Talkie Tuesday: A Zest for Death

 

"The plot thickens."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to Lake Eden, where the baking is fantastic and the murder is ripe.

 

Quite literally, actually.

 

Joanne Fluke was on to something when she invented Hannah Swensen, her baker-slash-detective, at amateur levels of course, because generally speaking we as amateurs enjoy having someone else's eyes to look through when some sort of crime happens.

 

The movie series for her book adaptations has been running at Hallmark for a few years now, even after the rebrand from Murder She Baked to Hannah Swensen Mysteries, and that's probably proof enough that people really enjoy it.

 

Besides, what's not to like about some eye candy like Cameron Mathison, right?

 

Right.

 

So put on your thinking caps and grab your kitchen utensils: tonight's choice is A Zest for Death.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Carrot Cake Murder

 

"If you respect the process, you could end up with perfection."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week, we take a look right back into the world of sleuthing.

 

That's right, if you know me, then you know that detective stories are among some of my favourites - and that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot take the cake, with Sherlock Holmes either right there with them or close behind, depending on my mood.

 

Tess Gerritsen is also an author that I truly enjoy, so can you see a trend forming here?

 

A while back - this is now probably a few years back, actually - I very accidentally ran into a series that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries did called Murder, She Baked.

 

I was originally enticed into watching because of its male lead, but stayed for the adorable stories.

 

They rebranded into Hannah Swensen Mysteries and have just released its second installment out into the world in this new series.

 

Which means that we got to put our thinking caps on, everyone! Because it's time to solve a murder, and not just any kind, but a Carrot Cake Murder.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Sweet Revenge

 

"It could be nothing ... but it could be something."

 

Hello everyone!

 

See what's happened?

 

Yep, I'm back on that Hallmark channel grind, as I always seem to be as the fall months start coming in and whatnot, though I will admit I might have chosen some other movie to wrap up the summer blogs with.

 

However, I'd been waiting to watch this particular one for some time so I figured, why the heck not?

 

I enjoyed the original series and am looking forward to see what this new rebrand looks like; originally, it was called Murder, She Baked, which was a cute play on Murder, She Wrote, but for some reason the channel execs have decided to go for Hannah Swensen Mysteries from now on.

 

To be clear, as long as we GET some new mysteries, I'm down for it being called whatever.

 

I feel like this used to be a staple in programming, and I'm really happy it's back.

 

Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, is up next!

 

Talkie Tuesday: Just Desserts

 

"I really am not one for coincidences."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This is it.

 

We made it.

 

If you've been following this blog then you'll know that the last month or so has been dedicated to the Hallmark Channel series Murder, She Baked.

 

Or well, the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel to be exact.

 

Either way, it's five movies that explore the world of a fictional little town called Eden Lake where Hannah Swenson, the local baker, tries to figure out who committed some murder or other along the way of finding true love.

 

But as the course of said true love never did run smooth, you know there's bound to be trouble when you're least expecting it.

 

And as I keep saying, this isn't necessarily Agatha Christie, but it's certainly enough to keep you occupied for the ninety or so minutes each part runs, and from what I gather there's an entire book series this was based off of, which means I have some exploring to do.

 

Gotta keep current with the books and all that!

 

However for right now, the grand finale, let's take one last stroll through Eden Lake in Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts.

 

Talkie Tuesday: A Deadly Recipe

 "What if's aren't evidence."

Hello everyone!

Look at us go, we're on the second-to-last movie of this franchise, and this now makes me want to go back and rewatch some other Hallmark series that I thoroughly enjoyed so that I can review them on here.

But alas, while the dogs are barking and the caravan passes on, there's also a bunch of new movies that I've yet to have a look at, which means Hallmark might take a backseat for a short while.

Returning to the topic at hand, we are once again in Eden Lake this week with Hannah Swenson who just can't keep her nose out of trouble, no matter whether either of her boyfriends wants it to be so, and it's kind of funny because apparently she's the person everything happens around.

So naturally if you like mystery, mayhem, and a touch of romance in any of your movies or series, I think this is the one for you. Like I've said before, it may not be top of its class in terms of mystery solving to begin with, but it's highly entertaining if nothing else.

Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe tells us that basically no one is safe, no matter how much they might think they are!

Talkie Tuesday: A Peach Cobbler Mystery

"How could I have known that a simple choice would lead to disaster?"

Hello everyone!

We're continuing with our Murder, She Baked mystery series on this blog, since, you know, we're still missing three out of the five movie line-up that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries rolled out about five years ago.

Aren't I on top of things?!?

I do have one or two more recent movies that I'd like to watch and review from them, but for the time being I'm sticking to this because, well, I like finishing one thing first and then moving on to the next one.

Besides, we have yet to see just who Hannah Swenson ends up with!

Not that it's the most important bit of the series, but, it kinda is. Why else would you watch anything from Hallmark to begin with?

And since the weather has turned sufficiently cool over here, I'd say it's pretty safe to go with Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery.

Talkie Tuesday: A Plum Pudding Mystery

"Murders have to be solved."

Hello everyone!

Okay, yes, this isn't exactly the time to talk about this particular movie installment in the Murder, She Baked series, considering it happens at Christmas time, but there's nothing to it - it's the second one that follows A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery.

And I'm big on chronological order, you know.

Plus there's just something about this particular series that keeps me both amused and entertained at the same time!

It might be Alison Sweeney, or it might be Cameron Mathison.

Either or, although I'll also admit that the stories and the lines running through them are also quite interesting to follow along, if you go into this simply for entertainment's sake.

Agatha Christie it will never be, but it IS something to enjoy just the same!

Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery is up next!

Talkie Tuesday: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery

"Given the right circumstances, everyone is capable of murder."

Hello everyone!

I'M BACK!

And oh my gosh did this take forever.

I do apologise, but this year I decided to just not say anything as we headed off to vacation, and spent a lovely two weeks just decompressing and relaxing.

Then I thought I might be able to get some things done last week, but turns out the whole get your wisdom teeth removed surgery is a little bit more complicated than that.

I caught a light fever mid-week after the Monday situation and so took it easy for the rest of it.

So now, here I am!

With another Hallmark thing. Because obviously Hallmark.

I started a new series (for me anyway) while away, and I have to admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. I mean it's not Agatha Christie level, but it's definitely entertaining.

Murder She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery is up!

Talkie Tuesday: A Summer to Remember

"A new lease on life."

Hello everyone!

Well, that's it. Summer as officially said goodbye, because on the TV this morning, we could already see that some higher-lying cities in Austria have been graced with snow. 

Some cameras were completely snowed-in!

As far as that goes, I'm quite happy to live in a place where we can have a bit more of autumn before we transition to winter again, but that being said, I thought I'd celebrate with a really summer-y movie review just because.

It's one of those things I plucked off a list of Hallmark movies and ended up enjoying, despite the fact that I don't really see myself watching it again this season. Maybe next year, but by then I'm sure there'll be a long list of other summer movies to watch!

The movie I'm talking about is aptly named A Summer to Remember and stars Catherine Bell and Cameron Mathison.