Sugar Coated Lies

Sugar Coated Lies photo

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Moving home to Moss Hollow, Georgia, has been Jillian Green's great escape from the high-pressure stress of big city life. And while there have been some major changes, she's busy putting a new face on her ancestral home in the hopes that Belle Haven might eventually become the ultimate Southern event venue. But progress is slow and the budget is tight, so Jillian expects it will be a long time before anyone in Moss Hollow sees the mansion restored to its full antebellum splendor. 

That is, until Bertie, Jillian’s feisty grandmother and the owner of The Chocolate Shoppe Bakery, gets her mitts on the brochures and makes extravagant promises to any prospective clients who might read them. And when Mayor Blackwater’s wife chooses Belle Haven as the venue for a lavish wedding for their daughter, Alice, tensions mount between the ladies of Belle Haven, and Jillian begins to worry that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Then, on the eve of the big day, a sinister figure emerges from the Belle Haven gardens to terrorize the wedding party. Alice is convinced she is being hauntingly warned by her late fiancé, Jacob Zimmer, who went missing in the Okefenokee Swamp over a year ago. But the so-called apparition vanishes into the night before anyone can make sense of what has happened. 

Having established a reputation of luck, and a good helping of stubbornness when it comes to solving Moss Hollow's mysteries, Jillian and her friends in the Southern Sweetie Pies baking club are soon on the case. But when the wedding plans quickly begin to spiral out of control, will Jillian find the true source of all the trouble, or will the vow of "until death do us part" take on a startling new immediacy?

The Characters

At 39, Jillian is living the life she always dreamed. Using her creative talents, she's built a successful career as one of the top executives at a prestigious advertising agency in California, and she's engaged to an amazing man who showers her with love and the finer things in life. Life couldn't be more perfect.

But as quickly as a chocolate souffle can flop, Jillian's "perfect" fiance is arrested for embezzlement, putting a quick end to the engagement, and the advertising agency coincidentally "downsizes" Jillian after the scandal, leaving her without a job. But Jillian is a strong Southern woman who has learned how to endure from her feisty and iron-willed grandmother. She decides to leave California and make a fresh start where her life began, in the quaint town of Moss Hollow, Ga.

Under Grandma Bertie's roof at Belle Haven mansion and under her wing, Jillian prepares to take over the family business: The Chocolate Shoppe Bakery. But she doesn't expect to find murder on the menu! Will returning home to reconnect with her Southern roots ultimately prove to be a blessing or a fatal mistake?

Longtime member of the Sweetie Pies baking club and grandmother extraordinaire, Lenora has managed the bakery for decades and is considered a part of the family. Since fixing a salad is Jillian's greatest culinary accomplishment on most days, she encounters a few hurdles while learning how to create the decadent treats the bakery is known for. She's grateful for Lenora's wise counsel and encouragement!

The curious and cuddly house cat keeps a close eye on the happenings at Belle Haven mansion and lends a hand -- or paw -- in helping Jillian solve the intriguing mysteries of the small town.

Savannah is one of Jillian's oldest and best friends. She's delighted Jillian moved back to town and looks forward to reconnecting with her childhood companion. But she's also keeping a secret that may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Nadine's untimely demise.

Jillian's down-to-earth and lovable grandmother is ready to retire from the hectic demands of running The Chocolate Shoppe Bakery, but she refuses to sell to a complete stranger. Jillian is her last hope for keeping the business in the family, even if Jillian can barely boil water. Bertie is determined to help Jillian succeed in the business and to see her marry a good Southern man before the bloom falls completely off the rose.

Cornelia may be Bertie's twin, but she is different from her sister in every way, from her flair for the dramatic to her eccentric nature. She moved back to Belle Haven mansion to live with Bertie five years ago after the death of her husband. She claims to possess a joie de vivre that simply cannot be tamed. Bertie prefers to call it "flighty." Despite her theatrics, Cornelia has a generous heart and wants nothing but the best for her grandniece. She will do anything to see Jillian happy and settled in Moss Hollow ... even if it means bending a few rules.