A review by daisyknox
Bake Off by Denise Grover Swank

5.0

More reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder


Trouble seems to find Maddie Baker no matter what she’s doing. After being nearly kidnapped, then kidnapped and almost murdered, she expects life to go back to normal. But there’s never a dull moment as she searches for a missing woman, especially once her idiot ex shows up. Maddie’s got enough on her plate already when Steve shows up with a giant engagement ring and declares they’ll be married in a month. Of course, she says no but Steve hears something else entirely. No matter what she says or does, he won’t take no for an answer and Maddie can’t figure out why he’d suddenly want to get married. He didn’t seem too broken up when she dumped him and moved away, so that makes his marriage plan highly suspicious. He refuses to explain and just insists he loves her, but Maddie’s determined to figure out his ulterior motives.

If only Noah was the one pursuing her, she’d be much happier. But despite how close they became so soon after meeting, Noah spooked and ran off once the case was over and Maddie was no longer in danger. He’s been ghosting her ever since, to Maddie’s disappointment. We get more insight into Noah’s baggage than we did in the first book, which I wanted. Yes, we know what happened with Caleb and Sarge and how he struggles to come to terms with it even now, but there’s a lot more affecting him.

The mystery has the perfect amount of suspense to balance the tension between Maddie and Noah. I like both characters a lot and really enjoyed the supporting cast. Mallory is hilarious and Maddie needs someone to count on. Lance might be my favorite character in the series so I really hope he gets his own book. This series keeps you guessing and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Maddie.