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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
God, I hate these books. I hate Hannah. I hate her cat. I hate all of the characters. Why do I keep reading them? They are either written by or for third graders. This one was particularly awful. The murder mystery aspect was so bad. It was like the author couldn't figure out how to wrap things up so she hurriedly threw in another angle to explain things at the end. The very end made me want to barf. You'd think Hannah was the only woman left on earth. What quality does she possess that all these men find so attractive? Her wardrobe of dated pant suits and sweatpants? The "I have watched every episode of Jeopardy," condescending, know-it-all attitude? Her ridiculous resistance to technology and inability to figure any of it out on her own? The sososososooooo annoying cat that she treats like a child and allows to control her? How about the way she lets everyone around her run her business so she can sleep late and do other things? There are just so many things to list.
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While this book was more entertaining than some of the more recent Hannah Swensen books that Jo Fluke has put out, the romance with Ross feels so rushed and out of character. I understand her not wanting to disappoint any fans of either Mike or Norman by choosing someone completely different, but there is something deeply unsatisfying about this love triangle being resolved in such a fashion. It makes me feel like I have wasted a lot of time being invested in these books and these relationships. The amount of time and pages spent in this books mooning over Ross and still leading on Norman and Mike in the hopes of keeping them both as friends was really frustrating. The fact that she seemed to be trying to kill off the romantic interest with Mike by making him slightly more obnoxious and cruel was upsetting, but not nearly as much as her randomly undoing all that hard work by having Mike kiss her again at the end. These weird moments muddled the whole plot.
I am really enjoying Michelle's larger part in the stories and I wonder if she has Hannah settle down, if she might move on to Michelle who could open the series to a broader place.
The end of the book was very abrupt and unlike other stories, there really wasn't a clear trail to the killer and even Hannah didn't understand what happened until the killer explained it. However, this type of killer and why they said that they killed made no sense with the way that they were handling Hannah's meddling. Actually, the true 'killer' wasn't even properly explained...I suppose random hired assassin? Whatever.
I am really enjoying Michelle's larger part in the stories and I wonder if she has Hannah settle down, if she might move on to Michelle who could open the series to a broader place.
The end of the book was very abrupt and unlike other stories, there really wasn't a clear trail to the killer and even Hannah didn't understand what happened until the killer explained it. However, this type of killer and why they said that they killed made no sense with the way that they were handling Hannah's meddling. Actually, the true 'killer' wasn't even properly explained...I suppose random hired assassin? Whatever.
At last a choice. On the other hand, he is not a well rounded, well loved character so it feels precipitate. Again the killer came out of left field unmentioned for most of the book. Another UNSUB.
I won't rate this, because I can't finish it. I didn't even make it through the first chapter. If this was the author's 1st book, I might be able to overlook the cutesy, overly simple writing. But after 18 books, I'd expect a little more polish and a tone that reflected a middle-aged woman, not a breathless 16 year old.
Also how can a small town doctor have enough money to hire a private jet, buy a "trousseau" for several women, fund a vacation in Las Vegas? He better be Hannah's next victim, because he's burning through his retirement money pretty fast.
Count me out.
Also how can a small town doctor have enough money to hire a private jet, buy a "trousseau" for several women, fund a vacation in Las Vegas? He better be Hannah's next victim, because he's burning through his retirement money pretty fast.
Count me out.
Why, oh why did I finish this? I was going to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it two stars (mainly for the recipes), but even those were less than impressive and annoyed me.
I've read a number of her books, and in general I enjoy them. They aren't fabulous as a rule, but they are entertaining. This one was just awful. First, all of the characters speak in the same voice. Really. If you took away all references to who was speaking, you would have no idea who was speaking. Including the child (6-ish?) Tracy. There is nothing distinguishing about the way any of them talk.
And speaking of talking, talk about inane conversations. Paragraphs on grenadine. Paragraphs on the differences between different colored peppers and their nutrients. Paragraphs on how to upgrade a phone (most provided by the very young child who somehow knows about contracts). Pages about a pork chop slow cooker meal that sounded like the most disgusting thing ever. Etc. Almost every chapter had something like this. Oh, and a woman who got married at 50 and was surprised that "it just didn't happen" as far as having kids went.
Hannah also seems to have almost nothing to go with her own shop anymore. She barely sets foot in it this book. Slightly related, who makes eight pans of something to try out a new recipe? That's a lot of biscuits.
As for the mystery, I have no comments. The whole mystery was only about 40 pages (maybe), and there was no way for a reader to solve it. None. I won't say why in case anyone decides to read this. But you won't solve it. You can't.
As for the recipes, I only found two that I want to try, and even the way they are written irritates me. I'm sure they are like this in all the books, but since this book had me so frustrated, I feel the need to point that out. They are way to wordy. And no pastry chef anywhere tells you to pack the flour into the measuring cups.
All I can say is that I hope I remember how miserable this one was so that I can avoid Fluke from now on. This book has killed the series for me.
I've read a number of her books, and in general I enjoy them. They aren't fabulous as a rule, but they are entertaining. This one was just awful. First, all of the characters speak in the same voice. Really. If you took away all references to who was speaking, you would have no idea who was speaking. Including the child (6-ish?) Tracy. There is nothing distinguishing about the way any of them talk.
And speaking of talking, talk about inane conversations. Paragraphs on grenadine. Paragraphs on the differences between different colored peppers and their nutrients. Paragraphs on how to upgrade a phone (most provided by the very young child who somehow knows about contracts). Pages about a pork chop slow cooker meal that sounded like the most disgusting thing ever. Etc. Almost every chapter had something like this. Oh, and a woman who got married at 50 and was surprised that "it just didn't happen" as far as having kids went.
Hannah also seems to have almost nothing to go with her own shop anymore. She barely sets foot in it this book. Slightly related, who makes eight pans of something to try out a new recipe? That's a lot of biscuits.
As for the mystery, I have no comments. The whole mystery was only about 40 pages (maybe), and there was no way for a reader to solve it. None. I won't say why in case anyone decides to read this. But you won't solve it. You can't.
As for the recipes, I only found two that I want to try, and even the way they are written irritates me. I'm sure they are like this in all the books, but since this book had me so frustrated, I feel the need to point that out. They are way to wordy. And no pastry chef anywhere tells you to pack the flour into the measuring cups.
All I can say is that I hope I remember how miserable this one was so that I can avoid Fluke from now on. This book has killed the series for me.
Reading all these one star bad reviews is making me laugh because they’re all so true. This book, and the past 17, have so many flaws. The over explanations, the fact that Hannah doesn’t even solve the mysteries, she just stumbles upon the murderer, the inexplicable fact that she fell in love with Ross out of nowhere, and probably my biggest pet peeve: the recipes. But here’s the thing: I don’t care. These books are not good, but I love them.
I am not sure I'll pick up the next book in this series. I spent most of this book wanting to slap Hannah. I think it's time for this series to wrap up, it's really lost its shine.
There's just too much focus on Hannah's love life and this is book #18. I was hoping by skipping a bunch maybe there would be some changes, but nope.