Fun, cozy read. I enjoy this series. Love the town of Ashland and the Shakespearean themes.

I absolutely adore this series! I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a well-written cozy mystery. The characters are so lovable, and the descriptions of the pastry shop creations are mouth-watering. Fudge and Jury is the perfect book for our snowy winter days, and it totally lifted my spirits. In this latest installment, Jules and her mom are busy preparing treats for the local Chocolate Festival, as well as remodeling their bakery. When one of the other chocolatiers dies unexpectedly, Jules decides to investigate. Was it murder--or just an accident? An easy and fun read with accompanying recipes--I am already looking forward to the next book!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's for the preview copy!

Fudge and Jury by Ellie Alexander is the fifth book in A Bakeshop Mystery series. It is March in Ashland, Oregon, and Torte is getting ready for a remodel and Ashland’s Annual Chocolate Festival. Jules and her mother, Helen have finally saved up enough money for new ovens. Before the ovens will be installed, the place will get a paint job (as well as a new register and inventory system installed). Torte is also preparing chocolate samples and cakes for the festival. Torte is one of the four showcase vendors. One of the other showcase vendors is Evan Rowe of Confections Couture. Evan states that he will be making a big announcement during the festival. Evan then proceeds to go around and sample the other vendors wares (and making derogatory comments). After sampling Unbeatable Brownies (and condemning the baker’s brownies), he proceeds to taste one of Torte’s delicacies. Evan then begins to choke. Jules recognizes the signs of an allergic reaction and asks if anyone has an EpiPen. Before Evan’s assistant, Carter turns up with Evan’s EpiPen, Evan passes away. Evan was allergic to nuts, but there were no nuts in the sample he tried of Torte’s (but their samples are confiscated). Jules knows it was not Torte’s products that killed Evan (they are very careful in the bakery) and sets out to find out who had it in for Evan (Santa’s naughty list is shorter). Jules also needs decide if she wants to expand Torte. Helen and Jules have a great opportunity, but is this the right time? Jules, Helen and the Torte gang are in for a very busy three days in Fudge and Jury.

Fudge and Jury is an easy novel to read and it is nicely written. While it is the fifth book in the series, it can be read alone. The story has a good pace and interesting characters (especially Lance). Ashland sounds like a lovely town. I relished the description of the Elizabethan looking buildings and the theater (the town is known for the Shakespeare plays performed). There are numerous accounts of chocolate treats provided in the book (so many that if they were excluded this would be a novella instead of a full-length novel). I give Fudge and Jury 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery was uncomplicated. I could identify the killer and method of murder very early in the story (right after the guy hit the floor). The murderer’s method of killing was unique which I really appreciated (has not been used before in any of the mysteries I have read). I was extremely disappointed and disgruntled that the storyline with Carlos, Jules estranged husband, was not resolved in Fudge and Jury. It is long past time to wrap up the story of Carlos and Jules (Carlos needs to go). I am tired of Jules mooning over Carlos’ voice, his appearance, his food, etc. (it is just too sappy for a mystery novel). I sincerely hope that Ms. Alexander will conclude this particular subplot in the next novel in the series.

Chocolate…my most favorite flavor in all the world! It was with great happiness when I picked up Ellie Alexander’s brand new release in her Bakeshop Mystery series, FUDGE AND JURY, and started reading about Ashland’s annual Chocolate Festival! The author transports us to a world of sweet confectionery with Jules, owner of her family’s bakeshop Torte, the “Queen of Sugar”. I love to bake and spend time in the kitchen and Ellie Alexander beautifully captures the feelings I have being there. She writes those feelings in such descriptive language that I feel like I’m right in Torte’s warm, cozy kitchen. “Food is an expression of art and love” is how Jules puts it and that expression truly shows as the theme is woven into a nice “whodunit” mystery. There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing with the plot moving along nicely.

However, this series’ greatest strength is the characters and keeps me coming back to see what happens next. Jules and her mother have a tender relationship, even if Jules was quite distant during her ten years away from Ashland. They’ve made up for that time and as a result share a true friendship. Jules has wonderful staff at Torte and each of them have their own story that is touched upon in each book. I’m always eager to see what creative coffee drink Andy, the college-age barrista, will come up. I’m also glad to see that the quirky character, Lance, continues to be a fixture. He adds a dose of levity to each story. And of course Jules is always creating a fabulous yummy dessert to share with her customers.

I’m grateful that Ellie includes some of those recipes at the back of the book because you most definitely will be craving chocolate as you read! I tried her recipe for Mom’s Famous Chocolate Spice Cake with Mocha Frosting...a delicious vegan cake that mixes up right in the pan you bake it in and the frosting is a decadent, fudgy confection that makes this dessert amazing!

This is such a fun series! Jules is working on what she is going to present this year at the Chocolate Festival and having new ovens installed in the kitchen at Torte while deciding if she is going to expand the business. At the Festival when the owner of Confections Couture suddenly dies after tasting her layer cake, she must find out why he died and who killed him. I can't wait for the next one!

A Chocolate Festival sounds like a great idea! Ashland Falls, Oregon is preparing for their festival and Torte, a locally owned bake shop, is excited to be participating.
The delectable chocolate delights will leave your mouth watering and when a local participant drops dead, it seems that Torte needs to prove their innocence.
This book has a lot going on and it is sure to please fans of this wonderful series.
Each book gets better and better and this one is definitely my favorite by far!
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Yummy food (especially chocolate!), hunky love interests (note plural), the fabulous Oregon setting of Ashland, and likeable and appealing characters (except the antagonistic recurring innkeeper although he didn't appear much in this book) all add up to a sweet little mystery series that you will devour.

The first in the series is Meet Your Baker which introduced Juliet "Jules" Capshaw, a young woman returning home from a stint as a pastry chef on a cruise ship to nurse a broken relationship. FUDGE AND JURY is the fifth in the series and continues Jules' involvement with her mother's bake shop, Torte, along with her complicated relationships between her old flame, Thomas, and her husband, Carlos, and, of course, getting tangled in a murder investigation.

I'm not a big fan of cozy mysteries but I enjoy this series and recommend to anyone who wants a straight "whodunit" with a main character who isn't inept or continually blows up cars (I'm looking at you, Janet Evanovich). This was full of the flavor of the town with a few behind-the-scenes tidbits of the Shakespearean play culture. Anyone who enjoys a nice niche mystery with lots of good cooking and baking thrown in (with recipes) will find this a nice way to while away a rainy afternoon.

BTW, this author writes another series under the name of Kate Dyer-Seeley.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.