Not my typical read but i enjoyed it. It was a quick, interesting story and i would recommend it to others.

I liked the main characters a lot. I was picturing the Two Broke Girls as Hollis and Daisy.
They are determined, spunky, funny, and real.
The mystery had enough details to make several people suspects.
I liked the small town and the side characters who make up the Parkwood regulars.

I hope there is another installment in this series.

My one suggestion: I wish the section dividers were illustrations instead of a photo of a muffin. On a Kindle it looks weird.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

My very first Parkwood Mystery, and I'm a fan! A simple mystery and some really fun banter and creative character personalities. It was enjoyable for what it is, a cozy mystery. No fluff, and nothing too serious.

Murder, muffins, and mayhem create a fun new read by Jennifer Brown!

Hollis, a former big city journalist, had her life crash and burn. She's now covering the domestic beat for a small, local newspaper, and bored beyond belief. When the coach of the rival football team is found murdered, Hollis decides to investigate.

Daisy is Hollis's best friend and partner in crime solving. She juggles baking for the town cafe, a bazillion children, and crime solving without missing a beat

The police chief is less than thrilled with the interference. He actually assigns the new, young, and extremely hot officer in town to babysit Hollis.

There's also a new giblet gravy at the Hibiscus cafe. It seems to be strangely addictive, even though the giblets are a little odd.

I would recommend this title to anyone looking for a new cosy mystery.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#TheGameChanger#NetGalley

This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Brown. A good, clean mystery with fairly likeable characters. It was written from the first person perspective and that was different & somewhat refreshing.

Hollis & Daisy's podcast "Knock 'em Dead" pairs up an unusual duo of murder & baking. As one might surmise from a cozy mystery & Hallmark----this leads them into the real deal.

Cozy mysteries aren't my favorites; but so glad to see Hallmark publishing books other than their romance novels. I would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy

I’m not usually a mystery reader, but figured I’d give this a shot considering it was from Hallmark. It had a good story line and somewhat relatable characters.

Hollis Brisbee is on the case and she’s ready for much more than silly stories about a new hot dog machine. Too bad her boss doesn’t quiet share the same sentiment. So while Hollie handles the dead end stories by day, she and her best friend Daisy start the “Knock ‘Em Dead” podcast where the discuss murder and muffins.

Then a football coach is the victim of a hit and run accident that may or not be an accident at all.

I wish I could say I liked this but halfway through I found myself forcing my eyes to stay glued to the page because it seemed like everything had slowed and the main characters were getting nowhere. Even the comedic dialogue couldn’t save this for me. On the plus side, there was a car chase so it’s got that going for it.

This book is appropriate for ages 13+ for non-graphic murder and some thematic elements.

This is such a fun cozy mystery! I loved the main characters of Hollis and Daisy. The small town setting was great, and I could almost imagine that I could walk down the street and recognize the townspeople. I liked this author’s writing style and the humor that she put all throughout the book. I’m not sure if this will be a series, but I’d love to revisit these characters again. This is a sweet and clean mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

Oh, and the recipe at the end of this story looks wonderful! Cherry Chocolate Chunk Muffins!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I didn't connect with the characters, I struggled with the lack of people caring about a dead man and found myself just not wanting to pick it up.

Possibly I've read too many intense thrillers and so this left me wanting more drama. It would likely be a cute movie.

Fun Hallmark romance mystery. Found the story had great layers as the mystery and solution comes together. Hallmark will have a great movie from this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Hallmark for allowing me to read and review.

Omg what an amazing book. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. Definitely a 5 star read

The Game Changer : A Parkwood Mystery from Hallmark Publishing by Jennifer Brown is a delightful and fun mystery. Hollis Bisbee use to be a crime reporter in Chicago, and now she lives and works on a small town paper in Missouri. Board with the fuff, no crime reporting newspaper, she and her best friend, Daisy, start a podcast called Murder and Muffins. Daisy is an excellent baker, and Hollis knows murder. This book has a little bit of everything, mystery, romance, and humor. I will be reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this book for a fun escape.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can purchase your copy from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Game-Changer-Parkwood-Hallmark-Publishing-ebook/dp/B07VD1R5V3/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Game+Changer%3A+A+Parkwood+Mystery+by+Jennifer+Brown&qid=1579014101&sr=8-1

This book comes from Hallmark Publishing.

This book was very silly! I feel like they bring up almonds and cyanide a lot in this book. So, in case you didn't know if someone was poisoning you or not and your food smells and tastes like bitter almonds, there is a good chance that they are and it is too late. However, don't let that dissuade you. Food with strong flavors and smells can also mask other bitter poisons as well. So, if I learned nothing else in this book, I learned to beware of poignant flavors and smells in food from people who are suspicious.

There were many silly references in this book like saying Sweet & Sour Chicken tastes like Chicken with Barbecue sauce. I want to know what Barbecue sauce the author is using. My Barbecue Chicken never tastes that way.
We begin this book in an editor’s office of the Parkwood Chronicle Weekly, as Mary Jean, the editor tears apart the three paged article word by word with a red pen including the overuse of the work GIBLETS. Henceforth, the beginning of the silliness of this book. I was very caught up in the silliness of this book and lost track of the plot.
This book has a great recipe at the end! Cherry Chunk Muffins, oh my! My copy also had a sneak peak of Out of the Picture, A Shepherd Sisters Mystery by Tracy Gardner.

Loved this book, this was my first book by this author and I definitely will be reading more by them.. love the characters loved the story ..

Hollis Bisbee is still adjusting to her new life in Parkwood. She moved from Chicago where she was a crime reporter when she was downsized and her boyfriend dumped her. Life in Parkwood is slow and bucolic. Her stories no longer revolve around crime but around the new hot dog roller and giblet gravy. Then, at a High School football game, the opposing team's coach is run down in the parking lot. Who did it? The Police Chief's son who threatened the coach on a live mic, the assistant coach who wanted his job, the man he had a car accident with earlier, or someone else? Hollis has been forbidden to report on the death. In fact the Police Chief is saying it was a heart attack and has assigned handsome Brooks Hopkins to follow Hollis and keep her out of the case.

The story is fun and I really enjoyed the banter between Hollis and her friend Daisy. The characters are fun and engaging. The mystery kept me guessing. I did tire of Hollis always denying her attraction to Brooks and being somewhat condescending about life and the people of Parkwood. All in all, I would read another book in this series.

This is a cozy mystery and I really enjoyed it.
Hollis was a city crime reporter and has come to a small town to cover boring stories. But her boss doesn't want negative news. She also is starting a podcast with her best friend.
A coach ends up murder and she wants to cover it but her boss won't let her. Seems to be the town likes to cover things up. So she talks about it in her podcast. Seems most people only want to know about what her best friend is cooking than on the crime she wants to talk about. As I kept reading I did not like the town cop and felt he was covering things up including his son. But the other cop on duty is there to also help and he gets to be friends with Hollis but it starts out because his boss wants him to follow Hollis around,
I liked getting to know the characters in this story and looks like it will be a fun series.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Hollis is a Chicago homicide reporter who moves to the small town of Parkwood, Missouri. Bored with her reporting job at a local newspaper, Hollis and her best friend Daisy start a true crime podcast - with a twist! Their podcast, Knock ‘Em Dead —”Where murder and muffins meet!” also includes some of Daisy's delicious dessert recipes.

When a football coach from a rival town ends up dead after the homecoming game, Hollis thinks this will be her chance to report on something exciting, again. Much to the chagrin of the local Chief of Police, Hollis becomes almost obsessed with proving that the Chief's son is the murderer.

As Hollis tries to put together the evidence, she develops a romantic relationship with a local police officer.

If you enjoy Hallmark stories, true crime, football or dessert - this is the book for you.
An extra benefit to this cozy mystery is the recipe for Daisy's Cherry Chocolate Chunk Muffins.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who knows of my love for true crime podcasts, food and football. All three of those things, as well as a dash of romance, are prominent in this book

The Game Changer is a cute story. I enjoyed it as a nice break from some of the dark, emotional books that I typically read. There were some minor things that bugged me as I read, though. Hollis is supposed to be a big city reporter with a lot of experience but she became almost fixated on one suspect and some of her decisions felt very amateurish. I absolutely LOVED Daisy's character and saw a lot my life in her story line. As always with Hallmark, the love story is adorable and enjoyable.

Overall, I do recommend readers check out this cozy murder mystery.

My review can also be found on my blog, Instagram, and Goodreads!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Hallmark Publishing and Jennifer Brown for the advanced copy of The Game Changer in exchange for my honest review.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is it's cover. It just doesn't scream Hallmark to me. I hate to be that person, but I'm so glad I didn't judge this book by it's cover!

I loved Hollis and Daisy. Hollis was a big city reporter, but after her breakup and losing her job she moves to Parkwood and starts over as a small town reporter. Daisy is a married mom with young kids. The two couldn't be any more opposite if they tried, yet their friendship just makes sense. Their banter back and forth was hilarious and reminds me of conversations with my best friend who is also my polar opposite.

Add in the small town football atmosphere, the rowdy son of the police chief, rookie police officer Brooks, Hollis's wacky mom and aunt back in Chicago, an ex-boyfriend making a surprise appearance, and a murder podcast with a side of baking (or a baking podcast with a side of murder), what we have is a recipe for a (hopefully) long running new series.

I didn't think Hallmark could get any better, but it did!

A Hallmark Cozy Mystery

An absolutely delightful twisty turny whodunnit to bring a fresh spark of intrigue to a trademark Hallmark tale. In an effort to re-rail her life, a big-time, big city crime reporter takes a step back; relocating to a small town where nothing ever happens. She has trouble adjusting to the pace of life (and the news!) at first, until a murder at the high school football game grabs ALL her attention! As the suspect list grows and we all play armchair detective along side Hollis, we see her come to love the townsfolk and realize that this IS where she belongs.

I enjoyed reading this book. Both main and supporting characters were well defined, likable, and charming. The story moves along at a nice pace, is well fleshed out, and written in a light, positive mood - in true Hallmark fashion. Hallmark is one of my “go to” entertainment sources for lighthearted fun. As Hallmark is branching into the cozy mystery genre, we as consumers are the real winners with even more choices available!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Hallmark Publishing, I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It's a good start for a new cozy series and 'I'm curious about the next instalments.
It was an engrossing and entertaining read, with a well thought and likeable couple of MC and a cast of secondary interesting characters.
Even if some elements were a bit over the top and there is some awkwardness typical of a first book in a new series I appreciated the plot and the solid mystery.
It made me smile and kept me hooked.
A good read, can't wait to read the next instalment.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.