You gotta love the title puns and zaniness!😀

Tamar Myers has a real winner in this Pennsylvania Dutch series. The titles, the character names, the zany antics: all set this series apart for me. I mean, a sleuth named Magdalena Portulacca Yoder! I introduced my sister to the series several years ago and she loves it more than I do!

Be prepared for snark, lovely characters and a hotelier who can't be kept down. I love how she treats her clients and takes charge! Magdalena is one strong-willed woman😊.

Once again we treated to an interesting experience with Magdalena Yoder. Hernia is always an interesting place to visit and this visit didn't disappoint.

I found the thought of Asian and Amish fusion cuisine but of course, Magdalena can explain everything.

It is quick read with interesting characters that we've come to know and love.

I love cranky Magdalena Yoder, and Barbara. They are not your typical sleuths and probably not everyone's cup of tea. This was a pretty good book, however probably one of my least favorite in the series. If you have never read a book in this series you will want to otherwise you won't quite understand Magdalena and the community she comes from. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read this series before

I've gotten away from reading this series. In this book Magdalina has opened her new Asian/Amish restaurant and promptly has a customer drop dead after eating desert. Magdalina is arrested and now must solve the murder. Framed by the killer who is now after her family and friends, Magdalina works quickly to save them all. Can be read as a stand alone, this is book 21 in the Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars

Tamar Myers has been entertaining mystery readers—including me, most decidedly—for many years and this latest Pennsylvania Dutch entry is no exception to the rule. Magdalena Yoder is an enduring protagonist and, after so many adventures, has gotten amateur sleuthing down to a fine science, you might say.

Now, if you’re looking for a dynamic crime thriller with a well-tuned sleuth, you’re in the wrong place. Magdalena isn’t always the nicest person around, a bit too sharp-tongued, and, as cozies often do, a lot of attention is directed towards her personal life and the goings-on in the inn and the village. The mystery to be solved isn’t as strong as in some earlier books but it’s interesting and there are some unusual aspects to it, not least of which is the true identities of the couple who rented the restaurant for an exclusive meal.

This is the first in the series that I’ve read in several years but I had no trouble catching up, so to speak, and I enjoyed it even though it’s not quite up to snuff with some of the previous books. It’s a nice read for a lazy day and I’ll definitely be back.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, December 2019.

This book revisits characters from previous Tamar Myers books. Set in Hernia, Pennsylvania, the main character plans to open a new restaurant with a person who apparently has appeared in other books in this series. Having read none of those, I found this one to be confusing and very wordy. The Pennsylvania Dutch connection intrigued me, but I got bogged down in the extended and convoluted opening chapter and the odd wordiness of Magdalena's speech patterns. The silly long names of the characters also added a layer of bewilderment to the tale. I would recommend readers to check out some of the other books by this author before reading this one.

I received this book from NetGalley and from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This, the 21st of the series, is not as strong as her earlier books and, if you are new to the series this one might not work as well as a stand alone. Magdalena Yoder is an acquired taste. Her heart is in the right place but her sarcasm can rub people the wrong way. She speaks her mind sometimes to her detriment. I have enjoyed all of her books and series over the years and I like her sense of humor as a change of pace.
In this outing, Magdalena has added a restaurant to her Inn which serves Amish-Asian Fusion food. She has hired a baker who makes deserts to die for. Did one literally die after eating one of these wonderful creations? The restaurant had been closed so a couple could have the place all to themselves and Magdalena was quick to take their money. What could possibly been on the menu that could poison anybody? Soon the poison is pinpointed and they discover that the couple are not at all who they claimed to be. So who were they and who wanted them dead? Not Magdalena but she's the one being told to strip to her birthday suit and submit to a full body search. No way will she turn in her kapp and wear an orange jump suit. Time to gather her family and friends and hunt down the killer.
The mystery, the characters and the humor are why I have enjoyed this series. They are the reading getaway that I need when I need a change of pace. Works every time.

Series: A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery - Book 21
Author: Tamar Myers
Genre: Cozy Mystery/B&B/Culinary
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Page Count: 224

From Severn House comes the 21st book in the “A Pennsylvania-Dutch Mystery” series by Tamar Myers.
I had high hopes for this cozy book series, and Puddin' on the Blitz in particular. The description of the book and the fact that it was the 21st in the series suggested that it was well written, popular, enjoyable, and entertaining. Unfortunately, the enjoyable and entertaining part was extremely disappointing.

I found the main character the most objectionable, even though all of them are not nice or even good people. The entire story from start to finish was confusing, and at times entirely or perhaps deliberately misleading and not in the way a good cozy is meant to be. I thought that this might be due to not having read any of the other books in the series, so I went back and read others. However, this proved to make matters worse. None of the characters are likable; they are undoubtedly unbelievable. The mystery is more or less a side note, with no clues or real suspects, and is so infrequently mentioned as to be non-existent. Usually, I can find at least one good character in a cozy book series that I enjoy, but in this case, I could not find a single one that wasn’t objectionable in one way or another.

The only redeeming part of the book is quite literally the end. There were some action scenes and some semblance of a murder mystery in the last few chapters. But there was never any doubt of the killer’s identity or even the motive behind it. From what I could discern in this cozy book series, the main character of Magdalena is rude, obnoxious, self-centered, has fits of rage, childish, immature, jealous, and vain. She is as far from the good simple Christian woman she professes to be as would be humanly possible and is an insult to Amish and Mennonite women everywhere.

I cannot in good conscious recommend Puddin' on the Blitz or this cozy book series to anyone. No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not come up with any reason why a mystery and cozy reader would enjoy this book or these characters.

A humorous cozy mystery. I had to be in the proper mood to read this book. It was just what I needed to break up the tenseness of serious murder mysteries. The sarcastic Mennonite woman will pretty much offend everyone. The ending wrapped it all up nicely.

It's the first book I read in this series and I found it quite funny, engrossing and entertaining.
I liked the well crafted plot, the fleshed out cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
It was a pleasant read but I found the humour a bit too forced as if the writer was trying too hard.
I'm curious about the previous instalment in this long series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the 21st in this beloved cozy series by cozy author Tamra Myers. I have read several in the series and always enjoy returning to this unique cozy series. Thank you for the ARC to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinions are my own. This is a unique and interesting setting of a charming Amish/Mennonite village. I love the setting and descriptions of the village by the author.

In this unique culinary series we enjoy returning to the restaurant owned by Magdalena Yoder in her Inn. This is a combination of Amish-Asian food and they have a skilled dessert chef. The desserts are very popular. When a death occurs after the victim was seen eating one of the restaurants desserts, Magdalena must clear her name and save her restaurant. She is suspect number one and knows her reputation is at stake. She is fast on the case and a savvy investigator working with several people in town and her wide group of friends and neighbors. The author has a great sense of infusing humor into this series and I love the bumbling charcter of Magdalena while she solves yet another sleuth with her savvy skills.
A very enjoyable sleuth to conclusion with lots of twist and turns throughout for the reader's delight. I highly recommend this series and this next in series for your reading enjoyment.

Magdalena Yoder often has bad ideas which turn out okay in the end and in this case, she's opened a restaurant that fuses Asian and Amish cuisine. Mercifully, however, she hired Barbara to make the baked goods and all is well til a guest dies after eating one of the desserts. I've read a lot (but not all) of the books in this series and I think I'm done after this one. The humor is broad, often snarky, and the puns keep coming past when they should. Magdalena is a woman with attitude, which can go both ways. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

When this series originally came out, I loved it. It was a great cozy, full of snappy humor, so I was excited to read this. I could not finish. I feel like the author is trying too hard to be funny and it becomes very cringeworthy. Every conversation is loaded with heavy sarcasm. Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of sarcasm, but my family and friends would hate it if I were sarcastic in every single response. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book and I definitely won't be continuing with the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Magdalena agrees to run a restaurant that has been shut down for a bit since the owner is in jail. She will transfer ownership to her and her daughter with Magdalena get 60% ownership and her daughter 40%. The daughter needs the money to go to college so Magdalena agrees.

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you. It will be published December 3rd.

It starts as an Asian/Amish restaurant and it goes real well at the start. There are lots of customers, reservations are taken in advance and the restaurant is always full. Then the newness and charm wear off. She'll have to some up with a new idea.

She and her mother-in-law don't get along. Mom thinks she stole her son and she'd like to run Magdalena's life. She's also like to be head chef at the restaurant but Magdalena already had one picked out. That creates more static between them.

Then a couple from a famous magazine want to come and see her new restaurant. She cancels reservations so they are the only guests. Her husband gets food from the restaurant and then puts it in their glassware so the guests won't know. They eat well and enjoy the desserts (which is now the restaurants specialty). Unfortunately, in the morning, the woman is dead. Magdalena finds herself in jail because she was poisoned. How did that happen?

It turns into a real mess. She was killed by mushrooms. They are common mushrooms and they can be used in different ways to cause death. Then Magdalena finds out they both were frauds. The magazine is defunct. So who are they? And why did she have to die?

Magdalena finally tracks the truth down but in the final stand off, the killer is threatening her two year old. Can she figure out what to do next?

I am a fan of Ms Yoder and her friends. I loved the early stories more than the last two. But, if you like a cute cozy mystery this could be the book for you. Puddin on the Blitz Is not your typical Amish/Mennonite story. If I were new to Tamar Myers, I would start at the beginning of the series. I promise you will laugh, cry, and roll your eyes a time or two. But in the end you will be a fan
Thanks netgalley for the complimentary arc, the opinions ate my own

Magdelena is back again! I like how the main characters can banter with one another. Are you ready to solve another murder?

When someone rich wants to stay at the inn and requests to book the whole place, what is a gal to do? Of course that means dollar signs in Magdelena's eyes. However, murder just can't stay away and there is another death in the inn. Yet again Magdelena fines herself in trouble when she is arrested for the murder. She did find the body. However, it isn't too long before the is sprung from jail and on the case to find out who the real murderer is.

It took me a while to get into this one because I hadn't read any from this series in over a year. Perhaps the book did go on a bit longer than need be, but still it provided some good backstories on some of the characters. However, I still enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next one!

A murder mystery with an Amish/Mennonite theme.

The Story:

Magdalena Yoder is Mennonite and married to a Jew. Her mother-in-law is a piece of work and lives across the street with the other members of her apathy cult.

A woman who almost killed her is now in prison and has split her restaurant between her daughter and Magdalena, with Mags getting the 60% share. Between the daughter and Magdalena, they come up with an Asian Amish combo they call Asian Sensations.

Hiring Barbara Hostetler was a genius as she is a wonderful cook and baker. And soon enough we have a recent patron dropping dead.

Now Magdalena is being arrested for a murder she did not commit. Who is setting her up?

My Take:

I almost stopped a quarter of the way in because I wasn't sure if this was satire or sarcasm. I couldn't pronounce the names of anyone and I just did not care for the main character. I wasn't sure if she was making fun of the people or if she just had a sarcastic tongue, which doesn't really add up with the Amish.

It was less than okay, but you can read it yourself and let me know!

NetGalley/Severn House December 3rd, 2019

This is the first book by this author I have read, and let me say... it's quite an interesting read. Different than any other cozy mysteries. It's set in an Amish/Mennonite village and the Protagonist sure does have a way with words. While, yes there is a murder involved, and she sets out to find the real suspect, a majority of the book is about her and her relationships with everyone. Some good, some not so good. While she likes to consider herself a good person who follows her religious upbringing, she also knows her faults/weaknesses and has a self-depreciating way about her. She is a bit quick on the tongue as she's not afraid to say what she thinks, even if she uses terms that not everyone in her community understands. She's one of those people who even though may get under your skin, you know has a good heart and means well. (Well, maybe with the exception of her mother in law... but that's another story.) ;) As far as the mystery itself goes, I did find it lacking a little. There really wasn't much to it. In theory, there were plenty of possible suspects, but just about all were glossed over. There weren't many clues to follow for the reader to try to make a case. So if you are more interested in the crime than the story itself, you may be a little disappointed. There was plenty of humor in it. There were some comments/innuendos made, but otherwise it is a clean read and safe for teens and up. It is part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone. And as I mentioned, this is the first book I've read, so they can be read out of order, but there is mention of things that happened in the past that I assume were included in earlier books in the series.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I've been a fan of Tamar Myers since the beginning, but I wouldn't recommend this book as a starting point. Innkeeper Magdalena Yoder has always been goofy and funny, but the stories get less and less plausible. The dialogue is by now so over-the-top that it doesn't make much sense if you're not already familiar with the inside jokes. And the characters are downright silly.

If that sounds good -- or if you already love Magdalena and her crew -- jump right into this latest installment in the series. Magdalena is starting up a new restaurant, and her startling business acumen makes it an unlikely success. Unfortunately, Magdalena is very soon caught up in a murder inquiry, and she's a chief suspect.

Her friends and family support her through the ordeal, of course, and Magdalena figures out the mystery just in time.

I have read this entire series, but the last few additions have been somewhat incomprehensible and confusing. What was once a lighthearted series with a dash of murder, and some tasty recipes, has now become a strange and clumsy read.