Better Off Shortbread by London Lovett [Review]

Better Off Shortbread (Scottie Ramone Mystery #2) by London Lovett
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: June 27, 2023

Scottie Ramone Mystery
0.5. Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds
1. Heads Will Cinnamon Roll
2. Better Off Shortbread - Paperback | Kindle
3. Dead Gingerbread Man Walking
4. Caught Bread Handed
5. A Pie for a Pie

London Lovett
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

With visions of chocolate dipped peanut butter fingers, sour cream jumbles and fruity hand pies, Scottie Ramone’s vintage bakery dream is well on its way to becoming reality. The contractor and his team are hard at work transforming the space. Her shopfront may not be open quite yet, but Scottie is already serving up delicious treats in Ripple Creek. Her buttery shortbread biscuits quickly become a favorite in Roxi’s market.

Summer has come and gone leaving a spectacular fall in its wake. When the Nature Quest Photography Club comes to town, Scottie’s new friend, Cade Rafferty, invites her to join him for a photography class on Blue Jay Ridge. The club is an interesting mix of photographers, both professional and amateur. It’s immediately apparent that there’s no shortage of secrets between the club members. When one of the prominent photographers plunges to his death, suspicions are raised. Was it an unfortunate accident or something more sinister?

Dalton Braddock, Ripple Creek Ranger and Scottie’s longtime crush is called to the scene. Before long, Scottie finds herself deep in her third murder case right alongside the man who still, after all these years, makes her knees quake like jelly.

Thoughts on Better Off Shortbread: We're back in Ripple Creek with Scottie and her friends (some of which are kinda-rivals with one another, but that's another story for another time) and there's a dead body for her to play amateur sleuth with. Which is EXACTLY what I'm here for.

So. A little case of death hits when a photography club rolls into town. Scottie- being her curious, helpful self -happens to be the one who finds the body. And while it *might* have been an accident, Scottie's sleuthy intuition says the odds are against that. While Dalton (hunky, hunky Dalton) follows clues in his official capacity, Scottie ferrets out some of the secrets the other photography club members might be hiding.

Beyond the mystery of the death, Scottie's also dealing with her new bakery renovations coming along nicely, gossip about Dalton and his fiancé, a little rivalry between Dalton and Cade (although she denies there's anything there of the sort), baking up scrumptious treats to sell at the local market, and a moment or two with the guy she can't stop thinking about. (Yes, I have a favorite between the two men and it's very much the hunky Ranger.)

A little snooping, a little danger, and a lady who's finding her feet again after upending her life. I like.