This is one of my favorite series and I love the growth of both the main characters as well as supporting characters.
When Andy, one of the barista's at Torte, is participating in a barista contest, things take a disastrous turn when a judge winds up dead.
Andy may have had a few heated words with the judge, but so did several others.
Jules won't let Andy take the fall for this, so she sets out to uncover the truth.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is the 13th book in the series and it’s just as good as the rest of the books. 13 books into a series and it shows no signs of becoming boring or repetitive.

In this one, Jules’ friend Andy has entered a barista contest and one of the judges is killed. Andy is a suspect due to some disagreements between him and the judge and the fact that Andy’s drink was the last one the judge had. But there more than one coffee barista who had an issue with that judge so there’s plenty of suspects.

The whodunit is good, but the biggest charm of this series is the characters and the setting. All our favorite characters continue to grow and haven’t become boring in any way. Torte and Ashland are such a charming setting and I can picture it.

I highly recommend this book and entire series to any cozy mystery fan.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Coffee and murder what could be better? Great cozy

This story had me craving creative coffee drinks, and I don’t even like coffee, unless it is heavily laced with chocolate! Excellent amount of intrigue and on the edge of your seat action from both the murder aspect but also the Barista competition backdrop. I’m not sure which part I enjoyed more, the sleuthing antics of Jules and Lance, the food descriptions (yep I am a cozy food fan girl) or the play-by-play of the barista competition. Plenty of red herrings and misdirection that keeps the reader guessing, just like our main character and her sidekick (don’t let Lance know I said that LOL). All of it was important and it all had something to do with the murder and the mystery. The only thing that would make this story better is a recipe or two.

When one of my favorite series also has a barista competition, I know that I'm in for a good mystery. I've read this series since the first book and these characters are now like good friends. I also love how Jules, Carlos, her family and the Bakeshop staff are all like family.

Information regarding the barista competition was very interesting to me and I loved the mystery that accompanied it. It's a nice easy read with a well-thought out mystery.

I'm already for a return trip to Ashland.

This is the thirteenth in the Bakeshop Mystery series. I like that Andy is the focal of our mystery. This is another well-written, descriptive book that is a standalone. I like that the book has a very familiar to me. It reminds me of the first books in the series. The characters are well-developed and we get to see a few new sides of our familiar people.

You couldn’t ask for a better supporting cast. The Torte family is so well in tuned to each other and would bend over backwards to help each other.

I was given an e-copy ARC after the publication date and am not required to leave a positive review.

Mocha, She Wrote is the thirteenth Bakeshop cozy mystery by prolific author Ellie Alexander. Released 29th June 2021 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a cozy mystery for coffee lovers. It's set in the Pacific Northwest USA and is full of local (Oregon) settings and specialized coffee culture. I'm a tea drinker, so it was fun to read about all kinds of specialized coffee preparation, tools, ingredients and presentations. The minutiae is explained well in context, so it didn't get bogged down in terminology or anything.

The plotting, characterization, and dialogue are representative of the genre; lighthearted, somewhat over-the-top, and used to move the narrative along. It's not a realistic procedural. There's no gritty unpleasantness, no brutality (even the violence is mostly off-scene), no blatant sexual aspects, and the language is squeaky clean and used appropriately. Some readers might find Jules' sidekick Lance a bit trope-y (he's effeminate and a bit flamboyant), but he's written with warmth and kindness (if lacking in common sense), so I didn't find him offensive. Although this is the 13th book in the series, it works fine as a standalone.

For fans of the genre, it's a well written and very pleasant diversion. (Isn't that why we read cozies?). For readers who enjoy this Bakeshop series, I can heartily recommend the author's Sloan Krause brewing mysteries. She has either a truly impressive grasp of baking, brewing, and coffee culture or she's got experts on tap to consult for her background research.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I was so excited to dive back in to this world. I loved re-visiting the characters and trying to solve the whodunit.

Head barista at Torte, Andy, has earned the chance to compete in the West Coast Barista Cup! Jules and company are excited for Andy to have this chance to show off his skills. The excitement soon fades, though, when Benson, known as the Simon Cowell of judging coffee, is found dead with a cup of Andy's coffee in his hand. All of the locals know that there's no way Andy could so such a thing, but the circumstantial evidence points to him. It's not long before Jules and Lance, artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, find themselves digging deeper into the unpleasant judge's history with everyone around him, including the other judges, contestants, and even the MC of the event, chef James. With fingers being pointed every which way, it'll be up to Jules and Lance to figure out who put a lid on the judge, for good!

Each book in the Bakeshop Mystery series draws the reader deeper into a charming world that one cannot help but want to experience for themselves. Descriptions of everything- the scenery, coffee, food, emotions- are so colorful that you only have to close your eyes to be able to see it vividly in your mind. Although it is book 13 in the series, the writing continues to remain fresh as it allows its characters to grow and evolve. New characters are introduced seamlessly, without any clunkiness or "where did they came from" that can sometimes happen in any book, but especially cozy mysteries. I love that enough clues are given that may point you in the right direction of the killer, but they are never so overt as to make it glaringly obvious. There are also enough red herrings dropped to make the reader second-guess their choice of villain several times.

All in all, author Ellie Alexander has once again produced a story that is well worth the wait and leaves this reader even more eager for the next one.

4.5 Stars

This is the thirteenth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

This was a real fun book to read. Andy gets the spotlight this time as he competes for a coveted title as top barista but there is all sorts of hijinks and manipulations going on behind the scenes. So, needless to say, it is hard to tell who killed the main judge, the Simon Cowell of Coffee, when you are in the midst of the story. Of course, Andy gets the brunt of the attention because it is his coffee drink that is laced with the poison. The guy can’t win for losing.

I love getting to see the glimpses of Jules’s life interspersed between the action scenes. Gives the rest of us hope we can rekindle a lost love like that and be successful at it.

Love this series so much. Definitely going to dig into it more! So much fun to follow the action of Jules and Company!

If you love a cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. Great new must read book great series too!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions are completely my own.

The books in this series never seem to disappoint and this one is no exception. The characters are clever and my favorite is Jules. I love the stuff made in her bakery with the descriptions so vivid you can almost taste them. The twists and turns kept me busy all afternoon. I really love this series.

Mocha, She Wrote by Ellie Alexander is book 13 in the A Bakeshop Mystery. It can be read as a stand alone.
This time the story features Andy, the main barista. He has been selected to be in a competition being held in Ashland. Jules feels he has a good chance as winning is he can get the nerves under control. When the main judge is found dead and the last thing he drank was one of Andy's coffee drinks, Jules knows she is going to have to help get Andy cleared.
As usual with this series, there are plenty of plot twists and suspects in this well written Cozy. The main characters are likeable and relatable. There is romance, family and friendship. I always feel as if I am in Ashland, Oregon when reading this series.
I was given an ARC by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for an honest review.

This is by far one of my most favorite books in the series yet. We follow more closely and learn more about Andy Tortes barista. I love that he is following his dreams and really trying to be the best in his field. A murder occurs that turns eyes on Andy and it is up to Jules to figure it out!

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. Wow what can I say about this title it was just an awesome read. This book was just something so wonderfully different I’ve never quite read anything like this. You should read to find out you won’t be disappointed. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Ashland and Torte are alight with excitement. Not only is the Barista Cup being held in town but Torte’s very own Andy has qualified to compete. As a newbie, Andy just wants to do his best but when he is hot in the running for the cup, things begin to unravel. Andy’s signature drink is sabotaged and the caustic judge who drank the mixture has castigated Andy. Andy attempts to prove to the judge that the real drink is quite good and makes him a special cup. When the judge is murdered and the weapon used to kill him is found in Andy’s coffee, Andy becomes the top suspect.

Of course Jules’ stepdad, the chief of police, and all their friends and supporters believe Andy is innocent. The police, however, must follow the evidence and until another suspect can be determined, Andy is in peril. Will Andy win the competition? Will Andy stay out of prison? Jules and her best friend, Lance, are on the job. They are determined to exonerate Andy by finding the real villain. Lance, is a very colourful character who tends to do things in no half measures. Herein lies the one beef I have with the story. Jules’, a smart and savvy lady, lets Lance lead her astray. Even she has the good grace to question why she lets him talk her into situations. That goes a long way to assuaging any concerns about her intelligence.

But then if that was not in the book, it would take away a very exciting climax so all is forgiven. With all the tidbits and information about coffee sprinkled throughout, it makes for an entertaining and informative story. Four purrs and two paws up.

I really like this series, and a Bakeshop Mystery generally goes to the top of my to-read stack. I love watching cooking competition shows, so even though this was a coffee competition (and I'm not a coffee fan), I thought the set-up was fun. The plot played out well, though I found the characters not as three-dimensional as usual. Still, a fun read.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The mystery was good enough to call it a mystery novel, but the real star was the recipes and food descriptions.

This is a fun charming cozy series I always enjoy returning to . The 13th in series this was a exciting read with another well crafted fun mystery . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

In this next in series the focus is on Andy as he enters a famous Barista competition. Andy is the fabulous Torte Bakery barista and is very skilled at his job. Jules and friends go with Andy to the competition hoping he will win. They encounter jealousy,. bad behavior and finally murder . Andy is suspected as the victim is a hostile judge who did not like him and his last taste was a drink Andy made. Jules and crew are determined to save Andy and as they delve into the victims history they find suspects and clues abound.

This is a wonderful endearing cozy series I highly recommend. The charcters, the setting of Ashland and the Torte Bakery are truly brought to vibrant life by the author. Another winning cozy mystery story of Jules and friends. i cannot wait to read the next in series.

Torte barista Andy has been selected to enter the West Coast Barista Cup. Everyone is excited and positive Andy's wonderful brews will shine, but when the main judge and event owner takes an instant dislike to Andy, bad things happen. When that same judge is found dead with a cup of Andy's brew nearby, Juliet know she and Lance have to uncover the truth before Andy''s reputation is mud.. Another enjoyable romp through delicious desserts and coffees. I wish Torte was a real place nearby my home.

Juliet and her crew is back for another installment in this long-running cozy mystery series. She is once again settling into life in her small town when murder strikes again. Good but not ground-breaking, this book will be like returning for a visit to fans of this series.