A Murder Yule Regret (A Bread Shop Mystery #7) by Winnie Archer

Published November 30th 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Synopsis: Freelance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox…until an unwanted guest appears.

A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests–a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.

When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence–and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In A Murder Yule Regret, the 7th book in the Bread Shop series, Olaya has been asked to provide bread for a Dickens themed Christmas party hosted by a popular actress. Ivy is hired as the official photographer. They all work together to prepare and set up the bread table, before Ivy is swept away by Eliza Fox’s assistant to meet her. Ivy and Eliza become friends quickly. The part is going well, until someone is found dead on the side of the cliff. Ivy quickly gets pulled into a murder after overhearing arguments and conversations while taking pictures. Who wanted the distasteful reporter dead and why?

I have read and enjoyed every book in this series. I definitely recommend you read them all to follow Ivy’s life and development, but you could read this as a standalone story. All my favourite characters were here, Olaya, Miguel, Emmaline, Mrs. Brandford and the rest of the Blackbirds. It is amazing how they can use each other as sounding boards to understand the clues. There were many suspects and clues to follow as well as several red herrings. Ivy is an amazing MC and her powers of observation and deduction come in handy. I love how Winnie Archer infuses the story with bread and baked goods. The feeling it gives and the magic that Ivy often refers to. It is such an integral part of the story. As Ivy and Miguel continue to get closer together their relationship is blossoming. Of course I can’t forget to mention Agatha, Ivy’s pug. She is usually with Ivy, Miguel or Mrs. Brandford and I love that she tries to protect Ivy at one point in this story. I say this with every book, but this is the best one yet. The plot and mystery were excellent, so well developed and I was hooked from the start. The secondary characters in this story were interesting and likable. I enjoyed seeing them change and develop as well, and hope we will see Eliza in future books. All I can say is you need to pick this Festive Cozy Mystery up, especially if you enjoy culinary cozies. A definite winner with a recipe for a Yule Log at the end. I can’t wait to see what is next for Ivy Culpepper.

Purchase Links – Amazon  – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

About the Author: Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. She is a former middle school English teacher who gave up the classroom in order to live in her imagination full time. Melissa, a California native who has lived in Texas and Colorado, now calls the southeast home. She hikes, practices yoga, cooks, and is slowly but surely discovering all the great restaurants in the Carolinas. Since four of her five amazing kids are living their lives, scattered throughout the country, her dogs, Bean, the pug, Dobby, the chug, and Jasper, a cattle dog/lab keep her company while she writes. Melissa lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and their youngest son. She is beyond fortunate to be living the life of her dreams..

Author Links: Kensington – Website – Facebook