Feb 22, 2025

Killing Me Soufflé by Ellie Alexander

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Killing Me Soufflé" the 20th instalment in the A Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander. 
Another delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, OR!

Amidst the rocky beaches of the Oregon coast, Torte’s beloved Sterling and Stephanie have been hired to take over the aging restaurant at the cliffside Whaleshead Resort. They’re nervous about striking out on their own, but excited by the opportunity to put their own spin a new menu. From fresh fish caught the very same day to vegan options and handcrafted pastries, they’re buzzing with ideas. What’s even better is that Jules and the team from Torte have come out for opening weekend to cheer them on.

Despite some opening night jitters, the dinner is off with a bang. Guests and long-term residents of Whaleshead Resort are eager to taste the young couple’s creations. As the tickets begin to line up and guests pile in the front door, Jules and Carlos offer to roll up their sleeves and help in any way they can.

Stephanie is taking on every chef’s nightmare—a fluffy chocolate soufflé—and Sterling is fast at work prepping shrimp linguini and pan-seared halibut when they suddenly hear screaming. Erik Morton, the manager of Whaleshead and their new boss, has taken a fatal fall down the steep and dangerous cliffside trail leading to the beach. Jules and her young protégés quickly realize this was no accident. Now, the team will have to juggle the investigation while keeping the restaurant—and Steph and Sterling's new jobs—from crashing like the waves along the cliffs.
I really enjoyed this story, seeing the Torte family grow and expand. Visiting the Oregon Coast where Jules use to go as a child and now where Stephanie and Sterling are starting their own journey was a nice change.  The future is full of changes for all of Torte's family with Jules pregnant, new staff , Ramiro going back to Spain...

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there were just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Needless to say I cant wait for the next book. 

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


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I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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Feb 21, 2025

Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing Dead Post Society the 7th instalment in the House Flipper Mysteries series by Diane Kelly.  
The seventh in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, TN, where the real estate market is to die for.

This year's honor roll is killer...

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck are no strangers to murder. After all, they’ve encountered corpses on their properties before. But this is the first time they’d decided to take a chance on a property where two suspicious deaths have already occurred. Most buildings on the former boarding school property will be repurposed for an upscale retirement community, but the developer has no use for the headmaster’s house given its violent history. The headmaster and his wife were killed there decades earlier, their deaths remaining unsolved to this day.

Still, it seems a shame to see the beautiful Victorian give way to decay or the wrecking ball, even if many claim the unsettled souls of the victims still wander its halls, seeking retribution and justice. Can Whitney and Buck exorcise the structure’s demons, solve the cold case, and give the building new life? Or will ghosts from the past seek to silence them forever?

The characters of Whitney, Sawdust (cat), Buck, Collin and Collette are ones I have really come to love. I also enjoy the setting of Nashville, Tennessee. I like how the series continues to alternate chapters narrated by Whitney and her cat Sawdust.

This time around they are flipping an old Victorian which was the scene of two suspicious deaths. Can Whitney and Buck exorcise the structure’s demons, solve the cold case, and give the building new life? Or will ghosts from the past seek to silence them forever?

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. I did suspect who the killer was just before Whitney did. 

I highly recommend to all my cozy mystery loving friends.


I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from St.Martin Press and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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Feb 19, 2025

A Spirited Blend by Lauren Elliott

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing A Spirited Blend by Lauren Elliott the 3rd instalment in the "A  Crystals & CuriosiTeas Mystery " series.  I love this series! 
For charmed tea shop owner Shay Myers, getting steeped in Bray Harbor, California’s October festivities is spookier than she ever could have bargained for—especially when a bone-chilling murder mystery spells grave danger . . .

With Halloween around the corner, Shay Myers is brewing witchy seasonal sips at Crystals and CuriosiTEAS—while simultaneously steaming over pub owner Liam Madigan’s decision to take anybody but her to the town’s Monster Mash dance. Her romantic premonitions have missed the mark since she settled into coastal Bray Harbor, opening the door to questions about whether she’s really the gifted seer her late mother imagined. It’s why she second guesses the dark vision in her tea leaves about a local citizen and their obsession with genealogy, Irish folklore, and magic . . .

But when bad omens come true, Shay doesn’t have time for self-doubt. A woman’s body has been discovered, frozen in a strange pose with an eerie black butterfly on her forehead, leading to suspicions that the victim took a conjuring ritual too far due to limited experience—or was murdered by someone with too much. As an investigation stirs up a sinister connection to a boardwalk mystic shop, Shay, guided by her knowing dog, Spirit, finds herself tracking down a shady figure from her past, navigating the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband, and chasing down a wickedly perceptive criminal who might finally be her match!
Can’t say this enough I love Lauren’s writing style and her books are a must have purchase for me. I become invested in the characters and what’s happening in their lives as if they were real people and friends.

I enjoy the close relationship between Shay, Jenn and Tassi.  I love Gran, Liam, and her German shepherd named Spirit

The story is well-written and I found it entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Shay did. 

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 4 to come out!



I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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The Poison Pen Murders by Dee MacDonald

Hello my cozy friends, Today I am reviewing "The Poison Pen Murders” the 5th instalment in  An Ally McKinley Mystery  series  by Dee Ma...