It’s Christmastime and everyone is heading to Torte, the most cheerful bakery in town. There’s no place like home for the homicide… Ashland, Oregon, looks as pretty as a postcard this holiday season. The halls are decked, stockings hung, and eyes are all aglow–mostly thanks to the buttered rum. Jules Capshaw and her staff at Torte are busier than ever. . . still, even the town’s most in-demand … town’s most in-demand bakers need to take a break. So Jules invites everyone to celebrate at the local Winchester Inn’s Dickens Feast, a six-course extravaganza with Yorkshire Pudding, Christmas goose, and all the trimmings. But as the weather outside becomes frightful, things inside turn less delightful when one of the guests ends up as dead as Scrooge’s doornail. Now it’s up to Jules and her helpers to make a list of suspects–and check it twice–to try to find out who’s naughty, who’s nice, and who’s guilty of murder…
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Jules Capshaw and her Torte staff are busier than ever making delicious pastries for the Christmas season. Deciding, everyone could use a break, she invites them for a dinner party at the local Winchester Inn. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when the new owner of the Inn is murdered during a power outage. Jules had a few theories about the murder and with her friend, Lance’s persuasion, she decides to do her own investigation. This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series. Ellie Alexander has created a wonderful cast of characters, reading a new installment feels like catching up with old friends. From the mouth-watering food descriptions to the picturesque Christmas setting, it feels like you are right there in Ashland enjoying the holiday season with Jules and her Torte family. The mystery does take a back seat to all the Christmas celebrations going on, but it was still well developed and the culprit was not completely obvious. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the series and I was very satisfied with the ending. The last scene was very heartwarming. I highly recommend this wonderful, well-written series by Ellie Alexander. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander is the tenth A Bakeshop Mystery. The author provides the necessary background information for those new to the series. We get a chance to enjoy the holidays with Jules, Helen, Professor, Lance, Thomas and the rest of the gang. Ashland is beautifully decorated for the holidays and there are festive activities, carolers, and the smell of Torte’s tempting treats wafting through the air. Lance is not feeling the spirit of the season which Jules intends to rectify. She gets Lance to join the Torte staff at the Winchester Inn for the Dickens Feast where a nasty woman ends up dead after the house is plunged into darkness. It turns out that a homicide is just what Lance needed to get him to enjoy the holiday season. There are several suspects including the owners of the Winchester Inn, an employee, and their son. Jules asks questions with Lance’s assistance and does a little snooping. Readers will have no problem solving the case before the solution is revealed. I enjoyed the descriptions of the holiday descriptions. I could envision Ashland all decked out with snow falling, carolers singing and shoppers going from shop to shop. Torte creates scrumptious goodies for the holidays which is described in detail. I like that we get to catch up with the Torte staff (Andy, Marty, Bethany, Stephanie, Sterling) and enjoy the Dickens Feast (what a unique event—when there is not a murder). I liked the focus on friends and family. Jules and Helen made sure that no one would be alone during this special time of year. I found Jules comment about Richard Lord’s ugly Christmas sweater to be amusing (all of his attire left something to be desired). It was nice to learn more about Lance in this book. We find out why the holidays are not his favorite time of year. I also enjoyed learning the history of the Winchester Inn and Jules parents. A Cup of Holiday Fear will put you in the mood for Christmas with an ending will leave you smiling. A Cup of Holiday Fear is a cheering cozy mystery with Christmas carolers, scrumptious sweets, original ornaments, a horrific homicide, tree trimming and surprising secrets.
I loved visiting Ashland, OR for the holidays! Such a great Christmas themed cozy. I’m ready to get baking, and I hope no dead bodies appear, LOL.
This book was a 3.5 star read. I enjoyed reading it. It is filled with lots of baking and Christmas cheer. But the mystery was really weak. I figured out the killer very early and I am still not sure why the murder was committed other than bad attitudes. I did like the all the Christmas trimmings and the recipes. I just wished that as much time was spent on the mystery as the baking. Even though this book is part of the series it does not have to read in order. Read this for the Holiday not for the mystery.
“A Cup of Holiday Fear ” the 10th installment in the “Bakeshop Mystery” series by Ellie Alexander, was a fantastic holiday story!
It’s Christmastime and everyone is heading to Torte, the most cheerful bakery in town. There’s no place like home for the homicide…
Ashland, Oregon, looks as pretty as a postcard this holiday season. The halls are decked, stockings hung, and eyes are all aglow–mostly thanks to the buttered rum. Jules Capshaw and her staff at Torte are busier than ever. . . still, even the town’s most in-demand bakers need to take a break. So Jules invites everyone to celebrate at the local Winchester Inn’s Dickens Feast, a six-course extravaganza with Yorkshire Pudding, Christmas goose, and all the trimmings. But as the weather outside becomes frightful, things inside turn less delightful when one of the guests ends up as dead as Scrooge’s doornail. Now it’s up to Jules and her helpers to make a list of suspects–and check it twice–to try to find out who’s naughty, who’s nice, and who’s guilty of murder…
I thought I hadn’t read any of the previous books but the setting, names etc. were familiar so I may have read one awhile ago. I did not have any trouble following along so, yes it can be read as a standalone. I do recommend reading them in order, this way you really get to know the characters.
I had no trouble envisioning Ashland all decked out with holiday lights, snow falling, and carollers singing. Jules and the rest of the characters were well developed, I liked how the story was character driven with a mystery, I like these kind of series as you become invested in the characters and what’s happening around them. I enjoyed the holiday atmosphere that the author created and how Jules and her mum included everyone who had no Christmas plans in theirs.
I did suspect the killer pretty quick, but there were plenty of suspects to choose from as Cami was a pretty rotten person. There were some twists and turns just enough to keep you guessing. Don’t get me started on the descriptions of all the desserts, drinks and food , I think I gained 10lbs just thinking about them. I like that recipes are included in back of the book too, yes in some spots the detailed descriptions on Jules making a dessert became a bit much but then I’m not a foodie, but those that are will love it.
I highly recommend this book and series to all my cozy friends especially the ones that love to bake!
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander is book ten in the Bakeshop Mystery series. I love this series.
Christmas is coming and Jules has reservations for Torte’s Christmas party at the annual Dickens Feast at the Winchester Inn. This is a staple event in Ashland every year bringing in tourists and business. When Jules learns the present owners have sold the business, she is sad but has been reassured the new owner will keep things the same. But at the feast, the new owner is seated close by and Jule’s learns the Inn will be leveled. The feast starts off fine but then it goes downhill, ending with the new owner dead. Jules sets out to find out who did it before Christmas.
There are plot twists keeping you guessing to the end. The cast of characters are great. There is a hint of romance and humor.
This is a easy to read cozy. There are recipes included.
You will be put into the Christmas mood when you go to Ashland.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and St, Martins Paperbacks and have given an honest review.
This entire series is phenomenal. It’s got highs and lows, suspense and laughs; pretty much everything to keep you turning those pages wishing for a little longer lunch break or that you didn’t have get up early tomorrow for work because you would finish the book. Ellie knows how to write her characters and grow them at a perfect pace that feels real like you’re going through life with them.
This book goes right along with everything above and more. The story is amazing, pulling at your heartstrings, making you wish it was Christmastime to deck the halls with everyone at Torte. The murder is twisted and suspenseful, as it should be in a mystery novel, and Ellie keeps you guessing right up until the end.
I couldn’t ask for more in a longer series. Nothing is boring or repetitive, unless it’s tradition that should be, and every time I finish a book in this series, I get a little sad that it’s over and excited waiting for the next one to see how everyone is doing. This holiday installment is beyond anything Torte enthusiasts could have wished for.
A Cup of Holiday Fear is #10 in the Bakeshop Mystery series. Obviously, this story takes place during the holiday season which made it even cozier. Torte, the Ashland bakeshop run by Jules and her mom, has grown since the last book I read in the series (#1 lol), both in size and staff. The cozy part of this cozy mystery is perfect: holiday drinks, yummy cookies, and a traditional Dickens Feast at the historic Winchester Inn. Things take a turn when the power goes out and someone is murdered during one of the evening feasts at the inn. Of course, Jules happens to be there at the dinner and begins assisting in the investigation.
I love that Ellie Alexander lets the story build before a character is killed. As a reader, we get to develop feelings towards different characters and then see how those feelings affect our suspicions. She also does a great job of explaining who everyone is in the town of Ashland, so if you’re jumping in without starting from the beginning of the series, you still get a pretty good idea of what’s going on. I think this is a great cozy mystery to read in December!
This was the Christmas cozy mystery I needed in my life this December. I have recently become a huge Ellie Alexander fan, particularly of her Sloan Krause series. But after reading the first in her bakeshop series, I knew I wanted to jump to this holiday read for the winter season! Alexander does a good job of getting the reader up to speed on what’s been going on, though the staff of Torte has doubled since the first book and it’s a lot of people to keep track of! It’ll be interesting to go back and read books 2 through 9 now.
The pacing of this book is very unique for a cozy mystery–in a good way. No one is killed until about a third of the way through the book, leaving plenty of time for foundational elements, such as relationship building and character development. And that’s what makes Alexander’s books special; they’re not JUST mysteries. You get to know the characters and have subplots (that aren’t even romance) and they’re just really well-done. You can also tell how much improvement there is in the writing from the first Bakeshop book. I can’t wait to keep reading this series now!
This book is an absolutely perfect Christmas read for mystery fans. It truly got me in the holiday spirit!
5 stars – 9/10
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Things are merry and bright in Ashland, Oregon and people are keeping the elves at Torte busy baking all kinds of holiday treats. They are all looking forward to a little respite by attending the annual Dickens Feast at the Winchester Inn and having others wait on them. The popular six-course feast has been taking place forever and Jules and Helen are excited to share the event with their staff. Lance also joins the party as Jules plus one.
The evening starts with a little snow, great food, and fun entertainment and ends with an unconscious innkeeper and a dead body. Jules and Lance are quickly following the trail of breadcrumbs to help the Professor and Thomas catch the Scrooge that ruined their party with MURDER.
I love this series! Spending the holidays with Jules and everyone in Ashland is a real treat. The author paints the scenes so vividly you can almost feel the snowflakes landing on your face and taste all the cookies, cakes, breads, and lattes served at Torte.
After ten books the characters have become old friends but that doesn’t mean we know everything about them. Lance is having a hard time with the holidays and opens up to Jules. Their friendship just warms my heart. Helen and Doug are blissfully happy and have hearts as big as all outdoors. They open their home for the holidays to be sure no one spends the holidays alone. Doing so lets us get to know Marty a little bit better. We meet Jon and Emma Winchester who own the inn. They have been friends with Helen and her now-deceased husband for years, opening their businesses at the same time. All the characters are interesting, have purpose, and are wonderfully written. They make wish I could meet them all in person.
The mystery was very well-plotted with plenty of suspects and twists. The victim was a real shrew and had ticked plenty of people off. Lance and Jules’s investigation was not only fun to follow but funny at times too. They do make a great team.
What I love most about this series is the way I get as wrapped up in the daily life of the characters as I do in the mystery. I want to know about the Torte staff crushes, Helen and Doug’s plans, that Jules is missing Carlos, all of Lance’s drama, and what baking at Torte. This time after the case was wrapped we go to Helen and Doug’s for Christmas Eve dinner. They have invited several guests. Doug rises to give a little speech that was poignant and brought tears to my eyes. I found great meaning in his message, words I needed to hear personally this time of year. Moving forward a few pages, the tears were still present but a big smile appeared on my face. The ending was absolutely perfect.
Murder Afoot in Ashland, OR
I had not read a book by this author before, but after reading this 10th installment of her Bakeshop mystery series, I’m going to have to check out her other books as well. I love that this book is set in Ashland, Oregon, an actual town I live just 15 miles north of. Usually, cozy mysteries are set in fictitious small towns, so it was nice to see a real setting employed. She got so much of the detail right. The Dickens Feast at the Winchester Inn, so prominently featured in the story, is a real event that actually happens at that place in the real Ashland! Very cool. I recognized many other local places and traditions. Fun stuff for someone like me who knows the area well. The author excelled with her descriptions of both places and food. The food sounded absolutely to die for—pun intended, perhaps, as this is a mystery!–and the author also includes recipes in the book. I love it when authors do that. But she describes things so well, without it feeling like too much, that I felt like I was right there with the characters. Not an easy trick, but a much enjoyable one when an author pulls it off successfully. Yes, there is a mystery here revolving around the murder of the new owner-to-be of the Winchester Inn, but this story felt more about the town, Christmas, and the bakeshop. Normally, I don’t like it when the mystery aspect takes a backseat to the cozy aspect of a cozy mystery, but in this case, I simply enjoyed it. This book can certainly be read and enjoyed as a standalone, as this is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I think that full appreciation of all the characters and the fictionalized backdrop of the real Ashland, Oregon, could be improved if you’ve read the other stories in the series. In any event, however, I found this to be a delightful holiday cozy. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Great holiday book! It’s Christmas in Ashland, Oregon, and everything is merry until a woman is murdered at the annual Dickens Feast at the Winchester Inn. Jules, with the help of Lance, investigates to try to find the killer and bring back the Christmas spirit. This series is always such a joy to read. The characters and employees of Torte are a true small little family and the town of Ashland feels so magical. It would be fun to visit there one day. Lots of great recipes included in this book. I can’t wait to find out what’s next for Jules and the gang and her relationship with Carlos.
Juliet takes the staff from her bakery out to celebrate at a local inn’s Dickens Feast, a multi-course meal with characters like Scrooge, Santa and Mrs. Claus welcoming guests while diners are serenaded by a Victorian quartet. The power goes out during the feast and when it comes back on they find a dead body.
This is a cozy mystery that I would recommend to fans of Hallmark movies and baking cozies. The focus in this book is heavily on holiday preparations and baking. A Cup of Holiday Fear can be read as a standalone but would be easiest to follow and most enjoyable if you read the series in order. There is not much backstory provided to catch readers up on character connections from prior books.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #ACupOfHolidayFear #cozymystery
A Cup of Holiday Fear is the 10th book in the Bakeshop Mystery series and just happens to be my favorite book of the series! Set in beautiful Ashland, Oregon during the Christmas season, Torte and all the other businesses are gearing up for the holiday. The writing is so descriptive! Settings, characters, food…you can easily imagine being there! And it definitely makes me want to visit Ashland during the holidays! Jules Capshaw and her staff at Torte are extreemely busy baking and keeping up with orders and serving customers. Jules decides to treat her staff to dinner at the Dickens Feast at the local Winchester Inn. A sudden loss of power and the discovery of a dead body put a damper on the festivities. Jules and her crew decide to investigate on their own. What do they find? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Added bonus are the delicious recipes included in the book. This is one of my favorite series and I highly recommend the series and this book!!
Juliet Montague Capshaw owns a bakery in Ashland, Oregon. She recently moved back there after ten years because she wanted to find her roots. Like many small business owners and small towns, she knows almost everyone.
It’s Christmas and everyone is celebrating with parades, feasts, and more. But there’s something dark underneath all the joy in town—something that leads to murder.
This is a standard cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth and lots of suspects, but that’s where the stereotyping ends. Unlike most cozies, the sleuth is never in mortal danger (which is not necessarily a bad thing!). And she doesn’t have an in-town boyfriend. Instead, she has a husband (who’s off at sea for the entire story) and a stepson (who also doesn’t show up until the end). Different, but interesting. The killer is kind of easy to spot, but nothing is really given away until the end—and again, nobody is in mortal danger. Yes, Juliet goes into the dark basement for things, but…really, no angst there.
Things I liked: the imagery! The writer has a deft hand with describing the scenery and the surroundings. I almost wanted to get a cup of hot peppermint cocoa to drink while reading—during ninety-degree weather where I am! I also liked the characters—they were well described and believable, as was the reason for the murder. Plus, no angst about the main characters being in danger. Kind of a nice change from the norm. And her name! Ashland, OR is famous for its Shakespearean Festival and theater and to name the main character after Juliet…had to smile at that.
Things I didn’t like: I was just a little lost with the whole absent husband thing and exactly who the Professor (Doug) is—I gather he’s a police detective? But I’m not certain. This is not the first in the series, so I assume these things were explained in earlier books. Also, going back to the norm with most cozies, there was never any danger for any of the characters (except the victim—and it was obvious from the beginning who it was going to be).
Recommendation: I really would recommend this series, but I’d recommend you start with book one (Meet your Baker) so you understand the connections between characters and who they are. I know I’ll definitely be looking to get the series. Not necessarily because of the mystery, but the imagery alone drew me in. I want to be there—and can, through the books.
Cozy Christmas Season Murder Mystery
This book is a cozy mystery set in a winter wonderland of the mountains of southern Oregon. The fictitious town is a complete Christmas dream with Dickinson Dinners, Victorian carollers and a town square is full seasonal silliness. One of the main settings is a bakery with descriptions of goodies that will make you drool. Luckily for the reader, the author has included some of her recipes at the back of the book. The story flows easily with lots of suspects and motives. I have read several of this author’s works and she is fast becoming a favorite. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
A fun cozy mystery! This is the 10th book in this series following Juiet and her family as their lives continue to change and grow. It is set in Ashland Oregon where Juliet runs a bakery. It is christmas time and the staff need a break from the chaos so she takes them all to a speical place for a well deserved thank you for the work they all do for her. Then things start to heat up with a dead body who dunits and who didn’t! As they scramble to solve the mystery so they can get back to their lives and the bakery! fast paced and the characters are great most of the same ones from other books but some new as well fun to see where they all are now and how things have developed for them all. can be read as a standalone but would be better reading the whole series to get the most out of the characters. Great reading.
A Cup of Holiday Fear is the tenth entry into Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop mystery series. There is a reason they are called cozy mysteries: it is like coming home—that feeling, warmth and happiness. It is so good to be back with Juliet at Torte along with Andy, Stephanie, Bethany, Stirling, Rosa, Sequioa, and Marty, a new hire. It is Christmas in Ashland with all the celebrating and baking that go along with it. First is the lighting of the square with millions of sparkling lights, next off is the Dickens’ dinner at the Winchester, a local bed and breakfast which will double as the Torte staff Christmas party. I was lovely as usual, despite an unpleasant guest seated at the next table over, who became known to them as Cami, the newly disclosed (to Juliet) new owner-to-be of the Winchester. Emma and Jon were going to retire and have some heartily deserved beach time. My but she was unpleasant. There were some problems at the Winchester that night, but as usual, Emma handle them with aplomb.
Juliet is a early middle aged woman who has returned to Ashland as co-owner of her mother’s bakery/cafe. She had worked for years on a cruise ship along with her husband, Carlos, and was currently in Ashland taking a break from both, although she sorely missed Carlos. She has good friends and Ashland, and a satisfying life and it bleeds through every page of the book that walks the reader through baking and running Torte. Read it as much for cooking and baking tips as for the mystery. It is all a comfort, until there is a murder. Juliet is naturally curious and easy to talk to so she somehow gets drawn into the investigation. Since the Winchester is owned by good friends of her mother, that makes solving this murder, even more important. The reader walks through the clues alongside Juliet and solves it at her side. It is comforting. Such good friends. I recommend it.
I received a free ARC of A Cup of Holiday Fear. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #acupofholidayfear
Perfect example of the cozy mystery that I love to read! I received an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Bakeshop series is among my favorite series. A Cup of Holiday Fear happens during the days and nights leading up to Christmas Day!