I love this series of books because they encompass so many of my favorite things, reading (obviously), baking, mysteries, and clean romance and humor. Hannah Swensen, the main gal, is an industrious, clever, and talented protagonist with a deep respect for proper grammar. The type of character you could actually imagine being a real person. She is always creating delicious treats for the people she loves and has a penchant for getting herself caught up in mysteries stickier than her molasses cookie batter, much to her mother’s dismay. Her life’s work is running her bakery The Cookie Jar. However, in her small, not-so-sleepy Minnesota town she is just as busy “helping” the police solve an admittedly unlikely number of heinous murders as an amateur gum-shoe. All while trying to decide which one of the handsome, lovable men in her life truly has her heart.
These books are full of actual, detailed recipes and not so detailed murders. They are written for adults, but there is no cussing or sex. The murders are rarely, if ever depicted, except for non gory descriptions of crime scenes after the fact. So no gross stuff. Yay! There are over 20 books in the series (and Joanne is still writing them!), I haven’t yet read the last few but I plan to eventually. It’s best to read them in order just so things make sense, as the stories slowly build on one another over time. These books are the basis for the Murder, She Baked movies on the Hallmark channel, and although the movies do not do justice to the lovable characters at all (I don’t recommend them as accurate representations of the books), the wholesome factor of a Hallmark movie is illustrative of the books’ cleanness quotient. All in all these books are cute, albeit slightly unrealistic, little mysteries, perfect for curling up on the couch with a cup of tea. 
Content is PG and likability is 3.5/5, definitely recommended for cozy mystery lovers.
Sarah's Library 