The Ghost and the Stolen Tears (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Berkley (October 4, 2022)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Norma is a modern-day nomad. Living out of her van and teardrop trailer, she revels in self-reliance, solitude, and reading in the glorious peace of nature. Jovial, wise, and scrupulously honest, she’s become an uplifting presence in the little town of Quindicott, Rhode Island, where bookseller Pen is thankful to have her part-time help. But it’s Norma’s other job, working as a housekeeper at the Finch Inn, that gets her into terrible trouble. Norma is accused of stealing jewels from a guest’s room: the legendary Valentino Teardrops, an antique necklace and earring set, inherited by a young socialite. Pen doesn’t believe Norma is guilty of the crime—though the evidence is distressingly strong. And when the spirited Norma vanishes before her arrest, Pen turns to another spirit…

Jack Shepard, PI, may have been gunned down decades ago, but his memory hasn’t been ghosted. Back in the 1940s, those same Valentino Teardrops starred in a bizarre case of betrayal and murder. From the look of things, history is about to repeat. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Penguin Random House * BAM

 

 

About the Author

 

CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries—now celebrating eighteen years in print. They are also authors of the nationally bestselling Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, previously written under the pseudonym Alice Kimberly. Alice has worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., and New York, and has written popular fiction for adults and children. A former magazine editor, Marc has authored espionage thrillers and nonfiction for adults and children. Alice and Marc are also both bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together.

 

Website * Newsletter * Facebook * Twitter

 

BookBub * Goodreads * Instagram

 

 

Giveaway

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

That ornery, but oh, so handsome, charming, and somewhat, wayward angel, Detective Bobby Starr, has returned. This time, he’s back to fulfill his third and, hopefully, his final requirement to get into Saint Peter’s prestigious Guardian Angel Squad. This time, the usually reluctant time traveler, Alexa Owl, is ready to go back to the 1960s to assist in solving one more long-ago murder. Why? Because if all goes well, she’ll be rid of the menacing angel once and for all. Except, an emergency jerks Alexa back to her own time, and to complicate matters, she’s got a tag-along. Can Bobby solve this last case without Alexa’s help? After all, she’s got her hands full with a life-or-death mystery in the twenty-first century!

 

 

Amazon ~ Audible

 

 

Review

 

This has been such a fun series to follow. Alexa has been tapped by Saint Peter (maybe?) to assist Bobby Starr in solving three of his old cases that weren’t solved before he died so he can join the Guardian Angel Squad. Between these two, they have managed to track down the culprits and ensure they were tried for their crimes.

This book is a little different since Alexa is pulled back to the present with someone on her coattails that helps her resolve an issue in her time. This leaves Bobby to solve the murder on his own. Thankfully, Alexa has trained him well over the last two cases to think outside the box and question anyone and everything! So we have two mysteries to solve in this book. It was interesting how Alexa and Bobby both took matters into their own hands to resolve their cases. It might have been a little unorthodox, but whatever it takes to get the job done.

I love how some people can see Bobby, but not all. And how they call Alexa’s replacement Zombie Alexa. I can only imagine what it must be like. At least Winnie knows what is going on. Poor Holden has been left in the dark, and I’m not sure how he would take that sort of information.

There is some movement forward with the relationship between Cliff and Alexa at the end of this book. Where will it take them? We won’t know unless this series continues!

I do wonder if there will be more books because the whole point was to help Bobby solve 3 cases, and since that is done, what could possibly happen now? The author has left it open-ended for another book, or it could stop here.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg. Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy! Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

 

 

Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook ~ Instagram

 

 

Meet the Narrator

 

Ms. Waxenberg is a voice over artist and presentation coach. She serves as a consultant to the Professional Development Company, Inc. teaching presentation and interview skills seminars to a variety of clients, Columbia MBA, and SIPA graduate students. Maren has a 30-year background in special events, performing arts production and the entertainment industry. In 1996, she founded Maren Productions which produces audio books, radio and television voice-overs, and podcasts. Maren Productions also offers special event production and consultancy services.

Ms. Waxenberg has worked in Special event production with George Trescher Associates, theater production and management at the TheatreVirginia in Richmond, the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, and The New Dramatists in New York. She edited and formatted feature films for ABC Motion Picture Post Production. Maren served as the concert manager of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall for four years, produced events for the promotion department of The New York Daily News, and has produced chamber music recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Ms, Waxenberg has produced, directed and performed in numerous Off-Broadway theatre productions. She trained with the CoActive Training Institute.

Giveaway

 

Autographed copy of DOUBLE DOG DARE (an Owl’s Nest Mystery) (two winners)

USA only

Ends Nov 4

DOUBLE DOG DARE (an Owl’s Nest Mystery) Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Candy Killing (A Killer Chocolate Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
The book is set in a fictional town, Harriston, Montana.
Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Their chocolates are to die for—but things aren’t so sweet when a real killer comes to town, in this debut mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs.

 

Identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates. But now, there’s a real killer in their midst. Shortly before Christmas, their septuagenarian neighbor, Jane, confides to Alex that a murderer from a true-crime show has taken up residence in the village. Unfortunately, she’s also shared her suspicions with town gossip Netta. The next morning, Alex shows up at Jane’s house to watch the show, but instead discovers Jane’s body, with a box of Killer Chocolates nearby.

The sheriff quickly zeroes in on two suspects: Alex, a beneficiary in Jane’s will, and Zack, a handyman who was seen leaving the crime scene. But Alex maintains her innocence and sets out to draft a list of other potential suspects—townsfolk who’d recently been seen arguing with Jane.

When Alex gets hold of Jane’s journal, she begins to understand the truth. But a bearer of ill tidings is arriving early this year—and Alex just might not make it to Christmas.

 

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

 

 

Review

 

This is a fun new series because it contains several of my favorite things – chocolate, books, and murder. Ok, so may not the murder so much, but there has to be a mystery somewhere.

While this story features twin sisters, the focus really seems to be on Alex, and her twin, Hannah, seems to be a secondary character. Alex is really the one investigating the murder of her friend, Jane, and is the one that finds herself in hot water one too many times.

I do love the bookstore, especially the chocolate truffles that they sell that are named after various poisons. What a clever idea, and not to worry, there are several recipes at the back of the book that you can try yourself. It is interesting that the bookstore stocks primarily mystery novels. What if someone wants a romance or historical novel? I guess they find one that is a mystery too.

I enjoyed the mystery and trying to decipher who the killer might be. I was able to pinpoint the correct character but not the why. I suspected another character, but it was all a red herring, and it was too obvious to suspect this one character. Alex does find herself in harm’s way a time or two, but thankfully, various friends and citizens come to her rescue.

There is a potential romance between Alex and her neighbor Tom. I had to chuckle when another neighbor, Penelope, would come over and try and get between them. That woman is a mess! There is even a budding romance for Hannah…or perhaps she has two suitors. Only future books will tell.

We enjoyed this book and look forward to future installments. We give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Christina Romeril loves to plot murders, especially by poisoning. When she’s not plotting how to kill one of her characters she’s coming up with ways to dispose of the body. Since writing her debut novel her husband’s friends have been regularly checking on his well-being.

Christina also loves to read, eat chocolates, and travel when she’s not in her she shed writing. She grew up in Southern Ontario and spent most of her summers in Muskoka swimming, boating, and generally getting into mischief. She’s lived on both coasts of Canada and has a love of being near the water and close to a forest. Thus, it makes perfect sense that she moved to the prairies of Southern Alberta over twenty years ago.

During the warmer months you’ll find her escaping to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park with her cooler stocked full of chocolate and pastries. Occasionally, the once avid hiker will even set out on one of the many hiking trails and hope she doesn’t run into a hungry bear.

Christina is a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys interacting on social media.

 

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

Live and Let Grind (A Coffee Lover’s Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Florida
Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

 

 

Synopsis

 

Devil’s Beach is percolating with a hot murder case, and reporter-turned-barista Lana Lewis could be the next to get beaned in Tara Lush’s third Coffee Lover’s mystery, perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Lucy Burdette.

 

Laid-off journalist Lana Lewis is thriving as the proprietor of Perkatory, a coffee shop on quirky Devil’s Beach island, Florida. She’s juggling a relationship with police chief Noah Garcia, enjoying the company of her best friend, Erica, and relishing the companionship of her golden Shih Tzu, Stanley. Only problem is her neighbor, Gus, who incessantly uses his leaf blower, disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. Lana has learned to tune it out, but Erica’s rage boils over and she confronts Gus.

Then Gus is found dead, killed when his leaf blower explodes. Erica immediately becomes suspect number one. But there are plenty of other candidates as well: Gus’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Honey Bailey, who thinks she’ll be written out of his will; Mickey Dotson and Doug Beck, who were scalded financially after purchasing a pirate-themed tourist cruise business from Gus; and plenty of angry neighbors who’ve had run-ins with him.

As the clock ticks down will Lana get someone to spill the beans on the killer so she can clear her friend’s name, or will Erica go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit?

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Apple * Kobo * IndieBound * Google Books

 

 

Guest Post

 

When was the last time you roller skated?

 

For me, it’s been decades. Many, many decades.

But for hundreds of people on Instagram and TikTok, roller skating is a THING. It’s an art form. A path to stardom. In May of 2020, Buzzfeed wrote, “If you’ve been stuck in quarantine, watching beautiful people blissfully roller-skate in some gorgeous, sun-drenched place is bound to pique your interest.”

My interest was definitely piqued. I was researching my third mystery, LIVE AND LET GRIND, and I became fascinated with these skating videos. Beautiful people shimmied and danced and boogied on old school skates.

You know the kind. They have four chunky wheels and a heavy boot. Sometimes the wheels are colorful, and the boots sometimes sparkle. The kind we used to use in the 70s and 80s at roller rinks heavy with black light and disco balls.

I discovered this niche hobby during the height of the pandemic. In 2020, not many things were open. And I was at home writing, thinking about my next book, dreaming of going somewhere, anywhere.

When I found these roller-skating videos of people zooming down the Santa Monica pier or by the beach in Miami, it jogged my imagination. Some of the videos were quite popular, with 10 million hits. People were becoming social media stars from roller-skating!

Of course, many of the roller-skating folks were incredibly beautiful. They wore throwback outfits to the 1980s, complete with feathered hair like Farrah Fawcett. This gave me the inspiration for a character in LIVE AND LET GRIND.

When I plot a book, I like to first determine the victim, then figure out who killed that person and why. After that, I develop my suspects.

But with LIVE AND LET GRIND, I had an idea for a different character first. I wanted a gorgeous, roller-skating Instagram star to be a suspect, because it seemed like a wacky thing that would only happen in Florida. Can’t you picture reading about a twenty-something influencer in Florida as the suspect in the death of her older husband?

I decided to go all-in on this character. She’s blonde, with feathered hair, neon clothing, and leg warmers. Sweatshirts that effortlessly fall off one shoulder, and sweatbands that look more like Olivia Newton-John than Richard Simmons. Imagine 1980s Fort Lauderdale come to life, and you have my character Honey Bailey.

In one scene, my heroine Lana Lewis decides to find out more about Honey, and runs into her along the waterfront. Here’s an excerpt of their first encounter — Lana and her shih tzu, Stanley, are out for a walk and see Honey skating.

 

# # #

 

My attention was immediately diverted to Honey, who commanded center stage in the middle of the pavement circle.

She slowly spun a few times, then came to a stop. “Who has a portable speaker?” Her voice was velvety and rich, and combined with her pretty, tanned face and long legs, it was no wonder that Gus had fallen hard for her. Most men, and many women, would too.

But her question struck me as weird. Who carried portable speakers with them?

“We do!” The two girls who’d passed me by squealed. “What do you want us to play?”

Maybe not that weird. Maybe I was old and out of touch with new technology.

“Pick a disco tune. Anything you want.” Honey said, gathering her long hair into a messy bun with a pink scrunchie.

The girls, who had been born decades after the disco era, conferred and got busy. One hunched over a phone while the other took out a small, blue wireless speaker. About thirty seconds later, the funky strains of the seventies tune “Boogie Oogie Oogie” began.

Honey shimmied her hips, skated backward, and blew the girls a kiss. Then she literally boogied on wheels, and my jaw dropped. Even Stanley seemed transfixed by the dancing, undulating Honey Bailey. She wore old-school skates with white boots, the kind with four wheels. Those were silver and sparkly.

Her outfit consisted of hot-pink Lycra bike shorts, a matching bikini top, and a silver fanny pack around her waist. Light pink sunglasses topped the outfit off.

She was possibly the only person on the planet to make a fanny pack look cool, and for that alone, I was impressed.

This was Gus’s wife?

She skated in a circle, shimmying backward, doing little twisty motions with one foot in the air. She shook her hips. Snapped her fingers. Spun in circles. Swayed to the beat. Honey appeared impossibly hip, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit envious.

I’d never seen anyone so graceful on roller skates, and the crowd obviously loved it. Most were taking photos or videos, while a few hooted, hollered, and clapped.

She ended her disco routine when the song did, by doing a lunge move and trailing her fingers along the ground. Everyone cheered.

“What talent,” exclaimed an elderly woman sitting at a nearby bench.

Honey did a final spin and blew kisses. “Thank you, every- one. You make me feel so good. Something terrible happened yesterday, and having your support means so much. I love you all, and remember, if you’re visiting, or if you’re a local and want to take lessons, hit me up on my Instagram page.”

She gave the name, involving the word skate and the number eight, and glided away to applause.

I remained speechless. As a third-generation Floridian, I was used to weird stuff in the Sunshine State. As a journalist in Miami, I’d covered all manner and sorts of oddities. People high on bath salts who attacked others at random. Serial killers. Gators in parking lots at gentlemen’s clubs. Heck, even here on Devil’s Beach we had the wild monkeys with herpes.

But this was among the top five strangest things I’d ever seen. A widow who put on a public roller-skating show a day after her husband was murdered by an exploding leaf blower?

 

 

About the Author

 

Tara Lush is a Rita Award finalist, an Amtrak writing fellow, and a George C. Polk Award winning journalist. For the past decade, she’s been a reporter with the Associated Press, covering crime, alligators, natural disasters, and politics. She also writes contemporary romance set in tropical locations. A fan of vintage pulp-fiction book covers, Sinatra-era jazz, and 1980s fashion, she lives with her husband and two dogs on the Gulf coast.

 

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

The Chamomile Conspiracy: A Garden Lover Cozy Mystery (Seasons of the Witch)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Maine
Witchy Mysteries (September 30, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 311 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Green witch Pax Thatcher leads a busy life. Between working two jobs, applying to grad school, and helping out at the old herb shop that belongs to her friend and mentor, Miss Millie, Pax doesn’t have much time for practicing spells. She’s lucky she can keep her enormous plant collection alive.

Fortunately, she can talk to her plants, and they talk back.

But when Pax arrives for a visit to her seaside hometown of Honesty Harbor, Maine, and discovers Miss Millie is missing, she drops everything to find her. When she does, it’s just in time to hear Miss Millie’s dying words:

Poison. Find them.

Unable to believe anyone would want to murder the kind old woman, Pax vows to fulfill Miss Millie’s last request. But how can a boring little witch who doesn’t even own a cauldron solve a murder? Ask the only witness—a potted plant—what happened.

But the more she listens to her leafy allies, the more questions she has. And when others begin to view her as the prime suspect, Pax must hurry to weed out the killer before someone else gets whacked.

 

 

Amazon

 

Read for Free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Guest Post

 

I’ll admit, it was hard to write this blog post. I sat here, staring at the screen for days, trying to come up with something compelling and maybe even a little funny. Not feeling too funny today, though. A lot on my mind, mostly missing my cat, Marvin. He died in July, after fifteen years together, and it still hurts even now, months later. You don’t just forget your best friend. It’s a wound that never really heals. You just learn to adapt, like you would to a missing limb.

But that brings me to what I’d like to talk about, I suppose: writer’s block. I’ve been a writer since I was a teenager, and Lord knows writer’s block has hit me off and on throughout the years. This happens to every writer. Real life encroaches on our creative spaces and shoves everything out the window, replacing it with the worries and crises that interfere with, you know, everything.

For me it is the death of my cat, my father’s failing health, and my own disabilities rearing their ugly head. It’s choked my creativity down to the vague trickle of a drought-stricken stream, and now I can’t seem to get my butt in gear when it comes to the things I want to be writing and should be writing—and the ADHD sure doesn’t help matters, either.

So how do you beat it? I’ll be honest, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes, you have to ride it out, go with the flow until you come to the ocean of words. Then you have to remember how to swim. It’s a struggle, and there’s no one way to break the cycle. Some people pick up a distracting hobby. Some go to therapy. Others try to power through it, forcing words onto the page just to make them exist. And for some people, those things may work.

I suppose my message to other writers struggling with writer’s block is that it is not your fault. It could be your circumstances, it could be neurodivergence interference, it could be any number of things, but you don’t control how your brain processes the words in your head. They may dry up and you have to wait for the rain, or it may be raining too much, and you need it to just stop for a while. Either way, you can’t blame yourself, so don’t.

A final piece of advice: don’t underestimate the power of fanfiction as a writing tool. I wouldn’t be here without it. I think the worst bout of writer’s block kept me from writing for several years, before I broke my streak with a short little fanfiction about hockey boys from a webcomic. Try taking someone else’s characters and playing in their sandbox for a while. Write little post-episode/film tidbits, or a short story in which the characters of a fantasy epic find themselves in a modern-day coffeeshop. Write a 100,000 word epic tale of angst, ending in the main characters riding off into the sunset.

Bottom line: Don’t give up and don’t be too hard on yourself.

And hey, if you really can’t make the words obey, try writing about that. It worked for me, because now this blog post is done, and I can go eat cookies now. J

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Louise Marvin’s mother wrote Star Trek fanfiction in the 1980s, so it was only natural that Louise follows in her footsteps. FanFiction played a big part in Louise’s development and coincidence as a writer, inspiring her to try her hand at original fiction. THE CHAMOMILE CONSPIRACY is her first book. Louise lives in New England with an elderly cat and an extensive LEGO Star Wars collection and works at a medical cannabis facility.

 

Website (Coming Soon) * Twitter * Tumblr * TikTok

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

A Hill to Dye On (Clear Creek Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – A small town in the Rocky Mountains
Independently Published (October 13, 2022)
Number of Pages: ~250

 

Synopsis

 

Summer has made its way up the mountain to Clear Creek, and with the new season, the town is offering a slew of summer classes at the community center. Happy to participate, Jemma and her yarn shop sponsor a fiber-dying class taught by her oldest friend, Kitty.

When a mysterious man walks into class, something about him pulls Jemma into a tangle. Learning Kitty once knew him, Jemma has questions — but her friend is staying mum. Then Jemma goes on an early-morning walk and discovers the man dead.

This time, Jemma’s determined to stay out of the investigation — until she learns that because of a past she’s been hiding, Kitty is the main suspect! Unwilling to turn her back on her friend, Jemma starts looking for a dropped stitch.

Because somewhere, there’s a person with dye on their hands.

 

 

Amazon

 

This book releases on October 13th and will be available to read for Free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Review

 

If you enjoy beautiful scenery, mountains, and more, then you might want to check out this series. It is set in a small town in Colorado, and as it is with all small towns, everyone is nosey and in each other’s business, and it is hard to keep much a secret.

Jemma moved back to this small town when her grandmother passed away, and she inherited her yarn store. From the moment she arrived in town, she has been investigating murders, primarily to keep herself clear of any accusations. In this book, it is her friend Kitty that is suspected of killing someone. However, this just doesn’t seem logical, considering she is petite and probably doesn’t have the upper body strength to kill someone or move them to another location.

There are several suspicious characters, and as Jemma uncovers the truth, we discover several other situations that will resolve themselves by the end of the book. We learn more about Kitty’s past and her brother’s need to control her life. Jemma does find herself the target and takes a hit to the head again and a few other threats to her and her life. While I had a strong inclination towards one character, I wasn’t 100% correct. I enjoyed watching the story unfold.

Then there is the relationship between Jemma and Brandon. They are keeping it a secret, but because the town is nosey, it doesn’t stay that way for long.

This is an enjoyable series, and we give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.

 

Website * Instagram * Facebook

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

Murder up to Bat (A Front Page Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Wisconsin
Independently Published (August 18, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 186 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Mystery with a whiff of romance…After falling in love with the quiet lake life and a certain police detective, former Chicago Tribune reporter Emma Moore trades interviewing jocks for chasing champion cows at the county fair. As a small-town newspaper reporter, she covers local topics both big and small, but when her friend Luke is arrested for the murder of the head coach of his club softball team, she’ll need to hone her investigative skills to clear his name. Emma calls up best friend Grace for help, and together the women go up against cutthroat parents willing to kill for a chance to get their daughters onto a premier college sports team.

It’s the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, and murder is up to bat. Can Emma and her friends bring the heat and win the game?

 

 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

 

 

About the Author

 

Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories. She had never read a romance novel until her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene).

Her novels reflect her mercurial temperament and include historical romances, contemporary romances, cozy mysteries, and dark mysteries. With some being “clean” and some being “naughty,” she has a book for your every mood.

Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband and Sidney, the rescue dog from Tennessee. When she isn’t writing, reading, editing, or walking the dog that never tires, she’s sleeping.

 

Website * Blog * Facebook * Instagram

 

Amazon * Goodreads * Twitter

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Synopsis

 

When her long-lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can’t be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.

It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, the Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to contribute to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

She’s soon proven right when Ronnie is suspected of murder, and secrets surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin’s innocence. He may be a jerk, but he’s still family. And there’s no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer . . . right?

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Bookshop

 

 

Review

 

This is the third book in the series, which I didn’t realize before I picked it up to read. While you can read it without reading the first two, I think you will understand the characters better starting at the beginning.

The series centers around a Filipino family, and I loved the closeness of the family and how they supported each other but also didn’t let anyone get anyway with anything. And the food! It seems like they were eating 24/7. I have had some of the dishes that were mentioned and have even made the date bar called Food of the Gods…and it is really delicious.

I felt like the story dragged for the first half or so of the book. I think this goes back to not knowing the characters and the family dynamics. There was a lot of talk about food and cookies that Lila was making for her cafe that went a little overboard, in my opinion.

The mystery and murder did keep me guessing, and I couldn’t get a handle on who the guilty party might be. I was quite surprised when all was revealed, but once the reveal unfolded, it made more sense.

There are many likable characters, and the Ninangs were a hoot. They all take respect for family seriously, which was good to see. Of course, Ronnie was usually the brunt of it since he had been gone for some time, and he had some secrets that were revealed at the end of this book.

Overall, this was a good book, and we give it 3 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Mia P. Manansala is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and badass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.

 

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Summer Camp Culprit: A Short Romantic Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Michigan
Independently Published (May 11, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 66 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Camp Starfall is closing. But that doesn’t mean the past is going with it.

 

Despite her misgivings, Lindsey returns to the campground she last left as a broken-hearted teen. She’s determined to spend Camp Starfall’s farewell weekend focusing on the good memories she has of her time as a camper. But fate has other plans.

Lindsey’s teenage sweetheart Tyler shows up, stirring up feelings in her that had long lain dormant. Too bad she doesn’t have time to dwell on him. Someone is breaking into the cabins, and if she doesn’t find the culprit, more than her heart will be at stake.

 

 

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Review

 

This mystery novella brings together characters with various motives, a mystery to solve, and even a little potential romance.

This group of former campers gathers for a final reunion before the camp is sold. It brings back memories for them, and for me, at least a little bit thinking back to my youth, but someone is skulking around the camp. What are they up to? Why are they searching the cabins? Lindsey pulls out her detective skills to uncover the culprit.

Because this book is short, there isn’t much time to build deeper characters or the crime. I have to admit I didn’t catch onto what was going on and what the person was looking for in the cabins. Once all was revealed, it made sense. The crime is minor; no one dies or is hurt.

There is a potential romance between Lindsey and Tyler, picking up where they left off years ago. It is a sweet romance and could grow into more outside of the camp.

The story has humor peppered throughout, and this was an enjoyable read. I wouldn’t mind seeing this turned into a longer book and a potential series.

We give it 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

C.K. Fyfe has always enjoyed a good mystery. Fyfe’s childhood love of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys led to a grown-up love of writing cozy mysteries with quirky, funny, and kindhearted characters. Fyfe lives in “The Wolverine State.” Much like wolverines, Fyfe’s villains have vicious dispositions, but the clever sleuths know how to tame their foes’ tempers.

 

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Deadly Rescue: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
Historical Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
JDP Press (September 20, 2022)
Number of Pages ~300

 

Synopsis

 

As the Phony War morphs into the Blitzkrieg, two British intelligence officers risk getting trapped behind enemy lines in the ninth Deadly mystery from USA Today Bestselling author Kate Parker

April, 1940. Hitler is invading Denmark on Tuesday. Olivia Redmond has only a weekend to bring a Nobel Prize winning chemist and his war-altering research to Britain. The scientist and his wife want to leave, but their troublesome daughter will do anything to stop her parents from departing.

When the daughter’s German fiancé is murdered, the police refuse to let anyone depart until they find the killer. If Olivia wants to escape Denmark with the chemist and his breakthroughs, she will have to unmask the killer before the Nazis stop her forever.

Deadly Rescue, book nine of the Deadly Series, is for fans of World War II era spy thrillers and classical cozy mysteries, of intrepid lady sleuths with determination and smarts. No explicit cursing, violence, or sex.

 

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Hello, I’m Sir Malcolm Fremantle, Britain’s spymaster. It’s 1940 now, and the Phony War that gave Britain some breathing space to prepare for war is over. Germany has announced that they are about to invade Denmark and Norway, and we can be certain other countries will soon follow.

The responsibilities I face are legion.

I only have a small group of full-time, trained agents. Many of them, such as Mike Christiansen who you meet in Deadly Rescue, have relatives in a country on the continent of Europe and speak another language and have knowledge that only a local would have.

Most of the work is done by part-time agents who have real employment or a situation which makes them useful for specific tasks. Livvy Redmond is a features reporter on a London daily newspaper. That makes her partially trained to be nosy which is better than most of them. She also is fluent in German and French which can be quite useful. But in Deadly Rescue, she has another attribute that makes her the best candidate for this assignment.

In my position, I must be sensitive to the mental, emotional, and physical needs of the people I am trying to manipulate. That includes my agents and the people they need to relocate or gain information from. Livvy Redmond’s mother, who died twenty-some years ago, was a good friend of the wife of a Nobel Prize-winning chemist I want to recruit for Britain. What could be better than to send Livvy over to help convince both the chemist and his wife to come here? Especially since Livvy doesn’t remember her mother and wants to learn more about her.

My part-time agents have little training. The best they can do is rely on their common sense and their curiosity and a work ethic that does not let them quit. Livvy is better at this than most, which is good since she insists on getting herself into sticky situations.

Take this Denmark situation. We need the chemist and his research into synthetic rubber brought here rather than left for the Germans to use. He’s willing to come here, his wife is willing to travel with him, but their daughter…why must people I want to help have children? Or family of any kind? The chemist’s daughter is engaged to a German and wants to stay, and her mother has some sort of misguided loyalty which is complicating the situation.

Then there’s a murder, and the Danish police decide to become troublesome. Now, my policy is to always work with the local police, unless they become an impediment to my work or my agent’s work. Then I believe a good lie in the cause of a British victory will save lives in the end.

I can’t take my eye off the goal, the reason for all this, for a moment. We are at war, in a fight for our very survival as a nation. We’re at war with Nazi Germany, and a bigger threat cannot be imagined. Every successful mission by Livvy Redmond and the rest of my agents is a step toward our ultimate victory.

 

 

Deadly Rescue, the ninth book in the Deadly Series by USA Today bestselling author Kate Parker, is on sale in ebook and paperback at all the usual online retailers.

 

 

About the Author

 

Since she was unable to build a time machine in her backyard, Kate Parker immerses herself in research and then creates the world that lives inside each book that she writes. Her favorite place is London and her time travel destination is anywhere from the late Victorian era through World War II. Since she lives in the Carolinas with her daughter and a 95-pound puppy, the practical side of her is thankful for air conditioning and all the modern comforts of life. Comforts she will take with her if she ever figures out how to build her time machine.

 

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