Can she bake a winning cake without getting iced?Competition is hotter than the pre-heated ovens as The Great British Baking Competition moves into cake week. Amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson has a lot to deal with, from learning she has talents she never knew about, to trying to keep cool and bake under pressure.She’s also trying to track down the secrets of her parentage. Meanwhile, she’s saved … parentage. Meanwhile, she’s saved from death by a local Border collie who seems to think she’s part of his flock and herds her out of danger. Was it an accident or does someone want her out of the baking competition permanently?
With witches, an energy vortex, an ancient manor house that holds it’s secrets tight, Poppy’s barely got time to practice her fondant icing, never mind escape from a killer.
Taste this culinary cozy mystery series from USA Today Bestselling author Nancy Warren. Each book is a stand-alone mystery, though the books are linked. They offer good, clean fun, and, naturally, recipes.
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“‘Dead?’ Florence cried. ‘Holy Mother of G-d. What craziness is happening at Broomewold?'”
It’s the second week of the Great British Baking Show at Broomewold Manor, And Poppy and Gauteau Can hardly wait to see what will happen this week. The contestants have been charged to have local fruit or other produce to incorporate into their cake competition. Poppy has come up early as an excuse to get back into the Manor House hoping to get more answers. Instead, she, Gauteau and her ghostly buddy are confronted with another series of conundrums that put lives in danger. How will these ingredients add up? Will the recipe come out right? And what if there’s something missing?
Nancy Warren does it again! This second book, set less than a week after the first could be a set-up for a let down. Thank goodness it isn’t. It is as delightful as the first, with additions of local intrigue and backstory, all coming together in a recipe to die for! Highly recommended.5/5
[I received this book as a gift from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]
Poppy Wilkinson is a contestant on The Great British Baking Competition, mostly because she loves to bake. But, she also has an ulterior motive. Poppy was found on a doorstep as an infant and her only connection to her birth mother is the knitted afghan that was wrapped around her. The manor where the show is filmed seems to have a connection to this afghan and Poppy is determined to find out anything about her Mother.
In addition to the baking competition and the secrets surrounding her birth, Poppy has the ability to see and talk to ghosts. And, oh yeah, she just found out that she is a Witch! Can things get any more complicated? Of course they can!
Poppy also seems to have a penchant for stumbling upon dead bodies and she finds herself once again involved in a murder investigation. This time, a local man who is highly allergic to bees dies after being stung multiple times while his ever present Epi-Pen is nowhere to be found. Add in Poppy’s kitten, Gaucheo, and a wonderful border collie named Sly, the other baker’s in the competition and the stuffy residents of the manor and you have a great cast of characters.
I would recommend this book and this series for lovers of cozy mysteries, paranormal happenings and baking shows. The narrator is perfect for this book and her voices for the different characters make it an enjoyable and easy to follow listen. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the author and chose to review it.
BAKER’S COVEN by Nancy Warren
The Second Great Witches Baking Show Mystery
Despite the murder that occurred during last week’s filming, Poppy Wilkinson is ready to get back to Broomewode and carry on competing in the second episode of the Great British Baking Contest. The signature bake is all about local fruits and Poppy thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she discovers a source for local gooseberries. But when a falling chunk of an ancient tower nearly crushes her, Poppy realizes that danger still surrounds the area.
BAKER’S COVEN introduces a wonderful new character in the form of Sly, a gorgeous border collie who loves his orange ball. While Gateau isn’t charmed, I’m as smitten as Poppy. In fact, my emotions ran high in this second episode of the Great Witches Baking Show. My heart was pumping as I shared Poppy’s righteous anger toward Peter Puddifoot. I thought I would like this character as he seemed to care for the bees, but his behavior toward Sly made me feel a murderous rage!
I’m continually amazed how much content, depth, and intrigue Nancy Warren manages to put in such a short book! There are several storylines: the current mystery, the ongoing baking competition, Poppy’s development as a witch, and more. All are given proper attention and meld together to form a complete and satisfying story!
BAKER’S COVEN is a mouthwatering mystery jam packed with danger, excitement, and cake. Well rounded characters, a delightful setting, and a thoughtful mystery make me eager for the next offering.
Recipe Included.
I’m loving what Nancy Warren is bringing to Great Witches Baking Show. Baker’s Coven is book 2 and is so good. Poppy is back and still learning about her abilities as a witch. As the baking competition heats up another death lands at Poppy’s feet. It is so much fun going along with her as she solves who is behind the new murder and watch her grow in the baking competition. You won’t want to miss a moment of this one. I was sucked in from the start and I cannot wait for more to come.
Baker’s Coven, the second book in the Great Witches Baking Show series, just whet my appetite for book #3! I look forward to the next book and seeing where the mystery goes.
I’m really enjoying this series of reads that cleverly combines mystery, magic, humor and recipes. This is the second book in this series and it could totally be enjoyed as a standalone just keep in my that these books do in fact interconnect; so personally, I would choose to read them all and in order. Poppy is such a fun and charming character. She is very easy to like and root for. The story holds your interest well and invested in the outcome. A very entertaining series that always leaves me satisfied and on the lookout for the next entry.
This story just takes the cake. Oh wait, it’s cake week. Ahh, that’s different. The baking show is now concentrating on making those delicious iced treats and Poppy, a newbie baker, is feeling a bit overwhelmed. I mean, she did just discover she could do things she never dreamed of nor imagined existed. That’s a lot for anyone to take even without the competitiveness of a baking competition. Add in that she’s also trying to learn about her real parents, and well, she’s a little stressed out. Thank goodness there’s a local dog that’s attached himself to her. You read that right. A border collie has sort of adopted her and now sees her as part of his pack.
Was it a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Or is she an obstacle someone is trying to remove? With all that going on, how is she supposed to practice for the upcoming event?
While she works to uncover her past, could she have met her future?
One-click now and follow along as Poppy tries to remain calm under pressure all while learning about her new reality. As a huge fan of the Great British Baking Show, I love the spin this author has put on it. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of paranormal books. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes us.
By Elizabeth
Poppy and Gateau are back in Broomewold with multiple tasks in hand. Find her real mother, move ahead another week in the British Baking Contest, learn more about being a witch, and staying alive. This is book 2 in this series and you need to read in order! I love this series – it has wonderful characters (at least some of them) and great story line. Can’t wait for more!!
Baker’s Coven by Nancy Warren a five-star baker of a read. This is number two in the Great Witches Baking Show series and I would recomedn you read them in order to get the most out of them as each one is set over a weekend of the show and even though they are all encapsulated, its nice to get to know the characters as you start to root for the characters you like and I think we will start to really miss the ones who get eliminated each weekend, and not just the characters who are voted off. This is a great cosy mystery and Poppy Wilkinson is someone you can get behind, I adore finding little titbits about her, but I also adore the other bakers and the locals especially a certain police Sargent with dimples, I for one am hoping he will pop up more. If you are in the mood for quick and easy reading that will entertain no end then give this series a go.
The MC is learning more about TV showmanship and her own supernatural powers but alas, makes little progress on finding her birth family since she is in the midst of a murder investigation once again. Such a fun read – really looking forward to the next one!
It was my pleasure to receive this ARC and give my honest review.
3 stars – I liked it
Poppy Wilkinson is back for the second round of The Great British Baking Competition. Poppy has to deal with hoping her cakes don’t fail, learning about her witch heritage, and uncovering another murderer.
This was another interesting adventure for Poppy. Poppy is still trying to discover more about her parents in this one but doesn’t get very far. She does get to spend time with more witches though and learn a little bit more about her heritage. I really can’t wait to see her start learning actual witchcraft and using it.
The murder was interesting. I liked that we got to see more of the town and the townspeople in this book. The murderer was an interesting revelation but not exactly unexpected once everything goes down, but I still enjoyed the hunt.
Overall, an interesting mystery and enjoyable second week of the contest. I can’t wait to see what crazy plot Poppy will uncover next.
Book 2 is just as good as book 1. Poppy is back for the Great Witches Baking Show. This book is very relaxing to listen to. This narrator is one of my favorites now. I like Poppy’s kitty, Gatto. I like murder with a side of baking, it’s fun. Food and murder is another favorite besides kitties and murder. This series has both, so it’s perfect. This series makes me wanna watch The Great British Baking Show or the Australian version. I hope y’all check out this series and Nancy Warren’s other series.
This is the second book in a series and I found it helpful to have read the first book in order to know the backstory and personalities of the characters.
This book continues with Poppi as the main character who is competing in the second week of The Great British Baking Show. And since this is a cozy mystery, this book does not disappoint with two murders and still no answers about Poppi’s mother. We do get a peak at other characters who happen to be who he’s when the coven gather to support one of its members and Poppi gets invited to join in on the experience. There also appears to be a budding love interest in the works. Guess we will have to see in the next book!
I’m not usually a cozy romance reader but I enjoy this series and especially having the different characters acted out for me by the narrator.
I enjoyed reading this book so much! The whole series is entertaining, the characters are incredible (if they were real I would want to be friends with some of them, especially Poppy), there is always a mystery that needs to be solved and the storyline is not predictable! Nancy Warren is an incredible writer and I would recommend her books to anyone!
Absolutely delightful!
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
I recently discovered Nancy Warren’s books with the first audiobook in this series, “The Great Witches Baking Show”, and I absolutely adored it. Now, I love this second audiobook even more. This has become my favorite cozy mystery series ever! I highly recommend it to everyone who likes cozy mysteries or light-hearted fiction books about baking or witches. The audiobook version is especially wonderful because the brilliantly talented narrator Hollis McCarthy perfectly brings the story to life with her warm voice, perfect accents, and excellent pacing.
It is best to read the series in order. There is brief violence but no sexual content or swearing, so I think it is suitable for teens and adults.
In this second installment, amateur baker Poppy returns to Broomwode Hall for the second weekend of filming of the Great British Baking competition. Her and her fellow contestants are still coming to terms with the murder on the set the previous weekend. Poppy had always been able to see ghosts, but she had only learned she was a witch the week before. As Poppy continues to try to discover the identity of her birth mother, a new crime occurs nearby.
Poppy is so likable, intelligent, and determined. All of the secondary characters are interesting. In addition, we meet a smart, adorable Border Collie named Sly. I also found the new crime mystery to be absorbing and well written. The author also has a true gift for sensory description. Her imagery made me feel like I could smell the fresh cakes and feel the sunshine on my face on the grounds of this stately English estate.
I requested and received a free audiocode from the author, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
I received a free audible code from the author and voluntarily reviewed this one.
I really enjoyed book 1 in this series and was lucky enough to be able to listen to book 2 as well as these are great in audio. It was so much fun to be back at the baking contest and follow Poppy as shes spends another weekend baking and solving a murder or two.
The author blends the different elements well. These aren’t just about the mystery, there is a lot of other things going on as well. It takes some time before the murder takes place and in between solving the mystery there is the baking competition as well. Then there is the paranormal aspect of Poppy learning more about her witchy powers and trying to find out more about her birth parents. It makes for an engaging read with a lot going on.
The mystery in this one didn’t hook me as much as the previous one, but it still was an interesting one. Arnold Bentley is murdered when the murderer makes sure he’s stung by a swarm of bees and he’s highly allergic and doesn’t have his epipen by hand and thus he dies. I wasn’t really sure who the murderer was and when it was revealed it did make sense, but even so the most important clue was only revealed at the end and without that it would’ve been more difficult to guess it right. The way the murder got revealed was a bit weird, but I did like the big reveal about how everything had happened.
The baking contest was a fun one again this week, especially the first part of the competition and listening to Poppy’s idea for her cake and how she got the fresh ingredients was fun. And hearing what all the other contestants were baking as well. There is some progression about Poppy’s witchy powers and I liked seeing her meet the coven as hinted at in the title. There are some minor clues about her heritage, but not as much progress about that in this one.
I like Poppy as a main character, she’s caring and I like how she’s slowly discovering a bit of her witchy powers and making friends with the other bakers. Now in the second book it was easier to remember who was who from the other bakers and you get a bit of a better feel for all of them. there are also some new side characters, like the ones involved in the mystery as well as the adorable dog Sly.
The narrator does a great job with this series. I liked listening to this book and hearing the different voices for the characters. Sometimes some of the side characters sound a bit alike, but most have their own voice and she also does Hamish’ accent and Florence her over the top way of speaking well. I definitely recommend the audio versions of these.
To summarize: This was a great sequel and I enjoyed listening to it. Poppy is back for the second episode of the baking contest, she also has to solve another mystery and discover more about her witchy powers and continues to look into the mystery of who her parents were. The mystery started a bit later in the book as this author often does, but it works here. The way the mystery started didn’t fully work for me and it didn’t grip me as much as the first one, but it was a solid mystery and I liked the reveal of who was the murderer and how everything happened. I continue to enjoy following Poppy in these books and I liked getting a better feel for the side characters in this one. now that we spend some more time with the big cast of side characters they come alive more and there are some new characters as well like the adorable dog Sly. All in all another great read and I look forward to the next one.
I am really liking this series this is number 2 Poppy is a Witch who can see and talk to ghosts and a contestant on The Great British Baking Competition heading into their 2nd week Poppy finds another dead body and must find out who killed them. I am really liking the secondary characters and the world building and looking forward to the rest of the series. I listened to the audio version.
I received an audio copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily giving my honest opinion
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Baker’s Coven
The Great Witches Baking Show #2
By: Nancy Warren
REVIEW
I have obsessively watched baking shows for years. When I saw Baker’s Coven, I knew immediately that I had to read it. I’m so glad because it’s a lot of fun! Poppy is newly aware of her witch powers and looking for information about her witch family when she becomes part of a murder mystery. Still, there are cakes to bake, so she better get busy. This book shows a bit more of the side characters and who they are. Poppy is charming and delightful and engaging. I really like her character because she’s perfect for this cozy mystery. Of course, I loved the baking aspects of the book, and it’s unique to others I’ve read. If you want a pick me up fun read with baking, I suggest Baker’s Coven. It is deliciously wicked!
A very enjoyable cozy
Baker’s Coven is a paranormal cozy mystery which is told in the first-person point of view and can be read as a stand-alone or as the second novel in The Great Witches Baking Show series.
Week two of The Great British Baking Competition is coming up and it is time for cakes with local ingredients. Poppy decides to head back to the inn early to see if she can attempt to find out more information about her past and Broomewode Manner. After meeting her new friends and collecting some fresh ingredients for her cake, she finds herself caught up in another mystery which she will have to put her newfound detective skills to use again.
The Great Witches Baking Show is a great series and Nancy Warren does a great job keeping your attention with the right amount of mystery to keep your attention and making you want to keep turning the pages. It is great getting to see Poppy grow in her confidence as a witch and being able to get to know some of the other characters better and getting a better picture of the land in which everything is taking place. Even though these books can be read as stand-alone, I highly recommend you read them in order so that you can follow the “show” as each book is an episode of the show.
*ARC was generously provided in exchange from my honest review*