Member Reviews
Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander (A Bakeshop Mystery #14) 5 stars
Jules and her team at Torte have been asked to cater the big fundraiser at SOMA which is hosting the exhibition "Shakespeare Lost Pages". Authentic Elizabethan fare with a slightly modern twist is the request with a chocolate desk as the showstopper. Just putting together the menu sounds exhausting and the chocolate installation - difficulty scale 8. But Jules and the staff of Torte prevail and all is transported to the museum. Unfortunately, what is supposed to be a triumphant catering gig turns into murder and mayhem. Can Jules help the police find the culprit and put all aright?
Angels and ministers of grace defend us! - Hamlet Act 1, Scene 4
It is hard to believe that there has been 14 books in this series and each mystery is delicious meal unto itself. The mystery was engaging with Jules researching the various suspects. Several clues stood out, but didn't register until the very end. This book was especially great because of the detailed descriptions of food and the art of cooking that is part of every book. I wish Torte was real because it would be a great place to visit post pandemic. Ms. Alexander gives up a warm and cozy mystery that is meaningful while we are in the midst of a pandemic. She makes staying inside a lot more tolerable and fun. I look forward to the next book in this series "Donut Disturb" coming in June 2022. It is Thomas and Kerry's wedding!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC.
Ellie Alexander's Bake, Borrow, and Steal, the most delicious installment yet in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, Oregon!
Yes it is! The book is like meeting up with old friends for an adventure. Lots of twists and turns. You will not be disappointed with this series!
#bakeborrowandsteal#netgalley
This book is truly a great read in continuation with her series. I cant wait for the next book allready to know what the future holds know that everything is great in Asheland. I realy enjoyed reading the book. Can't wait for the next one!!!
I enjoyed this book. I love the characters, reading about them is like living a bit of their lives. The mystery is interesting and I loved watching them solve it. I was definitely surprised by who the bad guy is.
Another addition to the Bake Shop Series set in Ashland, Oregon finds Jules and her team preparing for a Gala-there most ambitious job yet! When a security guard is found dead, Jules needs to solve the mystery to stop everything from being spoiled. Enjoyable, quick read.
My younger sisters got me hooked on this series, and now I'm fully invested. Although I was expecting a bit of a repeat of Lance's big Shakespearean party, this installment was pleasantly surprising. It was refreshing to see Jules, who always touts the importance of learning from failure, not get something perfect the first time. I loved seeing some social issues being brought up with the culprit. I feel like we've seen some real character development in this book, and I'm looking forward to seeing where their stories go next!
I really, really, really adore this series; it just keeps getting better and better! The mystery was fun and intriguing, but what I really love is all the talk about the food and the drinks. And the gorgeous descriptions of Ashland. And the bits of Shakespeare. And all the characters. So basics, everything.
Thank you to @stmartinspress for my ARC - I was excited to read this one for #NetGalleyNovember!
Pub date: Dec 28
Genre: cozy mystery, book 14 in the Bakeshop Mysteries
In one sentence: Jules and the Torte bakeshop team are hard at work creating a chocolate spectacular for a Shakespeare exhibit - but when a priceless manuscript goes missing, chocolate is the least of her problems...
Do I need to read book 1 first? Cozy mysteries are often meant to be standalones - you can still get a good sense of the characters from this book alone. I actually started the series with book 13 and then went back to the earlier ones, so do whatever works for you!
This is one of my favorite cozy series, and book 14 did not disappoint! I loved the emphasis on the festival (ties into the Shakespeare influence in Ashland). And the chocolate! If you are a chocoholic, you will be drooling while reading this book.
As always, @ellie_alexander fits in a compelling mystery, lots of baking and coffee brewing, and fun time with this quirky cast of characters. I also really appreciate that these books aren't too long - they feel like just the right length! In a world of 400+ page books that really should be 300 page books, a 300 page cozy mystery always makes me happy.
If you like food, mysteries, and books that warm your soul, you need to read these books!
November has arrived and the weather is turning. While things are a bit slower for Jules and Carlos, they are catering a very important event at a museum on campus. While the largest event Tort has ever catered, and Jules is stressed, the team pulls off a fantastic catering job…only to have the event marred by the theft of a newly discovered manuscript by Shakespeare, the injury of a museum employee and the death of another.
With so many suspects Jules isn’t sure who the culprit might be. Though the FBI is brought in on the case, Jules still can’t help herself from digging around and trying to figure out who stole the manuscript and who is a killer, though she suspects they are one and the same. Now to avoid a killer while Jules and Lance try to figure it out and the police and FBI do their own investigation.
I adore this series, but then again, I adore everything that Ellie Alexander writes. Her characters come to life within her written words and become friends you look forward to seeing each and every time you pick up one of her books. You can almost smell and taste the pastries and food as she describe them too. This is a cozy mystery author you do not want to miss out on, so if you haven’t read one of her books, now’s the time!
Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander in exchange for an honest review. I am always so excited to get a new one of her books and this was another amazing book. Jules Capshaw runs Torte, her family's bakeshop in Ashland, Oregon. She has agreed to help host a spectacular gala and exhibition of Shakespeare's newly discovered manuscript. Jules is asked to make a chocolate centerpiece, catering the opening night and providing desserts. The big gala event arrives, and then accidents happen. The guests are asked to stay and answer questions. Thank goodness the food was excellent! I read it in a little over a day!
A rare copy of a Shakespeare play is stolen at a reception honoring the great playwright. When someone winds up dead and another person is injured, the case gets muddier. Naturally Juliet and Lance are heavily involved in the investigation. The Bakeshop mysteries are among my favorite. Not just because of the plots, but the food and coffees served at Torte make me crave a shop like that near home.
Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of BAKE, BORROW, AND STEAL (Book 14 of the Bakeshop Mysteries), by Ellie Alexander, in exchange for an honest review. The SOMA museum in Ashland, Oregon has been chosen to host the unveiling of a recently located and verified manuscript by Shakespeare. The organizers of the unveiling chose Jules and the Torte team to prepare delicious Elizabethan treats for the feast and to craft themed chocolate sculptures to accent the event. Despite Torte’s mouthwatering morsels and crafted chocolate, the party goes awry. First, someone steals the manuscript; then, murder deals a final deathstroke to the unveiling. Once again, Jules and Lance are on the case.
I enjoy this book and the series. I highly recommend both to fans of cozy mysteries with food themes.
November has arrived in Ashland, Oregon and Juliet "Jules" Capshaw owner of Torte Bakeshop and her crew are dreaming up wonderful food and drink for residents and visitors alike. Jules has been hired to cater a huge museum gala, "Shakespeare's Lost Pages" that is displaying a new lost manuscript thought to have been written by William Shakespeare. This is something near and dear to Jules' stepfather, but unfortunately he has to use his police skills at the opening as several crimes are committed. Of course Jules is also drawn into the investigation. I would suggest that If you haven't read the beginning of the series, you should. The engaging characters have grown up and relationships have changed, but all the talk of food might still make a reader hungry or thirsty. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bake, Borrow and Steal by Ellie Alexander is the cozy mystery to read this holiday season. I am reading an E arc advanced copy from NetGalley. I have read all the books in this series and this last book is my favourite by far. Whenever I read one of Ellie’s baking mysteries it inspires me to bake out of my comfort zone and I can’t wait to to finish reading and try recipes at the end of each baking mystery book. I love her characters and how she inspires their lives and creativity and to reach for their dreams. Ellie keeps the reader guessing right to the end of the book and the murderer is revealed. Baking murder mysteries are my favourite and you don’t want to miss Ellie Alexander’s latest baking mystery, Bake, Borrow and Steal. It’s a winner👏🤗📚🧁🍪🍩🧋☕️
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted copy of the ARC.
Snow is coming to Ashland in November. Andy wins the bet.
Rosa's Uncle asks Jules and her crew to cater at a fundraiser for a University Museum. The long awaited Shakespeearean papers will be on exhibit.
Meanwhile there is a self important donor who throws his weight around and manages to alienate everyone. A member of the staff claims that Shakespeare was a woman. The security guard seems to be a sandwich short. Jules and her husband Carlos are settling into their lives together.
With such diverse characters in Ashland, something happens! Someone is killed and there is galore of suspects. Jules' best friend Lance wants to investigate the suspects.
There were lots of red herrings.