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ewil6681's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke is the 26th A Hannah Swensen Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Christmas Cupcake Murder takes readers back in time to Hannah’s first holiday season at The Cookie Jar. She is coming up with new creations each day to offer her customers. Cooking, baking, eating, chatting, and holiday cheer are in abundance. Delores, Mike, Carrie, Norman, Andrea, Bill, Doc Knight, and Moishe are all in present along with other regulars. Christmas Cupcake Murder is easy to read and puts you in the mood for the holiday season. The mystery portion is light. Hannah, Carrie, and Delores find a man collapsed in a vacant storefront. Joe Smith has amnesia and a bad blow to the head. He can remember bits and pieces which Hannah uses to help her reunite Joe with his family before the holidays. I do wish the mystery was a bit meatier. But I did enjoy my visit to Lake Eden. It is such a cozy town with friendly residents. It is cold, but there is plenty of holiday cheer. It was nice checking in with our favorite characters and learning more about them. We get to learn more about Lars Swensen, Hannah’s father as well as how Delores came to open an antique shop. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story. Moishe’s antics will have you smiling. There are over a dozen recipes including one for German Chocolate Cupcakes and Sugar Plum Cupcakes. Christmas Cupcake Murder is a lighthearted tale with scrummy cupcakes, a curious cat, and a mysterious man with memory matters plus family, friends, fine food, and festive fun.
dannic99's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
robinsversion's review against another edition
Not only does this feel ghostwritten, it’s completely out of canon with the events of the series. It’s trying to take place at a certain point towards the beginning, but it contradicts events that happened before and after, and has details that completely out of place (ex. Hannah owning a cell phone and having a good grasp on how to use it when that doesn’t happen until much later in the series). If this was supposed to be some sort of alternate universe/alternate timeline sort of story then the author—whoever they are since they’re definitely not Joanne!—did a horrible job making that clear. We only have a finite amount of time on this earth and I really don’t want to spend it seeing this weird book to its conclusion.
ejpreads's review against another edition
1.0
couldn't even finish it.... the timeline inconsistencies have gotten worse and worse and the writing is painful... sorry to have to leave this series, but time is to short to waste on bad books.
amicarlton's review against another edition
4.0
I've read all of these books, so I'm invested at this point. However, something has definitely changed in the past several books. The quality of the writing has gone down. I'm not sure why. I still enjoy the characters, and want to see what happens to them, so I'll probably keep reading. But I hope the writer can hit her stride again. I was also disappointed by the mystery this time around.
sarah_seelbaugh's review against another edition
4.0
I love Hannah Swensen's mysteries! I'm in love with the author Joanne I will read anything that is by her. amazing!
kimlb's review against another edition
3.0
While this is number 26 in the series, it takes place in the past.