Christmas Sweets
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.
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