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    Wedding Cake Murder
    Wedding Cake Murder
    Wedding Cake Murder
    Audiobook9 hours

    Wedding Cake Murder

    Written by Joanne Fluke

    Narrated by Suzanne Toren

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    Everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota, may have had their doubts, but at long last, Hannah Swensen is getting married! Hannah is thrilled to be marrying Ross Barton, her college crush. And her excitement only grows when she learns he'll be able to join her on her trip to New York City for the Food Channel's dessert chef contest. They get a taste of the Big Apple before Hannah wins the Hometown Challenge and the producers bring all the contestants to Lake Eden to tape the remainder of the show. It's nerve-wracking enough being judged by Alain Duquesne, a celebrity chef with a nasty reputation. But it's even more chilling to find him stabbed to death in the Lake Eden Inn's walk-in cooler-before he's even had a chance to taste Hannah's Butterscotch Sugar Cookies! Now Hannah has not only lost her advantage, she'll have to solve a mystery with more layers than a five-tiered wedding cake.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 23, 2016
    ISBN9781501905193
    Author

    Joanne Fluke

    JOANNE FLUKE is the New York Times bestselling author of the Hannah Swensen mysteries, which include Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Raspberry Danish Murder, Cinnamon Roll Murder, and the book that started it all, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. That first installment in the series premiered as Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke was born and raised in a small town in rural Minnesota, but now lives in Southern California. Please visit her online at www.JoanneFluke.com.

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    Reviews for Wedding Cake Murder

    3.5/5

    177 ratings31 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Hannah has finally decided that Ross Barton is the man that she wants and sets the date. However, a switch in the date Dessert Baking contest forces some change of plans but luckily Hannah wins the first contest and the remainder of the segments will take place in Lake Eden rather than NYC. So while Hannah with Michelle's assistance bakes away, wedding plans proceed. Until, of course, Hannah and Michelle find one of the judges dead.I really enjoyed this installment of the Hannah Swensen mysteries. The connections with the murder as well as Hannah's wedding were well-thought out, amusing, and kept the story moving forward.Can't wait to see Hannah in the wifely role.
    • 2/5
      I can’t believe Hannah went through with the wedding. Why in the world did they rush the marriage? This could be a real disaster.
    • 2/5
      I really can't believe that Fluke married off Hannah and to the wrong man. I wanted Hannah to be with Norman, a guy who loved her enough to build her a house she helped to design. My question is will it last, is Ross broke? So some signs of his upgrading to luxury whenever possible. I'll read the next book just to see what happens now that they are married.



    • 3/5
      Hannah’s getting married! But wait . . . First, there’s the Food Channel Dessert competition. Hannah’s off to New York for the initial round [with fiancé Ross gallantly upgrading her airline reservation to first class and her hotel room to a suite]. When her Magic White Chocolate Soufflé wins the first round, the contest moves to Eden Lake for the remaining challenges that will take place before determining the Food Channel’s Top Dessert Chef. But the murder of Alain Duquesne, one of the competition judges, keeps Hannah busier than ever between making new cookies for The Cookie Jar, competing for the top dessert chef title, and searching for the murder. Will she find the murderer? And, now that one of the judges is dead, what will happen to the dessert contest?With Andrea, Michelle, and her mother making all the wedding plans and Norman and Mike cheerfully agreeing to stand with Ross [really?], Hannah has plenty of time to create wonderful desserts, compete, and hunt for the killer. Aside from the wedding to almost-stranger-Ross [who seems a bit smarmy . . . why is he always upgrading and changing things?], the story is relatively straightforward. There are no real twists . . . there’s a last-minute revelation that leads to the unveiling of the murderer, and there are a gazillion recipes guaranteed to provide sugar overload for everyone in Eden Lake. Now the only remaining mystery is Hannah’s groom, Ross. [To be continued in the next book???]
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars (rating may differ depending on whether site allows half star ratings)A later book in this series was advertised on TV a while ago so I'd already read that--and having read that one and knowing some of what happens in it, it was hard to get interested in parts of this book. I do like to watch cooking competition shows on TV and it was interesting to see Hannah in one--but the outcome of it really wasn't in much doubt by me. I also wondered if perhaps the producers also wanted Hannah to come out on top in the "Hometown Challenge" because it would make it easier to work her wedding into their coverage. They'd already have the crew in Lake Eden if the competition was in Lake Eden so it was one less travel step. I also wondered if they'd wanted her to win overall to further bring in TV interest in her wedding that they were planning to broadcast on their channel.I didn't like how Hannah tried to avoid her friends, Norman and Mike, because she'd chosen Ross over either of them. (In fact, in the later book in the series, I expressed surprise because I'd always thought if Hannah got married, she would be choosing between Norman and Mike and all of a sudden there was a new guy and they were getting married! I'd obviously missed a few books in the series at that time since I didn't even know who Ross was!) If Norman and Mike are the true friends they seem to be, they would be disappointed in not being chosen but would want her to be happy. I can understand their feelings though since I've had guys I hoped would want to be my husband choose someone else--and it does hurt terribly.I understand Hannah trying to gather information about the judges etc. to help her get a leg up on the competition, but it seemed she used a lot of recipes from others in her competition. I'm not sure if that should have helped or hurt her when she admitted it to the judging panel. I saw one reviewer wondered at the rainbow swirl cake how the colors stayed separate and didn't all mix together--that was addressed in the recipe itself where the instructions said to not over swirl the mixtures or the colors would start to blend together instead of being the swirl. That same reviewer discussed using the jello powder--I'm not sure I'd have wanted to use it in a wedding cake either--but I also haven't tasted it (though like everything else baked in the books, it's usually "wonderful"--unlike real life where we often burn batches or get some ingredient slightly off or accidentally use salt instead of sugar etc.)
    • 2/5
      Hannah Swensen is finally going to be walking down the aisle and saying "I do." After a few years of dating Mike and Norman, she has finally made a choice...Ross Barton, her college crush. Her mother and sisters are handling the arranging of the wedding and the reception, down to the last detail. All Hannah has to do is choose a dress and show up. She is also in the middle of planning what she will be baking when she is in New York City for the Food Channel's dessert chef contest.Hannah selects her sister, Michelle, as a partner and is excited to find that Ross will also be going to New York to tape her appearance. Another exciting thing is the contest will move to the hometown of the winner of the first bakeoff!Hannah wins and the contestants, and technical team come to Lake Eden to tape the rest of the competition. Lake Eden Inn is the site of the activity since they have the kitchen capeabilities. But things go bad when one of the judeges is found dead in the walk-in cooler. Now Hannah has another project! Find who the murder is and why it was done.During Hannah's investigation she finds there are a number of people who end up on her suspects list. It seems the victim did not endear himself to many of the people he dealt with.Hannah is really under pressure: to win the competition, to solve the murder and to be done and to her wedding on time the day after the end of the competition.I'm not as enthused with this book as I have been with the others. Hannah has seemed like she had a pretty good head on her shoulders and her feet fairly planted on solid ground. In this book not so much. She is giddy about her upcoming marriage (I get that). She just gives in to letting her family orchestrate her wedding. Her friends and sister seem to be the ones running the business. Ross reappears, sweeps her off her feet and she makes a life changing decision in a snap, and Mike and Norman have agreed to stay friends with her as they are also friends of Ross'. One part I felt was more in the vein of the previous books was when Norman told her how he felt about her marrying Ross. He has always professed to love Hannah.Hannah has always been one to not like hurting people's feelings, but the way she tries to tippy-toe around telling Mike and Norman about her decision, and it being her mother who is the one to tell the two men just seemed a bit out of character.I have two more in the series to read, that have been loaned to me and hopefully Hannah will be back to being the Hannah I've read previously and not the sappy one she seems to have become.
    • 3/5
      I don't care for cozies at ll but I read this one for a challenge. Those that like this genre will probably eat it up...no pun intended. I just don't understand the amateur sleuth attitude. Do they actually think they are the only ones capable of solving the case and act as if the police don't exist? Mostly they investigate between taking cookies out of the oven...in this case a five tier wedding cake.
    • 1/5
      Stick a fork in it, I'm done. Like so many cozy series that have come before it, I must finally say enough is enough. I'm done wasting precious time, and eyesight, hanging on to a group of characters and lackluster plots that have become worse than predictable and lazily written. If the author, editor and publisher don't have enough respect for me the reader to bring out a quality product I can no longer be loyal to a once beloved series.
      I don't mean to dump all my frustrations on to this seemingly nice author, but this is not the first long running series that I've abandoned recently for the same reasons.


    • 4/5
      Oh MY! Who hasn't met a character like BRIDEZILA. I had to keep reading to see if someone would finally get around to throttling the )(*^%. No spoilers.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries....so much fun! Hannah is getting married and she is competing in a dessert competition. Hannah is a very busy lady, wedding, contest, and a murder! I enjoyed the book, fun and light hearted....for a murder mystery!I listened to the book and it was sort of like a commercial when the narrator read the recipes...I could actually pay attention to my driving!!!
    • 2/5
      Hannah has a lot going on her life. She is on the brink of marriage and a contestant in the Food Channel’s dessert chef competition. And honestly, she seems more excited about the competition than she does about her upcoming nuptials. Maybe it’s because the groom is Ross, and not Norman or even Mike. At any rate, this novel reads more like a commentary on food than a mystery. Of course, eventually there is a murder, but it is long in coming and then fairly quickly solved. Not a lot of mystery, but an awful lot of food talk and recipes. If you are looking for that, you will be happy with tale. I was disappointed with the ending, and the long and winding road to it. Maybe the author will give Norman a spin-off series. He was the most interesting character in the book, even with his very reduced presence. Not one of Fluke’s best.
    • 3/5
      Hannah, happily engaged in this 19th installment in this series, after the end of the previous book (no names in case you’ve never read any and would like to read through to see how it all plays out over the books) is getting ready to be married and to participate in a national cooking contest her younger sister secretly entered her into in a previous installment. Her mother, naturally, wants to plan the wedding to ease her load.Things get really tense once the head judge, Alain Duquesne, is found stabbed to death in the cooler. Once again, Hannah, along with help from friends and family, is investigating a murder, still competing in the cooking contest and having to fit in things such as wedding dress fittings. There are plenty of recipes, chiefly desserts with far more sugar in them than I ever use. This is a cozy mystery series, and so a three is a good score for me as while I do listen to them (as I did here) or read them from time to time, they are not something I love. I read a book in this series, #11, for a book scavenger once and then #12 and then the last four or five (not all listed on GR for some reason) to find out who she marries! I will say that the writing level is quite consistent from book to book, based on the ones I’ve read, and since there are no children’s voices, the audio was better than usual (the audiobook narrator does well with women and men, but is terrible with children’s voices; thankfully that’s never been a big part of the books I’ve read.) His name is given in the book jacket, so if you have never read these and want to start from book one, don’t read that description now!
    • 5/5
      Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne FlukeWow Can't believe Hannah is gonna get married-finally!? After all the books where she's undecided about marrying Mike the cop or Norman the dentist an old beau comes to town and he's involved in TV broadcasting and she's agreed to marry him.Not only that but all the drama about her and assistant Michelle, her sister entering a contest in NYC! After the first contest the contestants will go to the winner's hometown to finish the competition. So many plans along with recipes and how others like them. Problem is one of the guys is leery of Ross....the ride to the airport, the breakfast prior to boarding, the plane seating and the hotel were all upgraded by Ross for his assistant and the ladies. Hannah knows he can't afford the luxuries on his salary. The men are there to film the contest. Enjoy the parts where the judges tell you some hints as to make the dish just perfect.After another night of competition they are onto the cookie portion and their team is the first to practice but things change when Michelle goes to the walk-in cooler...Love how Hannah sticks her nose and others in the family, into the thick of things to get down to the truth-lots of clues from everybody as there are a lot competing...What I really love is the learning: how to make new recipes by experimenting-love the idea of frozen bananas-will be trying this for sure as I know what happens to butternut squash when frozen. As the girls strive to figure out who the murderer is by just talking to a lot of people and piecing things together...Love the idea of the wedding cake, so colorful and tasty! Shocked at who really did the deed! Love the gift the Food Channel gave to the bride and groom-will Hannah actually get married? Excerpt from another book by the same author: Eyes is included.I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review
    • 3/5
      I listened to Joanne Fluke’s book, Wedding Cake Murder (Book 19 of the Hannan Swensen series), on CD while commuting back and forth to work. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed having people read to me. Having read many of her books in the past, I expected certain things: Hannah, a local baker in Lake Eden, Minnesota, would find a dead body and would not be able to resist trying to find the murderer. In her earlier mysteries, Hannah has been courted by two eligible bachelors: Mike and Norman. I’ve always wondered who she would choose. And it turns out that she chose Ross, her college crush. In this book, Hannah is now planning her wedding while competing in a televised dessert competition, so there are a lot of things going on. It turns out the deceased was one of the judges…hmmm…I enjoyed the book. It fits into the “cozy mystery” category – very little blood, no bad language, etc. And it comes with bonus recipes at the end of most chapters. That was probably the hardest part of listening to the book (as opposed to reading it). I wanted to bake and eat everything RIGHT NOW – ha!Note: I received this book on CD as an early reviewer.
    • 4/5
      I received an ALC (Advance Listener's Copy) of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.As a longtime reader of the Hannah Swensen series, I was interested to learn how the author would handle her wedding. I half expected the groom to turn out to be the murderer, or else some other reason would crop up to keep Hannah from getting to the altar. Despite my fears, Hannah did end up happily married by the end of the book, just not in the fashion she'd hoped for--a small, family-only wedding. Once she realizes that the townsfolk think the reason for the hurried wedding is because she is pregnant, she caves in to pressure and allows her mother and sisters to plan a large wedding to which everyone in Lake Eden is invited. Before the wedding can take place, however, Hannah has to survive a dessert chef competition hosted by the Food Channel Network. The first night's competition is held in New York City; the remaining nights will be held in the home town of the winner, which turns out to be Hannah. Partway through the competition, Hannah's sister Michelle finds the head judge murdered in the walk-in cooler of the facility hosting the competition, and Hannah vows to find the perpetrator. She succeeds in the end, although not without facing a perilous fate and nearly missing her own wedding.I enjoyed the book although the narrator seemed rather lackluster. I also found it disconcerting to have the recipes read in the midst of the story; I know that's how they are in the book, but I thought it would have made more sense to read all the recipes at the end (or not read them at all). As far as the plot was concerned, I was surprised that there was no discussion of the consternation of the Food Channel people that a judge was murdered, should the competition be canceled, should the judge be replaced, etc. There were some other discrepancies which also caught my attention and made me feel the book could have benefited from a bit more editing. Overall, it was an acceptable entry into the Hannah Swensen series and did at least resolve the series-long annoyance of whether Hannah would marry Mike or Norman. This would not be a good choice for first book to read in the series, though--a reader definitely needs to start earlier so they can understand all the side jokes and comments.
    • 4/5
      Hannah wants a small, quiet wedding with Ross, but her grandmother, Mother, and the local rumor mill convince her to upsize her wedding plans. She plans to marry right before her Cooking Channel contest only three weeks away, but suddenly the event gets moved up. The winner of the first event will have home advantage for the rest of the contest. It should come as no surprise to readers that Hannah wins the first event bringing the event to Lake Eden where a murder tied to the event occurs so Hannah can solve it. Hannah's mind works differently than that of many amateur sleuths, making it sometimes difficult for readers to follow what she is thinking. She gets herself into really stupid situations as well. However, in this installment, Suzanne Toren's excellent narration for Recorded Books made up for the plot's shortcomings. It was the perfect companion for my weekend's round-trip drive.While I want a printed copy of a couple of the recipes that were included (and read), I'm sure I can locate a copy at the public library so I can make them. I may seek other installments of this series in audio format rather than in print if they are read by Ms. Toren. I received the audio book CD set through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      I actually enjoyed this book. It was fun, easy, fluff to listen to in the car.However, when I think about reviewing the book all I can think of is all the negative. The book had recipes interspersed in the book and I can't think of anything worse than listening to a recipe on a book on tape so I just skipped those. Next, there were lots of just stupid jokes in the book that were annoying (like saying someone would need to be arrested for attempted murder because their story had so much suspense listening to the story killed me.) Then there is the fact that the main character, Hannah, tries to figure out a murder mystery and for some reason can interview all the suspects and none of the police are interviewing these suspects or preventing her from interfering in a murder mystery. And finally the story is quite predictable in many ways.But again once you get over these negatives, it actually is a fun story to listen to.I received this book on tape as an early reviewer.
    • 3/5
      Hannah is getting married and it is not what you expected. The usual family members, boyfriends, and community figures put in an appearance along with a killer. This feel good read is very predictable and lacks suspense. The recipes sound fattening and delicious. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon. So grab a cookie or two, a cup of coffee and spend a couple of hours being lazy.
    • 4/5
      I needed some "brain candy," so I read this book. Ms. Fluke delivered another well balanced story and I was right beside her with my interest from start to finish. I was a little surprised that the character, Hannah, allowed her sister and mother to plan the wedding, but this decision fit right into the plot. I had not figured out who had caused Alain Duquesne's death until right before Ms. Fluke revealed it. This was a great book to read if you are seeking entertainment.
    • 3/5
      I was given this book on CD for a honest review. There were things about this book that I absolutely loved, i.e. the recipes and I do fully intend to make some of the ones that were given as they sound wonderful! BUT...there were more things that I disliked about this book than liked. Although it does have potential because going into this reading, I did not realize it was a series and that helps with some of the confusion/back story I am sure. My first issue was that I was more than half way finished with the book before there was even a hint of a mystery and it made things drag out. The conversation was stilted and I am not sure if that was the writing or the person reading the book as I vacillated back and forth between which was at fault. I do believe that this book has potential, but needed to be tweaked to hold the reader's interest as for the first 5 discs I was on the borderline of saying I can't do this anymore, except that I really wanted to get the recipes. =) I believe if one was not a baker that this would have been a loss by the time the real mystery got started. Once the mystery begins the story did pick up pace and was much more interesting and enjoyable. I am on the fence about reading more by this author. It probably depends on how well the recipes work out!
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.What I Liked:-The food competition! I love cooking competition shows, so I loved all the included (fictional) reality show moments.-The mystery! Once it got started, it had a lot of suspects, and a lot of twists and turns.-The dessert descriptions! I was craving cookies, cakes, and pies the whole book.-The characters! They are generally very likable, and those that aren't get their just desserts (pun very much intended).What I Didn't Like So Much:-The bad jokes. Imagine my bad pun from above, but over and over, and given multiple lines of dialogue.-The delayed mystery. The murder didn't actually occur until almost halfway through the book, not ideal when the book has murder in the title and is billed as a mystery.-The dropped story lines/wrapped up too quickly story lines. Yes, this book has both. Hints are dropped that something is off about the main character's fiance, but that is never followed up on. Two other characters are in love with the main character, but seem to become her true friends almost instantaneously after she explains to them how much she loves her fiance, and they even agree to be in her wedding party.I had expected to love this book, given how much I've heard about Joanne Fluke and her many Hannah Swensen cozy mysteries. But while I did enjoy the book (particularly once the mystery got going), I found myself disappointed. This book was fine, but nothing special. There are a lot of other cozy mystery series I will be picking up instead.
    • 1/5
      I was so disappointed in this book. First of all I didn't realize it was part of a series. The book just seemed to drag on and on. I would have preferred it if the recipes were added at the end of the story or at least at the end of each chapter. By the time they finished telling the recipe I forgot what they were doing! I'm sorry to have wasted my time on this item.
    • 3/5
      I received this recorded book through the Early Reviewers Club. I have read all of Joanne Fluke's books and was looking forward to this latest offering. Hannah did get married to Ross. It's the last sentence. I was rather disappointed in the story. This was my first experience with an audio book. I didn't like it. You have to be right next to the player to rewind it when you get distracted, which happens to me a lot. So that could have a lot to do with my disappointment. I will be giving this book to my local library.
    • 3/5
      I loved this book, especially because it is an audio book. The narrator did a great job dramatizing the voices. I also liked that the recipes were given after each chapter instead of at the end of the book. I have read a few of the earlier books and was surprised to hear that Hannah is getting married to a college sweetheart instead of Norman or Mike.
    • 4/5
      Ironically, in what is the long-awaited conclusion to Hannah Swensen's decision about who to marry, Joanne Fluke has written one of the weaker books in the series. Readers have endured book after book about whether Hannah will choose Norman, the dentist, or Mike, the policeman. Now, suddenly, we have Hannah all set to marry Ross Barton, her college sweetheart. While trying to arrange a hasty wedding, Hannah also competes in a dessert chef contest, hosted by the "Food Channel". Hannah travels to New York City, where she wins the Hometown Challenge. That brings the rest of the production to Lake Woebegone for the final parts of the contest. They no sooner arrive than one of the judges is found dead in the Lake Eden Inn's walk-in cooler. Of course, Hannah begins her investigation immediately all the while competing, running her business, shopping for a wedding dress and who knows what else. Somehow, it all does not add up to anything really plausible. Nonetheless, Hannah's fans will not want to miss out on this book so they can finally see Hannah married. Cook on, Hannah!
    • 3/5
      Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke is the nineteenth book in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. Hannah Swensen is getting married (but not to Mike or Norman much to my dismay)! Hannah is marrying Ross Barton, an independent producer for KCOW Television (they dated in college). Hannah wants a small wedding because of Mike and Norman (does not want to upset them or throw it in their face). However, it comes to Hannah’s attention that this would not be a wise move (she is being manipulated). So Delores (her mother) and Michelle (her sister) get to plan a big wedding. While they work on the wedding, Hannah is preparing for the Dessert Chef Competition. The competition starts in New York and the winner of the first round gets the hometown advantage (the contest will move to the winner’s hometown). When Hannah wins, everybody heads for Eden Lake, Minnesota. Things are going well until the head judge, Chef Alain Duquesne ends up dead. Hannah sets out to solve the murder, win the competition, and find a wedding dress before her big day! Will Hannah be able to solve the crime (probably better than finding a wedding dress she will like)? Fans of the Hannah Swensen series, you will want to read Wedding Cake Murder. It is a simple book (easy to read though) and the mystery is a piece of cake (pun intended). However, Hannah is finally getting married (just not to Norman or Mike). If you have not read any of the previous books in the series, you do not want to start with Wedding Cake Murder (you will be lost). I give Wedding Cake Murder 3 out of 5 stars. There were too many recipes in this book (yes, there is such a thing). There are twenty-two recipes which takes up a third of the novel. Wedding Cake Murder was not of the same caliber as the earlier books in the series. I think it is time for the Hannah Swensen Mystery series to retire (just being honest). I received a complimentary copy of Wedding Cake Murder from NetGalley (and Kensington Books) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
    • 4/5
      This Hannah Swensen mystery had a good plot. It focused on a cooking contest, and one of the judges ends up murdered. Hannah is also planning her wedding.
    • 3/5
      3 stars for the story, 4 stars for the recipes (which sound delicious, but seem a bit complicated).

      I've read several books in this cozy mystery series, and was excited to see a wedding-themed one scheduled for release. Most of the books are fairly successful stand-alone mysteries: I never made any effort to read them in any particular order, and never felt like I was handicapped in understanding who someone was or why they were doing what they were doing.

      This time, though, I felt like I had missed a few things. I guess I didn't read the last book (or few books?) because somewhere along the way, Hannah apparently had three suitors fighting for her hand. She picked one (who is now her fiance in this book), and the other two are still her friends, but things are a little awkward. I found myself wishing I knew more of the backstory, because I couldn't really figure out the other two guys' motivations or their real feelings about Hannah's fiance.

      The title is "Wedding Cake Murder," which -- unlike most titles in this genre -- is neither punny nor alliterative. But it does give you fair warning that one of the characters will turn up dead! And Joanne Fluke has a solid grasp of mystery basics. There are plenty of people with obvious motives, and some with not-so-obvious motives, so the solution isn't immediately obvious. There are some mild surprises as Hannah does her investigating (often utilizing her baking skills -- should we call it investigabaking?). And the setting -- a baking competition that could easily be a pitch for the next Food Network show -- is lots of fun. My only criticism is that the tone sometimes gets a little too folksy, verging on condescending. Do we really need Hannah not to know how to access a program recorded on her DVR to show that she's a small-town, old-fashioned girl? Do we need two pages of explanation about what cardamom is and where it comes from because no one's ever heard of this strange, "mysterious" spice?

      Regardless, the real reason to read this particular series of cozy mysteries is for the mouth-watering cake and cookie recipes. They're varied and delicious-sounding, and had me editing my grocery list mid-chapter. That said, most of them recommend having a stand mixer, and many require making dough well in advance and refrigerating it overnight, so if you're craving an immediate sugar fix, it might be better to stick with the refrigerated cookie dough in the dairy aisle. But if you're feeling ambitious, I can't imagine a better place to start than with a two-layer white cake swirled with six colors of Jell-O powder. (It actually sounds like it would be fantastic for a coming-out party, or a kid's unicorn-themed birthday.)

      All things considered, this is a tasty #Sundayquickreads that won't tax your brain and could definitely help you kill a couple of hours on your coach-class flight to New York. If you're in first class, though, you won't need it, because it will be so comfortable that you'll fall asleep immediately and not wake up til you're on approach. (But if you're Hannah, you'll be mystified by the big-city jet-setter expression "on approach." "What are we approaching?" Oh, Hannah.)

      I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
    • 3/5
      While Hannah is the final stages of a hastily put together wedding with her college sweetheart Ross, she is also busy with a nationwide cable network's Dessert Chef competition. In fact, the competition was so interesting, the book almost didn't need a murder to fulfill all the twists and reveals that were part of the television show. I always forget how quickly these read, there are almost twenty recipes sprinkled throughout the book, which makes reading them go very quickly. I enjoyed returning to Lake Eden, Minnesota and happy to report that the resolution to the books-long love triangle seems to be solved.
    • 3/5
      Up front, I will say that this is the first book in this series I have read. I was pretty glad when I received a copy from NetGalley to read and review. I have looked at the books in the series in the past, and, based on their popularity, I was ready for a great read. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the book. In this book, Hannah is getting ready to marry her old beau, Ross, having left her other beaus two, Mike and Norman, behind—sort of. Early on, she invites both Mike and Norman to be groomsmen in her wedding, showing more affection for both than she does for Ross throughout the book during their meetings. As the story unfolded, there just seemed to be little chemistry between the couple, Hannah and Ross, who are planning to wed in the immediate future. In the middle of these wedding preparations, Hannah is also prepping for a food contest. A lot of time is spent on the recipes she will use as well as on the new recipes Hannah and her friends try out for possible use during the contest throughout the book, almost more time than the murder and clues. Since I had not read any of the other books, I felt that there was a lot I was missing (mostly subtle nuances) about the characters. Normally, I have found it to be okay if you pick up one book of a series, but, in this case, I felt I was missing information on character and events that had preceded more than I normally do, which, I think, would have helped me understand and follow things more easily. I guess you can read this book as a stand-alone, but be forewarned that you may end up feeling, as I did, that you were missing some elements and back story of the storyline. I found it interesting that the book, put forth as a cozy mystery, with the crime occurring about half way through the book. Instead of a cozy mystery, it seemed like and endless discussion of and presentation of recipes and food ideas, with a mystery murder thrown in for good measure. I think fans of this series will enjoy reading about this next chapter in Hannah’s life. The recipes are also interesting and definitely mouth-watering. One thing I did not care for were the notes after the recipes, explaining or expanding things the author/Hannah felt necessary. The recipes are for the novice, I guess, and a novice would probably need them.