pastry and concentrate on the upcoming season. They may not be the only ones, since there is also vandalism at the bakery location the partners are trying to open. And then the team manager turns up dead in the kitchen. Did he quarrel with one of the guys? Is someone trying to frame them? As usual, Mel is in the thick of the action.
While this book serves up delicious cupcake ideas, plenty of suspense and tension, and the usual movie quote identification game that Mel and her friends Angie and Tate have carried on since middle school, there are also other ingredients to spice up the recipe. It seems that Keogh is at high risk for CTE if he takes another hit causing a concussion, so planning ahead for what he will do after his career on the field is a priority. The discussion of brain injury caused by contact sports crops up a few times. And his mother taught Keogh to cook, so we get to see a supportive mother-son relationship when Mama June comes to visit. And there is the teamwork aspect, between Mel and her friends/staff, between Keogh and Tyler, and with the football team itself.
Another tasty addition to the series and fun to read - although you may wind up craving cupcakes. A small price to pay (and literary cupcakes don't have calories).
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