Crime Brûlée by Rebecca Connolly is a charming cozy mystery that blends the feel-good atmosphere of The Great British Bake Off with the intrigue of a classic Hallmark Mystery movie. Set during a baking competition, the book follows a group of contestants who get caught up in a murder investigation when one of them is found dead. Connolly excels at creating a warm, inviting setting, filled with endearing characters, lighthearted baking puns, and a sweet slow burn romance. However, while the story is enjoyable, the suspense falls a bit flat. The mystery unfolds slowly, and the tension never fully builds, leaving the resolution feeling a little too neat and predictable. That said, if you’re looking for a fun read with a dash of intrigue and a lot of sweetness, Crime Brûlée is a delightful pick—just don’t expect it to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This was a fun mystery with fun characters. I'm a big fan of Jonny. As a fan of the Great British Bake Off, it was like getting a back stage pass.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I am solidly standing in my cozy mystery era. Combine a low stakes mystery with a baking competition and what you get is a darling book with a very adorable title. The setting of The Crime Brulee Bake Off is a beautiful estate manor set in the English countryside.

I loved the two main characters. Claire and Jonny were cute as individuals and as a crime solving duo. The book moved at a really slow pace, so I found it difficult to stay engaged. I saw the culprit coming from a mile away, but there were aspects of the reveal that were a surprise. I really enjoyed the baking and recipes from the contestants. And I especially love the full recipes at the end of the book! Some of them sound so delicious and I definitely want to give them a try!

This is a fantastic read if you're looking for something on the lighter side, with a fun, cozy feel!

5
Murder, mayhem, and…macarons? Claire Walker, teacher and amateur baker, got the opportunity of a lifetime when she was selected to be a contestant on the show, Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. As a lover of history and baking, she can think of nothing better than to bake and film on the historic estate of Blackfirth. An unexpected friendship with the somewhat broody viscount that came with the estate, adds to the excitement of this dream come true. Her blissful imaginings come to a sudden halt though when a fellow contestant turns up dead. What she hoped would be a time of friendly competition and bonding with the other contestants turns to stressed out bakers and suspicions all around. With the help of said broody viscount, she hopes to solve the mystery of her friend whose murder eerily resembles that of the viscounts long dead ancestor. With tensions high and time running out, they race to crack the case before the killer strikes again.
———
OK. WHAT EVEN! How was this perfection from beginning to end? I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this and I think I’ll be giddy about it for a while. It’s been a bit since I’ve read a book that has made me feel like this. This was having me grinning like an idiot for most of the time and then had my heart beating wildly in actual nervousness and anticipation for the big reveal at the end.
Being set in England with a baking competition comprising of historical bakes, a sprawling estate owned by a handsome viscount, and a dash of mystery added to the mix, this was legitimately pure catnip for me. Simply put, this book was light, fun, and utterly charming! And can we appreciate the perfect title? LOVED THIS.

CLAIRE AND JONNY! They were the most precious little dorks in the world. Their budding friendship to more is what dreams are made of🫠 How they both thought the other was adorable. The banter. The underlying attraction. The support and comfort. HIS PROTECTIVENESS. “Back up and back off”🥵 SIR! Ok and her baking related curses were my favorite😂 and loved how they rubbed off on him too. Ugh, I hope we see more of them in the future!

💋A few of the SWEETEST kisses🥹

📝
“Claire’s eyes flicked toward him with her own small smile, and he felt his heart lurch sideways against his ribs. Oddly uncomfortable, that.”

‘“Of all the gritty risotto stupid ideas, that is number one.” Claire’s forehead creased like ripples on the water. “Gritty risotto? That’s what you came up with?” “It’s my first time, don’t mock me.”’

“Thankfully, they avoided that awkwardly long moment of staring into each other’s eyes that was in every single romantic comedy Gabi had ever forced him to watch by both of them simply taking a cautious step back. And looking away from each other. And clearing their throats at the same time.”

“Cakes and a custard, he was attractive.”

*Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC of The Crime Brûlée Bake Off. All opinions are my own.

I love the Great British Baking Show, and this was an interesting read loosely based on that show. It was a bit predictable but had a twist in the end.

In this scrumptious new mystery, Claire Walker dreams of winning Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, a fictional GBBO.

But she can hardly imagine what she’s in for as their historic kitchen setting becomes the scene of a crime.

Meanwhile, family legend of the Blackfirth Park ghost haunts Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, whose sole goal is to survive this filming madness and return to his life peaceful life on the estate.

Rebecca Connolly’s playful prose is as elegant and enjoyable as the show which inspired the story.

But I wanted more excitement from the author; it’s just a touch too sweet and a tinge too safe in storyline.

Overall, a delight and a half, and I’d highly recommend for a light and wholesome read.

Paul Hollywood, I hope you read this story someday and find it as enjoyable as I did.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a review!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Cozy Mystery, British Mystery, Mystery, Whodunnit, Culinary Mystery, Mystery Romance
Language: Squeaky clean (and funny)
Spice Level: Kissing
Tropes: Grumpy/Sunshine, Rich/Common, Small Town

THE CRIME BRULEE BAKE OFF is like sitting down with tea and crumpets while sorting clues. All of the characters are interesting—there are suspicious, gregarious, spunky, sweet, grumpy, pushy, and underhanded folks prowling around.

And after dark? Stay home at all costs! Is it a ghost causing the attacks and murder, or is it someone from the show, or what about someone from town? I was guessing until the end. (And here's my tiny caveat: I don't think the reader was given enough during the story to actually solve it.)

I enjoyed this quirky town and the story. I will definitely read more by this author.

Happy (sleuthing) reading!

Amateur baker Claire Walker joins Britain’s Battle of the Bakers at Blackfirth Park, dreaming of launching her baking career, but the competition takes a dark turn when a contestant is found dead. Jonathan Ainsley, Viscount of Colburn, reluctantly gets involved as the incident revives eerie rumors of a centuries-old death tied to his estate. As suspicion brews among the bakers, Claire and Jonathan must solve the mystery—while navigating a budding romance—before the competition crumbles or another victim falls.

This was a charming, cozy read. While not much of a fan of baking shows, I did enjoy the setting of this tale. Claire, with her love of baking and history, was a fun character. It took a bit longer to warm up to Jonathan, but he was a lovely compliment to Claire.

Personally, I thought this leaned more towards romance than mystery. I did raise an eyebrow at how Claire and Jonathan were drawn into solving the murder, but sometimes fiction requires a suspension of belief. My biggest annoyance was the frequent use of baked goods as exclamations and expletives. One or two, used consistently (like a catch phrase) would have been easier to handle I think.

Overall, it was an enjoyable plot. Readers who enjoy cozy romantic mysteries will enjoy this.

What more could I ask for in a fun and entertaining plot than baking and a murder? This upbeat cozy mystery was giving definite Great British Baking Show vibes and I loved that! The cast of characters was varied and had unique quirks and the baking competition back drop added a layer of fun and excitement to the story that delved beyond just solving a murder. The chemistry between Jonny and Claire was off the charts! Witty one liners, winks, flirtatious glances and a protectiveness from the hero that was everything I wanted! Jonny was the perfectly slightly grumpy hero with a heart of gold and a propensity for making Claire blush with his flirting! I just loved the pair and need more of them!

For fans of GBBO look no further than this cozy murder mystery. I felt like it was a game of clue, with this game of who done it.
I loved the nods to the show (and everyone’s obsession with Paul Hollywood ahem myself included.)
I would love to read more of these!

4.25 ⭐️

Connolly married two of my favourite things in this delicious book—baking shows and murder mysteries!

For all my fellow Great British Menu & Great British Bake Off lovers, this is the book for you.

What happens when the lead baker on a bake-off competition ends up dead one night after filming? And there’s a local murder legend too close for comfort and no one seems to be taking the case seriously? Claire Walker & Viscount Jonathan Ainsley are on the case!

For the seasoned, veteran mystery consumer, the identity of the murderer probably won’t be a surprise. But the motive? Yeah, that’s the part I couldn’t figure out, and it was a SURPRISE.

I loved Claire and Jonny. They have the cutest slow burn romance that’s really just delightful! And the whole baker “family” was such a fun cast dynamic. (Though I do have unanswered questions about a few of them). Be prepared for this book to make you hungry because the array of desserts sounded HEAVENLY.

And that TITLE! I didn’t even need to read the blurb to know I needed this book. A clever play on words will always be a way to my heart.

I can’t wait to see if we get another Claire Walker mystery and get more Claire & Jonny cuteness—because I definitely need more!


*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Great British Bake Off is my very favorite show. I’ve watched every available season in the US. I also love cozy mysteries. The very premise of this book made it a must-read.

Claire is a teacher who loves baking. When she makes the cut to be on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, she sees the opportunity to fund her own bakery at long last. She settles into the filming schedule on historic Blackfirth Park, a place notorious for a murder centuries ago. She soon meets the grumpy viscount, Jonny, and sparks begin to fly… and then another contestant is found dead. The local inspector agrees with them that the situation looks suspicious, but his superiors want everything quiet. It’s up to Claire and Jonny to find the murderer.

This book hit the cozy vibe I needed at a stressful time. The Bake Off elements were right, the historical bakes fun (and there are several recipes at the end), and I adored the sweet romance. My only complaint is the suspect is clear early on and the mystery stays pretty linear. That didn’t dim my enjoyment, though. This read is a lot of fun!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a very cute, cozy mystery that is exactly what is says on the tin - heavily inspired by The Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Show for the actual Brits). It’s not a complicated plot, it’s not a complicated romance, it’s just a straightforward story about a quirky baker (she curses with baking euphemisms!) and her quirky baker friends (who are definitely heavily inspired by prior Bake Off contestants) on a quirky and possibly haunted estate, and the less quirky viscount who owns said estate (and despite being an investment banker, is never actually depicted as doing any investment banking, or any work whatsoever) and has a thing for quirky bakers.

I think this is a great vacation read for when you are sitting on a beach and just want to turn your brain off. The plot isn’t the most plausible (Claire and Johnny are just roped into the investigation because reasons), and the mystery isn’t all that complicated. I figured out whodunnit at around the 50% mark, but not why because there wasn’t actually any foreshadowing or buildup. The characters are cute and quirky, if a bit one note (Freya is young, Claire is nerdy, Anthony is a health nut) but as an easy beachy surface read it still all works. I didn’t particularly jive with the author’s writing style (lots of repetition and over explaining) but that’s a personal preference that may still work for others.

Things I loved: This was clearly a love letter to GBBO and luckily, I also love GBBO. It came complete with its own Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood knock offs which was fun, and while the cast of characters fell flat for me, I could still picture them all on GBBO as contestants. It managed not to infringe on the copyrights by inventing their own concepts (Occasion and Classic Bakes rather than a technical challenge for example) which helped make it a little more interesting. And all the food described sounded amazing! I also liked the haunted estate angle, and wished the author leaned into that a little more.

Things I didn’t: Unfortunately, I was not in a vacation read mindset, so the book was kind of boring to me. The murder mystery was incredibly simple, and I figured out who the murderer was purely because the plot was predictable, not because of any foreshadowing. The main relationship was too insta-lovey for me, but again, this isn’t a deep book so it did work in context. Also, the baking related curses (crepes alive! cakes and a custard! frosting!) really got old after chapter three.

Perfect for fans of: GBBO, cozy mysteries, old English manor houses and the associated weird history, quirky + sprawling casts of characters, viscounts and their incredibly efficient butlers, and beachy vacation reads

I was fully prepared to love this one because it was incorporating Great British Baking Show with a whodunnit mystery, but I ended up not enjoying it as much as I expected. It felt like the characters interacted with each other in odd ways, such as the detective asking Claire (a baking show contestant) to help him solve a murder case in which she could have easily been a suspect. The main characters used baking ingredients as expletives, which felt juvenile. It was okay, just not one that worked well for me.

In general, I can say that I love Rebecca Connolly books so I was all set up to love a cozy mystery. There were things I loved about the book. I loved the setting and the bake off in particular as well as the recipes at the end, though I don't know if I'll ever try any of them. It all sounds so intimidating. But in terms of a mystery that Claire was supposed to solve I was disappointed. It seemed that the mystery happened around her but the only thing she did was listen to the inspector and Jonny give updates and listen to other contestants' conversations. Conversations that didn't help solve the mystery. I expected red herrings dropped in my face to lead me to believe it could be other people but I never had a sense of anyone being the murderer until it was obvious since it was the only suspect. I wanted more clues and more potential suspects. And more of Claire actively hunting for those.

Learning about the details of the original murder was interesting and perhaps had some clues but didn't give any hints about who did it until the confession when everything came out. Then there was finally a connection made. I don't know, perhaps I'd see the clues more clearly with a reread.

I enjoyed the romance element which was kind of love at first sight. Claire and Jonny were interesting characters and I was invested in their relationship. It will be interesting to see where that goes in the next novel. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the sister and cousin. Perhaps in upcoming books?

I have been a longtime fan of Connolly, so when I saw she was foraging into a cozy mystery, I knew I had to read it! With her signature witty banter, sassy heroine who is capable of standing on her own, and swoony hero, it checked all the boxes for me. Claire is a talented baker who takes a chance and auditions for a British Bake-Off TV show. Once on set, nothing seems to go as planned. The murder has many similarities to a decades old unsolved mystery on the grounds and all the people present have a stake in the game. I really enjoyed how Claire and Jonny clicked from the start and were “voluntold” to assist in solving the murder. There are plenty of laughable moments that are balanced with critical thinking opportunities. As with any first, there is room to grow and develop this type of story, but I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the setting, and the chemistry.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This book was a delightful change from my usual reads. It seamlessly blended a captivating murder mystery with the quirky charm of a bake-off reality TV show, all while featuring an endearing viscount and a touch of humor. I particularly loved how Claire creatively used baking terms in place of swear words—it added a fun, lighthearted element to the story. Her wit and charm made her a character you can't help but root for. But of course, I was completely smitten with Viscount Jonny. He was the perfect mix of sweet and protective, and I adored how much he cared for Claire. SLOWWWBURN, though. (I guess that’s to be expected when there’s a murderer afoot lol). Overall, this book was a perfect combination of intrigue, fun, and heartwarming sweetness. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me this ARC!
This was such a cozy story, despite it being a murder mystery. It felt warm and comforting in a way I wasn't expecting.

I was afraid that the plot would focus too much on the actual baking competition, but was pleasantly surprised that the actual baking scenes meshed really with with the mystery and romance plots of the story. I was really rooting for the romance and it had a nice slow-burn, but I did find myself way more invested in that than the investigation.

The story did become quite repetitive, and nothing really happened for a large chunk of the story other than our main characters talking about how out of their depths they were (duh!). There were enough red herrings tossed to lead the characters and readers around in circles, and kept me guessing every step of the way.

I am very curious to see how this series can continue in the small town of Blackfirth, as I am not really sure how much further you can expand the characters and crimes.

I loved the addition of the recipes at the end of the book as well! What a lovely touch!

This book combines so many of my loves: A British baking show, a sweet romance and a mystery to solve. This book is witty and fun. I love all the baking puns and baking swear words. The mystery is satisfying. I love the characters and their unique qualities. I love the endearing grumpiness (at first) of Jonny and the nervous word vomiting of Claire. I loved this book and would highly recommend it.

“Basically it appeared that none of her students cared about this exam one way or the other.”
Here are reasons to read the Mystery book:

Baking Contest - Claire has been accepted as a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers
Historical Property- Which is held a historical property owned by a handsome Viscount
Ghost Myth - However, there is a myth that the ghost of a killed women still haunts the grounds and might make baking, and staying alive, a little difficult.

If you like The Great British Baking Show / Bake Off, then this will seem very familiar to you. What makes it fun is that they have to bake using only historical ingredients and processes. So on top of that and a time limit, they are also solving a mystery. It’s fun and easy to read. If you like cozy mysteries and baking, this might be one to pick up.