{"id":31969,"date":"2025-11-03T11:13:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=31969"},"modified":"2025-11-03T11:17:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:17:23","slug":"review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-31969\" data-postid=\"31969\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-31969 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_yuxg127 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_q323127 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_24li127 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"1048\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=640%2C1048&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-31970\" title=\"laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\" alt=\"laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?w=916&amp;ssl=1 916w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=183%2C300&amp;ssl=1 183w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=625%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 625w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=768%2C1258&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=400%2C655&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_q07o127 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte\u2019s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in Costa Rica. A fortuitous invitation from one of Carlos\u2019s former colleagues, Valentina, has them venturing to the coffee capital of the world for a tasting tour and an immersive weekend at her family&#8217;s organic coffee farm.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">They soak in the tropical breezes, the vibrant colors, the sounds of morning birdsong, and the sweeping views of the historic coffee farm. Valentina is the ultimate host, offering them traditional meals and thrilled to have their input as she\u2019s preparing to open a coffee counter and bakery on the farm.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">The getaway is just what Jules needed. A chance to relax and unwind, curl up with a book and iced latte by the pool, and tinker in Valentina\u2019s kitchen, dreaming up new recipes to bring home. Except her tranquil weekend quickly turns into a nightmare when one of Valentina\u2019s employees is found dead in the pulping machine. Now, Jules will have to put her vacation on hold to try and uncover the murderer before one of Torte&#8217;s beloved workers becomes the next body thrown into the mix.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_abc6127 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_q23j127  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Aug 26, 2025<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Bakeshop Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>21<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Macmillan<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Minotaur Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $9.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Laying Down the Latte<\/strong> is the 21st book in the <em>Bakeshop Mystery<\/em> series. In this book, the main character, <strong>Juliet &#8220;Jules&#8221; Capshaw<\/strong>, and her husband, <strong>Carlos<\/strong>, travel from their home in Ashland, Oregon, to Costa Rica. Their friend Valentina has invited them to visit her family&#8217;s coffee farm for a tour and to advise her on a few issues regarding her business. Andy, the barista at Jules&#8217; bakery, also goes to learn more about coffee, a subject he&#8217;s passionate about. Everyone is impressed by the beauty of Costa Rica and the farm, but the pleasant trip takes a turn when Andy witnesses the tragic death of Valentina&#8217;s cousin and business partner. Jules is determined to find out who the killer is and help Valentina save her farm, which is in danger of being bought by a large coffee corporation.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I&#8217;ve been reading this series for a long time. I love Jules and Carlos, and the premise of them traveling to Costa Rica was an interesting change. I enjoyed learning about the coffee farms, but I missed seeing Jules and the employees of her family bakery, Torte, working together. One of my favorite characters in the series is Lance, Jules&#8217;s best friend. Although he checks in with her via text, advising her on the investigation, it wasn&#8217;t the same as having him play an active role in the investigation with Jules. Also, with the exception of Valentina, I didn&#8217;t warm to the other characters in Costa Rica.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are some tense moments as Jules questions farm employees to try to get to the bottom of what really happened. The ultimate resolution of the case had some surprises, but also some things that didn&#8217;t add up for me. Overall, the book was entertaining, but I will be glad to see Jules, Carlos, and Andy back in Ashland for the next book. As always, there were some delicious-sounding recipes at the end of the book.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_0ojm127 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4nDDF9n\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4qEfnif\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\/1146566754?ean=9781250326379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/laying-down-the-latte\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Ellie_Alexander_Laying_Down_the_Latte?id=7WUzEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte\u2019s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,119,123,48],"tags":[152,223,367,404,405],"class_list":["post-31969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christine","category-macmillan","category-minotaur-books","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-cozy-mystery","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte\u2019s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"916\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"beverley\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\"},\"headline\":\"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":8,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"4 Stars\",\"cozy mystery\",\"Mystery\",\"recommend\",\"Recommended Reads\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Christine\",\"Macmillan\",\"Minotaur Books\",\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/\",\"name\":\"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1\",\"width\":916,\"height\":1500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/03\\\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"description\":\"Where HEAs are guaranteed\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"width\":281,\"height\":265,\"caption\":\"Smitten by Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\",\"name\":\"beverley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"beverley\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/beverley\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books","og_description":"Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte\u2019s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/","og_site_name":"Smitten by Books","article_published_time":"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":916,"height":1500,"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"beverley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"beverley","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/"},"author":{"name":"beverley","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d"},"headline":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander","datePublished":"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/"},"wordCount":8,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1","keywords":["4 Stars","cozy mystery","Mystery","recommend","Recommended Reads"],"articleSection":["Christine","Macmillan","Minotaur Books","Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/","name":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander - Smitten by Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-11-03T15:13:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-03T15:17:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1","width":916,"height":1500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/03\/review-laying-down-the-latte-by-ellie-alexander\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Review \ud83d\udd0d Laying Down the Latte by Ellie Alexander"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","name":"Smitten by Books","description":"Where HEAs are guaranteed","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Smitten by Books","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","width":281,"height":265,"caption":"Smitten by Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?fit=916%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg\" title=\"laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\" alt=\"laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?w=916&amp;ssl=1 916w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=183%2C300&amp;ssl=1 183w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=625%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 625w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=768%2C1258&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander.jpg?resize=400%2C655&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 916px) 100vw, 916px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Baker Jules Capshaw, along with her husband, Carlos, and Torte\u2019s resident barista, Andy, are packing their bags and preparing for the ultimate coffee excursion in Costa Rica. A fortuitous invitation from one of Carlos\u2019s former colleagues, Valentina, has them venturing to the coffee capital of the world for a tasting tour and an immersive weekend at her family's organic coffee farm.<br \/><br \/>They soak in the tropical breezes, the vibrant colors, the sounds of morning birdsong, and the sweeping views of the historic coffee farm. Valentina is the ultimate host, offering them traditional meals and thrilled to have their input as she\u2019s preparing to open a coffee counter and bakery on the farm.<br \/><br \/>The getaway is just what Jules needed. A chance to relax and unwind, curl up with a book and iced latte by the pool, and tinker in Valentina\u2019s kitchen, dreaming up new recipes to bring home. Except her tranquil weekend quickly turns into a nightmare when one of Valentina\u2019s employees is found dead in the pulping machine. Now, Jules will have to put her vacation on hold to try and uncover the murderer before one of Torte's beloved workers becomes the next body thrown into the mix.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Aug 26, 2025<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Bakeshop Mystery<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>21<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Macmillan<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Minotaur Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $9.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Laying Down the Latte<\/strong> is the 21st book in the <em>Bakeshop Mystery<\/em> series. In this book, the main character, <strong>Juliet \"Jules\" Capshaw<\/strong>, and her husband, <strong>Carlos<\/strong>, travel from their home in Ashland, Oregon, to Costa Rica. Their friend Valentina has invited them to visit her family's coffee farm for a tour and to advise her on a few issues regarding her business. Andy, the barista at Jules' bakery, also goes to learn more about coffee, a subject he's passionate about. Everyone is impressed by the beauty of Costa Rica and the farm, but the pleasant trip takes a turn when Andy witnesses the tragic death of Valentina's cousin and business partner. Jules is determined to find out who the killer is and help Valentina save her farm, which is in danger of being bought by a large coffee corporation.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I've been reading this series for a long time. I love Jules and Carlos, and the premise of them traveling to Costa Rica was an interesting change. I enjoyed learning about the coffee farms, but I missed seeing Jules and the employees of her family bakery, Torte, working together. One of my favorite characters in the series is Lance, Jules's best friend. Although he checks in with her via text, advising her on the investigation, it wasn't the same as having him play an active role in the investigation with Jules. Also, with the exception of Valentina, I didn't warm to the other characters in Costa Rica.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are some tense moments as Jules questions farm employees to try to get to the bottom of what really happened. The ultimate resolution of the case had some surprises, but also some things that didn't add up for me. Overall, the book was entertaining, but I will be glad to see Jules, Carlos, and Andy back in Ashland for the next book. As always, there were some delicious-sounding recipes at the end of the book.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Christine<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4nDDF9n\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4qEfnif\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/laying-down-the-latte-ellie-alexander\/1146566754?ean=9781250326379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/laying-down-the-latte\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Ellie_Alexander_Laying_Down_the_Latte?id=7WUzEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31969"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31975,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31969\/revisions\/31975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}