Alice J. (ASJ) -
Helpful Score: 5
Excellent first book in this new cozy series. Interesting murder mystery for you figure out, the characters are very well written and you want to sit and have a cup tea and slice pie with them. Great description of the mother's rose garden. Just a little unusual happenings thrown in to make you wonder about our characters. Can't wait for book 2.
Heather F. (AZmom875) -
Helpful Score: 4
I really like cozies, and read them often. Because of the size and cover of the book, It would seem this was a cozy. It fits the cozy as, in no sex, women sleuth, and not gruesome. But this book reminds more of Sarah Addison Allen books. The language,and the writing style were far above your typical cozy. The writer describes every emotion, and smell. I really drank in the smells,and descriptions. Very talented writer, with a very simpler mystery. I am going to check out Ellery Adams other series and see if she write in a similar manner. Lots of magical moments.
Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Pies and Prejudice (Charmed Pie Shoppe, Bk 1) on + 704 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
When Ella Mae LeFaye catches her husband in the act of cheating on her, she dumps a few baking ingredients on the guilty parties, picks up her Jack Russell terrier, leaves New York, and heads home to Havenwood, Georgia. There she reunites with her aunts and tries to work out things with her mom. Her mom was not happy when she got married and moved to New York and their relationship has been strained ever since.
Ella has a gift for baking the most delicious pies. Her aunts convince her that her dream of having her own pie shoppe can still come true and help her open The Charmed Bake Shoppe right in Havenwood. Ella soon realizes that baking delectable pies is not her only gift, her pies are actually charmed. They have magical effects on the people who eat them.
All is not magical though in Ella's life. The thorn in her side from the old days still lives in Havenwood and she is making trouble for Ella. Loralyn had plans for the storefront that now houses The Charmed Bake Shoppe and she vows to ruin Ella's business. Then Loralyn's fiancee is found dead. Apparently from a blow to the head. A blow delivered by a marble rolling pin. A rolling pin owned by Ella. It may take more than magical pies to get her out this mess.
WHAT AN AWESOME DEBUT!!
A well written plot set in the Georgia that includes horse racing, greed and corruption is the flaky crust of this enchanting story. Surprising what some people will do for money.
This story has a group of very strong "gifted" women readers will immediately fall in love with. Ella learns about her gift gradually as she tries to find herself, the new and improved Ella, without the cheating husband. A husband that is not quite ready to just let Ella go. Her aunts are there to support her as is her mother. There is also the beloved Reba and her licorice twists. The woman who raised Ella with her aunts while her own mother was busy at Derby parties and Junior League events. Ellery is a master at character creation, even the supporting characters are complex. Some extremely likable, some we love to hate.
This first installment is a nice slice of what I know will be a delicious series. Romance is set to bloom, the aunts have more secrets to reveal, Ella will start to really understand her charm, and murder and mayhem will be stirred into this fine mix. Peach Pies and Alibis will be served in March and I can't wait for the first bite.
Ella has a gift for baking the most delicious pies. Her aunts convince her that her dream of having her own pie shoppe can still come true and help her open The Charmed Bake Shoppe right in Havenwood. Ella soon realizes that baking delectable pies is not her only gift, her pies are actually charmed. They have magical effects on the people who eat them.
All is not magical though in Ella's life. The thorn in her side from the old days still lives in Havenwood and she is making trouble for Ella. Loralyn had plans for the storefront that now houses The Charmed Bake Shoppe and she vows to ruin Ella's business. Then Loralyn's fiancee is found dead. Apparently from a blow to the head. A blow delivered by a marble rolling pin. A rolling pin owned by Ella. It may take more than magical pies to get her out this mess.
WHAT AN AWESOME DEBUT!!
A well written plot set in the Georgia that includes horse racing, greed and corruption is the flaky crust of this enchanting story. Surprising what some people will do for money.
This story has a group of very strong "gifted" women readers will immediately fall in love with. Ella learns about her gift gradually as she tries to find herself, the new and improved Ella, without the cheating husband. A husband that is not quite ready to just let Ella go. Her aunts are there to support her as is her mother. There is also the beloved Reba and her licorice twists. The woman who raised Ella with her aunts while her own mother was busy at Derby parties and Junior League events. Ellery is a master at character creation, even the supporting characters are complex. Some extremely likable, some we love to hate.
This first installment is a nice slice of what I know will be a delicious series. Romance is set to bloom, the aunts have more secrets to reveal, Ella will start to really understand her charm, and murder and mayhem will be stirred into this fine mix. Peach Pies and Alibis will be served in March and I can't wait for the first bite.
Tammy K. (tk942) -
Helpful Score: 2
Pies and Prejudice was a good start to Ellery Adams new series. It's well written and entertaining and I'll continue to read the series, but I enjoyed her Books By the Bay series more. Like some of the other reviewers have mentioned the book seemed to focus more on the mystery of who Ella Mae is and the murder mystery seemed more of a secondary story.
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed Pies and Prejudice (Charmed Pie Shoppe, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Start of a new series by Ellery Adams. Ella Mae returns to her home town after discovering her husband is cheating on her. She turns to baking to soothe her broken heart and discovers her inner magic. An old rival tries to frame her for murder. Very eloquent writing. 3.5 stars
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
Pies and Prejudice should be every foodie's delight. The descriptions of Ella Mae's baking at the beginning of this book had my mouth watering and my memories firmly in the past when, as a young child, I would watch my grandmother bake her own wonderful pies. Although my grandmother's pies were good enough to convince their eaters that they'd died and gone to heaven, Ella Mae's pies are indeed magic. Whatever mood she's in while she's making her delectable concoctions is transferred to the baking. If she's feeling romantic, the folks who eat those pies go looking for love in all imaginable places. Adams uses this device to infuse quite a bit of humor into the book. (The romance is provided by Ella Mae's old high school crush, Hugh Dylan.)
I wish I could say that my enchantment with this book lasted through to the last page, but it didn't. The mystery and its resolution took the backseat to Ella Mae and the self-discovery of her talents and those of her family. Although this is important to the book-- and to setting up future books in the series-- it made the mystery feel rushed, and the way the identity of the killer is revealed is a letdown. Since so many clues to what's really going on with Ella Mae and her family are given, it's easy to put the puzzle pieces together, so I felt as though more emphasis on the mystery would have made for a stronger book.
Don't get me wrong. Ellery Adams is one of my very favorite cozy writers, and I greatly enjoyed the characters and setting of this book. I just feel as though someone sneaked a strawberry* into my cherry pie.
*I'm allergic to strawberries.
I wish I could say that my enchantment with this book lasted through to the last page, but it didn't. The mystery and its resolution took the backseat to Ella Mae and the self-discovery of her talents and those of her family. Although this is important to the book-- and to setting up future books in the series-- it made the mystery feel rushed, and the way the identity of the killer is revealed is a letdown. Since so many clues to what's really going on with Ella Mae and her family are given, it's easy to put the puzzle pieces together, so I felt as though more emphasis on the mystery would have made for a stronger book.
Don't get me wrong. Ellery Adams is one of my very favorite cozy writers, and I greatly enjoyed the characters and setting of this book. I just feel as though someone sneaked a strawberry* into my cherry pie.
*I'm allergic to strawberries.
"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."
This was a charming, enchanting tale that left me with a great big smile on my face! The plot was entertaining, exciting, characters were unusually interesting and just fun to read about! GREAT recipes in it also!
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."
This was a charming, enchanting tale that left me with a great big smile on my face! The plot was entertaining, exciting, characters were unusually interesting and just fun to read about! GREAT recipes in it also!
