Chef Carrie Ann Cole has left her Chicago home to work at Kensington Palace as the family chef for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two young children. Her first day is a trial by fire but Carrie Ann works well with her new assistants Michael Haregrove and Frank Deem. When Carrie Ann finds Deems’ dead body in the greenhouse, the murder puts the palace staff in an uproar.

Security head Ian Gordon and the police are pressured to solve this murder quickly and they arrest Haregrove for the murder. But Carrie Ann feels sure Haregrove is innocent and she learns that Deems had clashed with other palace staff shortly before his murder. One of them, the resentful head Chef Butterbottom, is also upset about Carrie Ann's arrival to feed the Cambridges. Since Carrie Ann's long distance relationship with her chef boyfriend John is on hold, she distracts herself by making inquiries about the staff. This is a charming debut culinary mystery with a feisty American heroine with the required appended recipes.

I obtained an eARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books.

While it's a quick, easy read (typical of cozies), what could have been a really fun premise felt pretty flat to me. The idea of a personal chef to royalty seemed like a really great one, but there was very little in the way of character development and what there was just made everyone seem unpleasant. While I understand the need to make clear the boundaries of royal security and the author's attempt to make clear her character's "American-ness" in the face of her new setting, it just served to make the story seem somewhat cold. I really, really like the premise for this series, and will probably read a next book to see if we can get just a little more in the way of character or story to make this a success.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

A fun debut for this series. It reminds me of Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef Mysteries.

Nell Hampton takes us behind the scenes of Kensington Palace as Chef Carrie Ann Cole leaves the U.S. to become the personal family chef for the Prince, Princess and their 2 children. She leaves her boyfriend of 6 years back in the States as they take a break so she call follow her dream. She hits the ground running preparing her first meal for the family soon after arriving at the palace. Then the next morning she finds one of her assistants dead and the other one is quickly arrested as the killer. What has she gotten herself into? She didn’t know her assistants well but she just can’t fathom that one would kill the other. So in addition to serving spectacular meals to her Royal Family, she now is trying to find a murderer. Head of Security Ian Gordon is not happy with her chopping her way into the case. His job is too keep everyone in the palace safe, including her, and she is making his job very difficult.

I liked Carrie Anne immediately. At first I thought she was going to in over her head with this important job, but as soon as she got into her kitchen she was in control. The other chef in the palace, Royal Chef Butterbottom, dislikes her immediately, first because he thinks he should be the only chef and second because she is an American. He has his own kitchen and takes care of the events and dinners at the palace. Carrie Anne cooks for the family. Due to circumstances beyond their control is becomes impossible to avoid each other. This adds a little unexpected drama to the story. The author introduces several other members of the palace staff. The Royal Family stays pretty much in the background.

The palace itself and the area surrounding it are new to Carrie Anne, so the reader gets to follow along with her as she learns all the floors, rooms, hallways and even some local pubs. She also takes “the tube” to get to the markets and interesting other places. The descriptions are stellar, even telling us what a trek it is to use the stairway instead the elevator when reaching her stop in the city. The kitchens, Carrie Anne’s suite, and traveling to and from are all written in a way that makes us feel like we are there or maybe a fly on the wall.

The mystery is so well plotted. Everything is new to our chef. She really knows no one, who can she trust and who would even listen to her ideas? Ian Gordon, the Head of Security, seems friendly enough but will he just humor her or take her seriously? The story progresses at a nice pace and Carrie Anne makes some questionable decisions. She really surprised me the way she didn’t hold back, she was going to find the truth no matter what.

This series is off to a fantastic start. Chef Carrie Ann Cole evolved ten fold from the first page to the last with just a couple of moments of doubt in between. I am very excited to see where the author takes us in future stories. The core characters have my attention. I can’t wait for my next visit across the pond.

Carrie Ann Cole is following her dream of being a personal chef when she takes a job working for the duke and duchess of Cambridge in Kensington Palace. But to reach her goals, she has to leave behind her boyfriend of six years who is pursuing his goal of becoming a Michelin chef. They have agreed to take a break in their relationship.

Everything is new to this Chicago girl when she gets to the palace. She certainly wasn't expecting to find one of her assistants murdered under the kale in the greenhouse attached to her kitchen on her second day in London. And, when her other assistant is arrested for the crime, Carrie Ann launches her own investigation to try to clear him of blame.

Between her rivalry with another chef at the palace and her run-ins with the security chief, Carrie Ann learns a lot about the people who work at the palace. Of course, we get tantalizing glimpses of the meals that she is preparing for the Royal family too.

This was a fun mystery of the cozy variety.

Chef Carrie Ann Cole has just landed a once in lifetime opportunity as being the new personal chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. She definitely stands out as a foreigner, but takes pride in her duties and confidence as a chef. She is trying to overcome a serious case of jet lag as well as adjust to the strict rules of the place when she stumbles across the body of her assistant in the green house. She only met him the day before, but has a strong feeling that he was murdered. We get to follow along as Carrie Ann figures out who to trust and who amongst the staff she believes may be a killer!

What a wonderful start to a new cozy mystery series! This has been on my to read list from the moment it was first announced. What drew my initial attention was the fact that it's set in England and takes place inside Kensington Palace. It was fun imagining what it must be like to be an employee for the Royal Family. It's hard to fathom the amount of organization and preparations it must take behind the scenes to make such a prominent family appear flawless. Making it a setting for a mystery series is brilliant. The author can easily introduce new characters and possible villains through employees or anyone who visits the palace. I love that the main character currently resides inside the palace as well.

There were quite a few characters introduced throughout this book, but it was incredibly easy to distinguish them all. The author did a great job of really fitting personalities to certain job professions so that each character stood out on their own. Chef Carrie Ann is a wonderful MC. I love the fact that she is very confident in her cooking knowledge and has no problems standing up for her kitchen or to other male counterparts. It was interesting because she is shown as being very strong and decisive when she's on duty, but then she was incredibly relatable because she was flawed in other aspects of her life. Many cozies begin by stating that the MC has recently moved, fled a disatrorous relationship, been widowed, etc. I appreciate this story because we actually get to live that moment with this new character. We get to watch her make those life changing decisions which makes it more believable. It was refreshing to actually witness her working as well. In many cozies, the MC pawns her duties off on other workers so she can become a sleuth. That definielty wasn't the case with Carrie Ann.

The supporting cast characters were really great as well. In this debut, we mainly were introduced to other employees although I rather enjoyed briefly meeting the organic grocer and the pub owners. Chef Butterbottom - how spectacular is that name! - is the epitome of any arrogant chef. I enjoyed the banter between the two kitchens and liked that they had a brief moment where they connected. The head of security, Ian Gordon, plays the mysterious love interest. He takes his position very seriously, yet it's clear that he has chemistry with the MC. Then the introduction of a love triangle is thrown in when we meet the incredibly handsome gardener. This is one triangle that I don't mind because I haven't quite decided whose side I'm on. Both have great potential for character development as well as many other staff members who had significant parts.

The mystery part of this book was really well written and definitely kept my interests from the moment it occurred. At first, there seemed to be a great deal of suspects to work through. However, as the clues began to add up, I had a hunch about the culprit so I wasn't too shocked when that person was revealed at the end.

Overall, this was a wonderful debut novel and a great new mystery. I would recommend it for those who enjoy cozies. The setting really makes this one unique and quite fun! I will definitely be on the lookout for the sequel!!

I shared this review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1724421003
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014508669140

Suffering from jetlag, Chef Carrie Ann Cole begins her second day as personal family chef to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a bit early. Already on edge from moving to a different country, leaving her boyfriend of six years, and working for the royal family, Chef Cole’s life is about to get more challenging when she discovers a body in the greenhouse. Chef Cole is about to be tested beyond her cooking skills.

Though not personally familiar with the workings of the royal residence, this book feels well researched and authentic. Hampton has created a likeable protagonist in Chef Cole and you easily sympathize with the challenges she faces as she makes her way in a new job, in a new country. Carrie Ann’s efforts to succeed and to fit in will be embraced by readers. The other characters are together likable and dislikable. The addition of a few recipes at the end is a bonus. This is a delightful first installment and I, as well as many others, will be waiting for the next one. Well done!

A really enjoyable cozy, though dangerous to read while hungry! Perfect spring reading if you are looking for something on the light side. Loved all the food descriptions and the day-to-day workings of the royal kitchen; it made me feel like I was a fly on the wall in Carrie Ann's kitchen. I would love to see her explore more of London in future instalments.

What I liked about this book: First off, I liked that the protagonist seemed to have a "real job." So often in cozies, our sleuth works at some quaint shop for a couple of hours a week and yet maintains an upper middle class lifestyle. Carrie Ann Cole might be the personal chef to the most famous royal family in the world, but she works long hours and has tough supervisors who make it known they'd fire her for one mistake. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the royal setting, but I really grew to enjoy it. I also liked all the characters. I liked that the author gave Carrie Ann a foil in the uptight Chef Butterbottom. The mystery worked pretty well for me. I didn't see the culprit coming and the motive made sense. There's potential with a couple of future love interests, and I didn't hate any of them.

What I didn't like: Carrie Ann tells anyone who will listen her theory of the crime. Not smart, Carrie Ann. I didn't like that the Duchess appears as a talking character in the book; keep the royal family in the background. Also, I don't feel readers need to know what the family is eating at every meal; toddlers are having tomato soup again for lunch today? Yeah, ok, thanks for the update. Carrie Ann is a chef, but I still don't think murder books need recipes in them, especially in the age of Pinterest.

All in all, this is a good start to a new series, and I would absolutely read more.

3 out of 5 stars. I liked it, mostly.

It reminded me a bit of Julie Hyzy's White House Chef mysteries, in that it's obviously set in a real place where there really is a Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, though in the book they are fictionalized. I think, like Hyzy's series, this series will work best if the Cambridges stay mostly in the background.

It took me a while to warm up to Carrie Ann, but after a bit she kind of grew on me. There were a few little nit picky things that bugged me (tea gets MILK, not cream, in England. My husband is English, and every English person I've ever met, including strangers I waited on in restaurants when I was younger, sent the cream back and/or asked for milk! (A Cream Tea is known for clotted cream and scones, not cream in the tea.), and yes, the Queen herself is said to drink her Twining's English Breakfast tea with MILK (but no sugar, haha).

There were moments where the dialogue made me feel like I was watching a bad gangster film, "Are you going to the coppers with what you know?" Does anyone even really call them "coppers" anymore??

Aside from the little things, I did enjoy it and look forward to the next in the series.

This book was just awesome! It is book one in a new series called Kensington Palace Chef Mystery. We meet Chef Carrie Ann Cole as she starts her new job as the personal chef for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and while no names are mentioned the royal family reminds the reader of Kate and William which I loved. On her second day on the job Chef Cole finds a body in the greenhouse and finder herself involved in solving the murder. The details are incredible giving an interesting view of life inside the palace, and the murder keeps the reader attached until the very end. A very good cozy mystery, and I will be looking forward to the next installment in the series. I really liked it so it gets 4/5 stars.

Kale to the Queen by author Nell Hampton is a very enjoyable start to the Kensington Palace Chef mystery series. Carrie Ann has taken a position as the personal chef to the young royal family (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), and finds one of her assistants murdered on her second day! Lots going on with damage to her kitchen, hunky head of security AND hunky head greenhouse gardener, a strange relationship with her boyfriend (from whom she is taking a break), and the inner-workings of the palace. Quite a bit happening all right away, and some was a little hard to believe, but all in all a nice story and I would be very interested in reading the second book in the series. The mystery was was well-written, and I didn't guess the murderer until the end, which is always a plus in my book! Well done. :-)

Kale to the Queen, this first of Nell Hampton's Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series is totally engaging. I felt as if I were a complete insider at the palace, with a perfect allusion to the character of the residents, but with no sensationalistic references that combined to make me believe that Chef Carrie Ann Cole was actually there experiencing the story. Her character is both vulnerable but with a hard candy shell that is apparently a result an unusual childhood and a failing relationship. I'm glad it's the first in the series, I look forward to more.

Chef Carrie Ann Cole is the new Personal Chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. But as soon as Carrie Ann starts, she finds a dead body beneath the royal kale beds. After finding her one assistant dead and the other under suspicion for his murder, Carrie Ann must solve the murder and still get supper on the table on time. Will she survive to serve breakfast in the morning?
This is a great start to a new cozy mystery series. I love how Carrie Ann took control of her life and is now living her dream. The plot was so engrossing, I couldn’t stop turning the pages until I knew the killer’s identity. I like when I’m able to visualize the setting in my head. I will definitely read the next Kensington Palace Chef Mystery. An Advanced Reading Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but I couldn't. Kensington Palace seems like it would be an ideal setting for a cozy mystery, but it felt clunky and like it got in the way of the story. The incorporation of the Duchess of Cambridge was not at all believable.
The story worked best when the setting wasn't taking center stage. The characters have a lot of potential, and I enjoyed their personalities.
I also enjoyed the murder mystery; I was able to let the twists and turns happen and be surprised when the killer was revealed.
I would give Nell Hampton's writing another chance.

What a delightful new cozy series set in London with an American chef invading the castle kitchens. Carrie Ann arrives to be the personal chef to the royal family and soon discovers a her assistant's dead body in the Kale bed in the garden. As Carrie Ann fumbles with the customs, protocol and language of the British Palace, she hands a few clues to the handsome head of security. She works to win the approval the head housekeeper and the royal kitchen head chef. A nice read with a couple of good recipes.

I have always loved The Royal Family, so when I saw that Kale To The Queen was a cozy about a royal family I knew I had to read it.
Chef Carrie Ann Cole moves from the United States to England to cook for the royal family of Kensington Palace. No sooner does she get there, does she stumble on a dead body. Not exactly what she signed on for.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kale To The Queen. The story kept a good pace, and kept me engaged, and had me stumped right till the last few chapters. I will definitely be reading the next in this series when it is released .

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane

I loved it. Growing up my maternal grandfather went out of his way to share his love of the royal family with me. I Have always loved and admired the Royal family, following the ups and the downs and the celebrations. I have watched every wedding and funeral with awe, respect and wonder. So when I learned about this very fictional cozy mystery about the Royal family I was very interested. This is a great cozy. I thought the story was very plausible, even given the circumstances. I loved the mystery but I did have a good idea who the murderer was. The food references were wonderful, and I appreciated the banter and hierarchy of the relationships between all the characters in this book. It felt real to me, having worked in kitchens as a chef, the time lines, the menus along with the bravado of the chefs was familiar and even comforting. I enjoyed this book and I am so looking forward to reading more in this series. If you love BBC, or PBS programming about life of the aristocracy and royal family you are going to love Kale to the Queen.

This was an enjoyable read. The mystery was nicely done and kept me glued to all that was happening with Carrie Ann and her friends. A murder takes place and believing in her assistant’s innocence, Carrie Ann sets out to find a killer hiding in plain sight. The multi-plot story immediately became a page turner as I couldn’t put this book down until I knew the outcome of this well-executed whodunit. The mystery was executed with flair that kept me engaged in this fast-paced and action-packed drama. With a slew of suspects, the author did a great job in narrowing down the list with plenty of twists and turns, until there was only one person standing – the killer. Carrie Ann is likable and the supporting cast kept me entertained with their antics, even Chef Butterbottom. This was a fun read and I look forward to more adventures with this group in the next book in this delightfully charming new series.

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book. I am glad that it relied on the staff as main characters and did not use the Royal Family as participants in the whodunit.
The characters were quite well written and intriguing enough that I look forward to reading more about them.
The whodunit kept me guessing and I had no clue as to the final outcome.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reading Copy of this book.

Great first book in a new cozy mystery series! The setting of Kensington Palace is delightful and Carrie Anne is a character that the readers will want to cheer for again and again. Looking forward to seeing more books in this delightful new series.