"Double Fudge Brownie Murder" (Hannah Swensen #18) - Joanne Fluke

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I know I am a review or two behind so I apologize for that but I have been down with a terrible cold since Sunday night. I told a friend today "you know it's bad when I go 4 days without picking up a book," and that is exactly what happened. Do not fret though, I am back on the grind! Last night I started (and finished) the newest book in the Hannah Swensen series. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series as one of my "cozy books" but like those type of series tend to do, it is starting to falter not only in plot line but writing as well. Here are my thoughts:

I gave this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. The beginning of this book started off a bit shaky in writing. I was concerned for a while, unsure how the book was going to continue. While I have loved the story and characters throughout the series, I am also getting tired of the plot line. Every book involves a murder discovered and investigated by Hannah Swensen, the beloved main character and owner of the Cookie Jar bakery. The series is very similar to the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, f anyone has read any of those books, but instead of bail bonds, Hannah bakes cookies. Of course there is a love triangle that never seems to have a definitive decision made, cop vs. "guy next door," and crazy relatives to boot. What I do love in these stories are the recipes in each book which may be the one of the only reasons I continue to keep reading the series. It's hard to give you any more specifics about this book without giving anything away since the stories are short and all pieces transfer over from book to book. I will say this, Hannah is getting closer to making a decision about her love life (finally!!) and there are some tasty sounding recipes included that I am looking forward to trying!

Even though I say I am getting tired of the story line, I know I will continue reading. I do recommend these books or at least the first 10-12. After that, they do get pretty repetitive. For me though, they are a nice, easy, quick, cozy read! As always, feel free to share any comments, recommendations, or suggestions!

Happy reading fools :)

P.S. Currently reading the highly acclaimed and recommended The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. Look for this one in the next day or two!