I should have liked this book more than I did. The premise of a bake off at a historic manor with a ghostly legend, a little romance, murder and cut-throat competition should have been a winner. I have scratched my head about why it just missed the mark by a hair. I think it was the two main protagonists just did not quite gel for me. There was definitely a “meet-cute’ and the slow burn romance that is obligatory. It even had the local constabulary not only supporting the amateurs in their sleuthing but actually requesting it. That was a nice little change up.

I am not going to going to say I did not like the book. I did. I found it an easy and entertaining read but it failed to grab me. I will still give it four purrs and one paw up.

This was so good. I really didn’t know what to expect but this book was cleverly written and funny! I loved the mystery combined with the bake off- it made the story so unique and interesting.
I loved the characters and their interactions. Their dialogue was humorous- I especially loved her creative “cuss words”.
Loved the book. Once I started reading it I didn’t want to put it down!

Claire has joined the UK’s premier baking competition show. Her only worries are how good all of her bakes are going to be, until the first body drops. Now, with the help of a local detective and a handsome viscount, she must investigate the culprit before the next competitor falls.

This was so charming! I really loved the backdrop of the Great British Bake Off with the serial numbers filed off! I’ll admit, going into this I definitely expected the first victim to be a judge, but this went in a much different direction! The mystery kept me guessing throughout, and I kept changing who I thought was the killer and their motives.

And I really adored all the characters! Claire was a delight, with her gentle nature and her baking cheese words. All the competitors felt unique enough that I wasn’t mixing them up. And Johnny was just grumpy enough to be endearing without making me irritated with him. Could have done with less time spent on the romance, but that’s definitely a your mileage may vary. I wanted more time spent on the baked and the setting, but the romance was sweet enough, I wasn’t skipping it.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this arc!

Crime Brûlée Bake Off was so much fun! I loved the suspense and mystery, along with the culinary competition. Rebecca weaves a wonderful story that will have readers hooked. It's the Great British Bake Off in book form, with the twist of murder, mayhem and mystery you get from Agatha Christie books.
Claire is a school teacher who is determined to win a baking contest. Jonathan is the Viscount of the property where the competition is held. They have a bit of a grumpy/sunshine relationship. Claire made me laugh with her baking curse words and I love that many authors are putting this slightly silly trend into their books. Claire and Jonathan have a good relationship, a nice little flirty, slow burn. If you are looking for straight romance, this might not be for you. If you are looking for something different, mysterious, fun and has a slower burn, then go pick it up. There are fantastic side characters and it made the story so fun!

This is definitely a cozy mystery and not an intense book, but worth the read!!

the great british bake off is an annual tradition in my household. it runs over christmas and fulfils all of the cozy vibes i seek in my life.

so, naturally, the crime brulee bake off sounded like a perfect read to fill the time until the next season airs. for those who adore cozy vibes, a mystery amongst a baking backdrop and soft romance then this is a recommendation.

unfortunately, for me, this book didn't meet my full expectation. it took a while to reach where the murder mystery starts and between the baking scenes and historical bits, it was a bit of a bore to me. i found it difficult to remain engaged and interested that i started skim reading a vast majority.

What do you get when you add a baking show on a historic estate in England, a murder and a little bit of romance together? The delicious cozy mystery.

When I first got back into reading, I devoured cozy mysteries. Some of my favorites were Joanne Fluke and Josi S Kilpack. So when I heard that Rebecca Connolly was writing this new series, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I am so glad that I did because it was everything that I wanted and more.

Whodunit vibes and hilarious food “swears”, this book keeps you guessing until the end. The romance between Jonny and Claire was sweet and slow. I couldn’t get enough of it.

Highly recommend!

Intriguing, gripping, full of twists and turns, oh so cozy-mysterious, romantic, and fun, "The Crime Brûlée Bake Off" is a contemporary cozy mystery that kept me turning the pages into the early hours of the evening to see what was going to happen next!

Rebecca Connolly's writing and storytelling is vivid and descriptive, and, as the reader, I felt immersed in the world of the novel from the very first moment to the very last. She does a phenomenal job of weaving all the different puzzle pieces throughout, and the pacing felt simply perfect throughout. Every moment jumps right off of the page, and I found myself simply not wanting to put this book down!

When Claire, who is a teacher, wants to pursue her dreams of baking professionally, she enters a baking competition set on a British estate. However, never could she have imagined the turn things will take when another contestant is found dead, the death mirroring that of one that took place on the estate a long time ago. Soon, Claire, along with Jonathan, who owns the estate, find themselves wanting to find answers and examining how the present connects to the past.

As they search for answers, in addition, the more time Claire and Jonathan spend together, their relationship begins to deepen as they come to know one another better. What happens? You will just have to read to find out! Full of an atmospheric setting, suspense, delicious food, history, romance, strong character development, moments that will keep you guessing, and so much more, this novel truly has so much in it.

I highly recommend this book, and am so excited to read what Ms. Connolly writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the e-ARC of this book, and to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the physical ARC as well, this novel truly is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a fun read! I didn't know how much work went into a baking show. I really liked Claire and am excited to see that this will be a series!

Wow! I loved this suspense novel so much! Rebecca Connelly's writing is fabulous. The set-up was so clever and fascinating what with it being a bake off being filmed on a beautiful estate in a small village in England. So awesome!
Claire is an amateur baker who makes it onto the show and she is absolutely delightful. She is down to earth, intelligent, compassionate and funny. She's someone I would want to be friends with in real life; I liked her right from the start. Johnny is her perfect match. He is a viscount and owner of the estate where the show is happening. He seems gruff at first, but is really just a great guy who likes some privacy for himself and his family. Their relationship grows as they spend more time together trying to help solve the mystery behind the death of one of the contestants. The twists and turns are well executed; I couldn't put this book down! Definitely five stars!

A Delectable Blend of Romance, Mystery, and Baking

This novel serves up a delicious mix of romance, suspense, and culinary delights, set against the backdrop of a charming yet eerie English estate. Claire Walker jumps at the chance to compete on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, an opportunity that could transform her dream of a baking career into reality. But what starts as a lighthearted competition quickly turns sinister when a contestant turns up dead—echoing a centuries-old mystery that haunts Blackfirth Park.

Jonathan Ainsley, the brooding Viscount of Colburn, never intended to involve himself with the baking show beyond hosting it. Jaded by fortune-seeking admirers and weighed down by financial concerns, he prefers to keep his distance. But when the contestant’s death casts a dark shadow over Blackfirth Park, he has no choice but to investigate. As suspicion swirls and eerie parallels to the past emerge, Jonathan finds himself drawn to Claire—not just for her baking talents, but for her keen intellect and warm spirit.

The novel masterfully weaves together romance and mystery, keeping readers engaged with its blend of crackling chemistry and spine-tingling suspense. The historical elements, particularly the ghostly legend tied to the estate, add an extra layer of intrigue. Meanwhile, the baking competition setting infuses the story with warmth and charm, making it a perfect read for those who love The Great British Bake Off with a side of danger.

With its well-developed characters, tantalizing descriptions of pastries, and a mystery that keeps the pages turning, this book is a delightful treat. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, historical intrigue, and slow-burning romance, it delivers a satisfying blend of heart-pounding moments and sweet indulgences.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I liked the premise of the book but felt it was taking too long to get into the story I made it to 33% and still didn’t connect with the historical context or the main characters at all. This would be a cute mystery if you’re willing to stick it out.

I love Rebecca Connolly’s Regency romances & historical fiction, so when I saw she’d written a cozy mystery, I jumped at the chance to read it! The Crime Brûlée Bake Off combines the competition & mouthwatering dishes of The Great British Baking Show with a charming romance & haunting Agatha Christie-like whodunnit. This tantalizing read kept me on my toes as I deciphered the clues right alongside the endearing characters.

Claire Walker’s a teacher who wants to take her talent for baking to a whole new level by entering Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. Excited to be accepted on the show, her dreams are put in jeopardy when she finds a fellow contestant murdered. She & the handsome Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley who’s the custodian of Blackfirth Park where the show is being filmed, decide to work with the local detective to solve the murder before another contestant winds up dead.

I was completely drawn into this story from the beginning & loved all the nods to mystery favorites. The author did a fantastic job bringing the British setting to life, including all the delightful English slang. The baking competition aspect was so fun & made me hungry with each delicious creation. The characters were so endearing. There are quite a few of them to keep track of, but it was easy to quickly get to know them all.

I loved the slow burn romance between Jonny & Claire. Claire’s such a likable person & her culinary substitutes for swear words had me grinning all throughout. Jonny’s a lovable grump who’s not too excited about having the competition on his estate. These two reluctant sleuths end up working quite well together as they help the aptly named Detective Watson with his investigation.

The mystery was intriguing as the murder mimics the death of the tenth Viscountess of Colburn hundreds of years earlier. There’s rumors of a ghost that adds a spooky twist. Though there are several suspects, I had my suspicions early on & it was fun to see how it all played out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun cozy mystery & hope there’re more in store. Highly recommend! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s the perfect read for fans of cozy mysteries. The Crime Brûlée Bake Off has all the charm of a Hallmark Mystery movie—set in a beautiful foreign location, featuring a sweet romance, and centered around a delightful baking competition. The mystery itself is engaging without being too intense or graphic, making it an enjoyable and comforting read.

If you're looking for a lighthearted cozy mystery with a closed-door romance and a charming setting, this book is a fantastic choice!

The Crime Brûlée Bake Off is a fun closed suspect cozy mystery series starter by Rebecca Connolly. Released 4th Feb 2025, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. Large print library bound edition due out from Thorndike in May 2025. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The vibe here is classic stately home and estate, with a reality cooking show twist. Readers who enjoy cooking contest shows and lightly campy mystery will be in raptures. The characters run the gamut and feel in some cases more sketched in, than deeply rendered. There is, however, a rogues gallery of suspects and the author has fun drawing readers in along the way.

It's competently written throughout, albeit occasionally unnecessarily snarky, sarcastic, and with somewhat overwrought prose but with a nicely engineered mystery as compensation. There's a strong romance subplot, so readers who require romance-free murder mysteries might want to pass on this one. The language is clean, and it's a cozy, so there's little on-page violence or objectionable content.

Three and a half stars. Well written. Definitely worth a read for fans of stately home mysteries with a little lighter feel, like Clue and Knives out (though less bonkers than either). The author has included some recipes referenced in the story at the back of the book as a bonus.

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

I recently read an article in Library Journal about the mystery genre. It noted that there are a number of crossovers within the mystery field now; one of these new categories is the combination of mystery and romance. That is what readers find in The Crime Brulee Bake Off. They also find murder and BAKING!

Fans of shows like the Great British Baking Show will want to pick this one up immediately. It is fun to turn the pages and feel a party to insider knowledge of the workings of the show and the feelings of the contestants. However, one thing that fans of the TV series have not seen is murder and that is where a twist comes in. I also don’t know of any romances that began on the show as one does here.

Fans of traditional crime with a budding aristocrat and baker relationship will eat this one up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book more than I initally thought. I found the setting charming (GBBO fan), so was able to picture the setting easily.
The two main characters Claire and Jonny had a fun dynamic, and the secondary cast of characters were interesting.
The mystery isn’t too surprising if you’re already into mysteries as a genre, however I would argue that the plot was much more relationship driven.
My one criticism is the style of writing – it felt immature at times, so sometimes I struggled to get into it, as the characters can feel a little flat.
Knowing this is the first of the series, it will be interesting to see how different settings change the dynamics.

I'm not very big into cooking shows, and while I've heard that the Great British Bake-off show is hugely popular, I haven't been all that interested in watching it. That didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this story though. It was interesting to read about how things are done on competition baking shows - you know that what you see on TV is pretty carefully crafted, so it's interesting to get a "behind the scenes" look - even if this is a fictional show.
The main characters were fun to get to know, and I wasn't able to figure out who dunnit until the author wanted it to be discovered.
Fun story. I was happy to get a chance to read it.

I love this so much. It combined some of my favorite things - British baking shows, a rich male lead with a title, and a likeable main character. Plus throw in some murder. It is as perfect for fans of mysteries and the Great British Baking Show. I would love a follow up some how.

This book felt like a hallmark movie I’ve definitely seen. Sweet romance in a foreign place, a baking competition as a backdrop, and a mystery that doesn’t get too graphic or gorey. If you want a little mystery but in a light, not-very-scary-way, and you don’t mind a sweet romance without spice on the page, this could be a good option for you. I definitely saw the inspiration from British Bake Off. If you like cozy mystery and romance that is all sweet and no spice, this could be good for you.

What a yummy book! This was the perfect combination of a few of my favorite things: a cozy mystery and baking! I am obsessed with the Great British Baking show and this book was even better than watching an episode - it was a fun insight on what it could be like to look into the lives of bakers on reality tv and mixed in with lots of sweet and intense (from a murder mystery) emotions. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started.