Festive Mayhem 2 (Seven Holiday Culinary Cozy Mysteries)
Culinary Cozy Mystery Anthology
Independently Published (October 1, 2021)
Number of Pages: 215

 

Seven crime writers of color have teamed up for the second year running to offer you the gift of escape this holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Halloween to New Year’s, cozy mystery fans are bound to find a favorite holiday represented in this limited-time collection of exclusive, never-before-published seasonal short stories.

 

 

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Review

 

These 7 novellas are perfect when you are looking for a bite or a snack to read and don’t have time for a full-length novel.

The stories cover major holidays and are set in the past, the present, and even in various countries.

I enjoyed reading each one and being exposed to a new cozy author and will be looking for more works by these authors.

Sometimes I solved the mystery before the reveal, and sometimes I didn’t. About my average speed when reading a mystery.

I liked that there are recipes at the end and there are a few that I want to try out soon.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

Find out more about the authors

 

Paige Sleuth * Francelia Belton * Angela Henry * Rhoda Berlin

 

Carolyn Marie Wilkins * Barbara Howard * Stella Oni

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Death by Sample Size is a humorous cozy mystery that takes place in the Los Angeles garment center. The last thing Ditzy Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected was to discover ruthless buying office big wig Bunny Frank’s corpse trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey with a bikini stuffed down her throat. When Holly’s colleague is arrested for Bunny’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to find the real murderer. Nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she matches wits with a wily killer hellbent on revenge.

 

 

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Review

 

This is quite a fascinating new cozy series set in LA where it takes hours to get anywhere, even down the street, and is home to the swimsuit fashion industry portrayed in this book. The book is filled with wise-cracking characters who cracked me up at the craziest times and lost of humorous descriptions that will have you shaking your head in disbelief.

Holly discovers a dead body in the elevator and how does she react when confronted? She laughs. It is her defense mechanism and thankfully her friend, the coroner, can confirm that tidbit so they don’t think she is too crazy laughing at death. But from there it is a race for Holly to figure out who killed Bunny and why. It is a huge cast of characters because no one really likes Bunny, she is manipulative and devious, a good way to end up murdered.

The book does start off with Holly finding the body and then it goes back in time leading up to the murder so we can get a better picture of who Bunny is and why no one likes her. There are many suspicious characters and the author does a great job of throwing in red herrings to keep us guessing who the real killer is. I think I had narrowed it down to this character because none of the others seemed to fit in just right. I was quite surprised at the ending and the confrontation with the killer. Definitely not a traditional ending.

This is definitely a book worth picking up and I’ll be interested to see what shenanigans that Holly will be up to in the next book. We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

When the elevator doors opened, I had to stop myself short not to step on her. There was Bunny Frank-the buying office big shot-lying diagonally across the car. Her legs were splayed out and her back was propped against the corner. Her sightless eyes were wide open and her arms reached out in a come-to-me baby pose. She was trussed up with shipping tape like a dressed Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven with a bikini stuffed in her mouth. A Gotham Swimwear hangtag drooped off her lower lip like a toe tag gone lost. Naturally, I burst out laughing.

Before you label me incredibly weird or stone-cold, let me say genetics aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. If you’re lucky you inherit your Aunt Bertha’s sexy long legs or your father’s ability to add a bazillion dollar order in his head and get the total correct to the last penny. Without even breaking into a sweat, it’s easy to spout at least a million fabulous traits inheritable by the luck of the draw. Did I get those sexy long legs or the ability to add more than two plus two without a calculator? Noooooooooo. Lucky me. I inherited my Nana’s fear of death we overcompensated for with the nervous habit of laughing. A hysterical reaction? Think Bozo the clown eulogizing your favorite aunt.

I craned my neck like a tortoise and checked around. Then I clamped a fist over my mouth. Cripes, how could I possibly explain my guffaws with Bunny lying there? The disappointment was simultaneously mixed with relief when there was no one else in the parking lot. Where was security when you needed them?

I toed the elevator door open and bent over Bunny. I’d seen enough CSI episodes to know not to touch her. She was stiff as a board and I attributed the bluish tinge of her skin to the bikini crammed down her throat. I was no doctor, but I didn’t need an MD after my name to make this diagnosis. Bunny Frank was dead as the proverbial doorknob.

It was no surprise Bunny Frank had finally pushed someone beyond their limits. The only surprise was it had taken so long. The question wasn’t who wanted Bunny Frank dead. The question was who didn’t?

 

 

About the Author

 

Born in the Big Apple, Susie Black now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

 

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Synopsis

 

All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.

Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?

 

 

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Review

 

This was quite an interesting tale. It was promoted as dark and frightening, but I don’t think it was either of those. It is a little spooky so a great read for October!

Annie is a bit lost in her life after her long-term boyfriend breaks up with her. So she decides to start over in a small town in upstate NY. I don’t think she is very happy there, but then I think she doesn’t know what in her life will make her happy. She admits to focusing all of her energy on the relationship she is in versus having her own interests and hobbies. I think we might all be able to relate to that to some degree.

However, Annie does meet Sophie and from the beginning, I wondered about her. Something seems a little off. She doesn’t drive, doesn’t have a phone or any sort of technology, lives in a massive home. She is off the grid without being off the grid if that makes sense. Sophie does see something in Annie, a better woman and one that is not so obsessed with finding a relationship to lose herself in. She works hard to bring out the best in Annie and is met with some resistance because Annie can’t seem to let go of Sam (the ex).

The citizens of the town act strangely towards Sophie and once you discover why it makes sense. Should they treat her that way? Maybe. But perhaps they can look past their pain and to the future just like Annie? Only time will tell.

While I am not a big fan of spiders, the ones in this book are cute and the personalities are so much more than the spider. This doesn’t mean I won’t try to relocate spiders I find in my own home!

This book is about finding yourself and becoming the best version of yourself that you can be and exploring the paths set in front of you.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rachel Harrison was born and raised in the weird state of New Jersey. She received her bachelor’s in writing for film and television from Emerson College. After graduating, she worked on TV game shows, in publishing, and for a big bank. She lives in western New York, with her husband and their cat/overlord.

 

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Synopsis

 

Emmie let out a huge sob – “It’s not a film set”, she cried. She held onto Jack for a moment, then took a step back, closed her eyes and shouted – “WHERE AM I?”

When Jack and Emmie suddenly find themselves transported back to London in 1940, they find a world both familiar, yet very different. As they dodge falling bombs and over-zealous policemen, they befriend Jan – a lonely Polish refugee. Together, they must work out if the shadowy figure they keep seeing is a spy and unlock the secret of getting home again…

 

 

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Review

 

Sometimes I enjoy reading middle-grade books because if nothing else, it might teach me a thing or two. In this case, it was an almost teen’s perspective of what the blitz was like for the children of the 1940s. This book also combines a little bit of fantasy and sci-fi into the mix with the time travel aspect of the story.

It starts off with Jack being asked to write a page about what children might have thought or felt during WWII especially during the blitz. He is like any other 12 year old and has no idea what to think or write. Emmie is in another class and they are acting out the same type of scenario but neither really have any idea what those children went through 80 years ago. That is until the bus they are riding on zaps them back to the past and they are dumped into the reality of the 1940s.

This is truly a learning experience for Jack and Emmie. They have to figure out how to fend for themselves when it comes to food and shelter, avoid the police, and they also have to figure out how they were taken back to the past and how do they get back to their time? Luckily, they meet a couple of other young children that they befriend and it is an adventure for all of them. Jan (pronounced Yan) and Stan (short for Stanislaw) are from Poland and were part of the program that took young children from their countries and housed them in England where they would hopefully survive the war. These four form a fast friendship despite some misunderstandings at first.

This was a somewhat fast read for me, but one that was enjoyable because I too couldn’t wait to find out how they were going to get back to the present. Thankfully, there are people that took care of them at times with food, shelter, and friendship. I think this experience definitely taught these two a little something about history and what they shouldn’t take for granted in their own time.

I think this would be a great read for anyone and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Glen Blackwell lives in Suffolk, England. He has a career in finance and We’re Moving Where?! is his first book. Inspired by bedtime reading with his 3 daughters, Glen loves to bring stories to life for young readers.

 

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Synopsis

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sharon Sala delivers her first holiday romance in the Blessings, Georgia series, where the glow of a small-town Christmas and excitement of a winter love story will warm your heart!

It’s been years since Wade Montgomery stepped foot in Blessings, Georgia, but the Blessings Christmas spirit is just like he remembers it. The whole town has come together to help his uncle after a disaster nearly destroyed the family business. Being back in Blessings reminds Wade of everything he’s been missing, especially when he runs into his old flame, Birdie Knox.

Bridgette “Birdie” Knox isn’t so eager to jump into the holiday season. Every year, she’s reminded of the secrets that tore her family apart. But with Wade Montgomery back in town, Birdie is starting to believe in Christmas magic. There’s no guarantee Wade will stick around, but if Birdie had her wish, she’d never have to say goodbye to him again.

 

 

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Review

 

I always love my time in Blessings, GA and this read is no exception. This book picks up where the last one left off and with the sister of Hunt. They have been dealt some blows and she and her siblings are finally moving on with their lives and now it is Bridgette aka Birdie’s turn. She is given a second chance at love with Wade and it just takes a little convincing on his part and stating his intentions for her to get fully on board moving forward together.  Their relationship moves at a pretty good clip, but since they know each other it isn’t as if they have to start from scratch. There are some really great scenes including one with a mouse that pretty much steals the spotlight away from all of the other characters. I didn’t know I could laugh so hard.

While Blessings is a wonderful town, it isn’t without its share of heartaches and hardships. Josh is caught stealing money which nearly destroys his life until one man steps in to help him realize that the path he is traveling down is not the one for him. Josh is given his own second chance in life and I admired his determination to not waste this chance.

There is also a heartwarming story of a young man trying to right a wrong for his dad who was accused of stealing some jewelry from one of the residents many years ago. Duff is a sensitive young man and he worked hard to give his dad another chance in life as well. However, Duff took too much of it to heart and blamed himself for things that he couldn’t have known happened at the time because he was six and his parents shielded him from what was really going on. Despite all of that, Duff sets off on a mission to clear his dad of these crimes.

All of this happens right around Christman time and it reminds us to not take things for granted and to reach out and help others and Peanut and Ruby do at the end of this tale.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Sharon Sala has over 125 books and novellas in print. First published in 1991, she’s a RITA finalist, winner of the Janet Dailey Award, RT Career Achievement winner, National Reader’s Choice Award, Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence, Heart of Excellence Award, the Booksellers Best Award, RWA’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award and the Centennial Award for recognition of her 100th published novel. Her books are New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers. She lives in Oklahoma.

 

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Synopsis

 

Jane is a Los Angeles nurse who grew up in a Christian cult that puts celebrities on trial for their sins. Daniel is a has-been actor whose career ended when the cult family members nearly killed him for flirting with her. Eight years after a romantic meet-cute in Battery Park, both search for someone to fill the gap they imagine the other could’ve filled if given the chance. Jane compulsively goes on dates with every self-professed expert in art, music, and food hoping they will teach her the nuances of the culture she couldn’t access in her youth. Daniel looks for a girlfriend who will accept the disabilities left from the cult attack. A loving woman will prove to Daniel’s blockbuster star brother, Steve, that he’s capable of a supporting role in Steve’s upcoming movie and relaunching Daniel’s career. When a chance encounter unexpectedly reunites them, Jane and Daniel not only see another chance at the love they lost but an opportunity to create the lives they’ve always wanted. The only question is whether their families will let them.

 

 

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Review

 

This book was nothing like I expected. Now I can’t tell you what I really expected, but I don’t think it was cults, self appointed judges, or the struggle of one woman to break free and find herself amidst everything.

Jane grew up in a very religious environment. One could say it was a cult yet she manages to finally break free of that life. But is she really free? She is going by a different name, is hiding from her family, and always looking over her shoulder. To me, that isn’t really free. But Jane isn’t really sure where her life should go ever since she turned down attending a music school based on influence from her family. There are some other events that happen that are revealed later in the book that might take you by surprise. I know I couldn’t believe it when I read about part of her past. You’ll have to read the book to decipher what I’m talking about.

The Vanguard is one of those groups that you do not want to get mixed up with either as part of the group or someone they have targeted. They think that everyone is immoral and needs to be punished for their sins. But why do they get to choose? And can you imagine if you ended up in the hot seat and were found “guilty?” While no one was ever killed, the punishment is not one that will ever disappear. While this group is intriguing, I can’t say that most would condone what they do and it is no wonder they are wanted by government agencies.

Then there is the Fletcher brothers, Steve and Daniel. Steve is a celebrity and Daniel is no slouch either, in fact they are often mistaken for one another. Daniel has demons he is battling as he struggles to find his way in life after an incident in the past. He definitely has PTSD and I felt for the guy when an episode would hit him and his reaction to the stressor.

I picked up this book because the description sounded intriguing but there is so much more going on than the blurb describes. Plus I think it gives away some things that aren’t revealed until much later in the book. Jane and Daniel are interested in each other and have been since a chance meeting in the park, but eight years passes until they meet up again and they both have baggage that can affect everything for them. Will they work through it? Will it tear them apart?

I felt like the characters were well written and there are a few twists and turns that kept me guessing regarding Jane and Daniel and the missing eight years. There is so much more than could happen and the author leaves it up to the reader to decide what happens in the end for Jane and Daniel.

We give this book 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Born a missionary kid in Kobe, Japan, and homeschooled on the American Great Plains as part of an evangelical community, Jaye Viner straddles many worlds and too many personal interests. As an “Ex-vangical,” she now worships her cats and spends a great deal of time at the salon maintaining her blue hair. She holds an MFA and MA from the University of Nebraska. Her debut thriller, JANE OF BATTERY PARK, explores what it means to come from one place and want to learn how to be from somewhere else. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

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ONCE UPON A CAMEL

 

By Kathi Appelt

 

 

Categories: Middle Grade Fiction / Historical / Friendship / Ages 8-12

Publisher: Atheneum / Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Pub Date: September 7, 2021

Pages: 336 pages

 

Scroll for the Giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She’s won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion.

But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. But she’s not alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears—kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents—and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel’s most brilliant story yet

 

 

 

Simon and Schuster~ Bookshop.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an enticing tale to encourage young readers. I think this is a book my great-niece would enjoy with the characters, history, and the stories within the story.

This adventure follows Zada, a camel that has made her way to Texas from the middle east. We learn about Zada’s life growing up in Smyrna and what happened to her once she arrived in Texas and how she came to be in Texas. This is all told through stories to two Kestrel chicks that have been separated from their parents during a haboob or windstorm. Haboobs aren’t common to Texas so we would call it something else but that brings in a new word for the reader. As Zada and the chicks take shelter in a cave, she has to worry if the mountain lion will be there and decide to attack or if they will be able to ride out the storm in peace. Thankfully, it is the former, but this is when the stories really begin and there is even a story that involves the lion that Zada wisely saves for when it is needed to protect them.

The two Kestrel chicks are a hoot and are constantly bugging each other and it reminds me of any family with children that complain about someone touching them, or crossing a line, or just basically bugging their sibling. However, Zada is able to bring calm and peace to the situation with her stories and keep the chicks safe while entertaining them so they don’t get into trouble.

Each story is magical and I loved the illustrations that accompany the book. I appreciated the dates at the beginning of each chapter so I knew if this was Zada’s past or more of her present.

This is not only an entertaining book but one that is educational as well. I learned things about camels, weather, birds (especially Kestrels), history, and so much more. I really enjoy it when a story incorporates history in a fun way that you don’t realize you are learning something new.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathi Appelt is the author of the Newbery Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and bestselling The Underneath as well as the National Book Award Finalist The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Maybe a Fox (with Alison McGhee), Keeper, and many picture books including Counting Crows and Mogie, the Heart of the House. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband and five gifted and talented cats.

 

 

 

 

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Three signed copies of the book

 

(US only. Ends midnight, CDT, 10/9/21)

 

 

 

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Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily.

Or, visit the blogs directly:

 

9/29/21	Book Trailer	The Clueless Gent
9/29/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
9/30/21	Excerpt	That’s What She’s Reading
9/30/21	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
9/30/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
10/1/21	Review	Forgotten Winds
10/1/21	BONUS Review	Hall Ways Blog
10/2/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
10/3/21	Video Guest Post	All the Ups and Downs
10/4/21	Review	The Page Unbound
10/5/21	Guest Post	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/5/21	Review	Stories Under Starlight
10/6/21	Review	Julia Picks 1
10/7/21	Scrapbook Page	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
10/7/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight
10/8/21	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
10/8/21	Review	Book Bustle

 

 

 

 

 

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Synopsis

 

When Tessa’s big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania’s Amish Country.

Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel’s tie to the land and his family’s Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she’d glimpse from the inside?

 

 

 

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Review

 

This romance intrigued me with the Amish characters, the small town ways, and Tessa’s dilemma as to what she is going to do with her life now.

Tessa is back in her hometown and has to decide where her next journey will be since several things have fallen apart – losing a job as a teacher, plans for NYC destroyed – so why not housesit for her parents while she figures it out? She is roped into volunteering for several events and is set up with a doctor, Richard. She also meets Jonas, an Amish man, at the farmer’s market. These two couldn’t be more opposites if they tried. I’ll tell you right now, I am Team Jonas. Richard is underhanded and overbearing and needs to be taken down a peg or two.

While love is at the crux of the story, it is also about discovering who you are and what you want from life. Tessa is able to do some soul searching to discover her path in life, but it takes some time and nothing is resolved quickly. But it isn’t meant to be and finding the right direction for your life is more important than love that might be fleeting if you are not in the right place to receive that love.

I had to laugh at the camper van but I was also amazed at the versatility of that vehicle!

Great story and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Wendy Rich Stetson is a New York City girl who still considers the Central Pennsylvania countryside to be her home.  She grew up road tripping in a 1979 VW camper van, and she keeps a running list of favorite roadside attractions from coast to coast.  Now an author of sweet, small-town romance, Wendy is no stranger to storytelling.  She’s a Broadway and television actress, an audiobook narrator, and a mom who likes nothing more than collaborating on children’s books with her teenage artist daughter.  Wendy lives in Upper Manhattan with her family of three and rambunctious Maine Coon kitty.

 

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Synopsis

 

“Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I hit you with my bike again?”

Can a vacation romance turn into a happily ever after?

When a bike runs me over while I’m walking in Greece on vacation, I look up to discover a Greek god staring down at me. Wavy brown hair, sparkling dark eyes, and olive skin – where do I sign up for a holiday fling?

Turns out my Greek god is a Dutchman named Nico, but I’m not picky.

Two days on the Greek island of Rhodes turn into a long-distance relationship, but I want more than occasional visits. So, I give up my life in Wisconsin and move to Holland to be with Nico.

Except when I arrive in Holland, Nico ghosts me. Maybe I should have told him about my grand plans of us living happily ever after in The Hague before I moved across the ocean?

Welp. I’m here now. Time to figure out what’s going on.

I just need to gather a bit of Dutch Courage first.

This holiday romantic comedy features a woman who doesn’t bother looking before jumping into the deep end, a man who’s hiding a pint-sized secret for stupid reasons making him the world’s biggest idiot complete with a trophy and everything, a group of friends who always have their girl’s back, a scheming best friend who seems to know everyone’s secrets before they do, and a super sweet HEA.

Each book in the Love in the Lowlands romantic comedy series can be read as a standalone. (but I recommend reading in order to understand all of the characters and their relationships)

 

 

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Review

 

I have really enjoyed this series and getting to know each of the characters and their struggles to find love in Holland or at least their perception of troubles. While this series does not have to be read in order, I highly recommend doing so since the characters carry over from each book and you might understand their back story a little better having read the previous books. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

We briefly met Charlotte in the last book, she moved to Holland for a guy she met on vacation. However, now he is ghosting her and she doesn’t know why and can’t get any straight answers. The answer is somewhat surprising because of the whole situation of how he ended up there. Thankfully, Charlotte doesn’t hold too much of a grudge.

This story is more than just about love. It is about girl gangs, friendship, and learning how to survive anything with the help of those women that surround and support you no matter what.

While this is Charlotte’s story, Abby, Avery, and Mia are all here and contributing to the situation. I love how they just barge in to each other’s homes without question and the men in their lives accept it. Don’t mess with the sisterhood! These women represent what we should all have in our lives, a pack of friends that will go to the ends of the earth to make sure no one is harmed in any way. And they aren’t beyond pranking those that need it or barging into the lives of their friends or pestering for sex life details.

There are so many wonderful things I am learning about Holland and I want to visit one day to see all of this for myself.

We give this book 5 paws up and suggest picking up this series. We get a sneak peek at book #5 and a new friend, Sofia. I can’t wait to see how they disrupt her life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew, to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic before returning to the law. But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

 

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Burden of Poof (Bonnie & Clyde Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cozy Queen Publishing LLC (September 15, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 254 pages

 

Synopsis

 

An amateur sleuth named Bonnie and her kitty companion Clyde, with names like those, what could possibly go wrong?

Life hasn’t sparkled too brightly for Bonnie Balfour over the past few years, but a heart-breaking divorce has brought her back to her small rural hometown of Bliss, Georgia, and things are starting to shape up.

The proud new owner of Bless Her Heart—a second chance dress shop and boutique on the town square—Bonnie thinks thirty-eight might not be too late for a fresh start in life after all.

Until a grouchy old widow turns up dead in a pile of donations meant for Bonnie’s shop, and the town’s new detective pins her to the top of his suspect list!

To save her shop, dream and reputation, Bonnie must coordinate clues and stitch together the truth about her innocence, but the unreasonably handsome detective and prying eyes of the local gossip mill are fast fraying her nerves.

When a series of anonymous attacks begin to hem her in, Bonnie fears the real killer is fixing to make her his next victim. Can this amateur sleuth measure up?

 

 

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Review

 

I love this new cozy series. small town, interesting characters, romance waiting to happen…and of course murder.

Bonnie has moved back to her hometown of Bliss, GA, and opened a second-hand shop for clothing and household goods. She requests donations from anyone she meets. She had recently requested items from Viola, a somewhat crotchety resident of Bliss, and was turned down until one day Viola shows up with gowns and such and says she has more for her and for her to swing by and pick the items up from her home. What Bonnie doesn’t expect is to find her dead at the bottom of the stairs and to be swept into a murder investigation by the “on loan” detective, Mason Wright. As is with most mysteries, Bonnie is the prime suspect and has to uncover clues to prove her innocence all without ending up dead herself.

There are so many factors to this book that I adored – the characters, the town, the philanthropic endeavors of Bonnie when it came to the young ladies and prom, and Bonnie’s desire to succeed with this new shop, a black rescue cat named Clyde who has a bit of a thieving issue in the store (which works out on Bonnie’s behalf later in the book). I seriously got tears in my eyes reading about her plans to make sure all young ladies had a dress for prom, definitely a feel-good moment. Bonnie’s best friend, Cami, is a hoot and engaged in revitalizing downtown Bliss. As you can imagine, in a small town people may not be aware of changes and shop away from town; and Cami is working hard to change this mindset.

The mystery portion is engaging and I honestly had no idea who to suspect of killing Viola. There are several possibilities and when the killer was revealed, it was not someone even on my radar. I found part of the justice quite interesting but you’ll have to read the book to find out what.

There is a blossoming romance between Bonnie and Detective Wright (once he determines she is not the killer), but at the same time, Bonnie is still trying to finalize her divorce, and while that relationship may have been over long ago, should she hold off and build a friendship with him before anything else? Only time will tell in future books.

This is a fantastic new series and I can’t wait to see what happens next for Bonnie & Clyde and the rest of Bliss. We give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than forty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes series as herself, as well as under multiple pen names, for Harlequin, Kensington, Sourcebooks, and Crooked Lane Books.

When Julie’s not creating new worlds or fostering the epic love of fictional characters, she can be found in Kent, Ohio, enjoying her blessed Midwestern life. And probably plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends. Today she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.

 

Website * Facebook * Cozy Queens FB Group * Twitter * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

 

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