Welcome to my tour stop for On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander! This is the third book in the Bakeshop Mystery series and is now available for sale. The blog tour runs January 4-15 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.
Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.
It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.
"An intriguing new series."-Reader to Reader
Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts.
"A delectable tale of murder and intrigue."-Portland Book Review on Meet Your Baker
Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.
It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer. "An intriguing new series."-Reader to Reader
Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts.
"A delectable tale of murder and intrigue."-Portland Book Review on Meet Your Baker
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Powells
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My Personal Review of On Thin Icing
In this third installment of the Bakeshop Mystery books, Jules travels to a remote mountain resort to cater a private party and immediately things start to seem strange. Between the loud Tony who tends the bar and the weird Mercury the owner, Jules is starting to wonder. And then someone from her past walks right back into her life and turns everything upside down. And while Jules is trying to sort out her feelings and figure out what she wants, she finds a body in the freezer. And thus begins yet another round of finding out who committed the murder - but this time there is not an entire town of suspects, there is only those at the remote resort to look to. Jules really seems to lose a lot of focus in this book, and I liked it a lot because we really start to see a lot of aspects of her character that haven't been shown until now ... as well as more details about her past 10 years. I think the thing I love about these books is the way Ellie Alexander ever so subtly references Shakespeare in almost every way. For example, if you know anything about Shakespeare - Mercury = Mercutio, Jules = Juliet and more. It's very cool to read and try to figure it all out as well as the mystery :) The best way to read this book is a nice hot cup of java or hot cocoa with a blanket and chair :) The only reason I did not give this book 5 full stars was because I felt that it lacked a bit of coherence, I think that there were a lot of things that were unaccounted for. Otherwise I loved it!
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My Personal Review of On Thin Icing
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Don't miss out on the first two books!
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My Personal Review of Meet Your Baker
After
reading just a few pages of this first book I was hooked. I love
mysteries and I also love Shakespeare and food and this encompasses all
of those things into one unique series :) Jules is from a small town in
Oregon where her mother owns THE town bake shop called Torte. Jules
has returned after about 10 years of being out in the world and many
years baking and cooking on cruise ships with her husband Carlos which
we don't hear much about in this book, especially as to WHY she left.
We mostly see Jules having flashbacks, but she falls right back into
step and everyone is happy to see her back. It is very easy to see from
the first few chapters just how close the community it and how they
help each other - but interweaved through all of that is this air of
mystery and when Jules opens
Torte one morning only to find one of the meanest women in town dead it
throws everyone for a loop. Is it the quiet Stephanie who turns out to
be a really great baker? Or Andy the coffee guru? There are SO many
people that could be the killer and honestly until the very last few
chapters I had no idea who did it. Which is what makes a great read to
me - you can't see the "writing on the walls" easily.
I really love how no matter how bad it gets Jules is
able to throw herself back into her work and still take on the
mystery. The Shakespeare element runs strong through the series because
the little town of Ashland is also home to a very popular Shakespeare
festival which is what keeps the town going from February through
October. Jules Capshaw is
named after ... of course Romeo and Juliet and the way the author
weaves Shakespeare elements through the books is one awesome thing I
really enjoyed because I am a lover of all things Shakespeare :) So
check out this series, I guarantee you won't regret it! I can't wait
for more of these books as I hope On Thin Icing isn't the last we see of
Jules!
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My Personal Review of A Batter of Life and Death
I honestly liked this book the most out of all three - I love to watch the food channels and challenges and I felt like with this book I was right in the middle of it all! "Watching" Jules work her magic and attempt to win not only the contest, but also accomplish something that will bring more people to Torte is just awesome. And of course in the middle of it all there is a murder as always happens when Jules is involved (or it seems that way at least). It amazes me that Jules is able to continue on with her tasks the way she does after finding dead bodies - she is definitely a multi-tasker because she can bake up a storm and yet still try to figure out the mystery. And on top of it all she is trying desperately to save Torte from being stolen and closed down by the weasel Richard so that her legacy will be intact. It seems from some of the flashbacks that Jules misses her old life with her estranged husband Carlos, but you can also see the deep attachment she has to Ashland and her mother and Torte. And of course throw in a little high-school boyfriend action as he is now investigating the murders and you have a full batter! It's a great read from start to finish just like the first book, and if you love baking and mysteries combined then you need to read this series!
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About the Author: Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter to learn more.
US only
Ends Jan. 20, 2016
Prizing provided by the author. Must be 13 or older and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.
Prizing provided by the author. Must be 13 or older and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.
I really enjoyed reading all 3 books and cannot wait to get my hands on more, they are truly addicting and I love Jules! Ellie Alexander is an amazing author :)
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