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Lucy Stone #18.5 - The Christmas Thief
Christmas Sweets
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. ?Tis the season for a little investigating . . .
Includes Luscious Holiday Recipes!
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. ?Tis the season for a little investigating . . .
Includes Luscious Holiday Recipes!
489 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2019
710 people are currently reading
6093 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Fluke
135 books8,594 followersLike Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota where her neighbors were friendly, the winters were fierce, and the biggest scandal was the spotting of unidentified male undergarments on a young widow's clothesline. She insists that there really are 10,000 lakes and the mosquito is NOT the state bird.
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 303 reviews
May 15, 2020
4 stars to Leslie Meier's candy canes of christmas past, a novella in the "Lucy Stone" mystery series. What a fun book! It started out a little concerning as 20% into this 100+ page story, there was no mystery yet... but then it suddenly got cooking with tons of side stories. Definite series read.
Story
Lucy Stone is reminiscing one holiday with her children about her first Christmas with her eldest son when they lived in Maine. They'd just moved to town and knew very little folks, having left a cushy life back in Manhattan. Lucy meets the librarian and gifts her a glass candy cane that turns out to be remarkably similar to one located next to the librarian's mother when she was found dead at the bottom of the stairs 50 years ago. Everyone thought it was her TB disease that caused the fall, but her daughter the librarian suspected potential foul-play. Through various intro meetings with folks about town, Lucy puts the puzzle together and learns who she thinks really killed the librarian's mother when she gets her Christmas present from her husband.
Strengths
1. The concept of solving a 50 year old murder is great. And it seems reasonable. No one trying to kill her in the process. It's just a light mystery with the readers and the characters getting the clues all at the same time. I loved the approach.
2. The use of side-stories and meeting new friends works really well as a character study and intro for me. I'm not sure if this is a newer book in the series or an older one, but I definitely will go back and read from the beginning. Great family fun.
Suggestions
None yet... it was that fun and readable.
Final Thoughts
If you have an hour to spare, and just want a light-hearted puzzle to solve, go for this one!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
Story
Lucy Stone is reminiscing one holiday with her children about her first Christmas with her eldest son when they lived in Maine. They'd just moved to town and knew very little folks, having left a cushy life back in Manhattan. Lucy meets the librarian and gifts her a glass candy cane that turns out to be remarkably similar to one located next to the librarian's mother when she was found dead at the bottom of the stairs 50 years ago. Everyone thought it was her TB disease that caused the fall, but her daughter the librarian suspected potential foul-play. Through various intro meetings with folks about town, Lucy puts the puzzle together and learns who she thinks really killed the librarian's mother when she gets her Christmas present from her husband.
Strengths
1. The concept of solving a 50 year old murder is great. And it seems reasonable. No one trying to kill her in the process. It's just a light mystery with the readers and the characters getting the clues all at the same time. I loved the approach.
2. The use of side-stories and meeting new friends works really well as a character study and intro for me. I'm not sure if this is a newer book in the series or an older one, but I definitely will go back and read from the beginning. Great family fun.
Suggestions
None yet... it was that fun and readable.
Final Thoughts
If you have an hour to spare, and just want a light-hearted puzzle to solve, go for this one!
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
December 18, 2020
An excellent book with three great stories involving three great female sleuths. And even thought the Hannah Swensen story doesn't really involve a mystery, it's still an excellent heart-felt story that is perfect for Christmastime or anytime for that matter.
September 24, 2019
I was a little disappointed to discover that my annual dose of Hannah Swensen Christmas cheer was a recycled story published in Sugar & Spice in 2006......but, while waiting for the next book in the series, (coming out in February 2020!) I'm willing to take any dose of Hannah that I can get! Plus, the book has two more awesome Christmas theme cozy stories! Laura Levine contributes a Jaine Austen holiday tale. I have had the Jaine Austen series on my TBR shelf for a long time. Gotta move it up to the top and start reading! And, Leslie Meier has a holiday Lucy Stone Christmas gift for readers.
Ok....Hannah first.... (of course!) The Twelve Desserts of Christmas: Sugar & Spice (the book this story was originally published in) is a collection of Christmas romance novellas, so this story is more romance angle than cozy mystery. There are quite a few recipes included and a bit of a mystery to solve....but it's mostly Christmas kissie face fun. No dead bodies in this story. Six students remain at the boarding school outside Lake Eden, MN. The kids are staying at the school for Christmas break so two teachers have to remain as well. Is there romance in the air? Maybe....but someone really, really wants to squash any chance of romance. Hannah, delivering lovely baked holiday cheer, is on the case to find out the truth.
Cute story! And there are of course 12 yummy recipes included as well! Despite the fact I was disappointed this was not a new story, it will still fun to read!
Nightmare on Elf Street: Laura Levine jumps in after Joanne Fluke's tale with a story featuring Jaine Austen. I have never read any of the series yet. Most of the books have been on my TBR shelf waiting for me to get to them for several years now, so this novella gave me a perfect jump start to move the series to the top of my to-read list!
Jaine heads to the local swanky upscale mall hoping for an advertising job, but somehow ends up dressed as an elf for the holiday season. The only thing worse than dressing in striped tights and a hat with a fuzzy pompon is......a dead santa.
Although it took awhile for the mystery to appear in this holiday story, I enjoyed every bit of this holiday tale. A horrible minimum wage gig that involves an elf costume....a cat named Prozac who refuses to don reindeer antlers for a photo....and a drunk, unruly, horrific santa claus. What's not to love?? This story definitely earned the Jaine Austen series a higher spot on my TBR list! Book one is sitting right at the tippy top! Humorous and fun, this story was an entertaining read!
The Christmas Thief: Leslie Meier offers up a short mystery featuring her sleuth Lucy Stone. Lucy and her friend Miss Tilley fly to Florida to help Elizabeth Stone out of a serious predicament. Elizabeth has been put on leave at her job at a hotel in connection with some missing jewelry. Not just any jewelry. Very, very expensive jewelry. Millions of dollars. Yikes! Can the three ladies work together to salvage the holiday and keep Elizabeth out of trouble??
My favorite story in this collection is Nightmare on Elf Street. Just imagining Jaine Austen in that horrible costume having to deal with a nightmarish santa claus.....oh my! The humor made the story entertaining and fun. This story easily breezed by the recycled Hannah story because it's one I already read 13 years ago!
Cute Christmas cozy collection! And I will definitely be awaiting these holiday novella collections each holiday season! It's become a reading tradition for me!
**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Ok....Hannah first.... (of course!) The Twelve Desserts of Christmas: Sugar & Spice (the book this story was originally published in) is a collection of Christmas romance novellas, so this story is more romance angle than cozy mystery. There are quite a few recipes included and a bit of a mystery to solve....but it's mostly Christmas kissie face fun. No dead bodies in this story. Six students remain at the boarding school outside Lake Eden, MN. The kids are staying at the school for Christmas break so two teachers have to remain as well. Is there romance in the air? Maybe....but someone really, really wants to squash any chance of romance. Hannah, delivering lovely baked holiday cheer, is on the case to find out the truth.
Cute story! And there are of course 12 yummy recipes included as well! Despite the fact I was disappointed this was not a new story, it will still fun to read!
Nightmare on Elf Street: Laura Levine jumps in after Joanne Fluke's tale with a story featuring Jaine Austen. I have never read any of the series yet. Most of the books have been on my TBR shelf waiting for me to get to them for several years now, so this novella gave me a perfect jump start to move the series to the top of my to-read list!
Jaine heads to the local swanky upscale mall hoping for an advertising job, but somehow ends up dressed as an elf for the holiday season. The only thing worse than dressing in striped tights and a hat with a fuzzy pompon is......a dead santa.
Although it took awhile for the mystery to appear in this holiday story, I enjoyed every bit of this holiday tale. A horrible minimum wage gig that involves an elf costume....a cat named Prozac who refuses to don reindeer antlers for a photo....and a drunk, unruly, horrific santa claus. What's not to love?? This story definitely earned the Jaine Austen series a higher spot on my TBR list! Book one is sitting right at the tippy top! Humorous and fun, this story was an entertaining read!
The Christmas Thief: Leslie Meier offers up a short mystery featuring her sleuth Lucy Stone. Lucy and her friend Miss Tilley fly to Florida to help Elizabeth Stone out of a serious predicament. Elizabeth has been put on leave at her job at a hotel in connection with some missing jewelry. Not just any jewelry. Very, very expensive jewelry. Millions of dollars. Yikes! Can the three ladies work together to salvage the holiday and keep Elizabeth out of trouble??
My favorite story in this collection is Nightmare on Elf Street. Just imagining Jaine Austen in that horrible costume having to deal with a nightmarish santa claus.....oh my! The humor made the story entertaining and fun. This story easily breezed by the recycled Hannah story because it's one I already read 13 years ago!
Cute Christmas cozy collection! And I will definitely be awaiting these holiday novella collections each holiday season! It's become a reading tradition for me!
**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
April 6, 2021
This gathering of authors is a bit of holiday tradition, it seems.
Joanne Fluke's entry isn't a murder mystery, it's more of a romantic interlude, as Hannah tries to keep a young couple together, and keep kids from losing a bet. Written in 2006. Not much to it, but better than most of what she's done recently.
Laura Levine's story is the best of the bunch. She's tricked into working as a mall holiday elf, and finds herself a suspect when the jerk playing Santa is killed. Pretty funny.
Leslie Meyer's book is okay. Lucy's daughter is working as a concierge in Florida, when some jewels are stolen, and she's the primary suspect. Lucy comes down to help. Mostly she disapproves of everybody and everything, but eventually, the mystery is solved.
Not too bad. Levine's story was pretty good.
Joanne Fluke's entry isn't a murder mystery, it's more of a romantic interlude, as Hannah tries to keep a young couple together, and keep kids from losing a bet. Written in 2006. Not much to it, but better than most of what she's done recently.
Laura Levine's story is the best of the bunch. She's tricked into working as a mall holiday elf, and finds herself a suspect when the jerk playing Santa is killed. Pretty funny.
Leslie Meyer's book is okay. Lucy's daughter is working as a concierge in Florida, when some jewels are stolen, and she's the primary suspect. Lucy comes down to help. Mostly she disapproves of everybody and everything, but eventually, the mystery is solved.
Not too bad. Levine's story was pretty good.
October 7, 2019
This is a book of three Christmas novellas. In the first, Twelve desserts of Christmas, Hannah is helping out a friend of Andrea's by suppling desserts for a group of kids that have to stay at their boarding school over Christmas break. A cute little romance sparks between the teachers that are chaperoning them. A little mayhem happens in the form of three little mischievous boys. a very cute read.
Next is Laura Levine's Nightmare on Elf Street. Jaine gets a job at a upscale mall as an elf for the holiday season. She ends up with a nightmare of a Santa who scares most of the children. So we the Santa ends up dead, she starts to investigate and of course there is a ton of suspects. It was a nice quick read.
The last installment is Leslie Meier's A Christmas Thief. This story has Elizabeth, Lucy's daughter as the main sleuth. Elizabeth is working at a high end hotel. When expensive jewels go missing from the hotel safe, Elizabeth becomes the prime suspect. Her mother, Lucy and Lucy's friend Miss Tilley fly to Florida to help her clear her name.
All three of these were cute, fun reads. Perfect for the holiday season. I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Next is Laura Levine's Nightmare on Elf Street. Jaine gets a job at a upscale mall as an elf for the holiday season. She ends up with a nightmare of a Santa who scares most of the children. So we the Santa ends up dead, she starts to investigate and of course there is a ton of suspects. It was a nice quick read.
The last installment is Leslie Meier's A Christmas Thief. This story has Elizabeth, Lucy's daughter as the main sleuth. Elizabeth is working at a high end hotel. When expensive jewels go missing from the hotel safe, Elizabeth becomes the prime suspect. Her mother, Lucy and Lucy's friend Miss Tilley fly to Florida to help her clear her name.
All three of these were cute, fun reads. Perfect for the holiday season. I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2019
This is the first compiled short Christmas stories volume that I've read, and I really enjoyed it. It didn't seem to matter where a person was in the series. Each book just fit in well.
In the Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke, we met Matt and Julie a couple of love-struck teachers who volunteered to stay with some kids at boarding school over Christmas. There was no murder, but it was a fun little mystery that Hannah got involved in, since she was baking cookies and desserts for the kids and the two teachers. I enjoyed all these short story characters a lot!
After reading Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine, I was laughing so much that I just knew I wanted to start reading the Jaine Austen series soon. Oh my goodness, the descriptions of some of the funny scenes had me laughing out loud, especially when Jaine's cat Prozac got loose at the mall. This was a good murder mystery. There weren't a lot of suspects and I was a little suspicious of who ended up being the killer.
The third story, The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier focused on Elizabeth Stone, Lucy's daughter that we don't really read much about in the books that are about their daily lives. I just knew that Lucy would come to her rescue when poor Elizabeth was accused of being in on the theft of a mega-valuable jewel collection at the hotel where she worked. Miss Tilley came along (I just love this lady!) and the 90-something's computer skills definitely came in handy in sifting out a perp. Elizabeth got a very happy ending out of the little story!
These three stories just showed how very different Christmas celebrations can be, but the main thing with people is being around those they love, or in Jaine's case, a pet she loves. Despite Prozac being crazy-kitty-from-Elm Street sometimes, she loves the little bugger a lot!
In the Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke, we met Matt and Julie a couple of love-struck teachers who volunteered to stay with some kids at boarding school over Christmas. There was no murder, but it was a fun little mystery that Hannah got involved in, since she was baking cookies and desserts for the kids and the two teachers. I enjoyed all these short story characters a lot!
After reading Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine, I was laughing so much that I just knew I wanted to start reading the Jaine Austen series soon. Oh my goodness, the descriptions of some of the funny scenes had me laughing out loud, especially when Jaine's cat Prozac got loose at the mall. This was a good murder mystery. There weren't a lot of suspects and I was a little suspicious of who ended up being the killer.
The third story, The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier focused on Elizabeth Stone, Lucy's daughter that we don't really read much about in the books that are about their daily lives. I just knew that Lucy would come to her rescue when poor Elizabeth was accused of being in on the theft of a mega-valuable jewel collection at the hotel where she worked. Miss Tilley came along (I just love this lady!) and the 90-something's computer skills definitely came in handy in sifting out a perp. Elizabeth got a very happy ending out of the little story!
These three stories just showed how very different Christmas celebrations can be, but the main thing with people is being around those they love, or in Jaine's case, a pet she loves. Despite Prozac being crazy-kitty-from-Elm Street sometimes, she loves the little bugger a lot!
October 20, 2019
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.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.
November 4, 2019
I read the second cozy novella by Laura Levine, Nightmare on Elf Street. It is absolutely hilarious with protagonist Jaine Austen and her cat, Prozac! When a mean mall Santa is murdered, the last person I’d suspect was the killer! An enjoyable short read! The other two novellas are from popular cozy series and; hopefully, just as delightful to read.
I won a copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you.
I won a copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you.
February 2, 2020
I loved this book!! Great story!! The stories were cute!! Love Joanne fluke books!! Haven't read much by Laura Levine and Leslie Meier!!
December 1, 2019
3 good, fun short stories. I enjoyed each of these stories. The first one was cute with lots of yummy sounding recipes, the second kept me guessing and surprised me with the ending and the last was fun to see from a different point of view than is usually found in that series.
December 5, 2020
I got this book of novellas for free from a goodreads giveaway. The book has 3 Christmas novellas by 3 different authors.
The first one, by Joanne Fluke, is more romance than mystery. She always put recipes with her books, and I really enjoy that. I like her Hannah Swanson mysteries series a lot. I would rate this one 4 stars.
The next 2 authors I haven't read before, and both books are also mysteries. The second one was by Laura Levine. I didn't really care for it. I would rate it 2 stars. It was about a cat and Santa, and it wasn't my cup of tea. The third one is by Leslie Meier. I thought I had figured out who stole the jewels, but I was completely surprised by the actual suspect. I would rate this one 4 stars.
As an average of the 3 ratings of the different novellas, I'm rating the whole set 3 stars.
The first one, by Joanne Fluke, is more romance than mystery. She always put recipes with her books, and I really enjoy that. I like her Hannah Swanson mysteries series a lot. I would rate this one 4 stars.
The next 2 authors I haven't read before, and both books are also mysteries. The second one was by Laura Levine. I didn't really care for it. I would rate it 2 stars. It was about a cat and Santa, and it wasn't my cup of tea. The third one is by Leslie Meier. I thought I had figured out who stole the jewels, but I was completely surprised by the actual suspect. I would rate this one 4 stars.
As an average of the 3 ratings of the different novellas, I'm rating the whole set 3 stars.
October 3, 2019
How could I not love this book? Three of my favorite cozy mystery authors in one book. A real treat (😉) for the Christmas season. And they did not disappoint. Wonderful stories, well written and capturing the spirit of the holidays, despite some investigations. Highly recommend!
Advance didgital copy provided by #netgalley but opinions are my own.
Advance didgital copy provided by #netgalley but opinions are my own.
October 22, 2019
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 :)
January 17, 2021
4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed all three of the stories in this book. They were all very fun reads.
October 31, 2019
There were three stories in this one. They were new to me although they were each included in previous volumes. The Joanne fluke story was hardly a mystery. More like a bad romance. The Laura Levine was a pretty good murder mystery. The Leslie Meier was an okay jewel theft mystery with very little of Lucy stone.
November 19, 2019
Christmas Sweets is an enjoyable book of short stories by three well-known women authors who write cozy mysteries.
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke
This holiday short story is perfect for any Hannah Swensen fans, as well as anyone looking for some holiday recipes as those are included at the end!
Two boarding school teachers must spend their Christmas holiday at the school taking care of students who had no where else to go. They begin to fall in love, but someone isn't too happy about this and wants to keep them apart. It is up to Hannah to both snoop and bake to find out who is behind trying to break the two up. Will Hannah, armed with both wonderful easy to follow recipes and her disposition to solving crimes help love win out?
Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine
Having never read a cozy by Laura Levine, I found this short story to be my favorite. It is very comical and I assure cat lovers you will enjoy this as well.
Jaine Austin is looking for work. Any work. She finds a job working as an elf at a local mall. Between the hideous elf costume and one of the Santa's not being very nice, Jaine is miserable. When she decides to take her cat Prozac to the mall to have holiday pictures taken things go "cat crazy" thanks to Prozac. During the chaos Santa is murdered by a tree ornament. Jaine soon discovers she is the prime suspect. Now she must catch the Santa killer before they catch her.
The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier
All Elizabeth Stone wants for Christmas is to go home to Tinker's Cove, Maine and see her family. Elizabeth works at a lavish resort in Florida. When she finds out all vacations have been cancelled due to a very expensive posh party which was suddenly booked, she is beyond disappointed.
Then during the party one of the pieces of expensive jewelry goes missing and Elizabeth becomes the prime suspect in the heist. Afraid of losing her job, she is banned from the establishment until the case is solved. She doesn't know where to turn. Enter her mother Lucy Stone and friend Miss Tilley who fly in from Maine and take charge. Between the three of them, will they be able to convince the police Elizabeth is innocent?
I found the short stories to be full of cheer, wit, mayhem and of course mystery. A lovely cozy to read with some apple cider and one of Hannah's cookies.
Thank you #NetGalley #Kennsington #JoanneFluke #ChristmasSweets for the advanced copy.
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke
This holiday short story is perfect for any Hannah Swensen fans, as well as anyone looking for some holiday recipes as those are included at the end!
Two boarding school teachers must spend their Christmas holiday at the school taking care of students who had no where else to go. They begin to fall in love, but someone isn't too happy about this and wants to keep them apart. It is up to Hannah to both snoop and bake to find out who is behind trying to break the two up. Will Hannah, armed with both wonderful easy to follow recipes and her disposition to solving crimes help love win out?
Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine
Having never read a cozy by Laura Levine, I found this short story to be my favorite. It is very comical and I assure cat lovers you will enjoy this as well.
Jaine Austin is looking for work. Any work. She finds a job working as an elf at a local mall. Between the hideous elf costume and one of the Santa's not being very nice, Jaine is miserable. When she decides to take her cat Prozac to the mall to have holiday pictures taken things go "cat crazy" thanks to Prozac. During the chaos Santa is murdered by a tree ornament. Jaine soon discovers she is the prime suspect. Now she must catch the Santa killer before they catch her.
The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier
All Elizabeth Stone wants for Christmas is to go home to Tinker's Cove, Maine and see her family. Elizabeth works at a lavish resort in Florida. When she finds out all vacations have been cancelled due to a very expensive posh party which was suddenly booked, she is beyond disappointed.
Then during the party one of the pieces of expensive jewelry goes missing and Elizabeth becomes the prime suspect in the heist. Afraid of losing her job, she is banned from the establishment until the case is solved. She doesn't know where to turn. Enter her mother Lucy Stone and friend Miss Tilley who fly in from Maine and take charge. Between the three of them, will they be able to convince the police Elizabeth is innocent?
I found the short stories to be full of cheer, wit, mayhem and of course mystery. A lovely cozy to read with some apple cider and one of Hannah's cookies.
Thank you #NetGalley #Kennsington #JoanneFluke #ChristmasSweets for the advanced copy.
March 27, 2021
Reflects my dislike for this format of three short stories in one volume ....
October 23, 2019
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.
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.
October 14, 2019
3.5/5.0*
CHRISTMAS SWEETS - Available now for pre-order now and scheduled to be released on October 29, 2019.
‘The Twelve Sweets Of Christmas’ by Joanne Fluke is a sweet romantic tale wherein lovestruck teachers, Julie Jansen and Matt Sherwood, have been given the task of watching six kids during Christmas break.
Will Julie and Matt’s relationship continue to bloom, or will someone succeed in sabotaging their relationship? You will have to read the book to find out! :)
Also included throughout ‘The Twelve Sweets of Christmas’ are recipes for all of the desserts mentioned within the story! Yuuuummm!
I plan to bake a few of these during the upcoming holidays, my victims…er…’taste testers’ will be my nieces and nephews, unbeknownst to them at the moment.
Regardless of the outcome, i.e., charcoal briquettes or delicious holiday treats (yeah, your guess is good as mine) I will take pictures of theaftermath results online when we make them.
In all seriousness, these are great desserts to make with kids. I’m leaning towards making Multiple-Choice Cookie Bars with the kids for Halloween.
Now, where did I put that fire extinguisher? . . .
‘Nightmare On Elf Street’ by Laura Levine was so much fun! If you're looking for a funny who-done-it, look no further. Especially if you, too, are the parent of a finicky feline.
'You’d think after all I’ve done for my cat…she could at least wear a pair of deer antlers for three minutes while I took her picture for my annual Christmas card. But, no, Prozac, the little drama queen, had decided that the fuzzy felt antlers I ordered online were emissaries from the Devil and was determined to avoid them at all cost.’ (I could not stop laughing at how much I can relate to this!)
‘The Christmas Thief’ by Leslie Meier
All set to spend the holidays with her family in Tinkers Cove, Maine, Elizabeth Stone, is devastated when the manager of the Cavendish Hotel she works for in Florida puts a kibosh on her holiday plays. All hands-on deck is needed to ready the Hotel for the luxurious Christmas Ball. When the Sponsor's jewels go missing, Elizabeth is questioned about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Did Elizabeth aide in the theft of the jewelry or is she innocent? You will have to read the book and find out.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an advance copy of CHRISTMAS SWEETS in exchange for an honest review.
CHRISTMAS SWEETS - Available now for pre-order now and scheduled to be released on October 29, 2019.
‘The Twelve Sweets Of Christmas’ by Joanne Fluke is a sweet romantic tale wherein lovestruck teachers, Julie Jansen and Matt Sherwood, have been given the task of watching six kids during Christmas break.
Will Julie and Matt’s relationship continue to bloom, or will someone succeed in sabotaging their relationship? You will have to read the book to find out! :)
Also included throughout ‘The Twelve Sweets of Christmas’ are recipes for all of the desserts mentioned within the story! Yuuuummm!
I plan to bake a few of these during the upcoming holidays, my victims…er…’taste testers’ will be my nieces and nephews, unbeknownst to them at the moment.
Regardless of the outcome, i.e., charcoal briquettes or delicious holiday treats (yeah, your guess is good as mine) I will take pictures of the
In all seriousness, these are great desserts to make with kids. I’m leaning towards making Multiple-Choice Cookie Bars with the kids for Halloween.
Now, where did I put that fire extinguisher? . . .
‘Nightmare On Elf Street’ by Laura Levine was so much fun! If you're looking for a funny who-done-it, look no further. Especially if you, too, are the parent of a finicky feline.
'You’d think after all I’ve done for my cat…she could at least wear a pair of deer antlers for three minutes while I took her picture for my annual Christmas card. But, no, Prozac, the little drama queen, had decided that the fuzzy felt antlers I ordered online were emissaries from the Devil and was determined to avoid them at all cost.’ (I could not stop laughing at how much I can relate to this!)
‘The Christmas Thief’ by Leslie Meier
All set to spend the holidays with her family in Tinkers Cove, Maine, Elizabeth Stone, is devastated when the manager of the Cavendish Hotel she works for in Florida puts a kibosh on her holiday plays. All hands-on deck is needed to ready the Hotel for the luxurious Christmas Ball. When the Sponsor's jewels go missing, Elizabeth is questioned about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Did Elizabeth aide in the theft of the jewelry or is she innocent? You will have to read the book and find out.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an advance copy of CHRISTMAS SWEETS in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2021
Christmas Sweets
This book contains 3 stories from 3 different authors.
...
THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by JOANNE FLUKE
This story is about a group of kids who are left behind at the Christmas holidays at the boarding school.
Julie and Matt, both teachers will chaperon the kids, 3 boys, 3 girls and they discover there are NO desserts for them.
Julie was a HS friend of Andrea who's sister is Hannah the one that bakes and owns the Cookie Jar. She is persuaded to deliver desserts to them daily and each gets to pick out a favorite of theirs.
The teachers are romantically inclined and it's not hardship for them to be there together.
Mystery starts when the kids sign the wager. Love the story of the Christmas cake.
Love how Hannah and her family and friends help the kids celebrate. They are blown away with happiness.
Can't wait to read of Hannah's stories.
Recipes are included along with conversion tables at the end. Note from the author is included.
..
NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET by LAURA LEVINE
This story starts out when Jaine gets a job at the mall as an elf to a drunken Santa for the last few weeks before Christmas.
It is taken in hopes of her real work, a writer for ads. Lots of crazy things happen and before you know it her cat has upset the whole scene and she's left near the dead Santa.
She had been trying to get a photo for Christmas cards this year but the cat wouldn't put the antlers on...
After the murder she is a suspect and she gahters all the clues to find out who really did murder the Santa.
Lots of colorful characters.
Most unexpected but a quick holiday read. Note from the author follows along with her other works.
...
THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by LESLIE MEIER
This story is about Elizabeth, working at big hotel chain, in FL. She's going to pack her suitcase for her Christmas holiday vacation to Maine to visit with the family.
Problem is a famous person is hosting a holiday party there for 4 days and she's getting a new position-a helper for any needs the guests want.
She cancels her trip and dives into her new temp position...
Her friend tells her it's all good, she will meet single men...
Lots of crazy scenes and the jewels go missing. Elizabeth is accused and before she knows it others are there to help her gather clues.
Had never heard the shanty about the codfish bones, cool.
Note from the author is included.
Sample chapter from another of Joanne Flukes books along with recipes.
This book contains 3 stories from 3 different authors.
...
THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by JOANNE FLUKE
This story is about a group of kids who are left behind at the Christmas holidays at the boarding school.
Julie and Matt, both teachers will chaperon the kids, 3 boys, 3 girls and they discover there are NO desserts for them.
Julie was a HS friend of Andrea who's sister is Hannah the one that bakes and owns the Cookie Jar. She is persuaded to deliver desserts to them daily and each gets to pick out a favorite of theirs.
The teachers are romantically inclined and it's not hardship for them to be there together.
Mystery starts when the kids sign the wager. Love the story of the Christmas cake.
Love how Hannah and her family and friends help the kids celebrate. They are blown away with happiness.
Can't wait to read of Hannah's stories.
Recipes are included along with conversion tables at the end. Note from the author is included.
..
NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET by LAURA LEVINE
This story starts out when Jaine gets a job at the mall as an elf to a drunken Santa for the last few weeks before Christmas.
It is taken in hopes of her real work, a writer for ads. Lots of crazy things happen and before you know it her cat has upset the whole scene and she's left near the dead Santa.
She had been trying to get a photo for Christmas cards this year but the cat wouldn't put the antlers on...
After the murder she is a suspect and she gahters all the clues to find out who really did murder the Santa.
Lots of colorful characters.
Most unexpected but a quick holiday read. Note from the author follows along with her other works.
...
THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by LESLIE MEIER
This story is about Elizabeth, working at big hotel chain, in FL. She's going to pack her suitcase for her Christmas holiday vacation to Maine to visit with the family.
Problem is a famous person is hosting a holiday party there for 4 days and she's getting a new position-a helper for any needs the guests want.
She cancels her trip and dives into her new temp position...
Her friend tells her it's all good, she will meet single men...
Lots of crazy scenes and the jewels go missing. Elizabeth is accused and before she knows it others are there to help her gather clues.
Had never heard the shanty about the codfish bones, cool.
Note from the author is included.
Sample chapter from another of Joanne Flukes books along with recipes.
October 10, 2019
I really enjoy this type of light mystery collection for the holidays. This book includes stories by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier. All three are older stories, so anyone following the novels will know that things have progressed for the characters since the time of these stories. I have read some or all of the books in all three series, but the book would also be a great introduction for new readers. Happily, all of the stories were new to me, so I really enjoyed the book and would rate it 4.5 stars.
I have had mixed feelings about some of the newer books in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, but this older story, "The Twelve Desserts of Christmas" is excellent. It's a mystery only in the loosest sense of the word, but it's still enjoyable. While providing Christmas desserts for boarding school students who aren't able to go home for the holidays, Hannah has to get to the bottom of why the budding romance between the two teachers staying at the school abruptly fades. There are no murders in this sweet story, just friends helping each other and plenty of recipes for Hannah's delicious desserts.
"Nightmare of Elf Street" by Laura Levine is my favorite of the three stories. When looking for a laugh out loud story, Levine never disappoints me. When trying to win a job writing ads for an upscale mall, Jaine Austen gets roped into filling in as one of Santa's elves. A bad situation gets worse when Prozac wreaks havoc at the mall while there for a holiday card photo shoot. There is a lot going on in this story, including a dead Santa with Jaine the prime suspect for murder. Jaine begins investigating to clear her own name and the story concludes with a hilarious, upbeat ending.
I have read some of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone novels and I enjoyed this short story featuring Lucy's daughter Elizabeth as the main character. While filling in as the concierge at a luxurious hotel in Florida, Elizabeth is suspected of stealing very valuable jewels belonging to a high profile couple staying at the hotel. There is a large build-up to this even and I really liked seeing Elizabeth at work trying to cater to the whims of the rich and famous. When things start to go wrong, she calls her mother and Lucy and her elderly friend Miss Tilley travel from Maine to Florida to help. I had to suspend disbelief as Lucy encouraged her daughter to break the law in order to prove her innocence. After a dramatic but improbable series of events, the book has a good ending just in time for Christmas.
I received this book from NetGalley though the courtesy of Kensington books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I have had mixed feelings about some of the newer books in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, but this older story, "The Twelve Desserts of Christmas" is excellent. It's a mystery only in the loosest sense of the word, but it's still enjoyable. While providing Christmas desserts for boarding school students who aren't able to go home for the holidays, Hannah has to get to the bottom of why the budding romance between the two teachers staying at the school abruptly fades. There are no murders in this sweet story, just friends helping each other and plenty of recipes for Hannah's delicious desserts.
"Nightmare of Elf Street" by Laura Levine is my favorite of the three stories. When looking for a laugh out loud story, Levine never disappoints me. When trying to win a job writing ads for an upscale mall, Jaine Austen gets roped into filling in as one of Santa's elves. A bad situation gets worse when Prozac wreaks havoc at the mall while there for a holiday card photo shoot. There is a lot going on in this story, including a dead Santa with Jaine the prime suspect for murder. Jaine begins investigating to clear her own name and the story concludes with a hilarious, upbeat ending.
I have read some of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone novels and I enjoyed this short story featuring Lucy's daughter Elizabeth as the main character. While filling in as the concierge at a luxurious hotel in Florida, Elizabeth is suspected of stealing very valuable jewels belonging to a high profile couple staying at the hotel. There is a large build-up to this even and I really liked seeing Elizabeth at work trying to cater to the whims of the rich and famous. When things start to go wrong, she calls her mother and Lucy and her elderly friend Miss Tilley travel from Maine to Florida to help. I had to suspend disbelief as Lucy encouraged her daughter to break the law in order to prove her innocence. After a dramatic but improbable series of events, the book has a good ending just in time for Christmas.
I received this book from NetGalley though the courtesy of Kensington books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2019
I really do not have any good ideas about how to grade this book of three novellas by three well-known authors. In the first, two teachers are drafted to chaperon six students at an elite boarding school, who, for one reason or another are not going home for Christmas. Naturally, the students dream up all sorts of mischief, involving the two teachers, who just happen to be attracted to each other. The story is filled with numerous recipes, covering dishes mentioned in the story. I found the story interesting, but it will never be one of my favorites. Still, the recipes sounded wonderful. In the second, a young advertising professional, hoping for a lucrative job with a new, upscale, mall, agrees to fill in for one of the Santa Land elves, assisting THE MAN with children who come to see him. She does not know he is the Santa from Hell, with lots of annoying and terrible habits and ideas as well as being rude. When he is killed, she rushes in to try to figure out what exactly happened. In the third story, Leslie Meier portrays Lucy Stone’s eldest daughter at work in the ritzy hotel she works for in Florida. Naturally, things go awry, and a major theft occurs. Probably getting the investigative genes from her mother, Elizabeth, Lucy’s daughter, delves right in, trying to piece together what happened to allow the theft to occur.
My favorite of the three tales was the third one, though it felt like the story was rather rushed, especially toward the end. It may because I am very familiar with Leslie Meier’s series with Lucy Stone, and it was fascinating to watch her daughter take on a mystery and figure things out. I really did not like the first or the second story all that much—though, as I said, the recipes were great. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
My favorite of the three tales was the third one, though it felt like the story was rather rushed, especially toward the end. It may because I am very familiar with Leslie Meier’s series with Lucy Stone, and it was fascinating to watch her daughter take on a mystery and figure things out. I really did not like the first or the second story all that much—though, as I said, the recipes were great. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
September 15, 2019
This book caught my eye, because one of my guilty pleasures from long ago were the Hannah Swenson books by Joanna Fluke and I haven't read any of her books for some time. So I decided to give this a try, and to my surprise, I enjoyed the other two short stories even more. I think it's partly because I was expecting a murder in the Hannah Swenson story and it turned out to be a silly little mystery/romance. It wasn't a bad story, it just wasn't really a mystery. Still, I did enjoy it and it makes me want to revisit her books and catch up with what Hannah has been up to in recent years (according to an introduction by Joanne Fluke, Hannah has accepted a proposal of marriage, but I don't know who from, so now I need to check it out!). I was not at all familiar with the other two authors, but ended up really enjoying the stories. The second one involved Jaine Austen, her stubborn cat, and the hilarious job she has as Santa's elf working with a "good" Santa and a "bad" Santa who's a real jerk. This one ended up being a murder mystery and I enjoyed it enough that I may have to check out some books from the series. Like the Hannah Swenson books, though, they're probably mostly stand-alone books. The third involves Lucy Stone's oldest daughter and her job at a swanky hotel. Although Lucy and Miss Tilley don't show up until close to the end, I loved them and am definitely planning on checking out some of their books. What all three books seems to have in common is that they're great for a quick read, not really very deep, but quite entertaining with a particular "style". I'm glad I was able to read this book. Thanks to #NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 12, 2020
Cute stories! I really enjoyed them! 😁
The first story covers Hannah Swenson's mystery and while this wasn't a murder mystery it definitely was cute with the boys and girls going against one another betting on if one teacher would ask the other teacher to marry them at the bording school. The mystery was cute and short and yes it did have the delicious recipes!
Then the Nightmare on Elf street was really cute too! Jaine Austen is trying to get a freelance writing gig and when someone over boasts her credentials she ends up being an elf for the mall Santa. While working as Santa's elf she really starts to despise working for one of the Santa's as he's a drunken tool. Then the other Santa is sweet and kind. Then when Jaine is trying to get Christmas photos taken of Prozak (her cat), Prozak ends up creating a havoc scene and then the Santa she didn't like was murdered. Using her detective skills she must find out who killed Santa.
Then the last story was not a murder either but rather a mystery!
Elizabeth is working in a high end motel, when a wealthy man buys out the hotel for a four day party. When Elizabeth is assigned a more hands on approach with the clients of the hotel for those days some rare and very expensive jewelry comes up missing! She is put on leave because the authorities think that she is to blame with her new guy that she has been seeing for a few weeks shows up on camera. Now Elizabeth, her Mother Lucy and thier friend Miss Tilley solve the mystery of what happened to the jewelry before Elizabeth gets the blame?
All three of these mysteries are cute and I really enjoyed this book! I definitely will check out some books from the other two authors because the cozy mysteries were cute! I definitely recommend it!
The first story covers Hannah Swenson's mystery and while this wasn't a murder mystery it definitely was cute with the boys and girls going against one another betting on if one teacher would ask the other teacher to marry them at the bording school. The mystery was cute and short and yes it did have the delicious recipes!
Then the Nightmare on Elf street was really cute too! Jaine Austen is trying to get a freelance writing gig and when someone over boasts her credentials she ends up being an elf for the mall Santa. While working as Santa's elf she really starts to despise working for one of the Santa's as he's a drunken tool. Then the other Santa is sweet and kind. Then when Jaine is trying to get Christmas photos taken of Prozak (her cat), Prozak ends up creating a havoc scene and then the Santa she didn't like was murdered. Using her detective skills she must find out who killed Santa.
Then the last story was not a murder either but rather a mystery!
Elizabeth is working in a high end motel, when a wealthy man buys out the hotel for a four day party. When Elizabeth is assigned a more hands on approach with the clients of the hotel for those days some rare and very expensive jewelry comes up missing! She is put on leave because the authorities think that she is to blame with her new guy that she has been seeing for a few weeks shows up on camera. Now Elizabeth, her Mother Lucy and thier friend Miss Tilley solve the mystery of what happened to the jewelry before Elizabeth gets the blame?
All three of these mysteries are cute and I really enjoyed this book! I definitely will check out some books from the other two authors because the cozy mysteries were cute! I definitely recommend it!
October 18, 2019
I requested Christmas Sweets because Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson series is my go-to for cozy mysteries. There are actually three novellas in this collection, written by three different authors. I'll give my thoughts below.
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas: True to Hannah's innocent, small-town world. She has to rescue the students and staff of a boarding school left behind during the holidays by 1) bringing delectable desserts and 2) solving a non-murder mystery. If you like the series, I think you'll like this.
Nightmare on Elf Street: This follows Jaine Austen (no relation to that Austen, at least as far as I could tell) as she works as an elf at an upscale Mall. There was a lot of fashion and "upscale" references, and a bit of a snooty behavior, which largely turned me off on the story. I think I'll stick to that other elf story, written by David Sedaris!
The Christmas Thief: I enjoyed this novella about Elizabeth, a woman who works at a hotel hosting a millionaire's Yule Ball. She's falsely accused of stealing the millionaire's wife's expensive jewelry. Elizabeth's mom and elderly friend (maybe acquaintance is more accurate) come down to help solve the mystery of who really stole the jewels. I was a bit disappointed to find out that most of the mysteries revolve around Elizabeth's mother, because I thought E was an interesting character.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas: True to Hannah's innocent, small-town world. She has to rescue the students and staff of a boarding school left behind during the holidays by 1) bringing delectable desserts and 2) solving a non-murder mystery. If you like the series, I think you'll like this.
Nightmare on Elf Street: This follows Jaine Austen (no relation to that Austen, at least as far as I could tell) as she works as an elf at an upscale Mall. There was a lot of fashion and "upscale" references, and a bit of a snooty behavior, which largely turned me off on the story. I think I'll stick to that other elf story, written by David Sedaris!
The Christmas Thief: I enjoyed this novella about Elizabeth, a woman who works at a hotel hosting a millionaire's Yule Ball. She's falsely accused of stealing the millionaire's wife's expensive jewelry. Elizabeth's mom and elderly friend (maybe acquaintance is more accurate) come down to help solve the mystery of who really stole the jewels. I was a bit disappointed to find out that most of the mysteries revolve around Elizabeth's mother, because I thought E was an interesting character.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
September 23, 2019
A great holiday collection filled with love, murder and mayhem.
12 Desserts of Christmas - Hannah Swensen strikes again. This time Christmas is filled with love when two boarding school teachers try to find love while the students in their charge try to keep them apart. But in true Hannah style, she gets to the bottom of the mystery with treats and desserts.
Nightmare on Elf Street - Laura Levine - Nothing says Christmas than an elf accused of killing Santa. This story was filled with a great storyline and great laughs.
The Christmas Thief - Leslie Meier - Lucy and Miss Tilley once again come together to help solve the mystery of a jewel thief at a Christmas party. This is my first book with these characters and they were so enjoyable I cannot wait to read a book with them again. Completely interesting and a great addition in the collection.
12 Desserts of Christmas - Hannah Swensen strikes again. This time Christmas is filled with love when two boarding school teachers try to find love while the students in their charge try to keep them apart. But in true Hannah style, she gets to the bottom of the mystery with treats and desserts.
Nightmare on Elf Street - Laura Levine - Nothing says Christmas than an elf accused of killing Santa. This story was filled with a great storyline and great laughs.
The Christmas Thief - Leslie Meier - Lucy and Miss Tilley once again come together to help solve the mystery of a jewel thief at a Christmas party. This is my first book with these characters and they were so enjoyable I cannot wait to read a book with them again. Completely interesting and a great addition in the collection.
January 9, 2021
A cute Christmastime read with 3 short stories based on current series.
Story #1: The Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke
1 star - no mystery at all with half of the already short story being filled with recipes. Wasn't a fan of this short predictable romance.
Story #2: Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine
3 stars - quick mystery (mall Santa was killed) and even with the small cast of characters, I didn't guess the killer.
Story #3: The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier
2 stars - I did like the atmosphere of Christmas in Florida in a luxury hotel. But plot had too much going on. I was really confused when Elizabeth's mother, Lucy (the main character of the series), flew out to help catch the jewel thief. I thought Elizabeth was the main character. Guess that's the problem when you don't read the main series!
Story #1: The Twelve Desserts of Christmas by Joanne Fluke
1 star - no mystery at all with half of the already short story being filled with recipes. Wasn't a fan of this short predictable romance.
Story #2: Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine
3 stars - quick mystery (mall Santa was killed) and even with the small cast of characters, I didn't guess the killer.
Story #3: The Christmas Thief by Leslie Meier
2 stars - I did like the atmosphere of Christmas in Florida in a luxury hotel. But plot had too much going on. I was really confused when Elizabeth's mother, Lucy (the main character of the series), flew out to help catch the jewel thief. I thought Elizabeth was the main character. Guess that's the problem when you don't read the main series!
December 4, 2022
I am surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book!
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas 4/5
I thought this story was just charming. I loved the element of the bet and how everything wrapped up. This was my first introduction to Fluke and I will definitely be reading more in the future.
Nightmare on Elfstreet 4/5
This book was different than most of the cozies I’ve read. I loved the narration style! It was so cool to get so close with the MC and really see all their motivations. I also loved that her cat was named Prozac. Fantastic.
The Christmas Thief 3/5
I didn’t like this story as much as the other two, but perhaps that’s because my last job was me working at a hotel. I did like the writing style and characters though, so it will be a series that I will look into reading more from to see if my unease is just a this book problem
The Twelve Desserts of Christmas 4/5
I thought this story was just charming. I loved the element of the bet and how everything wrapped up. This was my first introduction to Fluke and I will definitely be reading more in the future.
Nightmare on Elfstreet 4/5
This book was different than most of the cozies I’ve read. I loved the narration style! It was so cool to get so close with the MC and really see all their motivations. I also loved that her cat was named Prozac. Fantastic.
The Christmas Thief 3/5
I didn’t like this story as much as the other two, but perhaps that’s because my last job was me working at a hotel. I did like the writing style and characters though, so it will be a series that I will look into reading more from to see if my unease is just a this book problem
October 21, 2019
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.
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.
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