When I requested a Netgalley copy of this book, I had not realized that it contained previously released stories repackaged together into this anthology. It still contains enjoyable to read holiday tales, though I had already read Joanne Fluke’s contribution. I had not read the Jaine Austen and Elizabeth Stone entries and I enjoyed them as well. I much preferred the focus of Leslie Meier’s story being Elizabeth instead of Lucy because the Lucy character did really grab me in the stories I’ve read of hers. And Jaine’s Prozac was incorrigible as ever. So while I was a bit disappointed about not getting three new (or at least new-to-me) stories, these are still three great reads to get us into the spirit as we head towards the holiday season.

Christmas Sweets by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier is a delightful book of three easy to read novellas.. One is a story with mischievous children, one has a mall Santa being taken out by an ornament, and one involves a theft of jewels.
All have a touch of romance, humor. friendship. and twists have you guessing until the end. The novella by Fluke is peppered with yummy sounding recipes.
Overall this is a great read to curl up with a hot chocolate and get in the holiday spirit.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion.

Christmas Sweets is an anthology of three novellas, one each by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier, all with Christmas themes. Fluke's story is a sweet one about two teachers left at boarding school with six kids, three of each, who make a bet on their romance. Hannah Swenson gets involved when she volunteers to bring sweets to the kids to make their Christmas more special. Nightmare on Elf Street is Levine's entry which is a murder mystery revolving around a dead Santa at a mall called Conspicuous Consumption Mall, and a reluctant elf who is a part-time investigator who makes flakey look like a compliment. One More thing is the last of the trilogy and written by Leslie Meier. It is the story of a young woman working at an upscale hotel in Florida and a jewel thief who made off with $47 million worth of jewelry. It was a decent mystery in novella form, which is not always easy.

This anthology was a pleasant diversion on a sunny afternoon. Hannah Swenson is always good and this story was no exception, despite the fact that she had a minor role. The two teachers were pleasant people and the depiction of the young boys was spot on. Nightmare on Elf Street was another matter: I don't love the image of a scattered amateur sleuth. The only writer to pull it off really was has been Evanovich. Jaine came across as a total flake and not all that likable. I am obviously in the minority as this is part of a long running series. Some readers may find it amusing. I hope so. One more thing contains a oft-rehashed plot but was none-the-less a pleasant read, proving once again that you have to be careful before judging. Altogether, a good way to spend an afternoon. I recommend it.

I received a free ARC of Christmas Sweets from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #christmassweets

Three fun and entertaining cozy novellas, well written and festive.
All of them are entertaining and engrossing but my favourite was Laura Levine's story that I found hilarious.
A good read, perfect for a holiday read.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Christmas Sweet is a fun book made up of three cozy mystery novella. The first one is The Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke from her Hannah Swensen's series. The second book is Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine from her Jaine Austen series. Last but not least, is The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier from her Lucy Stone series. I enjoy all three stories, and it a good way to sample new authors. I recommend this book for cozy mystery loves, like me.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Joanne Fluke The Twelve Desserts of Christmas
I always love reading Hannah Swenson books. I love the recipes and the mysteries. This book was no exception. I loved the flashback to when she was younger. Her nieces were small and she was still dating Mike and Norman. And she had only had Moishe for a couple of years. The mystery was a good one, too. I got a kick out of the antics that the boys pulled while trying not to lose the bet with the girls. This is a great book to read before the holiday season. It got me in the Christmas spirit!

Laura Levine Nightmare on Elf Street
I loved this book! It's the first one that I have read, but I will definitely be reading more! It was funny and kept me giggling throughout. I loved her cat named Prozac! I never would have guessed who the murderer was, either. This is a good one!

Leslie Meier The Christmas Thief
Oh my goodness!! Where do I start? This story had it all! I have read every Lucy Stone book that has been written. I love her family and friends and feel as if I know them all myself. This one was different because a large part of it took place in Florida with Lucy's daughter, Elizabeth. Lucy and Miss Tilley show up to help solve the mystery. It was so good and there was even some romance for Elizabeth. I only wish that it could have been longer! I sure didn't want it to end. Don't miss this one!

This book is very aptly named ~ it is little morsels of light, Christmas fun. Each story is a quick read, with happy, celebratory themes to bring in the holiday cheer. Perfect for a busy time of year when you want a short, joyful story to read.

A cute collection of three tales raking place over the holidays. Romance and mystery abound! It has holiday recipes also, which I personally can not use, as I am a vegan.
Twelve sweets of Christmas has a boarding school romance (amongst teachers) that is being sabotaged. Nightmare on elf street has a writer who is not quite forced, but almost, to work as an elf to secure a better writing job later. When one of her coworkers gets murdered, she is the prime suspect.
The Christmas thief features a luxury hotel set to host a fancy event featuring famous jewels. Of course they go missing, and our protagonist looks suspicious.
A great collection to read, it is not necessary to have read other works by the authors to enjoy these stories. They all have a great mix of holiday fun, romance, and mystery.

A Trio of Christmas Cozies
The Twelve Desserts Of Christmas by Joanne Fluke
Hannah Swenson's sister's college friend and teacher, Julie Jansen is tasked along with teacher Matt Sherwood yo care for 6 students marooned at their boarding school for the Christmas holidays. Julie can't cook, and the school's cook has only left frozen meals, sans desserts. Julie asked Andrea for Hannah's help and the ladies came through.
Julie and Matt were already dating and the extra time spent together brought them even closer. Just before Christmas, Matt became distant and brokenhearted Julie didn't know why. The Swenson sisters decided to find out and solved the mystery. This is a cute and humorous tale with delicious sounding recipes.
Nightmare On Elf Street by Laura Levine
Ms. Levine's quirky quasi-investigator Jaine Austen gets a new job, just not the one she was applying for. She went to Conspicuous Consumption Plaza for a job writing ad copy and ended up as an elf....to a poor excuse for a Santa. Working this awful job and coming home to her disagreeable cat, Prozac makes for long days.
When she get a chance to party...it turns into her worst nightmare... to date. That was only until she finds Santa dead in his hut, after her cat creates mayhem and the police are looking at her with interest.
She needs to get quickly off their suspect list and snoops until she comes face to face with the killer, one that wasn't even on her list of possibles. Laugh out loud funny.
The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier
Lucy Stone's daughter Elizabeth is working the reception desk at Florida's posh Cavendish Hotel. When the assistant concierge went out on sick leave she was tapped to cover for her. The job was exhausting, more so because a very rich guest was throwing a huge four day celebration with many rich and famous people, and she needed to coordinate with his planner on top of her other work. So much for the new relationship she'd just entered.
When a set of multimillion dollar jewels turn up missing, the finger is pointed at her and she is put on leave. Brokenhearted, she calls her mother, who flies down immediately with her friend, the eccentric librarian Miss Tilley. The pair immediately start planning investigative strategies and push Elizabeth into working with them to solve the crime. Miss Tilley and Elizabeth do figure it out just before the thief is pointing a gun at them.
Three wonderfully talented authors contributed to this collaboration.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse.

Christmas Sweets is a collection of novellas from Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier. If you haven't read these authors this is a great introduction to their series.

All of these novellas have been previously published so if you are avid fans of these authors you may think the stories sound familiar. This isn't the first time these ladies have teamed up. In 2007, they published the Christmas collection Candy Cane Murder and in 2010, they did another Christmas collection, Gingerbread Cookie Murder. The only author in this collection that I had read is Joanne Fluke. I was not familiar with the other two authors at all and it was fun to get a glimpse of their series.

The collection starts off with Joanne Fluke's The Twelve Desserts of Christmas. It is part of her Hannah Swensen series and was originally published in 2006 (as part of a collection entitled Sugar and Spice) The story occurs between books 8 and 9 in that series (there are now 25 books in the series). And even though Hannah does make an appearance in the story, it is more about two single boarding school teachers who stay at the school over the holiday with 6 kids who didn't go home for Christmas. While the Hannah Swensen series is a cozy mystery, this novella felt more like a holiday romance. It is still cute and full of recipes. I really liked the couple and the setting of the boarding school. I think it could make a good series on its own.

Next up is Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine, which is part of her Jaine Austen series. It was first published in the anthology Secret Santa in 2013. The story falls between books 11 and 12 (there are now 17 books in the series). I liked Jaine, except I got tired of the constant references she makes to her size. This story is high on self-mortification. The murder mystery is fun with over the top characters which all make great suspects. I will be looking for other books in this series.

The collection wraps up with The Christmas Theif by Leslie Meier, which was originally published in the 2012 collection A Winter Wonderland. The story is between books 18 and 19 (there are 26 books in the Lucy Stone Mystery series). The story focuses on Lucy's daughter Elizabeth who works in a luxury hotel in Florida. When a billionaire rents out the hotel for Christmas, Elizabeth finds herself the suspect of a jewel heist. But Lucy comes to her daughter's aid to clear her name. While there is a mystery, there is also a bit of romance. I liked the guy and I was a bit sad to learn in the author's note that the relationship doesn't last.

The extended author note that accompanies each story highlights that this novella collection is a marketing sampler to promote these authors' series. I think the heavy promotion in those notes took away some of the good feels of Christmas magic that you get from reading Christmasy stories. So you might want to skip the notes. The stories are fun and they definitely made me want to check out their series.

The review will publish at Girl Who Reads on Oct. 27 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/10/christmas-sweets-3-novellas-review.html

What's not to love about three short Christmas stories that capture your attention from beginning to end? These are cute and will get you in the mood for Christmas for sure! In the first one, Twelve desserts of Christmas, at a boarding school, some kids get left at the school for the holiday and two of the teachers have been left behind in charge of them. When they discover that there isn't any sweets for the time they are to be there, they know what they have to do. Hannah helps out a friend of Andrea's and delivers treats from her bakery to the kids for the break. A cute romance starts to bud but three of the kids seem to have some tricks up their sleeve too. A very cute read that will have you turning the pages.

Next is Laura Levine's Nightmare on Elf Street. Janie has been given the job of being an elf in an upscale mall in order to earn brownie points with an Interviewee that she wants to work for eventually. Janie ends up with one of the worst Santa's that you could ever have and then one day all the sudden things take a major twist and you will never guess the outcome. This one is a cute little read as well.

Lastly we get Leslie Meier's A Christmas Thief. In this one Elizabeth is the main character. She works at a hotel and has been given the job of concierge while one of the employees is out sick for awhile. When a major celebrity books the hotel for a party at Christmas, things get hectic and Elizabeth is run from here to there trying to please the guests. There are some very valuable jewels that are at the hotel with the celebrity and when they go missing, Elizabeth is the prime suspect. You will never see this one coming! Great little read as well.

These three stories will entertain you for sure and having you longing for some Christmas time as well. Great short reads!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

This is a book of three wonderful short Christmas stories written by 3 of our favorite cozy mystery authors. This is the perfect introduction to holiday reading, baking and mystery. I love this book . My review opinions are my own and reviews are cross posted after publication date.

In Twelve desserts of Christmas, Hannah is helping out a friend of Andrea's by supplying desserts for a group of kids that have to stay at their boarding school over Christmas . You know when Hannah is involved wonderful baking will have you running to the kitchen to create her receipes ! .Thank goodness I do not eat sugar or this would have me baking . This had a little mystery with three of the students that were troublemakers. A cute Christmas season book with yummy treats. This is a sweet story.

In Laura Levine's Nightmare on Elf Street. Jaine is working as an elf for the holiday season with a mean Santa who is scaring kids and ends up murdered. This is so humorous and a fun story..

The last installment is Leslie Meier's A Christmas Thief. Lucy's daughter is the sleuth. Elizabeth is working at a high price hotel. Jewels go missing and unfortunately she is the suspect. Her mother, Lucy and Lucy's friend Miss Tilley fly to Florida to help her . A cute fun mystery of the season.

All three stories were very enjoyable and fun to read. This is the perfect cozy anthology to begin your holiday reading.

Christmas Sweets
(Lucy Stone #18.5)
by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meier

Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 29th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation





Goodreads synopsis:
Gathered in one volume for the very first time, here are three yuletide tales of mystery, murder, and romance, featuring your favorite sleuths . . .

THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by JOANNE FLUKE
It's the perfect mix of naughty and nice when two lovestruck boarding school teachers watch six kids over Christmas break. But when someone wants the cozy couple's romance to burn out faster than a scorched fruitcake, it's Hannah Swensen to the rescue, armed with her sleuthing
skills--and twelve deliciously festive recipes . . .

NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET by LAURA LEVINE
Aside from the mortifying costume, how bad can a gig as a mall Santa's elf be? Jaine Austen finds out when she's teamed up with the Santa from Hell. But things go from bad to worse when he's found murdered on the job--and Jaine is a suspect. Now all she wants for Christmas is to find the real killer . . .

THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by LESLIE MEIER
Elizabeth Stone is ready for a white Christmas in Tinker's Cove, Maine--until a fancy Yule ball at the Florida hotel where she works dumps snow on her plans. The sponsor's jewels have gone missing and the police are asking about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Good thing Elizabeth's mother, Lucy Stone, flew down to surprise her. ʼTis the season for a little investigating . . .

Includes Luscious Holiday Recipes!


***

4.5 Stars

These three-pack short story sets are a hoot! I have seen quite a few of them come out lately. I recently reviewed HAUNTED HOUSE MYSTERY which features similar authors. These books give you a taste of each author’s style and gives you a peek into what you will get when digging into one of their full length novels.

When I started the Joanne Fluke novella, THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS, I wondered when Hannah Swensen might make an appearance. It starts off with a couple of teachers who are staying with students who can’t go home for Christmas over their winter break. This story was just fun! Boys against the girls in a Christmas bet concerning whether or not their teachers will get together before the rest of the students return to school. This makes me wish that there were some troublesome tykes to add some spice to the normal Hannah novels. Wouldn’t that be fun? This is a cool way to see if that dynamic could fly in the future. And I think for sure, that idea sings!

If you ever wanted to be one of those helper elves at the mall, read this first and let it dissuade you. In Laura Levine’s NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET, lives up to its title. I felt bad for Jaine Austen who was just trying to better herself and get a job with a more secure future. The lady in charge manipulated her into being Santa’s elf and as you can figure only chaos ensued. Skinny Santa with a drinking problem and a way with the ladies ends up dead while on duty at the mall. Yikes. This story felt more like a full length novel than the rest. That is probably because I have read many books from the other two author’s who share the title and know what to expect from them by way of characters and story dynamics. Here it was all new to me. I was clutching at my pearls wondering how Jaine would get out of this predicament. The reveal of the killer was indeed shocking and I thought, masterfully plotted. This story felt real, as in, I could see myself in Jaine’s place.

The last book, THE CHRISTMAS THIEF, featured Elizabeth, the daughter of Lucy Stone, who is the main character of all of Leslie Meier’s other novels. I can totally see a spin-off series in Meier’s future if she wanted to go that route. I could relate to Elizabeth who is working at a hotel and filling in for a woman on medical leave. She feels this could boost her career but things don’t seem to be on her side when the jewels from a rich sponsor go missing on her watch. She gets put on leave and Lucy and Miss Tilley come to help her solve the case of the missing jewels. Such a fun read! I was so involved in the fear Elizabeth was feeling. the possibility of losing her job was certainly on the table for much of the story. Plus, I sensed a certain spark between Elizabeth and Chris. I wanted more between these characters but in the afterword it was revealed that my hopes would be dashed. Bummer!

This three book series is such a winner of a read! It gives you all you need for the perfect murder or mystery all in one convenient package. If you love cozy mysteries or just mysteries in general. definitely check this one out!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

. Her cozy mysteries are the ultimate in cozy. Her protagonist, Hannah, owns a bakery in a small town in Minnesota. After each chapter or two, Fluke inserts a recipe that corresponds with the book’s story. What I love about the recipes is that they’re so homey and easy to follow. The ingredients are always found at any grocery store or already in your pantry, and the steps are no-frills. No fancy, obscure foods or a need to buy a spiralizer. I’ve never tried a recipe because I hate baking, but if I did, I’m 99% percent sure the cookie, cake, or other baked good would be delicious.
Fluke tends to coincide her stories with the seasons or holidays. She has a few Christmas themed stories and books, and I’ve read a Valentine’s Day and summer themed mystery as well. (Actually, I’ve read them all. I can’t get enough.) They’re the perfect “palette cleanser” book, great after a book with heavier, more serious themes. This Christmas story, The Twelve Desserts of Christmas, didn’t disappoint. It was cute, heart-warming, and exactly what I expect from a Fluke work.
Levine and Meier are new writers to me, and although the stories were great, they didn’t bring the mild starry-eyed worshipping feelings I have for Fluke.
Levine’s Nightmare on Elf Street has her protagonist, Jaine Austen- how cute- doing one of the worst (or best for some) seasonal job ever – a mall Santa Claus’ elf. The experience seems like something straight out of the movie Bad Santa and is pretty hilarious. And in following typical cozy mystery fashion, Jaine has a kitty cat pal.
Meier’s The Christmas Thief was good, but not my favorite. A hotel concierge gets caught up in a jewelry theft mystery and must find the real culprit before she loses her job. There was a romantic element that was a little predictable, and the cast of characters didn’t exactly thrill.
It was a breath of fresh air to read something so fun and lighthearted between the horror and thriller novels that I wanted to read for October.

I'll admit that collections of novellas are usually less appealing to me than a complete novel. In this case, however, all three authors are major figures in the world of cozy mystery.

Joanne Fluke offers a sweet little romance and a dozen sweet recipes in her novella.

Laura Levine's self-deprecating slapstick is just as funny in a shorter form, and her tory has plenty of twists and turns to keep you intrigued.

Leslie Meier's book features Lucy Stone's daughter as the heroine, and three generations of peppery women to solve the mystery.

All in all, Christmas Sweets provides a pleasant seasonal diversion for a busy time of year.

Christmas Books and Cozy Mysteries are just two of my sweet indulgences! To find 3 Christmas themed cozy mysteries by 3 of my favorite authors all tied up in 1 book like a beautiful Christmas Gift was awesome! Each story is unique and a little bit different from the authors usual entry in the series. I really enjoyed reading each one of the little gifts :)

A Christmas trilogy by my three favorite cozy mystery authors..what's not to love?

Well, actually....its the Great, the Good and the Not So Good.....

The Great - Laura Levine's Janie Austen short story. Its pure Jaine and Prozac. What's not to love? Oh yeah - no email from the parents in Florida and Kandi is still MIA....but I loved it.

The Good - Its not really a Lucy Stone mystery if she only shows up in the end and Miss Julia is the one who one who ends up solving the crime with Elizabeth. I did love the insight into Elizabeth's life in Florida and its fun to see Lucy out of her Tinker's Cove element though.

The Not So Good - Hannah Swenson is a fifties heroine with a cell phone. First, its a recycled short story. Second - there's no murder, not even a crime! Third - what's wrong with having a cocktail once in a while (Although the coffee with peppermint schnapps and cinnamon ice cream does sound a little odd.....) But what irked me the absolute most about this short story was that the boys got the opportunity to ride the snowmobile while the girls were trapped inside decorating the tree. What couldn't everyone do both things? I know I'd pick the snowmobile over staying indoors any day of the week and I'm sad she kept the characters in such sexist roles....

I was disappointed in this book. I thought they would be new stories from three talented authors. They're not. They have already been out. Joanne Fluke admits her story was published in 2006 and while it was a heart warming Christmas story, there was no mystery.

The other two stories were by authors I have heard about but never read. I enjoyed them. I particularly liked Laura Levine's "Nightmare on Elf Street". I thought it was both clever and funny and it was actually a mystery. I wouldn't mind reading more by this author.

The stories were very holiday oriented and happy which is great around Christmas. It's a good way to relax. It's just too bad they weren't new stories.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a sweet read for fans of these authors. The first book was not a murder mystery, but rather the story of two young teachers and their six students at a boarding school not far from Lake Eden. Hannah Swensen is hired to make cookies and deserts for them over the Christmas season, and the young couple is falling in love. The second book is quite amusing, a Jaine Austen book. Jaine gets a temporary job at the "Conspicuous Consumption" Mall as a elf, working with two different Santas. When one is murdered, Jaine is a suspect and has to use her sleuthing abilities to find the real killer. In the third book, Elizabeth Stone is working the Christmas season at a flashy hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. When an extremely wealthy man books the hotel for four days to have an OTT party, Elizabeth is busy making arrangements with the party planner. When the wife of the billionaire loses her jewelry at the blingy finale party, Elizabeth is a suspect. But when Lucy and Miss Tilly arrive, they soon sort out the real thief.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

I loved this re-release of one of Hannah Swenson's mysteries. Short and sweet stories, filled with lots of great recipes!