Review - Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke
Series: Hannah Swenson #3
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: 1 March 2002
Genre: Mystery - Cozy, Amateur Sleuth
My Copy: bought - kindle


Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota's annual Winter Carnival - and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honour of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac - a half-baked idea, in Hannah's opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show - sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Hannah's suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac's limo rolls into town. Turns out America's 'cooking sweetheart' is a bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp - and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar's kitchen crime scene off-limits. She's a baker without an oven - and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah's only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business - by finding the killer herself.


Review:
This series is full of fun, light-hearted, fast reads. Hannah is such a likable main character. She's very witty and independent. She's sassy. Who doesn't like a sassy MC? Hannah's family is so relateable and entertaining. Through Hannah's intuition we discover that her sister, Andrea, is pregnant with her second child. I have to admit I'm intrigued to see how that plays out in the next few novels. I love how inquisitive and curious Hannah's niece Tracey is about things going on around her. She's very no-nonsense and intuitive about the adults. Andrea's husband Bill rounds out the family with his patience and down-to-earth attitude.

Hannah also has two competing suitors, loveable Norman and protective Mike. I definitely feel like Norman would be the better match for Hannah. Mike seems more like the type to want his significant other to stay home, take care of the kids, make dinner, etc. Norman seems like he would encourage Hannah to go after her dreams regardless of what they were. He definitely feels more supportive.

In this book we are also introduced to Janie, an old friend of Hannah and Andrea. Janie, along with Norman, are both suspects for murdering the cooking sweetheart. Despite being locked out of the Cookie Jar, Hannah still finds a way to make delicious sounding deserts in this installment. Recipes are included, and although I have yet to try any, they sound fantastic! Definitely going to have to try out the grilled cream cheese sandwich.

The murder mystery kept me reading through this book quickly. I hated Connie Mac as much as Hannah. It's no wonder there were so many suspects in this book. Throw in a ghost to haunt Sally's inn, and you're in for some fun and mystery. I'll admit the murderer did surprise me. I wasn't expecting who it was until close to the end of the book.

The pacing in the beginning is a bit slow as Fluke covers the background of the series leading up to the third book. It's a bit repetitive, and in some cases, taken word for word from previous books. The cat Moishe, while cute in the first two books, is also becoming repetitive and not nearly as cute.





Rating Breakdown:
Plot: 4 hearts
Pacing: 3 hearts
Characters: 4 hearts
Character Relationships: 4 hearts
Recommend: Yes

Read for these challenges:
Crusin' Thru The Cozies
Ebook
100+ Books

Book Beginnings on Friday (3)

Book Beginnings on Friday is a weekly meme that features the first line (or two) out of books you are currently reading.


Fracture by Megan Miranda

The first time I died, I didn't see God. No light at the end of the tunnel. No haloed angels. No dead grandparents.


The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

This city used to be something once.


Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

I am dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it.

Review - Haven by Kristi Cook

Haven by Kristi Cook

Series: Haven #1

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: 22 February 2011
Genre: YA Paranormal

My Copy: library - hardback

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too. The problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet's horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical—and deadly—way.

Review:

I really enjoyed this story even though it wasn't really what I thought it was about. I think the synopsis is a little misleading. I liked that Violet was a fencer. I'm not really sure why that aspect stuck out for me, because I don't know anything about fencing, but I liked it. Maybe because it wasn't a sport most YA characters take up. I loved Violet's friends. Unlike a lot of YA novels, Violet hangs out with her friends throughout the story even though she's all gooey over Aidan. Cece and Sophie were my favorites, and I totally wanted them to be my friends too. It was interesting to have so many characters with special talents. How cool would it be to have some of them? Astral projection, telepathy, telekinetic abilities, empath, being able to tell if someone was injured?! I have to admit that the one I'd want the least would be Violet's ability to see the future, particularly since it's always bad stuff. I can't imagine seeing horrible things happening to people I loved on a regular basis.

I've probably read too many paranormal books because I knew very early on what Aidan was. So that aspect of the mystery was blown. However, I did wonder how they were connected, although his and Violet's relationship was all over the place. I honestly don't have much hope for them to stay together after the big connection is revealed because their relationship didn't really seem to have much of a foundation. Another downside to this story was the similarity to two other well known series. There were moments where I was just like "Eh, okay, I've heard this before." The ending seems a little rushed too. The author also includes a character who isn't really important to the story, Allison. There is only one place where she very briefly alludes to the ending, but it's so quickly passed over and never explained that it seems like it might as well have not been included.





Rating Breakdown:
Plot: 3 hearts
Pacing: 3 hearts
Characters: 4 hearts
Character Relationships: 4 hearts
Recommend: Yes

Read for these challenges:
YA Literature
100+ Books