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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J. Perry contains three Halloween novellas. Cupcakes are the common thread between the stories (the thread may be looser in some than in others). Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O’Connor is book 2.5 in A Home to Ireland Mysteries. I was able to read it as a standalone. I did not find the story engaging. I thought the story was slow in places which made the story feel long (I was beginning to think it would never end). Mrs. Claus and the Candy Corn Caper by Liz Ireland is book 3.5 in the Mrs. Claus Mysteries. I ended up skimming through this short story which seemed geared towards a younger audience. The final book is A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry. It is A Witchy City Mystery novella. It can be read as a standalone since the necessary background information is provided. I like the author’s writing style which makes the story easy to read. I enjoyed the Halloween atmosphere in Salem. I like the supernatural element and how it is incorporated into the mystery. The whodunit suited the length of the story. I did feel that the ending was rushed. I felt that Halloween Cupcake Murder was like receiving raisins when trick or treating instead of a candy bar.
book_lizard42's review against another edition
2.0
This book was, frankly, terrible. Everything is set up on an unbelievable premise. Maybe I need to read the first nine books to get it, but I don't think I want to. The book reads like it was written by someone whose sum total of knowledge about Ireland comes from reading poorly-researched trade paperbacks. Ugh. Every stereotype, every trite phrase, every cliche is here between the pages of one book.
I wanted to love it. Seemed like a fun, cozy read. Nope.
I wanted to love it. Seemed like a fun, cozy read. Nope.
aliciagoeser's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE MURDER is a scary-licious trio of novellas by Carlene O’Connor, Liz Ireland, and Carol J. Perry. The thing that I love about these themed novella books is the opportunity to find new-to-me authors, or catch up with characters that I already know and love. I’m always impressed that each author manages to fit in a full mystery, with enough intrigue, in such short stories!
While I’m quite familiar with author Carlene O’Connor, somehow her Home to Ireland Mystery series escaped my attention. I was delighted to be introduced to her protagonist, Tara Meehan, an American transplant now living in Galway, Ireland. Despite the short length of Halloween Cupcake Murder, there were enough details to make me feel like I was right there and enough clues to keep me guessing. The author deftly provides the setup for the murder and then quickly gets to the action. I enjoyed getting to know Tara and now have to add her full-length books to my TBR pile!
A fan of the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland from the very beginning, I couldn’t wait to dive into Mrs. Clause and the Candy Corn Caper. The author’s North Pole world-building is delightful and her use of fun puns adds great humor. Mrs. Claus, a gal from Oregon who just happened to have fallen in love with Nick Claus while he was on vacation, has introduced Halloween to the elves. With a candy corn dessert bake-off, a theft of candy corn resulting in a shortage, a new competing bakery in town, and a disgruntled employee leads to disaster for the festivities. With a strong descriptive voice, Ms. Ireland brings the North Pole and its various characters to life. Mrs. Claus is a tenacious amateur sleuth who states, “I might not have been born Mrs. Claus, but I was born nosy”. She still exhibits the caring, tender qualities you’d imagine Santa’s wife to have, even while investigating. If you’re a fan of this series, this is a great way to get your “fix” before the next book releases. If you haven’t read any in the series before, this is a fun way to explore the North Pole and whet your appetite!
A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry is a new-to-me author and series. I found it easy enough to get to know the characters and become acquainted with the setting without feeling lost. I’m so impressed with the amount of information the authors can include in the novellas without detracting from the pace of the plot. Protagonist Lee Barrett works as a program director for WICH-TV. There’s a touch of paranormal—Lee can see visions, although the meaning is never very clear—along with her cat, O’Ryan, pointing her toward clues. Lee’s detective boyfriend isn’t all that keen about her “abilities” but still respects her enough to listen to what she finds out. I enjoyed their interaction and the core characters and I’ll be seeking out the books in this series to get to know them better!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
While I’m quite familiar with author Carlene O’Connor, somehow her Home to Ireland Mystery series escaped my attention. I was delighted to be introduced to her protagonist, Tara Meehan, an American transplant now living in Galway, Ireland. Despite the short length of Halloween Cupcake Murder, there were enough details to make me feel like I was right there and enough clues to keep me guessing. The author deftly provides the setup for the murder and then quickly gets to the action. I enjoyed getting to know Tara and now have to add her full-length books to my TBR pile!
A fan of the Mrs. Claus Mystery series by Liz Ireland from the very beginning, I couldn’t wait to dive into Mrs. Clause and the Candy Corn Caper. The author’s North Pole world-building is delightful and her use of fun puns adds great humor. Mrs. Claus, a gal from Oregon who just happened to have fallen in love with Nick Claus while he was on vacation, has introduced Halloween to the elves. With a candy corn dessert bake-off, a theft of candy corn resulting in a shortage, a new competing bakery in town, and a disgruntled employee leads to disaster for the festivities. With a strong descriptive voice, Ms. Ireland brings the North Pole and its various characters to life. Mrs. Claus is a tenacious amateur sleuth who states, “I might not have been born Mrs. Claus, but I was born nosy”. She still exhibits the caring, tender qualities you’d imagine Santa’s wife to have, even while investigating. If you’re a fan of this series, this is a great way to get your “fix” before the next book releases. If you haven’t read any in the series before, this is a fun way to explore the North Pole and whet your appetite!
A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry is a new-to-me author and series. I found it easy enough to get to know the characters and become acquainted with the setting without feeling lost. I’m so impressed with the amount of information the authors can include in the novellas without detracting from the pace of the plot. Protagonist Lee Barrett works as a program director for WICH-TV. There’s a touch of paranormal—Lee can see visions, although the meaning is never very clear—along with her cat, O’Ryan, pointing her toward clues. Lee’s detective boyfriend isn’t all that keen about her “abilities” but still respects her enough to listen to what she finds out. I enjoyed their interaction and the core characters and I’ll be seeking out the books in this series to get to know them better!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
cpgunning's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annareadsmysteries's review
1.0
My November reading is not going well... this is a 1 for a few reasons.
The first reason is the writing. It's bad. No, let me rephrase, it's quite terrible... I will be honest, I got this as an audio book, as I could not find the physical book anywhere, but the amount of times I've heard 'she said / he said' was way too high.
It's a very weak story and while we are at it, my second reason is - this is only a short story. Correct, I would have been very surprised if the author could have milked a full book out of this, so I give her that. However, I was not expecting a magical Christmas story to follow right after, so I stopped reading. And if I stop reading a book, I will have to give it a 1 star, but otherwise, it would have been 2.
The first reason is the writing. It's bad. No, let me rephrase, it's quite terrible... I will be honest, I got this as an audio book, as I could not find the physical book anywhere, but the amount of times I've heard 'she said / he said' was way too high.
It's a very weak story and while we are at it, my second reason is - this is only a short story. Correct, I would have been very surprised if the author could have milked a full book out of this, so I give her that. However, I was not expecting a magical Christmas story to follow right after, so I stopped reading. And if I stop reading a book, I will have to give it a 1 star, but otherwise, it would have been 2.
pensivepelican's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a big fan of Carlene O’Connor’s work, so I was eager to read Halloween Cupcake Murder and it did not disappoint. I read her Irish Village series and the first two of her Home to Ireland series, which shares a setting with Halloween Cupcake Mystery. This story is much darker than the other two as befitting the Halloween theme. It was a suspense-filled read that teased supernatural elements. I enjoyed the character development, the pacing, and the story overall and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozies or stories set in Ireland. The problem for me was the other two stories, which I really couldn’t get into. It’s not that there was anything wrong with them, it’s just that the vibe of each was very different. They would each appeal to different sorts of readers. The Halloween theme wasn’t really enough for the three stories to hang together.
I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Halloween Cupcake Murder from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this Advanced Reader Copy of Halloween Cupcake Murder from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
anmonsinme's review against another edition
4.0
All 3 of these stories hit the spot for me!
My favourite story here is Mrs Claus and the Candy Corn Caper, which was a thrilling chase with a cute story setting. But what’s with that band named Swingin Santas?
My favourite story here is Mrs Claus and the Candy Corn Caper, which was a thrilling chase with a cute story setting. But what’s with that band named Swingin Santas?
smorrison4's review
4.0
This was a fun collection of short stories.
I loved Halloween Cupcake Murder by Carlene O'Connor and I am glad I read this story, I think I would have been really confused when the next book in the Home to Ireland series is released.
I have only read one other story in the Mrs. Claus series by Liz Ireland and this one was a short story about candy corn, blech, also known as the worst Halloween candy. The elves were very creative when trying to replace the stolen candy corn, I think I would have enjoyed some of their creations.
I like that A Triple Layer Halloween Murder by Carol J. Perry takes place in Salem, it was the perfect backdrop for a Halloween story.