Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found this themed mystery series with tons of books in it on Kindle Unlimited. I thought I’d give it a shot but didn’t have high expectation. It was cute, substantive, and unpredictable. There were endless options to solve the murder mystery that kept the story going and it wasn’t cheesy. There were lots of relationship dynamics involved and I can’t wait to see how they progress. There is an element of possible romance but it’s not at the forefront, just another fun storyline to follow. I will continue this series to follow the characters’ relationships. It’s a quick and easy palate cleanser.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
This is a cute, cozy mystery. Or was a quick read for me and kept me engaged. I enjoyed the unique setting and the food themes throughout.
However, I can definitely tell this was written 25 years ago. Some of the statements made by the main character gave fatphobic and simply oblivious to her own toxic mother. This made me not connect to the main character as much as I wanted to.
I have a handful of other books from this author so I’ll give them a go. I’m really hoping the writing style and some of the content changes.
However, I can definitely tell this was written 25 years ago. Some of the statements made by the main character gave fatphobic and simply oblivious to her own toxic mother. This made me not connect to the main character as much as I wanted to.
I have a handful of other books from this author so I’ll give them a go. I’m really hoping the writing style and some of the content changes.
I think it may be the writing style, but I really wanted to like the main character but she kept doing or saying things that seemed disjointed and stiff. The conversations didn’t seem to flow that well and it felt like they were reading from a script in a way. I might check out the next book in the series to see if anything is different, but haven’t decided yet.
It took me a while to finish the book as I kept picking it up and putting it down. I wanted to know how the story turned out, but I wasn’t able to get swept up into the story to stay engaged.
It took me a while to finish the book as I kept picking it up and putting it down. I wanted to know how the story turned out, but I wasn’t able to get swept up into the story to stay engaged.
slow-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
After reading the latest in this series (#21?) and seeing reviewers say it didn’t compare/wasn’t as good as #1 and other early books, I decided to give this one a whirl.
I do think the writing is better and that there is more story here than recipes... it also helped that the book I read, despite being so far off into the series line, was close in time to this book. I knew the characters and the town and had already warned to them, as best I could.
That said, it is still too old timey and “leave it to beaver” for me. I do love cozy mysteries but there’s something about the 1940s esque that bothers me. Hannah’s mother is also a piece of work (I don’t mean that kindly). She’s completely abusive to Hannah but it’s written off as “normal” and “acceptable”
As a modern gal I found too much of it offensive (eg everyone making a huge fuss about Hannah wearing makeup and how much better she looked and how she’d find a man If she’d wear more makeup)
I quit around 25%
This was also after my third time checking this book out.
I do think the writing is better and that there is more story here than recipes... it also helped that the book I read, despite being so far off into the series line, was close in time to this book. I knew the characters and the town and had already warned to them, as best I could.
That said, it is still too old timey and “leave it to beaver” for me. I do love cozy mysteries but there’s something about the 1940s esque that bothers me. Hannah’s mother is also a piece of work (I don’t mean that kindly). She’s completely abusive to Hannah but it’s written off as “normal” and “acceptable”
As a modern gal I found too much of it offensive (eg everyone making a huge fuss about Hannah wearing makeup and how much better she looked and how she’d find a man If she’d wear more makeup)
I quit around 25%
This was also after my third time checking this book out.