A prestigious chocolate fest is coming to town, and Jules and the Torte are one of four featured shops. It means a lot of planning and extra work to makes samples and demo models, but the exposure is worth it. The shop is also going through an renovation with new ovens and a spruce up with fresh paint. But tragedy strikes just before the doors are opened at the fest when one of the presenters dies from an allergic reaction after eating some of Jules’ cake sample. Or did he die from something else? It turns out to be quite a conundrum, and the police will need some help to solve this one. It’s a well written mystery - I think the best one in the series so far - with great characters in an interesting plot. I did miss Carlos in this one, and Thomas needs a new love interest, for sure. Maybe in the next book . . . ? ( )

Again, a weak mystery, but I do like reading about the food, and how the business is progressing. My fondness for Lance is growing, but I'm tired of Juliet being so perfect. ( )

Juliet (Jules) Montague Capshaw lives in Ashland, Oregon. This little town is home to a Shakespearean Festival and this story takes place during the off season. Juliet is her mother's partner in the family bakery/cafe, Torte. She has returned from working on a cruise ship where she met and married Carlos. Juliet is still trying to figure out where her marriage with Carlos stands, but he is back on the cruise ship and she is in Ashland. Jules and her Mother are participating in the Chocolate Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Jules meets Evan, a famous chocolatier and obnoxious chef to boot, for the first time and is not impressed. When he suffers anaphylactic shock and dies in front of Jules she is extremely upset. Even though she did not like him, no one deserved to die like that. She begins to help the police with the investigation. With all this going on, Torte is undergoing minor renovations with new ovens being put in, Jules' old boyfriend Thomas seems to be attempting to become more than a friend, she finds out that her mother is developing arthiritis, a pastry magazine wants to do a cover story on Jules and Torte, and they are trying to decide if they want to lease the bottom floor of the bakery and do an addition. There is a lot adding stress to Jules' life, can she handle it all? Will they figure out who killed Evan?

This is the fifth book in this series and I love visiting Torte and Ashland. I love the relationship between Jules and her mom, as well the one between Helen and the Professor. The employees at Torte are very different from one another, but they work so well together and they are like a family. The plot moves quickly and kept me reading quickly until reaching the conclusion. The mystery was interesting and I was surprised to see who the killer was, as well as the reason and the method used to do it. This is a fun, interesting series that will leave you wanting more and with your stomach growling. Cozy mystery readers will enjoy this one. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

Juliet Capshaw is honored that her family bakeshop, Torte, is to be one of the featured hosts at the Chocolate Fest in her hometown of Ashland, Oregon. While Juliet and her mother are busily preparing chocolate tasting samples, their young staff is gearing up to paint and remodel the bakery kitchen and finally install new ovens. Meanwhile, there is a captivating possibility to expand Torte to the downstairs basement.

In the midst of the chocolate frenzy, Evan Rowe, the conceited and unlikeable owner of Confections Couture, collapses after sampling Juliet's chocolate cake. It is clear he is in anaphylatic shock. Evan had a nut allergy he tried to keep hidden, but Juliet is sure her cake sample did not contain nuts. It is possible Evan could have eaten nuts from another vendor, but wouldn't he have tasted them in the sample?

Along with her friend and artistic director, Lance, Juliet asks some pointed questions. Many people had reasons to dislike Evan, but who would kill him? Meanwhile, Juliet finds her relationship with her old high school boyfriend and detective-in-training, Thomas, becoming uncomfortable. She is still a married woman but unsure if she is unable to forgive her husband for keeping his son a secret from her.

I have read the previous books in the series, and I enjoyed this book as well. I do wish Juliet would sort out her romantic situation with her husband, Carlos, as it is beginning to get a bit tedious and somewhat unbelievable to think that he is content to be cooking on cruise ships apart from Juliet for what has to be nearly a year now. ( )

Book received from NetGalley.

This is a very cute cozy mystery. It takes place in Oregon at a Chocolate Festival. The owners of a local bakery take part in the festival and end up embroiled in a murder mystery when one of the other vendors at the festival dies under suspicious circumstances. This is the first book I have ever read in the series, even though it's the fifth book released. It really didn't matter, I had no problem following what was going on and with the bit of explanation about other characters, I could jump right in. So it can be read as a stand alone. I plan on reading other books in the series, especially since it is so hard to find cozy mysteries that keep you guessing on "whodunnit" until almost the end. I really enjoyed this one. ( )