"When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.
Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name."
My Thoughts:
This was a fun beginning to a new cozy mystery series with a hint of the paranormal sprinkled in. In this book, Ella Mae moves back home from the city after catching her husband cheating on her. She realizes that now is the time to learn to do things for herself which leads to pursing her own bakery. Unfortunately, she also finds herself mixed up in quite a mess when she gets caught up in a murder investigation as the prime suspect. This was one of those fun, easy reads that I just adore. I found myself caught within the pages rooting for Ella Mae as she works to start a new beginning for herself. The book was a tad predictable (and many times cozies are) but it really didn't detract from my overall reading experience. I just went with the flow of the book; constantly waiting to see what would happen next and how Ella Mae would handle whatever it was.
This was a fun book as the idea of Ella Mae infusing feelings or emotions into her baking was a unique idea. And I say fun as the results that came from people eating her baked goods and experiencing those latent emotions was quite funny to read about. I figured out parts of the mystery about halfway thru the book, but really the author did a great job of still pulling off a surprising ending. The only thing that left me wanting was Ella Mae's "new love interest". I felt that her instant attraction to her old crush Hugh Dylan was really lacking in the chemistry department. Instead, I am hoping that in future books we see more of a different character that she dated for investigation purposes. They seemed a much better match in my opinion!
Overall, this was a solid beginning to this cozy series. It wasn't perfect but it was a fun read that made me laugh out loud a few times. I'm now eager to continue on with the second book to see what kind of troubles Ella Mae can get caught up in next. Books like this are why I love cozy mysteries. They are the perfect reads for a cold winter day! Recommended!
Bottom Line: A fun read and an author that I plan on reading more of!
Disclosure: Checked out from my local library. Thoughts are my own!
Sad confession: I have never read Austen's Pride and Prejudice so I have no idea if the author based parts of this book on this classic novel or just used the title to play off of. I can tell you that it didn't effect my reading experience whatsoever. Shame on me for not reading more classics!
This cozy doesn't sound like it borrows much from P & P, other than the title, although there could be little things. But it may borrow a bit from Like Water for Chocolate, in terms of the emotions that "go into" cooking or baking (and I do believe that the best cooks capture their passion in this manner). Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this cozy. I 've just finished one myself, and hope to post a review of it soon on my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the book, despite the mystery element isn't strong there. This sounds like a fun read and I may read it if the mood strikes.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this on a couple of other blogs too, and they feel similar to you. This book does sound fun.
ReplyDeleteYeah this does sound like a nice cozy mystery, and yum for the baking! Great review, Samantha :)
ReplyDeleteLexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews