Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J Chow

STAR-CROSSED EGG TARTS

by Jennifer J Chow

January 27 – February 21, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J Chow

A MAGICAL FORTUNE COOKIE NOVEL

Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him and the wedding goes smoothly―until cake cutting time.

That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding’s attendants. They each had something to hide―and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.

When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?

Praise for the Magical Fortune Cookie series and Jennifer J. Chow:

“A spellbinding whodunit unfolds in the first installment of Jennifer J. Chow’s Magical Fortune Cookie series.”
~ Woman’s World

“The story itself is light, sweet, and delectable. The ensemble of interesting characters adds a crispy texture to the narrative, and, true to the cozy mystery genre, a central mystery―the ill-fated fortune―keeps readers engaged from start to finish.”
~ The Big Thrill

“This first in a new series featuring a likable Chinese American heroine will appeal to fans of Jenn McKinlay, Eve Calder, or Joanne Fluke.”
~ Booklist

“Nobody writes cozy mysteries quite like Jennifer J. Chow. No matter what is going wrong in my life, I know that all I need to do for some comfort is turn to one of Chow’s books. Chow has done it again with Ill-Fated Fortune. I did not want to leave Felicity’s side even for a moment, and you won’t want to either.”
~ Jesse Q. Sutanto, Edgar Award-winning author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

“A magical new culinary cozy mystery series filled with family, friendship, and heart―and a pinch of real magic.”
~ Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author of the Secret Staircase Mysteries on Ill-Fated Fortune

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Asian American fiction
Published by: Minotaur
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781250351623 (ISBN10: 1250351626)
Series: The Magical Fortune Cookie series, #2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Minotaur

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

I put the last egg tart in place on the tiered circular display, stepped back, and admired my handiwork. From a distance, if you squinted and tilted your head just right, you might actually mistake it for a wedding cake made of gold, or Jin. Fitting, since “Jin” was both my surname and the Mandarin word for “gold.” I grinned. Guess I’d been fated for this job.

Happily, I even got to rope in loved ones as other vendors. My best friend, Kelvin Love (who has the most fitting name to cater a wedding), handled the elaborate floral displays. And my godmother, Alma Paz, made the candle arrangements, including the votives for the cake table. She’d even handcrafted bowl-shaped lace holders for each votive candle.

Once the late afternoon dissolved into evening, the small candles would be lit, and the cake made of egg tarts would turn into an enchanting display. Quite literally, because my mom had used her magic to bake joy into every last bite. After all, that’s what we Jins do—pour joy into our signature recipe treats to flow out to others. Except my own brand of magic came with an extra bonus: I made special fortune cookies that provided happiness and accurately predicted future happenings.

I added a stash of business cards to the table. I’d been made official co-owner of Jin Bakery with my mom, and I now had business cards to attest to that exciting fact. Besides, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have my contact info out there. If people were in the area for the wedding, maybe they’d decide to check out our local bakery, too.

Plus, many of the guests were from nearby Fresno, the bride’s hometown, though a fair share hailed from up north, where the groom’s relatives lived. It wasn’t too much of a trek from NorCal to visit Pixie, right? Not for delicious egg tarts, pineapple buns, and fortune cookies, all coated with magic.

“It’s beautiful,” someone whispered from near my shoulder. I would have startled at the interruption, but the voice was so gentle, it didn’t scare me in the least.

A bridesmaid must have snuck into the main tent without my noticing. Maybe the soft grass surrounding the tent had masked her footsteps. Or she’d minced along in those stiletto sandals.

She was a wisp of a young woman, just a few years past twenty. Even though I was twenty-eight, I couldn’t imagine having ever been so bright-eyed and hopeful as the girl before me. The twin honey-colored braids wrapped around her head only added to her youthfulness.

“Haley, was it?” I asked.

She nodded, almost bouncing on her heels. “You remembered my name.”

“It’s distinctive. Very pretty.”

She flushed a sweet shade of pink. “I like your name, too. Felicity is lovely.”

“Is that a rose tucked behind your ear?” I asked, pointing to the blossom, the full pink petals brushing up against a tiny golden ear cuff lined with diamonds.

She widened her green eyes at me. “Uh, is that okay? I mean, do you mind? Are you and Kelvin together—”

“It’s fine,” I said, waving away her concern. “Kelvin and I are just friends.” Best friends, technically. “I take it he’s still working on the flower arch outside?”

“Said he was ‘securing the petals.’” Kelvin was a stickler for floral quality. Guess that’s what made us good entrepreneurs in our little town of Pixie.

I glanced at Haley’s T-shirt and jeans. “What time is it? Do you need to change?”

“Four forty-five,” she said. “I better get ready.”

The wedding guests would show up at six. Right now, only us hired help and the wedding party, plus the parents of the bride and groom, were roaming the surrounding green space.

“Jada’s in our tent doing makeup, and she said she’d help me,” Haley said.

“I should get going, too.” I’d promised the bride, Leanne, that I’d check on the tea ceremony. Not that I’d be super helpful. I’m third-gen Chinese American and had had to google what the traditional tea ritual entailed.

I followed Haley’s bouncing steps out of the larger main tent into the lush green of Pixie Park. Our town’s biggest park definitely had enough space for the Lum-Wu ceremony. The bride and groom had asked to pitch four tents for the event: a reception tent for food, his and her tents for wedding prep, and a tent for the traditional tea serving ritual.

Pixie Park also boasted a large hill, and it was sure to look magnificent with its aerial view for the actual wedding ceremony and exchanging of vows. Kelvin was on the hill now, fussing over the flowers on the custom arch he’d made.

I waved at him. He bobbed his head at me, his fingers still patting petals into place. Kelvin looked good fancied up, in a dress shirt and pressed slacks. His usual go-to was a casual Henley and jeans.

There was a rainbow of beautiful blossoms decorating the immense arch he’d constructed. I didn’t know why Kelvin was so worried. There wasn’t a breeze to be found. It was perfect, and the flowers should stay put.

If anything, the temperature was slightly too warm today. Thankfully, it was dry heat, typical of the San Joaquin Valley. Whoever thought tea was a great idea in July had not factored in the weather. Then again, traditions were important. I headed over to the tea tent, and as soon as I put my head through the flap, Leanne squealed.

“You came to help. Thank goodness,” she said. The bride-to-be wore a red qipao with a golden phoenix trailing down the front. Her hair was pinned up, and pearls were scattered across the hairdo as decoration, matching the dangling pearl earrings she wore.

“How can I assist?” I asked.

“With the hot plate. You’re good in the kitchen. Er, bakery. Can you get it started?”

“I can try.” I mean, I was hired to cater the cake, not the tea. But I’d done the bare minimum online research. Maybe I could fake my way through.

***

Author Bio:

Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominated author. Jennifer J. Chow writes cozy mysteries filled with hope and heritage.

Catch Up With Jennifer J Chow:
www.JenniferJChow.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @jenniferjchow
Instagram – @jenjchow
Threads – @jenjchow
Facebook – @JenJChow

Tour Participant Reviews:

‘A volatile wedding party is at the heart of the second Magical Fortune Cookie Mystery. So much of STAR-CROSSED EGG TARTS had me smiling. The depth of feeling these characters have for each other jumps off of the page and gives me the warm fuzzies. Asian pastries, rich characterizations, an intricately plotted mystery, and a hint of magic combine to make STAR-CROSSED EGG TARTS a fantastic tale that will have you craving egg tarts and fortune cookies.’
~ Cozy Up With Kathy

‘This is a light, unputdownable, and cosy mystery. Author’s writing is so engaging. The book gripped me from page one . This was such a delightful story filled with murder, friendship, family, mystery, and magic.’
~ reviewsbyrudra

‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned more about Asian culture while enveloped in a fun, cozy mystery… this series also has magical elements that bring another level of delight to the plot. The mystery plot was fast-paced, well-developed, and threw me for a loop. With magical elements, scrumptious treats, and Asian culture, Star-Crossed Egg Tarts is a delightful, cozy mystery.’
~ Novels Alive

‘I really enjoyed it! I absolutely love cozy mysteries and this book had a fun twist of magic! This book has charming characters, page turning plot, magical recipes, and the cozy small town vibe.’
~ minreads15

‘A fun, colorful cover. A clever title. A murder mystery. And entertaining characters with a sprinkling of romance added to the mix. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out who the bad guy was and getting to know the characters.’
~ fuonlyknew

‘a delightful mix of cozy mystery, magical twists, and mouthwatering pastries. Chow does a great job blending mystery with heartwarming personal struggles, creating an engaging read filled with charming characters and tantalizing food descriptions.’
~ Review Thick & Thin

‘Star-Crossed Egg Tarts is a great cozy-fantasy mystery novel. I loved that it had all the drama especially from the wedding families. Jennifer Chow made the cast of characters believable and likable. Love, drama, magic, murder, and a whole lot of mayhem is found in this exciting read. ‘
~ The AR Critique

‘The storyline keeps you guessing until the end. There’s even a dash of romance and a cute magical bunny named Whiskers. It’s a fun, engrossing series and I do hope it continues. I’ll be waiting for book #3.’
~ Socrates’ Book Review Blog

‘I loved the beginning of Star Crossed Egg-Tarts, there is such a great reading style. It reads like a conversational story and I love that! It was a great read overall and a great mystery that leaves you guessing till the end!’
~ Country Mamas With Kids

‘This is a fun cozy mystery set in an informative Chinese American culture. Added features include a recipe and floral tips. I hope there are more in this series.’
~ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

‘There is a lot going on in this mystery! The sparks of magic sprinkled throughout are delightful, and I love that Felicity’s magic shows itself through baking and her fortune cookies. The writing is vivid so the baked goods as well as the small town (within a big city) came to life on the page and I felt truly immersed into the story and place.’
~ Sarah Can’t Stop Reading

‘So much fun to read! From the moment chaos first ensued, I felt like I had stepped inside the boardgame of clue. I was kept guessing the entire time and my predicted suspect often changed with each chapter! …recipes were laced with generational magic, fortunes were told, and wishes seemingly came true. A perfect mix of cozy magical realism and investigative mystery!’
~ Cozy Home Delight Book Reviews

‘Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow creatively combines several of my favorite things into one delightful story, and the author’s warm and engaging writing voice is just the icing on the cake. The well-plotted mystery, the nuances of the Jin family magic (and Felicity’s ever-developing abilities), and the affectionate relationships between Felicity and her inner circle all kept me engaged to the end. ‘
~ Reading is my Superpower

‘The Magical Fortune Cookie series is a blast. I love Felicity and Kelvin’s relationship. Both of them are wonderful characters. The author did a fantastic job with them.’
~ Sapphyria’s Books

Tour Host Info:

Book Formats: ePub, Print, Netgalley
Hosting Options: Review, Interview, Guest Post, Showcase
Giveaway: There will be a tour-wide PICT Giveaway
More: According to the author Star-Crossed Egg Tarts does not include: Excessive Strong Language, Graphic Violence, Explicit Sexual Scenes, or Rape. However, readers may encounter content that is considered to be another trigger situation. Generally the content is considered to be no more than G-rated content. At this time, PICT staff have not yet read this book and cannot give additional information.