Alison Sweeney Teases Higher ‘Stakes’ for Hannah Swensen as Romance Complicates Her Latest Hallmark Mystery

Hannah Swensen is back with romance, murder, and just enough cookie crumbs to solve the case.

Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is Sweeney’s latest film with her favorite Hallmark character, and as she told Soaps.com, the “stakes” are higher than ever. This time around, the baker-turned-detective finds a body at the grand re-opening of the Lake Eden Inn. A terrible storm keeps the guests trapped until Hannah, her boyfriend, and the town’s assistant DA, Chad Norton (Victor Webster), and her mom, Delores Swensen (Barbara Niven), solve the crime.

For Hannah, it’s a season of change, with her romantic life entangled in her casual detective work, and it’s even more complicated now that her mother is dating Lake Eden Sheriff Ron Ealing (Mike Dopud).

“I love moving the story along – slowly – for Chad, Hannah, Delores, and the sheriff. It’s exciting to show them in a new, elevated circumstance with this big masquerade gala,” Sweeenys explains. “It’s a fun event, but [it] ups the stakes in their relationships too.”

Fans of the series will also see how Hannah is navigating her life with Chad — it’s sweet, but sometimes a bit awkward because the romance is still new. Plus, they have a fresh murder to deal with.

“Chad is respecting Hannah’s mind, her crime-solving skills. Her smarts and intuition are appreciated by Chad, and he is totally charmed by her, but he has to keep his guard up because he has to prosecute the cases, and he knows how high a bar that is,” the Days of Our Lives star says.

Sweeney is also thrilled that they were able to give Delores “much dimension and cleverness” in her blossoming relationship with the sheriff. She raves about Niven, describing her as “so funny and talented” with the “ad-libs she brings to Delores.”

With more layers to the latest Hannah Swensen mystery, viewers should expect to be kept “on their toes” as the series continues. “I do constantly try to add layers and complications to develop the character… and I hope I can continue to do so moving forward,” Sweeney adds.

Still, there’s no denying that Hannah’s beloved small town is slightly problematic — people keep dying.

“Ha! Lake Eden is a lovely town,” she jokes. “If you don’t mind a few murders. I try to mix it up [the killings] with guests to town so it’s not always locals.”

Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel and streams the next day on Hallmark+.