Peach Pies and Alibis

Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery, Book 2

By: Ellery Adams

Narrated by: C.S.E Cooney

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Ella Mae LeFaye's Charmed Pie Shoppe is wildly popular in Havenwood, Georgia, which is not surprising since Ella Mae can lace her baked goods with enchantments. The shop's extraordinary success seems destined to continue when Ella Mae meets an engaged couple who hire her to handle the dessert buffet at their wedding.

But Ella Mae has a lot on her plate. She is also searching for the origin of her magical powers, and hoping to determine if the spark of attraction she feels for the handsome Hugh Dylan is authentic or just her new abilities gone awry.

Then Ella Mae discovers a high-standing member of the community dead, and a wedding guest becomes seriously ill at the event she's catering. Now she'll have to use all her sleuthing skills and culinary talents to prove that her pies don't contain a killer ingredient.

©2013 Ellery Adams (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An original, intriguing storyline that celebrates women, family, friendship and loyalty within an enchanted world, with a hint of romance, an engaging cast of characters and the promise of a continued saga of magical good confronting evil." ( Kirkus)

a fabulous escape

what a delight to listen to while navigating miles of traffic. i found the story well organized. the characters likeable and incredibly fleshed out. more than a few times i would find myself sitting in the car a moment longer just to hear more.

Such a fun series!!!!!

I have very rarely found a series where the second book was as enjoyable as the first. but here it is!!!!! and the narration is OUT OF THE WORLD!!!!! CSE Cooney has the ability to change her voice to flow in and out of characters so seamlessly. i love listening to books she narrates!

enjoyable

enjoyed it. and the series. however I did figure out the villian before it was revealed

Peach pie alibi

loved it and the narrator is great. I can't wait to hear the next one. top rating
Overall rating is 5

Better than book 1

What did you love best about Peach Pies and Alibis?

There is more background information that helps you understand their magical world and feel connected to the story

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

More details explaining their powers

Even better than first one!

Frightening parts were very unexpected, but I couldn't stop listening! The balance between everything good, sweet and loving versus pure evil, jealousy and hatred was well-done. Full of surprises.

Gotta love Reba!

Good character and plot development from first book. Hope the divorce happens soon though. That's getting old. Reba's the best!

It wasn't my slice of pie, overdone & cheesy

What disappointed you about Peach Pies and Alibis?

In book two I expected the colorful characters I liked to develop more, but instead I just got more shallow characters added into the book. If you want to listen to a women describe every single detail of her dessert & ingredients to you, like the just picked mouthwatering peach, then this is the book for you.

What was most disappointing about Ellery Adams’s story?

I was hopeful this book, the second in the series ,would be better than the first, but that was not the case at all. This book was even more shallow than the first, it felt unbalanced & did not flow well. We go from magic to murder to detailed pie description, never getting to the next level, barely scratching the surface.

Would you listen to another book narrated by C.S.E Cooney?

Yes, overall the narrator did a good job.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Peach Pies and Alibis?

I would take out half or more of Ella Mae's descriptions of pies. Just because she owns a pie shop, it doesn't mean that's all she should ever think or talk about.

Too much fantasy not enough cozy

Ella may just learned that she can transfer her emotions into the food she bakes. But she doesn't know how she got that way. This book explains everything to do with her powers in depth. In fact, compared to book 1 this is way more supernatural & factual. You learn every single detail about each aunt & their respective gifts + the family history behind it all. There is a competing clan with dark magic in town too & things take place with them. The murder & mystery aspect is also centering around something to do with this group & magic... They're not quite witches (I'm unsure what they call themselves).

Book 1 was light on magic & more of a tongue in cheek detail that Ella May could affect people who eat her pies. I wasn't prepared for this book to be so heavy on wizards, witches, dark magic, powers and competing families etc. It feels like it overshadows the cozy mystery aspect completely, and just not on par with what I thought the series would be. Just be prepared for it to be mainly a fantasy story line & less of a typical cozy. If you enjoy that though, this will fit the bill!

Not For Me

Ellery Adams missed the mark with this series. The characters and plot are odd I couldn't get into the book. Also C.S.E. Cooney is all wrong for this series. She can't do a decent southern accent. I stopped listening after a few chapters in the book. I'll stick to her other cozy mysteries.