This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“How do you kill a person with a cupcake topper?”

“When it’s drenched with as much raw magic as yours are, so many different ways.” Sabrina ticked off options on her fingers. “As a potion additive, as part of a ritual, ingested by the magic-user to add to their own power. Yeah, those are probably the top three.”

“Yours was used to create a potion which was then added to a beverage the victim drank, from what we can tell,” Miles added helpfully.

I really didn’t feel so good.

WHAT'S CUTTHROAT CUPCAKES ABOUT?
Lina's having a slow day in her store—a year-round custom-made candy store with a Halloween theme—when everything she knows about her family, herself, and the world as a whole changes.

Lina discovers that magic is real and that she's a witch in one of the worst ways imaginable to learn these things—by being arrested by a supernatural cop for killing someone with an item you cursed.

This cop is a wizard with the International Criminal Witch Police who has a certain amount of leeway in his jurisdiction—since he's easily convinced that Lina has no idea how she may have cursed the candies in her shop, he offers to cut a deal with her—if she helps to track down the person who used her unintentionally cursed items, he won't pursue charges (ignorance of the law yada yada yada could still get her a few years as an Accessory). Apparently, once you know what you're looking for it's easier to find traces of your own magic than it is to find someone else's, so it makes sense to recruit Lina into this investigation, even if she doesn't know anything about the magical side of things.

Lina's curious about this whole witch thing, desperate to not be convicted of a crime—and fairly attracted to this detective, truth be told. So she puts her store in the hands of a new (witch) acquaintance for a few days and takes the offer.

THE BOISE-NESS OF IT ALL

“The three of you are it? For the entire city of Boise?”

Bastian huffed. “City? Town.”

“Hey, now. No smack-talking Boise.” I’d only lived here five years, but that was long enough to recognize that the place definitely had its charms.

“I’m not talking smack. I’m stating a fact. It’s a town, not a city. But to answer your question, the three of us cover the greater Boise area.” His lips pulled into a grimace. “Insomuch as there is a greater metro area.”

You know right away that this is some sort of fantasy—there's no way that a homemade candy shop—particularly a Halloween-themed candy shop—survives in downtown Boise for as long as Lina's has. Yes, the idea is appealing, but it's easier to buy the idea of the magic, to be frank.

Outside of that, putting this series in Boise helps ground it—Lawley has some good fixed locations for things and is able to use that geography to her advantage. But no one who is unfamiliar with Idaho's capital is going to suffer for it—it's a nice bonus for those of us who make the same drive as Lina does to know how long it takes so we know how long the uncomfortable silence (or whatever) will be. But that's about it.

THE COZY FACTOR

I drank my exceptional espresso with exactly the right amount of cream and tried to keep my annoyance at recent events to a minimum. Nothing like a rotten mood to ruin good caffeine.

This is pretty "cozy" on two fronts—the magic and the mystery. We only get very broad brushstrokes about magic, how it works, what it can/can't do, the society of witches/warlocks/wizards, and so on. Lawley gives us enough details to keep the story moving. We do get to see some magic at work, and get a sense that some ritual and effort is necessary—but Lawley's not coming at this like Butcher, Rowling, or Harrison.

The mystery part of the book is solidly in the cozy area as well—we've got a candy store owner, a detective who works out of a coffee shop, and a whole lot of generally nice people (even a suspect or two are pretty nice when you get to know them).

The effect of both of these is to make you as comfortable as if you're relaxing with one of the some of the drinks and treats described while the world passes by.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CUTTHROAT CUPCAKES?

Maybe I should have dithered, asked for more information, heck, even asked for the questions first. But this was the guy who’d cured my headache. Despite having locked us in my store earlier and disabling my phones, he seemed a stand-up sort of guy. Maybe he wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but…I trusted him. And that’s saying a lot given the fact he arrested me.

I initially thought this seemed like a charming idea for a cozy mystery series, but I wasn't prepared for the extent of its charms. I devoured this in one sitting and if I owned it, I'd have likely rolled right into the sequel (I will be rectifying this situation soon). I want to use words like cute and adorable, but those both feel condescending, so I'm sticking with charming for now. Enchanting might work there, too. But that's a little too something given all the witchiness of the book.

Lawley's not afraid to have a little fun with the premise—the first (aware) witch we meet is named Sabrina, for crying out loud.

*Pun intended, naturally.

The characters are all great (I thought about spending some time talking about them, but why ruin your fun?). The candies are tantalizing—even for someone who abstains from sugar. The coffee shop owned by the detective (there's not enough supernatural crime to be a full-time job in this area—and he needs a cover story for the non-magical folks) will cause cravings for sure.

Basically, this is a light-hearted, sweet, appealing, and charming book. I encourage you to grab a snack, pick up Cutthroat Cupcakes, and get lost in the world for a little while. You'll feel better for it. ( )

Life was normal until he came along. This is what Lina thought when she met Bastien. Lina was an average, ordinary woman running her Halloween-themed sweet shop when a handsome stranger enters her store and proceeds to arrest her for witchcraft. The man is clearly insane. At least, she thought he was until she uncovers a family secret that changes everything. Lina is literally thrown into this world with no prior knowledge and having to fight against her own beliefs to trust in the magic unfolding around her. Now, she's teaming up with Bastien to track down the killer that used her cupcakes to kill someone with the curse or she could be the one to go away for the murder.

The light touch of magic in Cutthroat Cupcakes is icing on the cake with Lawley creating a world that makes you want to be part of. The main character is compelling and charming with a charisma about her that immediately draws you into her world, almost without realizing it. The very real way her emotions and baking interact was fun to experience and make her became real as well as relatable. The first chapter ended on a delightful cliffhanger which only sets the tone for the entertaining and fun read that is Cutthroat Cupcakes.

The mood changed as suddenly as the scene did, proof of the author's skill and the character's leap-from-the-page personality. As the light touch of magic becomes one that infuses the entire novel, all that's felt was delight. There's nothing quite like a good magic world to run away to, especially ones with fun touches that make you want to join in such as wanting a lie-detecting crystal and not just because it sounds pretty. This mystery is aimed at those that enjoy a good friends-to-more arc and stories that have a buddy cop vibe. The banter between Lina and Bastien sets the tone for the whole story and drives the humor. The writing is superb with fun references such as Sabrina the not-so-teenage-witch and great internal dialogue. Easily distinct characters bring the world to life and make it easy to get to know each of them. Cutthroat Cupcakes is highly recommended! ( )