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Phoebe Mercer has what most people envy; a wonderful boyfriend, fantastic friends and a job in the city’s top law firm. Getting engaged is just the honey in her tea! Then she gets run over by a hot dog cart, wakes up with a concussion and the ability to see ghosts. Well, one ghost. A loud, obnoxious woman who claims to have been murdered for her vast fortune.
Soon, Phoebe is solving a mystery that not only threatens her relationships, but her career as well. As she begins to battle feelings for the ghost’s handsome nephew, she realizes quite a few people in her life are not as they seem. Slowly, Phoebe uncovers the secrets and lies around her, learning that in order to solve this mystery and be free of the ghost, she must lie herself. The only catch? The secrets Phoebe has kept from the people in her life could ruin everything for her, and her ghostly companion, in the end.
“Well now we can talk in peace, without interruptions.”
Riley hadn’t seen her. In truth he looked right through her, like she was a phantom.
Like she was a ghost.
Okay, so maybe she is a ghost. Maybe she is telling the truth about having died and then being, reborn? Is that the right word?
I fiddle with the idea for a moment as I watch her walk around the sectional to have a better look at the rest of the loft. I draw in a breath as she walks through the end of the couch as if it wasn’t even there.
I have a ghost in my living room.
I’m staring at a woman, who was probably a very hip, stern grandmother when she was alive. She had just walked through my couch, and may walk through my coffee table. A stylish, otherworldly being standing with her hands on her hips judging the modern lamp lanterns hanging from the loft ceiling above her head.
A spirit that only I can see.
How hard had I hit my head? I should Google concussions and ghosts later on. In fact I should Google Ghosts in general.
“Okay,” I let out a deep breath, “So he didn’t see you.”
She turns her head my way and raises her eyebrows as if to say ‘told you so.’
“I’m guessing if my friends return right now then they wouldn’t see you either?”
“I very much doubt they would,” she slowly turns to face me. “Now, are you ready to listen to me?”
“How is it that I can see you? And nobody else can? I have never seen ghosts before,” I place a hand to my forehead and look at her. “I’m not even sure I believe in ghosts!”
“Does it matter now?” she asks me, “Because here I am. A ghost.” She opens her arms as she speaks, “In the flesh, or rather ghost flesh.” She is getting annoyed with my dawdling conclusion because she drops her hands and sighs at me. “Look, people have accidents or die and come back to life all the time, claiming they have supernatural powers or see ghosts. For heaven’s sake, they make movies of it; write books about it, television shows. All which I might add are strikingly accurate I now realize, except possession. That is entirely over-blown.”
My mouth hangs open, “You saw a possession?”
“Few days after I died,” she answers wearily and looks down at her blouse. I watch her adjust the ruffles at the bottom as she goes on. “Visited a poor possessed girl in Italy. Not nearly as interesting as you would think.”
“What was she possessed by?” I asked immediately intrigued and hating it.
“Didn’t think to ask,” she shrugs. “The second the priest started throwing around holy water I high-tailed it out of there. I didn’t want to be forced into the land of the peaceful until I concluded my unfinished business.”
“Which is?”
“To catch my killer, and find something of mine that was lost and is very important.”
She tells me this as if it’s a normal thing.
“Someone murdered you?”
Nikki LeClair lives in Canada with her loving husband and their two rambunctious children. When she isn’t ordering her children to behave or begging her Border Terrier to listen to her, she sits behind her lap-top plotting out the next adventure of her new characters. She’s a fan of a good glass of Pinot Noir, and can’t live without her favorite Tea blends.
About the Book
Title: SECRETLY HERS
Author: Jamie Beck
Release Date: June 21, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
On her thirty-first birthday, hopeless romantic Kelsey Callihan has all but given up on happily ever afters, which is why she agrees to a risqué proposition from Sterling Canyon’s notorious playboy, backcountry skier Trip Lexington. After all, every girl needs a little fun, and with Trip, there are no mixed signals or risks of a broken heart. And if his tips can help her land a husband in the process, all the better.
Trip couldn’t be happier with his secret, no-strings fling with sweet and sexy Kelsey until she calls it quits after meeting a man she believes could share her dream of marriage and family. His jealousy turns to outrage when he discovers that the man is his estranged half brother and lifelong rival.
Now Trip must decide whether the fire in his gut is due to sibling rivalry or something much more dangerous…like love.
When he spotted Kelsey at the end of the walkway, his surprised expression quickly morphed from chagrin to something sly as his pace slackened. He called out, “Good morning, princess.”
If he thought he could embarrass her by bringing up last week’s costume incident, he was about to be taught a lesson.
“Don’t slow down on my account.” Kelsey leaned against her car, arms folded in front of her chest, verbal assault at the ready. “And while it probably will blow your mind, just consider this: the woman you’re so keen to sneak away from might not be all that interested in chasing you down.”
“In my experience, satisfied women always want more.” Undaunted, he came within a foot of Kelsey, his strapping frame casting hers in shadow. He leaned near, his eyes briefly dipping to her cleavage, which was scrunched together by the sports bra she’d worn for class. “And trust me, she’s more than satisfied.”
“Oh yeah?” She eyed his cowboy hat, half tempted to knock it off his head. Egos like his were the reason women like her were still single. “Well in my experience, most men tend to overestimate their ability in the bedroom.”
“Lucky for me, I’m not like most men.” Trip’s lips curled upward in that sexy, arrogant way he’d perfected. When she rolled her eyes, he said, “If you need proof, just say the word.”
For just a second—a millisecond—she wanted to, badly. Attitude aside, he was hotter than a branding iron, even when mussed up and wearing last night’s wrinkled clothes. And it had been, ahem, a while since she’d been wrapped up in a man’s arms and legs.
Her slight hesitation ignited a spark of energy between them, which appeared to shoot an extra twinkle straight into his eyes.
Jamie Beck is a former attorney with a passion for inventing stories about love and redemption. In addition to writing novels, she also pens articles on behalf of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth and strengthening families. Fortunately, when she isn’t tapping away at the keyboard, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.
A house burglary in 1912 San Francisco that the victim denies happening piques Emma Matheson’s reporter instincts. Why would a not-so-wealthy businessman deny that recovered loot was his and forego collecting his $8,000 worth of stolen jewelry? Why did he fire his maid and butler who originally reported the theft? The more she pursues the burglary that wasn’t a burglary, the more she sees it as a major story, involving murder, intrigue, and smuggling. Can she solve it and write the story that could project her to become the world-famous reporter she so covets? Or will she become one of its victims?
Additional info about Emma: Emma Matheson is a young woman determined to be a star front-page reporter despite the bias against women in her day.Her mother died when she was born. She was reared by her father who runs a newspaper in Sacramento. She grew up learning about the newspaper business. Her father valued education and insisted she attend university before starting her career. She is bright, determined, a great writer — but a bit naive.
I’d like to welcome Joyce back to StoreyBook Reviews! I have shared many of her books over the last few years and looking forward to reading her newest book. I have it here in the queue…now if the queue would just get smaller!
“A story will interest me, and then somewhere along the way, I discover that hidden inside are these epic themes.”-Stephen Schwartz
What is a theme and why is it relevant or even appropriate in a mystery?
After all, we mystery readers want to become engrossed in the puzzle, feel the tension and suspense of solving it, and maybe enjoy a little romance along the way. Certainly something so erudite-sounding as a theme would only get in the way.
In other genres, we frequently encounter easily detectable themes. In a dystopian story, we recognize the demise of civilization due to some cause. In romance, the protagonists’ promiscuity or lack of caring might play out as a theme. In a spy thriller, perhaps it’s nuclear proliferation.
When writing my most recent mystery, The Reporter’s Story, I discovered the theme evolved from my characters and their setting. Much as Mr. Schwartz, the composer of Broadway musicals Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin says, my theme hid in the surroundings and character of my determined female reporter.
My protagonist, Emma Matheson, strives to become a world-class reporter in 1912 San Francisco. Given the time period, she confronts resistance to a woman with career goals and realizes that suffrage is an important issue. At this time, women in California had just received the right to vote along with several other states. However, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was still eight years from being ratified.
At the same time as women were demonstrating for the vote, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer—in addition to promoting the use of yellow journalism to grow their circulations—both recognized the value of female writers in their newspapers. They were hiring them mostly for their writing skills but eventually for their reporting abilities—despite some resistance by both males and females in the publishing world.
Therefore the theme of women’s rights screamed out. I did not set out to write about them, but Emma’s character, the times, and her vocation demanded it. To be a successful reporter in 1912 required a strong person, dedicated to success—meaning, she had to pursue a story with vigilance, sometimes with twice as much dedication as her male counterparts. A woman in such a profession is likely to have also demanded the right to vote given the atmosphere of demonstrations by women and the platform of many politicians, such as Teddy Roosevelt, supporting an amendment for women’s suffrage.
Perhaps if she had been in a different vocation, she might have followed some other path. For example, if she were the wife of a famous philanthropist in 1912, she might have pursued identifying deserving causes of the poor—while solving a mystery of a charity scam. That would have resulted in a different theme.
In a previous book, The Judge’s Story, I featured a superior court judge in 1939 Ventura, CA, based on the memoir of an actual judge from that time. He sought justice for the indigent and immigrants in his town as he tried to identify the murderer of a store manager. So the theme emerged from his actions and verdicts in his court cases.
Of course, multiple themes can surface from a story and its characters. Regardless, however, I believe they must unfold and be driven by the characters, their vocation or background, and the time period. Otherwise, they won’t support the plot—and what the mystery is all about.
Mystery author Joyce T. Strand, much like her fictional character, Jillian Hillcrest, served as head of corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike Jillian, however, she did not encounter murder. Rather, she focused on publicizing her companies and their products.
She is the author of the Jillian Hillcrest mysteries ON MESSAGE, OPEN MEETINGS, and FAIR DISCLOSURE, the Brynn Bancroft mystery HILLTOP SUNSET and the historical mystery, THE JUDGE’S STORY.
Strand received her Ph.D. from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. and her B.A. from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.
She currently lives in Southern California with her two cats, a collection of cow statuary and art, and her muse, the roadrunner.
The Calamity Café: A Down South Café Mystery
BRAND NEW SERIES
Cozy Mystery
Series: A Down South Café Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: NAL (June 7, 2016)
First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking that is to die for.
Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition…
Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can’t wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.
At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her. Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.
Includes delicious Southern recipes
I loved this book! Probably because it centers around a cafe and I love food and new recipes (or even twists on old favorites).
Amy has brought her culinary skills to this small town and wants to open up a southern cafe…you know what that means, comfort food! She doesn’t want to compete with the local diner and offers to buy it from the current owner, Lou Lou, but she isn’t having any of that. Until her son changes her mind and as Amy goes to meet Lou Lou, her son Pete, and the lawyer, Amy comes across her own surprise – Lou Lou face down dead. And like all mysteries, Amy takes it up on herself to figure out who did it and why.
I really did like this book a lot and the only thing that started to irritate me is that Amy couldn’t let go that she really wasn’t a viable suspect despite finding the body. She has an alibi and doesn’t seem to trust in that information. She would panic at thinking she was going to be arrested when it was so far from the truth.
That aside, the mystery was well written and while I suspected who the killer was I didn’t really know why until Amy started digging up more information on Lou Lou’s past and her family. The killer did do some things that made me suspicious of that character, you’ll just have to see if you can pick up on the same clues!
Oh and I loved Homer’s character and his hero of the day. What a way to look at life.
We give this 5 paws up.
Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. I also write as Amanda Lee. As Gayle Trent, I write the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series. As Amanda Lee, I write the Embroidery Mystery series. I live in Virginia with my family, which includes her own “Angus” who is not an Irish wolfhound but a Great Pyrenees who provides plenty of inspiration for the character of Mr. O’Ruff. I’m having a blast writing this new series!
Kenni Lowry likes to think the zero crime rate in Cottonwood, Kentucky is due to her being sheriff, but she quickly discovers the ghost of her grandfather, the town’s previous sheriff, has been scaring off any would-be criminals since she was elected. When the town’s most beloved doctor is found murdered on the very same day as a jewelry store robbery, and a mysterious symbol ties the crime scenes together, Kenni must satisfy her hankerin’ for justice by nabbing the culprits.
With the help of her Poppa, a lone deputy, and an annoyingly cute, too-big-for-his-britches State Reserve officer, Kenni must solve both cases and prove to the whole town, and herself, that she’s worth her salt before time runs out.
Related subjects include: cozy mysteries, women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), humorous murder mysteries, book club recommendations, amateur sleuth books, Southern humor, small town, paranormal mysteries.
This is the first book I have read by this author (but have her other books on my kindle) and I enjoyed this book. But then I always do love a good cozy.
I can safely say I did not see that ending coming! (well the killer reveal portion) but it seems like each time I read a mystery and think I have the killer figured out, there is some sort of twist that surprises me.
There is a paranormal aspect that actually made the story somewhat light (at least to me). I don’t want to spoil anything so hard to say too much, but it explains why there was no crime for her first 2 years as sheriff.
This is a series that I will be following and we give it 4 paws up.
Tonya Kappes has written more than fifteen novels and four novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, two very spoiled schnauzers, and one ex-stray cat in northern Kentucky. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full-time but can be found at all of her guys’ high school games with a pencil and paper in hand. More than anything, Tonya loves to connect with readers, with a loyal ‘street team’ of fans and followers on social media.
Title: HIS LASS WEARS TARTAN
Author: Kathleen Shaputis
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Pages: 270
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Independent and dedicatedly single, Rogue Bruce enjoys running Castle Baillie with her Aunt Baillie from America. They specialize in romantic Elizabethan-themed weddings, complete with resident ghost, Lord Kai (nothing like a haunted castle to set the mood for love). But love is something Rogue is not the least bit interested in. Content with her work and stable of horses, no man is necessary for her happiness.
Matchmaking is in the air, though, focusing on Bruce MacKenzie, a Thor in plaid and jeans from town, and Jonathan Olson, a snobbish Rhett Butler type. With two men after her heart (she’d thought safely locked away), Rogue is torn with confusion. Murder and a psychic yank the soundtrack of Rogue’s life from romantic to scary, while she has choices to make in this sizzling triangle.
“Who created these torture devices for women?” Rogue muttered as the high-heeled ankle boots her glittery Seattle friend, Rafael, had picked out for her squeezed her toes. Dashing around the white-silk-draped chairs inside the reception tent set up on the castle grounds, she lifted her floor-length emerald skirt of fluff and ribbons and screamed internally about her aching feet. Her steps made soft clicks on the temporary polished flooring. “Spike heels make my legs look better, she tells me. Heels? Seriously? Buried under twenty yards of bloody material, no one will notice, I swear, and this dress weighs a ton.”
Why must my bloody underwear be authentic if no one knows or sees it? Seriously, another full day of endless agony in this restrictive Elizabethan costume of layered torture. You know an evil man must have created the corset. No woman would have designed something so miserable and called it fashionable. How many times had she pleaded with Aunt Baillie to let her wear something soft, something comfortable like pants and a jacket? Her aunt’s normally sweet face would transform into a stony glare, forcing Rogue to relent and don one of the many costumes made specifically for her.
“The Baillie Castle Bed and Breakfast promises a fairy-tale environment for couples in love and bridal parties and a stop-time fantasy for families and guests,” Rogue mimicked her American aunt and business partner. “These expensive weddings pay the taxes and daily upkeep of your renovated castle.”
Rogue could barely breathe in the tightly wrapped bodice as she rounded out of the heated white tent, her eyes on the temporary stone path placed in the soggy Scottish mud. Plowing into something solid, Rogue cursed and frantically reached out, wobbling on the spiked heels. Grabbing at anything, her fingers found soft, crushable flannel before warm, strong hands wrapped around her wrists. Staring at the manly fingers holding her steady, Rogue’s eyes traveled up the long, chiseled arms of a young man to his concerned face, locking eyes with her.
“Ya be all right, miss?”
His baritone voice tickled her ears, causing the breath to catch in her throat as the heat from his grasp flushed in a wave across her face. All she could handle was a weak nod while staring at his serious face framed with shaggy blond hair, a chill breeze lifting the bangs from his ruddy forehead. His oddly green eyes blinked above a well-freckled nose and broke the spell.
Kathleen Shaputis, author/ghostwriter, lives in the glorious Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob, a clowder of cats and two pompously protective Pomeranians with little social aptitude, Brugh and Bouncer. If not writing, she’s busy reading and watching romantic comedies, her ultimate paradise.
Sometimes, you have to leave your comfort zone.
Iggy’s long time home, Crystal Cove, becomes polluted. So, Iggy and a few of his friends set out to find a clean place to live. This proves to be more challenging than they expected.
Iggy and his friends must work together to solve problems, deal with disappointment, and stay strong when things get tough.
For parents and educators: Recent research shows introverted children are often underrepresented in today’s social sphere. This book gives them a character they can relate to, while also helping introverted and extroverted children understand the differences between the two personality types.
I learned about this book at BEA and picked up this copy of the series because I thought it would be great for a young child should they move around a lot, how to make friends and to never give up. I like the underlying message about pollution and what we are doing to our eco-system by throwing things into the water and how it ruins things for the life within the waters.
The illustrations are beautiful and reflect the story and the message being sent.
We give it 5 paws up
Skip the hassle of last-minute meals and leftovers and replace them with simple, healthy, delicious, and easy-to-prepare make-ahead dishes! Your family will love these comfortable meals, new favorites, cozy drinks, and tantalizing desserts—all of them prepared ahead of time so you don’t have to worry! Enjoy simple, soul-filling foods without the chaos of preparing them at the last minute.
I love cookbooks and was excited to be invited to participate in the blog tour for this book. I didn’t realize there are 75 recipes in the book but that sounds about right. The recipes are varied and include all different courses – from appetizers to main dishes, to sides and desserts. There are even a few beverage options. The photos of the different recipes are mouthwatering! I chose a few recipes based on the photos alone…is that wrong? I hope not! The Cashew Chicken and Brown Rice casserole caught my eye, along with the Double Dark Chocolate Banana Bread and the Coconut Black Bottom Brownies. They were all a hit with family and friends so those will go in the keeper file.
I will say that this is down home cooking at its finest and if you are looking for low fat, this is not the cookbook for you. You can probably slim them down with exchanges without losing too much in the consistency or taste. Don’t get me wrong, these are some delicious recipes…just eat in moderation.
I do like how you can make ahead, and even freeze, some of the dishes for future meals. Watch how many the recipe says it serves. If you have a smaller family you might need to cut in half.
All in all some great new recipes and I can’t wait to try out all of the recipes later, especially the soups this winter.
We give it 4 paws up.
Annalise Thomas is a big city girl married to a small town boy. Every day is a joy and a challenge as she learns to live and love this small town life. Annalise is a foodie with a deep passion for everything edible and for sharing what she loves with others. Annalise is a wife and mom, a baker, a cook, and a blogger. She and her family live a very real life and eat as much real food as possible.
