Wonderful series that just gets better. The characters have really developed and I like to read what they are all doing. Highly recommend this series!

This is a fun story! Despite this being the 11th book in the Bakeshop Mystery series, I had no problems reading this as a standalone mystery. I enjoyed this book because the mystery is an unsolved case from the 1980's when Juliet Capshaw's parents are establishing the family bakeshop, Torte in Ashland. Juliet has recently moved into her childhood home and finds a diary of her father's in the basement.

Juliet starts reading the diary and realizes her father Will was amateur sleuthing, just like she does. Juliet's father has been dead for many years, but through the journal entries in his words, she feels re-connected to him. Will was working with his friend, Doug on a hit and run case. Doug was a police detective at the time, and Will's best friend. Juliet connects with Doug about the case and that time in their lives.

This was a different way of telling the backstory, which I really enjoyed. The journal entries are interspersed with today's happenings which made for an interesting read. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery with a different spin.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

This is very delayed feedback because I kept setting this book aside as I couldn't get into the journal that Juliet's deceased father wrote back in the 1980s and that she and The Professor, review in present day as it involves a cold case. It just sounded like dialogue in a book rather than a journal someone would write. I finally buckled down and read it so I could catch up to the next book and then a new #arc of the latest. At the end of the day, I am glad I stuck with it as I did like learning more about Jule's father and his friendship with The Professor, now Juliet's stepfather, and the 80's vibe was fun.

Nothing Bundt Trouble by Ellie Alexander was a great addition to the Bakeshop Mystery series. This book is not centered much on Torte, which was okay, it was a very character based mystery. In this book Jules discovers her father's old journal in the basement of her childhood home, which talks about an unsolved murder from the 80s. With the help of Lance and the Professor, she becomes determined to solve the cold case. It is a trip down memory lane for both Jules and the Professor.

The setting of Ashland, Oregon is wonderful. With the Shakespeare Festival gearing up and all the other Shakespeare related businesses getting ready for the tourist season, Jules is lucky to have such a wonderful staff to run Torte while she works to solve this case. She loves learning about her parent's romance and the beginnings of Torte. Solving a cold case isn't easy, but Lance gets into the case and helps Jules with her sleuthing. Most of the people who were around at the time and mentioned in the journal are still in the area, so it is easy for Jules and Lance to sneakily get information from them. This book was a bit different from others in this series, but the plot is unique and the characters are well-written. The mystery kept me engaged and the final reveal was a well-kept secret. I figured it out at the same time Jules did and the final showdown was tense and entertaining. This is a culinary cozy and I love the wonderful descriptions of food and the recipes included. The town, the characters and their relationships make this a series that I look forward to each release.

A fun visit to 1980’s Ashland and the Torte bake shop. Juliet finds her Dads journal and with the help of the Professor learns about a case the two men worked on together.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Unfortunately, this one was only 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars for me. The author was dragging all these culinary portions unrelated to the mystery out way too much for my liking. 75% of the time, Jules and the Professor were sitting at a table reading the journal that ones again contained baking-related events that had nothing to do with the mystery. For me, there was too much distraction from the mystery and, to be honest, I skimmed some of those passages to get back to the conversations with suspects or conversations between Doug and Jules' father.

Spring has sprung in Ashland, Oregon, and everything at Torte seems to be coming up buttercream roses. But just when Juliet Capshaw seems to have found her sweet spot with her staff set to handle the influx of tourists for this year’s Shakespeare festival while she moves back into her childhood home—things take a dramatic turn. Jules discovers a long-forgotten dossier in her deceased father’s belongings that details one of the most controversial cases in Ashland’s history: a hit and run accident from the 1980s. Or was it?

Now it’s up to Jules to parse through a whole new world of details from another era, from unraveling cassette tapes to recipes for Bundt cakes, before an old enemy brings the Capshaw “pastry case” to a modern day dead end.

The author gives us a mystery that spans over 30 years and has plenty of clues, suspects, red herrings, twists, and turns that lead to a conclusion that is full of suspense and action. The characters are well written, full of life, have lots of personality, and their own differences that make each of them seem realistic. The author does a great job of describing the characters and places of Ashland in the 80's and present day Ashland. With the descriptions you can see how the characters and town have grown and changed over time.

I enjoyed getting to know Will a little better and seeing how much Juliet is like her father with her baking and working on mysteries. I also enjoyed that the Professor with Juliet's help was able to solve the case that he and Will started working on. It was nice to see how Torte got started out and to see all of the changes that is has gone through over the course of it's existence. The only thing that I would have liked to have seen happen is for Juliet to get over her indecision about whether she wanted to have a future with Carlos or not. I'm looking forward to reading Chilled To the Cone to see what kind of mystery Juliet will find herself involved in.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press by way of NetGalley for my honest review.

Nothing Bundt Trouble by Ellie Alexander

It is spring in Ashland, Oregon and everything at Torte seems to be good. But Julie Capshaw discovers a long-forgotten dossier in her deceased father’s belongings with details about a past hit-and-run accident.,

I didn’t enjoy this book. The writing was good, but seemed to be more of a journal than concentrating on the murder.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

This is a fun little mystery series, with a culinary twist. However, the romantic interest is a bit overdrawn and I hope that can be resolved instead of endless "will they or won't they?"

I enjoy this series and love catching up with Juliette and Torte. I had a hard time getting in to this book. It was so much reading from A journal I couldn’t get into the story. It hd a very interesting mystery but it was a little lost in flashbacks . Definitely will continue with the series

The world is a hot mess and sometimes that means you need to take a mental break so that you can better process all that is going on around you. For me, that often means immersing myself in a good book. Last summer I fell in love with The Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. Book #11 – Nothing Bundt Trouble – releases on June 30th and I was excited to get an early copy to review! These books have the makings of the perfect way to rest your weary brain.

First, set the stage…reading a good book requires yoga pants, cozy slippers and of course a nice cup of coffee!

Great characters. Not only is the mystery interesting, but the character development is on point. I am as intrigued by what is going on between the characters as I am with the mystery itself. Some mysteries I have read have left me wanting more from the characters, not so with these! You’ll be find yourself invested in their lives and the decisions they are making.

I love the baking element. The titles are funny and the recipes included are sublime. If you like baking or cooking you will love this element.

You are always left ready for the next book. Things are never left so open with the characters that you don’t feel satisfied at the end of the book, but you are always ready for the next book when it ends.

There hasn’t been one mystery I’ve disliked. I’ve now read every book Ellie Alexander has written and I’ve liked every single one! Sometimes an author can be hit or miss, but Ellie delivers every single time she writes.

If you haven’t read any of these delightful mysteries, I would recommend starting at the beginning. You have some time because this latest one releases on June 30th! Instead of binge-watching Netflix, start binge reading these. Once you are done, you can start on A Sloan Krause Mystery series. You’ll love that one too!

For extra fun, follow Ellie Alexander on Facebook because I love how she’s been writing a book with her followers during quarantine. Plus, she shares some fun cooking videos too.

What’s your favorite books to read when your mind needs a break?

https://www.allmomdoes.com/2020/06/15/book-review-nothing-bundt-trouble-a-bakeshop-mystery/

Ellie Alexander is my favorite cozy mystery author, and this latest installment in the Bakeshop Mysteries was phenomenal. I love that we get character backstories, and I loved the mystery. It makes me want to visit Ashland and experience everything for myself.

Description
This time, Torte’s pastry chef and amateur sleuth finds herself coming out of the oven and straight into the fire in Ellie Alexander's Nothing Bundt Trouble: A Bakeshop Mystery.

Spring has sprung in Ashland, Oregon, and everything at Torte seems to be coming up buttercream roses. But just when Juliet Capshaw seems to have found her sweet spot—with her staff set to handle the influx of tourists for this year’s Shakespeare festival while she moves back into her childhood home—things take a dramatic turn. Jules discovers a long-forgotten dossier in her deceased father’s belongings that details one of the most controversial cases in Ashland’s history: a hit-and-run accident from the 1980s. Or was it?

Now it’s up to Jules to parse through a whole new world of details from another era, from unraveling cassette tapes to recipes for Bundt cakes, before an old enemy brings the Capshaw “pastry case” to a modern-day dead end.

My Review
Ellie Alexander is a great story teller, In Nothing Bundt Trouble we find ourselves visiting Jules back in her bakery in Ashford, Oregon.

The main plot is how she finds a diary from her late father and learns of an investigation he and her stepfather were involved in back in the 1980's. The main reason I am hesitant to provide her with a 5 star is that it seems to go on longer than necessary. To me it felt like the story was all about the diary and less about the action.

The characters as always are very well-crafted and believable, and obviously going back to the bakery was fun. Overall, the story although slow to start was one I read all the way through the ending.

This book was provided as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I give this book a 4 star.

Jules is excited about the shakespeare festival but it seems like more than half the book is devoted to her reading her dads journal. It was a struggle to keep reading. I generally love Jules and the gang and their adventures but not this time. This was not my favorite in the series.

This is one of my favorite cozy cooking series. This is book 11 in A Bakeshop Mystery series and it's another outstanding addition. Juliet has finally finished all the alterations to her bakery and spring is in the air. Juliet is moving into her childhood home since her mother has remarried and finds her father's journal about helping the police find a hit and run murder suspect. The case was never solved and Juliet is determined to help her new step-father finish the case. A good story and can be read as a stand alone. Can't wait for the next book. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Juliet’s bake shop, Torte, is humming along nicely. She has made improvements since taking the reins from her mother and building on the wonderful place her parents created. She goes from success to success. But she puts it all at risk when she discovers a diary of her late father that talks about the early 1980’s when Torte was getting started and a murder was committed that her father and her now step-father investigated together. As she goes through the journal with The Professor, he fills in the backstory of when he was a young cop and asked his best friend to help him with a perplexing murder.

They actually witnessed the hit and run but were still unable to find the killer. Juliet, in reading the account, feels closer to her father and wants to close the case for him. She and her friend Lance interview the main suspects to try and figure out who was responsible. Like her father before her, the perp is not amused and threatens Juliet. When she figures it all out, the killer decides to eliminate the remaining loose ends.

The Bakeshop is filled with interesting characters with whom the reader will be happy to spend time. I loved the flashback from the diary and then the current storylines. Not only was it a good mystery but I got a real sense of the times and places and how the town and the shop had changed over the years. It was a stroll down memory lane that was highly enjoyable.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Nothing Bundt Trouble earns 5/5 Elizabethan Treats...Engaging Fun!

Elle Alexander penned her eleventh delightful murder mystery in her Bakeshop Mystery series and has sent fans into the past. Juliet Capshaw’s bakeshop, Torte, is in overdrive preparing for all the tourists coming to enjoy Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival, and added to the busyness, she’s also settling into her new/old home. There she makes a discovery that sets her off on a fascinating journey; her late father’s journal from 1988 chronicles an unsolved murder dubbed “The Pastry Case.” Unfortunately, deciding to look into the details and honor her father’s memory, everyone “presently” finds themselves in jeopardy. The mystery was clever intertwining the past and present together and offering compelling motives and a few suspects to ponder. The characters were realistic in manner and reactions and Juliet is a strong female lead, but with flaws that make her endearing to follow. The final revealing of the killer was a delightful surprise. Elle’s writing style is filled with descriptive language painting well the town, the people, and the bakery along with entertaining banter. I enjoyed the investigative style of the main character which did include some perilous situations, and Juliet’s experience provides her with the strength to make important decisions in her life. The story has lots of tasty talk about desserts, but sadly no real recipes for readers to explore, not even a Bundt recipe. So, be prepared to enjoy a vicarious trip to Torte...smell vision not included.

I haven't read this series before so I was excited to receive a galley from the publisher. I have to admit that I started this book a couple of times before I actually read it all the way through. I just really couldn't get into it.

After reading some of the reviews, I don't think this is usual for this series. I'll happily give the next book another chance.

Thanks to publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

It's always a treat to visit Juliet Capshaw and her bakery in Ashford, OR. In this one, Juliet stumbles across a diary from her late father. Questioning his best friend from that time, she learns of a suspicious death that her father was helping his friend investigate. The juxtaposition of the two eras in Ashford adds depth to an already interesting story. This series never fails to captivate me and always finds a fresh twist.

I really enjoy this series, but this particular book missed the mark. My issue is the amount of time spent on the deceased father's journal and the journal itself. Did the have a stenographer following him around to be able to record long conversations? No one, especially a busy new business owner, is going to write journal entries like that. I look forward to things being back to normal at Torte in the next book.