Books reviewed prior on this site prior to March 2019 were provided to me, at no charge, by the publisher, or by the author, in exchange for an honest review. I have received no further compensation for these reviews. Reviews beginning March 2019 come from a variety of sources: advanced copies, library loans, and my own purchases. All reviews are my honest opinions.

July 14, 2015

A Batter of Life and Death {Ellie Alexander}



a batter of life and death ellie alexander book tour
It's autumn in Ashland, Oregon-'tis the season for a spiced hot apple cider with a serving (or two) of Torte's famous peach cobbler. It's also the perfect time for Jules Capshaw to promote her family's beloved bake shop by competing in The Pastry Channel's reality show, Take the Cake. The prize is $25,000. But as Jules quickly learns, some people would kill for that kind of dough. Literally.

Then, just as Jules dusts off her Bavarian Chocolate Cake recipe and cinches up her apron, the corpse of a fellow contestant is discovered-death by buttercream. What began as a fun, tasteful televised adventure has morphed into something of a true-crime detective show for Jules and everybody else on set. Who could have killed Chef Marco, and why? Can Jules sift out the killer before someone else gets burned?



My Thoughts:
I loved Meet Your Baker, the first book in this Bakeshop Mystery series, so I was pretty excited to see this second book download onto my Kindle.

In A Batter of Life and Death we get to return to Ashland and meet back up with many of the people who are becoming our friends through this series. This time around the town is hosting a baking competition for a national cooking channel.

Of course there are some crazy characters in town as the show gets ready to begin production, and Jules begins to have suspicions about a few of them. And then someone ends up dead! Jules immediately becomes involved (because she apparently has a gift of discovering bodies), and she starts poking around to try to figure out who the murderer is among them.

While the murder investigation continues, we also get to peek closer into some of the relationships that the folks of Ashland have. Apparently Mom and The Professor have become an item and they are so sweet together. Stephanie and Sterling also seem to have a thing going on, but it gets all complicated with the pretty-boy TV host in town. And Jules and Thomas are still dancing around each other - can she just leave Carlos already??!!

So yes, the answer you are looking for is that I very much enjoyed this book. This is a fun series and I really hope it continues for several more books.
Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter to learn more.

Giveaway!
The author will be giving away signed copy of Meet Your Baker and A Batter of Life and Death, 1 pound coffee, Oregon Chai, Gourmet cupcake liners (US) to a winner of the below Rafflecopter.  The giveaway ends July 21st.

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