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A Chocoholic Mystery #6
The Chocolate Bridal Bash
Caught up in a whirl of champagne and china patterns, bride-to-be Lee McKinney has butted heads with her future mother-in-law over every detail of the wedding bash. The last thing she needs is trouble with her own mother. But this is bigger than the hot versus cold hors d’oeuvres debate: Sally McKinney doesn’t even want to be at the wedding if it takes place in Warner Pier, her hometown.Irked that her mom might be MIA on the Big Day, Lee heads to her aunt’s chocolate shop, TenHuis Chocolade, for advice. There, the bride is shocked to learn that years earlier, her mother ran away on what would have been her own wedding day—hours before her fiancé was found dead, an apparent suicide. Now, to smooth things over with her mother—and ease her own way down the aisle—Lee must untangle a mystery older than she is....
226 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
24 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
About the author
JoAnna Carl
34 books434 followersJOANNA CARL is the pseudonym for the multi-published mystery writer Eve K. Sandstrom. The author writes about the shores of Lake Michigan and has been reviewed in Michigan newspapers as a “regional writer.” She has also written about Southwest Oklahoma and once won an award for the best book of the year with an Oklahoma setting.
Eve K. Sandstrom is an Oklahoman to the teeth: she was born there, as were five previous generations of her mother’s family. Both her grandfathers and her father were in the oil business, once the backbone of Oklahoma’s economy. One grandmother was born in the Choctaw Nation, and Eve is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Eve and seven other members of her immediate family are graduates of the University of Oklahoma. Eve even knows the second verse of “Boomer Sooner.”
Eve wrote two mystery series: the “Down Home” books, set on a ranch in Southwest Oklahoma, and the Nell Matthews mysteries, semi-hard-boiled books laid in a mid-size city on the Southern Plains.
But Eve married a great guy whose family owned a cottage on the west coast of Lake Michigan, not far from the Michigan towns of Fennville, Saugatuck, and Douglas. Every summer for more than forty years she, her husband and various combinations of children and grandchildren have trekked to the community of Pier Cove for vacations that lasted from two weeks to three months.
The area features gorgeous beaches, lush orchards, thick woods, and beautiful Victorian houses. Eve grew to love it. So when her editor asked her to come up with a new, “cozy” mystery series, Eve set it in a West Michigan resort town, scrambling up Saugatuck, Douglas, South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Ludington and Muskegon with her own ideas of what a resort ought to be to create Warner Pier.
As further background, she plunked her heroine into a business which produces and sells luscious, luxurious, European-style bonbons, truffles and molded chocolates. Most small towns couldn’t support a business like this, but the resorts of West Michigan – with their wealthy “summer people” – can. The “Chocoholic Mysteries” were on their way.
Eve’s editor requested that she use a pen name for the new series, and Eve picked the middle names of her three children, Betsy Jo, Ruth Anna, and John Carl. “JoAnna Carl” was born. So that’s how JoAnna/Eve became a regional author in two widely separated regions.
JoAnna/Eve earned a degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma and also studied with Carolyn G. Hart and Jack Bickham in the OU Creative Writing Program. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, editor, and columnist at The Lawton Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma. She took an early retirement to write fiction full-time.
She and her husband, David F. Sandstrom, have three grandchildren, whom they love introducing to the lore of their two homes – Oklahoma and Michigan.
She spent 25 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, feature writer, editor, and columnist, most recently at the Lawton Constitution. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of OK and also studied in the O.U. Professional Writing program. She lives in Oklahoma but summers in Michigan where the Chocoholic Mystery series is set. She has one daughter who is a CPA and another who works for a chocolate company and provides yummy insider information on the chocolate business.
Eve K. Sandstrom is an Oklahoman to the teeth: she was born there, as were five previous generations of her mother’s family. Both her grandfathers and her father were in the oil business, once the backbone of Oklahoma’s economy. One grandmother was born in the Choctaw Nation, and Eve is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Eve and seven other members of her immediate family are graduates of the University of Oklahoma. Eve even knows the second verse of “Boomer Sooner.”
Eve wrote two mystery series: the “Down Home” books, set on a ranch in Southwest Oklahoma, and the Nell Matthews mysteries, semi-hard-boiled books laid in a mid-size city on the Southern Plains.
But Eve married a great guy whose family owned a cottage on the west coast of Lake Michigan, not far from the Michigan towns of Fennville, Saugatuck, and Douglas. Every summer for more than forty years she, her husband and various combinations of children and grandchildren have trekked to the community of Pier Cove for vacations that lasted from two weeks to three months.
The area features gorgeous beaches, lush orchards, thick woods, and beautiful Victorian houses. Eve grew to love it. So when her editor asked her to come up with a new, “cozy” mystery series, Eve set it in a West Michigan resort town, scrambling up Saugatuck, Douglas, South Haven, Holland, Manistee, Ludington and Muskegon with her own ideas of what a resort ought to be to create Warner Pier.
As further background, she plunked her heroine into a business which produces and sells luscious, luxurious, European-style bonbons, truffles and molded chocolates. Most small towns couldn’t support a business like this, but the resorts of West Michigan – with their wealthy “summer people” – can. The “Chocoholic Mysteries” were on their way.
Eve’s editor requested that she use a pen name for the new series, and Eve picked the middle names of her three children, Betsy Jo, Ruth Anna, and John Carl. “JoAnna Carl” was born. So that’s how JoAnna/Eve became a regional author in two widely separated regions.
JoAnna/Eve earned a degree in journalism at the University of Oklahoma and also studied with Carolyn G. Hart and Jack Bickham in the OU Creative Writing Program. She spent more than twenty-five years in the newspaper business, working as a reporter, editor, and columnist at The Lawton Constitution in Lawton, Oklahoma. She took an early retirement to write fiction full-time.
She and her husband, David F. Sandstrom, have three grandchildren, whom they love introducing to the lore of their two homes – Oklahoma and Michigan.
She spent 25 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, feature writer, editor, and columnist, most recently at the Lawton Constitution. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of OK and also studied in the O.U. Professional Writing program. She lives in Oklahoma but summers in Michigan where the Chocoholic Mystery series is set. She has one daughter who is a CPA and another who works for a chocolate company and provides yummy insider information on the chocolate business.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 7, 2016
Like the earlier books, this one is markedly different from its siblings. It boasts the strongest start in the writing. Sadly the motives of the villains in the end were not logical. It wasn't possible that the intrigue would play out like it did. Stranger things have happened in real life. But here I believe what Joanna Carl (only now have I realized it's a pseudonym) has concocted is stranger than truth. The murders in this book had weird and nonsensical motives. I simply cannot wrap my head round it. The Sally character is the catalyst in this story, and even her importance makes no sense. I did enjoy the sad, turbulent past of Sally and the tragedy of Bill. Joanna Carl has kept adding newer characters to the series without blinking. I hope she manages to pull of this trick in her next books. Given what this book was, it made for an enjoyable read. I recommend it to both fans of the genre and the uninitiated.
May 22, 2020
I enjoyed this little mystery. The plot was interesting and held my attention. There was nothing exceptional about this story that made it stand out. However, it is a good read. The reveal was surprising. It wasn't the ending I was expecting so that was nice.
July 1, 2009
The chocolate mysteries are always a fun, light, quick read (this one was just over 200 pages). I like that Lee is generally a smart, independent, heroine. Of course there have been times I shake my head at some of the decisions she makes, but in this one I understood her motivation. I like that we got to know her family a bit better in this one (in the form of her mother). And I like that the story progresses. They don’t necessarily pick up right when the last ends, but there is definitely continuity, and a smooth flow. I was hoping for a bit more of the wedding, like maybe a book to itself, with a mystery around it, but maybe that would have been too obvious. I did like the ‘surprise ending’, and am interested to see where they take it in the next book (luckily, I shouldn’t have to wait TOO long, as I have that one my shelf). I think I had actually figured out the “who” of the who- done- it pretty early in this one, but it was an enjoyable read anyway. Will I read the next one? Oh yeah. I’m seeing this series through to the end. =D
April 8, 2021
Enjoyed this cozy mystery. I love the characters of Lee and Joe. This one deals with a shock for Lee as she discovers a secret of her mother’s that she had no idea about. Busy with her wedding preparations to Joe, Lee finds time to unravel her mother’s secret past.
February 6, 2023
Love this series. It avoids being overly cutesy, the way some cozy mysteries are, and the books always make sense. Interesting plots, good characters, and Carl doesn't overdo it on any of the annoying traits these mysteries sometimes have.
July 1, 2009
This was a quick fun read. I originally started reading this series with a book group and had decided to give up on it. When I found this one in my shelves I decided to go ahead and read it before donating it to Goodwill. I was pleasantly surprised that the author had left out a lot of the descriptions of how chocolates are made and there was more to the story. I like the additional chocolate sections in the book though. They are interesting and you can skip over them and come back later. I still don't like the contrived things Lee says when her tongue gets tangled up but overall I liked this addition to the series much better than previous books.
March 19, 2014
Lee and Joe are getting married, but getting Lee's mother to come to town is proving to be a challenge. It might have to do with a huge family secret. What does the past mean for the present? This was a fast moving book with plenty of twists and the usual great characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 4, 2015
I have read books from this series before, but never in order. I read this book, #6, because it is set in Michigan and it works for NancyNova's state challenge I am working on. I also have #7 somehow, so I will read that soon.
January 4, 2011
My favorite in the series so far.
September 9, 2018
A friend gave me this book, knowing that I'd read a couple of others in the series. I was a little afraid to read it, though, because it was so much further down the series than I'd read, that I was afraid I'd be missing a few things.
But Joanna Carl did a good job of making this a stand-alone book, despite its place in the series.
The wedding interested me as well as the mystery of what had happened to Lee's mom all those years before. That's probably what drew me into the book the most.
I had a different secret identity for one of the characters, but I did have an inkling of who did it. I'm not even sure why, though, so that may not count.
Lee's tendency to say the wrong word at the wrong time was both funny, at times, and annoying, at others. I don't think the airport security would've let her go without further questions after those kinds of slip-ups, though.
I didn't think it was realistic for Lee to do all that investigating into her mom's past, while planning her wedding (even if it was a small wedding,) and dealing with a busy time of year for her chocolates - Easter. And yes, as my friend pointed out, there is the question as to why she didn't just ask her mom, but I think her mom had not been very forthcoming.
Of the three I've read, this is my favorite of the series.
Favorite quotes:
"Cranky old people were cranky young people."
"It's easy to distract people when you have a whole counter full of chocolate to use for that purpose."
But Joanna Carl did a good job of making this a stand-alone book, despite its place in the series.
The wedding interested me as well as the mystery of what had happened to Lee's mom all those years before. That's probably what drew me into the book the most.
I had a different secret identity for one of the characters, but I did have an inkling of who did it. I'm not even sure why, though, so that may not count.
Lee's tendency to say the wrong word at the wrong time was both funny, at times, and annoying, at others. I don't think the airport security would've let her go without further questions after those kinds of slip-ups, though.
I didn't think it was realistic for Lee to do all that investigating into her mom's past, while planning her wedding (even if it was a small wedding,) and dealing with a busy time of year for her chocolates - Easter. And yes, as my friend pointed out, there is the question as to why she didn't just ask her mom, but I think her mom had not been very forthcoming.
Of the three I've read, this is my favorite of the series.
Favorite quotes:
"Cranky old people were cranky young people."
"It's easy to distract people when you have a whole counter full of chocolate to use for that purpose."
July 26, 2015
This story took me so long to get through. Yes, I started this in the middle/end of the series which I didn't realize until I was finished. Either way I just didn't care about it. I originally grabbed it off my shelf (bought at the store because it sounded interesting and was cheap, my fault!) because it was only like 200 pages, so it would have been a fast read. I was wrong. It's taken me like close to a month to finish it. That's really bad for me too.
To be honest, this story was a piece of crap. It was way too vanilla or light and fluffy and just bad. Usually when reading a story, even a bad one, I'll have vague images popping up in my mind, this one? Nothing really. It was impossible for me to get pulled in. I didn't care what the characters did or what happened to them. The fact that it seemed to take forever before I had even a hint of what Lee looked like? *Shakes her head back and forth*. For me it was pretty obvious that an older person wrote this story, just based off some of the words/phrases used.
Pretending I didn't know the title of this book, I knew on the first page after reading "It's where we plan to continue loving--I mean, living", that this probably wasn't going to be the best story.
Lee herself was a really boring, stupid, annoying, 'goody-too-shoes' type character. I didn't like her at all! haha With her apologizing when she felt she wasn't polite enough to someone in the past....I mean come on! 'Grow a pair already!' Or when she asks if suicide can be faked? Seriously? What year was this story taking place in? How old is Lee to begin with? 10? Better yet, when the author has Lee explain who "ya'll" was in reference to. OMG!
All the issues with her malapropisms, were really freaking annoying! I guess the author wanted her character to be unique or something? Like Rollie is all about his really stupid, unfunny 'joining of people's names' thing he would do. I get that, but I wasn't a fan. At least Rollie wasn't a main character. Lee on the other hand with all her 'saying the wrong words'....too much for my liking!
I wasn't a fan of the writing style either. There were several different things that stuck out to me, namely being certain things that were said; when in real life they wouldn't have been said that way, at least not in this century. Ex: "Thanks for reminding me that her life is truly sad." Or "Bill's a peach." Um...
Questions/comments:
"Street-length dress"?
Why does Lee live with her aunt and not have her own place? Or better yet, why aren't Lee and Joe living together already? They might not be married but seriously...it's the 21st century.
If Joe, was having financial issues, why when his ex-wife died did he donate her house and not sell it?
What took Lee so long to realize that Lovie and Mrs. Dykstra were the same person? First her mother tells her to stay out of it, then Netty tells her to stay away from Lovie. Um, hello?
Why does it take so long before we're given a good description of Lee? She is the main character after all. It's like every dozen of pages we're given a little piece. 'She's tall, she's blonde'...
Netty's bakery was suppose to make a bunch of Jazz bunnies. Another worker and Lee end up freaking out because they haven't received the molds yet and they're suppose to be shipped out in a couple hours. Lee eventually tracks down the UPS driver and nothing more is said. I found it strange that typically he wouldn't have gotten to the bakery for another 4 hours or so...yet, he was just down the street.
Lee goes to the library to look for info on the old sheriff. She runs into Rollie and has a talk with him about her mother and all. "I just bawled Rollie out." So because she had a few words with him meant that she couldn't go back to the library again to look for the info? "My outburst ruined any excuse I had..." How so? There's no mention of others hearing or getting involved. Who cares. Yet, not much later, she goes back again.
Lee's first husband. She says they divorced because basically she was smarter than he originally thought she was. How long had they been dating prior to marriage for him to realize that?
How did Joe recognize a doctor from Dorinda when they were at the old folks home? Is Joe a doctor? No. Are they from Dorinda or living there? No.
When talking to her mom, she tells Lee that when she left the town she was scared that 'white slaver's' might have gotten her? Huh?
When Jason came around the chocolate store (don't even remember what it was called) how did he seem to be the only person that hadn't heard of Van Hossier's death? Why does that seem highly unlikely considering they're in a small town?
How much was a pound of chocolate?
So Lee was trying to keep her wedding small, yet, it kept growing? Yeah, I guess 12 people were a ton!
The amount of years since the suicide seemed to change throughout the story. The story starts off with how 25 years prior, Lee's mom left town and Bill killed himself. YET!!! 1. Tom mentions how he's spent 30 years trying not to think about the suicide. 2. When Lee is talking to Hogen about faking a suicide, he says it would have been hard to do for 33 years. 3. Towards the end of the story it's suddenly been 35 years since the suppose suicide. ????
Bill was a student in...probably high school and Rollie was just starting out as a teacher. What sense would it have made for Bill's mom to ask Bill to look after Rollie? His teacher? An adult? He's a kid!
Joe tells Lee that Rollie is threatening to tell everyone what happened when Joe was in high school. Him and Lee make it sound like a real threat....like he could get in trouble or something. IDK, just seemed strange.
After Lee meets up with her mom at the airport and they're explaining the kidnapping attempt, her mom gives Lee a look that supposedly tells Lee she doesn't want her bringing up the runaway bride thing. Huh? Why in the world would her mom have even been thinking about that right then? How much sense would that have made telling airport cops about something that happened decades before? None!
At the end Lee said how she had blamed her mother for her parents divorce. Um...how long was it before her father married the new lady? I can't imagine long if they were already dating. IDK.
To be honest, this story was a piece of crap. It was way too vanilla or light and fluffy and just bad. Usually when reading a story, even a bad one, I'll have vague images popping up in my mind, this one? Nothing really. It was impossible for me to get pulled in. I didn't care what the characters did or what happened to them. The fact that it seemed to take forever before I had even a hint of what Lee looked like? *Shakes her head back and forth*. For me it was pretty obvious that an older person wrote this story, just based off some of the words/phrases used.
Pretending I didn't know the title of this book, I knew on the first page after reading "It's where we plan to continue loving--I mean, living", that this probably wasn't going to be the best story.
Lee herself was a really boring, stupid, annoying, 'goody-too-shoes' type character. I didn't like her at all! haha With her apologizing when she felt she wasn't polite enough to someone in the past....I mean come on! 'Grow a pair already!' Or when she asks if suicide can be faked? Seriously? What year was this story taking place in? How old is Lee to begin with? 10? Better yet, when the author has Lee explain who "ya'll" was in reference to. OMG!
All the issues with her malapropisms, were really freaking annoying! I guess the author wanted her character to be unique or something? Like Rollie is all about his really stupid, unfunny 'joining of people's names' thing he would do. I get that, but I wasn't a fan. At least Rollie wasn't a main character. Lee on the other hand with all her 'saying the wrong words'....too much for my liking!
I wasn't a fan of the writing style either. There were several different things that stuck out to me, namely being certain things that were said; when in real life they wouldn't have been said that way, at least not in this century. Ex: "Thanks for reminding me that her life is truly sad." Or "Bill's a peach." Um...
Questions/comments:
"Street-length dress"?
Why does Lee live with her aunt and not have her own place? Or better yet, why aren't Lee and Joe living together already? They might not be married but seriously...it's the 21st century.
If Joe, was having financial issues, why when his ex-wife died did he donate her house and not sell it?
What took Lee so long to realize that Lovie and Mrs. Dykstra were the same person? First her mother tells her to stay out of it, then Netty tells her to stay away from Lovie. Um, hello?
Why does it take so long before we're given a good description of Lee? She is the main character after all. It's like every dozen of pages we're given a little piece. 'She's tall, she's blonde'...
Netty's bakery was suppose to make a bunch of Jazz bunnies. Another worker and Lee end up freaking out because they haven't received the molds yet and they're suppose to be shipped out in a couple hours. Lee eventually tracks down the UPS driver and nothing more is said. I found it strange that typically he wouldn't have gotten to the bakery for another 4 hours or so...yet, he was just down the street.
Lee goes to the library to look for info on the old sheriff. She runs into Rollie and has a talk with him about her mother and all. "I just bawled Rollie out." So because she had a few words with him meant that she couldn't go back to the library again to look for the info? "My outburst ruined any excuse I had..." How so? There's no mention of others hearing or getting involved. Who cares. Yet, not much later, she goes back again.
Lee's first husband. She says they divorced because basically she was smarter than he originally thought she was. How long had they been dating prior to marriage for him to realize that?
How did Joe recognize a doctor from Dorinda when they were at the old folks home? Is Joe a doctor? No. Are they from Dorinda or living there? No.
When talking to her mom, she tells Lee that when she left the town she was scared that 'white slaver's' might have gotten her? Huh?
When Jason came around the chocolate store (don't even remember what it was called) how did he seem to be the only person that hadn't heard of Van Hossier's death? Why does that seem highly unlikely considering they're in a small town?
How much was a pound of chocolate?
So Lee was trying to keep her wedding small, yet, it kept growing? Yeah, I guess 12 people were a ton!
The amount of years since the suicide seemed to change throughout the story. The story starts off with how 25 years prior, Lee's mom left town and Bill killed himself. YET!!! 1. Tom mentions how he's spent 30 years trying not to think about the suicide. 2. When Lee is talking to Hogen about faking a suicide, he says it would have been hard to do for 33 years. 3. Towards the end of the story it's suddenly been 35 years since the suppose suicide. ????
Bill was a student in...probably high school and Rollie was just starting out as a teacher. What sense would it have made for Bill's mom to ask Bill to look after Rollie? His teacher? An adult? He's a kid!
Joe tells Lee that Rollie is threatening to tell everyone what happened when Joe was in high school. Him and Lee make it sound like a real threat....like he could get in trouble or something. IDK, just seemed strange.
After Lee meets up with her mom at the airport and they're explaining the kidnapping attempt, her mom gives Lee a look that supposedly tells Lee she doesn't want her bringing up the runaway bride thing. Huh? Why in the world would her mom have even been thinking about that right then? How much sense would that have made telling airport cops about something that happened decades before? None!
At the end Lee said how she had blamed her mother for her parents divorce. Um...how long was it before her father married the new lady? I can't imagine long if they were already dating. IDK.
December 23, 2021
The Chocolate Bridal Bash by JoAnna Carl is the sixth book of the Chocoholic mystery series set in a contemporary (fictitious) small resort town on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Chocoholic cozy series follows the familiar cozy recipe: female protagonist ditches big-city job and relationship, moves to small town, starts vastly different career, solves murder mysteries faster than local police.
Divorced Lee McKinney left Dallas behind to live year-round in Warner Pier on Lake Michigan, where she enjoyed childhood summer vacations. The bookkeeper for her Aunt Nettie's chocolate shop, TenHuis Chocolade, Lee's about to be married to Joe Woodyard. Lee's unique quirk (as a cozy protagonist) is her tendency to use malapropisms when she talks fast, due to stress. Adds a touch of humor as you read.
About-to-be brides tend to feel their special day spiraling out of control when others take over the planning. Lee likes Joe's mom, but wants a much smaller scale event than her future mother-in-law wants. Add the stress that Lee's own mom is unwilling to return to Warner Pier. Lee challenges her mom to attend - and learns startling news about her mother's past.
Although Lee's mother, aunt, and long-time residents of Warner Pier urge Lee to drop it, ask no further questions, Lee insists on researching the past. When she's attacked, she knows she's on the right track. Lee overcomes many obstacles to finally solve a murder in the past, and just-in-time prevent one in the present. Light entertainment, with interesting chocolate trivia between chapters.
Divorced Lee McKinney left Dallas behind to live year-round in Warner Pier on Lake Michigan, where she enjoyed childhood summer vacations. The bookkeeper for her Aunt Nettie's chocolate shop, TenHuis Chocolade, Lee's about to be married to Joe Woodyard. Lee's unique quirk (as a cozy protagonist) is her tendency to use malapropisms when she talks fast, due to stress. Adds a touch of humor as you read.
About-to-be brides tend to feel their special day spiraling out of control when others take over the planning. Lee likes Joe's mom, but wants a much smaller scale event than her future mother-in-law wants. Add the stress that Lee's own mom is unwilling to return to Warner Pier. Lee challenges her mom to attend - and learns startling news about her mother's past.
Although Lee's mother, aunt, and long-time residents of Warner Pier urge Lee to drop it, ask no further questions, Lee insists on researching the past. When she's attacked, she knows she's on the right track. Lee overcomes many obstacles to finally solve a murder in the past, and just-in-time prevent one in the present. Light entertainment, with interesting chocolate trivia between chapters.
November 12, 2018
I really liked this book. Lee and Joe's wedding is approaching and it's spring so it's busy season in the chocolate world. Aunt Nettie: "I told Lee people in the chocolate business can't take honeymoons until the last bunny's been sold." And it's interesting that this book started out with a mystery, but not a murder.
April 18, 2021
This book was on my shelf, and I’m not sure from where I got it, so I haven’t read any others in the series. It seems to stand just fine on its own, though I felt like there were a lot of characters to keep straight. Maybe earlier books give more detail on these people.
I loved that the story was set in Michigan. Having been to west Michigan a few times, I was able to picture the setting. Unfortunately, that’s kind of where my love of the book stopped.
I thought Lee’s constant malapropisms were a bit unbelievable, and they became obnoxious and unnecessary.
I found the climax to be a bit confusing, and there were just so many characters, with some characters having multiple names/identities, but I still figured out early on who one of the bad guys was.
Overall, I didn’t find any of the main characters endearing enough to read any other books in the series.
I loved that the story was set in Michigan. Having been to west Michigan a few times, I was able to picture the setting. Unfortunately, that’s kind of where my love of the book stopped.
I thought Lee’s constant malapropisms were a bit unbelievable, and they became obnoxious and unnecessary.
I found the climax to be a bit confusing, and there were just so many characters, with some characters having multiple names/identities, but I still figured out early on who one of the bad guys was.
Overall, I didn’t find any of the main characters endearing enough to read any other books in the series.
March 28, 2018
I actually really enjoyed this book. There were a few things I would have changed (description of chocolates, the heroine's difficulty with speaking), but overall not enough to stop the enjoyment of the story. The plot kept me enthralled and I didn't feel lost coming in mid-series as it works as a stand alone story. As the plot came to an end I had to take breaks between chapera and felt my pulse quickening. It was just enough for a good cozy mystery. I will be looking at more of the books in the series.
December 12, 2018
While planning her upcoming wedding to Joe, Lee finds out that her own mother Sally was once a runaway bride whose high school sweetheart fiancé committed suicide right after she left town. Sally has never breathed a word of any of this to Lee, so unsurprisingly enough, Lee's curiosity gets the better of her and she begins digging into a 30-year-old mystery.
Less predictable than the previous books - mostly because the plot is extremely farfetched. Still an entertaining enough read, though.
Less predictable than the previous books - mostly because the plot is extremely farfetched. Still an entertaining enough read, though.
August 10, 2019
I loved the way this book filled in some of the dark mysteries of Lee’s family and town. Learning more about Lee’s mother and why she left Warner Pier was really enlightening to Sally’s personality and treatment of Lee. The description of differences as small-town conservativism met the new-age liberalism of the 60s was complex and well done. The mystery was a little predictable, but still an enjoyable ride.
April 15, 2025
I loved Frog Frame up, it’s why I started reading the series. I had never started from beginning i just went forward to the newer books. But super glad I had bc this and Bear Burglary were horrible. Hard to read. Hard to digest. Hard to finish. Matter of fact i actually skipped to the last 4 chapters on this.
Maybe Lee was ALWAYS judgmental, and conceited but I didn’t notice until these last (technically beginning) books.
Very disappointed
Maybe Lee was ALWAYS judgmental, and conceited but I didn’t notice until these last (technically beginning) books.
Very disappointed
November 7, 2020
Lee is all excited about her upcoming wedding but worried that her mom will not come. Her mom left town right after graduation and has never came back. Things get mysterious when Lee finds out why her mother really ran away.
January 11, 2021
Has almost nothing to do with the wedding, which doesn't upset me at all. Lee's mother hasn't been back to town since she fled as a teenager. This mystery is about why that happened, especially since a corrupt sheriff from that time is found dead in his old folks' home. A fun read.
November 29, 2022
Continue to enjoy this series. Fast paced read. In this book we get a glimpse into the relationship between Lee and her Mom and come to understand her Mom better. History is never forgotten especially in a small town.
August 14, 2024
The Story of Lee & Joe contuse. They want a small wedding but Joe's mom want to invite the whole town or at least all her insurance clients. this was a fun rfead for me as our Son is getting married this year.
August 23, 2024
This was my first mystery read. I read comedy romance & romance. But this was so good. At first, it took a while to get entertaining & after half of the book it was so interesting!! Last few chapters were read so fast.
May 1, 2018
Love these books!
July 2, 2019
I can almost smell chocolate.
October 10, 2019
Great read and series. Love the characters and the plot and the series. I will continue to read it
October 16, 2019
Another great book by JoAnna Carl. This series is great
November 1, 2019
sweet love story with just the right mystery added
January 19, 2020
different
May 16, 2020
It was nice to have her Mom in it. I just wish she had covered her own wedding a bit more... but still great!
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