Kneaded to Death is the first book in a new series, "A Bread Shop Mystery". This was a great start to this series. Ivy Culpepper, the main character is a photographer who has moved back to the coastal California town of Santa Sofia. Her mother was killed in a hit and run accident a few months prior and she has moved home with her pug, Agatha, to live with her father and brother Billy.

Each day, Ivy stops by Yeast of Eden, a local bread shop. She and her family love the bread, so Ivy signs up for a baking class to keep herself busy. She discovers a connection with the teacher and owner of the shop as well as an elderly woman, Penny Branford. During the first night of class, one of her classmates is poisoned. Not only does she witness what she thinks is the murder, but she meets up with her highschool sweetheart who has also returned to Santa Sofia. As Ivy gets involved in the investigation of Jackie's death, she also works with Penny Branford to spy on a neighbour who has been bullying people in their historic neighbourhood. As the investigation continues, Ivy begins to suspect that her mother's death might tie in with Jackie's and that it was not an accident, but murder.

As this is the first book in the series, there is quite and introduction to the major characters. It gives the reader an opportunity to get to know the inhabitants of this little town who will hopefully be in further instalments of the series. Although there are several things happening in this story, the author does a great job of keeping the story on an even keel and you do not lose the train in the story. I did not guess who the culprit was in this story, as there were several red herrings thrown in. My only concern is that a character who was quite involved in the mystery is really not in the story, just appearing at the end. I am looking forward to seeing where the author will take the residents of Santa Sofia in her next book.

I love cozy mysteries for their ability to allow me to escape into another world without a lot of thinking involved. I tried to enjoy this book but I simply couldn't and I had to stop reading it. I couldn't get into the story and I found myself not connecting to the characters.

In this book we follow Ivy Culpepper who has recently moved back home after the death of her mother which she hasn't quite gotten over yet. Ivy decides to take a bread class to learn about baking bread. Early on a fellow classmate is found murdered at the bread class. Who killed Jackie Makers? And why was she murdered? Ivy teams up with Ms. Branford who seems to know what is going on in the neighborhood where Jackie lived. Did a neighbor have something to do with Jackie's death? Could it have been Jackie's ex-husband? Or someone totally unrelated? Will Ivy figure out who killed Jackie and why? Or will she end up baked herself?

I loved this book as you read it you find a connection to Ivy's mother. As you read you can see how much Ivy is like her mother and the sorrow the whole family is going through now that she is gone. Also meeting great friends and acquaintances that Ivy comes in contact with. This book had so much going for it. Ivy digging deep until she put all her clues together and came to her conclusion which was a page turner I wasn't even expecting the ending it gave you. Can't wait to see where Ms. Archer goes next with this series! Definitely a great cozy read for anyone who loves food with their mysteries!

Synopsis:

Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Linda, California. That is, until the thirty-one-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Dias and her sisters, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .

But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car, riddled with stab wounds. Even more devastating, the prime suspects are the Dias sisters themselves. Doubting the women could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove their innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast! (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. I really enjoyed getting to know Ivy. She is heartbroken over losing her mom in a car accident. I could really feel her pain and her struggle to get back to living her life. I liked Olaya and her sisters, but at times I thought their personalities were a little overwhelming. That is only my opinion and other readers might have loved them.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place around me. With her description of the bakery and the breads, I could almost smell the delicious aromas and taste the bread. I will say that her descriptions pulled me right into the pages of the story, which was great.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The mystery is well thought out and there were enough suspects, clues and twists and turns to keep me guessing until the culprit was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you enjoy reading food related cozy, this is one you should not miss. It was a good debut for the series and I will be interested in reading other books that are released.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a good start to the series. The mystery was great, but it seemed to focus more on the grieving process than the mystery.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Winnie Archer is a pseudonym for Melissa Bourbon. I love her Magical Dressmaking series, so I wanted to love this new series. Unfortunately, I had a hard time liking Ivy. She came off as whiny and immature. There were moments where I felt like she was in high school, and she's supposed to be 31.

As a result, this book just didn't keep my attention for long, I kept putting it down and picking up something else to read. I did finally slog through it, and the ending was satisfying, even if the road there was a little too long and curvy.

I am hoping that now that the mystery of Ivy's mom's death is solved, Ivy and company can move on and develop in to more likeable characters in book 2.

Kneaded to Death is the debut book in Winnie Archer’s A Bread Shop Mystery series. Ms. Archer did a wonderful job of developing her characters and plotting the mystery. There’s a touch of romance, lots of compassion and caring, and emotions involved with this book. The reader is provided with a number of possible suspects and plenty of clues, twists and turns.

Photographer Ivy Culpepper was raised in Santa Sofia, California and moved to Austin, Texas to pursue her career. She recently returned to Santa Sofia with her adopted pub, Agatha, because she’s struggling to cope with the recent the death of her mom by a hit and run accident in the parking lot of the school where she is a teacher and wants to be with her dad and brother. Ivy is drawn to Yeast of Eden, a local Mexican bread shop owned by Olaya Solis, and signs up for a bread making class. On the first night of class, the class is drawn outside by an argument in the alley where they discover Jackie Makers, one of the participants dead in her car. Ivy is drawn into the investigation, providing clues to her best friend, Deputy Sheriff Emmaline Davis. Ivy begins to suspect that her mom’s death may not have been an accident. Along the way, Ivy makes some wonderful new friends and reconnects with her high school sweetheart, Miguel Baptista.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

3.5 stars

This debut cozy showed great promise. The baking/bread shop setting was unique and interesting. Main character Ivy Culpepper had returned to her hometown after her mother's death in a hit and run accident. Ivy's grief and mourning were compassionately drawn and the surrounding characters were well fleshed out and realistic for the most part. Ivy's extreme angst at meeting up with the high school boyfriend who had left her almost two decades before didn't ring true, though.

I did think the writing was uneven and overdone in places. And the ultimate unveiling of the murderer still left many unanswered questions. It will be interesting to see how Ivy settles in in future books.

This new cozy series brings Ivy Culpepper back to her hometown of Santa Sofia, California, where she is mourning the death of her mother. Deciding it's time to try something new, she starts taking bread making classes at Yeast of Eden, but things take a turn when one of her classmates turns up dead. Trying to get to the bottom of this crime brings Ivy new friends, a few run-ins with an old flame, and questions about both the death of her classmate and her mother. It's a generally good series start, with lots of room left for relationships to grow and new stories. In a saturated genre, it's not necessarily a new stand out, but it is entertaining and has potential as Ivy settles into her new/old life in Santa Sofia.

Kneaded to Death is the first book of the new series, A Bread Shop Mystery, by Winnie Archer. It's set in a little town in California called Santa Sofia. Ivy, our hero, has just moved back home to be with her father after her mother's death from a hit-and-run accident. After spending weeks sampling the bakery's treats, she signs up for a breadmaking class at Yeast of Eden. There she meets the bakery owner, Olaya, as well as a handful of other women. Sadly, that first night, one of the women is murdered - and Ivy is determined to find out why.

I had a hard time with this one. I loved the setting, and the descriptions of Olaya's breads had me drooling. But, I had a hard time connecting with Ivy. While it was sad that she'd just lost her mother, it felt like every other chapter had the same repetitive phrasing about how much Ivy missed her and how it was unfair. She wasn't wallowing, exactly, or at least not by her actions - but her inner monologue was pretty redundant.

I also thought the mystery was a little ridiculous, even by cozy standards - it just felt a little too soap-operaish for my tastes.

That said, though, I did really enjoy some of the secondary characters. Mrs. Bradford, the elderly neighbor/troublemaker was a hoot. Olaya was the wise mentor all of us hope to have. Miguel was the sexy former fling who showed up just often enough to be intriguing. And I really enjoyed Emmaline, and the fact that in this cozy at least, the police force isn't totally worthless. That was a nice change!

While I may not make this series a priority to keep up with, I can see myself coming back to it at some point down the line. Definitely pick this one up if you're a fan of culinary mysteries!

Kneaded to Death is the debut of the A Bread Shop Mystery series featuring Ivy Culpepper, photographer set in the coastal California town of Santa Sofia. Ivy has returned home after the sudden death of her mother and together with her pet pug Agatha, is struggling to settle back into life in her hometown living with her Dad and brother Billy.

Ivy has decided to take a cooking class at Yeast of Eden the bread shop run by Olaya Solis. On the first night of class fellow baker Jackie Makers receives a phone call that takes her out to the parking lot. When an argument ensues in the alley and the class goes to investigate they discover Jackie dead in her car.

Finding herself drawn into the investigation alongside her best friend Deputy Sheriff Emmaline Davis, Ivy soon uncovers a complicated web of deceit among the townspeople. Her discoveries soon have her believing that maybe her mother's unexpected death hadn't been an accident.

A terrific first with truly likeable and well developed characters, including the lovely Penny Branford. Just the right touch of romance as Ivy begins to reconnect with her high school sweetheart Miguel Baptista. As Ivy settles back into life in Santa Sofia and hints at a new career, plenty of possible adventures on the horizon will have you "kneading" more.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

The pacing and comfortable tone made it easy to follow the story as it moved from chapter to chapter. The narrative was nicely done as it put me in the middle of all the action, keeping me glued to the pages as I had to know what happens next. The author did a great job in setting the stage for this multi-plot whodunit where potential suspects kept rising to the top each with their own motive, but it was that double surprising twist that ratcheted this tale up a notch and I give kudos to the author on a job well done. Boasting a great cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a feel good atmosphere, this was a very enjoyable read and is a welcome addition to the cozy mystery genre and I can’t wait to see what new adventures await Winnie and her friends in this delightfully charming new series.

This book has all the elements that have come to be expected in a cozy mystery. Unfortunately it was not my cup of tea.

I received a promotional copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I have to say that this book has a bit of everything that cozy mystery readers are looking for, there are multiple deaths, a heroine with tragedy in her past and a possible love interest, multiple possibilities for the murderers, a well-paced plot, a pug and lots of characters, some you pay attention to and others there to distract you.
Ivy recently returned home after the death of her mother and is trying to figure out her life. She's a professional photographer, but has lost her interest. She decides to go to a bread-baking class and it changes her life. She meets new people, connects with old lovers, and learns not everyone and everything is what it seems.

Winnie Archer paints an interesting picture of a California beach town in 'Kneaded to Death,' the first Bread Shop Mystery. The characters are multicultural and at times I felt as if their characterizations were a case of checking off the boxes rather than being believable. The mystery was adequate with last minute details thrown in that clouded the rather trite conclusion. If the series continues I will give it another try in the hope that there my issues will be overcome.

Nothing to knead with this first in a new series! We are introduced to Ivy Culpepper who has returned to her hometown after the death of her mother. Ivy is distraught, nothing is fulfilling to her anymore. Attempting to recapture some fraction of her former self, she starts a bread baking class at Yeast of Eden, the local bakery. During her first class, a classmate is murdered which ends up bringing questions about her own mothers death.
We follow Ivy as she develops new relationships, maintains old ones, and perhaps rekindle a past. We follow her through the twists and turns of her grief as she tries to return to some semblance of normalcy.
This book was a very easy, enjoyable read. I would have liked more relationship development between Ivy and the owner of the bakery, hopefully that will be included as the series progresses. Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good cozy read.

Photographer Ivy Culpepper is living in Austin, Texas when she learns that her mother has been killed in a hit and run accident. She returns to her California home town to grieve along with her father and brother and, while there makes a connection with Olaya Solis, the owner of a local bakery. Ivy signs up for Olaya's bread baking classes and during a break in the first class one of the women in the class is killed and because the victim was a close friend of Olaya, she and Ivy set out to determine who would do such a terrible thing. Ivy also befriends Penelope, an 86 year old spitfire, who gets her involved in trying to document who is harassing the residents of her historic home district. When it turns out that Jackie was also a resident of the historic district, the two issues combine and when Ivy begins to think there may be a connection to her mother's death here as well, she is determined to find out the truth. There is also a dose of romance as Ivy reconnects with her high school boyfriend Miguel, to round out her live. This is a thoroughly engrossing mystery featuring a compelling plot, strong female characters along with a bread making tutorial. You should enjoy this book along with a piece of finely crafted artisan bread.!

Kneaded to Death by Winnie Archer is a sure fire winner in my book.
This book had everything I love in a cozy mystery, right down to a bit of romance.

Ivy Culpepper has returned home, hoping to heal after the death of a loved one.
What Ivy doesn't expect to do is find a close knit group of friends who understand her loss but also want to help her find closure.
Weird things are going on in town and Ivy and her new friends get caught up in all the mysterious secrets that are beginning to surface.
The cast of characters in this book are delightful and the plot was well thought out and it kept me guessing until the end.
I can't wait to read more in this series.
I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.