On Thin Icing

On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.

It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

"An intriguing new series."-Reader to Reader


Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts.

My Review
Page Count: 
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Bakeshop Mystery Series

Ellie Alexander has become one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I really love her characters, and she has painted a very vivid picture of Ashland, Oregon and Torte. I didn't find this one as predictable as other cozy mysteries. This book was more relationship centered than the first two Bakeshop Mysteries, but I really didn't mind that. 

However, despite how much I loved this book, I was not a huge fan of the underlying Carlos plot. I wanted there to be more tension, even though I do think that this will be played out more in the next book or two. Carlos also seems like the stereotypical, almost perfect, Latin lover. Everything he does is sensual or romantic, and everyone likes him. I would enjoy Carlos more if he had more flaws so that he would seem like more of a real person. There is some controversy that is touched on, but we don't really get the full story. 

One bone I had to pick with this plot is that the murder occurs outside of Ashland, Oregon; however, the Ashland detectives, Thomas and the Professor, are the ones who show up and handle the case. This wasn't realistic for me because technically it seems like a jurisdictional issue. This could easily be addressed with a small explanation within the story. 

Even though I had a few critiques, I really did enjoy On Thin Icing. It was a fast, light-hearted read, and I am looking forward to diving straight into the next book, Caught Bread Handed!

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The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater! Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

My Review

I liked this book a lot more than The Raven Boys. In The Dream Thieves, we get to learn more about the characters, particularly Ronan, and we get to see where the story is going. I cared a lot more about the characters in this book, and I flew through it because I wanted to see what happened next. I honestly fell in love with Ronan because of this book. He is a complex character who tries to do what he thinks is right. I also enjoyed the addition of a few new characters, including The Grey Man. 

Oh my God, THAT ENDING! Can you say cliffhanger?! I am so glad that I purchased the entire series before I started reading them. I am jumping right into Blue Lily, Lily Blue! 

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - ⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated in this New York Times bestselling “lovely, lighthearted romance” (SLJ) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

This paperback edition includes bonus recipes from Lara Jean’s Christmas Cookie Bonanza!

My Review

This book was so cute! Lara Jean is a sweet, innocent girl who gets caught in a love triangle. She is also learning how to deal with new challenges in light and high school. The character development was pretty good in this book; however, none of the characters really grew that much. I gave it a lower rating because Lara Jean, as a narrator, sounded a little too young for her age. I also predicted very early on how Lara Jean's letters got mailed. Overall this is a really sweet book, and I did enjoy reading it. I plan on finishing the trilogy. 

I did listen to most of this book through Audible. The narrator was really good, and I enjoyed listening. 

I highly recommend it for 8th grade and up!

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