Review: Baker's Coven - Nancy Warren

Can she bake a winning cake without getting iced?

Competition is hotter than the pre-heated ovens as The Great British Baking Competition moves into cake week. Amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson has a lot to deal with, from learning she has talents she never knew about, to trying to keep cool and bake under pressure.

She’s also trying to track down the secrets of her parentage. Meanwhile, she’s saved from death by a local Border collie who seems to think she’s part of his flock and herds her out of danger. Was it an accident or does someone want her out of the baking competition permanently?

With witches, an energy vortex, an ancient manor house that holds it’s secrets tight, Poppy’s barely got time to practice her fondant icing, never mind escape from a killer.

Taste this culinary cozy mystery series from USA Today Bestselling author Nancy Warren. Each book is a stand-alone mystery, though the books are linked. They offer good, clean fun, and, naturally, recipes.

Great Witches Baking Show Series:
The Great Witches Baking Show
Baker's Coven
A Rolling Scone (May 2020)

Visit Nancy Warren's website for more information

Review:
It's week two of the Great British Baking Competition so Poppy and her fellow contestants are back in the tent preparing to bake their favourite cakes. Poppy is still hoping to find out more about the parents who gave her up but she needs to do as well in the contest as possible so that she has an excuse to spend time at Broomewold Manor. Arriving early in the hope of finding local ingredients for her recipes Poppy soon finds herself caught up in mysterious events at a neighbouring farm and it looks like she'll have to put her newfound detective skills to use again.

Baker's Coven is the second book in Nancy Warren's Great Witches Baking Show cosy mystery series and while each story contains a different mystery to solve I'd still recommend reading the books in order so you can get to know the characters. This book gives us the chance to start getting to know some of the other contestants a little better as well as the local residents.

I love the Bake Off inspired format of the story and am enjoying seeing Poppy start to learn more about her witchy heritage and the powers that she has. We're also starting to explore more of the area around Broomewold Manor and learn a little about the Earl his family. It's obvious the family has plenty of secrets so it's going to be really interesting to see what else we uncover as the series continues. I'm looking forward to reading about more of Poppy's adventures.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Review: The Great Witches Baking Show - Nancy Warren

A baker with secrets
Witches in trouble
The cameras are rolling
Ready, set, die.

Poppy Wilkinson is thrilled to be chosen as a contestant on The Great British Baking Contest. As an American with English roots, winning the crown as Britain’s Best Baker would open doors she’s dreamed of. In more ways than one. Appearing on the reality show is her chance to get into Broomewode Hall and uncover the secrets of her past.

But strange things are happening on the show’s set: accusations of sabotage, a black cat that shadows Poppy, suspiciously unsociable residents at Broomewode Hall—and the judges can be real witches.

There are murmurs that Broomewode is an energy vortex. It certainly makes Poppy see and do things that aren’t exactly normal, and seems to draw interesting characters to the neighborhood.

When a fellow contestant dies in mysterious circumstances, Poppy has more to worry about than burned pies and cakes that won’t rise. There’s a murderer on the loose and it’s up to Poppy and her new friends to solve the crime before it becomes a real show-stopper.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Warren, this delicious series of cozy paranormal mysteries will have you guessing until the end. Includes recipes.

Great Witches Baking Show Series:
The Great Witches Baking Show
Baker's Coven
A Rolling Scone (May 2020)

Visit Nancy Warren's website for more information

Review:
Poppy is thrilled when she is chosen as a contestant for The Great British Baking Contest for two reasons, not only does she love to bake but she's also hoping that returning to the area she was born in will give her the chance to try and trace the family that gave her away when she was just a baby. Taking part in the show is both nerve wracking and great fun but it goes downhill fast when one of the other contestants is murdered. Now Poppy finds herself with more than one mystery on her hands and she's determined to solve them both.

I've heard great things about Nancy Warren's Vampire Knitting Club series but as soon as I heard about The Great Witches Baking Show I knew I had to start here. The Great British Bake Off is a show that most Brits are obsessed with, it's one of those comforts that always makes you smile no matter how bad the world is and this story is the same but in book form. As the first book in the series we're only just starting to get to know the characters but I really liked Poppy and the other contestants mostly seem like a supportive group. The judges were fun and I'm particularly curious about Poppy's search for her birth family.

As a cozy mystery this book is light hearted and humorous in spite of the murder and I found it a very fast and fun read. I think there is a lot more to uncover about Poppy and her newly discovered abilities and I'm glad that the next two books are being released so quickly (Baker's Coven in March & A Rolling Scone in May) so I won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: