The Bakeshop Mysteries continue to entertain in Live and Let Pie. Torte is managing some growing pains as the expansion means having to hire some new (potentially clashing) employees, and Juliet is managing her personal growing pains as she's both happy for her mother's new marriage and house hunt, while realizing she's never really taken the time to mourn the loss of her father (and of course there's the lingering issue of her estranged husband, Carlos). There are multiple mysteries in this book, and Ellie Alexander manages the addition of some new characters while letting familiar characters still get their time (and new characters mean new opportunities for both friend and foe instead of relying on the same people to be the villain time and again). It's not the most propulsive book in the series, but it does still move the characters and storylines forward a bit and is as engaging as ever.

I have enjoyed every book in this cozy series about an Oregon bakery! In Live and Let Pie, Jules and her staff are enjoying the newly finished renovations to their restaurant/bakery. Her mom and detective husband have just returned from their honeymoon, and they are in the market for a new house. While house hunting with her mom, Jules discovers a decades old skull. For the first time in the series, Thomas and the Professor investigate a cold-case that may have ties to Ashland. For me, the mystery is almost secondary to the continuing saga of the bakeshop and Jules, but this one was certainly original. I hope there is a book 10 on the way, since we still don't know what will happen with Jules and Carlos. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the preview copy!

This is the third book I've read in the series. Very similar to the others, lots of food descriptions, a murder, and a perfect town and friends & family. It's an easy and light read; if that is what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. I wish the main female character would step outside her box a little more and take a chance in the romance department.

Jules Capshaw, owner of Torte Baker, is worried about how the expansion of her beloved family baker will change the dynamics of the business and her team. But time waits for now man, or woman, and progress brings change…and murder in Jules case.

While Jules’ newly married mother and step father search for a new home, they visit one near the lake that is perfect. While there, two young girls discover a skull in the water and a long ago murder cold case is reopened, bring the past into the present and highlighting the change the town had gone through to evolve into what it is today.

Ultimately Jules knows she needs to make some decisions on her marriage to Carlos and that too will bring change. Is it too much change at once for Jules? What does she really want? She’ll continue to mull that over, but first she’s got to find out who killed the man whose body was found in the lake.

Ellie Alexander is one of my go to authors. She never disappoints, and this book is n exception! Her characters are multidimensional and well defined. I find myself immersed in her writing ad time flies by. She gives you enough suspects and possibilities to keep you guessing who done it right up to the end. Can’t wait for my next visit to Ashland.

I always enjoy reading about Jules and how she solves the mystery in each book. Ellie Alexander always has me guessing the mystery until the very end! Another great Bakeshop Mystery!

Another fun entry in the Bakeshop Mystery series (#9) and it was just as enjoyable as the first 8. Alexander has gathered her engaging group of characters (and has even added three new staff members with the expansion of Torte) in the appealing Oregon town of Ashland. In my review for the previous book I worried this series would be ending but after reading this my fears have been alleviated as Jules appears to have more adventures in her future. Hopefully, these will include her delectable husband, Carlos.

This is the perfect series for anyone who wants a cozy mystery with no objectionable content (except perhaps some very appealing and fattening food description and recipes--and OMG! I have to try that fluffernutter sandwich!) and likable characters--well, except for Richard Lord and there has to be a villain somewhere.

I love this series and Live and Let Pie fits right in with the wonderful characters and complex mystery that Elle Alexander’s novels are known for.The renovations are complete and Torte has an expanded family and oh, how I love that family. Because Ms. Alexander creates dynamic characters, there a few growing pains but overall Jules is thrilled with the expansion and the new larger team. She is still thrilled that her mother and the Professor are married and looking for a new home together so she couldn’t refuse a chance to go look at a house that sounds perfect. One surprising element of the book is that she does not find a dead body. That doesn’t mean that they are lacking though as an old skeleton starts looking like it may have a link to the victim of new murder. The question becomes whether or not the two murders are linked, too. Even with the bakery up and fully running Julie has some major decisions to make and of course, Lance eggs her into investigating the current murder. Life is busy and good for her but as much for others.
I received an ARC copy of the book via Netgalley but as all of my friends know, I always share about books that I love.

A somewhat lackluster entry- little to no resolution in a certain area which I wish would be more fully resolved. Delicious recipes and a mystery help the plot along.

I always enjoy a visit to Ashland and to Torte, with its mouthwatering desserts and lovely mother/daughter team. For a charming, historic town, Ashland sure is the site of many murders, and this time is no exception. The story spans from a gruesome discovery of a murder several decades old to a current murder, and it includes subplots about staff secrets and disagreements, Torte's expansion, a home for Juliet's mom and the Professor, and, of course, Juliet's relationship with Carlos.

Juliet and theater director Lance make entertaining sleuths, but for some reason, this installment didn't engage me quite as much as this series usually does. Extended mid-story breaks to describe in detail how to make a fluffernutter or some other treat stop the flow. And, I'll confess, I'm a bit tired of Jules mooning about what to do with Carlos. Make a decision already!

Still, it was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Bakeshop Mystery series is so cozy and has evolved at such a wonderful pace. I love following along with Jules and the Torte team. Especially with the expansion of the bake shop! This mystery was no different than any of the previous in regards to being cozy and entertaining. Each character has grown so much and you can really see their progress in each book. Especially this last one! There was an addition of a few characters that really helped tie the mystery together. The characters had very diverse personalities, some which meshed well and others that did not. Yet they all complimented each other. As for the setting, Ashland is incredible. Ellie Alexander does such an amazing job capturing all of the best parts of that little Shakespearean town.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

This is a good solid cozy series. I highly suggest you read them in order.
The characters are first rate and the whodunit was well written.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This is absolutely my favorite mystery series - the people, the wonderful descriptions of life in Ashland, Oregon with its Shakespeare Festival themed village and, most of all, the delicious food. I can't wait to try out the nutella, peanut butter and marshmallow brioches - I know my kids will go crazy for them.
Things are changing at Torte - the renovations are finished and new staff needs to be hired. And Jules' mom and the professor are looking for a new home of their own. When Jules takes a walk around the lake while accompanying her mother to look at a house there, she is on the scene when two young girls find a human skull buried where a town had been before the lake was created. The skull turns out to belong to George Mill, who people thought refused to leave his home when it was being drowned to form the lake. But George had been murdered and the repercussions from the crime lead to yet another murder, that of Edgar, who had been in love with George's sister many years ago. It is up to Jules and her friend Lance to discover if the two crimes are connected or if Edgar was killed by one of the people after his plot of land. And once again they are responsible for finding the guilty party. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy this series and hope in the next book to see a happy resolution of Jules' relationship with Carlos. Until the next volume in this series, I will be busy trying all the recipes from this one! Thank you for sharing this with me.

Every time I open a book in this series, I feel like I am transported right into the heart of Ashland! This series is my all time favorite, and this latest installment was pure literary magic. I love how the author writes Jules. She seems so put together, yet is perfectly conflicted on just about everything. I love how the author made it seem at first that everything was all tied together, but then throws you a curve ball and you realize you line of thought when it came to the mystery was completely off base. Everything about this book was wonderful, the character's interaction, the mystery, the food. The only thing it was missing was more of the Juliet/Carlos story. This series, this book included, is something that can be read over and over again.

How many murders can one chef stumble across? if your Jules Capshaw, the answer is at least one more. The owner of bakery, Torte was planning for some much-needed time away from the business, but the discovery of a skull at a lakeside picnic puts those plans on hold. Still in limbo about her marriage as her husband continues his never-ending ocean going vacation, now she has to also deal with the skull she found and the death of her nasty landlord. Alexander presents a cozy series that is charming without being cloying sweet