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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
The structure of this book was interesting. The murder would happen halfway through, so a prologue showing the incident from the victim's view was written.
The book has some heart and it won me over gradually. I was prepared to rate it 3 stars. But the last few pages undid all that goodwill. I'm always a sucker for an unorthodox climax. However that Dolores character not only ruined the mood for me but reminded me of the insufferable antics of that cat that I'd forgotten.
I'm taking a hiatus from this series. Until next time. Some time in the far future.
The book has some heart and it won me over gradually. I was prepared to rate it 3 stars. But the last few pages undid all that goodwill. I'm always a sucker for an unorthodox climax. However that Dolores character not only ruined the mood for me but reminded me of the insufferable antics of that cat that I'd forgotten.
I'm taking a hiatus from this series. Until next time. Some time in the far future.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Fun, fast, easy read. I really enjoyed this book. The writing is simple and not real deep or intense the way some murder mysteries I read are, but it was an enjoyable read. I haven't read any other books in this series, because it was picked for book club, though I usually prefer to read series in their exact order. However, the author did a great job of providing enough details about the main, recurring characters that I didn't feel lost, although the little entourage of suitors Hannah has leads me to wonder how that came about in the earlier books.
This was actually a very predictable book. The murder takes place later in the book (well over halfway through), so the majority of the book is actually spent on the build-up, although the book starts out with the murder taking place in the prologue and then goes back in time to set everything up. By the time the book works its way back to the murder, I figured out "who done it" right away as that scene was again played out. To me, it was very transparent, and I usually like mysteries where there are red herrings and other such details to keep me guessing.
My favorite part of this book was the recipes. I haven't tried any of them yet, but they all sound yummy! (And we were told that our hostess for book club would be making several of the recipes for us to sample on book club night!) What was different from other culinary mystery series I have read is that the majority of them are all cookies and desserts, because of Hannah's work being the owner/baker at The Cookie Jar. What I found fun about this book is that you actually have to read the recipes, because the author puts her own comments (as if she were Hannah) from how she makes each recipe, everything from which brand of chocolate chips she uses to the best way to keep peanut butter from sticking to your measuring cup. And that's not all. She also has cute little comments and notes relating to characters in the book, like whose favorite cookie they are and even one of Hannah's boyfriends (Norman, the dentist) warning everyone about the dangers of caramel and temporary fillings! Very cute. She also mentions throughout the book several other types of cookies that sound scrumptious, but the recipes for them are not included in this book, so it makes me think they are in previous books. Fun little tie-in to previous books.
Again, just a fun, fast, light mystery story. Maybe a 3.5 really for the writing, but still enjoyable enough for a 4. I will look for the rest of the books to continue reading this series and for more of the fun recipes!
ETA: There was one thing that really bugged me - the significant errors throughout this book. There were lots of extra words and a few wrong words. A few are always in every book, but there were lots throughout this book. It needed better editing.
Also, I made the Cocalattas cookies. They were YUMMY!!! My husband even liked them (and he's pretty picky about his cookies). I was slightly disappointed when I discovered that they were just a chocolate chip cookie......with coconut. Their name made them sound real fancy. LOL However, they were really yummy and I look forward to trying some of her other recipes and look forward to her recipe book when it's released!
This was actually a very predictable book. The murder takes place later in the book (well over halfway through), so the majority of the book is actually spent on the build-up, although the book starts out with the murder taking place in the prologue and then goes back in time to set everything up. By the time the book works its way back to the murder, I figured out "who done it" right away as that scene was again played out. To me, it was very transparent, and I usually like mysteries where there are red herrings and other such details to keep me guessing.
My favorite part of this book was the recipes. I haven't tried any of them yet, but they all sound yummy! (And we were told that our hostess for book club would be making several of the recipes for us to sample on book club night!) What was different from other culinary mystery series I have read is that the majority of them are all cookies and desserts, because of Hannah's work being the owner/baker at The Cookie Jar. What I found fun about this book is that you actually have to read the recipes, because the author puts her own comments (as if she were Hannah) from how she makes each recipe, everything from which brand of chocolate chips she uses to the best way to keep peanut butter from sticking to your measuring cup. And that's not all. She also has cute little comments and notes relating to characters in the book, like whose favorite cookie they are and even one of Hannah's boyfriends (Norman, the dentist) warning everyone about the dangers of caramel and temporary fillings! Very cute. She also mentions throughout the book several other types of cookies that sound scrumptious, but the recipes for them are not included in this book, so it makes me think they are in previous books. Fun little tie-in to previous books.
Again, just a fun, fast, light mystery story. Maybe a 3.5 really for the writing, but still enjoyable enough for a 4. I will look for the rest of the books to continue reading this series and for more of the fun recipes!
ETA: There was one thing that really bugged me - the significant errors throughout this book. There were lots of extra words and a few wrong words. A few are always in every book, but there were lots throughout this book. It needed better editing.
Also, I made the Cocalattas cookies. They were YUMMY!!! My husband even liked them (and he's pretty picky about his cookies). I was slightly disappointed when I discovered that they were just a chocolate chip cookie......with coconut. Their name made them sound real fancy. LOL However, they were really yummy and I look forward to trying some of her other recipes and look forward to her recipe book when it's released!
lighthearted
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
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Once again Lake Eden is home to yet another murder scene. But this time Hannah Swensen isn't alone to discover the body, instead it is a very public murder..... A blast from Hannah's past returns (actually a couple) adding layers of shenanigans this time around.
This time, Hollywood is coming to Hannah! A small movie crew comes to town to shoot an indy film with an A list director, who happens to also be a real jerk. There are plenty of suspects because almost everyone has a reason to want him dead! Hannah finds a couple of links to her past college days and that leads to some funny sub-plots. I totally adore these characters, and the book was as enjoyable to me as the others. I still think visiting my friends at Lake Eden make for a good time. However, I have some complaints! To start, the mystery doesn't come into play until the last third or so of the book, which I personally don't mind, because I enjoy so much the regular antics of these characters. I'm only mentioning that point because I'm sure not every mystery lover would be as patient with that fact as I am. I was disappointed by Hannah's choice of marriage proposals and I felt like Fluke really dropped the ball for a chance to pursue something good here. And also this was the first of the mystery's where I guessed the murderer from the start. I kept waiting for the curveball that would knock my suspect back off the suspect list but it never happened. I like to think that I'm just good, but I think more likely the handling of this mystery could have been worked out better. I think Fluke does do a great job of keeping the previous murderer's out of the books so that these books can probably be read out of order. I am still waiting for these characters to evolve a bit. I think it could be helpful to the overall series if that happens. Overall this book was still a delight- a lite delight. Don't expect anything too heavy here and you won't be disappointed.
slow-paced
The movie-making storyline made this a little more interesting, but otherwise I've pretty much lost interest in this series.
Another fun mystery in Lake Eden. I love how many of these books are centered around a huge event with so many people around and thus many subjects. Though I guessed the murderer pretty quickly, it was still interesting to read about all the possible suspects and motives. I also really like the secondary family/love life drama that is also included in each. Though I am kind of tired of the Mike/Norman thing. Mike just seems like a super shallow guy who treats Hannah like an incapable meddling women (he wouldn't even let her drive his car) that is only good for baking. Ugh I wish she would pick Norman and get it over with, he's so sweet! I cannot wait to continue with this series.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't realize when I downloaded this book that I would be listening to a story about someone who died when a supposedly empty gun went off during a movie shoot. I happened to read this one not long after the Alec Baldwin incident, so that definitely colored my experience with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder