A Secret Ingredient for Love: A Cozy Mystery with Romance

The Maple Lane Mysteries Cozy Mystery with Romance Book 2

A Secret Ingredient for Love (The Maple Lane Mysteries Book 2)

A stolen recipe. A poisoned plate. A small-town baker caught in another deadly mix.

The Culinary Showcase Festival should be the sweetest week of the year in Maple Lane. But when celebrity chef Marco Bellini collapses mid-competition after tasting a dish from Sugar Street Bakes, baker-sleuth Lila Bennett finds her friend—and assistant—facing a murder charge.

Determined to clear Jamie’s name, Lila dives into a tangle of jealous rivals, bitter betrayals, and recipes worth killing for. With skeptical Detective Hayes watching her every move and charming reporter Thomas Reed by her side, Lila races to uncover who added the real deadly ingredient before the next dish served is hers.

This cozy mystery with romance serves up small-town charm, fair-play clues, and a slow-burn connection that’s as heartwarming as it is suspenseful.

What you’ll find inside:

• A clever amateur-sleuth mystery filled with culinary clues and cozy vibes
• Fair-play investigation, red herrings, and a satisfying final reveal
• A sweet, slow-burn romance—clean, witty, and full of heart
• Charming small-town characters and mouthwatering bakery scenes

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, and H.Y. Hanna—if you love cozy mystery with romance and culinary whodunits that mix warmth, wit, and delicious twists, welcome back to Maple Lane.

Series Note: Each book features a complete mystery with an ongoing romantic arc. You can start here or continue following Lila and Thomas’s story from Murder on Maple Lane.

Buy A Secret Ingredient for Love today for a page-turning cozy mystery where the recipes are sweet, the suspects are spicy, and love is the secret ingredient.