Welcome to Penharrow Cove, where the bread is fresh, the gossip is hot, and the flour is strictly for baking... not burying bodies.
Twenty-eight-year-old Lila Marsh lives a quiet life running her grandmother’s beloved Lighthouse Bakery on the rugged coast of Cornwall. Her mornings consist of feeding her sourdough starter, kneading dough, and serving warm cinnamon rolls to the quirky locals. But her peaceful routine crumbles when she unlocks her flour store to find a ruthless London property developer dead among the Tipo 00 sacks.
Suddenly, Lila's bakery is a crime scene, and the real killer is leaving chilling threats right on her doorstep—including a polished knife and a dead mouse in the mail.
With a target on her back, Lila finds herself under the watchful—and incredibly distracting—eyes of three fiercely protective men who refuse to let her face the danger alone:
Twenty-eight-year-old Lila Marsh lives a quiet life running her grandmother’s beloved Lighthouse Bakery on the rugged coast of Cornwall. Her mornings consist of feeding her sourdough starter, kneading dough, and serving warm cinnamon rolls to the quirky locals. But her peaceful routine crumbles when she unlocks her flour store to find a ruthless London property developer dead among the Tipo 00 sacks.
Suddenly, Lila's bakery is a crime scene, and the real killer is leaving chilling threats right on her doorstep—including a polished knife and a dead mouse in the mail.
With a target on her back, Lila finds herself under the watchful—and incredibly distracting—eyes of three fiercely protective men who refuse to let her face the danger alone:
- Callum Reid: The grumpy, silver-fox Detective Inspector from Edinburgh. He’s supposed to be solving the murder, but he’s spending an awful lot of time counting the steps to Lila’s kitchen and leaving his father's brass pocket watch on her desk.
Theo Whitlock: The local Fire Chief and grieving widower. Broad-shouldered and steady, he’s finally ready to take off his wedding ring, heal his heart, and walk through fire to keep Lila safe.
Wren Ashby: Her childhood best friend and local fisherman. He’s waited twenty-two years to make his move, and he isn't about to let a murderer get in the way of claiming the woman he loves on his boat, the Mariette II.
As the village's rumor mill churns and the killer closes in, the tension in Lila's kitchen reaches a boiling point. She thought she'd have to choose between her oldest friend, the steady protector, and the sharp-suited detective. But in Penharrow Cove, when the stakes are this high, a baker might just get to keep all her treats.
Can Lila and her three men solve the mystery before the killer strikes again, or is her recipe for love about to turn deadly?
Proofing a Murder is a standalone, why-choose cozy mystery romance. If you love small coastal towns, grumpy detectives, protective heroes, and a fiercely independent baker who never has to choose just one man, scroll up and one-click today!
Tropes & Themes:- Why Choose / Reverse Harem Romance (Polyamorous)
Cozy Small Town Mystery
Friends to Lovers
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced Proximity / Protective Alpha Males
Grief Recovery & Healing
Genre: Romance
- Why Choose / Reverse Harem Romance (Polyamorous)
Used availability for Alisson Bento's Proofing a Murder