Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

 

Recipes included!

 

 

 

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Review

 

I love taking trips to the Jersey Shore and imagining this cozy touristy town with a boardwalk situated next to the beach. And of course, I imagine the food at Kebab Kitchen and can picture all of the deserts at Cutie’s Cupcakes. I think I might have gained a few pounds just reading this book, the recipes at the end sound divine.

Lucy is back on the case after a fellow polar bear plunge swimmer washes up dead. Who killed him? Why? Lucy is determined to discover the truth especially when her friend Susan of Cutie’s Cupcakes is arrested for the murder. There is no way Susan could have done it, but the evidence is stacked against her. Lucy tries to stay out of the situation but her instincts take over and she investigates with her best friend Katie.

From reading all of the other books in this series, the killer has been someone you would never expect. Perhaps they had a small role, or it just doesn’t seem like they have the motive. Well, in this case, my spidey sense went off and while I may not have known the why, I did figure out who the killer was but not until near the end. I was quite surprised to discover they why and that this character was willing to throw Susan or anyone else under the bus. But that is why this person is a criminal, they have no morals. There are several potential suspects, all with good reason to kill Deacon, but which one will it be?

Along with the mystery, there is also the relationship between Lucy and Azad. They dated when they were in college but events led them to break up. After some time, and her mother’s interference, these two have reconnected and are now engaged. Lucy has her concerns and has stalled on setting a date, but I think they cleared that hurdle in this book. I enjoy watching their relationship continue to blossom.

I enjoy this series and recommend it to everyone looking for a cozy with some good greek food.  I want that hummus bar here in my town!

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Tina Kashian spent her childhood summers at the New Jersey shore, building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business where her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. She worked almost every job—rolling silverware and wiping down tables as a tween, to hosting and waitressing as a teenager.

After college, Tina worked as a NJ Deputy Attorney General, a patent attorney, and a mechanical engineer. Her law cases inspired an inquiring mind of crime, and since then, Tina has been hooked on mysteries. The Kebab Kitchen Cozy Mystery series launches with Hummus and Homicide, followed by Stabbed in the Baklava and One Feta in the Grave by Kensington Books. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two young daughters. Please visit her website and join her Newsletter to enter free contests to win books, get delicious recipes, and to learn when her books will be released.

 

 

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Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Synopsis

 

From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays, The Christmas Table.

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother’s recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.

In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers she’s pregnant. Gloria, Miriam, and the rest of her friends at Glory’s Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written on each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.

The story continues from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby’s arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she’s always longed for?

 

 

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Review

 

This book was such a delight to read. It is more than a Christmas story, it is two stories about families that are tied together but just don’t know it….yet.  The book flips between 1972 and 2012 and centers around some recipe cards that were found in a table in 2012 that were written by the mom in 1972. Joan in 1972 and Lauren in 2012 learn how to cook with these recipe cards and the notes are very specific. This was a blessing for both women since they knew how to make the basics and these were more complicated recipes (somewhat). I have to say that my mouth was watering while reading the book.

This is the tenth book in a series and some of the other reviews that I have read mentioned that the characters flow from the various books. I think I could tell that in this book by Lauren’s mention of her wedding and other details, but this book can easily be read as a standalone book. The author does a brilliant job of character development and I didn’t feel like I was coming into the second act of a play and missing information.

While the story focuses on the women surrounding Lauren (in 2012) when she discovers she is pregnant and supporting her, there is also a little bit of a mystery on whose table this was that Lauren purchased with the recipe cards. She wants to give them back and a surprise twist will reunite her with the owner. The story in 1972 follows Joan who is battling breast cancer. This hit close to home since I am a breast cancer survivor myself. It also shares her family’s response and you can see the love her husband has for her and wants her to keep fighting. Several members of the community come together to support the family especially spiritually.

All in all, this was a lovely book and I had a hard time putting it down. I will definitely take a look at some of her other books in the near future.  We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Donna is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She’s an in-demand conference speaker and gifted teacher and has 14 published books including four that have been adapted into movies.

Donna is the recipient of multiple industry awards including a Retailer’s Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, two Audie Awards for best inspirational fiction, a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year, and is an inductee in the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence joining such luminaries as Coretta Scott King, Hugh Downs, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, and Senator John Glenn.

 

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SAVING IRENE

 

A Culinary Mystery

 

By JUDY ALTER

 

Cozy Mystery / Women Sleuths

Publisher: Alter Ego Press

Date of Publication: September 10, 2020

Number of Pages: 208

 

Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

 

Irene Foxglove wishes she were a French chef. Henrietta James, her assistant, knows she is nothing more than a small-time TV chef on a local Chicago channel. And yet when Irene is threatened, Henny tries desperately to save her, wishing always that “Madame” would tell her the truth—about her marriage, her spoiled daughter, her days in France, the man who threatens her. Henny’s best friend, the gay guy who lives next door, teases her, encourages her—and maybe loves her from afar. Murder, kidnapping, and some French gossip complicate this mystery, set in Chicago and redolent with the aroma of fine food. Recipes included.

 

 

 

 

Barnes and Noble ║ Amazon

 

 

 

 

Praise

 

“A nicely convoluted murder mystery and a glorification of America’s diverse cuisines, played out against the attractions of a lovingly drawn Chicago.”—Fred Erisman, In Their Own Words: Forgotten Women Pilots of Early Aviation

 

“You’ll find yourself cheering for Henny James as she works beyond her job description as prep assistant to save her boss, Irene Foxglove, glamorous local French-ish TV chef.”—Kaye George, Deadly Sweet Tooth (Vintage Sweets Mysteries Book 2)

 

“Get lost in the beauty of Chicago and the intrigue of a Texas girl making her way in the world . . . You won’t see the end coming.”—Mary Dulle, avid cozy fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

After an award-winning career writing historical fiction about women of the nineteenth-century American West, Judy Alter turned her attention to contemporary cozy mysteries: the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries and Blue Plate Café Mysteries. Her avocation is cooking, and she is the author of Cooking My Way Through Life with Kids and Books, Gourmet on a Hot Plate, and Texas is Chili Country.

Born in Chicago, she has made her home in Fort Worth for over fifty years. Judy is also a proud Scot, a member of Clan MacBean. One trip to the Highlands convinced her that is where her heart is, and she longs to write a novel set in Scotland.

Judy is an active member of Sisters in Crime, Guppies, Story Circle Network, Women Writing the West, and the Texas Institute of Letters. When she is not writing, she is busy with seven grandchildren and a lively poodle/border collie cross.

 

 

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———————–

 

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

 

THREE WINNERS: Autographed paperback copies of Saving Irene.

 

October 9-16, 2020

 

(US ONLY)

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

 

 

Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page for direct links to each post on this tour.

 

 

blog tour services provided

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

Welcome to Forest River, New York, where perfection is a requirement. The Lululemon-clad moms are perfectly toned, expertly highlighted, and magnificently manicured. The women spend their days practicing Pilates, shopping for shoes, and doing everything in their power to ensure their children never experience a difficult day.

PTA president, Jackie Martin, is the envy off the mothers. She has a loyal and handsome husband, she host’s elaborate parties, and her eldest daughter, Hayley, is the most popular child in the fifth grade. Her life appears flawless, but is life ever what it seems to be?

After receiving a painful blow, when Hayley was in kindergarten, Jackie clawed her way into PTA power. She lived her life by the adage, “Proper planning prevents poor performance.” Her attention to detail (okay fine – her control freak nature) served her well until she experiences the ultimate betrayal.

Angry and hurt, old emotional wounds are ripped open as Jackie realizes she doesn’t know who she can trust. Jackie must reevaluate her life, her friendships, and the choices she has made. Will she finally let her guard down and show the world the real Jackie Martin?

A hilarious and heartwarming novel that’s perfect for fans of Class Mom! Mom Boss is the standalone prequel to Go On, Girl and Mom Genes.

 

 

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Releases Oct 12th, but you can pre-order your copy today!

 

 

Read my review of Go On, Girl

 

 

Read my review of Mom Genes

Review

 

I have read the first two books in this series but this prequel?  Wow!  It gives so much insight into Jackie and why things the way they are in the PTA.  So my advice from the get-go is if you have not read any of this series then definitely start with this book, the others will flow from the setup of Mom Boss.

I have never been involved with the PTA, but I have been involved in many organizations in my time but I don’t think I have ever seen the cattiness that is displayed in this book (and the other two). This book goes back about 5 years when Jackie’s daughter was in kindergarten and she just wanted to help make her daughter’s experience a good one. However, the current PTA President, Pamela, is a control freak and doesn’t accept Jackie’s offer to assist in whatever capacity she is needed. That doesn’t stop Jackie from going around her and gathering the support of other moms and doing their own thing. I have to admire her pluckiness in taking on someone that is obsessed with the power they think they have as President of the PTA.  This book is no different from the first two and it includes emails between various parties and I had to laugh when Pamela would reply all and blast Jackie and then try to recall the message.

Near the end of the book, the story jumps to the “present” time of the other two books when Jackie’s daughter and others are entering the fifth grade. If you have read the first two books, you will recognize some of the events that unfold. There is so much more and I cannot wait until the fourth book comes out that tells Donna’s story.  Donna and Jackie were as thick as thieves in this book but something happened and she turns against Jackie. There is more to the story than what we are shown in this book.

I know I don’t think I was a huge fan of Jackie in the other two books, but knowing her story caused me to rethink my previous assessment of her. She is a very organized woman and knows what she wants and how to achieve the results, but at the same time brings others into the circle to assist the success of the event.  She is very smart too and that is obvious when she addresses the school board regarding PTA funds (before she was president) and where they would, or should, be spent.

We give this book 5 paws up and highly recommend this series.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

By day, Hilary Grossman works in the booze biz. By night she hangs out with her “characters.” She has an unhealthy addiction to denim and high heel shoes. She’s been known to walk into walls and fall up stairs. She only eats spicy foods and is obsessed with her cat, Lucy. She loves to find humor in everyday life. She likens life to a game of dodge ball – she tries to keep many balls in the air before they smack her in the face. She lives on Long Island.

 

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There is a #Giveaway on Hilary’s Facebook page until the release of the book

 

 

Synopsis

 

Two years after her mother’s death from breast cancer, Caitlin, then 20 years old, was admitted to a psychiatric facility after a suicide attempt. There, a therapist diagnosed her with major depression and anxiety, and she spent time as an inpatient.

Years later, still suffering from grief and depression, Caitlin decided to embark on a “grief journey,” interviewing the people involved in her mother’s dying process: a hospice nurse, a priest, an estate planner, a hairstylist, and a funeral director. If she figured out how they could function after being so close to her mother’s death, then maybe she could learn how to navigate her own life.

Each chapter of The Mourning Report is centered on each interview and the memories, anxieties, and reflections that it stimulated. It asks what it means to “move on.”

 

 

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Praise

 

“I cried more times than I can count while reading this book, but I also laughed and marveled at Garvey’s honesty. She has dared to tell the truth about grief, anxiety, and the seemingly impossible task of living on after loss. The Mourning Report is an unforgettable portrait of a mother and daughter, and something truly rare—a meditation on death that is filled with life.”  -Rachel Jamison Webster, author of Mary is a River

Titled a report—sly and straightforward in its nomenclature—Caitlin Garvey’s memoir is also a testimony.  It attests to grief as a veil, and to the ravages of loss.  At eighteen, Garvey lost her mother and subsequently herself.  With candor and vulnerability, she writes to retrieve the Lost Child she’s become.  The result is a book of heartrending tenderness. – Peggy Shinner, author of You Feel So Mortal

“Many memoirs of loss are limited by the author’s understanding at the time of the events. Caitlin Garvey recognizes this, and in her post-mortem journey seeks to find who her mother was (alive and dead) to others. In graceful language devoid of sentimentality, Garvey takes us to the people who knew her mother in ways she never could. If this sounds grim, it isn’t-there’s a hilarious moment with a hospice nurse. Garvey is an honest, clear-eyed chronicler of her journey of grieving and collecting stories about her mother, who died of inflammatory breast cancer. At the same time this is Garvey’s own story of living with mental illness and making her way in the world. At this time of crisis, we are all searching for meaning and substance. Garvey provides both in this lovely and incisive book.” – S.L. Wisenberg, author of The Adventures of Cancer B*tch

 

 

Excerpt

 

When I look into Father Dore’s eyes this time, they don’t look rigid or judging like they did when I was in grade school. Instead, they look weary—his eyes remind me of Momma’s eyes after her double mastectomy—and like his mother before her death, there is some fear in them. His eyes look like the eyes of an 81-year-old man, but also like the eyes of a child. He’s tired from all of his experiences, but maybe he’s also newly seeing, or still seeking.

Referring to God and the stories of the Bible, Dore admits that every once in a while, when he’s praying, he thinks to himself, “Is this shit real?” We laugh together, the sincere kind of laughter, and at this moment I realize that Father Dore is not wiser than the rest of society, nor is he otherworldly. He’s just trying to figure out how to exist.

I think that losing a parent even at an old age places a person, at least temporarily, back in the role of a neglected, confused child. As I watch Father Dore, I realize that I long for something from God that’s impossible for me to get. I want to curl up in a ball and lean my head on God’s shoulders while he shushes me and tells me everything will be all right. I want God to sing me to sleep. In the morning I want him to tell me to get up and make my bed. I want him to tell me that I’m irritable because I’m not eating enough, and then I want him to say, “Check the cabinets. I just bought some Rice Krispy Treats.” I want him to tell me that he talked to my sisters and my dad and he comforted them, too. I want him to hold our family together. I want him to hear me play the trumpet and tell me that I’m talented and that he’s so proud of me.

 

 

About the Author

 

Caitlin Garvey is a writer and English professor in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing from Northwestern University, as well as an MA in English Literature from DePaul University. Her work has been published in Post Road Magazine, JuxtaProse Magazine, Apeiron Review, The Baltimore Review, The Tishman Review, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, and others. Her forthcoming memoir, The Mourning Report (Homebound Publications, 2020), is about losing her mother to cancer and collecting the stories of the people who played a role in her mother’s care.

 

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Synopsis

It’s 1998.  The old Soviet Union is dead, the new Russia is awash in corruption and despair.  Manya and Yuri Zalinikov, secular Jews – he, a gifted mathematician recently dismissed from the Academy,  she, a concert pianist — sell black market electronics in a market stall until threatened with a gun by a Mafioso in search of protection money.  Yuri sinks into a Chekhovian melancholy, emerging to announce that he wants to “live as a Jew” in Israel. Manya and their daughter, Galina, are desolate, asking “how does one do that,” and “why?”

Thus begins their odyssey, part tragedy, part comedy but always surprising. Struggling against loneliness, language, and danger, Yuri finds a Talmudic teacher equally addicted to religion and luxury; Manya finds a job playing the piano at The White Nights supper club, owned by a wealthy, flamboyant Russian with a murky history,  who offers lust disguised as love. Galina, enrolled at Hebrew University,  finds dance clubs and pizza emporiums and a string of young men, one of whom Manya hopes will save her from the Israeli army by marrying her.

Against a potpourri of marriage wigs, matchmaking television shows, disastrous investment schemes, and a suicide bombing, JERUSALEM AS A SECOND LANGUAGE confronts the thin line between religious faith and skepticism.

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

After finishing with my piano, I sat on the creamy sofa, folding my legs under myself. Kanov jumped up. “I have something,” he said, and disappeared into the office, coming back with a small, flat, square object. There was no wrapping, or even a card. A handsome young man seated at a piano greeted me on one side of the package.

On the other: “Yevgeny and Companions: Trios, Quartets, Sonatas.”

Not a squealer, I squealed. The St. Petersburg Players, their premiere pianist Yevgeny Stanislav

with other Russian artists, performing chamber music, the CD I’d seen reviewed in the weekly Rusky Olim arts review newspaper. Expensive. Stanislav recorded with the finest music studio in Moscow. I turned the disc over, stroking the cover. “So many thank-yous,” I said. My voice sounded hollow, false.

“It’s nothing, only music.”

“Music is never nothing.”

“I saw it and thought about you.” I, you. Dangerous, these words in the same sentence. I blushed,

turning from the lamplight. “I guessed at what would please.”

The room smelled of cigarette smoke, of the tiger lilies in the crystal vase on the coffee table, of

expensive soap and shaving lotion, so different from the straightforward, no-nonsense lotion Yuri used.

Volga, I think, the same scent for years, so familiar; background music I no longer heard.

Someone knocked at the door, entering to Kanov’s “Who?” Alexsei, whom I’d met on my opening visit to The White Nights; a man, I now knew, in charge of everything outside the serving of food in this place.

His skills were astonishing. One day, I was desolate because the piano keys were turning dark, and I had bought the wrong, wholly useless cleanser. Alexsei found a bottle of something he didn’t identify, washed the keys with a white cloth dipped into this mysterious, almond-scented lotion, restoring them to pristine, glistening, cream-colored splendor. We’d been friends since, often bantering about the weather, the irritating lack of parking spaces around the club, the rising cost of movie tickets.

His arms were full with small wooden sticks that smelled of hickory, taking me back to the forest

surrounding our dacha—our stolen dacha—smell I hadn’t known I missed until that minute. He looked from Kanov, who asked him to start a fire, please, to me. I nodded, but didn’t speak, turning away, unwilling to see curiosity or accusation in his eyes.

Alexsei was a funny little man, constructed of a series of contradictions: slender as an adolescent, but muscular, with the slack jaw and under-the-chin turkey wattle of an older man. A wrestler in Moscow, where he’d met Dmitri Kanov at a sports club. He’d worked for him since, coming to Jerusalem to be with him, calling him a genius, telling me I wouldn’t believe all the amazing things this amazing man had performed.

The fire was comforting, casting shadowy patterns on the white walls. I relaxed, the first time in

weeks. A waiter appeared with a salad of tomatoes and onion in herbed basil dressing, and more wine. Something about the aggressive red color of the tomatoes nestling against the sharp green of the lettuce, the slender strips of purple-and-white onion arranged in a spiral, alarmed me.

Alexsei turned to go. Kanov called after him, “Bring the shrimp at any time.” Turning to me, he

said, “I hope you like shrimp as much as I do.”

I did, but I couldn’t. I’d promised Yuri. Shellfish were forbidden, and I had promised. Everything else I’d promised to my husband seemed, for that moment at least, to be enclosed inside the matter of the forbidden shrimp. “I must go,” I said, and stood up, so suddenly, my movements brushed the salad plate, tomatoes, onions, everything, onto the carpet. “I must.”

Any other occasion, I would have been on hands and knees wiping, expressing my apology. Not

now. Kanov blinked, startled, I guessed, by both the fallen salad and the standing Manya. Alexsei stood in the open doorway, neither surprised nor especially interested. I excused my way out of the room, remembering, at the last moment, my gift CD. Later, I thought: Never could I tell Nadia this.

 

[From Rochelle Distelheim’s Jerusalem as a Second Language, p. 174–176]

 

 

About the Author

 

Rochelle Distelheim, a Chicago native, earned numerous short story literary awards, including The Katherine Anne Porter Prize; Illinois Arts Council Literary Awards and Fellowships; The Ragdale Foundation Fellowships; The Faulkner Society Gold Medal in Novel-in-Progress; The Faulkner Society Gold Medal in Novel; The Gival Press 2017 Short Story Competition; Finalist, Glimmer Train’s Emerging Writers; and The Salamander Second Prize in Short Story. In addition, Rochelle’s short stories earned nominations for The Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize. Her stories appeared in national magazines such as Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Working Woman, Working Mother, and more. Her first novel, Sadie in Love, was published in 2018 when she was 90 years old. She lived in Highland Park, IL.

Rochelle passed away during the summer of 2020 and you can read her obituary that ran in the Chicago Tribune

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

A steampunk retelling of Cinderella.

Emmeline O’Shea is determined to save the world—single-handedly, if necessary. A strong voice for societal reform, she is the natural choice to deliver a key speech at the end of the International Shifter Rights Organization’s week-long Summit in Scotland.

But when a death threat arrives at Emme’s home, she is immediately placed into protective custody, watched over by none other than her personal nemesis, Detective-Inspector Oliver Reed. The two have crossed paths many times, with disastrous results, but now they will have to work together in order to reach the Summit before midnight of the last day in order to ensure legislation is passed to protect the Shifter community.

As unseen enemies close in around Emme and Oliver, they struggle to reach Edinburgh by any means necessary, only to find Emme’s vindictive stepsister, Oliver’s vampire brother, and a dangerous political minefield awaiting them in Scotland.

Even more difficult is their own refusal to admit that the fiery animosity that once burned between them might be turning into the heat of romantic passion. Could a straitlaced policeman determined to uphold the law and an outspoken activist willing to break the rules ever find true love? Or will all their dreams shatter like glass when the clock strikes midnight?

 

 

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Praise

 

“Once again proving that genres are made to be melded, Allen puts a suspenseful twist on this enticing, steampunk retelling of Cinderella. Allen seamlessly integrates gentle romantic tension and nods to the original fairy tale with paranormal and steampunk elements and political intrigue. This is a fun, arresting break from reality.” -Publishers Weekly

“Relocates a classic fairy tale into an imagined future packed with airships, automated carriages, vampires, and corsets. Nancy Campbell Allen’s lively reimagining of the Cinderella story features an empowered, outspoken heroine who’s driven by a vision of a more equitable, futuristic Britain.” -Foreword Reviews

Review

 

I have found that Steampunk books can be quite interesting. I’m not sure what it is about the setting but it feels like a combination of new and old technology, inventions, and the like.

I have read a couple of the books in this series and have enjoyed the books and this one was no different. There are a few things that liken it to Cinderella, but I feel like it is very loosely based on that fairy tale. But that is not a fault, just an observation of mine.

The story that is told is one that could fit our world today – it is about not shunning a part of society and one woman’s fight for their rights. I’m talking about shifters, humans that shift into animal form a few nights a month. Most are not violent, but as we know, a few bad apples tend to ruin it for everyone. Emme is their spokeswoman and is fighting for their rights, much to the chagrin of her family. She is definitely not a proper lady by their standards, but that is what makes her a good advocate for the shifters. It isn’t until she receives a notice to back off that the police take things seriously. Enter Detective-Inspector Oliver Reed. This isn’t their first encounter with each other and I think they each felt something for each other but have never acted upon those feelings. It takes some harrowing situations for them to admit to each other that perhaps there is something there in the romance field.

This also has an air of mystery about it because there are secrets unknown to Emme that put her in danger. There is also a wide range of characters, some loveable, some not so much. My favorite character is Gus. There is more to Gus than what meets the eye but I don’t want to spoil that surprise for anyone so you’ll have to read the book.

Others have said to read the other books in this series before this one, even though it is a standalone novel. I have read one of the others but really don’t remember much that might tie to this book. The curse of reading so much! I think this book reads fine as a standalone, but if you like steampunk novels you will want to read all of the books in her series!

We give this book 4 paws up and look forward to reading more of her works.

 

 

 

 

 

Trailer

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of seventeen published novels and numerous novellas, which span genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. In 2005, her work won the Utah Best of State award, and she received a Whitney Award for My Fair Gentleman. She has presented at numerous writing conferences and events since her first book was released in 1999. Nancy received a BS in Elementary Education from Weber State University. She loves to read, write, travel, and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She is married and the mother of three children.

 

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Tusk Justice:(A Kenya Kanga Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kanga Press (October 9, 2020)
Number of Pages App. 300

 

Synopsis

 

At a summit on poaching, the keynote is homicide. Can a veterinarian solve the case before she becomes an endangered species?

Kenya, 2016. Community vet and skilled sleuth ‘Mama’ Rose Hardie is passionate about saving elephants. As she runs her monthly clinic for the animals at the local resort, she plans to attend a conference on the issue with her ailing husband. But things turn sour when a world-renowned conservationist is found brutally stabbed to death.

With the authorities tied up in Nairobi, Rose sets out to bring the killer in herself. But with multiple suspects all hiding secrets and scandalous truths surrounding the victim, the culprit may be too slippery for the aged amateur detective to handle.

Can Rose trap the murderer before she ends up as the next target?

Tusk Justice is the second book in the thrilling Kenya Kanga Mysteries series. If you like quirky characters, lush African locales, and a love of animals, then you’ll adore Victoria Tait’s adventurous whodunit.

 

 

Amazon – B&N – Kobo

 

 

Guest Post

 

 

Dawa – The African Cocktail

 

In Tusk Justice, book 2 in the Kenya Kanga Mystery series, the principal characters relax on the hotel lawn with pre-dinner drinks.  The heroine, Mama Rose and her husband Craig are given complimentary drinks: Dawas.  Rose found hers too strong, and she prefers white wine, and Craig asked for a Tusker beer instead.  However, Chloe enjoyed the Dawa.

 

 

The Dawa cocktail is a mixture of vodka, lime, sugar, honey, and ice.  It’s a refreshing drink for Kenya’s hot, and often dusty climate, but be aware, the acidic citrus juice and syrupy honey can mask the alcohol.

Samson Kivelenge, who has worked at The Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi since it opened in 1980, is credited with naming the cocktail which is based on a Brazilian drink.  It was developed for tourists and can be found on the bar menus of hotels and safari lodges from Diani Beach to Samburu National Reserve.

The best time to drink it? During sundowners, the African equivalent of happy hour.  The tradition of sundowners began under British colonial rule and continues today.  During an evening game drive, guests stop at a scenic spot to watch the striking African sunset.  Drinks and nibbles are provided.  I still prefer a gin and tonic as tonic has the added benefit of quinine, a common treatment for malaria… or is it a particularly generous measure of gin?  My husband prefers a Tusker Beer with an iconic label of an elephant’s head.

Dawa is a Kiswahili word meaning medicine.  Legend has it this African cocktail can heal anything: whether you’ve had a tough week at work, writer’s block, or even a cold.  It is best served chilled with nyama choma: grilled or BBQed meat.

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 lime cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp Brown/Granulated Sugar
• 2 shots of Vodka
• 1 tbsp Honey
• Crushed Ice

 

 

 

PREPARATION

Difficulty:  Easy

Time:  5 Minutes

• Place the lime quarters and sugar into a whisky tumbler or heavy-bottomed glass.
• Crush the limes, add crushed ice, and pour over the Vodka
• Add honey or a ‘Dawa’ stick
• Combine the ingredients and bring the limes up from the bottom of the glass. Add more ice until the glass is full, and garnish with a lime wheel.

A ‘Dawa’ stick is a plastic or wooden stick that is rolled in honey until it is thickly coated.  It is then stirred into the Dawa ingredients.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Victoria Tait is an exciting new author launching her Kenya Kanga Mystery series.  She’s drawn on 8 years living in rural Kenya with her family to transport her readers to a world of curiosity, community and conspiracy.  The Kenya Kanga Mystery series brings to life the beauty of the Kenyan landscape, the magic of its wildlife, and the warmth of its people.

 

Website * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads * Pinterest

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

New York’s beloved Petee’s Pie Company serves up more than 80 recipes for the best pies you can make at home

Petra (Petee) Paredez shares her personal repertoire of impeccable baking techniques that have made her pie shops, Petee’s Pie Company and Petee’s Café, New York darlings. At the heart of it all, the goal is simple—a tender, flaky crust and perfectly balanced filling—and this cookbook leads the way with easy-to-follow, step-by-step guidance. A champion of locally sourced ingredients, Paredez features some of the best farms and producers in profiles throughout the book, inspiring us to seek out the very best ingredients for our pies wherever we may live. Filled with vibrant photography and recipes for just about every pie imaginable, from fruit and custard to cream and even savory, Pie for Everyone invites us to share in the magic and endless appeal of pie.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Indiebound

 

 

I love pie. There, I said it. There is something about all of these flavors sitting in a flakey crust that just holds me captive. I even have a group of friends that used to venture around our town to try the pie at various restaurants and bakeries.  Sadly, we haven’t met in some time (thanks 2020!) but hopefully soon.

I love to try new recipes and I have to admit I have never made a pie crust before. It was a bit intimidating to think about, but nothing ventured nothing gained. My first pie crust isn’t pretty to look at but it was flaky and tasted divine. My arm was sore from grating the butter into the flour mixture and then blending the butter into the flour takes patience.  Here was my crust, remember I said it wasn’t pretty!

 

 

I’m sure you wondering, what pie did I make to go into this crust? There are so many pies I want to make, but I went with my husband’s request for the Tomato Ricotta Pie.  I decided to make this for dinner and it could be considered vegetarian depending on if you eat cheese and butter.  The book says it would make a good brunch served with a side salad.  I think I have to agree since it felt lighter than what we would normally eat for dinner. But we both enjoyed it and that is what matters.  Here it is before it went into the oven.  It does say to layer different colored tomatoes on top but we couldn’t find any other colors…but during the summer? I am sure this would be an easier feat, especially with the local farmer’s market open.

 

 

Here is the cooked pie.

 

 

 

There are many more pie recipes to try and my husband went through the book naming all of the pies he wouldn’t mind eating…let’s just say there are only a few that he wouldn’t eat.

If you love pies then this is a book you need to add to your collection. The variety feels endless and there are pies for all seasons. There are even savory pies, such as the one I made here.

 

 

LIVE LIFE DELICIOUSLY: Recipes for busy weekdays & leisurely weekends

by Tara Teaspoon

Release date: 10/6/2020

Cookbook

 

 

Synopsis

 

IN TARA’S FIRST COOKBOOK, she shares more than 120 delicious showstopping recipes that are designed to impress and gather people together around food. From leisurely weekend brunches spent over burrata with grilled peaches and orange zest chimichurri to easy weeknight rice bowls with carrot-ginger dressing to a mouthwatering cherry crostata, Tara explains how to put together and master several special go-to dishes with global flavors to add to your repertoire.

Tara’s takes on classic recipes plus her innovative entertaining ideas and helpful tips are designed to encourage cooks to enjoy their time in the kitchen and incorporate new flavors, ingredients, and comforting-but-elevated meal ideas into their everyday cooking.

Live Life Deliciously with Tara Teaspoon shows foodies, both serious and casual, how to present food as an interesting and beautiful culinary experience with dishes that taste as delicious as they look.

 

 

 

Amazon * B&N * BAM

 

This book releases October 6th, 2020

 

Advance Praise

 

“Tara’s passion for cooking and entertaining paired with her exceptional professional experience make for a cookbook adventure that no kitchen should be without.” —KELSEY NIXON, author of Kitchen Confidence

 

“Tara has been teaching people how to create joy in the kitchen for as long as I’ve known her, and Live Life Deliciously brings her style of modern yet comfortingly familiar recipes right to your hands. Both serious and casual cooks will find success and cooking joy by following her simple but impressive takes on classics and flavorful creations.” —SUSAN SPUNGEN, author of Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings and founding food editor of Martha Stewart Living

 

Review

 

I enjoy a good cookbook and especially when it is one that does not call for fancy ingredients or long cooking times. I like that some of the recipes are used in other recipes – sauces, dressings, etc. It shows how versatile food can be and what might make another recipe pop.

The book starts off with an intro from Tara and then it jumps into pantry staples and the right equipment. She talks about the different types of pots and pans and even has a section on knives. I agree with her that you need to feel a knife in your hand to know if it is the right one for you. I also think that you should spend a little more on a good quality knife set. It will last you forever.  Other good basics to have are mixing bowls (multiple sizes), cutting boards, spatulas, tongs, and so much more.

The cookbook is divided into various chapters – appetizers, salads, sides, weeknight meals, flavor inspired dinners, meals for gatherings, breakfast dishes, and desserts.  As I perused each section, I found many that looked delicious and will be adding to my rotation of meals.

This is a great cookbook for beginners to intermediate chefs out there. I don’t think anything is too hard and you shouldn’t have to search very hard for most of the ingredients. If you look at her pantry staple list, many of the items are on that list.

The recipe I am going to share with you is a side dish. I love green beans especially when they are still crunchy. This one adds in browned butter, garlic, mint, and almonds to round out the flavors.

 

Green Beans with Browned-butter almonds, garlic, and mint

 

Ingredients

4T unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 c sliced almonds

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 lb trimmed haricot verts or regular green beans

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3T chopped mint

 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds. Stir occasionally until almonds begin to turn brown and the milk solids in the butter turn brown, approx 5-6 minutes.

Add the garlic and cover with the haricot verts, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan with a lid or foil, and steam for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring until beans are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in mint and serve. Top with extra mint if desired.

 

 

About the Author

 

Tara has spent more than twenty years in the food publishing industry creating recipes and articles, and food styling for various magazines, books, television, and advertising.

Most recently she has been the food and entertaining director of Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. Prior to working at the Journal, Tara was a food editor at Martha Stewart Living, Kids, and Weddings magazines. She has appeared on the Martha Stewart television show, The Today Show, and on The Food Network as a show judge and contestant.

 

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