Alison Sweeney returns for another captivating mystery. The Hannah Swensen Mystery franchise has been enjoyed by fans for almost a decade. The latest, Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, once again brings the fun – and funny – cast together for another mouth-watering mystery.

Hannah is a celebrated baker. And in this movie her baking skills save the day. But, before she does that, she discovers a dead body. Yes, it is a habit for this young woman. She always seems to find dead bodies. 

Her mother Delores (Barbara Niven) puts her own skills to the test when her private investigation business uncovers a couple who are forging coins that they say are from the Civil War. But Delores manages to infiltrate their   office and get the goods, so to speak, to help the prosecutors.

In the meantime,  Hannah’s boyfriend Chad (Victor Webster), the District Attorney, is swamped not only with his own cases, but also with the caseload dumped on him by his friend who has now gone missing. 

With Delores on the fraud case, Hannah starts investigating the disappearance of the missing lawyer. She has her suspicions, but there are some things that just don’t add up.

What they ultimately discover, is that the two cases – the forgery and the missing attorney – might be related. After all, he was supposed to be the prosecutor in the trial of the forgers. So, true to form, Hannah and Delores get involved up to their necks in these two cases. 

The trial turns out to be the crowning achievement of not only Chad, but also Delores who is a witness due to her investigation, as well as Hannah. It turns out Chad and Hannah make a great team, not only in their personal lives but also professionally.

This is another cute film in this fun franchise. Grab a glass of milk and cookies (unfortunately the mouth-watering cookies baked by Hannah are on the screen only) and enjoy this new Hannah Swensen Mystery.

Best Server Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres May 16, 2026 on Hallmark Channel and begins streaming on May 17 on Hallmark+.  

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Image supplied courtesy Hallmark Media

The thirteenth Hannah Swensen Mystery is now available to stream on Hallmark +. Sugar and Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is filled with all the fun of the previous films, with Hannah (Alison Sweeney) front and center once again in a murder investigation.

How this woman does it is a mystery in itself. She manages to find dead bodies wherever she goes. And this time Hannah is catering the desserts for a posh reopening of the Lake Eden Inn when the proverbial crap hits the fan!

First of all, Delores (Barbara Niven), in typical form, insists she and Ron (Mike Dopud) attend the costume party dressed as a couple. But not only that, she insists Hannah and Chad do the same. It’s all part of Delores’ positive and outgoing personality. 

While at the party, Hannah and her assistant Lisa (Juliana Wimbles) happen to find a dead body in one of the offices. Once again, Hannah is thrust into a murder investigation. This time, however, the Sheriff is on the scene, so it doesn’t take long before he takes over and secures the crime scene.

While a murdered body lays in an office, everyone continues with their merriment at the party. Chad and Sheriff Ron do not want the murder to be known. The murderer, after all, is someone on the premises. Someone at the party is a murderer and everyone must remain on site to be questioned, once the word gets out.

Now, adding to this situation is the fact that a big storm is ravaging the town and the street leading to the Inn has been blocked by a tree. While the tree situation is being attended to, Hannah, Lisa, and Delores (you didn’t think she would be left out, did you?) take it upon themselves to do some investigating on their own. Chad, of course, understands he cannot keep them from using their uncanny instincts and capabilities from investigating the case. 

In the end, viewers know that Hannah will lead the authorities to the ultimate killer. 

The fun of the costume party adds to the entertainment, as Delores goes all out.

Alison Sweeney not only stars as Hannah Swensen, but she also co-wrote the story. This is the fourth Hannah Swensen film she has written.

Sugar and Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is now available to stream on Hallmark+. Make sure you have a big glass of milk handy when you watch. Those cookies look delicious and definitely mouth-watering. Enjoy!

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Images courtesy Hallmark Media  ©2025 Hallmark Media/Photographer: David Astorga

With this year’s Kentucky Derby in the rearview mirror, Kentucky Roses keeps the excitement alive. The entire production was filmed in Louisville, Kentucky and much of it was actually filmed at Churchill Downs! 

This sweet and aromatic story stars Odette Annable as Sadie Moore, a young woman who works at the greenhouse with a second job in a florist shop. Her goal is to own her own shop. She loves designing floral arrangements and bringing color and delight to others.

Andrew W. Walker stars as Ashley (Ash) Taylor Reed. He is a successful contractor with his own company, but his father Frank Reed (Gregg Henry), the CEO of Churchill Downs, wants his son to follow in his footsteps. 

There is a “meet cute” between Sadie and Ash, which leads them to reconnect and begin a friendship with romantic undertones. What neither of them know is that their ancestors had a history together and nearly got married. 

Ash is hired by his father to repair the recently damaged Twin Spires at the racetrack. A bad storm did quite the damage to the structures, only two weeks before the big race.

And Sadie is asked to help with last minute floral arrangements for a big gala, which is hosted by Ash’s mother. After her success with that, there is another disaster when the big floral blanket for the winner needs to be recreated. But with a lack of red roses due to all the festivities surrounding the race, Sadie is at a loss to find enough flowers to create the iconic display.

So, while Sadie works frantically to complete the floral displays and while Ash is hard at work repairing the iconic spires, their budding relationship (no pun intended) grows. 

There are some cute moments between the characters and the history of the Kentucky Derby and all the festivities that surround it come into play. Both of the main characters are engaging in their own right, but when they are combined, the sparks fly as they both work towards their goals in the two frantic weeks before the big race.

Kentucky Roses is now available to stream on Hallmark+.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.