Peach Pies and Alibis (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery)

In the follow up to "Pies and Prejudice" Ella Mae LeFaye is keeping busy baking pies at her Charmed Pie Shoppe. She's also in the middle of finalizing her divorce from Sloan and trying to discover more about her family and their "special talents". When one of her kind turns up dead, Ella Mae and her family start to investigate and discover that someone is trying to eliminate the "witches" in their area. Ella Mae, her guardian, Reba, and her family must race to try and find the killer before more people end up dead.

The first book in this series, Pies and Prejudice, was my favorite debut in a new series of the year, and I have to say that Peach Pies and Alibis is currently my number one favorite book of the year!

Peach Pies and Alibis is more than just a cozy mystery - it's a mystery that weaves in mythology elements, that will pull on your emotions and leave you wanting more. At least that is what it did to me!!

I read a lot of cozy mysteries every year and so when I find a series that is a little bit different, I fall for them pretty hard. While I do like the traditional cozies it is nice to find series where the author thinks out of the box a little, and that's exactly what Ellery Adams has done with this one. Ella LeFaye has a special talent - she is able to bake her emotions into her pies. The women in her family (and several other families in Havenwood) have special talents of their own, and it's their "kind" that is the center of this mystery.

I won't spoil the mystery for potential readers, but I will say read this series now! Pies and Prejudice is magical, and Peach Pies and Alibis is full of mythical wonder and I am absolutely itching to find out what tempting, scrumptious storyline Ellery Adams is going to deliver in her next book!

When I finished the book, I posted this on Facebook:
I just finished Peach Pies and Alibis, a paranormal cozy mystery, by Ellery Adams and it is absolutely totally amazing. Awesome. I am in awe of her creativity. She has absolutely become my favourite cozy author now, and I wish she had a backlist of dozens of books for me to devour.

Doesn't this say it all? Do I still need to write a review? Yes? Okay.

Ella Mae LeFaye has been back home in Havenwood, Georgia, for a few months now. Her pie shop / lunchroom / tearoom is going extremely well, and she needs to hire another employee. She is even thinking about doing some catering and delivering. But for that, she needs to buy a car. For now, she is managing everything on her bike, even buying all the fresh products for her creations.
Ella Mae really enjoys her new life, when as a teen she could not leave fast enough to go to the big city. But discovering her husband cheating on her put an end to her marriage of 7 years. So why doesn't he want to give her a divorce? Ella Mae needs to find out her true feelings for her husband Sloan, before she can fall for her childhood love, Hugh Dylan.
Ella Mae enjoys living in her mother's guesthouse with her little dog Chewy, running her own business, which is really a dream come true, and discovering more about her new powers, and her family. Still, her mother and aunts are forbidden to tell her anything, she will have to find it out on her own, and she cannot talk about it amongst strangers either.

Finding a car is the first step of business for Ella Mae, and luckily for her, there is an ad in the morning paper about a former mail van, which is totally what she is looking for. When she calls about the van, and is invited to come over for a test drive, she discovers a great new cheese making business. This will be just what she needs for her pie shop, as she loves working with fresh and local products. A young couple is tasting cheese for their wedding buffet and are delighted to meet Ella Mae and talk about her doing the dessert buffet part. Which is really interesting for Ella Mae, but she needs a new employee for that, so she has more time to bake. And as it so happens, they have a friend who needs a job. Ella Mae likes the young woman, and asks her to drop by the pie shop soon so they can talk it over. So, in one morning, it seems like all her urgent problems are solved. The van is just what she is looking for. The Sherman's will deliver it to her pie shop the next day, along with a bath of their cheeses so she can taste them and decide if she will use their products. A win-win for every one.

Then her aunt Dee asks her to come with her to her old friend Melissa Carlisle to deliver her sculpture. Melissa is a beekeeper, and Dee thinks that Ella Mae might like to buy her honey to use in the pie shop. Ella Mae accepts, but when they arrive at Melissa's house, they find her dead. While waiting for the paramedics and police to show up, Ella Mae is totally distracted by a beautiful rainbow, and she has this unshakable compulsion to follow it. And when she finds the starting point of the rainbow, she .....

Okay, I am not going to spoil anything. Just read the book for yourself and enjoy the journey. I think the book is getting more paranormal than usual in a series, but as I love most things paranormal, I do not mind at all. I enjoyed reading about Ella Mae and her new life, I really like her. She works hard, and spends some time with her cute little dog, who is in doggie day care when she works, playing with other dogs. I like that too, better for a dog than staying home alone for so much time. And the fact that the day care is run by her crush Hugh (whom is also one of the volunteer fire men!) is giving her some chances to meet him.
She also makes a great new friend, which was something that was missing in her life, girl talk! The relationship with her mother keeps improving, and I sure like Reba a lot. Still not really an idea what she is, but she is a great character with a taste for men and licorice.

Ellery Adams is a great author; she blends the cozy parts, the mystery parts, the gentle romance and the magic into one delicious book. I love her writing style, her very realistic characters, and the descriptions of everything. I wish I could live in that village and meet all the people there.

If you like your cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist, you need to read this series. And it has some great mouth-watering recipes in the back as well.

11 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Full review on my blog, [...]

Generally speaking I'm not a fan of paranormal novels in any genre. The one exception is the cozy "Magical Bakery" mystery series by Bailey Cates. So when I finished reading all of Ellery Adam's available Books by the Bayside mysteries (LOVE THEM!), I picked up the Charmed Pie Shoppe mysteries. I was fearful that Ms. Adam's would trod the same territority as the Cates books but happily that hasn't been the case. I read the first book in the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries and was charmed by the characters and the delicious pie receipes. So I picked up book 2 with anticipation. That anticipation turned into dismay when the author started forging a link between the female protagonist and the Arthurian legend. Candidly, I rolled my eyes in dismay and seriously debated whether or not I would finish. Yet, the book kept calling to me and here is the reason why-- Ms. Adams is an incredibly gifted writer. There are passages in this book where the descriptions of nature, people and pie are so engaging they almost border on lyrical. So I suspended by disbelief and found myself entertained in a book where the murders where almost beside the point and the journey of the characters took center stage. I like Ella Mae, her aunts, Reba, and Ella Mae's precious dog, Charleston Chew. I want to know more about them and their little lakeside town in Georgia. Now if I could only find someone to bake those delicious pie recipes in the back of the book.....

The author does a decent job of developing her characters. She completely lost me, however, with the ties to Merlin, Guinevere, etal. As far as a mystery goes, this book fell flat for me. I am guessing the author was trying to do something different within the cozy genre. Combining it with a magical fantasy seems far fetched and stretches the story in such an odd direction it almost feels like to different stories mashed into one.. Would not recommend it.

I cannot believe how phenomenal this book was its going to be a long wait till January for the next installment. Ella Mae learns so much more about herself this time around and so do we. This takes on the next step in Ella Mae magical life without giving anything away its filled with so many surprises. The story was expertly crafted that you are immediately sucked in to the characters lives. The LeFaye women are well defined and with amazing traits that anyone would love to have. Although the book answers questions in the end it leaves you with more the sign of a great book. If you haven't started this series you are missing out.

Just finished Peach Pies and Alibis and thought it was so good. It keeps you guessing what is coming next. Ella Mae comes home as her marriage falls apart and finally finds herself. Finds she is part of something special she didn't even know existed. As bad things start to happen, she finds herself and tries to fix everything. I loved it and think you will too.

I almost didn't read this book, because an excerpt I had come across seemed so hoakey and contrived-Southern. . .especially with a heroine named Ella Mae LaFaye. However, I was desperate for reading material (and I had enjoyed Ellery Adams other series), so I decided to try a Charmed Pie Shoppe book. It is well-written, upbeat, and the characters are all entertaining. If you aren't put off with a touch of magic to the story, you will certainly enjoy Peach Pies and Pecan Pies. Certainly first-class escapist literature!

I absolutely loved this book. This is the first book I read by Ellery Adams and I fully intend to read more. Not like your regular mystery, Peach Pies and Alibis adds a delightful pinch of magic into the book. It was a fast read, I read it in a few hours, but it kept me engaged all the way to the end. Can't wait to read more by this author

This second book in The Charmed Pie Shoppe series was amazing. I am so impressed with Ellery Adams word choice, ability to create settings and plots. Her character development wants me to have all these folks as friends. I cannot wait until January 2014 to see where this story goes next. Wonderful!

Sometimes cozy mysteries can be a bit simple, relying on maybe two plot lines. While this can make for a fast, easy read it doesn't do much for making me anxious for the next book in the series. Peach Pies and Alibis is different in this respect. Not only was I surprised at plot points I didn't expect but this book has previewed a whole bunch of new things for up coming books. Can't wait to see where the author takes me next.

Ordered first 4 books, read three. Just did not like these. Mythical more than mystery. Juvenile. Surprised so many adults gave good reviews. Donated to local charity. Will not read any more books by this author.

Just finished Peach Pies and Alibis and thought it was so good. It keeps you guessing what is coming next. Ella Mae comes home as her marriage falls apart and finally finds herself. Finds she is part of something special she didn't even know existed. As bad things start to happen, she finds herself and tries to fix everything. I loved it and think you will too.