It’s spring in Ashland and Jules has an opportunity to open up a 2nd location, although it would be seasonal only. This is the perfect opportunity for an ice cream shop. Soon after taking over the lease a homeless man is found dead behind the shop. Who would kill a man that’s entertained the people around town for so long?

I enjoyed this book and it can be read as a stand alone., although reading the whole series makes all the little nuances make better sense. What I enjoyed in this installment was all the character developments and decisions that were made.

Ellie Alexander is my favorite cozy mystery author, but this book missed the mark for me. The first half of the book was a little slow for me. I just couldn’t get into all the renovation and construction talk. The second half of the book was better, especially once a few characters made relationship decisions. I will still support Ellie and read more of her books, but this one just wasn’t one of my faves.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just love the Bakeshop Mysteries and I must admit, I read these more for the bakeshop aspect rather than the mysteries.
Chilled to the Cone is a lot of fun and has the Torte gang gaining a second locations for a pop up ice cream shop (hence the title!). Murder naturally puts a hiccup in their plans and it's up to Jules (along with Lance of course) to solve the case.
I loved all the character developments that took place for so many of my favourites, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where the next book takes us.

I’m a huge fan of ice cream, frozen custards, gelatos and sorbets – I even make my own ice cream at home – so I couldn’t wait to see what new frozen treats Jules and the gang were going to create. I wasn’t disappointed – from new frozen custard flavours to monster milkshakes and iced coffees, the Torte team’s creations had me drooling.

But while the Torte team is busy setting up their new space, some of their neighbours aren’t happy with ‘The Wizard’, a local street performer who seems harmless enough. When The Wizard ends up dead on the train tracks, Jules can’t help but get involved in solving the mystery (along with her ‘sidekick’ Lance).

One of the new characters introduced in this book is Laney Lee, the proprietor of Nana’s, a Hawaiian-themed food truck. As soon as I saw that, I knew I would love the character. Hawaii is one of my favourite vacation spots and I just squealed in glee when I read two of my favourite Hawaiian eats mentioned: “Laney needed a stove and an oven to make her delicious fusion Kalua pork tacos and sweet and sugary malasadas.“

There’s also Addie, owner of the yoga studio and the space where Jules opens her pop-up shop and Hunter, owner of the Cycleshop, a neighbouring shop. Both Addie and Hunter have an antagonistic relationship with The Wizard, the eventual victim of the story’s murder.

One way that Ellie Alexander keeps this series fresh is constantly building her characters up. There is A LOT of character development in this story, mainly by focusing on their relationships. Not only do Jules, Thomas and Sterling make major decisions about their respective relationships, but one of my favourite characters, Lance, also gets involved in a budding romance.

While part of me loves the familiarity of cozy mystery series, sometimes change is good too. What I love about this series is that Alexander manages to balance the familiarity of keeping things the same with the inevitable changes that life brings. In this way, the series still gives you the cozy feeling of getting together with old friends, but also never gets boring or stale.

I think all the new developments in the characters’ lives will make for some very interesting future storylines. Since Book 1 (Meet Your Baker), this has consistently been one of my favourite cozy mystery series and I’m really looking forward to the stories to come.

*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book via NetGalley, this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love this series by Ms. Alexander and the book didn't disappoint me at all. I liked the way that she was able to reference the wildfires in the story so that it become more like 'real-life'.

As always, Jules and her crew are working hard not only at Torte but also solving the latest mystery in Ashland. I loved the mystery and the way it was solved and I also enjoyed reading more about Jules and Carlos.

This is a well-written mystery that kept my attention from the beginning to the end! My only disappointment (and it has nothing to do with the book) is that I can't travel to Ashland and have coffee and pastries at Torte.

Love has a way of comforting us through our most difficult moments. The love of family and friends can call us from the highest seas, to the rich-fruitful lands of the earth. Love abounds in Chilled to the Cone, but when love is unsecured and a loved member of the community is murdered, loved ones will have to prove that they can make all the difference.

Although, this is a cozy murder-mystery, I felt the murder-mystery was secondary in this story. If you’re looking for a strong murder-mystery, full of twists and suspenseful rearing moments, this is not it. This is a book dealing with serious social issues; mental health, teenage delinquency and love conquering relationships. Still, this is a read to savor with a light mystery- murder and even though it fell a bit short for me in the murder-mystery department, this book was particularly refreshing and one I won’t soon forget.

This book was surprisingly romantic. As I read along, I felt the emphasis the author put into the structure of the relationships built by the many characters in this book. I felt the longing of love between the main character Juliet and her estranged husband, Carlos. I felt the desire they felt to make their delicate and precarious relationship work, their promise and dedication for more sunsets on land. I loved the evolution of the relationship between these two characters and their commitment to each other.

Owner of the bakeshop, Torte, and the its upcoming second location, comes with many perks, including a wonderful and artistic staff. I found the supportive characters of this book to be the kind of people I would love to work with. Loyal and kind, they see Juliet as a mentor and someone they can trust and respect. Friends and family make up the rest of the lovely cast and are a fantastic addition to the story. Very well written and realistic dialogue makes this book an easy and comfortable read. You won’t even notice the time go by.

Chilled to the Cone brings the beautiful setting of the mountains, located north of California. An artists’ town, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where you can find delicate pastries, rich-delicious food and amazing coffee. It is the 12th mystery in A Bakeshop Mystery Series, and it delivers all the sweet and secret ingredients to make this read, both cozy and mysterious.

~ Patricia

Spring is on the horizon in Ashland, OR and Jules Capshaw has a very busy life. She has the chance to open a seasonal location in the Railroad district, perfect for Torte 2 to sell cold drinks, ice creams and various baked goods from Torte. All it needs is some TLC and a lick of paint. Her husband, Carlos is back on dry land but how long will he stay? Will the call of life at sea draw him back to the cruise line or will he and Jules start a new chapter as a couple after too long apart? Soon things turn ugly with some of her new neighbors. Not all are happy with the local homeless population, especially a colorful older man known as The Wizard. Harsh words and confrontations occur but that is tame when The Wizard is found murdered. Was it because he was homeless or was it more personal? Jules feels compelled to get justice for the man.
I love Ashland, OR in real life and I have enjoyed every one of the books in this wonderful series. It's like visiting friends who make you feel right at home. The mystery is well crafted, full of fair clues and the required twists and red herrings. As for the food, well maybe it's a good thing Torte is not real or I would have real issues with the waistband of my jeans.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.75 stars

This is the twelfth book in the A Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

An Ellie Alexander book always stands out for me. This series is just stellar and an example of what a great series should look like. You gotta love Torte and Ashland. In this story they created a new spinoff shop called Scoops and Julia is lamenting quite a bit about whether her husband, Carlo is planning on leaving and returning to the ship where he is more at home.

This type of story really makes you think about what is important in life. Julia starts Scoops, not because of her own passion but because she trusts and wants to make sure her employees are fulfilled and have the outlet to do that. In the end, that only helps Julia. And the whole storyline with Carlo that runs beside the mystery, wow, what a great show of how we can take a negative look at things and really want the best for our mates, loves and not think of what we ourselves really need. Carlo just blew me away at the end of this.

The mystery is awesome as it always is. Love seeing the Professor doing his thing and what his take is on the situation. This story really feels like I am reading about real people encountering real situations that just happens to involve a mystery. Alexander could be giving classes on how to write books like this and do it well

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Chilled to the Cone by Ellie Alexander takes us back to Ashland and to Torte where the expansion has settled and business is good. Carlos has returned to try to make their marriage a reality again and is running that winery that she and Lance had invested in. Life was good when her friend Laney arrived to announce that she had found the perfect opportunity for Jules in a outdoor/garden space in the up-and- coming Railroad District where she parked her food truck. It needed work but was perfect for their concretes and cold drinks, with maybe a few baked goods. Jules, Andy, and Sterling took off to see it and agreed. It needed work, mostly elbow grease, but could really be something. Since it would be seasonal it would be easy to hire part-time help to staff it and fill in at Torte. Then things started happening down there. Graffiti, theft, and then, a murder. It was a homeless man who had been riding his bike around for years, entertaining people. Why would someone do such a thing?

This whole gang is lovable and interesting. Sterling and Stephanie are moving forward in their relationship; Jules' mom and the Professor are very happy and the professor is thinking of retirement; Carlos is a hand and Jules loves him more than every, but is worried he misses the cruise ship too much, and Lance may have fallen for someone. As always the crime comes together and allows the correct people to pay for their crimes. All out friends are working and living and are well. Alexander has a good series here and a good book in this one. One of its themes is the way a portion of the population feels about homeless people and tens to blame things on them, often unjustly. Her characters show growth and movement, which keeps them relevant. Good book. Worth the read. Start at the beginning, if you have time. I recommend.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Chilled to the Cone by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #chilledtothecone

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. As with the previous entries in this series, Chilled to the Cone has been a a lovely read. Ellie Alexander provides such vivid descriptions of Ashland, Torte, and other places that I can picture everything clearly. Also, it is always a pleasure to reunite with characters I have come to appreciate with each book. As always, the storyline is multilayered, which kept me reading and guessing as to who the culprit was. If you have not yet read from this series, do yourself a favor and pick up this book, you will not regret it. For those who are familiar with the series, you will love this book, I guarantee it!

It's springtime in Ashland, Oregon and Jules and her team are thinking about expanding. This time into a summer outside kitchen that sells frozen custards, and concretes and iced coffee. For the first time we get off the square and spend some time in another area of Ashland. The Railroad district is starting to come to life with a yoga studio, a bike shop and a yummy food truck that is run by a good friend of Jules'.

This mystery was a little bit different then the usual books. There's not nearly as much time in Torte and while there are some yummy food descriptions most of the focus was renovating the new space. The mystery of who killed The Wizard and just what is going on in Torte 2.0's new home was really interesting and definitely had me guessing.

My favorite thing was seeing some resolution between Jules and Carlos though I still have some questions about a few issues that were raised. I'm hoping those will get resolved in future books. This probably wasn't my favorite book in the series but it was an enjoyable read and I am always happy to spend some time in Ashland.

I definitely love the Bakeshop mysteries (I'm still reading at book 12, so that should tell you something). While I enjoyed this one, it wasn't my favorite. I had some issues with how Alexander portrayed homelessness, along with a lack of nuance discussing gentrification. There's been some discussion in the background of other books dealing with rising rent costs in Ashland, but in this book a lot of things came to the forefront and were dealt with only in simplistic terms. The rest of the story was what I expect from this series - delicious sounding baked goods, growth from the various characters, and forward progress for Torte. There was also more progression in the romantic lives of a large chunk of the characters, with the "Thomas vs Carlos" plot finally resolved.

This was such a thoroughly delightful escape! I loved catching up with Jules and everyone at Torte. In this latest installment, the bakers at Torte take on another expansion, this time renovating a food truck into an ice cream and coffee pop-up shop. The mystery centers around the homeless population, and I appreciate the way these characters were handled respectfully. It did make for some sad parts, but all of the other characters' storylines were refreshingly happy and positive. I loved meeting Lance's possible love interest, and Jules and Carlos finally started communicating. All in all, a fabulous story with plenty of mouthwatering descriptions of baking to soothe the soul. Thanks so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for the librarian preview--I am already looking forward to the next book in the series!

DNF @60%. So, I love the coziness of Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop series, and as an Oregonian, I love the Ashland setting. It’s a a beautiful place, known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and for a lifestyle integrated to the outdoors. This book is full of delicious recipes dreamt up by head baker of Torte, Juliet, and her team (a lemon latte was one coffee treat that really tempted my senses) and lots of wonderful characters.

However, this particular entry, signifies all of the problems with a gentrifying, white, privileged part of the community. As someone who works in homeless services, let me tell you that there is no such thing as “homeless by choice” which is a phrase repeated nonstop in this book (even after its revealed that the victim of a crime was struggling from mental health issues). It also repeatedly shows characters struggling from homelessness afraid of police, but the main character uses her close relationship with police (who she calls “peace officers” at one point) to involve them in their lives. This book weirdly demonizes marijuana use and growing (no spoilers, but it’s very involved to the main mystery), which I know is a complicated issue in rural areas of Oregon where land rights have been fought over by the timber industry, tribes, and developers - but none of that nuance is here. The characters redeemed here are white gentrifiers that blame local people experiencing homelessness while those people are seen as “quirky” “in need of saving” and “a feature of the community.” This book tries to create a dreamy romantic picture of an Oregon town, but that dream doesn’t include poverty. Instead it glosses over the more difficult parts of community and makes it seem like they can be solved by a little baking. Disappointing.

Juliet (aka Jules) was raised in small town Ashland, OR, but dreamed of seeing the world. She grew up helping her parents in their bakery and went on to culinary school. She got a job with a cruise line and didn't get home often after that. She met her husband, Carlos, an executive chef, on a cruise and things were going well until she discovered he had a secret. With a broken heart, she headed home to figure things out. It's been two years and she now shares ownership of the bakery with her mother and Carlos has been living with her trying to work things out.

A pop-up opportunity opens up and Jules decides to try it out for the summer. She's going to sell drinks, ice cream and pastries from the store. She and her staff are getting the space painted and cleaned when The Wizard, an elderly homeless man, is found dead on the train tracks nearby. Most of the townspeople had helped the eccentric man over the years but there were some who would have wished he'd stop hanging around. Did one of them kill him?

This is the twelfth in the Bakeshop Mystery series and I liked it. I've read all in this author's Sloan Krause Series. It works as a stand alone ... I'd read the first one in the series last month (but none of the others) and there was enough information provided. It's written in first person perspective in Jules' voice. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Juliet jumps at the opportunity to open a satellite shop for the summer season featuring desserts and frozen coffee treats in Chilled to the Cone, but when damage to local businesses and the murder of "The Wizard" a favorite local homeless man draw her attention, she tries to figure out who is responsible. Is it the owner of the local yoga studio and her new landlord? The son of the local bike shop owner--or the owner himself? Or someone else among the homeless community? As she gets closer to the answer, someone sets her new shop area on fire to slow her down, but will it?

This is the 12th in this popular Bakeshop Mystery series by cozy author Ellie Alexander. I have enjoyed the entire series and recommend it for all cozy mystery readers. The author has a nice group of charcters , the sleuth is always entertaining and the setting of a bakery in Ashland Oregon is a foodie delight. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

In this next in series Jules is expanding to a Ice cream business after the recent renovation of the Bakery. We meet some new charcters and Carlos also returns for this book. He is back to decide with Jules if they will stay together. I like that they are finally figuring out their relationship and Jules may be moving on. When a local homeless man is brutally murdered by her new ice cream shop Jules is disturbed by his death and wants to solve his murder with help from Carlos.

This has wonderful receipes we have come to love from this series. I enjoy how Jules put her heart and soul into her bakery and loves baking. All the fun charcters are back and the sleuth was well crafted with red herrings and surprise clues that kept me guessing to conclusion. I enjoyed this next in series and highly recommend this for all cozy readers.

Chilled To The Cone is the twelfth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.
I found it easy to keep turning the pages. I was invested from the start. The descriptions were comprehensive. In this installment, the mystery was front and center.

The social issue of homelessness and mental illness has become a common theme this season in cozy mysteries. I feel this book did a good job of weaving them through the story and did not detract from the mystery.

I enjoyed the creating of the new ice cream shop, the descriptions of the Railroad district and how Juliet’s friends and family are invested into each other’s well-being and the town’s.

I was given an ARC from Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

A charming and yummy cozy mystery. Many food and beverage delights are revealed. While I did have the culprits well in mind early on in the story, that certainly did not detract from my enjoyment. Some new characters and many familiar ones. Lots of love in the air.

Chilled to the Cone takes the reader back to Ashland, Oregon and the bakery Torte. We meet up with Juliet Capshaw and her crew at the bakery and we even get the presence of her husband Carlos in this book. Juliet finds herself in the middle of solving a murder when a local homeless man is murdered by her new ice cream shop. At the same time, Carlos and her need to decide whether he should move to Oregon or continue his job on cruise ships.
The Bakeshop Mysteries was my favorite cozy series, but I have struggled with getting into this one and the previous story. I didn't relate to the new characters or compelled to keep reading to find out who did it. I did enjoy that the author is moving characters' lives along with Juliet and Carlos' decision and for others in the series who make love commitment choices.
I received a complimentary copy of Chilled to the Cone through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.