Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Interesting story, lots of delicious sounding recipes
Cons: Murder very weak, lots of unanswered questions left
for next book
The Bottom Line:
Book fans expected
An interesting story
Murder is short changed
Chocolate Pies and Lies
I’ve seen this book coming for a while now. I was hoping I was wrong, but with each book
it was obvious to any fan of the Hannah Swensen series that sooner or later we
were going to see the events of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder.
Before we go any further, a warning. While I will not be spoiling this book, due
to how storylines in this series have been developing, it is completely
impossible to discuss this book without spoiling events of the previous books in
the series. If you haven’t read them and
want to be surprised, please stop reading now.
Up to date? Then let’s move
forward.
Valentine’s Day is coming, and The Cookie Jar is getting
ready to cater various Valentine’s Parties with new treats. Hannah Swensen is throwing herself into this
baking in order to not think about the news she’s gotten that Ross was already
married, so their wedding was all a lie.
She has told the town of Lake Eden in an effort to curb gossip, and all
of her friends are with her.
Which is why Ross sneaks back into town in the early hours
of the morning demanding something from Hannah – something she might not be
able to give him. What will happen if
she can’t?
Okay, so I’m still being vague. You need to read this book to see how things
unfold.
Yes, there is a murder, but it happens very late in the
book. The result is that part of the
book is pretty rushed. There are some
other plot threads that are introduced earlier, and those threads definitely
kept me interested as I was reading.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like things were well wrapped up. We’ll need to read the next book to get all
our answers.
And yes, the soap opera of the last few books continues
here.
As does all the talk of food. I swear, it must be possible to gain weight
just by reading this book. By my count,
we get twenty-eight new recipes here.
While they mainly focus on desserts like the title recipe, chocolate
mint cookies, and a couple of different bundt cakes, we do get recipes for
several breakfast muffins, an egg bake, and a spinach salad. Seriously, this will make your mouth water as
you read.
It’s always fun to visit these characters. I was sorry to see that a couple of the
regulars were missing in action here, but most of them popped up. We even saw some old friends from much earlier
in the series return. I do feel like
Ross got cheated here since what has happened over the last couple of books
doesn’t seem to fit with the Ross we met earlier. Yes, it is explained here, but it still
bothers me.
Fans who have been reading this series for years will want
to get the next chapter in Hannah’s saga.
But don’t pick up Chocolate Cream Pie Murder unless you are one of them.
Need some background?
Here are the rest of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries in order.
I'm on the fence about even starting this series. I loved the one early book I read and I thought the Hallmark movies based on the books were fantastic but I didn't love the sound of the drawn out love triangle or the way things seem to have ended here. Though I must admit I'm super curious!
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