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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cute, just not for me!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such a great cozy mystery! I loved it. I thought I had guessed who the killer was, but the reveal surprised me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder
Minor: Death of parent
fast-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Listen, I know what I'm getting with this series. It isn't going to knock my socks off. It isn't going to be eloquent. The characters aren't going to be nuanced. Hannah and the rest of the Lake Eden clan are who they are in their picturesque little Minnesota village, and I am going to forgive them their quirks and foibles because we've come to an understanding over our many adventures together. Let's dig in.
What I liked about Caramel Pecan Roll Murder:
An attempt to take on some modern topics - Let's face it, Lake Eden is an idyll tucked up against a lake and they lag behind the our more tumultuous modern society...save for the regular murders that have piled up there, of course. There are some mention of things like addiction and mental health, but they're handled in true Hannah fashion, which is to say, we mostly skate on the edges of them rather than immerse ourselves in the gritty details. These books are light on the grisly, graphic descriptions of anything.
Norman - I always just like the dude. He's decent. He's normal. He's in possession of a functioning brain. He knows what he wants and he's not a jerk about it. He's thoughtful. A regular boy scout, our Norman.
Always a clever little twist - The ending came at me sideways. I wonder what that means.
What I didn't care for:
Sloppy editing - Poor grammar (I instead of me). No attention to detail ("only tell Dick and Sally," couldn't remember if they could tell Dick; Hannah and Andrea both confirm that they know how to drive a boat like Dick's; on the boat, Andrea wishes she knew how to drive a boat like this). Inconsistent with timeline details. Honestly, it makes it feel like someone different wrote each chapter and no one really read the rest of the chapters.
It feels like half the residents of Lake Eden are simpletons - Listen, it's either the residents or the readers that the author finds to be incapable of common sense. I'm going with the residents because I don't want to believe the author is so blatantly insulting her readers' intelligence. This has been going on so long now that I've somewhat made my peace with it because how can you really change it 28-books-plus-some-holiday-novellas in? Nonetheless, conversations with Andrea especially make me want to light my hair on fire.
What left me conflicted:
Hannah mooning over you-know-who - Not saying the name for those who aren't through books 19 through 22. I want to be compassionate but I also want to shake Hannah. I actually think this is worse than the indecision. That I could understand on some level. This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
The sheer volume of sweets these people ingest - Every time they sit down, it feels like Hannah is waiting for people to eat two or three of whatever baked good she is serving--and then they take some to go! I don't know how you all do it, but usually one is my limit. Unless Hannah's servings are super tiny, I am not sure how they aren't all the size of a house at this point!
Stilted dialogue and all my gripes aside, I'm not giving up on this series until it concludes. I've invested this much time in it, and while it makes me roll my eyes a dangerous amount (if the threats of my dear departed Gram on the consequences of eyerolling hold fast), it doesn't anger me to read it or deeply offend personal values upon which I am unwilling to compromise; actually on that last part, quite the opposite as values play a really key role in Lake Eden society. I need to know how it finally goes for these characters, even if I die a little of sugar shock in the process.
What I liked about Caramel Pecan Roll Murder:
An attempt to take on some modern topics - Let's face it, Lake Eden is an idyll tucked up against a lake and they lag behind the our more tumultuous modern society...save for the regular murders that have piled up there, of course. There are some mention of things like addiction and mental health, but they're handled in true Hannah fashion, which is to say, we mostly skate on the edges of them rather than immerse ourselves in the gritty details. These books are light on the grisly, graphic descriptions of anything.
Norman - I always just like the dude. He's decent. He's normal. He's in possession of a functioning brain. He knows what he wants and he's not a jerk about it. He's thoughtful. A regular boy scout, our Norman.
Always a clever little twist - The ending came at me sideways. I wonder what that means.
What I didn't care for:
Sloppy editing - Poor grammar (I instead of me). No attention to detail ("only tell Dick and Sally," couldn't remember if they could tell Dick; Hannah and Andrea both confirm that they know how to drive a boat like Dick's; on the boat, Andrea wishes she knew how to drive a boat like this). Inconsistent with timeline details. Honestly, it makes it feel like someone different wrote each chapter and no one really read the rest of the chapters.
It feels like half the residents of Lake Eden are simpletons - Listen, it's either the residents or the readers that the author finds to be incapable of common sense. I'm going with the residents because I don't want to believe the author is so blatantly insulting her readers' intelligence. This has been going on so long now that I've somewhat made my peace with it because how can you really change it 28-books-plus-some-holiday-novellas in? Nonetheless, conversations with Andrea especially make me want to light my hair on fire.
What left me conflicted:
Hannah mooning over you-know-who - Not saying the name for those who aren't through books 19 through 22. I want to be compassionate but I also want to shake Hannah. I actually think this is worse than the indecision. That I could understand on some level. This makes no sense to me whatsoever.
The sheer volume of sweets these people ingest - Every time they sit down, it feels like Hannah is waiting for people to eat two or three of whatever baked good she is serving--and then they take some to go! I don't know how you all do it, but usually one is my limit. Unless Hannah's servings are super tiny, I am not sure how they aren't all the size of a house at this point!
Stilted dialogue and all my gripes aside, I'm not giving up on this series until it concludes. I've invested this much time in it, and while it makes me roll my eyes a dangerous amount (if the threats of my dear departed Gram on the consequences of eyerolling hold fast), it doesn't anger me to read it or deeply offend personal values upon which I am unwilling to compromise; actually on that last part, quite the opposite as values play a really key role in Lake Eden society. I need to know how it finally goes for these characters, even if I die a little of sugar shock in the process.
Predictable, but still a decent read. Weird that Norman was featured a lot in the first 20 pages or so and then barely mentioned again.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
You know exactly what to expect with this series - delicious sounding recipes, cheesy dialogue where they mention the full name of the recipe every few sentences, a visitor to the town who ends up dead, and Hannah somehow doing the work of the police without anybody getting irritated. Anybody wanting more will be disappointed, and whilst I can get through one of these in a couple of hours, I keep coming back to them for the (cheesy) feel-good factor and the harmless fun - despite the death!
Not the best in the series, crime solved in about 2 sentences flat, but won't stop me reading her next ones
Not the best in the series, crime solved in about 2 sentences flat, but won't stop me reading her next ones
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have loved this series from the first book. It got a rocky patch a few books ago when Ross came into the picture but now it is great again. Hannah is such a smart, strong character and I love how she helps to solve the case. After the ending of this book, I can't wait to read the next one.
#betweenthechapters
I really liked the character development in this book. While it felt like a slow lead up to the actual murder, afterwards I realized why the author chose to do so.
The murder investigation was handled well for the plot. The suspense that took place during the investigation was a slow burn, but made sense with the story as well.
And, of course, the recipes were amazing!
I really liked the character development in this book. While it felt like a slow lead up to the actual murder, afterwards I realized why the author chose to do so.
The murder investigation was handled well for the plot. The suspense that took place during the investigation was a slow burn, but made sense with the story as well.
And, of course, the recipes were amazing!
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced