Pies and Prejudice

Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series #1

By: Ellery Adams

Narrated by: C. S. E Cooney

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flaky crust.

But her pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects on the people who eat them, and the public is hungry for more. Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie Shoppe. But with her old nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor, making trouble and her old crush, Hugh Dylan, making nice, she has more than pie on her plate. When Loralyn's fiancé is found dead - killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin - it'll take all her sweet magic to clear her name.

©2012 Ellery Adams (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[F]illed with scrumptious pie recipes, Southern charm and sassy women." ( RT Book Reviews)

A real treat!

Let me start by saying that this book isn't supernatural in nature at all. This isn't about witches or magic or anything dark. If anyone has seen the hallmark series "the good witch," it's similar in nature. There isn't any direct "magic" or anything but more of a tongue in cheek hint that the main character has some special talents. Don't be swayed away by thinking its a witchy or supernatural theme, because it's not.

I love Ellery Adams as an author, and this is book is up there with her "books by the bay" series in terms of character development and plot development. The writing is so well done that you get teleported into this world with Ella May & her aunts. The narration was very engrossing & Cooney does a great job of pulling the listener in & pouring her heart into each character. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.

I only have one complaint & its a frustrating thing about the narration that drove me a bit nuts. The main characters name is Ella-May, but the narrator often pronounced it as "allah-may" or some variation of that with a southern drawl. That in itself isn't a problem, it's the fact that one of the aunts are named Adalane, which was often pronounced "adah-lay." When the two of these characters were in one scene it's nearly impossible to tell who is talking as the narrator speaks quickly & sounds them out with a southern drawl and both their names come out sounding almost identical. Maybe it's just a pet peeve but I had to re listen to a few scenes to understand & it was really frustrating.

No to the Narrator

It's a shame when a good-enough book gets a bad narrator. This book is a little overwritten with a sophomoric use of adjectives, but if you like magical mystery cozies, it's a fine read and a good start to a series. But the narrator gets in the way. It's clear that Cooney is unfamiliar with many of the words, and as a consequence she mispronounces them. Her accents are horrible, which is less her fault than it is the fault of the producer for hiring her. I finished the book but I won't be coming back to the series. It's the narrator who killed this series.

I WAS SURPRISED

I passed this series over many times and finally listened to book 1......I was surprised that I actually enjoyed it very much!

Excellent book

Very enjoyable. A lot of information and detail without being cluttered. Very suspenseful and exciting.

Not Sure About This

Ellery Adams best stories are about normal people who solve murders. Her Supper Club and Books By The Bay series are among my favorites. I had hoped I would enjoy this series as well, but, I'm not sure about it. The Good: The aunts are fun characters that I would lie to read more about. The mystery, although a little weak, was interesting

The Bad: The so-called villain Loralyn, is a caricature of a small town mean girl. The rivalry between the two women is very immature and over the top. The fact that Ella Mae is just now discovering the magic that she shares with her mother and aunts make her seem as if she has been walking through life with her eyes closed. Although Ella Mae notices odd things and is curious, she never talks to her mother or aunts. There are also very long and unnecessary descriptions through out the story.

I'm not sure if I will get the next book in the series so therefore can not recommend it.

Very Sweet

What made the experience of listening to Pies and Prejudice the most enjoyable?

The story kept me interested through the whole read. Never felt the desire to just skip over a part.

What did you like best about this story?

The aunts.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Probably. But I was driving cross country and had to stop occasionally.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this so much, I've already purchased the other four books in the series.

Less Description & More Mystery Please!

What disappointed you about Pies and Prejudice?

One reason for purchasing this book was the setting, because it was in Georgia, my home state. Unfortunately, after reading this book I felt like it could have been small town anywhere, but not in a good way, it was lacking the southern charm I get from most books I read based in the south. I almost feel like the author has never been to a great southern town in Georgia like Savannah. I can get over the lack of southern likeness, but what I can't get over is the main character of the book, Ella Mae, she spent way too much time in her head whining and describing desserts. I wanted less pie combinations and more character development, and most of all more mystery.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ellery Adams again?

Yes, I finished the book and didn't completly hate it, so I bought the second book in this series. Maybe book two will surprise me!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I felt like the narrator's voice was a bit monotone, they need to be more expressive with their voice.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I liked the idea of this book the most. This book had potential to be great & I enjoyed some of the colorful characters.

Any additional comments?

I like happy endings, but it was a bit too cheesy for me. The end!

too many superfluous detail for me

The basic concept of the story is okay, I didn't feel as though the real meat of the story showed up until the last chapter. In the beginning I was a bit frustrated with all the minut descriptive words and found that it was too many minor details for me. Some people may enjoy all the tiny little details, I find them a hindrance in my ability to go forward with the story.

a magical mystery

This was a fun listen. made even more enjoyable because of the narration by CSE Cooney. she really brings the characters to life with her ability to take on many characters voices. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

this series is so bad

i like the first book ok so i was willing to try a second one and that was ok couldn't make it past the second one