I have read everything that Ellie Alexander has written in the mystery world. This was such a fun addition to her Bakeshop Mystery series. I love that we get to dive a little deeper into her and Carlos's relationship. The Torte family has undertaken one of their biggest jobs to date. They are going to be create an elaborate slab of Shakespearean food and desserts for the SOMA museum of arts. Julies and her crew are pushing themselves to new challenges with chocolate architecture and historical recipes. I love this so much as a History Major who has worked in museums. Ellie knocked it out of the park.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC of Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander. It’s the 14th in a series, but works fine as a stand alone. I know there was some backstory that I missed about main characters Jules and her husband, Carlos, but everyone has a past, right? The things I loved about the book were the setting of Ashland, Oregon, and the food descriptions sprinkled throughout the story. The bad part of this is that for me they slowed the unfolding of the mystery to the point where it became secondary. Maybe I would have felt more invested if I had started reading earlier in the series.

Jules and her team continue to grow and flourish as another intriguing mystery unfolds. The setting and characters haven't lost any of their charm.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal: A Bakeshop Mystery
By Ellie Alexander
St. Martin’s
December 28, 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

The residents of the Shakespeare-themed town of Ashland, Oregon are accustomed to annually celebrating their Shakespeare Festival and routinely performing the Bard’s many plays. As winter sets in bakery, winery, and now creamery owner Juliet Montague Capshaw is even more thrilled when one of her Torte bakeshop staff connects them with Javier de la Garza, the director of the Southern Oregon Museum of Art. Together they are able to bring to SOMA the Shakespeare’s Lost Pages exhibit, which includes not only his rare books and artifacts but also the highly coveted and newly discovered Double Falsehood manuscript. Torte has been hired to cater the opening night gala along with many smaller parties, which means that she, her team, and her no-longer-estranged husband Carlos will be busy in the kitchen designing epicurean delights. None can top their entirely edible, fully-functional chocolate Shakespearean desk, although SOMA patron and funder Ernest Boyd seems intent on criticizing everything. While he complains that an entire manuscript isn’t included and written entirely in chocolate, the real disaster occurs when the Lost Manuscript goes missing and is replaced with a fake.

Having more than once put herself in danger while investigating a crime, everyone – including Juliet herself – would prefer that she remain in Torte while the police handle the matter. Since her stepfather, “the Professor,” also happens to be the lead investigator that shouldn’t be a problem, except that the detectives seem to be focusing in on Javier as the culprit. An assault and murder accompanying the crime only heightens the need to close the case quickly before the suspects leave town and a priceless piece of art is lost to the highest bidder.

This 14th in the series charms in being a hang-out mystery, one where the real draw is being able to spend time with so many of these beloved characters. Carlos has unexpectedly found his true happy place in Ashland, choosing to give up their life as cruiseline chefs and instead focus on training a new generation of elite chefs within Torte. Their staff is a second family for Julie, adding to and not replacing her always supportive and loving mother and the Shakespeare-quoting Professor. With the creamery Scoops taking a break for the season, Torte becomes the place of comfort both for the staff who are able to create their works of art, and for the customers who then share those offerings of love. These exquisite many-course meals would challenge most home chefs, so descriptions rather than recipes are included for the vicarious foodie. These are more than satisfying for fans of this welcoming, warm mystery series that leaves readers satisfied with the future of Juliet and her friends but always looking for more of their adventures.

TRUE STORY: Ellie Alexander is one of my top five favorite authors and can literally do no wrong!

The picture she has painted, over this series, of Ashland has me wanting to jump on a plane and head to Lithia Park. Not just that, but the character development she has given us over these fourteen books is insane. It's hard not to believe that we don't actually know these characters in real life. Not just Jules, but The Professor, Andy, Lance are just a few that hold a special place in my heart.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal was fantastic. Out of all fourteen books, I've only guessed ONE killer. Once again, I was doing my best so sleuth along with Jules to find out who stole the manuscript, along with the murder. Oh, and Lance as a sidekick always has me rolling!!

Bravo, Ellie! You did it again. You had me sitting on the edge of my seat, binge reading, to find out how this book came to an end. The only downside is now I have to wait for book fifteen.

This 14th installment of the Bakeshop Mysteries, Bake, Borrow and Steal, by Ellie Alexander is set in Ashland, Oregon, a real city, during the Fall, which is one of my favorite times to read cozies when the air is crisp and we are on the cusp of the holidays.

Southern Oregon Museum of Art (SOMA) located on the grounds of Southern Oregon University (SOU) is hosting a gala that will be showcasing a rare manuscript written by the Bard himself, William Shakespear. Jules and her team at Torte are asked to build a chocolate sculpture to represent a desk that might have been used by Shakespear, but the desk also had to have actual moving parts, such as drawers that you could open and close.

The Director of SOMA is Javier, who knows that everything is riding on the success of the gala, but he is being manipulated by Ernest, a generous patron of SOMA and a person that he has creative differences with. Javier also has a PH.D student working on her dissertation that is overseeing the day to day operations of the gala and who is in conflict with several of the other people, volunteers and security included.

Everything is moving along until someone is injured in the archives room, a security guard is found dead, and the manuscript comes up missing. It's up to Jules, Lance and the Ashland police department, headed by the Professor, to sort everything out. There are many theories with multiple motives to keep everyone guessing and the red herrings are going to keep the true culprit hidden until the end.

I think if you love cozy mysteries, this has to be one of the best series to read and follow. It's a quick read and will keep you guessing until the end. Ellie Alexander is a great storyteller who, writes with passion and keeps her characters moving forward and well developed.

I received this advanced readers copy (ARC) from Netgalley for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Even though this is book 14 in the series, I had no problems reading it as a standalone and knew as soon as I started the book, I wouldn't be able to put it down until I read the last word with a great cast of characters and a mystery that quickly became a page-turner. I felt a real connection with Jules and loved her dynamic with her team at Torte in Ashland, Oregon. If you enjoy must-solve, twisty cozies, don't miss Bake, Borrow and Steal. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review. I also purchased a copy to read again later.

Sometimes cozy mysteries work for me; sometimes they don't. Unfortunately, this one didn't. It was slow and I list interest very early on. This one wasn't for me.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal is book #14 in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander.

The local museum is hosting an exhibit featuring a long lost work of Shakespeare. Jules and her crew are providing an Elizabethan feast including a chocolate desk and chair. Before the big reveal, the manuscript goes missing and there is a murder.

This was the first book I’ve read in this series and I was surprised that this was book 14. It was clear that there was backstory regarding the relationship between Jules and Carlos, but it was easy to read as a stand-alone. The people at Torte are a family and supportive of each other which I love in a book. The investigation of the crimes and determining whether they were related was really interesting and kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander has Jules Capshaw and the Torte team working to create Shakespearean treats for a gala. SOMA will be hosting a new exhibit titled Shakespeare’s Lost Pages which will feature the Bard’s lost manuscript, Double Falsehood. Jules is creating a stunning chocolate centerpiece for the event and Torte will provide treats authentic to the time period. Just before the unveiling of Double Falsehood--it disappears, and the laidback security guard charged with safeguarding it is murdered. The museum needed this exhibit, or it could cease to exist. Jules and Lance set out to bag the villain who committed these dastardly deeds so the museum can regain its reputation and host a new unveiling. Bake, Borrow, and Steal is the fourteenth A Bakeshop Mystery. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend reading them in order so you can watch Jules come into her own and watch the other characters grow as well. I like Ellie Alexander’s casual writing style. It makes the story easy to read. There is a great cast of characters that includes Jules, Carlos, Sterling, Thomas, The Professor, Andy, and so many more. Torte has a great staff who create delectable delights. Lance is an over-the-top character. He adds humor to the story with his antics. The mystery was well-plotted, but it was a cinch to solve. I knew who would commit the crime before it occurred. I also suspected where the lost manuscript was hidden. I would like to see this author make the mysteries more complex. I would love to be stumped. There is misdirection to send readers down the wrong snow-covered path. It all wrapped up nicely at the end. Bake, Borrow, and Steal has a sweet ending. The detailed descriptions of Torte’s tempting treats will have you heading to your local bakery. I enjoyed reading about the construction of the chocolate desk and chair. It is not easy to make that type of item out of chocolate. Bake, Borrow, and Steal was an enjoyable cozy mystery to read. I like seeing how the lives of the various characters have changed since the beginning as well as Torte. The business continues to expand under Jules leadership. Bake, Borrow, and Steal is a sweet story with scrumptious pastries, a missing manuscript, a chocolate conundrum, a security guard who is a goner, a zealous Lance, a bothersome board member, and a thoughtful Thanksgiving.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal was such a wonderful cozy mystery read and I am still thinking about the characters days later, simply wondering what they are up to today. I broke alllllll the rules and I read Bake, Borrow, and Steal without reading any of the previous novels in the series. This is the 14th in the series but can certainly be read as a standalone. There were a few times I felt like I had missed something big from a previous storyline, but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of this story. I LOVED it. I enjoyed Ellie Alexander's character and plot development. By the end, I felt I had truly come to know the characters and missed visiting them at the bakery. If you have a love for baking or coffee, this is a must read! So so many descriptions of yummy treats in this book!

This is the first book that I have read in Bakeshop series set in Ashland, Oregon but I did not need to have read the previous books to enjoy this one.

Javier, the director of SOMA, the museum on the campus of Southern Oregon University, has asked Jules and her young team at Torte to cater the opening night GALA for an exhibition of Double Falsehood, Shakespeare’s newly discovered manuscript. Not only is this their biggest event ever, Javier has asked them to use recipes from Shakespeare’s time and to recreate in chocolate a life-size, working replica his writing desk.

On the night of the GALA, the manuscript is stolen, a staff member injured, and a young security guard is killed. Javier is arrested but Jules wonders if he did it. There are others among the museum staff, volunteers, and benefactors who could also have done it. She seeks clues to exonerate her friend, find the killer and the missing manuscript.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance ready copy of this book.

Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander takes us back to Ashland, Oregon and Torte bakeshop. It is November and cold but not yet snowy, although Andy predicts he will be skiing before Thanksgiving so who knows? Juliet (Jules) and her crew have landed a major catering job: the world premiere viewing of a, heretofore unknown, original Shakespeare manuscript is to be right here in Ashland and the art world is abuzz. It will be the largest job she has ever done, including life size chocolate sculptures of Shakespeare's desk and chair. Even Jules has to admit the museum staff seems in discord the days before the opening, but she writes that off to nerves. Finally the big night is here, and Jules accidentally comes upon a maintenance man under a set of storage shelves in the basement. After call for help, she stands back and lets the paramedics work their magic and get him to the hospital all in one piece. The momentary peace is broken just moments later when the security guard for the masterpiece is found dead and the manuscript gone. 150 guests and no one can leave until they've spoken to the police. At least most of the food got eaten.

Ellie and Lance on are the job, but honestly, they can't seem to find anything important. Javier, the museum director, was arrested at the scene, but that made no sense. If had had committed, the crimes, and that was a big if, he wouldn't have left the evidence out in plain sight in his office. Rosa, one of Jules' employees was Javier's niece and beside herself. The professor was working around the clock, and been the FBI had been called in. It was a good mystery and of course, the characters are terrific, both the regulars and the ones specific to this story. This town's fascination with Shakespeare is entertaining and compelling. The romance between Jules and her husband, Carlos, is warm and comforting. It is the perfect cozy mystery.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Bake, Borrow, and Steal by St. Martin's Paperbacks, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #stmartins #elliealexander #bakeborrowandsteal

wonderful cozy mystery, lots of interesting, complex and quirky characters. Set in Oregon, a baker has to sculpt William Shakespeare's desk and chair out of chocolate for a special event. Murder and mayhem ensue, lots of twists and turns that makes this a real page turner.

Ashland, Oregon is all aflutter with the upcoming debut of a long lost Shakespeare manuscript, set to be unveiled at a gala held by the local Southern Oregon Museum of Art. Director Javier de la Garza has contacted our heroine, Juliet Montague Capshaw (Jules, for short,) to see whether her bakery-cafe Torte will cater the festivities with food appropriate to the Elizabethan era. In addition, he wants her to replicate in chocolate the kind of desk and chair Shakespeare might have used, in order to display a confectionery version of the manuscript.

As pretty much everyone in Ashland, Jules included, is big into Shakespeare, she readily agrees. Building a desk out of chocolate proves to be a bigger challenge than she realized, and that’s even before she meets the overworked staff of SOMA and the overly-demanding donor throwing his weight around. But when the night of the gala arrives and Tim, the museum custodian, brings to her attention the fact that the cabinet containing the valuable manuscript looks a bit off, Jules has to drop everything and race to find Javier amidst the crowds. When they open the cabinet together, their fears are confirmed: the manuscript has indeed been stolen!

Jules and Javier are shaken and unsure of what to do next, given that they have a building full of eager patrons ready to take a look at this rare find. Things take a turn for the worse when Tim is found unconscious in the archives shortly after… and someone else is found dead. Javier is swiftly arrested for theft, assault and murder, putting a serious dampener on the festivities.

Neither Jules nor her stepfather, the police chief she fondly calls the Professor, is convinced of Javier’s guilt, but the evidence is overwhelming. The Professor confesses to her:

QUOTE
[“]As you know, Javier and I have been friends and fellow admirers of the Bard for many years. I wish I could say with complete authority that there’s no chance of his involvement, but for now the evidence says otherwise, and I am bound by duty to follow the evidence, even if it doesn’t lead me where I personally want it to.”

“Doesn’t it seem unlikely that someone with such a high regard for Shakespeare and art in general would do anything to jeopardize a piece as valuable as the manuscript?”

“Without a doubt, but in this line of work, we deal in facts, not supposition.”
END QUOTE

As the FBI gets involved, Jules finds herself looking to clear Javier’s name as she and the other employees of Torte try to make the best of the gala disaster. But could a wrong turn in the museum archives put her life in jeopardy… and at the hands of the very man she’s attempting to exonerate?

This was another well-written installment of the Bakeshop mystery series, with an even greater emphasis on Shakespeare than usual. I’d never heard of the theory that Shakespeare was actually a woman before reading it here, as put forward by SOMA’s assistant director Zoe Joiner:

QUOTE
[“]The clues are there in the pages of the canon. They’re not even subtle. Female power, strong female friendships, a push for equality, and more. I’m writing my dissertation on the subject, and my opening line is from Emilia in Othello. ‘Let husbands know/Their wives have sense like them.’” She removed her glasses and tossed them on her desk. “Shakespeare’s work is rife with heroines, but I challenge you to find many heroes. No, it’s obvious if you open your eyes and start to pay attention. Shakespeare was a woman. The only question I haven’t found the answer to yet is whether she was one woman or many.”
END QUOTE

While I’m not personally convinced by this theory – it’s perfectly possible to be a feminist without being a woman, after all – it does provide fascinating insight to themes and motifs common to the Bard’s work. The love of Shakespeare is palpable throughout the pages, as is the love the Torte staff has for their vocation: of nourishing the community with love. It’s so great to see Jules and Carlos, her once estranged husband and now co-worker at Torte, be at such a good place in their lives, with Jules already looking forward to taking the next step in their future together. Overall, this was a heartwarming cozy that series fans will not want to miss!

I love this series and this was no exception. I love that this one really centered around Shakespeare. Shakespeare has always been in the background and talked about as Ashland is home to a Shakespeare theater and Jules' stepfather regularly quotes the Bard. So to have a mystery full of Shakespeare lore and history was lots of fun. As well, because the acutal crime took place at a museum opening we had a bunch of new characters and a new setting but also got to enjoy the familiar characters and location of Torte.

The mystery is an intriguing one. Who stole the manuscript, what's going on behind the scenes at the museum becuase there is all kinds of tension, and last but not least do either of those have to do with the murder that happens soon after the theft? I enjoyed this book from beginning to end and as always enjoyed my time in Ashland with the crew from Torte.

Ashland, Oregon’s best bakeshop, Torte, has moved on to hosting gala events. Owner Juliet Montague Capshaw and her crew have been recruited to create a dinner and dessert buffet based on recipes from Shakespeare’s times. The Southern Oregon Museum of Art (SOMA) has managed to be the first American stop on the tour for a long-lost manuscript believed to be penned by Shakespeare. Double Falsehood is the title of the manuscript, and the director of SOMA, Javier de la Garza, used Ashland’s connections to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to make this opportunity come to pass.

The viewing will be a huge deal for the museum, and Javier wants to make the evening epic. He’s asked Jules and her crew to create a reproduction desk and chair, complete with moving parts, all our of chocolate. It had been a while since Jules had worked much with chocolate, so she had to study her textbooks from culinary school and consult with old friends to figure out how to accomplish such a task. But after weeks of experimenting, she was able to figure out how to get the chocolate strong enough to hold up the structure but still glossy and movable. Finally, they managed to put together a chair and a desk, complete with a drawer that opens to reveal a white chocolate manuscript copy of Double Falsehood.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew from Torte created an assortment of appetizers, hand pies, stews, frangipane candy, breads, cakes, and tasty desserts that were similar to those in Shakespeare’s times. Jules is nervous about the event, because it had been a huge undertaking and it could potentially lead to more business. But the night of Shakespeare’s Lost Pages comes, and Jules and her team have it all in hand. The night is going beautifully, until she sees Cindy and Tim arguing.

Cindy, the head volunteer docent for the museum, is wanting to get Javier. Tim, the custodian, tells her not to ruin the evening. When Jules goes over to find out what they’re arguing about, she learns the bad news—Cindy and Tim think that someone has stolen the Shakespeare manuscript and replaced it with a copy. Tim noticed that the entire display case is all wrong, and he thinks that someone changed out the entire display case, absconding with the priceless manuscript.

Jules insists that they tell Javier, knowing that the police will need to be notified as well. Her stepfather is already at the event, and as he is both a police detective and a Shakespeare expert, he is the second person that Jules wants to let in on the problem. As the police show up and start to question all the guests, Jules finds Tim in the basement, under a heavy shelf. She goes for help, needing more hands to get the shelf off him, but even after he’s been treated at the hospital, the knock he got on the head meant that his short-term memory has been erased, and he can’t tell them what exactly happened.

Javier’s niece, Rosa, works at Torte and asks Jules for help clearing Javier’s name. But the questions just keep piling up—why is there a box of cash in the museum’s basement? Why did someone attack Tim? Could Javier’s assistant be involved? She is a grad student working on her dissertation about how Shakespeare was probably actually a woman. Or could it have been their biggest donor, Ernest, who wants to keep art separate, for the elite and the wealthy, and wanted Javier to follow his agenda?

Jules doesn’t believe that Javier had anything to do with the manuscript going missing, or with the physical attacks that happened in the wake of its disappearance. But will she be able to figure out who did before they come after her?

Bake, Borrow, and Steal is book 14 in the Bakeshop Mystery Series. Author Ellie Alexander continues to create interesting crimes about the happenings in the small town of Ashland, Oregon. As Alexander creates a warm family, with Jules and her husband as well as with the bakers, cooks, and baristas who staff Torte, she makes a safe place with comfort and grace for Jules to work from, as she inevitably sets out to investigate horrible crimes. Her books are consistently balanced, with sweetness to counter the murder.

I have been a big fan of the Bakeshop Mysteries for years, and I really loved Bake, Borrow, and Steal. I loved the connection to Shakespeare, and the conversations she started about whether art is for everyone or just a few, and who really wrote the plays we think of as William Shakespeare’s. There is always a lot of food talk, which in this book was especially comforting, as they talked of warming soups and treats like brownies as the snow was falling. Bake, Borrow, or Steal is smart, delicious, and deadly and the perfect book to curl up with in a coffeeshop just like Torte.

Egalleys for Bake, Borrow, and Steal were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

A fun, interesting, and fast-paced addition to the series. There's good food and yummy recipes, danger, murder, a newly discovered (and then stolen) manuscript written by Shakespeare, and several possible suspects and red herrings. It definitely kept me guessing.
This book 14 in the Bakeshop Mysteries, but it stands alone with no problem.

Many thanks to the publisher, Kensington, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

I love this series and was so happy to be back in the world of Juliet & the Torte bakery! This particular book is the 14th in the series but can easily be read as a stand alone. Personally, I have read through book 5 and then jumped ahead to this one. Don't worry, I'll be going back and catching up on the rest of this series over 2022.

In Bake, Borrow and Steal Juliet has been asked to create a chocolate showpiece for a gala opening at the local museum featuring Shakespeare's lost manuscript, Double Falsehood. There is a large amount of work that needs to be done and just when Juliet gets everything in place news spreads that the manuscript is missing and the security guard protecting it has been killed.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery with an art heist twist. I felt that Juliet was in top form as she investigated and followed the clues and twists. The setting, as always was great. I love Ashland in the fall and this captured it perfectly along with the scenes at the museum and prepping for the gala. One of my favorite parts of this series are the desserts and other food that the characters make. Do not read this book hungry!

Juliet (aka Jules) was raised in small town Ashland, OR. She grew up helping her parents in their bakery and went on to culinary school. After working for many years on a cruise line, where she met her husband, Carlos, she moved back home to take over the family bakery. She now shares ownership of it with her mother, who recently married the local head of police. After a two year separation, Jules has worked things out with Carlos and he is running the winery they have majority ownership of.

A lost manuscript of William Shakespeare has been discovered and, since Ashland is home to a Shakespearean theatre and the town has a Shakespearean theme, the director of the local museum has managed to have it exhibited in there. It is a big deal and Tortes has been hired to provide the catering for the opening night gala, which has all the staff at Torte racing around preparing the food. At the unveiling gala, there is a lot of tension, both with the museum staff and the Torte staff. It doesn't help when it's discovered that the manuscript has been stolen, the maintenance man has been attacked, a guard killed and the director of the museum is then arrested for everything.

This is the fourteenth in the Bakeshop Mystery series (I've read them all) and I thought it was okay. It's written in first person perspective in Jules' voice. It was a quick light read and is a "cozy mystery" so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. I suspect there will probably not be many more in this series as everyone is settled down happily and Jules is thinking about having a baby.