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samfox's review
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
rmhs14's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Another good book in the series.
lindsaykosnick's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
3.0
A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander is the sixth book in A Bakeshop Mystery series. Jules Capshaw receives a call from her estranged husband, Carlos asking for her assistance. The pastry chef on the cruise ship quit unexpectedly and his replacement will not arrive for a week. The captain would like Jules to return and offers an incentive of an all-expense paid trip for her mother, Helen and her fiancé, Doug Curtis (the Professor). Jules and Helen leave Torte in the hands of their capable staff and Lance. Lance, Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, is at loose ends and states he will “supervise” the staff while they are away (oh, dear). Jules quickly settle back into the routine of ship life, but it is inevitable that she will stumble over a body. Jules discovers a blonde woman floating in the salt water pool. The same blonde woman she noticed sneaking around the crew area of the ship. But who is the victim? No one seems to know her identity. The captain asks the Professor to investigate the crime (there goes the vacation). Jules and the Professor need to capture the killer before the ship arrives at its next port. Jules has her hands full with baking scrumptious treats for the passengers, searching for clues, Carlos and a rocky ship from a squall they are passing through. Can Jules and the Professor catch the killer or will Jules end up as fish bait?
A Crime of Passion Fruit is easy to read and has a nice steady pace. I thought A Crime of Passion Fruit had more of the cozy element than mystery. There are numerous food descriptions in the book. The whodunit is in the background in this story and can easily be solved. The suspect pool is limited. I identified the culprit early in the story. The cruise ship was a nice change of pace and I appreciated how the author included the characters from Ashland into the story. A Crime of Passion Fruit can easily be read alone. All the necessary background details are provided. My rating for A Crime of Passion Fruit if 3 out of 5 stars. I did find it unbelievable that Jules would have time to run around the ship hunting down the Professor and looking for clues. She is running a large pastry kitchen (that works virtually around the clock as we are told more than once) that would command her full attention (I know it is fiction, but it needs to be slightly realistic). Also, a cruise ship has their own security to conduct investigations (and there are laws and regulations to follow when a crime is committed on a ship). A Crime of Passion Fruit reminds me of the Love Boat. I can see Captain Stubbing asking the Professor for his assistance and Jules reminds me of a female version of Gopher with her sleuthing. There is a repetition of information (seems a common theme lately in cozy mysteries). I wish I could say the Carlos and Jules situation was resolved, but it was not (sigh). I am not a fan of Carlos (#TeamThomas). He does not support Jules in her investigations (he wanted to promise “you will bake and stay in kitchen”). I do not feel the love between Jules and Carlos. There is lust, but that it is not love. At the end of A Crime of Passion Fruit, we are left with a little cliffhanger (which means I will be reading the next book in A Bakeshop Mystery series to find out what happens).
A Crime of Passion Fruit is easy to read and has a nice steady pace. I thought A Crime of Passion Fruit had more of the cozy element than mystery. There are numerous food descriptions in the book. The whodunit is in the background in this story and can easily be solved. The suspect pool is limited. I identified the culprit early in the story. The cruise ship was a nice change of pace and I appreciated how the author included the characters from Ashland into the story. A Crime of Passion Fruit can easily be read alone. All the necessary background details are provided. My rating for A Crime of Passion Fruit if 3 out of 5 stars. I did find it unbelievable that Jules would have time to run around the ship hunting down the Professor and looking for clues. She is running a large pastry kitchen (that works virtually around the clock as we are told more than once) that would command her full attention (I know it is fiction, but it needs to be slightly realistic). Also, a cruise ship has their own security to conduct investigations (and there are laws and regulations to follow when a crime is committed on a ship). A Crime of Passion Fruit reminds me of the Love Boat. I can see Captain Stubbing asking the Professor for his assistance and Jules reminds me of a female version of Gopher with her sleuthing. There is a repetition of information (seems a common theme lately in cozy mysteries). I wish I could say the Carlos and Jules situation was resolved, but it was not (sigh). I am not a fan of Carlos (#TeamThomas). He does not support Jules in her investigations (he wanted to promise “you will bake and stay in kitchen”). I do not feel the love between Jules and Carlos. There is lust, but that it is not love. At the end of A Crime of Passion Fruit, we are left with a little cliffhanger (which means I will be reading the next book in A Bakeshop Mystery series to find out what happens).
foraging_pages's review
3.0
3 Stars!
A Bakeshop Mystery #6
Although we traveled from landlocked Ashland to the high seas in this installment, it did not hold my attention as the previous novels had. Maybe I’ve just gotten tired of the repeating pattern. Juliet stumbles upon a body, inserts herself into the investigation, gets threatened a few times, figures out the mystery, gets attacked by the murderer and then saved by Thomas or the Professor. Boring, but oh so easy to read when I need some mind-numbing.
A Bakeshop Mystery #6
Although we traveled from landlocked Ashland to the high seas in this installment, it did not hold my attention as the previous novels had. Maybe I’ve just gotten tired of the repeating pattern. Juliet stumbles upon a body, inserts herself into the investigation, gets threatened a few times, figures out the mystery, gets attacked by the murderer and then saved by Thomas or the Professor. Boring, but oh so easy to read when I need some mind-numbing.
kimdavishb's review
5.0
I was transported to a tropical paradise from the moment I saw the cover until the very last page. Jules, owner of Torte, a bakeshop in Ashland, Oregon, has a strong sense of community and treats her employees like family. This theme is carried throughout the series and extends to her temporary stay on board a cruise ship. When her estranged husband, Carlos (and yes, I am #teamcarlos!), asks her to return to his cruise ship for a short time to work as a pastry chef, she agrees. Jules is especially happy when she finds out that her mother and beau will get an all expense paid trip as well if she helps out. I loved the description of working in the ship’s kitchen and feeding vast numbers of people 24 hours a day. It certainly takes a certain kind of person to live and work in such tight quarters and I find it amazing there aren’t more real life murders taking place on cruise ships!
When Jules finds the body of an unknown young woman floating in the pool, she feels a certain responsibility to find the murderer. Her mother’s beau, a detective known as Professor, quickly becomes involved and he asks Jules to assist him. Given that the murder takes place on the ship while out at sea, there is a limited number of suspects. The author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing with some twists thrown in. She also touches on the frightening issue of stalking and ties it into the story. The pace of the plot moves along nicely while interwoven with life on the ship and Jules coming to terms with her relationship with Carlos.
Of course with Jules working in the ship’s pastry kitchen there are all sorts of delectable dishes mentioned in the book. I felt like I gained 5 pounds on Jule’s tropical cruise just reading the descriptions! Ellie Alexander provides several delicious recipes at the back of the book. I tried her recipe for Lemon Jelly Roll Cake... easy to follow directions and the results were stunning. An easy way to impress family and guests alike!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When Jules finds the body of an unknown young woman floating in the pool, she feels a certain responsibility to find the murderer. Her mother’s beau, a detective known as Professor, quickly becomes involved and he asks Jules to assist him. Given that the murder takes place on the ship while out at sea, there is a limited number of suspects. The author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing with some twists thrown in. She also touches on the frightening issue of stalking and ties it into the story. The pace of the plot moves along nicely while interwoven with life on the ship and Jules coming to terms with her relationship with Carlos.
Of course with Jules working in the ship’s pastry kitchen there are all sorts of delectable dishes mentioned in the book. I felt like I gained 5 pounds on Jule’s tropical cruise just reading the descriptions! Ellie Alexander provides several delicious recipes at the back of the book. I tried her recipe for Lemon Jelly Roll Cake... easy to follow directions and the results were stunning. An easy way to impress family and guests alike!
I received an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
emilycirrus's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
qu33nofbookz's review
2.0
Okay so I didn't start off with the first book in the series so I was playing a bit of catch up with some of the back story on the MC which we get snippets of. Basically she lived for a decade or so on a cruise ship as a pastry chef and married Carlos (who is a Mexican cliche and begins every sentence with Si or adds it to every sentence...) the main food chef. When she found out he had a son (it sounds like he has nothing to do with the kid or possibly didn't know himself) she freaks out and jumps ship to go back home. It only been a few months (and several murders later) that Carlos asks her to come back to the ship to help out for a week or so. She agrees and wonders why she left the ship, but how can she stay she is so in love with life on land and her home, but she loves Carlos so much how can she not stay on the ship, but she wants land....and on and on it goes. About almost half of this book is taken up by our MC's inner musings about her life at home, and her love of Carlos and should she remain at sea. Also she talks about how much work being head pastry chef is and how many hours she has to spend in the kitchen....and yet she is hardly there at all.
Anyway she was home and now she, her mom and her mom's boyfriend are on the cruise when on the first day there is a murder. Between musing about her relationship with her husband, eating something of everything she cooks, running around out of the kitchen she is helping to solve a murder...sort of. This is one of those mysteries where the MC doesn't actually solve didily but the case just comes together and all the pieces fall into place like day to day life just happening. And last it annoyed me that the MC is such a gossip...she tells everyone everything about the murder whenever she can, she even emails her friends at home and tells them everything...really I am sick of this becoming standard in mysteries of all MC's and most secondary characters.
Anyway she was home and now she, her mom and her mom's boyfriend are on the cruise when on the first day there is a murder. Between musing about her relationship with her husband, eating something of everything she cooks, running around out of the kitchen she is helping to solve a murder...sort of. This is one of those mysteries where the MC doesn't actually solve didily but the case just comes together and all the pieces fall into place like day to day life just happening. And last it annoyed me that the MC is such a gossip...she tells everyone everything about the murder whenever she can, she even emails her friends at home and tells them everything...really I am sick of this becoming standard in mysteries of all MC's and most secondary characters.