I flew through this book, because I've been waiting and waiting to see what happens with Ross. I was a little surprised that the murder part didn't happen until about 80% way through and it felt very rushed to get it solved (I actually thought it was going to continue until the next book). I liked how the story went, but some of the writing (her "thoughts" and having to spell every little thing out) became annoying and hard to read. I do enjoy reading about Hannah's life and after this many books I am invested in the town and residents, so I look forward to the next book.

#16 Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery). I am such a fan of this author and am so delighted that Hallmark Movies and Mysteries has adapted her books into several of their movies. In this novel, Hannah feels she owes an apology to all of Lake Eden. It appears her recent marriage was a sham and she and her family have kept a big secret. Well-developed familiar characters and delicious recipes after almost every chapter make this a comfortable, cozy mystery. I will definitely be trying Rusty's Stuffed Mushrooms. Rate it 4 out of 5 stars. Publishing date February 26.

I was looking forward to reading this piece of the series. I have read all of Hannah Swanson mysteries. I love her character. It was great to catch up with all of the people in Lake Eden. Hoping to move forward with her life, Hannah gets a visit from the one person she never wants to see again. This prompts her to have a slew of body guards at all times. Will she ever be able to move on? Then the unthinkable. A murder victim is found her in bedroom. Hannah must work quick to find the murderer before they find her. Joanne Fluke was back to her twist and turn mystery writing. One would never guess who done it. However, the major twist comes at the end. Just wait until you read and gasp. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke is the 24th book in the Hannah Swensen series, and much better than the last couple of books in the series. Hannah was recently married to Ross, after being pursued by both Norman and Mike for years. I will always be team Norman, Mike just shows up to eat. In prior books we learn that Ross disappears and Hannah learned he is already married. In this book, Ross contacts Hannah wanting the money he gave her, and begging for a reunion, when the action begins. I was never really liked Ross, he just came out of nowhere, so I am happy this series has gone back to it's old formula. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I recommended this book and series for cozy book lovers. Recipes included. 

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh my gosh! Thank goodness! Can I leave my review at that? Most fans of the series will know the issues we have been plagued with and will join me in rejoicing that it seems like Ms. Fluke has listened to our pleas. The silliness of back and forth repetition and praise seemed quite a bit toned down in this installment. And the Russ situation is dealt with. On the other hand, I was a little amused by how many people were able to navigate around a town that was supposedly snowed in so much that all businesses were closed. And, honestly, a bit annoyed that the town bank was able to be closed for nearly a week. I think in the real world that would bring down several regulatory agencies since banks have stringent rules about the availability of people's money. But, as we know, Lake Eden is a world unto its own. Unless you make the recipes as you go through the book, it is a quick read. So quick you might not realize there isn't a murder until almost the end!

I was excited to read the next instalment of the Hannah Swensen series however I was a bit disappointed in this book. The pace was slow moving with the murder not taking place until the last third of the book and the investigation wrapped up really quickly. There were also too many descriptions about the main characters making the recipes in the book which created a lag in the storyline. That being said I tried the recipe for Forgotten Cookies and they were delicious! All in all I’m still a fan of the Hannah Swensen series and look forward to,the next book.

Unfortunately I was unable to get into the story. I usually enjoy reading about Hannah Swanson's forays into solving murders, but I fear that this book has "jumped the shark". I couldn't buy the premise that Hannah's dream husband was such a devious fiend, and I am not looking forward to more of the Norman-Hannah-Mike triangle that is sure to erupt again. I recommend readers stick with the earlier entries in this series.

I have read a number of Joanne Flukes books. I couldn’t wait to read her newest one. I received an arc from Netgalley website for an honest review of Chocolate cream pie murder. Once again traveling to Lake Eden you feel like your actually in Minnesota. There were parts of the book I really liked and other parts I didn’t. I always enjoy the characters and what is happening in Lake Eden. In this book she has to tell her church that Ross disappeared and that they never were really married. This upsets the whole town and they want revenge for Ross’ betrayal. I would recommend this book to people who have already read the series because it would be hard to follow of who everyone is and the history of the characters and storyline.

All I can really is say that I absolutely loved the main outcome of this book, can't say more or it will spoil it. Kudos to the author! I never guessed the killer either--a good plot. If the recipes given in the book are the final recipes, they sound sooo amazing!

I guess I hadn't realized that Hannah's younger sister Michelle was such a wonderful baker like her older sister Hannah or just how caring she was until I read the back-in-time previous book. It helped give me a little more insight into Michelle's character. It's sweet how she's dating a detective too. The Swenson sisters love their law enforcement men! Norman was very sweet in this book as always. I kind of still want Hannah and Mike to end up together like in the movies, but I guess that's up to the author and we'll find out eventually who she lets Hannah end up with.

There was an interesting cliff hanger and there are some unsolved issues that I hope eventually get taken care of, and now I'm very anxious to read the next book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Publishing via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Hannah Swensen is happy to have her baking to distract her from her troubles. She was recently an overjoyed newlywed, but now her personal life is a mess. It was bad enough having to confide in the whole town what had gone wrong, but now her life is in danger. Her good friends Norman Rhodes and Mike Kingston are making sure Hannah is safe, and her sister Michele and business partner Lisa help her pass the time cooking delicious meals and desserts. Hannah may also get the chance to conduct interviews at The Cookie Jar when a film festival comes to Lake Eden, Minnesota, but that could mean facing the man who betrayed her and putting them both in danger.

Longtime fans of this series were shocked and disappointed when Hannah rejected both of her longtime suitors Mike and Norman to marry a newcomer, Ross Barton. Ross was hard to like even when he was declaring his love for Hannah. This book begins with Hannah addressing the congregation at her church to reveal an embarrassing truth about her marriage. Not a lot happens for a few chapters after that, but then when it looks like the story is going to pick up, it stalls. Not a lot happens with Hannah conducting interviews and there isn’t a murder until the book is nearly over. Hannah says she is going to find the murderer, but there isn’t really much investigation going on in the book.

This is a hard book to rate, but I would give it 3.5 stars. As a longtime reader of the series, I like catching up with my favorite characters. I also like the direction the author takes with the plot of this book, so I enjoyed this installment more than the last couple of books. Without giving too much away, it seems she’s trying to right a few wrongs that have occurred. However, the writing just isn’t up to par compared to books earlier in the series. There isn’t much substance to the book. It’s mostly Hannah talking about her personal life and new dessert ideas and several recipes. The dialogue, even between Hannah and her close friends and family members, is stilted and formal. If the conversations were more natural and there was more action in the book, this could have been a much better book. It is a quick read and those who have followed the series will be interested to learn the developments in Hannah’s life and also see the huge cliffhanger at the end of the book. New readers would be better off starting with a book closer to the beginning of the series to get to know the characters better and see this series at its best.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this latest installment in the Hannah Swensen series. This book differs quite a bit from the rest of the series, but I still enjoyed it. I am looking forward to what comes next.

The 24th book in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanna Fluke. I haven't read all of the books in this series. I've read six or seven books, and hopped around in the order. I do plan to go back and read the entire series. Anyway, this book is best read after reading the others in the series.

Hannah's personal life is front and center as the truth about her marriage to Ross is revealed. As her scoundrel of a (fake) husband makes a reappearance, Hannah is trying to get on with her life.

These books usually start with Hannah finding a dead body within the first couple of chapters, then going on to play amateur sleuth to solve the murder mystery. In this book, the murder doesn't happen to really late in the book. So late, I was beginning to think one would never happen. I know these books are mostly formulaic, but I like them and was disappointed in how this book was going. So, this one is more focused on Hannah's personal life, than a murder mystery.

While I didn't find this one as enjoyable as others in the series, it was nice to see Hannah getting back on track. Since this is a series, these books sometimes end on a cliffhanger, and this one is a doozy. Hopefully, the next one goes in a good direction.

This is a good series for fans of cozy mysteries and food. The main character own a bakery, and recipes are included throughout the book. Honestly, I skip over the recipes because I'm not much of a cook, but this one seemed to include more dinner recipes than dessert recipes.

A quick, light read for cozy mystery fans. Delightful and entertaining.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a little bit romance, a little bit mystery/“who done it” and some amazing recipes.
Was Hannah conned by her fake husband? Who wanted Ross dead and why?
Is there a new/old romance developing between Hannah and Norman?

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 😊 This story is one of the best from Joanne Fluke. The depth of Hannah's love/hate for Ross is poignant. Hannah's character has evolved greatly over time with this series. Every one who loves a good cozy will love this book! Enjoy! 📚

I have been a devoted reader of this series--all 24 books. What would Hannah do when she found out that Ross was not who he said he was and that her marriage to him was not legal? Most of this book, she baked and gave us readers plenty of recipes with very little mystery. I do enjoy trying some of the cookie recipes but I am baffled as to why the dialogue continues to be so stilted--when there are only two people in the room and they constantly refer to each other by first names? The kindle edition jumbled the recipe ingredients so I am on the waiting list at the library to be able to write them down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an advance digital copy of this book. My review is voluntary.

Joanne Fluke does it again! Her fans all knew something was up with Ross, but we didn't know what exactly it was. Now, we know. The cliffhanger at the end (no spoilers) was incredibly obvious. Thanks to Jo for always providing thorough recipes. I get some of my best from her Hannah Swensen books!

Oh gosh. Hannah was finally finding her feet again when Ross turns up. What a rat he turned out to be. When he turns up dead, Hannah is a suspect as are many people in the town (and, to be honest, probably many readers of the series as well). There are no surprises here. Long time readers will likely quibble over any number of things but in the end like me will find themselves eagerly reading t the end to find out what happened and what's going to happen next. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Probably best for those who have followed Hannah's (mis)adventures over the years.

Note: this is not the first book in the Hannah Swenson series. To avoid spoilers, don’t read the review but instead go to the first book in the series and start from there.

Joanne Fluke’s Chocolate Cream Pie Murder finds Hannah Swenson continuing the search for her husband Ross. In the previous book she learned a bit more about his past and in this one, we find out how Ross is truly not the man Hannah thought he was. As Hannah begins to reconcile how her life has been built on a lie, learning that Ross is completely unhinged proves to be too much stress for her. She relies heavily on Mike and Norman, as well as her mother and sisters, to get through her this rough patch.

Similar to the other books in the series, Hannah bakes and bakes cookies, pies, and meals for herself and her friends. She also does what she can to solve the mystery around Ross. Though it is resolved by the end, the storyline was a bit convoluted at times. This book references situations from earlier books too, so the reader is not familiar with them, there could be confusion as well. Lastly, some of the dialogue was rather contrived, especially with Hannah and some of the other major characters. It is as if few people in her circle recognize she has intelligence and she is asked to repeat information or listen in a way that is more appropriate for a school child. What is frustrating to me is that I have read other books by this author and they have a better sense of conversation, so I know Fluke is capable of writing differently. I hope the next installment has Hannah less uncertain and more confident, like she was in earlier books in the series.

I will continue to read the series and try the recipes, all the while hoping that strong, independent Hannah returns.

I received this book from NetGalley and was excited to read it. The previous book left you with a cliff hanger that gets resolved in this book and I enjoyed the story as I always do. For a light, enjoyable cozy mystery, I don't think you can beat the Hannah Swensen series. I like the characters and find them funny (sister, Andrea), exasperating (mother, Delores), and a typical American family.

She has wonderful friends, a supportive family and extended family, a good business and business partner.

However, Hannah is in her 30's and she really doesn't have a lot of common sense in handling men. Mike will never be husband material with his wandering eye (which he admits), yet she keeps him around because he kisses so well. Time to stop the kissing and relegate him to the good friend category. But enough of my judgement on Hannah!

My criticism is how much the book is interrupted by all the recipes. I haven't counted, but I don't think you get more than 10 pages before we see another one, two or three recipes. Cut down the recipes and put an index at the end so I can at least find them when I've finished the book.

Still, I enjoyed the book, and am sorry I have to wait another year to find out what the resolution to this books cliff hanger is - although I suspect I know.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review.

When I received a copy of this book in advance from Netgalley, I was very excited! I have read every book in this series and feel like reading one of these books is like meeting up with old friend’s. This book was no different.
One thing I have noticed in the last several books is that there seems to be a change in how the plot progresses, which is refreshing. While I have always loved all the books, it seemed that there was a formula to the plot and most of the books seemed to follow it. Until recently. I feel that the last several books have gone deeper into the characters and added some unexpected twists and turns that I have really enjoyed as a reader. I also love the cliffhangers. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

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